Super Easy Beef Shortribs

NolaMom seems to be cookin' again! I am having the best time cooking new recipes. This is only my second one in a week but I forsee a future in cooking mania over here. Tonight I am doing a prototype of my Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve supper. The plan was to cook lamb shanks for Christmas Eve at the suggestion of Papa. I am not a huge fan of lamb shanks for some reason but I agreed to do it until I realized that it wasn't going to be super easy to find lamb shanks at the last minute. So I thought, why not perfect one dish and KEEP ON COOKIN'! So I am.

I am using Tyler Florence's Ultimate Short Rib recipe. As usual when I am cooking I am kind of skeptical until I taste the final product. The only reason I am a bit worried is that it was so freaking easy. It literally took me 20 minutes to do all the work and now here I sit blogging away while UH OH!

Sorry. I had the heat on too high. Like I was saying, here I sit while the ribs braise for the next 3 hours.

The rest of Tyler's menu included parsnip puree. Root vegetables are ok but I decided to substitute Giada's polenta instead. Hey, they're all family over there on the Food Network, right?

Now there are many beef short rib recipes around I am sure. My inspiration was a recipe I found in Bon Appetit, my new favorite magazine now that Gourmet is on the outs. But I didn't realize that it needed to chill over night and frankly I don't have the time to deal with a 2 day menu. If Tyler's Ultimate is just not the ultimate I may try the other one out for New Year's Eve.

Barefoot Contessa's chicken breasts with goat cheese

I've watched countless hours of Barefoot Contessa, a few while J was sneering at her from behind his laptop. He thinks her show is contrived. I love her. She makes cooking look effortless as opposed to Rachel Ray who makes me twice as anxious as I already am. Anyway, I have seen her roast the same chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese a lot and I finally got around to trying it.

Uncle RaRa turned me on to the juiciest roast chicken breasts with the crispiest skin that I have ever had. Which is this:

You season the bone-in, skin on breasts as you wish and cook them at 500 degrees for a shorter period of time. All ovens differ and all breasts are different sizes so the time ranges from 20-30 minutes.

So I was skeptical when Ina's recipe called for cooking them at 325 degrees. I was sure that the skin would be limp. Oh, but the BC pulled through as always. The breasts were so juicy and the skin so crispy. Now, because I didn't put full faith into her (my mistake) I did turn up the heat to about 425 for 15 minutes because I wanted brown, crispy skin. The result was that the goat cheese oozed out of the skin. So follow the cooking temperature exactly. Don't try to go all renegade on her. I also didn't use herbed goat cheese because I'm not a fan. I just salt and peppered my little fellas and sprinkled some thyme on top. See below for the final picture. It wasn't as neat as Ina's but I know it was just as delicious.

Cafe Adelaide and Frosty the Snowman

Once again I have been remiss in posting and I hate it. I hate it because I feel like I am letting so many memories of the boys growing up slip away. Usually if I don't post I at least write down my thoughts in a notebook that they can read when they grow up but I haven't even been doing that. The pressure of Christmas has really gotten to me this year. For the first year W has his heart set on presents and he is in love with the lights and sounds of the holidays. He told me the other day that we forgot to put the lights on the outside of our house. No pressure.

and then there is the school application process. Kill me now.

So that is what I am focusing on right now while Pman is talking like a person in between all the whining and while they both are learning Frosty the Snowman without missing a beat. We listen to it continuously the second we get in the car until the second we get out. I'm not kidding. I only knew the words to the chorus until now.

Meanwhile Pman is a hellion at school. Getting put in timeout, almost twice so far. I think the teacher was shocked because she knows W. Well, Master P is no W. He's the Master of Terror.

W has totally come out of his shell. Talks to total strangers and talks to us nonstop. He is really into dribbling basketballs, we call him our Dribbling Fool and he begs to stay at school all day. My sweet baby is all grown up!

Anyway, the latest news is that Uncle RaRa got mentioned in the Lagniappe by Brett Anderson for his idiosyncratic taste and improving the wine list at Cafe Adelaide. Hooray to RaRa! and we got shafted out of going to eat there last night by the rainstorm. So if you get there before us give RaRa a high five because you will probably see him before we do since he's always working. and on a final note....

WHO DAT SAINTS!

stomach bugs, sweet boys and future wives

Big sigh.

It's been a long road. We are barely past our 3rd stomach virus of the year. Let me tell you how this last one played out. It was a cold Saturday morning and we were off to a birthday party at Kidsport. A fun time place for kids to run around with bounce houses and obstacle courses and trampolines. We got there 45 minutes late for two reasons. The first being that I thought it started at 10:30. Never mind that I had the invitation in my lap as we drove around Harahan in a lost frenzy which brings us to the other reason we were late. We were lost. Anyway, we got there and joined the party. Pman had pizza with the other kids and W played until it was cake cutting time at which point he sat down in the middle of the table and yelled, "I'm sick!". I thought he was whining because his nose was runny. Again, "AAaAaaah! I'm sick!". A bit aggravated I told J to get him up from the table. He did and the next thing I know he was hurling his breakfast all over the place, splattering chunks of blueberry muffins on the pile of purses and coats and shoes that were on the side of the room. I go to help and see a kid in slow motion running after a basketball and sliding into the vomit. I too am slipsliding around in my ballet flats on the slick puke laden floor. Fun times.

So we finally get us all home and in bed. and before you know it I am vomiting too. Blah. W was good after a day or two but I was down well into Tuesday night.

There are many good things that have come out of these awful stomach viruses. The first being that I have lost at least 10 pounds and I am doing my damndest to keep it off. The second being that I have truly seen a side of W that makes me cry when I think about it. During all of the illnesses both boys have bounced back sooner than me. Kids are resilient you know and they tend to shake it off quicker. During virus #2 he was home alone with me and had to fetch me a pot or slop bucket as I was laying on the couch and when J got home he made the kids dinner and heated himself up a can of soup, in a pot, and ate it from the pot. Typical male. W was worried that J had taken my slop bucket to eat his soup out of and came running to the den to make sure that I still had my pot and then he knelt down by the couch, took my hand, looked me in the eye and said, "Are you feeling better, Mommy?" and at that moment he looked so old and I caught a glimpse of the kind of man he was going to be. Sensitive and sweet and concerned. and I cried (remember I was 5 days into a 6 day stomach virus so I was a little punchy).

So to all you girls out there looking for a good catch....you will have to answer to W's mommy before I just hand him over to just anyone.

John Besh's Domenica

I have a new favorite restaurant. I have been trying to decide all morning if I was honestly able to give this distinction to John Besh's Domenica or not. You see, the atmosphere sucks. J said it better while were sitting there, "I feel like I am sitting in a Sheraton dining room." Exactly. But the food was undeniably delicious. The menu could be treated as a tapas menu. Although we did share an appetizer and a dessert among the four of us, we each got our own dishes. I started with a small portion of Burrata mozzarella. I can never pass it up. It's my hands down favorite cheese. and they served it appropriately, drizzled with olive oil and garlic rubbed bruschetta on the side. MMMMMMMM..........MMMMMMMMMMMM! I had another small plate for my entree and it was the right decision. The large plate would have been too much and too rich but if and when you go you HAVE to get the Stracci with the oxtail ragu and fried chicken livers. Tangy and rich. J got a prosciutto pizza and I can still taste the freshness. Oh my. Aunt Liz said that they supposedly have one of the only fancy Italian pizza ovens in the city. and if that's what made the pizza the way it was, I want to buy one. It was crispy and light but the dough didn't get soggy under its toppings.

It's been awhile since I have been able to say that I had a truly memorable meal at a restaurant. And it's saying a lot that the neither the poor atmosphere nor bad service clouded my judgement. Make a reservation, try it out and make sure to tell them you don't want to sit at the table by the side door.

Football

The only team we really root for around here is the Saints. J went to Dartmouth and well, where's the fun in rooting for them? and I went to Alabama but don't really have an allegiance to them although this football season seems like a good one to rally behind them. I am kind of sad for my kids that they won't feel the college football fever that LSU families have but I don't think anything can match WHO DAT NATION in full force. So we wait all week for the games and W checks out the football players in the sports sections everyday and even I am learning which teams we need to watch out for, who has a good running game (I sound like I know what I am talking about, don't I?) etc. and W wants to be Drew Brees everyday. I want to be Drew Brees everyday or any other NFL quarterback for that matter and make the coin that they make.

Anyway, I can't wait for Sunday and am ready to yell Who Dat! each and every time Drew starts his play (I'm superstitious. I have to do it).
and the boys are ready too!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Just recently I have noticed a new obsession of W's. At first I thought it was a passing comment. A week has now passed and the comments have not let up. Before going into more detail let me remind you that W is 4.

The first comment went something like this:
I was bending down to his level so I could hear what he was telling me and then out of the blue
W: I like those.
Me: You like what?
W: Those. as he taps both (clothed) boobs (which W calls bumpity bumps) with the flashlight he was holding.
Me: I was so shocked that I just ignored it and moved on.

The second comment wasn't really a comment. It was more of a drive by. You know the kind that teenage boys are known for doing in the movie theatre. They yawn and ever so discreetly put their arm around the girl and the hand, oops, lands on the bumpity bump. Well, he's 4, so he doesn't yet know of the yawn technique. We were all hanging out on my bed (again, fully clothed), Me, Pman and W. and out of nowhere I hear him whisper, " I want to touch those" as he simultaneously does.

Me: You can't touch that. and I swatted his hand away, quickly.

The next incident occurred at Swamp Fest. J was sitting right there and he just went for the gold. W's comment: I want to touch the bumpity bumps.

All I am asking is for a little respect. I mean, I know he is all innocence. My sweet boy is just curious. He notices something different and just wants to check it out but really?

After sharing my story around it seems that "bumpity bumps" are quite the obsession for boys and girls of this age so I feel a bit better about it. But couldn't someone have warned me?

NO NAP HELL, Have you heard of it?

Where have I been, you ask? I have been in NO NAP HELL! Can I be any clearer? I know so many of you have been in NNH longer than I have but I just never could imagine it. Well, now I don't have to. Don't get me wrong. I love the Little Buddy. He's my first baby and it probably could be a lot worse. I am just trying to adjust to this new phase in my life when I have one child not napping and another slumbering 2+ hours away. The first few weeks it was cake. I would put Pman down, turn on the tv for W (judge me, I don't care) and sit down to eat a late lunch, do my blogging, clean up around the house and read magazines. That has all changed since W has decided, how did he put it today? "I don't like tv anymore." No kidding. He simply follows me around asking me what I am doing? What are you doing now? Now, what are you going to do? Are you all done? Are you going to rest?

and today while I was in the shower I asked him to go play in his room.

"Are you almost done?" all in a whisper so we don't wake Pman .

I whispered back, "I still have to dry my hair. Why don't you go play in your room."
Still whispering, "I think I will just wait until you are done."
And all I can think about is that he is having nude images of his "could stand to lose a few" mother ingrained in his 4 year old mind! Like I told you...I am in NO NAP HELL! and I think he probably is too after watching me take a shower.

So I guess I just have to wait until we reach the next transition when Master P gives up his nap. and then what? DOUBLE NO NAP HELL!?!

P.S. Please know that this is all a little bit in jest. A little bit. W is an angel and it could be worse.
P.P.S. I took a risk today and bought A Taste of Thai Curry Paste that I found at Whole Foods. Sauteed some onions and shrimp and poured it all over rice and I was pleasantly surprised. Super spicy. Not for your taste bud sensitive kids but pretty good nonetheless, for a packed paste.

Who Dat Saints!

I haven't watched the Saints all season. and figured that today was the day. That I needed to show my Who Dat Spirit and watch. I promptly felll asleep after Miami started to whip the Saints a bit.
then I woke up and got W going and he said, "Who Dat Saints!" and truly the tides turned. The Saints beat Miami like nobody's business and it was all because of the way we clapped and the way W said Who Dat! I believe it.

Happy Birthday, Pman!

Happy Birthday, Pman! My sweet little baby. You are two years old today and I feel like you are 18. Really. Because you can do so many things that surprise me for a two year old. I may call you a holy terror and although I may mean it, it is said with more love than you can imagine.

I am sad that you are sick on your big day but hopefully you will be well for your party. Maybe your pookiness is contributing to your unenthused reaction to your new tricycle. I thought for sure you would giggle with delight.


But! You sure blew out your birthday candles like an old pro.


Here's to you, Master P, on your second birthday!
I love you, Mom

Playing Hooky!

What a fool! What a FOOL! I can't believe how easy it was to fool that woman, I call Mommy. I really have been sicky, don't get me wrong. I've got yucky sores on my tongue and when she checked my temperature in my ear 2 days ago I had a fever. But I have been good to go for awhile now. Yeah, my tongue still hurts a lot but I overheard Mr. doctor say that I wasn't contagious if I didn't have fever.

She's been a trooper I have to say. Pman throwed up in his bed Mondy night and slept in the bashgetti and meatballs he ate that night. Eeeeew! It was gross. So she had to deal with two sicky boys. But yesterday we were both much better and had a BALL! playing hooky. So I thought to myself, lets do it again! So I just played up my hurty tongue and told her I was sicky again. and snap! just like that she told Daddy that I was staying home. Hooooray! We went to Mimi and Papa's so she could do some excercising. I got to watch SuperWhy! and then we went to the new coffee house to get coffee and a cookie! Wahooooo! AND I got her all to myself. That Mommy. No Pman around to say "My Mommy!"

Between you and me I think she is catching on but what do I care. It's too late for her to send me to school so I am home free!!!!!!

Gotta go now. She doesn't know I can use the computer, much less type. So catch ya later!

Fighting brothers

The fighting going on around here is getting out of control. and I absolutely do not know how to handle it. It usually starts with 'MIIIINE!' and then it snowballs into a knock down drag out fight and crying fit between everyone. Oh, and it's over anything. a car, a block, a rubber band, a piece of sh$&. Anything. It's actually kind of funny when Pman starts it by taking the littlest thing, walking over to W, raising the object of desire into the air and shouting MINE! and mayhem ensues. Sometimes they are just being funny.
"My House!" as we are driving into the driveway.
"No, My House!"
"My House!"
back and forth forever. But the main source of contention is the Silly Top. What's a Silly Top, you ask? The Silly Top is a yellow plastic spinning top the the size of a silver dollar. One day W was throwing a major tantrum because Master P took it from him. and I was trying to explain to W that he was just taunting him. I also explained to him that it wasn't necessary to cry over it because it was just a "silly top" and that there were much better toys to play with.
"But I want to play with the Silly Top!", he wailed. and from then on the Silly Top has become the bane of my existence.
I am making it sound all lighthearted and such but it's not. It's crying all day, everyday over the stupidest things. and I have no idea what to do. For awhile I was taking anything they fought over and hiding it but it got to the point there was nothing to play with. A lot of times I just yell and scream right along with them. That's always a good scene. But lately I have just been trying to ignore it and let them go until they can't cry anymore.....they are still crying, ha!

So that's what I have been doing if you were wondering the reason for the lack of posting. I have been over here trying to referee the MINE! Wars.

Swine flu

Okay. I don't know if W had the swine flu or not. We had plans to go to the dr. this morning to get tested. I was bringing both of them since Pman has the same symptoms W had. Of course, W woke up with a spring in his step saying he felt " a wotta wotta better" and when we got to the doctor he hadn't had a fever in 48 hours and he looked like the picture of health. She saw no need to test him.

I was kind of hoping it was the Swine flu because he was almost through the sickness and didn't seem totally miserable. That way we would be less likely to catch it again. Now that it is most likely he didn't have the Swine flu I now have to start worrying from square one all over again.

Is it the Swine Flu?

This is going to be a quick post since we have other things to deal with around here but I thought some info that I just found out would be helpful. W is sick and we thought is was just a bad cold on Friday but yesterday afternoon he had a fever and all of the other symptoms of the swine flu. We won't know until tomorrow if that is what he has but someone was asking me what the incubation period was. I didn't know but found an article in the Washington Post that said it is the same as the regular flu, about 1-3 days. For more information see the whole article.

If W does indeed have the virus, it is a relatively mild case. He feels pretty pooky and sounds just awful. His throat hurts and you can see the sick in his eyes, if you know what I mean. He is still playing and singing and bugging Pman. Of course, he is very sensitive and cries a lot but he is not totally lethargic and non-responsive.

Anyway, I will update again after our doctor's visit tomorrow.

Picking squash and edamame

Oh my gosh! This is more for my mom than anything. Well, and for J who has to endure countless meals with squash as an accompaniment any time we are in North Carolina visiting my parents. My mom came from a southern small town so she's truly a small town girl at heart. You know, they love fresh veggies, greens, black eyed peas, okra, squash etc. She has a special fondness for squash. J hates it. and we have it with every meal. and I mean every meal. I have inherited my mom's love of homecooked veggies. If I had to pick a favorite, it would not be squash but I do love a mean squash casserole - one like my mom makes - with ham and breadcrumbs and cheese. Oh my!

BUT

my inspiration came for this post from Chocolate and Zucchini and her post about Patty Squash. What is Patty squash, you ask? Unbeknownst to me, we picked Patty squash this summer in North Carolina. I have a photo, see?


By the time we left my dad was way over the squash and was ready to throw the rest away but I am thinking perhaps they will be ready for another squash dinner by now. and Chocolate and Zucchini has a most mouth watering recipe.

By the way, we also picked fresh edamame. and they were oh so sweet and delicious and so fun to pick. It was easy for little hands and supposedly they grow prolifically so you get a ton off of one plant. Which makes me wonder if I can grow them myself. I did a bit of research, well I skimmed one or two blogs on the subject and found that they are easy to plant in containers so I might give it a go. Here are the boys picking our evening hors d'oeuvres.

First days of school

The Little Buddy's first day of school was Friday. I was excited and worried. Turns out he had a great day and after hearing that and seeing how happy he was when I picked him up, you would of thought that it was me who had a great day. Before I had kids I never would have believed that something good happening to my babies would make me feel so manic. It's a crazy feeling.

Pman screamed and cried when W went off on Friday morning. "Schooooooool!" and all I could think was, "Dude, your day is coming." I asked W if he thought P was going to have fun.

"No. He's going to cry."

Well, that day is here and drop off for Pman has come and gone. He was a champ. I was a bit worried as we were walking out the door. He totally got what was happening-the school bag, all of us leaving together....he's no dummy.


So J, W and I all piled into Pman's little classroom to tell him goodbye and that was that. He didn't cry and well, dare I say it....Neither did I!!!! (He had is eye on a phone another baby was carrying. If I have to guess there is going to be a slap upside the head to that poor child for the phone by the end of the day) I feel a bit guilty about my lack of tears since I was truly hyperventilating when I dropped W off for his first day 2 years ago. But frankly, I might as well have kicked them out the door. It's good for all of us to have a little time to ourselves. Wahoooo!

What will I do, you ask? Well, today I ran around the park twice, got my coffee, stamped and mailed some invitations, ate an after-exercise and now here I sit

ALL BY MYSELF!

I have an hour to take a shower and clean up before I have to go get the boys. and what a beautiful hour it will be.

Britney Spears and W

J and I were reading the newspaper at breakfast this morning as usual. I had skimmed through all of the less important sections and was getting down to business with Living. W was sitting across from me waiting for me to finish and was kind of reading over my shoulder. He spotted the above photo. This is how our conversation went:

W: Look at that lady.
Me: I see.
W: Who is she?
Me: That's Britney Spears
W: She looks like a nice girl.

I don't know what else to say.

Dear W,

The day is done and now you are four. I cannot believe it and I am not sure you can either. It truly was a one of the best birthdays ever because you enjoyed it more than we imagined.

I forgot to take a picture of your cake before we ate it but here half of it is.


you had a grand time at your party even though the pool part got rained out
and tonight you had an even more fabulous time when Papa came to town unexpectedly.

You have certainly gotten the hang of blowing out candles.


You are my baby and I love you more than anything. Thank you for being you and for putting up with me.

This blog is obviously in honor of you, my baby
W 2005 at 1 year old.

and W 2009 at 4 years old.

Streetcar ride

If you are a fan you already know that I have been really tired. Call me a pansy but taking care of two boys makes my 5'2" frame physically exhausted at times. I try to do something fun every morning with them but these past few days with my extreme exhaustion makes it seem daunting. So this morning I forced myself to get going after several pleas from W that we get dressed as I lie in bed. We hopped the streetcar to the coffee house. Three minutes into the ride I knew it was worth it.

That face says it all.

Trip to Napa

Oh my. What is the deal? I am so tired and ornery. Can it still be from my trip. I traveled to and from 3 different time zones. That's the only thing I can think of. I haven't been drinking and I am once again on a new health kick, for the gazillionth time. So what gives?

I feel badly for the little buddies because I have no patience and everything is getting on my last nerve. Like the fracking flute that W has rediscovered. But not only is he playing the heck out of it, he's also taught Master P how to master the flute. It was really cute, the flute lesson. I have to say it will probably be one of my greatest memories of the two of them together. But it's driving me bananas. At least it's not drums, right?

The trip to Napa was great. I had a good friend, a New Orleans turned San Francisco girl give me great advice on wineries and restaurants and we stayed at The Meadowood, where she actually got married (must have been atleast 7 years ago). And it was fabulously decadent. I know that there are a new bunch of luxurious hotels that have cropped up in wine country the past few years like Auberge du Soleil and Calistoga Ranch but I don't regret one minute staying where we did. The service is impeccable and the attention to detail is not to be rivaled. HEAVEN.

Next time I would plan on going longer because one full day and a half was taken up by traveling. But I am happy we went if even for a short time. We giddily ate and drank all day and night. I can't wait to go back.

Next up: Our restaurant meals in Napa

Summer vacation

and we're back!!! We went on a 10 day vacation and we are still recuperating. I am sure it's the longest vacation we have been on since we got married so we felt justified. We went to the mountains to visit my parents, Mimi and Papa. Of course the drive was hell, as always. But we made it safe and sound albeit smelling like vomit and with some new leg stretches under our belt.

J and I left for four days in the middle of it all to hightail it out to Napa to celebrate our anniversary. and we left the boys with my parents (Mimi and Papa). Did you hear me? WE LEFT THE BOYS WITH MY PARENTS! It's not a joke although Mimi sure did think it was. She looked like death warmed over until we left and whaddya know? She was glowing when we got back. They had a ball-all of them did and they even had a few inside jokes between them. Who'da thought? Anyway, we owe them big because it's a lot for me to handle and I am not quite as old. No offense.

The day before we left I found myself a bit anxious about it all and sad even to be leaving the boys to vacation without us. But before and after we still did a lot of fun things together. We went to our usual waterfall. The fall was light so it was shallow enough to wade around in.


aand J took W fishing.


We dug up worms and fed fish at the neighbors house. Pman and the worms became fast friends...until he pulled them apart.


We got to peek through the root system of a pulled up tree on Pman's first real hike.


We picked fresh edamame beans.


and searched for eggs in the chicken coop and lots more! but I won't bore you with the details.



As it turns out Master P, Holy Terror, Pman-whatever you want to call- him only acts like a holy terror when he's around me. They said he was an absolute pleasure and when he starting throwing his familiar tantrums (familiar to me anyway) my parents truly couldn't believe it.
Now I am on to him.

So now that we are back we are gearing up for school and W's birthday, of course. Wahooo! and praying for a great year.

Hiatus

Alright, all you fans out there. As you've noticed my posts have kind of gone down hill lately. The summer is killing me and I have little or no time to get my creative juices flowing. So I think I need a little vaca. Give me a few weeks. 2 at the most and I will be back in the saddle. I promise I am not going AWOL. I am just regrouping.

It hasn't been all bad during these dog days of summer. W realized that he "loves Daddy and he loves ketchup". That's big news and he's funnier than ever. and Porter is all smiles excepts when he's walking up to older kids and wacking them in the head. Can't explain it. He's talking in almost full sentences and is quite the man. So I will leave you on that note. Until the 14th of August!

Happy Anniversary, J!

J and I have been married 5 years. Woweeee! It feels like I have been married to him forever but at the same time it's gone by so fast. and whaddya know? I still love him like I did when we got married and probably more if that's possible. I still like to sit next to him when we go to dinner with a group. The trend seems to be to "let's mix it up! and not sit next to our own husbands!" which really irks me. I like my husband and want to sit next to him. even after 5 years. We will be celebrating at home this weekend but in a few months we are heading to Napa for a big time celebration!

Happy Anniversary, J! I love you.
Me

Hardy: Miami Social

There's a new reality show coming soon. Miami Social. My radar was all in a twitter because, well, you know how I love the reality show. I continue to FF through commercial after commercial as I watch only recorded tv until I see a preview for Miami Social. But J doesn't share my interest. He said nonchalantly one night, "That looks like a snoozer." He didn't know my thoughts on it but he swayed me with his one comment because a. he usually likes reality tv and b. I didn't need to overwhelm my tv schedule with another show. So I put it out of my mind but I continued to watch the previews and then I saw Hardy, one of these Miami Socialites.

I KNOW HIM! He's my friend! I swear it! But I couldn't figure out how? I then I figured it out. He dated a friend of a friend. No! That's not it. Oh! He was friends with my friends' boyfriend from 20 years ago. Or wait, I think I know him from my TCU days. One of those Texas pretty boys. Really? I can't remember? Then I read his bio and saw that he's in hospitality. Did I work with him back in the day? So I started emailing all of the people who might possibly know him after which I started googling him to get some more scoop.

It didn't take me long to find out the info I was looking for or to be totally embarrased. So embarrased that I was laughing trying to decide whether to share this with J, I finally figured out how I know Hardy Hill.

Dare I tell you? It is embarrassing. He was on Season 2 of Big Brother. Pitiful, I know, to think that I am so enthralled with reality tv that I mistake a new reality celebrity for my friend.

TV the old school way

We had to watch tv, the old school way the other night because our DVR was out. and it was MISERABLE! We had to flip through the stations to find something to watch and had to watch everything live. Ugh! It really changed the way we watched tv once we got DVR. We rarely watch anything that hasn't been recorded and if there is nothing recorded to watch we can atleast flip through the guide. We can get the kids to bed without worrying about missing something good, like the Bachelorette (I'm obsessed) and never have to waste our time with commercials.

It was almost as bad as not having a remote control. Remember those days? But I realized that we have just become darn lazy. My finger was tired from flipping, my mind was overwhelmed by all of the channels so I just went to sleep.

I saw Pman fall face first into the pool. He was trying to scoop water into his buckets from the steps and he lost his balance. He struggled hard, with his little legs kicking and his arms flailing until our friend pulled him up. I was swimming with W and got there at the moment his head lifted out of the pool and grabbed him with a fierceness that I never knew. I will never forget that moment. Luckily his head was only under for less than 5 seconds. Not even enough time for the lifeguard to jump into the pool. He must have held his breath because he didn't come up coughing and was just terribly scared. Everyone went on with their day except for me. I just cannot shake this awful feeling. It could have been so much worse and it was my fault. It's the same feeling I had when W fell backwards in his bath when he was the same age. Except I saw W's face looking up at me from under the water in that split second. Ohhhh. I called the doctor to ask if I should bring him in. What if he took in water? and he was tired. . Although it was his naptime, I just wanted to check and she reassured me he was ok. You can never be vigilant enough by or in a pool. It takes a split second for a child to slip under and I just want to remind everyone of that. Even though I know and so do you. It was irresponsible of me to have them both on the steps thinking that this wouldn't happen and I am crying just thinking about it. Until they can both swim I will never relax again.

I love being a mom but....

All last week it was Camp S over here. W was out of camp and for some reason (which I can't for the life of me remember now) decided not to sign him up for anything for this month. My friend V convinced me that I could do it, this Camp S thing and plan our days of entertainment by myself. Little did I know that a. she would be out of town this month and b. that I am not the doer kind of mom that she is and would be going crazy.

The holiday weekend couldn't have come soon enough. So we spent the weekend mornings at the pool and I had J to help hustle them to and fro and care for them at all times. I love my husband.

So when he was kissing us goodbye this morning, the dread kicked in. Did you watch Oprah on Friday? about moms? I believe it was a rerun but it was good. and one mom was quoted as saying "I love being a mom. I just hate doing it."

I wanted to yell at the tv and say ME!ME!ME! I love being a mom, always. I do, but there are definitely those days that I hate doing it. The times that I hate doing it is when the constant fighting ensues. Golly, if I could have someone else get them dressed and bathed and out the door my life would be pure joy.

I say then but then I think about it and I realize that if I did have someone else do that for me I would miss all of those joyful moments when W finally says, "It's hard....but I DID IT!' or when he learns how to blubber his lip and will only talk to adults while blubbering his lip (this just started today). It really is hilarious. Or how about when Pman tries with all of his might to put on his shoe at the ripe old age of 1 1/2 and how he asks me for "ike" instead of "ice" and how he blubbers his lip almost as good as W or when you tell him to not touch something and he sticks his finger on it just one more time. I would miss all of that not to mention that the pure joy that I would get from someone else doing it would be a wash because I would not have the pure joy of those moments that actually come with the dreaded battles and consequences. Does that make sense?

Prep on Bravo

I am intrigued by Prep. It is Bravo's new reality series about a group of highschool kids on the upper eastside-a la Gossip Girl. Join me in watching the premier so we may discuss.

Potty training for boys

I hate to keep talking about W's bodily functions but I am at the end of my rope. He. will. not. poo. in. the. potty. I have gotten advice from everyone-from feign indifference, to put him in time out, to telling him it's just not acceptable and nothing works. Whatever you are thinking, I have tried it. Up to yesterday, I don't think I had tried everything until I had lunch with my old friend. She has three boys so I know she knows her stuff not to mention the fact that her middle son is 2 1/2 and potty trained. Completely crazy, I know. Anyway, she told me about her friend who's son was 4 1/2 and still not pooping in the potty. This friend finally got to the point where I am, soooo tired of cleaning it up and said, "Fine. You can poo in your pants but you are going to clean it up." and proceeded to put him in an empty bathtub with wipes and told him to go for.

I thought it was brilliant. I did it this morning. I gave him a box of wipes and a trashcan and shut the door. A few minutes later I went to check on him expecting to hear him crying. I was wrong. If he knew how to whistle, he would have been whistling a tune. There he was wiping his hiney with 80 wipes all of which he was setting every so gingerly on the side of the tub. Only when it came time to dump the poop did he ever show any kind of disgust. "It's yucky," he said. and that was it.

We went about our day. We went swimming at the pool and went to have a late afternoon coffee and cookie. We ran into a family friend (my parents age) who took him to the bookstore and bought him a book. He had a ball with his friend and was in great spirits. and then it was time to go and I realized that he had a deuce while in the bookstore with this friend. Golly, I hope she didn't notice.

We got home and we went through the same drill as in the morning. This time I heard him singing. I kid you not. I think he's starting to enjoy this new system and the alone time that comes with it. So all I can say is, and I am sorry for cursing, but SH--!

I don't have much time. Well, I do but I am in the middle of The Help
and cannot put it down for more than a few minutes while the kids are napping. So here is a synopsis of our weekend:

W had 104 degree temp Friday.
Picked up Superior Grill for supper and icy Margaritas, of course.
Watched He's just not that into you.
Fever broke Friday night.
Boys played in the little pool Saturday while we did yard work. I for once, made a weekend lunch at home. Turkey paninis.
Went for a good run.
Had an extremely satisfying meal at Rambla that night with friends.
Drank a nightcap when we got home with J.
Worked our really hard Sunday morning while the boys played in the pool.
We picked up Stein's deli (Fernando for me-mozzarella, prosciutto, pesto on Ciabatta for me, Turkey panini for J)
Champagne Sunday afternoon
Cooked disastrous pot stickers but succeeded at making a restaurant quality Orange Beef and Broccoli after watching it on Everyday Food.

and now I can get back to The Help!

Full proof diet

I have found a foolproof diet for those willing to go to extremes. I had a root canal yesterday. and it will be 15 days until I get my crown. I can't eat on one side of my mouth until that happens.

It wasn't a fun experience. The doctor had to give 4 shots before I was finally pain free with her drilling way down into my tooth. Fun, I tell ya. But it's over and done. I can stop taking my antibiotics which to me means I can have that long awaited glass of wine but there is always a tradeoff. I can't really eat all that well and it will be 15 long days until I can truly enjoy my food again. The worst part is that we are going to J's college reunion where we were planning to eat the infamous EBA Chicken Sandwhich. I have heard about this freaking sandwich since I met him. and now, well, it will be a challenge to chomp down on a big ole sandwhich and still avoid the right side of my mouth. Needless to say, J is upset. But after only 3 meals, I am already feeling pretty darn skinny. Maybe Hot NOLAMom will appear this summer afterall!

It's summer. Our days are supposed to be footloose and fancy free. You can say goodbye to colds and flus and ear infections. You can spend your days at the pool, splashing and whoopin' it up. Tiring your kids out for an early bedtime. You can do all of this unless you are us.

We have spent a total of 3 days at the 2 week session of camp. After W's head finally healed we came down with a "touch of bronchitis" and an ear infection. So here we sit, housebound again. With Pman running loose around the house. I hope your days are filled with snoballs and water and laughter and watermelon because ours sure aren't. :)

The Homemade Life

I was searching for photos of slow roasted tomatoes. I made them last night using Molly Wizenberg's recipe from her book,
and it seems that I am the last one either have read the book or to try this recipe. It's an old hat recipe around the food blog world it seems but since I am not a food blog I don't feel like such a loser.

This is the basic recipe:
about 29 Roma tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Ground coriander
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Wash and dry tomatoes, trim away the stem end, and halve them lengthwise. Place them in a large bowl, and , using your hands, toss them gently with the oil. Arrange them cut side up on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and ground coriander, about a pinch of each for every 4 to 6 tomato halves. Bake until the tomatoes crinkle at the edges and shrink to about half of their original size, 4 to 6 hours. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature. You can store them for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Now. didn't use coriander because I didn't want that in my pasta sauce and I kind of wung it with the oil and salt but they turned out great and my house smelled like a fresh summer.

The first few chapters of the book really bummed me out because many of the recipes did not appeal to me but all of a sudden-BOOM!-I couldn't get enough and I found myself bookmarking every recipe. I have tried now two of her recipes. The cherry and goat cheese salad and the slow roasted tomatoes. and both times I was frazzled but having fun. When I only had W, planning dinner kept me sane. I would plan our meal and then J would come home and he and the Little Buddy would hang out in the kitchen while I cooked. It's a bit harder since the Holy Terror has come along but I have tried to find new things that inspire me to cook and I have to say that The Homemade Life has done just that.

Now, the slow roasted tomatoes are delicious. and I should have just eaten them as they were with some fresh mozzarella, basil and a baguette but I got a wild hair and pureed them with olive oil, garlic, basil and pasta water to make a sauce. It was tangy and delicious but the consistency of the sauce would have lent itself better to a sandwich smear. So although she the author gives suggestions about doing different things with them, if I were you I would use them as is.

Why?

I am going crazy. Today is the first day that W has stayed all day at school. I thought I would relish the fact that Pman is taking a nap early and I would have 2 hours to myself. The first 2 hours in a long long time. But I was wrong. It is killing me. Since 1 o'clock I have been counting down the minutes before I can go get my baby. I am sure he is doing fine. I haven't had a phone call to tell me differently but he's still so little and it's such a long time for him to be away. and to take a nap there! ugh! I keep thinking of him laying on the floor with a worried little look on his face and thinking to himself, "Why did she do this to me?" and I am thinking the same thing to myself. Why did I do that to him?

Disney's Up

I've loved tv since I can remember. I would watch in a total trance and although I am easily distracted from anything else, I never was when I was watching tv. It drove my parents mad. I remember the time they locked the armoire that held the tv so I couldn't watch The Brady Bunch. I was furious and just looking back on it I get kind of peeoed. It's not like today where they run rerun after rerun. It came on once a day. I don't see what the big deal was. Eventually they moved all of the comfy furniture from the tv room/sunporch so that it would deter us from watching the "boob tube" as they called it. It didn't.

W was a late watching kid. I don't think he started watching it with interest until he was about 2 and a half but now....I see myself heading down the same path as my parents but I am not there yet. I still get a kick out of him when he giggles at Elmo and eats pancakes because Caillou does. He only watches PBS and he has seen one movie, The Jungle Book, that he gets to watch on special occasions. Until today. He saw his first movie on the big screen. Disney's Up. I truly think he was more excited about the escalator ride, the super sized bag of M&M's and the commercial then he was the about the movie. He watched the whole thing with interes though. I do want to thank all of those people who told me they took their children to see it but failed to tell me it was a bit scary for a 3 year old. He doesn't seem disturbed yet but he does seem concerned about our house "blowing away" and then "breaking". I am hoping that he didn't quite get that the man's childhood sweetheart died and that he complete and utter fear of dogs doesn't linger any longer than need be because of the angry, scary killer dogs in the movie.

We still had a great time and it was a good movie overall and I can add it to the list of W's firsts.

Potty training regression

Today is the last weekday before W gets to start camp after his head bobo, hopefully. and I can breathe a sigh of relief. I am already halfway through the day! I feel like a very bad mother breathing the sigh of relief especially when I see other moms all giggles and smiles at the little play center that we frequent. I find it really hard when I have to plan a whole week of entertainment for 2 little buddies. In addition to the difficulty in finding fun things to do, they can't involve water because of his cut. I don't know if it's just me or not but I get very anxious just thinking about it and I have to take baby steps through each day. For the most part I think I was happy and fun this week but I have definitely have had trying moments and for those I feel bad.

Pman is such a ball of energy and W and I are having some regression potty issues. I think that may be due to a change of his schedule and him feeling out of control. So the potty is the only way he can take hold of his little world. I received some good advice today from a licensed professional and I am feeling a little bit more in control of my emotions.

She said the same thing our pediatrician said the first go around-to feign indifference. I just needed a simple reminder.

J finished up some work stuff that was weighing on him and I have finished my long week so those are both reasons for a major celebration. We had a semi-party last night. We got a babysitter and went to dinner and then for a delicious blueberry mojito afterwards. A great start to a fun weekend and lots of celebrating!

What I had for breakfast.

This morning for breakfast I had
a piece of turkey
a slice of birthday cake
some grapes
pizza
and by the time we got to the cupcakes I was full.

If you didn't know, it's not W anymore. It's Chef W and that is what he gave me for breakfast. He loves to "cook" and more than anything "cooking" food for the rest of us. It really is quite adorable.

I am not sure where this new fascination came from. Maybe a Curious George episode but however it has come about it is a fabulous new stage. Last night he helped me cook pancakes for supper. (Pancakes for supper?! Yes, it's the first time he has ever had them and I get giddy when he tries a new food). He poured the ingredients in the bowl, helped me stir and ladled the batter into the pan and did a great job. Every morning he helps me make my iced coffee and is so proud of the final product. This afternoon I opened my new Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites and found the chapter on meals to make with kids. He will be so excited. Next thing you know he will be cooking AND eating orrichiette with mini turkey meatballs!

Memorial Day weekend

I was excited for Memorial Day weekend. With Holy Terror (HT) I mean Pman over here I was getting burned out and was really ready for a break-meaning 3 more helping hands. Pman loves Papa so I knew that would at least free me up a bit. You don't even know. Papa couldn't scratch his butt without Pman right there and although I know how exhausting that can be I was glad that it wasn't me for once.

We went up to the North Carolina mountains to visit Mimi and Papa. and like the mountains, overall it was a beautiful trip but we definitely had our ups and downs.

We left Friday morning on our big Road Trip with TV hooked up, snacks in the front and changes of clothes easily accessible. That was good thinking because Pman started vomiting about 2 hours into the drive and didn't stop the whole 12 hour drive. Turns out the poor little guy is prone to car sickness. Like W said, it was "gross".

But the minute we arrived he was so happy to see my parents that he forgot all about it. The boys slept in the same room and had quite a ball, albeit very little sleep. We went to the waterfall to take an annual photo and to the Inn for tea and cookies on the golf cart. The boys swung with Papa out on the back porch. I think that was one of the highlights. See for yourself.


They have an unbelievable playground and as always went several times to our favorite hangout for lunch.

The down side was that it rained every darn day so all of our adventures were in the rain. But it was fine. The boys got drenched down at the lake and got to to feed the donkeys. The plan was to ride in the cart behind them but it was too slippery. Too much liability worries goin' on these days. W is not much for animals, if you weren't aware but he did pet one of 'em if you want to call it that.

Mimi bought a big wheel for W last summer. He is really not an avid cyclist. He likes to sit on them but he never really moves. We are trying to encourage more activity to pump some energy into our lax little boy so we took him out to the driveway to practice his pedaling.


Bad idea.


Why, you ask? Well, at first he was having a great time. Pedalling down the gradual incline of the driveway until we moved him up to the bigger hill and CRASH! I was inside putting HT down at the time. I knew when I heard my dad's voice calling my name, something was wrong. I turn to see J running into the house holding a crying W and blood pouring down his face. It was awful. Everything turned out fine. We went to the ER (a fabulously pleasant experience. I have to say glad it was there and not here) and they cleaned the cut and glued it shut.

2 days later he busted it open and the whole scenario played out again at the ER. Minus the voluminous amounts of blood. so he got a layer of steri strips on top of the glue and we are good to go. Until the Sunday after we got home and it started bleeding. Back to the doctor, more steri strips and now I sometimes wonder what is under it all.

So like I said, it rained and rained and rained. We wanted to leave Wednesday b/c it was raining so much and it was starting to get depressing. But Tuesday afternoon it was so beautiful. It was cool and sunny for the first time since we had been there. So we packed up the kids in the golf cart, got our to-go cups of wine and went to check out the mountains and the sunset and were so giddy that we decided to stay to enjoy the sunny Wednesday that was only a night away.

We woke up to pouring rain. Go figure.

OH! and we went to a party on Sunday night where I spied a has-been celebrity going by another name. I wanted to say something to her along the lines of "you are a has-been celebrity and no one at this mountain town party is going to harass you for a signature or anything so enough with the fake name" but true to my kind nature, ha!, I didn't.

We got dramamine for Pman on the way home which worked like a charm. Why didn't I think of it myself? and did you know that it was originally developed to help with morning sickness in pregnant women. This J tells me after 2 long nauseous pregnancies.

Anway, like I said, we had our ups and downs and it hadn't rained like that in NC since I was a kid. J jokingly chalks it up to globing warming but it didn't stop the fun. So that's all she wrote! and I'll be back tomorrow.

I have a parenting dilemma and I just need to vent. I am not sure there is a solution and I certainly haven't found one. Pman is quite the fireball. When he is happy, he is really really happy. and when he is mad he is pissed. Today we went to the Children's museum and he bit me. His shoe had fallen off and he was too busy to let me put it back on. So he bit me. It didn't hurt but that is besides the point. I just ignored him and struggled with him to get his shoe on. He also has been hitting me. Golly, he sounds like a holy terror doesn't he? I am so not used to this kind of behavior. W was a dream. Of course, he had his tantrums every now and then but he was a pretty even keeled baby and toddler. So this is a whole new road for me. He hits when he is a. not getting attention or b. when he is so angry he doesn't know what else to do. But darn it all, it hurts. I certainly don't want the stigma of my kid being "the biter" once he starts school but I have a feeling it can't be avoided.

I've been gone

It's me. I am sorry for the prolonged absence. Everything has been so crazy with the end of the school year and Memorial Day. I feel like that was all so long ago.

Between my last post and now I planted one side of my flower bed.


Beautiful, isn't it? It took some real muscle to get the holes dug and the plants all planted. I am proud of myself and my garden. The agapanthas have since bloomed and today W snapped off one of the blooms. I cannot even explain the disappointment, not in W because when he realized he shouldn't have done it he was sad, but in losing my beautiful bloom that I feel I grew myself. Anyway, I started work on the other bed but I still need more flowers so you will just have to wait to see that. It's killing you, hunh?

I snapped an awesome photo of the boys in the bath. But some people think that's a no no to post pictures of your kid in bathtubs so you are missing out on the pure joy that was on their faces.

and then we went on a road trip to the North Carolina mountains to visit Mimi and Papa. That was quite an adventure and it will all be in my next post. I just need to upload photos first. But I promise it won't be longer than a day.

I'll leave you with a picture of the boys in their Sunday best.

My boys are growing up. It seems like everyday they look different now. W's legs are getting long and gangly, his face is maturing and Master P looks more mischievous by the hour. I hate to see them grow up. I hate to see them grow up because I will miss my babies but I also hate it for them when they will have to deal with grown up issues. Right now they are so footloose and fancy free.

They have not a care in the world except whether they will get to eat 2 mini cupcakes instead of one. Of course W is inching over that line of foot looseness as he starts to learn to swim and potty train. He's can't live as near the edge as Pman but those are the most of his worries.

Their birthdays are both coming up and while it seems like they have only been here for a short time it seems like they have been my boys forever. Even just a year ago they are a blur to me.

And while I am not in a hurry for them to grow up, W is. He is busy listing all of the foods that will make him big and strong....french fries and veggie nuggets and grilled cheeses and vitamins and of course.....wine. Maybe I should ditch my nightly glass so he doesn't get the wrong idea or at least wait until he goes to bed. He is also talking about what he wants to be when he grows up. One time it was a tractor driver. The latest is a dirt digger on the streetcar track.

Pman like I said is quite a little pistol. He has taken to mocking everyone around him. The last time W cried (he was the cause of it mind you) he stopped in his tracks, turned around, made this horrifically fake looking scowl and pretended to cry as W was sobbing in my arms.

Another time he was in a staring contest with an older boy. It went on for a minute or two when WHAM! Pman slapped him up side the head. B.A.D. I tell you. Sometimes it seems cute but when you really get down to it it is kind of troubling. I don't want to be the kind of mom who promotes the badness because she thinks it's so funny. But it's tempting.

So it seems we have a lot of growing up going on over here although there personalities are still quite the same. We've got sweet and salty.

NEWSFLASH
W is a picky eater.

All my fans know about W's eating habits and yes, they are still driving me crazy. I read somewhere that by age 4 picky eaters start to abandon their stubborn eating habits and become more open minded about trying new things. So the countdown has begun and I am so keeping my fingers crossed.

I think back to when I was a kid and what we ate or what we were allowed to eat and I know that my mom's consistent "health kicks" had an influence on the way I eat now. These were the unwritten rules:
1.No cokes, only water
2.No bread unless whole wheat and then only for school lunches
3.If you get anything processed, Mom will read every ingredient until you are so grossed out that you don't want to eat it anymore.
4.No macaroni and cheese
5.Only fruit for breakfast (I think this was more that she hated to cook breakfast than a health thing) or bananas smoothies topped with wheat germ (which I actually still remember fondly)
6.Must drink a small glass of juice from her juicer whenever she hands you one (but you are never allowed to have more than one glass-this was prudent. I made myself a pitcher of juice one time when she was out of town and I was in the bathroom pretty much the whole weekend-a fiber thing)
6.No sweets (unless it's a special occasion in which case you eat a Sara Lee Cheesecake with canned blueberries)

Now, I am no health fanatic but I am very educated in the ways of nutrition because of Martha and I know what to eat to stay healthy. I love food and I am certainly not saying that I am a saint when it comes to healthy eating but I do my best during the week and am making a concerted effort to do the same on the weekends (except when L insists on eating crappy food at events on Friday nights) So I am still kind of worried about the way I have handled W's pickiness and how it will influence his future eating habits. I don't care what you say, I know in my mind that I cannot make W eat what he does not want to eat and I have stopped trying but when he asks for another mini cupcake, I give it to him. I let him eat french fries for supper or lunch or even breakfast just to get those little bit of calories in him. I bring him goldfish when I pick him up from school even though it's lunchtime. So if he is as influenced as I was by what his mom lets him do....Little W will be a blubbery Big W by the time he is 10.

Happy Mother's Day!

I was going to write about what it means to be a mom. I truly believe it's why I am here. I have my ups and downs but I love being a mom and can't imagine life without my two little babies. But I decided to write about what my mom means to me.

Lately, a lot of acquaintances of my mom have told me that I look a lot like her. "Oh, you must be Martha's daughter. You look just like her." or "I can tell you are Martha's daughter. You have her smile." All of these comments are so strange to me because I have never thought I looked like her. I am brunette and freckly and have small eyes. My mom is blonde, with creamy skin and big eyes. She looks like a 1950's movie star. and well, I am more of a Peppermint Patty. She is just plain beautiful. Really, she is. I don't mean to say I am ugly. I think I am pretty darn cute. But there is a difference between cute and beautiful you know. and that's not her only strength. She's a go getter, a doer, a personality to be reckoned with. She's a great mom and a great wife and a great grandmother. It's not to say that she doesn't have her moments. She's kind of neurotic and definitely will get what she wants when she wants it no matter how but she is the best mom I know. Really, I wouldn't trade her for the world. Having a mom like mine... I thank God everyday for her. Because if you had Martha for a mom you would be one lucky girl, like me.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

J went to lunch with 2 guys that he frequently goes to lunch with. It sound so dreamy to me, an adult lunch without kids screaming or crying or whining around you. and then, get this! The 3 of them went for a stroll around downtown. I guess to people watch and check out the architecture. Sounds like a bunch of old ladies to me. J even admitted he felt like an old lady when they stopped to admire The Roosevelt Hotel. Old ladies or not I was and still am a bit envious. To be lollygagging around downtown as an adult alone without kids.....like I said, heavenly.

What I wouldn't give for a day without someone sitting on me. It's tiring. I know, every stay at home mom blog has posted at least once if not ad nauseum about how exhausting it is being a stay at home mom. It's a constant and Pman wants to be sitting on me wherever I am. As long as I am not standing. I stand a lot. Because when he is on me, I may be sitting, but he is not. He is squirming and climbing and squirming some more. Now if I start tickling his legs at just the right time I can get him to calm down and sit still. and I try my best to drink in these moments of stillness and enjoy the cuddling from my little baby who really is not a little baby anymore. and I even try really hard to enjoy the times that he is squiggling around because I know one day soon, he will not want to even sit near me anymore.

Retraction

I have to print a retraction of my post about Superior. J said that I was feeling sickly before we went to Superior so it most probably wasn't from eating there. Phew! Makes it a lot easier on me. I hate break ups.

I have this old friend. I've known her for about 15 years. When I was single we used to see each other once every other week or so. When J and I got married he took to her immediately and we saw her even more often. More like once a week. We would whoop it up and have a grand old time and we still do. The kids....they think of her as a long lost aunt. They can't get enough of her. She is loud and boisterous and easy going. She let's them do whatever they want when we are at her house. Heaven for a one and three year old, right? They can scream and dance and throw food on the floor and she doesn't give a hoot.

But I am starting to have this love/hate relationship with her. She's done me wrong twice now and I know that's not a lot but they were serious wrongs. The first time what she did was pretty bad. It took me over a week to get over it but after a few months I gave her a second chance. But you know the saying, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I have to apply that here.

My friend, her name is Superior Grill. and I loved her, golly, how I loved her. The cheese, the chips, ohhhhhh, the Margaritas. She makes a mean one and like I said, not a more kid friendlier place in the universe.

The first time I got sick was during that big Salmonella outbreak. I threw up for 2 days straight and couldn't eat for another week. I kid you not. It was bad and it wasn't the flu. Superior Grill was what I had eaten the day before and really nothing else. We didn't go back for a month or two but after I had fully recovered I just couldn't stay away.

and everything was fine until last night. I woke up about 7 hours after we ate at SG. I prayed to die. at 2am, 2 hours after I said my first prayer J realized that something was wrong. I think all the moaning and the cold rag gave me away. He said it would pass. and it never did. Uggghhh. The misery. Luckily I never got sick, just stomach pains and nausea that is still lingering. I am sad that I feel so bad on a Monday morning. and I feel even worse that J stayed home from work so that I could sleep in a bit. but what I am most sad about is the loss of Superior Grill. Can I really go back? I think I would be just looking for trouble. I don't know. I hate to end my love affair but I don't think I can go through another heartbreak. I have got to end this unhealthy relationship while I am strong. Maybe we can be friends, just have a margarita and chips while everyone else indulges. But that never works does it. The friend thing.

Pman loves to be tickled. I can almost always try to calm him down from his insanity if I can get him to sit on my lap and tickle his legs, arms or head. He is in heaven and will sit staring into oblivion until I stop at which point he will wiggle away or grab my arm to start tickling again.

I have always loved to be rubbed on. and my mom too. We still fight about who is going to tickle or be tickled first because it sucks to be the last tickler. You want to be the last tickled so you can truly enjoy it.

Before we had kids, J would rub my legs, begrudgingly. I would have to beg him and I remember one time saying that I couldn't wait to have kids so they could rub my legs. J was horrified. He couldn't believe that I would consider using my kids like that. The other day I was sitting on the floor with my legs in front of me and Pman toddled up, sat down and started tickling my legs. and I didn't even have to ask.

Jazz Fest is in the air

It's Jazz Fest time around here. People are gearing up for it. Getting there fold up chairs out of the garage, digging through their koozies for the "How ya gonna clap" one (you know, the one that has a strap that you can hang around your neck leaving your hands free.), starving themselves to make room for the crawfish streudel and bread and monica and anything else with crawfish in it, clipping out the schedule to make their master plan and calling Acura to beg them for the pass that they gave them the first year they bought their car but that they haven't got since (did this happen to you too?), building their party poles so that their friends will know how to find them in the mass chaos that is the fest. And this is to only name a few prep steps.

Well, It's all a lot of pressure. It keeps a true jazz fester busy that's for sure. But NOT FOR ME!!! and I am lovin' it. I think I have been asked at least 5 times today whether or not we were going to Jazz Fest. Nope. A simple,easy and stress free answer. and I am lovin' it. I used to be an all day every day Jazz Fest kind of person. Get there when the gates open and left when the last stage closed. I didn't care that my feet got grimy with a mix of dirt and sunscreen, that it was as hot as bejeezus, that I smelled bad and went to the bathroom in a port o let that smelled worse, not to mention that on several occasions entered after a couple who had just done it in the hot stank of it all. Ugh. I loved it, truly loved it. Sometimes I had backstage passes, sometimes I didn't but it just didn't matter. I loved it.

and now, you know what I love?
I love that I do not care in the least bit about Jazz Fest. I don't care who is playing. I find in my old age that I enjoy listening to music on a CD rather than in real life. unless it's in an atmosphere where I a. can sit b. can be in a non-smoking environment and c. that has good wine. Call me an old fart. Because I proudly call myself one.

But I do love this time of year. and I do love that fact that there are people who still revel in the pleasure of Jazz Fest. Who don't mind the crowds and keep the spirit of Jazz Fest alive. Because, although I am not sad that I am not even thinking of going to Jazz Fest, I would be sad if I couldn't feel The Festival in the air. So to all you Jazz Festers out there......clap for me, loud and strong!

Trip to the Beach

We've been to the beach. W and Pman's first time to visit the Gulf and they had a ball. That's why I have been so scarce around here. Not that I haven't had a million things to post-especially while at the beach-but I have a thing about posting too much information online. I know, I post a lot but I do draw a line somewhere.

Here are a few teaser pictures to keep you hanging on until tomorrow.

W building a sand castle.

Pman's feet in the sand

W after a swim at the pool.

and Pman playing life sized chess.

Oh, but I have much to tell about our trip to the beach and many many doozer photos. For ex. RaRa, JoJo and Papa playing badminton. Certainly a sight to see. Just you wait.

I know somewhere on this blog I shared my fear. The fear that I would not love the new baby (now Pman) as much as I love W. I was really really worried. I thought about it a lot and I cried a lot too. I cried about taking time away from W and from the guilt of not loving the new baby.

and now I cannot believe that I ever thought that. I mean, hanging out with Master P all day has its ups and downs but when the ups are good they are really good. and I love him for all of his quirks and craziness and mischieviousness. For instance, the other day, he rode around in the grocery cart, I am not kidding, the whole trip, like this.

Is that crazy? Maybe not for you but for me, a mom whose first child is calm and collected and cooperative and docile, it is. I was scared he was going to pop his neck out of socket. It made MY neck weak just looking at him. But it was hilarious and it really kind of sums him up in a nutshell. It describes him better than I can with words. A picture is worth a thousand words and if you look really closely you can see my favorite part about him. That big ole cleft in his chin.

The boys are downstairs rough housing so it was my chance to sneak away upstairs to let you know that I am alive. Barely. I made the same mistake twice and ate another one of those "deliciously soft" icingy cookies that show up in the grocery stores during any holiday. I am crashing from my insane sugar high. At least this time I know what is going on. Yesterday I ate one at W's Easter Egg Hunt and I thought I was going to die. I didn't know what caused that misery until later.

Anyway, Pman and I had quite a day. He loves whoopin' and hollerin' and wrestling with anyone who will join in. We were doing that this afternoon. He got so riled up that he bit me. HE BIT ME! DAMN! It hurt! He did it through a long sleeved shirt and even broke skin. It was just barely, but hard enough that I have a story to tell.

Broken refrigeraters, poo poo and shopping

You would think from the scarcity of my posts that I am so so busy. I am not necessarily so but I am still stressed anyway. We have been out of a refrigerator for a week now, with one week to go. It's crazy how much you miss it when you don't have it. Now, we are living with scarce provisions in my old college refrigerator (which is still running strong despite his age) and a small one in the back garage. But IT IS STRESSING ME OUT. It totally upsets my routine and THAT I do not like.

Amidst all of the refrigerator debacle, I have been looking for a dress to wear to a wedding. and shoes to go with it. So Pman and I have been on the go all week to mall after store after mall. BTW, he loooooves the mall. He seemed to like Lakeside better than Saks. More colors, more water fountains, more things to get into. I finally found the dress but am still on the hunt for the perfect pair of shoes. I am particular about shoes but I won't bore you with the details.

In addition, the poo poo potty training came to a head last night, or rather the bathtub. DON'T get me started because it's not a pretty or pleasant story. and I am mad. I asked J if I was too mean and he said my anger was justified. "He has to have consequences". Enough said.

On top of it all I am trying to get ready for the Crescent City Classic and I kind of let my training die. The farthest I have run in the past week is 3.5 miles so I am not even sure I can finish. Oh, I am so disappointed in myself.

So there are my reasons for not posting lately. I hope I won't have to come up with anymore anytime soon.