Wait, Is The Sky Falling?

They say that children always know when something's wrong, but ... I didn't. I was one of the kids who was constantly surprised when something bad happened. I was sheltered throughout my childhood, or perhaps I was just oblivious, whether by choice or not. There's also the potential that my mom was a teensy tiny bit dramatic and worried about everything so I simply became inured to the drama and ignored the real drama.

By the time I was in college, I just laughed. My freshman year in college, my mom called me as she arrived home from Parent Weekend. "Michelle, are you sitting down? I have some bad news for you," she intoned seriously.

Silly me, I sat on my bed, awaiting the bad news although honestly without much sense of dread.

My mom took a deep breath. "My car. Is in the pond. It rolled into the pond, and it's going to be totaled."

I blinked. "Ok. Were you in it when it happened? Did anyone get hurt?" I began my inquiry.

"No. No, no one was in it. I had parked the car in the garage and gotten my suitcases out before closing the trunk. I went inside and closed the garage door. When your sister opened the house door, she asked why I hadn't parked in the garage. It wasn't until I turned around then that I realized the car wasn't in the garage anymore! She was almost starting to wail at this point.

I managed to calm her down, ascertaining that the only damage to anything was her pride. And the car that had somehow mysteriously rolled from our garage, down the driveway, and into the pond in front of our house. Personally, I was grateful that the car - which needed the car left in first gear constantly eighteen years into its life, as the parking brake no longer functioned - had rolled into the pond instead of into the street where children might have been playing or a car might have been driving by. I was happy that the large weeping willow trees on one side of the pond were spared. And I was thrilled that as my mom had walked behind the car, it hadn't started rolling then and knocked her down or worse.

I was inured to her drama by then. And looking back, I think I was inured to it at an early age, or I simply believed that life was always going to be good to me. Maybe it was just in my personality from the start to take things as they come and let them roll off my back. The day my mom packed my sister and I up and left my dad? Total surprise to me (they did get back together months later and are still together today - coming up on their fiftieth wedding anniversary actually). When my mom sat my sister down and told us my dad was in treatment for alcoholism (there's a long story there, and some day I'll have to share that one)? I shrugged and went on with my life, it was a surprise to me but everything would be fine in the end. I know it drove my mom nuts that my sister and I couldn't figure out where she was leading my sister and I with her questions as she tried to tell us where my dad was, but nothing seemed wrong to me at that time or before then.

In a way, I think my ability to roll with the punches as they come and not focus on the bad that may or may not be coming down the pike serves me well. I don't dwell on what might happen. I don't worry about what's to come. And I don't get nervous or butterflies in my stomach - because it's all going to be ok in the end. On the other hand, there are events in my life that completely blindside me because not only am I not looking for the signs of bad things, I appear to have an ability to ignore some of them.

Looking around at how some people I know live their lives - always looking for trouble and waiting for the other shoe to drop - I think I'm ok being the oddball child and, to a lesser degree now, adult who doesn't sense that something is wrong and is just waiting for it to come. In what camp do you fall?

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of the book "Carry Yourself Back To Me" as part of the From Left to Write book club for purposes of facilitating our discussion. As part of this book club, we write posts inspired by the book, as opposed to traditional book reviews. I received no compensation, and all opinions are my own, as always.

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Where In Time Would You Go?

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, primarily at night before I head to bed but also during some of my recent travels. It's been mostly fiction and a wide variety at that. Some of the brain candy tends to be set in the mid 1800s, a time I'm fascinated by.

There are times when I'd love to live in London in the early to mid eighteenth century. The idea of being a young lady having a season and servants galore and country houses and town houses - and don't forget the country parties with all your friends - and shopping on Bond Street and different dresses for different times of day, even just the fact that people wore gloves and there was no skin to skin touching (for the most part, ahem). The idea of a life like that intrigues me.

Then I think about the fact that those young ladies were in a rarefied circle, and I'm far more likely to be one of the servants than the lady being served. And London was incredibly polluted then with noxious smog, making breathing difficult. Those dresses, too... below the heavy and itchy fabrics were the garters and stays and corsets and more. I'm thinking that's one of those things that sounds much better in my head than it does in reality.

Then there's the fact that women weren't permitted to do so many things we are today. Their fathers could barter them off for marriage. The slightest faux pas could result in very public and permanent shunning. Once married, their husbands had all the rights, and they had nothing. Society was very rigid with its structure and rules, with movement within classes very rare and women essentially not allowed to do anything outside the home - unless they were servants. I love the choices I have today. I love that I had a wonderful career for many years, that I chose my own husband, that I have the option of whether I want to work or stay home with my children - and my career choices go beyond governess, maid, or cook.

I like the freedom that I have today, and I cherish the decisions I am able to make, as romantic as another time may sound when I read about it from two hundred years in the future. I wonder if people will look back on our time in two hundred years and shudder about the privations we currently suffer.

I find it fascinating how different life is at various points in time. Even looking at 1815 versus 1825 versus 1850 is a very different time in terms of the morals and what women were allowed to do. Looking at other times, society hasn't always progressed in a straight line from absolute rule and women, for example, being little more than slaves to today where individual choice and freedom is paramount. Ancient Egypt allowed women to inherit and rule (see: Cleopatra, though she was far from the only one).

The middle ages also fascinate me, though the complete lack of sanity and medical expertise makes it a little less appealing. Using stale bread as plates - repeatedly - is also a bit of a turnoff, and let's not forget that sugar was a rarity and chocolate not available.

Ancient Rome or Greece provide another potential era when I could live. They had such highly developed civilizations with knowledge paramount. And yes, they bathed frequently. The climates there are also a whole lot nicer than Chicago, especially since we've now had eight straight days of rain and our normal highs of 70 or so have been replaced by 50s.

Reading about Cleopatra in the eponymous book by Stacy Schiff brings these thoughts to the fore for me, as she details the "true" life of Cleopatra and her cunning, rather than focusing on her Hollywood created beauty and seduction. The picture she paints of Alexandria and Rome and more are powerful, though the stark picture of a determined Cleopatra - someone I wouldn't want for a mother - makes it slightly less appealing.

If you could travel anywhere in time and live in another place, where would you go? What appeals to you about other times and places?

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of the book "Cleopatra" as part of the From Left to Write book club for purposes of facilitating our discussion. As part of this book club, we write posts inspired by the book, as opposed to traditional book reviews. I received no compensation, and all opinions are my own, as always.

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BlogHer Book Club: Lunch Wars

Apparently this is the week of books. It's coincidence that I've had two days of BlogHer Book Club books come up, but it's kind of neat, too. There is a new format to the BlogHer Book Club to some degree, where it isn't always reviews on the site but rather reviews on our own blogs and then much larger - and very interesting discussions - on the BlogHer site. I'm really interested to see the discussions on our current book Lunch Wars by Amy Kalafa.

Personally, I was really excited to read the book. I care a lot about food and what I and the wee ones are ingesting. (I've given up on my husband when he isn't at home!) We do a lot of organics, and I cook from scratch as much as possible. On top of that, we avoid a lot of foods - anything "fake" including sweeteners and dyes and corn syrup in all its form, among others. Not surprisingly, that means that I pack a lunch for the wee one every day. They get a "main course" that is frequently leftover from dinner the night before or a sandwich, a fresh fruit and a fresh or frozen vegetable.

I was really looking forward to what Amy had to say about school lunches and how to improve them. I'm not sure what I was expecting exactly, maybe more of an expose on the lunch program and how much its failing. Instead, she focuses on what we as parents can do. While there is some data on how wrong most school lunch programs are (and no, we don't ever buy them). There is information on how overly processed they are and how they aren't serving the needs of our children. I love some of the quotes from the USDA about how obesity is now the problem the school lunch program is facing and not malnourishment, which is what it was when the program was first developed. The history that Amy weaves into the book to truly get a realistic understanding of the politics behind it and the history of the program provide a great base to do something.

The book is essentially a how to manual. How to go about changing the school lunches in your schools to make them healthier for our children, while ensuring they're something that they will still eat and enjoy. There is some great discussion around the challenges facing the school lunch program - did you know the average program has less than $1 to spend on the students' lunch after taking into account other costs? No wonder so much of it is prepackaged over processed crap that meets the letter of the law with regards to requirements but definitely not the spirit.

Amy has a step by step guide with real life stories and plenty of encouragement to make a difference in your community from how to build the coalition to how to approach the leaders in your communities and more. It was impressive to see so much useful information in one place, but I know I don't personally have any more energy to go change the lunch program in our district - partly when we don't participate in it anyway (it's $4.25 per lunch for my son!) and partly because I'm volunteering so much elsewhere and partly because I'm focused on getting Mister Man to his therapies (including during school time) and to their after school activities. I just don't have the bandwidth to take anything more on, but I would absolutely love to see this take root in my community.

This book gives me hope that it can be done. I am planning to write a note in the front of my book: I read this book and I wholeheartedly support the need for change in our school lunch programs. I am passing this book along to another community member to share this knowledge with them. Below that I will sign my name and ask everyone who reads the book to do the same. It's the small part I can do to further the movement, and I have so much hope after reading this book.

That said, I know a lot of parents want to keep the flavored milks in schools (Do they know what's in it? Do they know what the alternatives are?) and are ok with eating the prepackaged processed foods for a variety of reasons. In many ways, I am in the minority. Where do you stand in the Lunch Wars?

Weigh in here, and join in the discussions on Lunch Wars with BlogHer Book Club.

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In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of "Lunch Wars" for review purposes. I am also compensated as part of this campaign, but as always, all opinions expressed are my own - just check out some of my not so positive book reviews for proof of that!

BlogHer Book Club: Faithful Place

I have once again been reading - stop laughing for those of you who know me well enough to know I travel with a book just about everywhere I go. I am really enjoying being a part of the BlogHer Book Club, as I'm reading a lot of books that I otherwise wouldn't see. While I don't always love all of them, there are some really great and unique one I've been exposed to. Faithful Place by Tana French is a great example of this.

Faithful Place is Tana'a third book and once again set in Ireland. It's a gritty Ireland and while a mystery of sorts, it isn't your typical fare. I've already put her other two books on hold at my local library, which has to be one of the best indictations that I've read a good book possible, right?

Learn more about my thoughts from my Faithful Place review on the BlogHer Book Club site. Note, there are a few spoilers, but nothing to ruin the book!

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In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of "Faithful Place" for review purposes. I am also compensated as part of this campaign, but as always, all opinions expressed are my own - just check out some of my not so positive book reviews for proof of that!

Tasty Tuesday - Berry Cherry Crisp

I've talked a lot about how Mister Man helps me with cooking and baking, but it isn't just him. Little Miss is another one who's in the kitchen a lot and loves helping me out, too. I recently had a potluck to attend, and Little Miss had the honor of choosing the dessert I was assigned to bring.

Our challenge is that she wanted to make something that she'd be able to eat, too, so it had to be something I could make dairy free. She first started looking at recipes in our cook book that were things like a chocolate buttermilk cake or a mousse or something that I am just not experienced or talented enough to create dairy free. We sat down and talked about what she likes and what she wanted to do, and we finally came up with a perfect recipe.

The coolest part of all? She made it All. By. Herself. How awesome is that? I put it into and removed it from the oven, but she did the measuring and mixing and pouring all by herself. And ohhh was she proud!

I love how easy this is, and while the mayonnaise idea sort of freaked me out a bit at first (I'd heard of using mayo in place of butter in certain recipes but this was the first time I'd done it), it actually made it like a sour cream blueberry flavor, and it was awesome. This is an absolute keeper, and we're making it again soon.

Go baby girl!

(Note that I made an individual serving of this in a ramekin for Little Miss to eat in addition to the whole pan. You can choose to make them all individual servings in ramekins if you prefer, a fun way to do it if you're entertaining.)

Berry Cherry Crisp

Ingredients:
4 c blueberries
1 c cherries (I used both frozen and dried)
1/4 c corn starch
1 c flour
3/4 c oats
3/4 c brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 c mayonnaise

Directions:

Place your berries into an eight inch baking dish. Use corn starch and 1/2 t of nutmeg to coat the berries, stirring them gently to coat. If you're using fresh berries, you won't need to use the corn starch or you can use less of it. The frozen berries really excrete a lot of juice though!

When I use nutmeg - and I use it a lot! - I use whole nutmeg and grate it myself with my zester. It has a stronger and better taste - it's just fresher. That and the whole nutmeg is both cheaper and lasts longer. Ground spices start to deteriorate and lose their flavor after about six months. You can keep the whole nutmeg way longer than that. I buy mine at a bulk food store, which cuts the cost down even further.

To make the toppings, simply put all the dry ingredients into another bowl. Note that I've adjusted the recipe slightly since I made this the first time, so the picture doesn't have everything quite the same. Once they're in the bowl, mix them up so that they're well combined and it's a uniform color and texture.

Once the dry streusel ingredients are well mixed, add the mayonnaise. You can simply use your spatula to mix it together until the streusel makes nice little clumps. You don't want it smooth or completely flat, so don't mix it too much.

From there, simply pour the streusel topping over the berries. You don't want to press it down into the crisp, but you do need to smooth it a bit so that it's evenly spread across the berries.

Bake the crisp in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes (closer to 40 if you're using fresh berries) until the topping is golden brown and the juices are starting to bubble around the streusel. Let it fully cool before you eat it, and serve rewarmed or at room temperature.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.

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Oh Yeah... Laundry!

I know I'm not the only one. I'm tired of laundry. I don't actually hate doing it, but I'm just tired of it. It feels like I never have a chance to finish a load of laundry before someone in the house has put yet another item of clothing into the just emptied basket.

Yes, we are now all Sisyphus.

Every once in awhile, I just pretend like the laundry isn't there. I'll go for a few days or even gasp a week without doing laundry. I do have to check to ensure that Mister Man has enough uniform pants and shirts so that I don't get into trouble there. We've only had to go into the dirty clothes basket once to get a pair of pants this year, and that was because he somehow outgrew three pairs that we didn't realize until those were the only three pairs left.

Yesterday, Mister Man called down to me as he was getting dressed. Mooooom, I only have bad socks left. Ummm, ok. So they aren't your favorite socks. Big deal. Wear them anyway for one day, and I'll do laundry so that there are clean socks for today.

Apparently I should have delved a little deeper and found out exactly what Mister Man meant by "bad socks." Ahem.

And why yes, it was Mass Day for his school. The day when they have to wear their full uniform. Which includes only white, navy, or black socks. Oops.

I washed a lot of socks yesterday. He's good to go on socks for a good three weeks now, but I promise I'll do more laundry long before then.

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Don't Waste Those Envelopes!

I finally had a stroke of genius, if I do so humbly say so myself. Granted, this may be only genius in my head, but I'm so excited to solve multiple of my first world problems in one shot.

What have I done?

Well, if you have children in school, you know how often you have to send things to and from school. There are the field trip forms with checks, there are the volunteer forms, there are the room parent volunteer forms and checks, there are the hot lunch orders and checks (ok, not for us but for most people), and the list goes on and on. I can't tell you how often I am sending in something to school that really ought to be in an envelope for safety and/or security.

An envelope. I have those somewhere. Somewhere... I think. Ok, so I'm tend to not have them on hand as often as I'd like. And so I send in things paper clipped together or simply folded in the hopes that they make it safely to school - because how often do I even have a spare paper clip?

On the flip side, I get junk mail and bills out the wazoo. I think we all do, even though I've put myself on many of the "do not X" lists. The majority of them come with reply envelopes that I don't use because I pay all my bills online. They simply go into recycling, though I hate all the waste.

Do it with me... one plus one equals TWO!

It finally dawned on me that simply saving those reply envelopes and using them for sending information to and from school. No (ok less) waste, no panicking because I don't have an envelope, no checks or forms lost because they were hanging out loose in the backpack.

I'm proud of my genius moment. What's your best genius moment?

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