Tales of Me and the Husband

lately.

he is completely obsessed with cars.  lightning mcqueen and tow mater rank above any and all family members.
ranunculas have arrived at your local trader joes, errybody.
we watched parenthood together.  she’s equally perplexed by the joel/julia situation.  it’s written all over her face.

I told myself before sitting down do not mention the weather, do not allude to it, nothing.  It’s almost impossible.  The post office woman asks me how I’m doing and I’m just wide-eyed and two words: this weather.  Apparently the coldest since 2002?  Did you know there’s a “misery index”?  Well there is.  And cities all over the place are maxing out their misery index this year.  Steve and I have been taking turns feeling blue.  “You’re feeling it today?  You can’t!  It’s my turn!  You just had last Wednesday!”

I’m doing it.  I’m talking about the weather.  I’m going to go stab my eye out now.

If I’m being honest, between the weather and a few other things, the last few months have been hard on me.  Suffice it to say, we’re ready for you spring.  And if you don’t deliver some significantly warmer temperatures and melted snow within the next thirty days (or three?), Massachusetts will have one less homeowner.  Yeah, you heard me!

I think I should just go on a self-imposed blogging strike until I’m ready to not mention the winter ever again.  You’re probably all shaking your heads in agreement right now.

oscars 2014.

one of these things is not like the other (sorry kevin spacey)
i live-tweeted the oscars last night with a few folks and it was quite fun, i must say.  i said i was photoshopping myself into the selfie that went down and i make good on my promises.  that’s me in the back, wearing the tux, hair canoodling with bradley’s hair.  
i don’t have a lot to say except a a highlight and then best dressed, but of course.
highlight: lupita winning best supporting.  also, her speech made me cry beginning at mention of patsy and i do not cry at the oscars.  i was about to say i do not cry a lot but that is so not true.  she’s only going up from here.
best dressed: camilla alves.  loved her dress.  
honorable mention: lupita nyong’o.  that color on her was amazing.
second honorable mention: emma watson.  i loved her hair and makeup especially.
nicest hair of the night, however, goes to jared leto.
anything else i would’ve said, i tweeted.  get on twitter already!

frozen duet.

this was too good not to share here too.
sorry for the repeat!
between steve’s bounciness and lindsey’s laugh,
it’s my favorite thing ever.
i have watched it so many times.
most often, when we’re both in bed for the night
and it’s quiet and steve’s least expecting it, i turn it on.
can’t help myself.

yogurt pancakes.

This is going to be a very frustrating recipe, both to give and receive, because I don’t really have any precise measurements for it and it changes every time.  It’s a consistency thing which, if you make pancakes, you’ll already be familiar with.  Pancakes are not so specific as baking, but the batter does need something to hold it, a few lumps are okay, too wet and they’ll just smear all over the pan and, forget about flipping them, too thick and they’ll sop up all your maple syrup.  You get the picture.  
I do love pancakes.  But if I’m going to eat regular, flour-filled pancakes, they have to be something really special. There’s this place called the Friendly Toast that makes unbelievable buttermilk pancakes.  Sometimes they fold in granola and apples, sometimes blueberries, and they always have homemade whipped cream on top.  A huge portion of it too, which feels like a gift when the waiter places it on your table.  
Your mouths are now salivating and these are not those pancakes.  I’m sorry.  The point of sharing that story is to say: I do love pancakes but, like I said, they have to be really special.  I don’t want all that stomach real-estate (they take up so much room, don’t they?  And then you need to sleep the second half of the day while it seems to actually expand in your belly?) taken up by something less than.  These, however, I make whenever we want pancakes at home.  The kids ask for these over normal pancakes by far.  They’re thin and egg-y and so delicious.  They are too thin to hold a berry, but add the berries to the maple syrup.  
A disclosure is in order: because they have so little flour, kids seem to be able to eat a lot of them.  I mean, a lot.  Parker alone can polish off at least 6 of them.  William could eat 10, easy.  I don’t make them terribly big, too..  They’re easier to flip if they’re on the smaller side.  And for the kids who are picky egg-eaters, this solves that problem.  They’re essentially eggs masked as pancakes.  Done!
Another note: I shared these years ago but the recipe was a bit different.  I called them cottage cheese pancakes, because that’s how I always made them.  Then I found that sometimes cottage cheese was going bad in the fridge because we only ever used it for this.  Well, yogurt (or almost any dairy like that–sour cream would probably be fine too) works just as well.  So, now I always use yogurt.  And yes, they do call for that much butter.
Yogurt Pancakes*
(serves roughly 5)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
6-8 eggs
1 cup plain whole-fat yogurt
Mix and cook!
Add maple syrup.
*I’m really taking liberties here, and shouldn’t even be giving measurements because it is always something I eyeball.  If they seem too wet, add a little more flour.  It’s like a big experiment for me every time I make them to see how little flour I can add while still getting by.  It needs a little, because otherwise they’ll fall apart, but the other day I made a pretty big batch with under a half a cup.  You could also use less butter (I’m of the mindset that good butter is really good for you and I love the stuff, so I don’t shy away from it in this recipe.) and more or less yogurt.  You get the picture.  It’ll be different every time.  Just be sure to write it down when you think you’ve nailed it!

On being almost 30.

I just had a birthday in November so this post is a few months too early, really.  Bear with me though, because if I put a future date on them, the thoughts they may never return again.

I’ve been thinking about how my next birthday is number 3-0.  And how strange that feels.  More because 30 seems so very grown up and I don’t feel very grown up.  Do I have to edit my wardrobe at 30?  (Please no.)  Am I allowed to buy a one-piece romper from Forever 21 at 30?  (I’d like to.)  There are so many things I don’t know how to do yet.  Things I assumed 30-year olds know and know well.  Like, which shade of lipstick is right for their coloring and how to do their taxes.  And how long does red wine keep once it’s open?  Four days?  Six?  I barely know how to sew a button on.

I think there are lines around my eyes that are new, and my mouth too.  I’m really okay with that.  Though my friend asked me recently, “Are we supposed to be getting real eye cream now?”  Am I?  Are we?  I use coconut oil.  I don’t know how to do more than one or two things to my hair, and my makeup routine is the same every day, the only embellishment would be a winged eyeliner if I’m feeling fancy.

The other day I told Steve, “My lower back actually hurts if I bend over from the waist.”  He looked at me like I was expecting some solution.  But I just shrugged my shoulders and said, “I’m almost 30.”

C’est la vie.

my wintertime essentials.

 

i currently have a cold (a really, really snotty and sneezy one at that–it’s really gross.  the floor on my side of the bed this morning was like a tissue graveyard.) and thus am doing all of the above.  mostly.  sometimes i get lazy and let a thing or two drop off (but never number 3).  some of these are my daily routine practically year round while others are more preventative during certain times of year and still others are when i feel something already coming on.  i’ll try not to let this be toooo much of a novella.
and, important note: i am not (not not not not) a health care practitioner.  i’m just a woman who likes herself some homeopathy and tries to stay away from over the counter meds and such.  all have their place, but the above (and then some) is what i prefer, this is what we do!  i’m not linking you to all the articles and research that say the above is great (or not so great) so definitely do your research.  and with that, we carry on.
1// emergen-c: this is a no-brainer.  and yes, it does have some sugar content but is also packed with vitamin c and i hear from many that they really think it knocks the cold out if taken as soon as you feel it coming on.  after that, all bets are off, but vitamin c isn’t a bad thing anyway.  (parker will also take this in a sippy cup; i usually give him half a packet if he has a cold or if someone else in the house has one.)
2// probiotic.  365 days a year.  the whole family takes these as long as i remind them/they remember.  they’re really small pills, easy to swallow.  i have recommended a different brand in the past, but after some GAPS-education (this is the one recommended by them), my sister takes this one so i just took her recommendation.  also, it doesn’t need refrigeration which is nice for when you travel.  and i know!  eating my words.  i have always thought a good probiotic must be refrigerated but apparently not.  each pill is vacuum sealed separately so that must be why.  gut health is huge and, to many (dr. marianne included), the very start to good overall health.  everyone should be on one.
3// standard process congaplex.  i’ve been taking this longer than any of the above.  for as long as i can remember.  never have i seen something work so well on a cold (or general sickness) than this.  sometimes i feel like i get too many colds (two to three per winter?), but what i will say is that they last about two days.  i pound the congaplex.  when parker’s sick, i give him two about three times a day and he chews the capsules and swallows them.  he strangely doesn’t mind taking much of what i give him (what a weirdo).  disclosure: i also eat no dairy or sugar and very little flour when i have a cold.  i’m a miserable person with a cold so i basically attack it.  some chiropractors or naturopaths carry their products (that’s how i usually get mine) but it’s also available on amazon.
4// carlson’s cod liver oil (lemon).  vitamin d!  we’re on month three of no sun (sort of) so we need this.  a spoonful a day.  there is information out there about how much vitamin d you need or do not need in the summer when you’re in the sun (still the best way to get it!) but basically, as a general population, we’re all very vitamin d deficient, so this is an important one.  i do believe this helps my mood in the wintertime too (not that you’d always notice… sorry family, but imagine what i’d look like without it!).  some switch to fish oil in the summertime.  we don’t.  i just don’t take this nearly as often as i do in the darker months.5// elderberry syrup.  i used to buy this, a fairly small bottle of it, for around $15.  but it was a serious lightbulb moment when i discovered i could make my own for a fraction of the cost.  i buy these elderberries and have made five jars (i give a lot away–we haven’t gone through that much ourselves) about the same size as the above.  i still have plenty of elderberries left.  way, way, way cheaper.  spoonful a day preventative, and one or two spoonfuls once you’re actually sick.  i follow this recipe.

6// new chapter prenatals. not pregnant (would this not be theee stupidest way to announce it?!)!  i’ve taken prenatals a long time now, for prepping for pregnancy and then for pregnancy and nursing.  and even though i stopped nursing a little while ago, i still take them because i think they pack more punch than other multivitamins.  i’ve taken the twin labs brand, and this one.  i can’t say i notice a huge difference but i prefer the ingredients in this one (a lot of greens).

this is by no means an inclusive list of the things to do while sick or to prevent sick.  that probably didn’t need stating.  i’d love to hear more about what you do.  some of ours not pictured are essential oils, tea, and colloidal silver.  does anyone take manuka honey?  favorite kids’ multivitamin?  and i’d love to hear how you use essential oils too.  anyone already take some of the above?

stay healthy!

School vacation week.

I hid the Samoas.

It was well within my rights, you see.  I’d bought a box of Trefoils, Thin Mints, and Samoas.  The Thin Mints are always the first to go.  The sleeves dwindle quickly.  Full in the morning, nearly empty by mid-afternoon.  It’s like crack to them, especially William and Steve.  I don’t like Thin Mints (or York Peppermint Patties for that matter.  Or really any dark chocolate and mint combination of candy.  Is that strange?  Peanut butter and chocolate though, pass it over.).  So, I don’t eat any.  But when the Thin Mints are gone which is invariably within about 24 hours, they move onto the Samoas.  My Samoas.  It’s really just a sugar rush they’re looking for, but to waste it on the coconut-caramel goodness that is Samoas?!  It wouldn’t be right.  By the time I noticed, there were five left.  I allow myself but one or two a day.  I have incredible self-control with Girl Scout cookies but I entirely credit this with the fact that Girl Scout cookies come around once a year so it’s best to savor it, that brief moment in time when the little scouts come a-knockin’ hoping you’ll fork over the big bucks (and we always do, don’t we?!) to stock your pantry.  They run a smart business model.  So as I was saying, I hid them, because the rest of my people freebase them, handfuls at a time.  They barely know what they’re eating, throw a sugar cube at them and it’d have the same effect.  The cookies were practically begging to be hidden.  Here, slow and steady definitely does not win the race, or at least any of the cookies.  But sneaky does.

Plus, we’ve had something like ten snowstorms the month of February alone.  So if I need to hide the last five Samoas behind the canned goods then that is what I’ll do dammit!  We have a plethora of canned goods, mostly chick peas and black beans, so really I’m just relocating them to a different spot behiiiind a few things is all.

This week-long-break-in-the-middle-of-the-winter wasn’t nearly as rough as I prepared myself for.  William and Lindsey were not at each other’s throats like I assumed they might be–a teen and almost-teen housebound for a week, you know.  And Parker soooort of kept the tantrums at a minimum.  We did manage to squeak out a few things on the to-do list too.  An enormous Trader Joe’s run that had the check-out person saying, “You sure you don’t need help to your car?”  Plus an orthodontist appointment (broken bracket!) and a haircut.  Oh, and a nice winter’s walk, though the whole awe-filled “this snow is so pretty!” routine can only last so long and at this point, most of us are over it.  At least, I’m pretty sure of that fact.  We all trudge, boots and hats, a bit zombie-like from car to grocery store to CVS to yoga to the library with these dead-eyes that definitely communicate “give us summer.”  I even took a few pictures of the snow storm while I was out running errands in it (and definitely not seeing out my back window but where was the ice scraper when I needed it?!) and thought, “Instagram?  No.”  No one likes a whiner, so it was something of a “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.”  Those pictures remain in the archives.  You’re welcome.

Are you still reading?

So, while I mostly hate this break (how about getting out a week earlier in June, schoolboard?!), because a trip is always out of the question–Steve doesn’t have off, and even if he did, we pay for diapers and braces instead of vacations–it wasn’t as rough as it might’ve been.  Yes, we did sit around some, staring at each other or out the windows at the dirty snow piles, while friends were skiing or sunbathing.  (I try not to let my jealousy get the best of me, such an unattractive trait.)  But we didn’t kill each other and that is a win.  We still have the Trefoils too.

giveaway with ShoeMint!

{sweater: (old) boutique}
{skirt: asos}
{scarf: deroucheau}
{shoes: tasha c/o ShoeMint}
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Giveaway closed.
Lindsay is the winner!

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