It's 1:05 pm, and a new potential babysitter is coming over at 1:30 to meet the kids and see the house, so they can get acquainted and I can show her where everything is and discuss our routines/rules. I wanted to have the house in order so we could actually find what we were supposed to talk about, so after lunch today, my thought went something like this... "Hey, I need to get the house picked up in 25 minutes or less. I'll send my 3-year-old outside to play while I clean. Piece of cake! He wants to blow bubbles, easy enough!"
So out he goes, the baby is tossed in her swing (not really, geesh) and I'm about to get down to cleaning business when I hear "MOMMY! The bubbles are all gone!" So I stop what I've barely started, take the kid and his little bottle of bubbles into the garage, and refill it from the big jug of bubble solution. And we're off-he's back outside, and I'm running around the kitchen like a mad fiend, putting away, wiping, spraying, when I hear it again. "MOMMY! I dropped da wand!" to which I answer "Where did you drop it, buddy?" and I already know the answer is "Under da duck. Can you get it, please?" Well, at least he asked nicely. (He means deck. But I think it's so cute that he calls it a duck.) Unfortunately, our deck is one of those that is about 12 inches off the ground, so that anything that falls through the slats is forever lost. I stop cleaning, and go outside, and at least humor the little guy and look-and of course, the wand is lost. Back to the garage to get the last one out of the big bubble jug. Only I can't get it out of the jug. I'm chasing it around with my fingers, and it's slippery, and soapy, and spilling. It's about 125 degrees in the afternoon with the garage door closed, so I decide to bring it in the air conditioned house to try and get it out. Still can't get it-so I try a fork, a metal barbeque tongs, and finally the small Pampered Chef Bamboo tongs do the trick. New bubble wand has been acquired! Success! (And I knew those tongs I just had to have would come in handy for SOMETHING!)
After a couple gentle reminders to be careful not to drop this wand, Happy Kiddo is back outside and blowing bubbles, but now the baby is fussing. Of course. So it's time for a diaper change, and while I'm doing that, I need to switch the loads of laundry around. I get her dry and happy, gazing at her crib mobile, and open the washing machine when I hear, "MOMMY! MOMMMMMYYYY! I lost my waaaaaand! My waaaaand! Mommy, get iiiiiit!" And you know exactly where it is-between the slats of the deck, in bubble wand limbo, where it will forever be. I bet there's some sort of bubble-wand-only-gravitational-pull-forcefield under my deck. I should call National Geographic or something, who knows how many they'd find? Anyway, a trip back outside confirms what I already knew, and we're out of wands now, which cues a typical 3-year-old meltdown. I convince him to play golf instead, because at least the balls can't fit down the deck slats.
Then I'm back inside, and finally the last of the lunch dishes were loaded into the dishwasher, when I see a car pull into the driveway. It can't be 1:30 already? It was. So the new babysitter saw our house the way she'll probably find it when she comes over the next time-with laundry in the hallway, and random bubbly filmy kitchen utensils strewn about. Sounds about normal to me!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
What's for Dinner: Swiss Pizza
I call it "Swiss Pizza" because wayyyy back in high school, I took a summer trip to France & Switzerland with our French class. Part of our trip included an extended stay with a family (which was one of the best experiences EVER, by the way, I learned more in that short time frame, immersed in it than I did in years of classes!) Anyway, we cooked dinner together a few times during my stay, and this pizza was one of the things my adoptive siblings made for the family.
Now, I know this sounds really strange, as some of the toppings aren't the norm, but trust me, it's really tasty when you put it all together. And it's fast and fairly healthy too.
You can use any pizza crust you like-the mix, frozen, refrigerated, or try making mini pizzas with english muffin crusts. Here, I used multigrain tortillas for a thin crust and less carbs (and hey, they were in the fridge and ready to go.)
Now, I know this sounds really strange, as some of the toppings aren't the norm, but trust me, it's really tasty when you put it all together. And it's fast and fairly healthy too.
You can use any pizza crust you like-the mix, frozen, refrigerated, or try making mini pizzas with english muffin crusts. Here, I used multigrain tortillas for a thin crust and less carbs (and hey, they were in the fridge and ready to go.)
So what's in it?
Pizza crust of your choice (I made 2 pizzas with 10" multigrain tortilla crusts)
Tomato sauce
Italian herb seasoning
1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese
1/3 green pepper, sliced
5 grape tomatoes, sliced
3 mushrooms, sliced
1/8 medium red onion, sliced into wedges
1 pouch tuna (regular or albacore)
1 egg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep crust if necessary, put onto baking sheet. Spread tomato sauce onto crust, sprinkle with herbs, top with cheese. (I like mozzerella for this recipe, but used dairy free Veggie Shreds here. Definitely not as good.) Add pepper, tomato, mushrooms, and onion. Evenly drop pieces of tuna on top of pizza. Bake for about 5 minutes, then remove from oven. Crack an egg over the center of the pizza, and break the yolk. Bake another 10 minutes until egg is cooked, cheese is melted, and edges are starting to brown. Let cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to plate and cut into slices. Enjoy. I know it's weird. But it's good.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Cucumber Basiltini
4 fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 half lime
2 oz. cucumber vodka
¾ oz. simple syrup
club soda
ice
Put basil leaves and sugar into shaker. Muddle with a wooden spoon (or a muddler, if you have one.) The sugar will help to break apart the basil and bring out the fragrant herby-oil. Mmm.
Fill shaker about halfway with ice on top of the basil leaves. Pour in cucumber vodka, lime juice, and simple syrup. Cap and shake-shake-shake until a frost forms on the outside of the shaker. Strain mixture into a martini glass, and pour in about an ounce of club soda for some fizz.
Garnish with a basil leaf and a thin slice of cucumber on top.
Sip & relax. You're cool as a cucumber.
Makes 1 drink.
Friday, May 11, 2012
What's for Dinner: Luau Salad
The warmer spring weather has us eating lighter, but still, there's always that question: What's for dinner? Tonight I used a little creativity and came up with a twist on the old standby of grilled chicken and salad, and we were all pleasantly surprised with the result, hereafter known as the Luau Salad.
This was both kid and husband tested and approved!
So what's in it?
1/2 bunch romaine lettuce, washed/dried/chopped
2 handfuls baby spinach (from a bag)
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup uncooked campanelle pasta
1/4 cup chopped dried mango
1/4 cup walnut pieces (or macadamia nuts would be great too!)
bottled raspberry vinaigrette and/or poppy seed salad dressing
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain, and rinse in cold water to cool rapidly to avoid it becoming mushy. Put spinach, lettuce, onion, pineapple, and strawberries into a large salad bowl, add pasta and toss. Top with walnuts and mango.
I topped ours with grilled chicken, which was first marinated in the raspberry vinaigrette dressing for 20 minutes. The same dressing is wonderful over the whole salad, or change it up with poppy seed dressing-I like Paul Newman's.
This was both kid and husband tested and approved!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The Cover Charge
Did you know there is a $100 cover charge to get into Target? Yep. Sure is. It's automatically deducted from your account as you walk through the front doors-that's what those things disguised as anti-theft devices really are-automatic debiting machines. ADM's-the opposite of an ATM. Anyway, once they take the required $100 out of your bank account, you are allowed to choose $100 or more in merchandise, and they'll bill you the difference at the checkout. And how could you not find at least $100 in stuff you need to buy at Target? Impossible!
For example, today I went after lunch, with a baby and a 3-year-old in tow. The purpose of the trip was to buy a digital clock, and the pre-determined budget was $15. But then we walked in the door. ZAP! $100, just gone. Might as well just get our money's worth, right? The first stop is that darn dollar section, that they strategically place at the front of the store so you are immediately sucked in. And of course, they have more Sesame Street crap in that section than they do anywhere else-and of course it's all piled in the bottom two bins-right at the kids' eye level. Of course, a tantrum will absolutely ensue if I try to pry these new treasures from the kid's hands, so after a few minutes, I tell him to choose one thing, and he can only have it if he cooperates the rest of the trip. Phew, we're off to a great start! Yippee!
We're trucking down the aisle toward the home decor where we might find a clock, but I'm distracted. The kids' summer shorts & t-shirts were on sale 5 for $20-what a deal! I'll take 5 for the kid, and 5 more for baby! But wait-look-some of the same set of shorts & shirts are on clearance. For $2.50! Can't pass that up! I'll take 4 more! Ooooh look! There is an endcap in the baby section with all kinds of online only stuff on it-all greatly discounted! A designer nursing cover-originally $42.99 marked down to $9, Trumpette socks for $3.24, and wow, Pampers in an economy sized box for $18.98! I'll take them alllllll! Then I remembered that we use cloth diapers, so we don't really buy disposables. Dilema. Oh! Bingo! I have so many friends having babies, I might as well get some of these gems as gifts!
Moving on now, just need to get some Raid to take care of a small invasion of ants after the heavy rains we've recently had. Chugging back to the garden section, and we see all the kids' gardening stuff. And it's so cute. Little monkeys and faces and gloves and kneeling pads and rakes and shovels and squeeeee! I let the kiddo pick 2 things. But he wants a shovel and a pair of gloves. He must have the little rake to match, right? Toss it in the cart, why not, they're only $2.50 each. Oh yeah, Raid. Chug, chug. Found it, and it costs $2.24. Not bad! But I'd rather have the all natural stuff since we have kids and pets, but it's $7. Well, it's still a better choice for my family, sigh. It's on the top shelf, which means it's a premium product, right?
Time to get out of here before we buy anything else! Wait, what did we come in here for again? A clock! We're getting that and then leaving, really! We find just the right clock for my little guy's room, and we're heading to the checkout, but on the way we are again sucked in by one of those clearance end caps, this time in the home decor section. And, being a designer at heart, I can't resist the opportunity to "just look" at new pillows, placemats, sheets, kitchen towels, candleholders, ooooh dear. Quandry. I really have been meaning to replace our dishrags, and here are a bunch of the nice thick ones. And they're on clearance. But I talk myself out of it, I don't really need them, and I shouldn't spend the extra money right now. Except they match my kitchen colors, so I must have them, it's meant to be! Into the cart they go. But wait-do I need the coordinating hand towels too? I have enough right now, but they won't match the new dishrags exactly. And I probably won't be able to find matching hand towels when I do need them, so I should get the set now, right? Oh look! A matching pot holder! Ok. Enough, to the checkout we are going, with our blinders on. Here we go, chug, chug, chug.
Almost there, and then I see it. A gleaming wall of glass with brightly colored labels. With the big red numbers up on top of the display. It's wine. Organized by varietal, and color coordinated with each other. A new brand, I've looked at buying before but never tried, because it costs just a little more than I'd usually spend. But today, it's on a mega sale, so either it's really good, or really bad? But how would one know unless one samples it? I'll get a bottle to try tonight with the hubster since it's a good deal, he'll like that little surprise after the kids are in bed. And a second bottle for our girls' night in on Thursday, because I have to bring wine anyway. This just saves me a trip to the store later this week. Chug, chug, chug to the checkout.
We unload the cart, present the reusable bags for our five cent discount per bag, and ask for gift receipts for the baby items. I look at all the goodies on the conveyor belt, and mentally try to add/justify everything on it. Surely it can't be more than what, $65? The cashier finishes scanning our loot, and says, "132.74, will that be on your Target Red Card today?" I look back at her, or more specifically at her outline, because I'm dizzy from stickershock, and I have no idea how I could possibly have spent this much in just 35 minutes. I pull out the beloved Red Card and run it, which does save me 5%, so it helps, but still puts me at $124 after tax. And I think to myself, "Hey! You're only $24 over the usual! Not bad." And that is the story of Target and the $100 cover charge.
For example, today I went after lunch, with a baby and a 3-year-old in tow. The purpose of the trip was to buy a digital clock, and the pre-determined budget was $15. But then we walked in the door. ZAP! $100, just gone. Might as well just get our money's worth, right? The first stop is that darn dollar section, that they strategically place at the front of the store so you are immediately sucked in. And of course, they have more Sesame Street crap in that section than they do anywhere else-and of course it's all piled in the bottom two bins-right at the kids' eye level. Of course, a tantrum will absolutely ensue if I try to pry these new treasures from the kid's hands, so after a few minutes, I tell him to choose one thing, and he can only have it if he cooperates the rest of the trip. Phew, we're off to a great start! Yippee!
We're trucking down the aisle toward the home decor where we might find a clock, but I'm distracted. The kids' summer shorts & t-shirts were on sale 5 for $20-what a deal! I'll take 5 for the kid, and 5 more for baby! But wait-look-some of the same set of shorts & shirts are on clearance. For $2.50! Can't pass that up! I'll take 4 more! Ooooh look! There is an endcap in the baby section with all kinds of online only stuff on it-all greatly discounted! A designer nursing cover-originally $42.99 marked down to $9, Trumpette socks for $3.24, and wow, Pampers in an economy sized box for $18.98! I'll take them alllllll! Then I remembered that we use cloth diapers, so we don't really buy disposables. Dilema. Oh! Bingo! I have so many friends having babies, I might as well get some of these gems as gifts!
Moving on now, just need to get some Raid to take care of a small invasion of ants after the heavy rains we've recently had. Chugging back to the garden section, and we see all the kids' gardening stuff. And it's so cute. Little monkeys and faces and gloves and kneeling pads and rakes and shovels and squeeeee! I let the kiddo pick 2 things. But he wants a shovel and a pair of gloves. He must have the little rake to match, right? Toss it in the cart, why not, they're only $2.50 each. Oh yeah, Raid. Chug, chug. Found it, and it costs $2.24. Not bad! But I'd rather have the all natural stuff since we have kids and pets, but it's $7. Well, it's still a better choice for my family, sigh. It's on the top shelf, which means it's a premium product, right?
Time to get out of here before we buy anything else! Wait, what did we come in here for again? A clock! We're getting that and then leaving, really! We find just the right clock for my little guy's room, and we're heading to the checkout, but on the way we are again sucked in by one of those clearance end caps, this time in the home decor section. And, being a designer at heart, I can't resist the opportunity to "just look" at new pillows, placemats, sheets, kitchen towels, candleholders, ooooh dear. Quandry. I really have been meaning to replace our dishrags, and here are a bunch of the nice thick ones. And they're on clearance. But I talk myself out of it, I don't really need them, and I shouldn't spend the extra money right now. Except they match my kitchen colors, so I must have them, it's meant to be! Into the cart they go. But wait-do I need the coordinating hand towels too? I have enough right now, but they won't match the new dishrags exactly. And I probably won't be able to find matching hand towels when I do need them, so I should get the set now, right? Oh look! A matching pot holder! Ok. Enough, to the checkout we are going, with our blinders on. Here we go, chug, chug, chug.
Almost there, and then I see it. A gleaming wall of glass with brightly colored labels. With the big red numbers up on top of the display. It's wine. Organized by varietal, and color coordinated with each other. A new brand, I've looked at buying before but never tried, because it costs just a little more than I'd usually spend. But today, it's on a mega sale, so either it's really good, or really bad? But how would one know unless one samples it? I'll get a bottle to try tonight with the hubster since it's a good deal, he'll like that little surprise after the kids are in bed. And a second bottle for our girls' night in on Thursday, because I have to bring wine anyway. This just saves me a trip to the store later this week. Chug, chug, chug to the checkout.
We unload the cart, present the reusable bags for our five cent discount per bag, and ask for gift receipts for the baby items. I look at all the goodies on the conveyor belt, and mentally try to add/justify everything on it. Surely it can't be more than what, $65? The cashier finishes scanning our loot, and says, "132.74, will that be on your Target Red Card today?" I look back at her, or more specifically at her outline, because I'm dizzy from stickershock, and I have no idea how I could possibly have spent this much in just 35 minutes. I pull out the beloved Red Card and run it, which does save me 5%, so it helps, but still puts me at $124 after tax. And I think to myself, "Hey! You're only $24 over the usual! Not bad." And that is the story of Target and the $100 cover charge.
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