November 2013 - Forever In Mom Genes

Morning has broken…my spirit

Nov 29 2013

Sweet photo, right? Big brother helping his little sister with her homework while mum makes a nutritious breakfast. Yes, he’s helping his sister with her math. He’s trying, he really is and god love his sweet heart for that. But mere seconds after this photo was taken, little sister backhanded her doting brother in the face shouting, “I do it myself ‘Bastiannnnnnnnnnnn-nah!” As for the nutritious breakfast? I haven’t been grocery shopping in awhile and had to mix two kinds of cereal together to make enough. And we were out of milk so I thinned yogurt with water and hoped it would pass for milk. They’d be too busy complaining about the bruised bits in the mashed banana to really notice the milk anyway. After asking my daughter to get out from under the table, stop touching the dogs and to finish her breakfast about a dozen times, I put my face in my hands and admitted silently that mornings are not my favourite time of day. I knew what I should do. I NEEDED to sit down at the table with the kids. Avery wanted my attention. Any good parent could see that. However, I am not always[…]

Nov 20 2013

Hello chimichurri sauce. Where have you been all my life? We first met at a restaurant and you had me at the first savoury mouthful. Then I made you at home and put you on my chicken breasts. (That sounds wrong somehow, but at least I didn’t say pork loins!). Then I spread you on a warm loaf of garlic bread and introduced you to my girlfriends at Games Night. You made us swoon. You’re one little hottie of an appetizer, but it’s also possible that I got slightly carried away with the red chili pepper flakes… Chimichurri Garlic Bread Ingredients: garlic bread loaf, homemade or store bought 2 cups fresh parsley and/or cilantro 6 cloves of garlic (more or less depending on how garlicky you like it) 1/4 of a small red onion 1/2 cup olive oil splash of red wine vinegar (optional) 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice kosher salt red chili pepper flakes, to taste diced fresh tomato 1 ripe avocado, cubed Method: Pulse garlic and onion in food processor until finely chopped. Add parsley and/or cilantro, and pulse briefly. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the olive oil, lime/lemon juice, vinegar and stir. Season[…]

Nov 18 2013

I’m in love with my son’s Skinny Pig Ernie. Ernie may be ugly to some of you. Okay, to any of you who have seen a photo of him or met him in person. I know this because you’ve said things like, “Dear god he’s ugly.” Or “Wow. What the hell IS that?!” And, “You have a walking penis for a pet.” And this. Which made me laugh uproariously. “Why the heck would you get an animal who doesn’t have fur?” somebody else asked. “He’s disgusting.” He may be “hair challenged” but he’s certainly not disgusting. He’s friendly and he loves to snuggle. And even without much hair, he’s baby soft. He’s like holding a warm peach with toenails. Ernie is the perfect fit for our family. We get “different.” And why did we name him Ernie? His namesake is my Grandpa Ernie. Ninety-four years old, he’s a force of nature. He lives on his own and until a recent foot infection, he did his own shopping, cooked his own meals and took care of his house. He’s witty and sharp and completely with it. Ninety-four. A few years ago he decided he’d try growing a gotee, just to switch[…]

Nov 15 2013

Sometimes she’s here — fully present, eyes filled with light. Other times she’s gone — eyes vacant, staring off at some unseen point. Unseen by us, anyway. Where does she go when she disappears? Is she daydreaming or processing something new; filing experiences away for later? Or is her mind quietly resting after performing a taxing challenge? The moments when her eyes lock onto mine and I know she’s completely with me, are happening more and more these days. It’s a beautiful thing. So when she brought home her school photo this year, I had to have it. This is one of the first photos where she truly connects with the camera and she’s smiling with her eyes. And like I said, it’s a beautiful thing. 🙂

Nov 15 2013

The trouble with having a responsible child is that when they negotiate for something they really want and truly deserve, they make it virtually impossible to say no. Our ten year old son is an animal lover. He spends countless hours on the internet or with his nose in a book researching furry, feathered, finned and scaly creatures — their habitats, diets, origins, unique characteristics, whether they’re endangered, etc. The boy is a virtual walking animal almanac. Every day at breakfast I’m bombarded with facts like, “Did you know giraffes have no vocal chords?” or “A Flamingo can only eat when its head is upside down.” shared in between mouthfuls of toast, but not bacon. He researched animal cruelty and is now a vegetarian. He feeds our two dogs every morning and fills their water dishes and walks them whenever I ask. His sister isn’t technically his “pet,” but he cares for and watches over her too. So when he asked (begged) for a guinea pig of his own, how could we say no? Do I want a messy, squeaky rodent living in my house for the net five years? Not particularly. No matter how responsible a child is, we[…]

Archive - November 2013

Morning has broken…my spirit

Chimichurri Garlic Bread

Skinny Pig Doppleganger

In Her Eyes

Kids, Pets and Naked Rodents