Mom, I Wasn't Quite Done With That Nap

Playing with the Self-Timer

Now I need to find a spot where I can do this outside. I'll keep playing. But in the meantime, I thought these were fun.

Blitzen Trapper - "Furr"

I love this song. (Thanks, Chris, for sending it my way!) I have no idea what it means, but I love coming up with my own theories. Take a listen. What do you think they're trying to say? Regardless of the meaning, it's a fun song, no?

Happy Mom Moments

Being the mom of a toddler is tough. Being the mom of a toddler and a baby is really tough. So much time and energy is spent on parenting these days - "don't throw your toys, Sweetie", "eat just one more bite of your corn, and then you can have dessert", "don't hit Mommy", "thank you for sharing your books with your friends", "it's time to get in the bath", "ask nicely", etc etc.... It's great, but it's exhausting, especially when my requests are met with a loud "NO!" in response. I have to make sure to spend time focusing on the fun we're having and just how darn cute my boys are! So I thought I'd capture some of the big boy's recent cute and positive moments.


"Thank you for getting more milk for me, Mommy." (He's very big on Thank You lately. He recently thanked me for kissing his boo-boo and making it all better.)

He asked if he could watch something. I said, "No, honey, no more TV today. Want to play legos with me?" He responded, "Sure! Absolutely! We can do that!"

He asked what we were having for dinner. I told him it was scallops and pasta and zucchini. He took a big bite of zucchini, declared it yummy, and finished all of it before eating anything else. He also finished his scallops. Going into that meal, I assumed the cheesy lemon pasta would be the only thing he ate. He ate a little of it but filled up on the rest. Love it.

He ran up to me and said, "Mama! Nathan smiled at me! Look how cute he is!"

He loves taking his trucks and "going to the grocery store". He was playing in the front yard, he told me he was going, and he said, "Mama don't cry, but I'm leaving. I'm going to get whipped cream and sprinkles for the ice cream. Don't cry. I love you." And then he blew me kisses.

I asked him for a hug, and he hugged me, kissed me on the cheek and said, "I love you Mama."

Man, I love this kid!

Easy Easy Blueberry Cake

My sister shared this recipe with me last week. It is extremely easy and very rich and tasty. There's certainly nothing "light" about it - you can taste the stick of butter - but it's worth it. It would be perfect for a brunch or with tea if you're having company. Or just because you have lots of fresh blueberries.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup flour

1 cup plus 1 tbls sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

1 cup blueberries

Directions:

- Butter and dust 9-inch cake pan

- Blend butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl

- Add 1 cup flour, baking powder, and eggs

- Mix until well blended

- Pour in pan, smooth batter, and scatter berries over the top

- Sprinkle remaining tbls sugar over top

- Bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes

Photos of the Day

More of my beautiful boys...

Arugula Salad with Chicken, Corn, and Blue Cheese

Looking for an easy and fresh dinner for one of these hot summer nights? Try this awesome salad. Just grill up some chicken, and the rest is just slicing and cleaning. Super fast and really awesome. Enjoy!

Raising Foodies

*Meals like this help me forget about the nights when he eats potato chips for a snack and skips dinner.

Aaron has entered the somewhat picky toddler years, but he's pretty good about trying new things. I just want him to try things. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to eat it. I am usually not surprised by the things that are spit back out - asparagus, green beans, etc - but I have been surprised by some of the foods that he ends up liking. For example, we tried a few new things last week, including mussels and lobster. Aaron showed no hesitation in popping a mussel into his mouth, and then declared, "Mm, that's yummy Mommy!", and then grabbed some more. I love it when that happens. Other successes during the week include lobster, sweet potatoes, and swordfish.

Five Senses Week

*Sangria Saturday (or Friday, or whatever day it was...it was Sangria, and it was good)

*Aaron enjoying the hose

See
- Aaron running through the hose over and over and over again
- Nathan stretching and squirming after a satisfying meal
- Aaron enjoying time with his cousin Zach. They were so cute together! Can't wait until they get old enough to really play together.
- My pretty pink toes after spending some quality sister-time getting pedicures

Hear
- Aaron yelling "1, 2, 3, 4, 5 GO!" and then going down the hill really fast on his bike (with Daddy pushing). Who says you have to stop at 3?
- The sound of silence as all 3 boys took naps at the same time. That's a beautiful thing.

Taste
- Marinated swordfish, mussels and fries, barbecue pork tenderloin, lobster, grilled veggies....so much yummy goodness!
- Ice cold lemonade on a hot day
- Rich blueberry cake - recipe to follow
- Ice pops - had to enjoy some with Aaron

Touch
- Corn on the cob, as I helped Aaron shuck. We enjoyed corn most days last week. Not much compares to fresh corn in August.
- Super soft baby skin

Smell
- Fresh peaches, tomatoes, basil
- Super clean baby skin

*We enjoyed a lot of great meals together!

I Have a New Niece!

Isn't she beautiful? Well done Emily and David!

Vacation Menu

Oh my goodness we've been eating well this week! We have had a wonderful mix of easy standards and new dishes, most showcasing the wonderful produce that's in season right now and utilizing the grill. Awesome. Here are some highlights:



Zesty Swordfish Kebabs
(This is fabulous marinade, and we used very fresh swordfish steaks from the farmer's market. So tasty.)

Grilled Pork Chops with Maple Syrup Sweet Potatoes

(We'll be using pork tenderloin instead. These sweet potatoes are super easy and yummy!)

Southwestern Salad

Mussels & French Fries, Lemon Spaghetti, Sliced Tomatoes

Lobster (! - We decided to do something we've never done before - what a success! Yum!), Potatoes, Corn on the Cob

Sausages/Hot Dogs/Burgers, Grilled Veggies, Chips

(Your standard cookout options, but with fresh organic meat and produce)

Shooting Stars

If you like watching shooting stars, you should know that the Perseid meteor shower is tonight. If you happen to have a clear sky where you live, bring some blankets out in your yard and enjoy the show! It may be cloudy here, but we'll give it a shot.

I have great childhood memories of watching shooting stars. I spent summers with my Dad in upstate New York, in the middle of nowhere where the sky is full of billions and billions of stars. This time of year is particularly good for watching shooting stars, so we often got to see lots of them. That certainly contributed to my desire to be an astronaut. (Later I learned that my motion sickness and inability to understand differential calculus would prohibit that dream, but I still adore the stars.)

Vacation!

So we're not really going on vacation this year, but I'm on maternity leave, and K is taking the next couple weeks off. And next week, we'll have a full house - my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew are coming to visit! Hooray! Due to the distance (they live in Barcelona), we don't get to see each other often enough, so I am very much looking forward to spending quality time with them. Our planned activities include grilling, making sangria, sitting in the kiddie pool (with or without the kiddies), lounging in the sun, playing bocce ball...basically talking, laughing, eating, drinking, and relaxing. Sounds perfect.

In the meantime, I won't be getting much computer-time, so I'll probably take the week off of blogging as well. I'll come back soon, though. I hope you're all enjoying your summer!

These pictures are from their recent trip to Madrid. Can't wait to see you guys!!

Quote of the Day

Thanks to Erin at Perfect Sentiment for sharing this quote she found on Whimsicalities.

Bridesmaid Dresses

*The Cecelia - image via J Crew

My sister-in-law is getting married in December, and she just picked her bridesmaid dresses. We'll be wearing these lovely dresses from J Crew, the short version in light pewter. It's going to be beautiful. And I actually think I will wear this dress again. Amazing. I do have to pick out which style I should wear. I'm leaning towards the Cecelia, although I think the Sophia is lovely as well. I also have no idea what size to get, given that my normal body is not quite back yet. But that's okay - A, thanks for giving me an excuse to go shopping! Very fun. Can't wait!

*The Sophia - image via J Crew

Photos of the Day

I'm not sure these adequately capture his awesomeness, but here are a couple photos of the little man...

Saturday Routines

I think I've found our summertime Saturday ritual. In the Winter, we often head to our local library on Saturday mornings. It's a great way to get out with a toddler, and of course I want him to love the library. Well, our Summer ritual now involves heading to our town's farmer's market. We went again this weekend and had a great time. I thought I'd share a few pictures. Sorry for the long post, but I couldn't decide which pictures to include. Enjoy! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Want a raspberry?

Hooray raspberries!

We also walked across the street to the fire station. A must for any little boy.

N was underwhelmed, but that's the way we like him right now.

My boys!!

I splurged on some gorgeous dahlias. They are now sitting on the dining room table, making me happy every time I walk by, reminding me of a lovely Saturday morning.

Food, Inc.

I haven't seen this movie yet, but I'd like to. It's an important topic. If you have an opportunity to watch it, please do. Emily recently watched it and posted about it. From what I've read and seen so far, the basic message is that we can all influence the food industry by the choices we make. Buy from your local farms and farmer's markets when you can. Plant a garden. When you shop at the grocery store, try to buy in season produce and organic when you can. It's more expensive, but it's worth it.

I'll admit that I could do better. I do try to buy primarily organic products when they're available, but I still often buy vegetables and fruits shipped from thousands of miles away. I go meatless several days a week, but I do still eat meat and don't always buy organic. I try to buy products without high-fructose corn syrup (my god it's in everything!), but there are a few things I haven't found good alternatives for (my horseradish for example, oddly enough, and I can be tempted by a good sale on ice cream, cereal bars, etc.). I can do better. And I'm sure you can too. So let's educate ourselves and identify a few ways we can influence the food industry for the better. All-natural food is healthier and tastes better, and it should really be what we all demand.

Sleep, Gorgeous Boys, and a Yummy Dinner

He's definitely starting to put on some weight. Check out that double-chin!

This week's Three Beautiful Things:

1. 4 1/2 consecutive hours of sleep. Normally this wouldn't merit a mention, but this month it is a very beautiful thing.

2. I was reading bedtime stories to both boys. Aaron pointed to Nathan and then himself and said, "Mama, you have two gorgeous boys." Indeed I do.

3. Kevin took a bite of dinner Sunday night and asked where I got the recipe. Hm. "Cooking Light....why?" "Because it's awesome." Whew! I love trying new things and finding a winner. (p.s. It was the Pasta with Goat Cheese and Grilled Vegetables - even better when it's a veggie dish!)

This Week's Menu

*Image from Cooking Light

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Chips

Salad

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Rice

Black Beans

Pasta and Grilled Vegetables with Goat Cheese

Crusty Bread