I love finding new recipes. In fact, I often have to keep myself from buying more cookbooks or those cooking magazines that call from me at the grocery checkout aisle. Most of all, I love, love, love quick and easy weeknight recipes. I have a new favorite for a pork tenderloin that I posted on my recipe blog, Kitchen Chronicles of a Non-Foodie.
Check out this recipe, and let me know if you find it worthy of a Rant or a Rave!
R&Ring,
C
Monday, March 1, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
RAVE: Mommy Playdates
My oldest daughter was about three weeks old when I learned the value of the mommy playdate. I was an anxious, sleep-deprived, overwrought mess who labored, deliberated, and anguished over every minute detail of my newborn's life. Breastfeeding was proving to be much, much harder than I thought; sleep was like a mirage in the distance that kept teasing me by disappearing just as I thought I was getting close; and I was wracked with guilt over my feelings of ambivalence about motherhood. Finally, a close friend who was already an experienced mother told me to get myself out of the house and get to this new mothers' group over at Stanford. It was specifically designed as a resource and support group for moms of newborns. Within ten minutes of my first session, I knew I had found my life preserver. I spent the entire drive home from the group crying with joy: here I had found a group of women who could understand exactly what I was experiencing and feeling at the time. Not only could they commiserate, but they had advice to offer. I was hooked and went every week for the first five months of my daughter's life. We would go to the group, and then take our tiny babies to lunch afterward. It was truly a mommy playdate -- a chance for us to socialize, talk, recharge our batteries so that we could go back to the often isolating experience of being a new mother. Through these playdates, I started developing real friendships with some of these women, and almost six years later, I count several of them among my closest friends.
Now our playdates are just as likely to exclude the kids as they are to include our kids: we can gather for real grown-up dinners or leisurely morning coffees sans children. But other times, we get the kids together at one of our houses or the park. Our activities may have changed as our children have grown, but the need for the mommy playdate has not. In the time since we've met, we've supported each other through breastfeeding, potty training, miscarriages, births of second and third children, choosing preschools, choosing kindergartens, the buying/selling/building of new homes, divorce, childhood illnesses, milestone birthdays, and so much more.
My daughter started kindergarten this year, and much to my surprise, I found another small group of women among the moms in her class. Together, we've navigated the uncertainty that comes with sending your eldest child to school for the first time. And, since we see each other at drop-off and pick-up times every day, our opportunities to see each other and develop friendships have been plentiful. Yesterday, after drop-off we decided to go grab coffee at a local shop that is happy to accommodate us and our little kids (all of us have three-year-old second children). After staying there as long as was decently possible, we decided to move the entire playdate over to one of our homes. While the kids played, we talked. When one of the kids needed something, one of the moms took care of it -- it didn't matter which mom or which kid. With four moms around, you can be sure that no kid is going to go unattended. Our coffee turned into lunch, and we basically stayed together until pick-up time at 2:30 when we drove over to school in a caravan. Now, an almost 7-hour playdate is way outside of the norm. But, it was a lovely treat for all of us -- adults and kids. Normally those younger siblings get shuttled around for errands all day long -- yesterday they had three other pals with whom to play all day. As for the moms, we had our chance to talk, laugh, and fill up our "mommy tanks". As one mom put it, it felt like we played hookey yesterday.
Raising children as a stay-at-home mom is often a fun, and always a rewarding experience. It can also be incredibly frustrating, isolating, and inspiring of feelings of inadequacy. The other moms in my life, these dear friends, have acted as my "village". Yes, I believe that same village it takes to raise a child is equally important to sustaining a mother (or dad or caregiver). And I believe that making time for my mommy playdates helps me to be a better mom -- it's the airplane safety philosophy of parenting: make sure you put the oxygen mask on yourself first, and then put it on your child. I can't teach them to be patient, kind, industrious, and tolerant if I don't first make sure that I have enough oxygen to model that behavior. And getting together with my friends is that oxygen mask.
My best advice to new moms is not about breast pumps, or sleep strategies, or which diapers to use. My chief recommendation is to seek out other new moms as soon as possible -- join a mothers' club, find a support group, go hang out at the local park. Find some way to hook up with at least one other new mom. For your own sanity and spirit, start your own village. As for me, I look forward to many years of playdates ahead -- we still have a lot of parenting left to do.
R&Ring,
C
Now our playdates are just as likely to exclude the kids as they are to include our kids: we can gather for real grown-up dinners or leisurely morning coffees sans children. But other times, we get the kids together at one of our houses or the park. Our activities may have changed as our children have grown, but the need for the mommy playdate has not. In the time since we've met, we've supported each other through breastfeeding, potty training, miscarriages, births of second and third children, choosing preschools, choosing kindergartens, the buying/selling/building of new homes, divorce, childhood illnesses, milestone birthdays, and so much more.
My daughter started kindergarten this year, and much to my surprise, I found another small group of women among the moms in her class. Together, we've navigated the uncertainty that comes with sending your eldest child to school for the first time. And, since we see each other at drop-off and pick-up times every day, our opportunities to see each other and develop friendships have been plentiful. Yesterday, after drop-off we decided to go grab coffee at a local shop that is happy to accommodate us and our little kids (all of us have three-year-old second children). After staying there as long as was decently possible, we decided to move the entire playdate over to one of our homes. While the kids played, we talked. When one of the kids needed something, one of the moms took care of it -- it didn't matter which mom or which kid. With four moms around, you can be sure that no kid is going to go unattended. Our coffee turned into lunch, and we basically stayed together until pick-up time at 2:30 when we drove over to school in a caravan. Now, an almost 7-hour playdate is way outside of the norm. But, it was a lovely treat for all of us -- adults and kids. Normally those younger siblings get shuttled around for errands all day long -- yesterday they had three other pals with whom to play all day. As for the moms, we had our chance to talk, laugh, and fill up our "mommy tanks". As one mom put it, it felt like we played hookey yesterday.
Raising children as a stay-at-home mom is often a fun, and always a rewarding experience. It can also be incredibly frustrating, isolating, and inspiring of feelings of inadequacy. The other moms in my life, these dear friends, have acted as my "village". Yes, I believe that same village it takes to raise a child is equally important to sustaining a mother (or dad or caregiver). And I believe that making time for my mommy playdates helps me to be a better mom -- it's the airplane safety philosophy of parenting: make sure you put the oxygen mask on yourself first, and then put it on your child. I can't teach them to be patient, kind, industrious, and tolerant if I don't first make sure that I have enough oxygen to model that behavior. And getting together with my friends is that oxygen mask.
My best advice to new moms is not about breast pumps, or sleep strategies, or which diapers to use. My chief recommendation is to seek out other new moms as soon as possible -- join a mothers' club, find a support group, go hang out at the local park. Find some way to hook up with at least one other new mom. For your own sanity and spirit, start your own village. As for me, I look forward to many years of playdates ahead -- we still have a lot of parenting left to do.
R&Ring,
C
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
RANT: Over- & Under- Estimating Drivers
Driving in the snow in MN, really anywhere for that matter, can be challenging. Acknowledged. However, truly knowing what your car is capable of handling in the snow, or any inclement weather, might make it more bearable for the rest of us.
Here's a little hint: If you're driving a Toyota Corolla, circa '92 or older, or a model of similar size & horsepower (or lack there of), you're not making it through the 6 inches of snow that's dropping on top of the 3 inches of ice from yesterday. Really, I'm not kidding. While, I don't have first-hand experience driving one of these vehicles - I'm just going out on a limb here and saying by the looks of your bald tires, the sagging muffler and the 40-horses max under your hood that you're not getting to where ever you need to go. So, knowing that, get out of the left lane and in fact, get off the road. You've over-estimated.
Now onto you gas-guzzling, 300+ HP, v8, multi-ton towing beasts - you're part of the problem as well. You've paid well over $40k for that vehicle just to get all of those bells & whistles - so use them! You, my friend, can & should be in the left lane and you should leading the way and clearing the roads so I can follow in your trail. Your tires are like vices, grabbing onto the asphalt - so pick it up. You can haul a small country in your cab, you're not going to spin-out - so hit the gas. Instead, you decide to lallygag in the right lane, par or sub the speed limit, drinking your coffee, listening to your talk radio, slowing down ever so slightly to adjust your seat warmers. You're killing me! I swerved to get behind you because the nimrod in the Corolla in the left lane isn't moving and now you're showing me no love either. You've under-estimated.
Now I'm not an angry driver, nor impatient, just frustrated. This over- & under- estimating is truly the bane of my existence this winter. Maybe it's because I just got new snow tires on my adequately, snow-worthy Jeep. Or, maybe it's because I tend not to drive with my head up my posterior so I can actually see where I'm going, use the proper lanes, drive the speed limit and perfectly estimate my vehicle's ability to get me from point A to B in the snow!! HONK! HONK!
R&R'ing,
R
Here's a little hint: If you're driving a Toyota Corolla, circa '92 or older, or a model of similar size & horsepower (or lack there of), you're not making it through the 6 inches of snow that's dropping on top of the 3 inches of ice from yesterday. Really, I'm not kidding. While, I don't have first-hand experience driving one of these vehicles - I'm just going out on a limb here and saying by the looks of your bald tires, the sagging muffler and the 40-horses max under your hood that you're not getting to where ever you need to go. So, knowing that, get out of the left lane and in fact, get off the road. You've over-estimated.
Now onto you gas-guzzling, 300+ HP, v8, multi-ton towing beasts - you're part of the problem as well. You've paid well over $40k for that vehicle just to get all of those bells & whistles - so use them! You, my friend, can & should be in the left lane and you should leading the way and clearing the roads so I can follow in your trail. Your tires are like vices, grabbing onto the asphalt - so pick it up. You can haul a small country in your cab, you're not going to spin-out - so hit the gas. Instead, you decide to lallygag in the right lane, par or sub the speed limit, drinking your coffee, listening to your talk radio, slowing down ever so slightly to adjust your seat warmers. You're killing me! I swerved to get behind you because the nimrod in the Corolla in the left lane isn't moving and now you're showing me no love either. You've under-estimated.
Now I'm not an angry driver, nor impatient, just frustrated. This over- & under- estimating is truly the bane of my existence this winter. Maybe it's because I just got new snow tires on my adequately, snow-worthy Jeep. Or, maybe it's because I tend not to drive with my head up my posterior so I can actually see where I'm going, use the proper lanes, drive the speed limit and perfectly estimate my vehicle's ability to get me from point A to B in the snow!! HONK! HONK!
R&R'ing,
R
Monday, February 15, 2010
RAVE: Being pleasantly surprised...
For a holiday I've already made pretty clear that I DON'T celebrate, it was nice to be 'Valentined'! Beginning with an unexpected bouquet of flowers & a heart-warming card to a wonderfully cooked, garlic-enrobed dinner, it was nice to be the center of someone's attention...if only for just a day.
R&R'ing,
R
R&R'ing,
R
Sunday, February 14, 2010
RAVE: A Kindergartner's First Valentine
My oldest child, Sofia is 5 years old -- pardon me, she would correct me here: she is 5 1/2 years old. And this year, she actually has a valentine who isn't me or her dad or her stuffed bunny. Her valentine is a classmate, Zach, who I guess I would characterize as her first crush?!? At school, the two of them play during recess and lunchtime. He brought her a bracelet from home, and she draws pictures for him. They save each other seats in the classroom, and have climbing competitions on the play structure. This week as she was making valentine cards for all the kids in her class, Sofia would decorate a special one and announce that it was for Zach. He told his mother that he has decided to marry Sofia since they like the same things and have fun together.
Some part of me wants to tell her that it's way too soon for her to have a crush on a boy. But, it's the crush of a five-year-old. It's not actually romantic. She's finding a best friend -- someone who she has chosen all on her own: not the kids of her parents' friends, nor a playgroup buddy, but someone with whom she has developed a friendship completely outside of her parents' influence or encouragement. She's found a friend who shares her interests, who makes her laugh, and who cares about her feelings. Isn't that the perfect formula for a best friend? And later -- much, much, much later -- for a real first crush.
R&R'ing,
C
Some part of me wants to tell her that it's way too soon for her to have a crush on a boy. But, it's the crush of a five-year-old. It's not actually romantic. She's finding a best friend -- someone who she has chosen all on her own: not the kids of her parents' friends, nor a playgroup buddy, but someone with whom she has developed a friendship completely outside of her parents' influence or encouragement. She's found a friend who shares her interests, who makes her laugh, and who cares about her feelings. Isn't that the perfect formula for a best friend? And later -- much, much, much later -- for a real first crush.
R&R'ing,
C
RANT: Currently taking auditions for a "C"
This joint venture of "C&R" isn't panning out like I had hoped. 24 hrs in and I can't get any work out of my new partner! A once prolific writer - she's gone silent on me. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to start 'ghost' writing for 'C'.
If anyone of our loyal readers out there would like a shot at being "C" for a day - please submit your work and I'll be happy to review and get back to you. No kids, husband or blood-relation to me is necessary - only pre-requisite is that your first name begins with "C". I'd like to keep some integrity to this site...
R&R'ing,
R
If anyone of our loyal readers out there would like a shot at being "C" for a day - please submit your work and I'll be happy to review and get back to you. No kids, husband or blood-relation to me is necessary - only pre-requisite is that your first name begins with "C". I'd like to keep some integrity to this site...
R&R'ing,
R
Saturday, February 13, 2010
RANT: Happy V-Day this Buddy!
This is the stupidest holiday ever - I mean ever! Why is it that everyone & their mother find it necessary to wish me a "Happy Valentine's Day"?? Seriously - when it's Mother's Day - do you wish me a "Happy Mother's Day", assuming I'm a mother? When it's Labor Day - do you wish me "Happy Labor Day" - assuming I work??? So why on God's great earth would you wish me "Happy Valentine's Day"?? Do you assume I have a Valentine or that I'm celebrating this Hallmark holiday??? Really? No, I'm serious, really??? Here's my opinion, unless I've had "relations" with you (biblical or otherwise) or am going to have relations (biblical or otherwise in the next 24 hrs), don't wish me a "Happy Valentine's Day"!!! That should truly be reserved for those who know whether or not the carpet really matches the drapes - if you catch my drift. Sorry R&L - it's for dramatic purposes only.
So note to all of you cashiers, waiters, drive-through car wash attendants and annoying neighbors - DO NOT, and I mean, DO NOT wish me a Happy Valentine's Day unless you're willing to buy me dinner afterwards (or breakfast tomorrow morning...)
R&R'ing,
R
So note to all of you cashiers, waiters, drive-through car wash attendants and annoying neighbors - DO NOT, and I mean, DO NOT wish me a Happy Valentine's Day unless you're willing to buy me dinner afterwards (or breakfast tomorrow morning...)
R&R'ing,
R
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