The other night I went to a cookout at a friend's house who is the proud mommy of a beautiful 6 month old baby girl. While I was there she asked me about finding children's books and I promised her a list of some of mine and Sophia's favorites. The thing about making this list is that I am a book collector. I have well over 500 books for Sophia. They are piled on book shelves, in the floor, in drawers. And I don't stop buying them. If I see a good book I buy it (assuming the price is reasonable). I like to buy books from yard sales and used book stores, but I'll rarely pay more than a dollar or two depending on the book.
I loved being a member of the Chilren's Book of the Month club. Yes, it's a mail order book club, but they don't randomly mail books out to you and charge your credit card and over all you get some great books at half or lower than retail. Here's a link: http://www.cbomc.com/ I got some great books and spent maybe $150 total. Of course I paid more than a dollar or two, but some of the books I got retail for up to $12.
Being a native Tennessee- Sophia was born in Knoxville- we also belong to the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library which is an awesome program. I hope when I have extra money to give I can give to this program because it's been wonderful for us. A book every month of Sophia's life until she's 5!!!! I think it's only for Tennessee residents, but other states should follow suit if they don't have a program like this. THANK YOU DOLLY PARTON!!!! Here's a link to the Imagination Library if you're not already signed up: http://imaginationlibrary.com/. I'm hoping to sign up the new baby when he's born.
I have to give credit to Chick Fil A for their contribution to our book collection including the Laura Numeroff collection. Sophia has mostly grown out of the "under 3 board books" but they have been great additions and quick easy reads for her.
Ok. List of books we love. I might have to come in and edit this adding titles, author info or whatnot. Post any questions you have on anything I post and I'll answer with any details you need.
For the Toddler:
Any of the "Spot" books are great for toddlers. They usually tear them up, but they're well-worth the expense.
"Biscuit" books are less intelligible, but kids seem to enjoy them.
Sandra Boynton books are great fun to read. We like:
Pajama Time
What's Wrong Little Pookie
Blue Hat, Green Hat (which guarantees giggles with every "Oops")
Doggies
The Belly Button Book (we don't own this one, but have read it many times)
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
On The Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier (honestly, this one is more for the parents than the kids)
For the older toddler/preschooler:
We all know Dr. Suess books are fabulous. But not all Dr. Suess are equal. These are the ones Sophia loved:
The Foot Book
Green Eggs and Ham
The Eye Book
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
Fox in Socks (fun for parents too- challenge your significant other to read it as fast as he/she can)
My Many Colored Days
Some PD Eastman books from the Dr. Suess collection:
Are you My Mother?
Ten Apples Up on Top
Berenstain Bears Books:
The B Book
On The Moon
Any of the Berenstain Bears books are great books. The character of them is that Stan and Jan Berenstain wrote the books for their kids and you can buy the books in sets to grow with your child's reading attention and ability.
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch is a must to any library. It's another parent's book
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (I suggest the individual books because the all-in-one collection is hard to hold with a child snuggled in your lap.)
Momma Will You by Dori Chaconas
Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper (an absolute must-have)
Curious George by H.A. Rey (It's a bit old fashioned, but the kids don't seem to notice.)
Every child should have one "Classical Fairy Tales" book. It's not necessarily important which one as long as it covers the classics (Three Bears*, Three Little Pigs, Tom Thumb, Hansel and Gretel)
*I got a great Goldilocks and The Three Bears book adapted by Jan Brett from the Imagination Library. Her illustrations are phenomenal and worth buying it separate.
Jane O' Connor has created the best girlie books ever- Fancy Nancy. If you have a little girl, get these books. Beware of the actual Jane O' Connor books and the "adapted from" books. I noticed a difference enough to bother me although Sophia didn't seem to mind. We like:
Fancy Nancy
Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy
Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly
Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas
We have Fancy Nancy Exporer Extraoridnaire, but I find this book tedious to read and maybe would be better when your child can read it herself.
Olivia books are great for little girls too. We have the original Olivia as well as Olivia's Christmas.
Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann is a good girlie book. If you get the series (which I recommend) beware of Purplicious because it's very... dramatic. My drama queen picked up on all of the extreme drama.
Laura Numeroff books are wonderful:
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
If You Give a Pig a Party
If You Take a Mouse to School
etc. They're all pretty fun to read and I think help kids see the cycle of thinking and interrelatedness.
Another amazing children's author is Doreen Cronin. I haven't found a book of hers that wasn't great. Her books have that great humor that appeals to kids AND parents.
Click Clack Moo
Duck For President
Mo Willems has the monopoly on dual humor
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed
Knuffle Bunny (We don't own this book, but have read it many times.)
If you at all celebrate Christmas (religious or not) you must own "Twas The Night Before Christmas". Be sure to look at the illustrations because the story is so common, but the illustrations can really *make* the story.
Other non-religious Chirstmas books to own:
Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (get the book before the movie)
The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
A book we own now, but I wish we'd owned when Sophia was little is The Big Book of Farmyard Tales by Heather Amery. It's a great book to read and has some starter reading potential.
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (although it can be scary for little kids at that nightmare age)
Corduroy by Don Freeman (I've seen there are other Courduroy books, but I haven't read any of them so I can't comment. The original is just wonderful though.)
Beatrix Potter books are fun to read. The Tale of Peter Rabbit is one we enjoy as well as Jemima Puddle Duck.
I think every kid should have a book of Mother Goose, but again, the illustrations can make or break the book. I recommend the Mary Engelbreit version. Her illustrations are colorful and interesting. The Real Mother Goose by Blanch Fisher is BORING and DULL and I ended up getting rid of our copy.
If you're interested in Bible stories, children's Bibles are the scariest! I asked around and somehow ended up with three copies now of The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories. The illustrations are cute and it covers all of the stories kids should know.
This list is hardly complete, not to mention the fact that I keep adding to our collection as fast as I can and they keep writing awesome books. Plus, Sophia is learning to read faster than the bullet train so we're having to add more and more "grown up" books. In any case, this list should get anyone started with their collection.
July 18, 2011
July 13, 2011
Homemade Waffles anyone?
I used to buy Bisquick. It's easy, it's quick, it's a box. But once I ran out and I wanted waffles and I had no money to run to the store and grab a box of Bisquick. So, I made some from scratch. Yes, ladies and gentleman, from scratch. It sounds waaaaay harder than it is. It's actually extremely simple and you could even make a big batch of the dry ingredients and save it in tupperware for later use.
Here it is for you waffle-y yum-ness. Note: I have pictures in this post. I've added pictures to a few other older posts in case you really want to see my masterwork for yourself.
Wonderful Waffles
3T unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
2T sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
I just throw it all in a bowl
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Then put it on my favorite waffle iron from Williams Sonoma using a ladel
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I usually keep my iron on about 4 or medium to get the best waffles. Too high and they're too cripy and kinda dry, too low and they aren't done. Perfectly golden is what you're looking for.
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They really aren't that bad for you I suppose until you add the butter and syrup (which I always do), but if you want to add a little health and/or just make breakfast taste extra special, serve with some fresh cut strawberries and milk. I made this beautiful breakfast for Sophia and me.
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Alton Brown once said you can freeze homemade waffles for L'eggo my Eggo type waffles you can pop in the toaster. I haven't tried this, but I do put them in the fridge. We try to eat them within the week and I usually toast mine lightly to bring back some of the "crunch" they lose. This is so simple I haven't bought Bisquick since. Shhh... don't tell Bisquick.
Here it is for you waffle-y yum-ness. Note: I have pictures in this post. I've added pictures to a few other older posts in case you really want to see my masterwork for yourself.
Wonderful Waffles
3T unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
2T sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
I just throw it all in a bowl
June 21, 2011
Silly Contests and Shameful plug
She's so cute. And I have soooo many followers and readers (haha) but in case someone is out there, maybe they'll see this and vote... often.
http://www.parenting.com/photo_contest/137550/photos/all/399502
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http://www.parenting.com/photo_contest/137550/photos/all/399502
June 16, 2011
Vacation Bible School
Ok. First, I'll take responsibility for my failure. I should have started looking into it weeks ago rather than waiting last minute. And there's no reason I waited. Lazy I guess. (I did the same thing with swim lessons and we missed them this summer.)
But ya know what? So what if I'm late? Shouldn't every child get a chance to participate? They have a waiting list, but said it was unlikely the waitlist kids would be called. Isn't it a church's responsibility to give every child a chance? Isn't vacation Bible school teaching Jesus's lessons? Did Jesus turn people away? Ever? Maybe I misread or misremember the Bible, but I thought Jesus always said to let them come. He never turned people away. And especially not children.
The Church's reasons? They've already purchased and prepared the crafts. If I'd called 10 days ago they would have made sure she got in. What? Seriously? They're going to charge me $50 to participate and can't take my $50 and go buy the necessary crafts tomorrow? Heck... I'll go buy them. And I offered to volunteer. My one child for help with 5 others? Isn't that a win-win?
And if VBS is too full, why not open it up for another week? Let the kids that didn't get a chance to sign up- sign up. Does it really take that much more resources? Especially when you're working with $50 per child and your expenses are...? There's no paid employees (and if there are- that's a problem there. What happened to stewardship?). Ok, you have to pay utilities for a building you already keep running whether you have something going on or not. And there are all of those supplies that I'm sure costs... how much per child?
I think angry isn't really the word. Disappointed. I'm disappointed in my church that (if you've read my past posts) doesn't offer me any accountability for attendance, hasn't really given me any real reason to participate (or reasonable way), doesn't make me feel any more connected to God. I'm disappointed that my church would ever turn away my child, or any child for that matter. "Don't worry Sophia. You can learn about God... next year... if Mommy gets signed up in time." Yeah. There's a good Bible lesson.
But ya know what? So what if I'm late? Shouldn't every child get a chance to participate? They have a waiting list, but said it was unlikely the waitlist kids would be called. Isn't it a church's responsibility to give every child a chance? Isn't vacation Bible school teaching Jesus's lessons? Did Jesus turn people away? Ever? Maybe I misread or misremember the Bible, but I thought Jesus always said to let them come. He never turned people away. And especially not children.
The Church's reasons? They've already purchased and prepared the crafts. If I'd called 10 days ago they would have made sure she got in. What? Seriously? They're going to charge me $50 to participate and can't take my $50 and go buy the necessary crafts tomorrow? Heck... I'll go buy them. And I offered to volunteer. My one child for help with 5 others? Isn't that a win-win?
And if VBS is too full, why not open it up for another week? Let the kids that didn't get a chance to sign up- sign up. Does it really take that much more resources? Especially when you're working with $50 per child and your expenses are...? There's no paid employees (and if there are- that's a problem there. What happened to stewardship?). Ok, you have to pay utilities for a building you already keep running whether you have something going on or not. And there are all of those supplies that I'm sure costs... how much per child?
I think angry isn't really the word. Disappointed. I'm disappointed in my church that (if you've read my past posts) doesn't offer me any accountability for attendance, hasn't really given me any real reason to participate (or reasonable way), doesn't make me feel any more connected to God. I'm disappointed that my church would ever turn away my child, or any child for that matter. "Don't worry Sophia. You can learn about God... next year... if Mommy gets signed up in time." Yeah. There's a good Bible lesson.
June 15, 2011
Total Gleek
So, I've become a total Gleek. If you don't know what that is, you need to get to know it. I'm a geek for the TV show Glee. Of course, I can't just watch a show without knowing about it, the stars, the background. So, I searched all of the actors on IMBD, then googled the ones I'm most interested in. Which, in this case is nearly all of them.
There are many things I like about this show. Growing up, some of my favorite movies were musicals- Annie, Oliver Twist, My Fair Lady... the list goes on. Glee is like a weekly, hour-long musical movie. How wonderful is that?
But, as if that's not awesome enough (which it is), but they also add all of the drama I love in these weekly shows I get involved in- not too ridiculous, not too much, just enough. He loves her who loves him who loves himself. That kind of thing. The show also incorporates a lot of the "issues" that not only high school teenagers can relate to, but also I can as an adult. Maybe I'm relating to high school Karmen's issues, but I still relate. I love that the show addresses real problems kids face today- sex, teenage pregnancy, homosexuality, popularity, confliction between being oneself and being accepted, bullying. The list really goes on. With the right discussion to my teenage daughter, the show is a great way to open a dialogue about any of the issues she may be having.
Now because my train of thoughts are just often erratic like this- I became very intrigued by the sexual preference issues on the show. I mean, there is certainly a real issue of homosexuality dealt with on the show what with Kurt and Blaine and "the kiss seen around the world" as well as Santana and her struggle to win Brittany completely. But my interest in this situation lead me to thinking about the real preferences of the actors/actresses outside of the show. Which of course, I googled. A lot came up, but what *really* interested me was an article in much debate in the Newsweek. Here it is... http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/30/straight-jacket.html
What I found interesting in this article was that in some ways, I guess I agree with it, and in some ways I definitely do not. Whatever the point of the author was intended to be, I don't think the controversey reflected his stated intentions.
Let's consider White Collar with Matt Bomer, a show I love. Matt Bomer is totally hot. I definitely created many a fantasy that included him as the leading male role. But, like Glee, I spent some research time and found that not only was Matt gay, he was involved in a long-term monogamous relationship and had adopted children. In White Collar he does not play a gay man, but quite the opposite. He's a bit of a lady's man in the show. Did reading that he's gay change my view of the show or Matt's role in it? Yes. Slightly. But does he play a very convincing straight man? I would say absolutely. Is my "gaydar" broken? Perhaps. Or maybe both his relationship status and his fatherhood status make him that much more sexy. And maybe he's just that good of an actor. And maybe the kisses he shares with some of the leading ladies is just passionate enought to stir my inner longing to be that leading lady of the moment.
Then again, maybe I'm just jaded because of my attraction to Matt Bomer's good looks and the sexy character he plays. I decided to think a little harder on the subject. I've seen several shows and movies where Eric McCormack (Will from Will and Grace, in case you don't know) plays a straight man. From all of my research, he *is* a straight man. But I still find it less than convincing that he could ever be straight. Is it because I don't find him as attractive as I do Matt Bomer? Maybe, although there are some pretty steamy photos of Eric that could lead to a fantasy or two. Or maybe the Newsweek article has a point.
Does the type of person and/or role make a difference? Eric McCormack is more effiminate than Matt Bomer. Neil Patrick Harris doesn't strike me as particularly effiminate, but Sean Hayes does. Does that make it easier for me to believe Neil Patrick Harris could be a straight man, but Sean Hayes could not? My dad is a pretty effiminate guy, but I don't doubt for a second his heterosexuality.
Type-casting can be hard to overcome no matter who you are or what role you're playing. Can anyone (at least my age who grew up on Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) ever really look at Keanu Reeves and not expect him to break out into his Ted character, like totally? Ok, maybe that one is just me. He certainly broke the mold with the Matrix and I can almost take him seriously...almost. But what about Lisa Kudrow? Won't she always be Phoebe from Friends in our minds? Will anyone ever see Fran Dresher as anything other than the loud, obnoxious Nanny? Didn't Jennifer Aniston do the Good Girl specifically to escape her Rachel character from Friends? I guess the low budget, small film Dreams for an Insomniac wasn't enough for her to escape Rachel even though her acting in that film was beyond awesome and actually made me a huge fan. Maybe this is the real reason I have a hard time seeing Eric McCormack as a straight man. He played Will Truman for a long time. I haven't yet seen his Matrix or Good Girl role that breaks the stereotype for me.
And maybe the question to ask really, is why does it matter? I mean, whatever your real life choices are, isn't it acting? Aren't these men playing roles? Tom Hanks was never really stranded on an island with a Wilson volleyball that becamse his best friend but I'm no less convinced while watching Cast Away. And when has George Clooney ever been a Vegas thief as he was in all of the Ocean's movies? Can we really believe Elijah Woods was ever anything more than a hobbit when watching the Lord of the Rings movies?
Bottomline- I think the problem is not the actor's sexual preference that type-casts him, but rather the roles he chooses and the length he's seen in those roles. Play a gay man once, I doubt you're going to be condemned to playing gay men for life, but play a gay man in a legendary show for years might put you into certain category of available characters. And be a gay man playing straight, it's no less convincing than a straight man playing gay as long as it's done right. Of course, I can't speak for the Hollywood side of things. What I can say, is if I were a leading lady and someone asked me to have some passionate scenes with Matt Bomer, Jonathan Goff, Sean Hayes... ya know what? I'd do it! Because it would be my job (and his) to play the parts we have. And honestly, any of these men are great actors from the shows, movies, whatever that I've seen. Maybe we need to just get it out of our minds that their personal lives have anything to do with their roles and let them be the professional men they are trying to be. Maybe if we're so caught up in who he's sleeping with when he goes home from his "job" then we've lost the point of TV or a movie or a Broadway show. Entertainment. Get lost in the story. Enjoy the experience. Stop analyzing it for what it's not and start enjoying it for what it is.
There are many things I like about this show. Growing up, some of my favorite movies were musicals- Annie, Oliver Twist, My Fair Lady... the list goes on. Glee is like a weekly, hour-long musical movie. How wonderful is that?
But, as if that's not awesome enough (which it is), but they also add all of the drama I love in these weekly shows I get involved in- not too ridiculous, not too much, just enough. He loves her who loves him who loves himself. That kind of thing. The show also incorporates a lot of the "issues" that not only high school teenagers can relate to, but also I can as an adult. Maybe I'm relating to high school Karmen's issues, but I still relate. I love that the show addresses real problems kids face today- sex, teenage pregnancy, homosexuality, popularity, confliction between being oneself and being accepted, bullying. The list really goes on. With the right discussion to my teenage daughter, the show is a great way to open a dialogue about any of the issues she may be having.
Now because my train of thoughts are just often erratic like this- I became very intrigued by the sexual preference issues on the show. I mean, there is certainly a real issue of homosexuality dealt with on the show what with Kurt and Blaine and "the kiss seen around the world" as well as Santana and her struggle to win Brittany completely. But my interest in this situation lead me to thinking about the real preferences of the actors/actresses outside of the show. Which of course, I googled. A lot came up, but what *really* interested me was an article in much debate in the Newsweek. Here it is... http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/30/straight-jacket.html
What I found interesting in this article was that in some ways, I guess I agree with it, and in some ways I definitely do not. Whatever the point of the author was intended to be, I don't think the controversey reflected his stated intentions.
Let's consider White Collar with Matt Bomer, a show I love. Matt Bomer is totally hot. I definitely created many a fantasy that included him as the leading male role. But, like Glee, I spent some research time and found that not only was Matt gay, he was involved in a long-term monogamous relationship and had adopted children. In White Collar he does not play a gay man, but quite the opposite. He's a bit of a lady's man in the show. Did reading that he's gay change my view of the show or Matt's role in it? Yes. Slightly. But does he play a very convincing straight man? I would say absolutely. Is my "gaydar" broken? Perhaps. Or maybe both his relationship status and his fatherhood status make him that much more sexy. And maybe he's just that good of an actor. And maybe the kisses he shares with some of the leading ladies is just passionate enought to stir my inner longing to be that leading lady of the moment.
Then again, maybe I'm just jaded because of my attraction to Matt Bomer's good looks and the sexy character he plays. I decided to think a little harder on the subject. I've seen several shows and movies where Eric McCormack (Will from Will and Grace, in case you don't know) plays a straight man. From all of my research, he *is* a straight man. But I still find it less than convincing that he could ever be straight. Is it because I don't find him as attractive as I do Matt Bomer? Maybe, although there are some pretty steamy photos of Eric that could lead to a fantasy or two. Or maybe the Newsweek article has a point.
Does the type of person and/or role make a difference? Eric McCormack is more effiminate than Matt Bomer. Neil Patrick Harris doesn't strike me as particularly effiminate, but Sean Hayes does. Does that make it easier for me to believe Neil Patrick Harris could be a straight man, but Sean Hayes could not? My dad is a pretty effiminate guy, but I don't doubt for a second his heterosexuality.
Type-casting can be hard to overcome no matter who you are or what role you're playing. Can anyone (at least my age who grew up on Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) ever really look at Keanu Reeves and not expect him to break out into his Ted character, like totally? Ok, maybe that one is just me. He certainly broke the mold with the Matrix and I can almost take him seriously...almost. But what about Lisa Kudrow? Won't she always be Phoebe from Friends in our minds? Will anyone ever see Fran Dresher as anything other than the loud, obnoxious Nanny? Didn't Jennifer Aniston do the Good Girl specifically to escape her Rachel character from Friends? I guess the low budget, small film Dreams for an Insomniac wasn't enough for her to escape Rachel even though her acting in that film was beyond awesome and actually made me a huge fan. Maybe this is the real reason I have a hard time seeing Eric McCormack as a straight man. He played Will Truman for a long time. I haven't yet seen his Matrix or Good Girl role that breaks the stereotype for me.
And maybe the question to ask really, is why does it matter? I mean, whatever your real life choices are, isn't it acting? Aren't these men playing roles? Tom Hanks was never really stranded on an island with a Wilson volleyball that becamse his best friend but I'm no less convinced while watching Cast Away. And when has George Clooney ever been a Vegas thief as he was in all of the Ocean's movies? Can we really believe Elijah Woods was ever anything more than a hobbit when watching the Lord of the Rings movies?
Bottomline- I think the problem is not the actor's sexual preference that type-casts him, but rather the roles he chooses and the length he's seen in those roles. Play a gay man once, I doubt you're going to be condemned to playing gay men for life, but play a gay man in a legendary show for years might put you into certain category of available characters. And be a gay man playing straight, it's no less convincing than a straight man playing gay as long as it's done right. Of course, I can't speak for the Hollywood side of things. What I can say, is if I were a leading lady and someone asked me to have some passionate scenes with Matt Bomer, Jonathan Goff, Sean Hayes... ya know what? I'd do it! Because it would be my job (and his) to play the parts we have. And honestly, any of these men are great actors from the shows, movies, whatever that I've seen. Maybe we need to just get it out of our minds that their personal lives have anything to do with their roles and let them be the professional men they are trying to be. Maybe if we're so caught up in who he's sleeping with when he goes home from his "job" then we've lost the point of TV or a movie or a Broadway show. Entertainment. Get lost in the story. Enjoy the experience. Stop analyzing it for what it's not and start enjoying it for what it is.
June 12, 2011
Dating while married
Yesterday my husband and I spent most of the day together. It started when he woke me up to go get coffee. Of course, I can't drink coffee right now so I had water and a breakfast pocket. It was quite an adventure since the coffee shop he likes was blocked by the Breast Cancer awareness walk so we had to park a block away and walk only to find the road had been opened by the time we got to the coffee house. Haha!
After coffee we caught a movie- X-Men- which I totally recommend as one of the best X-Men movies yet. By the time we got home it was 3:30 in the afternoon. Sophia was already laid down for quiet time so we had another hour of eating lunch (quite late) and just watching some TV. Once Sophia was up and Zoe was carefully taken to a block party at a friend's house the hubby and I watched yet another movie on DVD.
Dating my husband has changed. We used to go to some nice restuarant for a meal and perhaps with friends. Alcohol was generally involved in some quantity- large or small. We rarely saw movies. We talked, a lot about the future, the past, the present. Dates usually ended in heated passionate ways. Now, I barely brush my hair, rarely wear makeup, and while I often try to dress as nice as I can I've been known to go out wearing yoga pants and a tee shirt if we're not going anywhere more than the movies. Our dates usually have little or no talking- he spent the morning on his iPad at the coffee house while I stared down the people around me and glared at the counter girl that was reluctant to give a pregnant woman a glass for water; then a movie which allows such minimum talking as "ooh... that movie looks good." And the only passion dates end in now is my passion for eating and his for browsing motorcycles on ebay.
I want to complain, but really, I like the comfort zone we've come to in our marriage. Sure, I miss passion. Every movie that has any kind of passionate kiss sends me over the edge, but I just don't see my husband that way anymore. Now he's that man whose hair I have to clean out of the bathroom sink every week and whose socks never seem to match up when I'm folding laundry. He's the man that gripes at me when he's had a bad day at work or the man that loves me dearly when he's feeling all "romantic." We're comfortable. It's easy- mostly.
So, date night has changed. Maybe when the kids are older we'll regain some passion or maybe not. Either way I suppose it's good that we get those snippets of time together to reconnect however superficially and just be an "us" for a while.
After coffee we caught a movie- X-Men- which I totally recommend as one of the best X-Men movies yet. By the time we got home it was 3:30 in the afternoon. Sophia was already laid down for quiet time so we had another hour of eating lunch (quite late) and just watching some TV. Once Sophia was up and Zoe was carefully taken to a block party at a friend's house the hubby and I watched yet another movie on DVD.
Dating my husband has changed. We used to go to some nice restuarant for a meal and perhaps with friends. Alcohol was generally involved in some quantity- large or small. We rarely saw movies. We talked, a lot about the future, the past, the present. Dates usually ended in heated passionate ways. Now, I barely brush my hair, rarely wear makeup, and while I often try to dress as nice as I can I've been known to go out wearing yoga pants and a tee shirt if we're not going anywhere more than the movies. Our dates usually have little or no talking- he spent the morning on his iPad at the coffee house while I stared down the people around me and glared at the counter girl that was reluctant to give a pregnant woman a glass for water; then a movie which allows such minimum talking as "ooh... that movie looks good." And the only passion dates end in now is my passion for eating and his for browsing motorcycles on ebay.
I want to complain, but really, I like the comfort zone we've come to in our marriage. Sure, I miss passion. Every movie that has any kind of passionate kiss sends me over the edge, but I just don't see my husband that way anymore. Now he's that man whose hair I have to clean out of the bathroom sink every week and whose socks never seem to match up when I'm folding laundry. He's the man that gripes at me when he's had a bad day at work or the man that loves me dearly when he's feeling all "romantic." We're comfortable. It's easy- mostly.
So, date night has changed. Maybe when the kids are older we'll regain some passion or maybe not. Either way I suppose it's good that we get those snippets of time together to reconnect however superficially and just be an "us" for a while.
June 6, 2011
Muffin recipes for Denise
So, facebook's new messaging stinks and I tried to send these two great muffin recipes to my friend Denise, but she couldn't read the whole message. For her (and for my loyal reader... lol...) here are my fabulous muffin recipes. I originally sent Denise two recipes, but I'm adding a third that is pretty awesome especially for fresh blackberries. Enjoy!
The muffin recipe I use the most. This is high protein and low sugar. Darn good if you wrap individually (I usually wrap them in saran wrap and put them in a freezer bag) then pop in the microwave about 20 seconds or so. Slather in butter to ruin all healthful effects. : )
Applesauce muffins:
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweet applesauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup raisins
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
preheat oven 350
bake 20-25 minutes
I guess I don't actually have instructions. I usually just whisk dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder) in one bowl. Then mix everything else but the raisins together. Fold the dry into the wet. Fold raisins in. Spoon into muffin tins about 3/4 full.
You can add mashed bananas and chopped nuts instead of applesauce or any kind of berry. I even chopped up strawberries and mixed them in and they were great!
Berry Yummy Blueberry Muffins
3/4 cups ricotta cheese (room temp)
2 lg eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz unsalted butter
2/3 cups sugar
lime zest finely grated
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups berries
preheat 400
bake 20-25 minutes
about the same mix process as above. Add the berries last- fold in.
Ok... Not sure how "healthy" these are other than just being berry muffins, but they are super yummy. I found this recipe when I lived out in hell-house and we had 10 acres of blackberry bushes to harvest. It was my only escape from the horrible decision in house buying I'd made- picking, baking, and eating these blackberry muffins (hence their name).
The muffin recipe I use the most. This is high protein and low sugar. Darn good if you wrap individually (I usually wrap them in saran wrap and put them in a freezer bag) then pop in the microwave about 20 seconds or so. Slather in butter to ruin all healthful effects. : )
Applesauce muffins:
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweet applesauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup raisins
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
preheat oven 350
bake 20-25 minutes
I guess I don't actually have instructions. I usually just whisk dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder) in one bowl. Then mix everything else but the raisins together. Fold the dry into the wet. Fold raisins in. Spoon into muffin tins about 3/4 full.
You can add mashed bananas and chopped nuts instead of applesauce or any kind of berry. I even chopped up strawberries and mixed them in and they were great!
Berry Yummy Blueberry Muffins
3/4 cups ricotta cheese (room temp)
2 lg eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz unsalted butter
2/3 cups sugar
lime zest finely grated
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups berries
preheat 400
bake 20-25 minutes
about the same mix process as above. Add the berries last- fold in.
Ok... Not sure how "healthy" these are other than just being berry muffins, but they are super yummy. I found this recipe when I lived out in hell-house and we had 10 acres of blackberry bushes to harvest. It was my only escape from the horrible decision in house buying I'd made- picking, baking, and eating these blackberry muffins (hence their name).
Save Me Blackberry Muffins
2 cups flour
1 Tablspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/4 cups blackberries
Preheat oven 350
rinse and drain berries
whisk flour, baking powder salt
beat egg, whisk in sugar and sour cream
when thoroughly mixed add buttermilk and butter
scatter berries in dry ingredients then add wet ingredients gently folding to combine
divide into muffin tins about 3/4 full
bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
I hope you're all in muffin Heaven after all of these recipes.
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