First Day of School

Today is Abby's and Caroline's first day of school! 

Caroline is going into first grade, which means she'll be at school from 8:20 until the bus drops her off around 4pm -- her very first "full" day of school.  She is very independent and has been waiting for this day to come all summer.  "Mom, I can't WAIT to take the bus both TO and FROM school!"  Last Wednesday evening, she got to say a quick hello to her teacher and her classroom at library night, so that little visit alleviated a lot of her first day jitters. 

Caroline flashing her First Grade smile:

Abby is starting third grade and is terribly nervous about changing classes for math.  I mentioned that walking in the hallway to go to math is no different than her walking to music or art, but this logic did not resonate with her.  While Caroline was practically running to the bus stop (she would have run but her book bag was far too weighed down with school supplies), Abby was a little weepy.  Abby generally loves school, so I'm chalking her tears up to nerves and hopefully not the virus Ben gave to me this weekend.  Also, I realized about 60 seconds after the bus pulled away that I left the little dipper insert out of her lunchbox.  So, instead of carrots with yummy curry yogurt dip for snack, she has wet carrots.  Not the end of the world, of course, but I would have liked to remember that little detail for her.  Sorry dear!

Thoughtful Abby

 And they are off...

My New Favorite Vegetable (really!): Shredded Brussels Sprouts

You really need to try this recipe.  I found sauteed shredded brussels sprouts so delicious that I had two HUGE helpings for dinner last night.  Me.  Of my own free will, savoring two servings of brussels sprouts.  It's true.  I've made all kinds of brussels sprout recipes, including roasted brussels sprouts that are pretty good, but not good enough to want seconds.  THESE, though, warrant a return trip to the kitchen.

my fork last night 

1 package shredded brussels sprouts (Wegmans)
1-2 T olive oil
1 diced shallot
2 T finely diced red onion (or you could use garlic)
2 T Wegmans herb basting oil

1. Heat the oil on medium, then add all the ingredients to the pan.  The brussels sprouts will cook down, but start with a pan big enough to hold the entire package with some room to spare. Otherwise, if your 8-year old wants to help you stir, you won't have to clean up such a large mess off the stovetop.  Not that I'd know about that.
2.  Saute the mixture until you see the onions becoming translucent and you can smell the brussels sprouts.  Then, cook for a few more minutes.  It took about 15 minutes last night.  By cooking this long, the sugars in the vegetables caramelize and taste extra sweet.

After discovering my new favorite vegetable, I looked online and there are loads of variations on this recipe -- adding pine nuts, herbs, other diced vegetables, or even bacon. Definitely give this a try! 

Broken Beach Visit

We traveled down to Ocean City, Maryland, for our family vacation last week with my parents and brother.  While the beach is not as certainly not as spectacular as a trip to Disney (at least what I've imagined in my mind) or as exotic as a trip to Costa Rica (someday....), it is a nice, predictable family vacation destination.  We rent two 3-bedroom condos for a week so we all have ample space.  There are plenty of family-friendly places to eat, things to do, etc.  The kids like the beach and the waves, flying kites, building sand creations, biking on the Boardwalk, playing on the playgrounds, and riding at the amusement park -- all interspersed with daily visits with grandma and pops.  Other than the constant sunscreen application battle and massive amount of laundry, it is an "easy" vacation to plan and execute (as "easy" as things get with 3 kids). Also, since we have a full kitchen, we can keep expenses down by eating in for many meals. 

Our vacation was off to a good start.  We arrived on Saturday afternoon and hit the beach.  On Sunday we had a great swim before the torrential rain in for the afternoon, which felt very cozy rather than oppressing.  On Monday morning we biked on the Boardwalk, which was especially nice for me since Caroline was able to bike alone for the first time.  I only had lug Ben in the tow carrier, rather than both Ben and Caroline.  Actually, having Ben in the carrier slows me down just enough that I can pace Abby and Caroline pretty well (if I don't have Ben, it's actually kind of hard to bike slowly without weaving).   

On Monday afternoon, we hit the beach again and started to have another fun swim.  Then, our vacation kind of........tanked.  The short version is that Scott and I spent a chilly afternoon in the ER of Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, MD, while the kids watched two movies with Grandma and Pops.  We missed the big annual crab feast while Scott learned he had fractured his humerus (left arm) that he injured in a body surfing wipe-out.  My bonehead beloved husband was trying to show the kids how much fun the waves can be.  See kids?  I only broke my arm on this one!  It's really safe out here!!!  I'm sure they aren't scarred for life or anything.

It could have been a LOT worse, and I've had time to reflect on that.  He could have broken is back.  Or neck.  Fortunately, he doesn't even have to get a cast -- just a sling.  But, our vacation lost some steam after the whole ER visit/broken arm thing.  Scott is a trooper for sure, though. We still made it to the Trimper rides on the Boardwalk.  We ate some cold steamed crabs (which are still pretty good even though I had to give half of what I shelled to Scott).  We went back to the beach without further injury, flew a kite, and drank some delicious Dumser's milkshakes.   

So....we're back now. I don't feel very rested from this vacation.  We came back a little early for Scott to visit the orthopedist, who was running a full two hours behind schedule, which felt like an eternity after a 4-hour car ride. The kids hung in there, though. And, Scott will be just fine after 6 to 8 weeks.  Aside from the broken bone/loss of use of one arm thing, the only real logistical problem we have to face is that Scott can't drive.  So, I'll be adding about 1.5 hours of bonus commuting time to my day with the kids for a few weeks. Ew.  I  looooooove spending time in the car with my kids.  No one ever bickers in the car.  Or touches each other.  Or screams.   Or asks for anything.  Oh well.....  

See how much fun we were having before the big break?

39 Homegrown Reasons to Love August

It's hard to believe that all these beauties came from my tiny little garden yesterday!  They made a delicious batch of roasted tomato soup -- except for the big yellow tomato on top (lemon boy variety).  You, my tasty friend, will soon be Caprese salad.

A Breath

For the very first time since 2005, Scott and I had the house to ourselves for 24 continuous hours (actually, 27 hours).  Last Wednesday, Grandma and Grandad took Caroline; Grandma and Pops took Ben; and the Girls Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania summer camp had Abby.  I cannot even express in words how I had longed for this break.  I love my children so very dearly, but their care is demanding and I feel exhausted beyond description at times.  Six years without an entire day off is far, far too long, even for a "job" you love.

What did we do with all our free time?  We went out to lunch and strolled around Longwood Gardens after dropping off Ben in MD.  We visited the Brandywine River Museum to see some art without having to worry about anyone making too much noise or touching something inappropriate.  Sidenote, have I ever mentioned that Abby was practically banned from Biscayne National Park when she was a toddler?

We enjoyed a quiet afternoon coffee and attempted to do the Wednesday Inquirer crossword puzzle.  I learned that my  thin grasp of pop culture has even further diminished in the past six years..... And, finally, a dinner out at a restaurant and saw a movie without paying a sitter (by the way the movie Midnight in Paris was very enjoyable and quite beautiful to watch).

After so much fun on Wednesday, we really felt like we should do at least one productive thing while the kids were gone, so we painted the ceiling in the family room.  This particular task selection may seem odd, but it is one of those things on the house "to-do" list that has been nagging  me since November 2010.  We had some ceiling lights installed and the electrician left it to us to patch the giant holes he cut into the wall and ceiling. I had more or less finished patching the holes, but the project was still unfinished.  And, since we hadn't painted the ceiling, we couldn't yet paint the walls the nice orange color I picked out, even though the paint has been sitting downstairs for 6 months. And since the wall isn't painted, we haven't been able to hang the awesome piece of metal artwork from Haiti made from a reclaimed oil drum (it's really cool). 

I can't believe how incredibly quiet our house was for those 27 hours.  Blissfully peaceful.  I also confirmed that I still enjoy hanging around with my husband, which isn't bad considering we've now known each other for 20 years.  If I'm being honest, the kids weren't gone long enough to miss, and they were sooooo wound up when they got home from grandmas' that they were able to make up for lost time pretty quickly.

Still, though, it was so very nice to stop and take a breath.