On Being a Parent

Without a doubt, some of the best parts of being a parent are...

1. Kid Talk.

 "Mommy, this marker is Grandma's.  When we see her again, I'm afraid we'll have to give it to her." 

2. Homemade cards.

3. Early morning cuddles.

The end.  =)

Better than TOMS?

When Stuart and I got married, my husband wore neither jeans nor flip flops.  As in, he didn't even own either.  And we live in Southern California!  Since I am a BIG fan of a man in jeans and flip flops, I quickly remedied the problem. =)  We jumped on the Rainbow sandals wagon because they were sturdy and comfy.  When we received a tax refund this year, I figured it'd be a good time to update my husbands flip flop wear. 

While googling for deals on Rainbows, I somehow stumbled across the website for Sole Rebels.  Sole Rebels is a shoe company based in Ethiopia.  They use sustainable, fair trade materials to make their shoes and pay their employees 3 times the industry average for similar work (4 times the minimum wage requirement).  That's crazy insane, and it's only going to foster pride in the community, as well as give the workers the ability to give their children a great education and the chance to get even better jobs.  I'm quite familiar with a different "socially aware" shoe company that appears to do a lot of social good on the surface but, as the proverb would say, merely "give a man a fish" (when you buy one for yourself).  I don't intend to judge their charity model; they've given away more shoes than I have.  However, one of the biggest gifts we can give poor economies is not money or food or shoes, but the ability to thrive via themselves.  Dependence on outside aid doesn't foster growth, it just encourages further dependence.  Sole Rebels is a shoe company that doesn't give men fish, but rather teaches fishing - and pays the fisherman quite well.  Visit their website here to read more about the benefits of their business model.  

Needless to say, I ordered a pair of flip flops for both of us and my husband's instant response to putting them on was  "YOU HAVE TO BLOG ABOUT THESE."  They are the MOST comfortable flip flops he's ever tried on, and they didn't require getting wet in an effort to help conform to his feet (true story).  They are baby-bottom soft and fit quite well (they have a nifty shoe-fitting print-out on their site).  I also ordered a pair of flats, which I LOVE.

Obviously for people on a budget (like us) this is a big splurge.  But trust me - they are totally worth it!  And they come with the added satisfaction of knowing you are supporting a fantastic company.

My husband and I wearing our Sole Rebels.  :)

Disclaimer:  no, I'm not getting paid to say any of this.

Camping

This past weekend our family went camping.  I love camping.  We went quite a bit while growing up and I completely "get it" now because, while I drank coffee and talked with adults, the kids did this...

...and this...

...and they don't fight, complain that they're bored, or make messes that I need to worry about.  

The kids also had a chance to ride horses for a bit:

....and watch the daddies dig this guy out of a gopher hole and grab him with their bare hands.  

On our last camping trip, the kids found a baby rattlesnake, which required instant death.  I think the dads liked being able to play with this one for a bit.

A friend of ours also found this little guy:

and at one point, one of my kids grabbed my phone and took some pictures.  

Not exactly sure who the culprit was, but I found a clue...

I consider it a fantastic deal to sleep on the ground in exchange for no fighting and easy bedtimes,  

plus we get to make a few memories at the same time.

WIN!

I made an apron!

I'm a complete novice when it comes to sewing.  I think my biggest fault is lack of patience, and that's a weakness I'm too impatient to work on.  I tried to take up oil painting several years ago, but oil paint takes sssooooooooo loooooooong to dry that I gave up.  I found this out when I attempted to make a panel piece (2 or more canvases that create one painting).  It's hanging in my dining room....unfinished.  I even went to a free class and some people had been working on the same painting all summer long.  Nuh-uh.  If it takes longer than an hour, I'm out.

Well, recently I needed to pull out my sewing machine to sew some tablecloths (feel free to laugh if you know that this simply means sew a straight line in fabric).  I've sewn a few more "involved" items, namely my monster crayon totes.

But its been awhile since I've done anything that creative, so I decided I wanted to make myself a "hostess apron" (aka half-size).  Using some super duper cute fabric and WITHOUT A PATTERN (though I did see a picture of a similar apron), I pulled this off:

And it only took me one episode of Dr. Phil to finish it.  =)

Me Make Salsa!

In my short life so far, I've made wedding cakes, beef bourguignon, beef wellington, steak diane and homemade breads, puddings, ice cream, salad dressings, younameit.  I've worked lead at a restaurant in Sea World, and made waffle cones at Cold Stone.   I was the cook for a conservation corps in the back country of Yosemite where pack mules had to deliver my groceries.   I'm actually not afraid of much when it comes to the kitchen.

Not much, except salsa.  

I have always been extremely nervous about salsa.  I think it stems from trying to make it a few years ago from tomatoes I grew in my garden.  I tried to boil the tomatoes to remove the skin, then I threw a bunch of ingredients into my mini cuisinart and pressed the button.  It was AWFUL.  So awful that I promised myself never again.

A few days ago I broke that promise.  I was menu planning and quite a few of my recipes this week have ingredients such as jalapenos, cilantro, garlic and lime juice.  Then my husband asked me to make his employees chorizo burritos.  That day, while shopping at Trader Joe's, I noticed they had a HUGE bag of tomatillos for $1.50.  

Fine, challenge accepted:  I'll make salsa.  

I made two salsas: salsa verde and chipotle salsa.  Unfortunately, I only took pictures of my salsa verde, even though (in my humble opinion) my chipotle salsa was WAY better.  I've never been the biggest fan of salsa verde, so that might partially explain my bias.  Either way, here are the photos I did manage to take:

 Here are my freshly husked and washed tomatillos.  True fact: tomatillos are NOT a tomato; they are merely distant relatives.

Here are other ingredients used:  jalapenos, garlic, onions (from my garden...the only thing I can manage to successfully grow each year), and veggie oil (not pictured).  

I cut everything up a bit, tossed it in the oil with salt and pepper, put it on a cookie sheet and roasted it for about 35 minutes at 425 degrees.  This picture is about 10 minutes in.  After 30 minutes, the tomatillos had deflated quite a bit and everything was colored pretty nicely.  

When it was all roasted, I tossed everything into a blender along with 1/2 a cup of cilantro, squeezed the juice of one small lime in, and pureed it.  Below is a crappy picture of the finished results.  The lighting is awful as I took the picture later in the day.  The salsa itself is pretty thick.  I remember reading one recipe that calls for boiling everything in a pot of water (instead of roasting it) and throwing everything in the blender, including the water.  Now it makes more sense.  Rubio's salsa verde is rather runny, and so was my chipotle salsa.  But tomatillos don't have the same water content as tomatoes so you have to add water if you want it to be a thinner consistency.  Stuart actually preferred this kind, though I'd probably add a little water next time.  

I'm bummed I don't have any proof of my chipotle salsa, since that was even easier to make.  I used canned diced tomatoes (who knew!), canned chipotle peppers, jalapenos, garlic, red onion, salt, pepper, paprika and cumin.  It was so good, Stuart didn't even bring any home after his work meeting with his guys.  Now, with two successful salsas under my belt, I can say my fear has been conquered.  One of these days, when I have more counter space and a kitchen-aid attachment, I will attempt my own pasta.  =)  

So, I'm curious - what is your biggest cooking fear?

DIY Lemonade

The past couple days have been cold and drizzly so, naturally, my kids wanted to make lemonade.  Actually the weather had little to do with it.  Instead of waiting for life to hand them lemons, they go looking for them and yesterday they found some.

Like most kids, mine are very hands-on.  If I'm making a latte, they run in the kitchen and ask to push the espresso button and pour it in my cup.  If I'm baking, they want to crack all the eggs and measure out the baking powder.  If I'm making dinner, they want to set the table and stir whatever's in the pan.  Obviously, when it comes to making lemonade, they want to do it all.  So a few months ago, I came up with a solution:  the (nearly) DIY Lemonade kit.

Step 1:  Combine sugar and water in kid-safe pitcher.  If you don't mind how much sugar is used, or if a pitcher is broken, I guess you could skip this step.

Step 2: Cut the lemons in half.  Again, if you don't mind how many fingers are lost, you could also skip this step.

Step 3:  Give the ingredients to your kids and walk away.  Tell them to put everything in the sink when they're done.

Step 4:  Applaud yourself...you totally just won a mommy award.

Poop and Pajamas

I went grocery shopping this morning, and came home a little after 12pm.  As I pulled into the garage, I noticed my handsome husband standing on the porch in his flannel pajama pants, talking to Jehovah's Witnesses.  Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against his pajamas.  I personally think men's flannel pajamas are sexy (yes, I said it).  Just, I'm not sure if wearing them at lunch time while talking to JW's is a sin or not?   I don't have anything against JW's, either.  The ones I have met have been extremely sweet and pleasant.  I do have issues with their interpretation of the Bible, but that's for another time.

At the same time I arrived home, I noticed the gardeners walking up to our house with their equipment.  Our gardeners have this odd rule about not mowing our lawn if we have anything but grass on it so, after parking, I raced into the backyard to clean up the dog poop left by our recent visitors (note to self:  don't let the dogs near the K'Nex).  We could actually be prepared for the gardeners, as they do come according to a schedule, but we never ever pay attention; we enjoy the surprise.

After cleaning up the backyard, I joined my husband on the porch.  I didn't mean to interrupt the flow of conversation but my presence solicited introductions.  Okay, no big deal.  That's when the "worst thing ever" happened:  the guy reached out to shake my hand.  I get that handshakes are a normal American custom, but just as this guy reached out his hand to mine it dawned on me:  after cleaning up the dog poo, I never washed my hands.  And to think he's probably on his way to shake some more hands.  =/  My bad.

The JW's did a great job encouraging us to read the Bible and making sure we "worship God correctly."   I bit my lip and tried so hard not to laugh when Stuart asked how he could get a copy of their version of the Bible.  They were obviously thrilled.  When the visit ended, I asked him why he was just standing there letting them talk so much.  He responded, "Hey, I just used up an hour of their time that could have been spent talking to someone else."

How clever, honey.

The moral of this story:  get dressed early and wash your hands often.