Posted by Alli on August 11, 2009
Today is my mom’s 60th birthday. I feel badly that I can’t be there to help her celebrate this momentous occasion (momentous because it is a birthday that ends in 0) or bake her a cake. But she would say we shouldn’t eat the cake, so never mind. Instead, I give you my Top Ten Tuesday list.
Top Ten Things My Mom Rocks:
1. Music. All my life music has been a part of our family and it is because my mom is an excellent piano player, singer, and lover of music.
2. Travel. She and my dad are a great match for each other because of their love of travel and trying new things. I hope she gets to come on some trips with me and the boys in the future. (Disclaimer: when I say travel, I mean once she gets there. She has to take a Xanax to fly anywhere.)
3. Reading. My mom was very patient (or so it seemed) with me in getting me into reading. She loves to read and I’m so happy to enjoy reading because of her. I love it when she reads to Fuller.
4. Clothes. Ok, this one is kind of hard for me to admit. Mainly because I was an awful teenager who was simultaneously borrowing her clothes and making faces at the clothes she was buying me. But, there are some things she said to me growing up that have stuck with me and I try to put into practice today.
5. Celebration. She doesn’t like to celebrate her own milestones, but she always made an effort to celebrate ours. She would always send me an excellent birthday box when I was in college, complete with cake, icing, and candles. It was a highlight of college.
6. Cooking. My mom is an amazing cook. I’m still day dreaming about the spicy pork dish she made my first dinner out of the hospital after Tebow was born. She really puts on a show when it comes to making meals for holidays and get togethers. She did most of the food for our wedding.
7. Calligraphy. Moma does such exquisite calligraphy. She is quite the artist and I hope she is able to do even more of it in the future. I’m sure the reason I have good handwriting is because she taught me some calligraphy basics.
8. Teacher. Currently my mom is working as an ESL adjunct professor. She taught me and my sisters at home for two years. When I was in high school she taught at three different institutions (Catholic School, prison, and on base continuing education classes). She has a gift for teaching.
9. Mother. As her daughter, I can say she rocks being a mom. Sure, there were moments when I was growing up when I didn’t think that. But now that I am a mom, I can see how great of a mom she was and continues to be.
10. Daughter of God. My mother is an excellent model of a Christian woman. I admire her love for the Lord and the way she seeks Him for guidance and wisdom.
Happy Birthday Moma! Hope we can be together next year.
Posted by Alli on August 10, 2009
So this week’s I ♥ Faces theme is Funny, Silly Faces. As I was gleaning my pictures from the weekend, this picture of my niece Genevieve made me giggle. First, it is just funny how messy an almost-two year old can get. Secondly, we just had a fun weekend with my sisters and this picture reminded me of laughter and silliness.
[tags]digital photography, I Heart Faces, silly[/tags]
Posted by Alli on August 8, 2009
My sisters are in town and we are getting a lot of fun visiting in. It has the feel of a three day weekend, since the fun started on Friday and won’t let up until tomorrow afternoon. And I’m starting to get the cold Fuller passed on to Tebow, so just check out the happy faces while I get to bed early.
Posted by Alli on August 6, 2009
Earlier this summer Damon emailed me a link to a movie trailer. It was for, Julie and Julia, a movie based on the book of the same name. He thought, since I was a blogger, I would know about it. Truth was, I had no idea about the blog or the book, let alone the movie.
I watched the trailer and immediately started digging around the internet. I was interested because it incorportated blogging, food, and Julia Child. I figured I owed the book a read before I saw the movie (and based on the trailer, I was going to see the movie).
I went a step further and suggested the book as a summer read to my mom and sisters. They all agreed and I immediately put Julie and Julia on hold at the library.
The Book
I really, really enjoyed Julie and Julia
. I read bits and pieces of the blog and the book was definitely not a reprint of the blog. Instead it was a more lyrical telling of her journey through Julia Child’s cookbook.
In some ways I felt like I related to Julie Powell. Maybe it was because I used to be in a job I disliked and blogging gave me a relief from feeling soul-less. I enjoyed the descriptions of her cooking but was equally, if not more, interested in her behind the scenes glimpses of her blog. The roles her husband and her mother played in the adventure added just enough balance to keep Julie Powell from possibly going to the nuthouse for her ambition. The community of readers she developed should be proud to have been a part of helping Julie Powell succeed in such a way.
I also enjoyed Julia’s descriptions of Julia Child’s life before going to cooking school. While I think the book could have stood without them, the vignettes enhanced the parallel between Julia Child’s journey and Julie Powell’s. I would have hoped for more, since Julia Child is such an interesting character, but I might just go get Julia’s book
instead.
The Movie
When I first watched the trailer, I knew the movie was based on the book, but could tell there were scenes on screen that were probably not in the book. Since I hadn’t read it yet, I couldn’t be sure, but some glimpses looked made up.
Now that I’ve read the book, I know the movie takes liberties and includes fabrications. But I’m ok with that. I’m excited to see the Julia Child storyline (even if her friends weren’t) since I wish there had been more in the book. I’m also looking forward to seeing the food, since it is as much a character in the book as Julie’s husband.
At the beginning of the summer, when I suggested the book to my mom and sisters, I wished there was some way we could all come together to see the movie together as well. And I didn’t think it would get to come true! Due to Sarah-Ginny’s new niece getting baptized on Sunday (at our church), it has created a rare moment in time where all three sisters will be in the same city for the same weekend. And we are hoping (cross your fingers) we can all ditch our husbands and kids for a few hours to just be sisters and enjoy the movie together (sorry, Mom!).
Disclosure: links to Amazon contain affiliate links.
[tags]Julie and Julia, summer reading, summer movie, Julia Child, Julie Powell[/tags]
Posted by Alli on August 5, 2009
So, another meme I want to participate in. I usually miss the deadline to be included in the big link up, so I usually don’t post. It’s my own fault.
This week’s What Works For Me Wednesday has a theme: Back to School.
Since I’m not sending a child off to school this year, it might seem strange for me to participate. But in a few weeks I will officially be starting my new life as a homeschool mom. Fuller will start Pre-K at home and I have been trying to get a grip on what we are doing.
To get organized, I have been running my google calendar into the ground. I have color codes, task lists, and due dates. And I’ve synced it with the calendar on my iPod Touch, so that helps keep me mobile as well.
So that’s what I have for WWFM Wednesday. To get quite a lot of other Back to School suggestions, check out the links at our host, We are THAT Family.
Posted by Alli on August 4, 2009
Well, I feel compelled to post something in an attempt to get back into daily posting. I have my reasons.
In an effort to help, I decided to join in this meme that usually occurs on Tuesday (hence the name, right?). Today’s attempt is kind of lame, but actually, it has helped me feel a little bit accomplished. So without further ado my first Top Ten Tuesday list:
1. Try to do a Top Ten Tuesday list.
2. Remember to defrost the chicken tomorrow.
3. Make ranch dressing.
4. Mail pictures to various people.
5. Buy something math related for Fuller.
6. Narrow down any other books I might want to buy for the Pre-K year.
7. Write a blog post about the homeschool fair.
8. Decide if I am taking stuff to the thrift store or putting the energy into a yard sale.
9. Finish a written letter to a friend. A letter I started in March.
10. Laundry. Because all my to do lists include laundry.
Check out Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday lists.
Posted by Alli on August 3, 2009
I forgot something pretty important in my freezer cooking post yesterday… and it was a funny anecdote as well! So here goes…
When you are practicing the art of freezing food you must label everything. It helps if you label with the name of the food, date you made it, and directions for cooking/ reheating.
Everyone who does freezer cooking is going to tell you how important this is. And then you are going to be tempted to NOT do it. Because you packaged it, you know what is in those freezer bags, right?
Well, are you the only one going into the freezer for food? I might know the burritos are on the same shelf as the pizza. But Damon doesn’t because he didn’t package and put them away. So when he goes into the freezer to grab something for lunch, and he grabs a bag that looks like a burrito from the second shelf, he is going to be very sad (and hungry) when he heats it up at work and discovers it is mashed potatoes.
Lesson learned: label everything, if not for yourself but for the others using the freezer as well.
Posted by Alli on August 2, 2009
The Moms Group I’m involved with usually has a theme during the summer months. This year we settled on “cooking.” Topics varied from quick cooking, preparing summer veggies, and our pantry staples. We had some great discussions and fellowship this summer, making our time together to be pretty memorable.
I guess because of the weekly topic, it really kept the concept of the kitchen and our family dining habits at the forefront of my mind.
As a stay at home mom, I think of feeding my family as one of the top “jobs” I have. And I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not very good at it. While we have food everyday, I know our diet isn’t as nutritionally sound as it could be. And at the same time, I struggle with using our food responsibly, so we don’t send money into the trash in the form of spoiled and uneaten food.
The best time I had at Moms Group this summer was when my friend Betsy drove from her city (about 2 hours away) to come and talk to us about freezer cooking. She gave us simple tips and advice from her own adventures in freezer cooking. I took two things away from the discussion:
1. Double Up. When cooking a meal, go ahead and make enough for two or more meals. You serve the meal and freeze the rest. It seems so simple when you think about it. What I have been trying to do it make at least double a recipe at a time. I can package the “second” meal as a whole meal for the family or package it in single servings for us to have for lunches. If I decide to serve it as a meal for everyone, I can open three (or more) packages.
By freezing second meals I cut down on prep and cooking time later in the month. Also, freezing them really cuts down on spoiled food, making us better stewards of our resources.
2. Make your freezer work for you. This advice has kind of revolutionized how I think about using the freezer for our family. Some people think of freezer cooking as dinner food, specifically the main dishes, and sometimes they get stuck on casseroles only. But really, the freezer can freeze anything. How about breakfast food? Or side dishes?
I love breakfast, but hate making it. So if I can take the time to make various breakfast items in bulk, I can freeze them and make them easy to access everyday. As an added bonus, Fuller can help himself too, so if he wakes up starving and I’m dealing with Tebow, Fuller doesn’t start his day with me asking him to wait.
When it comes to making dinner, I tend to get tripped up with side dishes. Damon loves mashed potatoes but I’m not keen on making them because of the work. However, if I make mashed potatoes in bulk, serve them once and freeze the rest, it is a lot easier to give him a dish he likes more often. So, I buy a 5 pound bag of potatoes and make them all at once into mashed potatoes. Again, this cuts down on waste, but I like how I can make Damon happy with more mashed potatoes on our menu. If only we could make everyone happier with mashed potatoes.
I once tried to do once-a-month cooking on my own and it was tiring. Then I went to a place that helped me do it for a fee. Then I tried meal planning and got flustered. These two things are simple enough that I can do often and feel like I’ve done something to better serve my family. I’ve already reduced my stress when it comes to meal planning, and I think the more I work on this, it will help our budget in some ways as well.
[tags]freezer cooking, bulk cooking[/tags]
Posted by Alli on July 30, 2009
When America made the switch to digital television (it’s a law, ya’ll!), we ditched our cable and hooked up an antenna on the top of our house. We get a very clear picture on the stations we currently get (14 total). With the reduction in channels, it is very easy to turn the television off because there isn’t much on.
But that doesn’t mean we are missing television shows. Thanks to the power of the internet, I’m pretty much caught up on popular and entertaining shows from any station.
Hulu.com handles my enjoyment of Royal Pains. And Psyche. And Monk. And House. And Glee (which is a whole other post. Because I love me some Glee.).
Damon and I used Amazon’s Video on Demand
for watching all of Dexter, Season 2. Yes we had to pay for it, but if we had Showtime we would be paying and if we had rented it we would have paid for it. So, paying for it on Amazon was just fine with me. It allowed us to “freebase” Dexter in one week. (And we really, really liked it!) The Video on Demand service is really easy to use and sometimes you find free things like the first two episodes of the original Transformers. We are thinking about checking out The Tudors or Nurse Jackie someday.
In most cases we use my laptop to hook up to the television and see everything on the “big screen.” It works well, even though I then can’t multitask watching and using the laptop. Which is fine, since just cutting down to one activity rests my brain even a little.
So, there is television entertainment without cable. And we are pretty happy with it. Do you still need cable television?
[tags]digital television, internet television, hulu.com, Royal Pains, Glee, Amazon Video on Demand, Dexter[/tags]
Posted by Alli on July 28, 2009
Last week was an exhausting exercise in routine… we got up every morning and were out of the house by 8:30. By the end of the week I was thrilled to not have that pressure on me every morning. And for the last two days, I’ve managed to remain in my PJs until after noon. Yesterday I didn’t shower and dress until after quiet time.
I realize a lot of my posts lately (like since February) have been focused on being soooo tired and exhausted. Some days I feel so tired I cry. But I have to mention, I am surprised my exhaustion has claimed the title of “morning person” from my personal description.
I became a morning person when I was a teenager. I had an early morning paper route and for some reason I demanded to be the first person in the shower every morning- this meant I was up early. And I liked it. (There were a few days where I slept in, sometimes oversleeping, but in general I was a morning person.)
When I was in college, I was fine with early morning classes. It was the afternoon classes that were difficult. All nighters were impossible for me (I almost always had to be asleep by 9), but going to sleep and getting up at 5 to study was totally doable.
I always preferred to work early shifts when I was working. I could get so much done. Even at home, being an early riser meant my to-do list was mostly done by noon.
Now, with the way Tebow takes two hours to go to sleep for the night (and by “the night” I mean until 2 a.m.) I end up staying up later to Get Things Done. And when the 7 a.m. (or 6 or 5 a.m.) hour rolls around, I am a BEAR to be around. And it usually takes me a while to function, even with a cup or two of coffee in me.
I miss being a morning person and hope someday I get to be one again. Now, I just need to figure out how to squeeze more shut eye in during the day.
(Oh, and the picture above has nothing to do with me being tired. I just like it.)
[tags]morning person, sleep habits, exhaustion[/tags]
Happy Birthday Moma :: Top Ten Tuesday
