by Everyday Mommy ~ May 8, 2008
This post is for my beloved friend, Fiona.
When I was a new mother, in the trenches of the maternal swamp with all the trappings of motherhood like diapers and wipes and bottles (no…I did not breast feed) and teething and very little sleep, not to mention no time for more than simple personal hygiene, I wish that someone would have told me about six. A wave and a smile and the word six.
So, I’m going to tell all of you new moms, mothers of infants and toddlers and terrible twos and trying threes, what no one told me.
Six.
Ahead of you, on this winding, sometimes climbing, sometimes descending, rarely level road of parenthood is six. Six is joy encapsulated in a 60-70lb body. Six is laughter so full you’ll forget everything that came before. Six is love so shining and delectable that you’ll float in sheer felicity.
The days are now speeding by so quickly that dawn seems to meet dark in a single breath. I can feel Johnny’s childhood slipping away, sifting through my fingers and I am unable to hinder it. So, I’m learning to capture every moment I can and, as Shannon has so wisely said, “Live it”.
So, to all you new moms, I say, “Six.
by Everyday Mommy ~ May 2, 2008
Don’t end your day without watching this.
by Everyday Mommy ~ May 1, 2008
‘Round Christmas time The Shannon, sent me a lovely Williams-Sonoma gift card. At first I thought she was out to get me, because if you push Shannon too far she’ll send your butt a gift card. I then realized it was a thank you gift and a little happy dance ensued. The Shannon knows my love of all things cooking and Williams-Sonoma is enough to make any serious cook’s heart palpitate. Being the focused and well-managed person that I am (no laughing!) I waited until April to stop by the W-S and spend the gift card. I splurged on some Emile Henry stoneware and some other goodies including their Irish Stout Braising Base. I’m preparing a chuck roast with it this evening. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I also received a generous box of Splenda from Kelli after the great and terrible diabetes debacle. To my utter surprise, the box of sweets also included a stack of videos for Johnny! Can you imagine the squealing which went on in the Everyday house? Sure you can.
So now I’m seated in front of the Mac, enjoying some coffee with Splenda from my Emile Henry mug and thinking about the fantastic women out there who share their lives on their mommy blogs. It reminded me of a line from a favorite movie, Yours, Mine and Ours starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball. Henry Fonda is speaking to one of their daughters after she’s broken up with Larry, her high school boy friend.
“I’ve got a message for Larry. You tell him this is what it’s all about. This is the real happening. If you want to know what love really is, take a look around you. Take a good look at your mother [who is pregnant]. It’s giving life that counts. Until you’re ready for it, all the rest is just a big fraud. All the crazy haircuts in the world won’t keep it turning. Life isn’t a love-in, it’s the dishes and the orthodontist and the shoe repairman and ground round instead of roast beef. And I’ll tell you something else: it isn’t going to bed with a man that proves you’re in love with him; it’s getting up in the morning and facing the drab, miserable, wonderful everyday world with him that counts.”
I raise my coffee mug to you, my fellow wives and mothers. To the dishes and the orthodontist and the shoe repairman. This is the real happening.
by Everyday Mommy ~ April 28, 2008
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…you need a Mac. Once you go Mac you’ll never go back and here’s reason #1.
Letting your kids discover the fun of PhotoBooth and fill up your hard drive with pictures like this one.
by Everyday Mommy ~ April 28, 2008
It’s Monday, the sun is shining, it’s 48º and my son is reading. Can you believe it’s almost May and only 48º? I know. I haven’t even planted my annuals because of the chill. Oh! What’s that? Forget the weather report, Jules? Tell us about Johnny? Okay…you’ve twisted my arm.
Our little guy, who doesn’t seem quite so little anymore, is really reading. It seemed to happen like so many moms said it would. One day all the puzzle pieces of letters and sounds simply fell into place and the light went on. Now he’s reading with a fair amount of confidence. You know what this means! No more spelling to talk over his head.
We’ve enjoyed using the Step Into Reading books during reading time. I like them for their simplicity and their availability. I buy them at Wal-Mart
I’m also a fan of ClickN’ Read Phonics® online phonics game. We started using this over a year ago, just to let Johnny have fun with words and play on the computer, a favorite pastime for him. When he’s had enough of mom’s teaching I can send him to the office for 1 or 2 ClickN’ Read lessons and he thinks he’s just getting extra computer time. Visit ClickN’ READ Phonics learning to read web site for more information.
by Everyday Mommy ~ April 26, 2008
I love it when spring & summer roll around and fresh fruit is available. I love homemade pies, and this is a quick-n-dirty version that delivers on flavor without all the time and attention needed for a blue ribbon pie.
RUSTIC FRESH FRUIT PIE
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon cold butter
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
1 pound ripe blackberries (or fresh fruit of your choice-plums are excellent)
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Slice butter & in a bowl with a pastry blender mix flour, sugar, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and mix until incorporated. Add enough remaining ice watergradually to form a dough. Form dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Chill dough 1 hour.In a bowl toss fruit of your choice with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
Roll out dough into a round shape about 10″ wide. Transfer dough to a pie plate. Do not trim excess. Spoon filling into crust and fold edge of dough toward center, leaving center open. Bake 35-45 minutes.
by Everyday Mommy ~ April 23, 2008
It’s amazing what you’ll let your kids do to buy yourself even a few minutes to do things like shower, brush your teeth or breathe. I’ve taken to letting Johnny use my digital camera. I’m sure you’re thinking, “The woman must be out of her mind!” And, you would be correct. I do confess to a small degree of ulterior motive in that I have had my eye on a Nikon D40 and if the little camera we have now just happens to break…well…you know. Ahem.
So, Johnny’s been running all over the house with the camera like some mad, Life Magazine photographer, filling up the digital card in under 3 minutes and begging me to download his work into iPhoto. I was a bit surprised to find some rather artful images. He calls this one My Fan. I think he gets the clever part from me.
by Everyday Mommy ~ April 23, 2008
So I’m on the phone with the plumber and he says to me, he says, “That’ll be $825.00 to replace your old sump pump, Ma’am.” To which I say, “Are you out o’ your freakin’ mind?!” It’s important that you say that with a Brooklyn accent. It’s much more effective that way. My dear friend Miracle, who was born and bred in Brooklyn, taught me how to say it. She also taught me how to say coffee. Like this…kawfee.
So, I’ve been away from the blog for a bit with all the normal life stuff that happens. Tummy bugs and sump pumps and driving to the lake to check out camping sites for the summer and wishing that Spring would really get going. I have the dreadful feeling that we’re going to turn off the furnace one day and turn on the A/C the next. Hubby heaved a heavy sigh last night as he gazed out at our yard. “I need to mow.”
How quickly time seems to be flying by.
by Everyday Mommy ~ April 17, 2008
I’d planned a few posts for this week, but Johnny is sick with the tummy bug which everyone seems to have. I await my turn next…catch up with y’all soon.
by Everyday Mommy ~ April 15, 2008
Remembering Corrie
April 15, 1892 - April 15, 1983
I’ve been busy, busy, busy working on an exhibit honoring Corrie ten Boom and The Hiding Place. The exhibit is on our sim in Second Life. If you’re adventurous you can sign up for a free account and come meet me online.
