Working on

Hi!  Just wanted to show you what I've done lately.  Hope you're all having a great weekend.

 

Happy Earf Day

Hi!  Happy Earth Day!  I remember Earth Day being really exciting as a kid.  Like I was really into it.  My family were all huge recyclers/reusers/reducers/turning-off-all-the-lights-before-you-leave-the-housers.  Things like that.  I remember I went to a sleepover (it might have been a Pioneer Girls sleepover at the church) and the craft was decorating t-shirts.  For some reason I decorated an Earth Day shirt and wore it for like the next six years since I really didn't ever grow.  Then I probably gave it to Emily and she wore it for the next four years or so.  That's just kinda how we were.  Pretty oblivious but pretty happy.  Yeah, it was an awful decorating job by the way.  Paint all over the collar so you would crack some off every time you pulled it over your head and such.  Anyway.  It's a little disappointing that in the real world it's not much of a big deal.  Or maybe I just don't get how Earth Day is different than any other day.  Like, you should reduce/reuse/recycle every day, right?  And green is my favorite color so it's kind of odd for me not to be wearing it on any given day.  Maybe I should start decorating t-shirts again.  Sigh.

Speaking of rough days, today was a rough one.  It started out really well.  I think I kind of ruined it by taking this video, thinking how cute my son was, instead of very, very naughty:



Look, I even took this picture of us at breakfast, when things were still on the up and up:

It kind of went downhill from there.  I wish I had a video of my son freaking out at Einstein Bagels, throwing his head on the ground, screaming, flailing arms and legs, inconsolable.  I had been feeling really optimistic because of the above video and because we were actually buying lunch, something that is pretty special for us.  I really try not to spend any money on food during the day if I don't have to.  I don't know why.  I've just kind of always made my lunch at home and taken it with me.  Now I make a lunch for two and tote it around.  Plus I don't like stopping for lunch.  I don't like to transport my child in and out of too many places, for fear the following might happen.  But I was coming home from the Warrenville Library where they have Toddler Time on Thursday mornings, I didn't have a lunch ready but it was lunch time, and Katie had invited us to the park to play.  So I thought, what's the worst that could happen?  

Owen was an angel while I ordered food, sitting by himself in a chair, chattering, pointing at things and generally entertaining himself.  Then I try to leave and within seconds, without warning, he's pitching a fit, like an epic, the world is ending kind of fit, and I've got my hands full with a bag of lunch, a lemonade, a cup of fruit and fork, and some cole slaw.  No napkins because of course I forget the most important thing when you're having lunch with a toddler.  I literally could not get him out of the stupid restaurant by myself.  

Looking back on it I can't remember how I got it all out in one trip but I do remember I did not look up at anyone or stop for a second to think about what I was doing.  It was like the siren in my brain went off:  CHILD HAVING MELTDOWN; ABANDON ALL SHIPS I REPEAT ABANDON ALL SHIPS.  Or abandon all hope, maybe that's what the siren says.  Anyway I grabbed my child and somehow successfully got him in a chair outside (but unfortunately right in the window so everyone inside watched in horror as I tried to discipline my horrible little beast in public).  Some guy came out and gave me the shoes that had been thrown off in the process.  I gave Owen the rigmarole about how this was his timeout and he needed to listen and when he was ready he could let me know and I walked away.  Not far, just like three sidewalk squares away but out of the view of the windows so I could compose myself and turn that siren noise off in my head and figure out how to get to my car with a boneless, screaming, miserable little devil that is my child.  

I guess the people watching were concerned that I had left him there writhing on the cement because a representative came out looking for me.  HE'S HAVING A TIMEOUT, WE'RE FINE, I think I said, really loudly.  At this point Owen was like throwing himself under the outdoor furniture and kicking his body around with his legs, to the point where I thought he was going to hurt himself or knock something over, creating more problems for me to deal with.  So I tried, within sight of all the people watching the freak show, to pick him up and get in his face and tell him that I loved him but he needed to listen to mom okay?  Say okay mom!  And he sobbed, Okay mom.  Say, You're the boss mom, which is our new one.  And he sobbed, You're the boss mom, which is just about the cutest thing I've ever heard a two year old say.  It melted my heart enough to the point where I could get him up and over to the car before I pinched him really hard.  Poor thing.  Then we went to the park so my friend Katie could give him some love because let me tell you, I was a little short on love that moment.  I wanted to go straight home and put him to bed to teach him a lesson but decided the decent thing to do was to let him get over it and bounce back a bit.  Let him know that I loved him but that was absolutely NOT OKAY.  The sad thing was, by the time we ate our food it was cold and kind of yuck.  What a waste of a lunch someone else made for you.  Ah, life with a two year old.  One minute bliss, the next purgatory. 

So that's that.  I wish I had a video to show you.  It would've been quite entertaining.  There are times I wish I could reduce/reuse/recycle my child but then again, there are probably times when other people wish they could reduce/reuse/recycle me!  We all have our moments, don't we?  I'm just doing the best I can I guess.  Thank goodness for bedtime.

Thank you, oh readers, for sharing in the disaster that was Earth Day 2010!  Hope yours was a little more fantastic.  

Amiee

Thinking

Today I came across this on Ali Edward's blog:

And while it takes courage to achieve greatness, it takes more courage to find fulfillment in being ordinary. For the joys that last have little relationship to achievement, to standing one step higher on the victory platform. What is the adventure in being ordinary? It is daring to love just for the pleasure of giving it away. It is venturing to give new life and to nurture it to maturity. It is working hard for the pure joy of being tired at the end of the day. It is caring and sharing and giving and loving…
Marilyn Thomsen 


I thought this was crazy until I read it a few times.  So read it again.  And then again.  Do it.  I'll wait. 


I am very ordinary.  I'd like to think that I have the courage to find fulfillment in it, although sometimes it is hard.  The summer of my discontent and all that.  I did get all the laundry done today and am feeling very pleased about that.  So aha!  Courage in fulfillment!  Dare to be fulfilled when you get all your laundry done before 3pm on a Monday!


Anyway, hope you are having a wonderful day.  It was cold out today at the park and I feel a little silly but I am wearing wool socks to warm up.  Now I have to plan some meals.  I do not have courage to feel fulfilled at this mundane task.  Bane of my existence.  

Also these are bluebells.  I'm thinking about putting them in with a bunch of ferns in the shady part near my front porch.  Cool, aren't they?  My mom suggested them and I googled them right away.  I dig it mom.

Amiee

Lettuce Wraps

Another boring topic that I spend a lot of time thinking about is food.  I really don't enjoy making dinner every night but have an enormous guilt complex if I don't.  Thanks mom.  I really don't know how my mom made a full dinner for five people, almost completely from scratch, day after day, main course and sides, without fail.  I'm starting to see the value of rice every night...  I wonder if my family would go for it..

Anyway speaking of rice, I've got a great recipe I thought I'd share.  I was going to email it to my sisters but then I thought, why not share the love on my blog!  The recipe combines my favorite elements:  quick prep, basic and easy ingredients, quick cooking time, and easy clean up.  Oh, and satisfying and delicious to eat.  That's important too I've found.  Here we go:

 
Stir-Fried Turkey in Lettuce Wraps, from Martha Stewart's Food Magazine

Serves 4, time: 20 minutes (30 if you're like me)

1/4 cup soy sauce
4 teaspoons fish sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small jalapeno or serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 pound ground turkey (93% lean)
2 large heads Bibb, Boston, or iceberg lettuce, leaves separated

1.  In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.  Set sauce aside.
2.  Heat a large skillet or wok over high until hot.  Add oil and swirl to coat skillet.  Add shallot, ginger, garlic, and chile and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through, 5 minutes.  Add half the sauce to skillet and stir until meat is cooked through, about 2 mintues.  Serve in lettuce leaves with remaining sauce.

Easy, right?  I add some water chestnuts chopped small for some crunch.  Also I used oyster sauce instead of fish sauce because it's what I had.  And I wasn't thinking and served it by itself with some grapefruit on the side but make some rice and it'll carry a bit further.  Or farther, I can never remember which.  Maybe even add rice to the wrap to stretch the meal.  Hope you like it!  And thanks for reading.  Just trying to share a bit of my life with you guys :)


Amiee

The best

I've been thinking about this lately:





Here are the lyrics if you don't want to watch the whole video:

I've got another confession to make
I'm your fool
Everyone's got their chains to break
Holdin' you

Were you born to resist, or be abused?

Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?

Or are you gone and onto someone new?

I needed somewhere to hang my head
Without your noose
You gave me something that I didn't have
But had no use
I was too weak to give in
Too strong to lose

My heart is under arrest again
But I'll break loose
My head is giving me life or death
But I can't choose
I swear I'll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?

Has someone taken your faith?
It's real, the pain you feel
You trust, you must confess

Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?

Has someone taken your faith?
It's real, the pain you feel
The life, the love
You'd die to heal
The hope that starts
The broken hearts
You trust, you must confess

Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?

I've got another confession my friend
I'm no fool
I'm getting tired of starting again
Somewhere new

Were you born to resist, or be abused?
I swear I'll never give in, I refuse

Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
It's real, the pain you feel
You trust, you must confess

Is someone getting the best
The best, the best, the best of you?

It makes me think about stuff, like, am I living my life deliberately?  Why am I living how I'm living?  And if I had the choice, would I change it?  And then, well why shouldn't I change it?  It's like a quote from the American poet Mary Oliver, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" When I say it in my mind, it's more like, "Tell me, WHAT IS IT YOU PLAN TO DO WITH YOUR ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE???!!!!!"  My cool little sister emailed it to me back in August last year.

I just can't get this thought out of my head lately.  What do you think?

Amiee

oh! the beautiful weather

I have to say, I should definitely be outside right now.  It is absolutely a perfect day out, maybe a little on the hot side, which is exactly what I need right now.  So I'll keep this one short.  I just want to say hi! and thanks for reading and sorry I haven't had much to say lately.  I've been feeling uninspired and generally boring.  I mean, how many Sesame Street videos do you want to see??  Although I had to put this one in for my friend Sarah.  I had forgotten about this one!  There is something about watching where things come from for real, and how crazy looking people touch stuff you will eat all the time...  sorry mom.  I'll bet your peanut butter is fine...



By the way, my friend Sarah has a new Etsy store!  My favorite thing about it is seeing glimpses of my friend every once in a while, a close up here, her feet there...  it's like I'm sort of visiting her!  You should check it out, she has tons of cute vintage stuff.  I got an old fan from her a couple weeks ago and just love it.  Sorry, no pic yet. 


What else can I give you?  I've been doing yoga like crazy lately and am really loving it.  I am forced to stare at myself in a mirror for a really long time, which is good, because I guess as you get older and have kids you stop doing that.  Not that I love staring at myself but I guess it gives you back some confidence that might have been pushed back in a corner somewhere for a while.  And it makes you stand up straight, which my mom was always nagging at me to do when I was a kid.  (I should've listened...)  It's kinda cool to see your body do things you didn't think were humanly possible.  We did this one today: 

 

I know, how creepy does that look?  It's surprisingly easy, if you're in a 90 degree room.  

Hope your day is as great as mine!  And enjoy the sunshine :)

 

Crayons

I love crayons.  Do you love crayons?  Want to go down memory lane with me?  This was one of my favorite sesame streets of all time:


Maybe a little disappointing now that I can understand what is going on but still pretty cool.  Anyway watching Sesame Street is one of the highlights of my life, so don't take it away from me.

Amiee

Opening Day Hoopla

Well hello all you readers out there.  Happy baseball season!  And happy end of March Madness, which ends in April.  I think it should end in March but that's just me.  I mean, they call it March Madness, not March-into-a-little-bit-of-April Madness, but okay, whatever they want to do.  It was an exciting game, wasn't it??  Man, you just can't beat that kind of ending.  It makes all that basketball in March kind of worth it.  And hooray for Butler, going all the way to the finals.  Everybody likes an underdog!

Yesterday also gave us opening day for baseball in Chicago.  Joe, Tommy, Owen and I all went to the Sox game.  It was perfect weather, we had perfect seats (in the last row on the end under the overhang in the 100 level), the food was AMAZING (brat with sauerkraut...mmm...), and the White Sox had one of their best season openers in years.  Check out this play:



Does it just give you chills?  Buehrle is just so good.  I missed the play because I was looking for my friend Lisa in the outfield.  I just got back to my seat when I heard the crowd go nuts.  Yup, I'm that girl.  And I never did find Lisa.  It was just too crowded.  But a great game, and a great afternoon.  Owen did pretty well.  Thank goodness Tommy was there to help me and these two drunk girls who held him (Owen, not Tommy) while we were standing in line for a ridiculously long time at the gate.
 

 
In that one picture it looks like my son is half my size.  It sure didn't take him long. Am I really that small??

So that's that!  And I won't say anything except man am I so glad not to be a Cubs fan.  It was a rough day for those guys.  I won't name any names.  And Owen was a nightmare today, because he was still so tired.  Joe was like, we should start taking Owen to games all the time, he did so great, that was really easy!  Yeah, funny how dads just seem to enjoy the good times that moms work really hard to provide...  how does that happen??  I don't want to do it again for a long, long time.  So I scrapped a little this afternoon while Owen was running amok.  Glad it's almost Wednesday.  Hope you had a good one too :) 


Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY Katie!!  I hope it was fantastic!  I think thunderstorms on your birthday sounds wonderful, don't you??