Things I Love: Kids' Edition

Things I am loving...

Melissa and Doug wooden blocks

One surefire toy that can keep the kiddies engaged. I also think they are quite beautiful.

Monkey plate from Target

Although I generally try to rely on "safe plastics" I love the little compartments on these plates. The visual portions seem to help me balance a meal for the kids and get more creative with meals. Can't keep a compartment empty! Just don't put in the dishwasher or the microwave.

The backyard garden hose

Seriously, nothing makes the kids happier on a hot afternoon than stripping down, turning on the hose and filling various plastic containers in the yard. This game has gotten even better

now that L can turn the hose off and on. Now, Mama can actually sit on the patio furniture. Novel idea!

Too Easy to be a Recipe

It seems like, despite spending lots of dough at Trader Joe's and planning out our week's meals, I always end up in the kitchen, one night a week, wondering, "What in the world are we going to eat tonight?" Back in the day, I would have confidently answered, "Cereal," to myself. But, since the kids have most likely already eaten cereal once or twice that day (ahem), I often turn to this easy meal.

Veggie Egg Scramble and Multi-Grain Biscuits

Just like it sounds. I scramble up about 8 eggs, some milk and a bunch of sauteed vegetables (usually caramelized onion, zucchini, spinach and tomato) in a cast-iron pan. I let it cook for a while, nice and low. I am often tempted to really turn up the heat and make dinner in 5 minutes, instead of 15. But, I read in Gourmet magazine (where, no surprise here, I did NOT get this recipe) to cook scrambled eggs low and long and it really makes a difference.

In the meantime, I use the Trader Joe's multi grain pancake mix (glorified and healthy Bisquick alternative) to make some drop biscuits. They are flaky and dry, which I strangely love.

Serve biscuits with butter and honey. Serve eggs with good salt and pepper. Done and done.

For more details on perfecting your scrambled eggs, read this.

Photo from thekitchn.com

Weekend Musings

This weekend we celebrated my sweet, little L with a sweet, little party. Bagels, watermelon, juice, coffee at the playground. Bring-your-own tricycle. Enjoy the beach breeze. Toss the ball. Decorate your cupcake. It was perfect.

I strive to plan simple but special moments for our family. I want to be at the party, not scurrying around in the background, cleaning, organizing, setting up. So, we go for simple and stress-free.

We are lucky to be surrounded by friends and families who enjoy and appreciate the simplicity. I think it lets everyone "off the hook" -- to come to a party in whatever clothes you want, with whatever gift you can give, come early, come late, stay too long. Whatever.

My sweet, little L is not so little anymore. Four. I cried watching her funny little face while everyone sang to her. A mix of pleasure and shyness. There she was, sitting, surrounded by friends. Her own little friends. And her little brother, singing and clapping with a huge smile on his face.

Later that day, I went to write about her party in her baby book. Because, lord knows, if I don't do it right away...well, forget about it. I flipped through the photos of me and S, in front of the house, holding our new baby in an awkward "never held a newborn" way. Past her first, second, and third birthday entries. Then...there are no pages for four. What?! Finished with the baby book?

Oh dear, tears again.

Little Things

Little things...

I read somewhere that Martha Stewart recommends making your sink area of the kitchen pretty. Okay, so M.S. most likely explained her idea with more sophisticated terms than "pretty" but I went with the idea in a very "Kristen McCann" not "Martha Stewart" way.

See, Martha does things to perfection. I do things quickly and "just enough." The quest for perfection makes my shoulders rise to just under my ears, gives me a headache and makes me begin to sweat. So, I went to Target, bought some pretty bottles (actually, total disclosure, my mom paid for them...) and filled them with hand soap and dish soap.

So, every time I do dishes, it feels kind of pretty. As long as I only look at the bottles and not at the pile of dishes in the sink. From breakfast. Happy weekend.

The Afternoon Lull

A girlfriend asked the other day, "What do you do between 3:30 and 8:30?" Meaning, how do you organize the time between nap time and bed time for your kids?

Admittedly, I am a lucky woman. S comes home from work by about 4:30 almost every day. So on most afternoons, I am not outnumbered by children. I know that makes things much easier. To my ladies (or gents...although, I do not know if one man actually reads this) who are home until late, late and later with the kids. Give yourselves a boatload of credit. The afternoon playtime, dinnertime, bath time, story time, bedtime routine is so much harder when you do it alone.

In my group of friends, we notice that we eagerly and creatively plan out the mornings: walk on the strand, playing at the

park, story time at the library, get-together at someone's house, zoo trip, museum trip, etc. But I find, by the time the kids' naps end, I am totally out of ideas. Or, truthfully, I am tired of thinking of ideas.

We tend to do a half-hour video after nap, snack, some sort of simple art activity, then head outside. We have been spending a lot of time in the backyard these days, which makes it easy. Riding bikes, playing in water, or blowing bubbles. Otherwise, we might head to a nearby park for an hour or so, just to get out. Then, dinner, bath, stories, and bed.

What about you? Any ideas on how to make the afternoon and early evening work for both kids and mamas (or papas)?

(photo of L and C, my two kiddies, who ask almost every afternoon, "But Mama, what are we going to DO?)

A Day

I woke up from a bad dream. One that wouldn't stop.

It has given me a heavy heart all day. So...

I ate oatmeal for lunch.

I watched tv through the kids' entire nap-time.

I cried at the park with a good friend.

I did ZERO chores.

I will be back with something more interesting tomorrow. Hopefully, after some sweet dreams.

They Had Me At 'Butter'

We had an impromptu Memorial Day gathering at our house complete with wiffle ball, the kiddie pool and scooter rides. My favorite moment was when I went inside to check on dinner and when I came out all of the kids were running around naked. What is about kids and being naked? They certainly relish it.

While the kids ate mini pizzas, the "grown-ups" ate a perfect summary meal: green salad, pasta salad, crusty bread and baked tilapia. I quite consistently overcook fish, but this simple recipe helped me turn out some tasty fish that was not as dry as a bone. A miracle, so I thought I would pass it on.

Baked Tilapia

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

pepper

salt

dill

paprika

4 tilapia fillets

Saute butter in pan until simmering. Add minced garlic and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan. Brush the bottom of a baking pan with butter mixture. Place fillets on top of the butter and then brush remaining butter mixture on top of the tilapia. Bake for 25 minutes or until flaky. (I tend to add herbs and such without measuring. It is the only way I will cook a recipe more than once, because it is fast and I can make the meal from memory.)

Recipe adapted from Southernfood.about.com