A Haiku for the final

A Haiku for the final day:

Internet is down
On NaBloPoMo's last day
Disappoints blogger.

Memories

Ever notice how you can be just minding your own business and suddenly, something comes along and triggers a memory? Maybe it's a song that you hear on the radio or a scent that wafts near you and then, without realizing it you're reliving an event or just a period in your life. Hopefully, it's a happy period.
I'm thinking about this because of my previous post with the recipe card for Calamari Sauce. It was written 15 years ago by my friend Mary Beth and her handwriting took me back in time, when I was struggling . . . struggling to find myself, to figure out what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. It was a time in which I desperately wanted my relationship with Tom to work but I didn't know how to be me because I wasn't sure who I was. Looking back, she seems like another girl - someone I knew once who was fun and nice but a little insecure and needy. At some times I was just the kind of friend you needed, the kind who will drop everything and help you move and take you out to get your mind off your sadness. At other times, I was the wrong kind of honest and probably hurt my friends because of it. I'm not proud of her.
My evolution has taken years and still, I'm not done yet.
Meanwhile, I marvel at the way memories come flooding back - the writing on a recipe card that reminds me of old friends, old ways.

Calamari Sauce

Once upon a time I was a waitress in an Italian restaurant which is where I met my friend Geri. We spent a lot of time complaining about bad tippers, sneaking looks at the good looking boys, and disappearing into the alley to have smoke breaks at every available opportunity. One year the owners decided to bring in a new chef and revamp the menu. Geri fell in love with the new sauce that came with the Fried Calamari. An obsession was born! The recipe is below along with an excerpt from the email that accompanied it. Enjoy!

I just had to scan the actual recipe card for you. Because you know a recipe with a provenance is always more interesting. So this recipe originally came from Mi P____ Mary Beth wrote it down for me, probably about the time I was living in the "fishing cabin" in Pasadena. From there it came with me to Silverlake. and then I lost track of it. I moved to Alhambra. Then last year I moved to San Diego and there in a box full of kitchen gadgets, I found it.....dusty, coffee stained, yellowed, Hallelujah! and now it has a place of honor, magnetized to the refrigerator. The actual card has been around almost 15 years. The recipe doesn't give directions on how to prepare the ingredients so I'll just say "Chop everything up finely and mix it together" Voila!
I remember being just MAD about his sauce so consequently found out its also good on fish or chicken or with shrimp as an alternative to cocktail sauce. Also you can mix it with black beans, corn and tomatoes for a light side dish/salad AND THEN, if you have a little left over you can add mayo to it and it becomes a completely different (but still delicious) sauce, or dip for veggies or chips etc.
Geez good thing I got over this obsession huh? Hee hee.
Love,
Geri

Jack's First Love Letter

I found this in Jack's cubby at school. It's from a girl who went on to kindergarten this year and this was her parting note. It is written on a postcard from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the picture is "Apples and Grapes" by Claude Monet.

Jack -
I will remember you forever and I will miss you. I love you Jack. Thank you for everyday for holding the swing. You're the best buddy ever. I hope one day I can have a play date with you. If not I will still love you forever.
T---

Overheard this morning

Dean: What's an emeny?
Jack: Well, if you were a good guy and somebody else was a bad guy? Well, then you're anemone.

Meet Kate

The newest addition to our family . . .

She joined us today. She's a purebred, AKC registered Border Collie. She is gorgeous and very, very sweet. Her owner couldn't keep her anymore and we just happened to see her ad on craigslist right after she posted it. Lucky us.

Besides being super sweet, she's also really affectionate and very smart. She fetches and can catch a frisbee. She loves to play. She also did fine by herself while we went to Uncle Peter's and Uncle Julian's for dinner.

We're pretty happy.

Twist and Shout

This has been such a nice weekend that I'm actually disappointed that tomorrow is our last day. In the past, 4 days off in a row might have made me a little crazy. But this time, even with all the whining and bickering, I am really enjoying our time off together. Maybe it's because I am letting the chores go a little. Yes, I have noticed that the floor needs sweeping and mopping - I just don't care about it right now. I would much rather spend that time playing a game with Jack or watching a movie with Dean.

I played Twister with the boys today. Nothing will tell you you're getting old like a good old fashioned game of Twister. Really.

We spent a lot of the day in the backyard kicking the soccer ball around and watching them climb the peach tree. They also helped Tom trim the lemon tree and gather oranges from the orange tree. Then Jack made orange juice.

We cut Tom's hair, then Dean's and Jack's. For some reason, despite Jack telling me yesterday that he needed a hair cut, they did NOT want to get their hair cut. They each turned out really cute, in spite of themselves.

We had a very late lunch today so when Tom left this evening for a basketball game, we just ate cereal for dinner. Then we settled in to watch March of the Penguins. Jack was asleep almost instantly and after I put him in bed, Dean and I curled up on the couch and fell asleep.

I know, this post is all over the place but I'm in a little sleepy haze so, to me? it makes sense.

Leggo my Legos

Hey you know what? Legos are really fun. I'm not even being sarcastic right now, which is rare for me. The boys got 3 different lego kits for their birthdays. The first one I put together for them was a Star Wars Startrooper ship. Then I put together a fire truck and fire helicopter. Tom caught me this morning putting together the fire helicopter. The boys kept asking me why I wasn't letting them help me. Truth is, I was having fun doing it all by myself. I'm a little disappointed that they only got 3 kits - only because I wanted to put more together.

Of course, Dean has already taken apart the Startrooper ship because he's way more interested in making his own creations. He makes very intricate ships with a lot of detail. Jack builds solid, square structures, tongue hanging out of his mouth while he concentrates.

It's a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the mid-70s. I'm listening to the Ditty Bops and the sound of Legos rattling in their plastic bin.

Another great day.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm sitting on my couch in a triptophanic coma - I just made up that word and I like it.

We had a great day. We spent the day at the Sullivan's. The kids played really well together, Colleen and I cooked, and the men watched the game and smoked cigars.

I'm too tired to be clever.

I will write more tomorrow.

Recharging

To say I was tired last night is an understatement. It's a good thing I posted when I did because I was doing a little surfing after that and I was dozing off then! I laid down with the boys when they went to bed - me spooning Dean and Jack spooning me. Next thing I knew, Tom came in when he got home and I got up. My intention was to chat with him a few minutes so I followed him into our bedroom where he was changing clothes. But after snuggling up with those two little boys, I was a little cold so I slipped into bed just so I could warm up a bit.

I woke up at 5:00 this morning. Makeup still on, hadn't brushed my teeth, still in my clothes. It took me a minute to figure out what had happened. My foggy brain finally figured it out and I looked over to see that the alarm hadn't been set. I turned it on and dozed for a few more minutes then got up and met my friend for a run.

I really needed that sleep. And that run even if we only did a few miles, it was nice being outside in the early morning fog. So peaceful. I can breathe today.

At My Age

Well, after trying for several years to lower my cholesterol level to a more acceptable number, my Doctor and I finally came to the conclusion that I can't do it consistently without going on medication. Hello, my name is Kelsi and I am now an official member of the crestor family.

Why do all the cholesterol medications end in -OR-?

Anyway, despite my best efforts at eating a diet low in fat and exercising regularly, my numbers prefer camping out in the 240 range and my Doctor said that AT MY AGE I need to go on medication to bring the numbers down.

At my age, you can't be too careful.

Disneyland

I was planning to write about the surprise AAA guest to the boys' birthday party but instead I think I'll write about how fun it is to take two brand new 5 year olds to Disneyland 3 days before the Thanksgiving holiday. We went on a Monday because, you know, it's less crowded.

HA!

We left at 7:00am because we wanted to beat the traffic. Luckily, it being a holiday week and all, traffic was lighter than usual. But, oh it was crowded at the park. Despite having snacks in the car, the boys were still starving and I had a caffeine withdrawal headache so we stopped in at the bakery. I insisted that the boys eat their chocolate chocolate chip muffin and some of the cinnamon roll before they could have their Mickey Mouse cookie. you know, 'cause I want to make sure they're eating right. After we got them hopped up on sugar, we went to Tomorrowland and went on the rocket ship ride, which ended up being Jack's favorite ride. Then onto Fantasyland and the Mad Hatters Tea Party which was Dean's favorite.

After that, we went into Toon Town and let the boys play in Goofy's house and Chip 'N Dale's treehouse. They had a ball.

We left the park before the parade because I wanted to miss the traffic (still took us 2 hours to get home!).

Jack fell asleep at dinner and Dean fell asleep on the way home from the restaurant.

I think it's safe to say they had fun.

Grandma goes home tomorrow and I know the boys are going to miss her very much.

So am I.

Grumblers

After the boys opened a few presents yesterday morning, I spent the next 2 hours preparing sandwiches for the party. I managed a 5 minute shower and then packed the car while Tom was out buying balloons and party favors. We headed over to the park to meet the bounce house guy with 70+ cupcakes, bags of chips, cases of soda, water, juice, a helium tank, balloons, balls, vegetable platters, fruit plates, pinatas, and, of course, plates and napkins. I had my permit from the city, just in case. Mom was in charge of bathing the boys, getting them dressed and bringing them to the party.

We got to the party and there was the sign on Section 2 with my name on it. There was also the Persian mafia camped out on the best picnic tables in the area. Immediately, my blood starting boiling. I paid for this park. First, Tom and I just walked around the picnic tables, looking around and glancing over at the squatters every now and then. Eventually, we approached them and told them that we had rented the section and that they would need to leave. And then they just said oh, we're so sorry, we didn't know and they packed up their stuff and left.

Yeah, right.

Of course they argued! Despite the permit I held in my sweaty hand, despite the sign which clearly proclaimed that I, Kelsi ...... had rented the section and that all picnic tables (all 30 of them) were for the exclusive use of my group from 7:00am until dusk. They still argued and puffed their cigarettes and the more they argued, the more my blood boiled and I so just wanted to call the park ranger or my friend the cop and kick them out. But, my husband is good cop and above all, wanted to quit wasting time on this and get our party set up. And, he's generous so he told them that they could stay, even though we had exclusive right to the entire area, we would allow them to have their gathering but they had to move from the best picnic tables. They grumbled a bit and spoke to each other in a language I don't understand, and then I said to Tom, so, should I call the city? And they looked at us and grumbled some more and then Tom said, well we need to set up our party so I'm going to move your stuff for you while you figure out what area you're going to set up in. And they grumbled and puffed on their cigarettes and spoke their language and I got on the phone with my friend Peter and went over to my car and made a big show of being pissed off while I carried supplies over to the tables. One of the grumblers left in a smoky huff, one of the grumblers good-naturedly helped Tom, and the one with the red tattoo of a cross on his forehead glowered at us while he puffed away.

They eventually ended up at the far end of the picnic area which was just perfect for me.

It didn't stop their bratty kids from trying to get in my bounce house while they cast sidelong glances in my direction. I didn't have to worry about it, though.

The kids just told them they weren't invited.

FIVE

The house is a mess. We have 40 cupcakes left over, 5 huge bags of chips and a case of soda. I am beyond tired - we all are.

The party was a success and I have a few stories to tell like about the Persian mafia and why AAA was a sudden party guest but it will have to wait until tomorrow when my mind is more clear.

For now, let me just say that my precious little babies are now five years old.

Last day of 4

Next year, I'm ordering the sandwiches from Gelsons . . .

Today has been exhausting. Up early to get some laundry done, off to the grocery store to get the food for tomorrow's party, then home to put away and have lunch, then off to the party store to buy the pinatas, then dropped off kids and grandma so I could get my hair cut. Thankfully, Mom made the cupcakes while I was getting my hair done. That really helped. Once I got home, we headed off to the park where I was supposed to meet a woman who is looking for a home for her 2 dogs but she never showed. Then we went out to dinner. The service was terrible but the kids were good and it was nice to sit down even if my dinner of eggs, sausage and toast came out as 3 courses. Jack was so tired he fell asleep on my lap.

Now it's 11:15 and just Mom and I are still up. We iced the cupcakes and packed them up. We wrapped the presents and finally, we can go to bed. But of course, I had to post first.

5 years ago today, my doctor came into my hospital room and expressed her amazement that my contractions had slowed, finally after 2 months of total bedrest and magnesium sulfate. It was one of the best days I had in the hospital. She seemed relieved to have gotten me through the scariest weeks of my pregnancy. She told me that she'd get me to 34 weeks and then wean me off the mag. We'll schedule your c-section around Christmastime, she said confidently.

That night, Tom stayed in the room with me. He had demo'd our bathroom that week (after all, babies weren't coming until Christmas) and the dust was too much for him. I remember going to bed that night feeling like I'd done my job. I tolerated the mag, the catheter, the complete bedrest, no showers, no baths, lying flat on my left side with 3 monitors strapped to my belly, getting blood taken every 8 hours - for the safety of my babies, I did that. I fell asleep easily that night.

'Course, I didn't make it to Christmas, did I.

But here we are, 5 years later and I can't imagine my life without them in it.

Busy day & no time

Busy day & no time 4 a proper post. I will have a nice long one 2morrow 2 make up 4 it.

Comfort Food

I promised I'd post the recipe for the homemade Mac 'n Cheese so here it is:

Ingredients:
8 T. butter (reserve 2 T. for topping)
6 T. all-purpose flour
3 3/4 C. warm milk
salt and pepper
4 C. shredded cheese (I used 2 cups fontina, 1 cup parmeggiano reggiano, 1 cup aged monterey jack but sharp cheddar works, too)
1 lb. cooked macaroni
1 sleeve Ritz Crackers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt 6 T. butter over medium-low heat in a large pot. Add the flour and stir constantly for about 4 minutes. It should look foamy; that will ensure that the flour gets cooked. Whisking constantly, add the warm milk about 1/2 cup at a time. Add a pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper. Add 2 cups of the cheese and stir until completely melted. In a large pot or bowl, combine the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce and toss. In a buttered casserole dish, alternate pasta and sauce with reserved shredded cheese in 3-4 layers. Top with crumbled Ritz crackers and dot with reserved 2 T. butter. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and brown on top.

Enjoy!

I'm Sorry

First of all, let me apologize for the half-hearted, lame post of yesterday. I know I disappointed my most loyal readers (Eddie) and for that, I am genuinely sorry.

Let me make it up to you today by showing you this:



That's Daddy's "Special Hat" lovingly made by Dean. In the last picture, Dean is singing to him. It goes a little something like this:

Daddy has a special hat
special hat
special hat
Daddy has a special hat
'cuz he's a special guy.

He wore the hat last night as he ate dinner and promised Dean that he would wear it today on the train. My kingdom for a picture of that!

Anyway, I have no excuse for last night's lame post other than it got late and so I phoned it in - literally. And, I accidentally sent before I was done. So, what I meant to say last night was . . .
the boys are completely oblivious to the fact that their Grandma is at this very moment flying across the great plains and due to arrive around 4pm. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!

I also wanted to mention our new tradition. I've mentioned before that Dean's giving us a little run for our money. It's all or nothing with him - he's either 100% sweetness and light or 100% dark spirit. He's committed, I'll give him that. Lately, he's been a little mean. Quick to anger and lash out without trying to resolve conflict by talking it through or asking for help. I realize some of this is due to his age and that, to some degree, this behavior is normal. However, he's quick to use his fists and quick to call people names and that is completely unacceptable. So, I've really been focusing on getting him to use his words, giving him examples, explaining to him how hurtful it is to say "I don't like you" instead of "I didn't like what you did". Still, it's a constant battle. My adult brain just doesn't understand why I have to keep repeating this over and over. It's teaching me patience all right but he's the one that needs the lesson most, I think. Back to our new tradition - last night at dinner I suggested that when we're gathered together we should go around the table and say what we like about each person at the table. I went first.
Dean, I really like the way you sing.
Jack, I really like the way you whistle.

Then it was Dean's turn.
Mom, I really like when you buy me yogurt.
Jack, I really like the way you share.

Then, Jack's turn.
Mom, I really like when you buy me yogurt. (Original, that one)
Dean, I really like your stories.

So, you see what I bring to the table. Clearly, they're only keeping me around for the dairy products. Some things never change.

Shh... Boys don't know that

Shh... Boys don't know that gma is coming 2morrow. Tonight, a new tradition - saying something nice about ppl @ d

In Which Our Heroine Realizes She's Not the Only One

As we returned home from a birthday party today, my cell phone rang. Remembering my momentary lapse in reason from the other night I simply answered "hello". To my surprise, it was the same parent from the other night. I recognized the British accent immediately.

Oh, didn't I mention that? Yeah, besides all the other reasons why she couldn't be my Grandma (2 time zones away, after midnight, etc. etc.) --- she's also British.

My Grandma's not British.

Anyway, so this other mom calls to tell me that they went to the park for our party and no one was there and then she looked at the invitation and realized it was yesterday and she was so sorry that they missed it and her son was so disappointed.

I said "hey, the party's next Saturday! You're not a day late, you're six days early!"

And then I did a little happy dance that I'm not the only Mom who's just trying to make it by the skin of her teeth.