Nap Time

This is what I found after nap time yesterday. Needless to say we had a very punky toddler at dinner last night.

Lindsay Wildlife and Larkey Park

Since the sun decided to show itself today and with it being a holiday weekend I thought today might be a nice day to use our new membership at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum. It was perfect and not very crowded just as I had hoped, as we entered a nice volunteer escorted right us away downstairs where a pet and tell was about to finish up. The girls got to pet a Guinea Pig before it was swept away to go back to it's home. We were than lucky enough to have this volunteer show us around and talk to the girls about all of the animals they have on display. The stuffed bears of course are always a hit.

Nice volunteer who showed us around then brought out a Barn Owl and fed her lunch while we watched. Things like mouse tails and feet were on the menu.

The play area is always a huge hit

They love to check the mailbox

Spying the raccoon under the house

Through the windows of the Museum the girls spotted the play structures at Larkey Park, so of course it would not be complete without playing at the park. We've never been to Larkey with the kids and it's a really nice park. Had I thought of it I could have packed a picnic lunch to enjoy after our visit to the Museum.

A great 1/2 day outing to enjoy the Museum and the park and it wasn't complete without a drive by the old house Mom and Dad used to live in to say "this is where Mommy and Daddy lived", I must be getting old.

First visit with the dentist

Kylie had her first trip to the dentist yesterday, following her sister's footsteps, she loves it and asked immediately if she could go back! When all else fails at least I can say that my kids love going to the dentist! Okay, this really probably has more to do with how awesome our dentist is but I'll take whatever credit I can get. When it was time for Sydney to see a dentist I researched all of the pediatric dentists with all of the fun kid stuff and cool decor and than realized that our dentist who is a family friend is also family practitioner and maybe we should give that a shot. The one thing I love about Dr. Greer is that he always explains everything, for years my old dentist had told me I needed my last 2 wisdom teeth pulled but never really explained why so I never had it done. Dr. Greer actually took the time to explain why they needed to come out and what consequences of not having them out would be (they were impacted) but also said I had time to do it and we would keep an eye on them until I was ready to do it. He takes this same approach with the kids, explaining everything, letting them hold the mirror and other tools before he sues them so they can see that they aren't really scary. I also think that having a joint appointment with a parent really helps. Sydney loves that when she goes Daddy is in the other room getting his teeth cleaned as well and it helps to reinforce that it's not a scary situation because Mom and Dad are having it done too.

Okay, it's not all roses and sunshine there is a downside to the trip to the dentist. As I attempted to have Kylie nap I didn't realize that her dental bag of treats had made it into her room. As we all know, Kylie loves to play at nap time rather than sleeping and some sort of mischievous activity always takes place.

Yes, this is what happens when your 3 year old goes to bed with dental floss, she unravels the entire amount of floss and now has a new toy. Good dental hygiene starts early, I'm told.

Moving on to a fun end f year activity. The end of a school year is always hard because there are always lots of people to thank for loving and caring for your kids. At Sydney's Walk-a-thon we got some great pictures of her with her Big Buddy and the two teachers who handle the kindergarten after school program. I thought it would be fun to paint and decorate frames.

Very serious work

Micheal's sells these wood frames for $1, we already had paint and I threw in some wood flowers and jewels that the girls can stick on their frames when the paint is dry. Overall an inexpensive craft day that hopefully the recipient will love.

On to my favorite subject.... FOOD! I used to watch a lot of Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals, at least before she became annoying and I could still tolerate watching her on TV. I do have some great recipes from her that have become staples in our house. One is a Meatball Sub recipe that I converted to a Spaghetti and Meatball recipe. I also use ground pork instead of ground sirloin, we just like the flavor better with the pork.

READER BE WARNED: there is an overwhelming amount of garlic in this recipe. If you have a loved one in law enforcement, I highly recommend not serving this to your loved one before a graveyard shift as said loved one's partner will really dislike you.

Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup (3 handfuls), Italian bread crumbs
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons (several drops) Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) grated Parmigiano
• Coarse salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl and punch a well into the center of meat. Fill well with the egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire, parsley, cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Mix up meatball ingredients until well combined, yet not over-mixed. Divide mix into 4 equal parts, roll each part into 4 balls and space equally onto a nonstick baking sheet. Place meatballs in oven and roast about 12 minutes. Break a meatball open and make sure meat is cooked through before removing from the oven.

Bring a pot full of water to a boil and add your spaghetti noodles 

Marinara Sauce

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (2 turns around the pan)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounces) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14 ounces) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. When garlic starts sizzling, add herbs and crushed pepper. Allow oil to infuse for half a minute, then stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until meatballs are removed from oven.

Serve spaghetti and sauce with meatballs and enjoy.

Sick days

I am experiencing a glimpse into what summer vacation will be like. Sydney is home ill today but she's not really ill enough to be miserable and just want to lay in bed. She's congested and has a cough but after about an hour of laying in my bed decided that was boring. Her little sister is bored because she didn't get to go to the gym this morning because her sister is home sick. So now I have two kids who are fighting and arguing over just about everything they can, did I mention it's not even 10:30am yet?

While I am catching up on my school volunteer activities I thought I would share with you a program that my sister-in-law found. It's through the Contra Costa County Library and it's called Discover & Go Basically with your library card you can get free passes to a number of cool places. We haven't reserved one yet, but we are actually thinking of doing the CalShakes passes and having an adult night to go to see a play and have a picnic. Lots of great places to choose and it's free! If you don't have a library card, go get one! Since I have been home Kylie and I have been hitting the library once a week to get books for the girls and for myself. The libraries also have great programs for kids. For instance on Wednesday's the Moraga Library has toddler time at 11am. It's circle time with stories, singing and bubbles. We arrived early to browse the books and check out some items before the start and Kylie had a great time, and it's FREE!

Today, I thought I would share an super easy recipe that my friend shared with me who happens to be a tri-athlete. Not only is it super easy but it's healthy! While I'm not working anymore it doesn't mean I can't appreciate a super easy and quick meal!


Chicken and Rice w/ Spinach, Tomato and Feta
(use as much or as little of ingredients as you want,  this can be made for one or for a family)

Chicken (for a quick meal buy the rotisserie chicken and just chop up the chicken) 
Brown Rice (I used Uncle Ben's pre-cooked rice, 1 bag for two or two bags for a family of 4)
Fresh spinach leaves
Tomatoes
Feta Cheese
Olive Oil 
Garlic


In a saute pan heat up olive oil and garlic until fragrant
Add fresh spinach leaves, saute but don't cook them until they wilt 
Add your tomatoes and saute them until warm
Add in the cooked rice and chicken and cook until all ingredients are heated
Add salt and pepper to taste
Add your feta and serve. 

I wasn't really sure if my husband would eat it given the spinach and brown rice. We worked late that night so I had a nice advantage that he was hungry and that he probably would have eaten just about anything. He said it was good, and than I told him it was healthy and his comment was "Figures". 


That's it for today as Sydney is crying because Kylie just hit her in the head with a shoe.

 

Mimi's, Naughtiness and Limoncello

It's been a week without a Mimi (pacifier) in our house! We have been warning Kylie for several months that when you turn Three in our house, the Mimi goes bye-bye. We tried the angle of the Mimi Fairy, the Fairy collects Mimi's to give to babies who really need them. This strategy did not seem to work too well. When Sydney was Three, we lost her last Mimi and so we forced cold turkey to give it up, when I found it about a week a later I promptly tossed it in the trash since the worse seemed to be over. I finally got what all those parents were saying about going cold-turkey, it was a rough couple of nights but after that it improved quickly.

It seemed kind of cruel to take it away on her actual birthday, than I quit my job and there was a new routine for her, than she got sick and that seemed like a bad time as well. All of a sudden one day last week at nap time I couldn't fine one. We have three of them and I kind of wondered if my husband had hid them. I explained that I couldn't find it and we would have to make do. She was a little upset but seemed to get over it. So far so good, she would ask for it, but mostly seemed okay with the explanation of it being lost. Saturday night we went to a friend's house and there was a little baby there with the green newborn pacifier. Apparently, Kylie pointed out that she has one like that but that Daddy lost it. Awesome, apparently I'm not being blamed for this! Again, wasn't a monumental issue. It's been a week and honestly it's gone much better than it did with Sydney, but I'm realizing I better those Mimi's and toss them out before she actually finds them.

This leads us to naughtiness. So while there haven't been massive tantrums over the loss of our Mimi's we are having a stretch of nap protesting. Kylie has always needed lots of quiet and no distractions for nap. Put her down, close the door and she goes to sleep. Now that she has a toddler bed she has discovered the fact that she can get up and play or bring toys and books into her bed. Sometimes I come into her room and wonder where there was even room for her to sleep amongst the pile of treasures in her bed. Some days it is obvious that no napping took place, or like yesterday I continue to go in, clean up and tell her to go to sleep several times, which results in hours later a sleeping toddler and me having to wake her up at 5pm to pick up her sister. Today is no exception. I put her down and take a shower, awhile later I hear her crying and go in to find her in her crib with my checkbook and my pen. Luckily she doesn't appear to have written any checks, but she has managed to tattoo the lower half of her body. Ugh, as I take away the pen and checkbook and cover her up again, I give a stern warning to take a nap and realize I will have to deal with tattoo removal later. For your viewing pleasure I have provided photographic proof of the events.

By request I am also providing the Limoncello recipe I use. As you know, I like to use fresh herbs but if you prefer you can leave the rosemary out. Just be prepared that it takes a long time to end up with your final product. I typically make my Limoncello in the winter as my tree produces lemons in the winter as well when you aren't so inclined to drink so much lemonade.

• 18 lemons (Meyer or Eureka), washed and dried
• One 4-in. rosemary sprig, washed and dried
• 2 bottles (750 ml. each) 100-proof vodka, such as Stolichnaya or Smirnoff
• 4 1/2 cups sugar 

1. Peel lemons with a sharp vegetable peeler, taking only the zest (top layer) and avoiding any white pith. Put rosemary in a 1-gal. glass or ceramic container with a tight seal. Add zest to jar.

2. Pour 750 ml. vodka over rosemary and zest; seal container. Let sit undisturbed in a cool, dark place for 40 days.

3. In a saucepan, bring 5 cups water to a boil and add sugar. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Let sugar syrup cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

4. Pour syrup and remaining 750 ml. vodka over lemon-vodka mixture, stir, and seal container. Let sit in a cool, dark place for another 40 days.

5. Pour limoncello through cheesecloth into a large spouted pitcher and divide among gift bottles.

Limoncello is a great fun summer drink. I keep it in the freezer to keep it ice cold and serve in small shot like glasses to sip, or shoot if that's your style. It also makes a great Hostess gift!

Enjoy :)

When life gives you lemons...

We have a Meyer Lemon Tree that is our best performing citrus tree.

It looks a little bare, I've been making lemonade once  a week for several weeks now, not sure how we will make it through the summer!

I have found some great recipes to make use of all of our lemons but nothing makes the best use of lemons like lemonade. I've kind of always been disappointed with my homemade lemonade. I have found in past years that making a simple syrup for your lemonade is a much better solution than to just pour raw sugar into your lemonade.

Several weeks ago I had a lot of fresh mint leftover from another dish I had made. The thought occurred to me to use it in my lemonade because I love mint so much. I made a mint simple syrup and who knew, everyone has been raving about how good it is! It's pretty simple but here is the recipe:

2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cups of cold water
Mint Simple Syrup

Simmer 1 cup of water with one cup of sugar and a bunch of fresh mint leaves until you have a pale green color syrup. Combine with your lemon juice and water, stir, serve over ice and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. 

If you happen to need a kick to your lemonade add a shot of vodka to your glass for a nice summer cocktail.

Enjoy!

Another Blog?

What's a girl to do? I have a camping blog, which is lacking since we haven't camped in a year, I have my athletic pursuits blog, but in light of my recent decision to quit my job and stay home with my kids, I felt the need to share some of the great resources I am finding in the Bay Area and fun activities to do with kids. I'm pretty certain that my friends who read my girls on the go blog aren't really interested in my "Mommy Tales". So, yeah, another blog.

We're prepping for the summer and coming up with loads of free or inexpensive activities to keep myself and the kids sane this summer. It's amazing what you can find when you look around. I recently  purchased a Family Membership to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum. It's only $65 and you get free admission for your entire family, but on top of that you get free admission to the Oakland Zoo and discounted admission to tons of other fun places. Planning our summer as we speak! I'll be sure to share all of the great fun activities we find.

I am also hoping to share some recipes with you as well. One thing that I realized when I went back to work full-time was how much I missed the kitchen. One weekend recently I went on a baking and cooking spree. The first thing I realized was how much it relaxed me, no wonder I had been so stressed lately, there had been no time for me to do the things that I really love, not only cooking and baking, but reading and exercising as well. Growing up I was always told that I couldn't cook and didn't have a clue in the kitchen. Okay, I think that's unfair to say to a teenager living at home with their parents, who has a need to cook at that age. My Grandmother was amazing baker and loved to entertain, I spent a lot of time in her kitchen and treasure those moments. I guess that is one of the reasons I worked so hard to prove the naysayers wrong. I became very fond of watching the Food Network on Saturdays and trying out new recipes. The one thing I found was that it's actually pretty easy to follow a recipe and once you become comfortable with one, than you can make your own subtle changes to it.

Why princesses and cupcakes? Well, let's just say I have two of the most girly-girls ever! I'm not sure they will ever grow out of the Princess Stage, I have learned to embrace and love all that is princess. Cupcakes, that's pretty self explanatory, who doesn't love a cupcake!