I Kidnapped My Husband

A few weeks ago my family found ourselves with a rare free weekend.  We were a little bewildered with how that happened and weren't sure if we should enjoy it by doing absolutely nothing or by planning a family outing.  While pondering our choices it reminded me of life before kids.  I pointed out to my husband that before kids when we found ourselves with a free weekend like this we'd throw an overnight bag together, jump in the car and see where we ended up.  *sigh* Those were the good ol' days of being carefree and spontaneous. 

 It got me to thinking.  There are a lot of things we don't have time to do anymore that we used to really enjoy.  Like going to festivals, visiting little towns and wandering the streets, comedy clubs, wine tours.  Even if we do find the time these are events that our kids just wouldn't enjoy.

Ironically while out picking blueberries with my kids, I found a flyer for a local winery listing all of  the special events coming up.  There were a few that I knew we'd be interested in and we've talked about checking out this winery since it opened a few years ago, but alas, have had no time.  I checked the calendar to see what date would work best, contacted our babysitter, and simply put the word babysitter on the calendar.  I didn't tell my husband about it, I figured he wouldn't notice it there and I'd surprise him with the day out.

Sure enough, he didn't notice the babysitter was scheduled until a few hours before she was due to come.  He asked me what I had in mind and I told him but asked him if he'd like to do something different.  A heat wave hit and it was 105 degrees out and the festival was outdoors!  We braved the heat and headed to the winery anyway, knowing it might be a long time before we had an opportunity like this again.

We wandered the craft vendors that were set up, listened to some jazz music from the bands playing, and then went indoors for a wine tasting and to cool off.  After our wine tasting we grabbed some food and found a shady table to sit so we could eat and chat.  He filled me in on work (honestly, most days we don't have time for him to tell me about his day), vacation plans, and other topics that didn't relate to kids.  I didn't even consciously avoid talking about the kids, we just naturally found other topics that we never have time to discuss. 

I wish the heat hadn't dampered our evening out but it was still a nice time together doing something we enjoy.  An added bonus was that he was surprised and touched that I planned an evening together without discussing it with him first. 

When was the last time you got out for a date night?

Enjoy your own date night and link up with Life Without Pink!

Nothing

Not every day needs to be filled with busyness and activities.  Sometimes it is nice to just slow down and soak it all in.

The other day my 9 year old son and I sat on the front  porch blowing bubbles together.  We tried different wands to see what results we'd get, who could blow the biggest bubble, and trying to catch the bubbles.  I told him stories about when he was little and how I could remember when he couldn't blow bubbles.  He doesn't remember his early days in speech therapy and so when I explained why he couldn't blow bubbles he asked me more questions. 

We talked.  We sat and enjoyed the quietness of the neighborhood.  We soaked up some simple togetherness. 

Sometimes it really is about slowing down and doing nothing.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

My parents rotate taking my kids which is so great for so many reasons I don't think I could even begin to list them all.  We've had a summer full of bickering so it was a nice break this past week with my daughter at camp and my Big Guy at the grandparents.   That left just me and The Middle Child during the day.

The Middle Child reveled in being an only child for a few days.  He swore he didn't miss the Big Guy one bit.  However, I noticed that one evening I was on the phone with the Big Guy and The Middle Child wanted to get on the phone with him and talk.  He wanted to tell his brother about what he was up to during the day.  When the Big Guy returned?  The Middle Child was stuck to his side like glue. 

Perhaps absence really does make the heart grow fonder. 

Girl Scout is her Name, Adventure is her Game

This past week my daughter set off on an adventure every morning.  That adventure is named Girl Scout camp.  Each day she discovered something new, made new friends, asserted her independence and worked cooperatively with others. 

While we have fun as a family, the fun she had this week is different.  She was able to try new things that she may not have the opportunity to do with us, such as zip lining and rock climbing.  Unfortunately for her adventurous spirit, her parents are both terrified of heights. 

Each day she was able to pick new activities so she was continually trying new things.  Among her favorite was kayaking.  My Baby Girl, who is just 7 years old, was set afloat alone in a kayak.  I'm pretty sure I would have been a nervous wreck, but what did she do?  She learned how to paddle.  And she thought it was easy. 

She is excited to return again for a week later in the summer and I am very excited for her.  I'm excited that each day is new and full of expectation and that she is willing to take it head on.  I'm proud that she is a Girl Scout. 

Deserted Island

The other day my 7 year old daughter asked me what 7 things I would bring with me to a deserted island.  My first thought was that if someone would drop me on a deserted island I'd be so thankful for the peace and quiet I wouldn't care if I had nothing with me.  I'd be more than happy to fend for myself.  Keyword there being myself because I'd be on a deserted island.  No husband.  No kids.  No nonsense. 

When I snapped out of my little daydream fantasy, I thought about it for a minute.  I wanted to pick a variety of items that would help me survive but I also wanted things that would keep my brain stimulated and prevent absolute boredom from creeping in.  After all, she didn't specify how long I'd be on the island before someone barged in on my fantasy vacation rescued me. 

I gave her my list of my 7 items:

1. Tent
2. Sleeping Bag
3. Flint
4. Knife
5. Book
6. Journal (with attached pen of course so it would only count as 1 item)
7. Deck of Cards

I then asked her what items she would bring along.  Hers 7 were:

1. Food
2. Water
3. Flashlight
4. Extra batteries
5. Blanket
6. Emergency Kit
7. Fishing Pole

I was quite impressed with the fact that she thought to bring a fishing pole.  I wish I had put that one on my list!  Can I trade my journal for the fishing pole? 

Then of course my boys heard us discussing this and wanted in on the conversation.  My 10 year old's list includes:

1. Rope
2. Lighter
3. machete
4. Tent
5. Flare Gun
6. Boat Horn
7. Fishing Pole (he stole this one from his sister)

My 9 year old son's list includes:

1. Flare Gun
2. Knife
3. Fishing Pole
4. Lighter
5. Food
6. Rope
7. Blanket

I was quite impressed with the fact my boys thought to bring rope.  Again, this could be a very useful item.  Can I swap out my book for a skein of rope? 

Now you tell me.  If all your necessary items were provided for you, what one luxury item would you bring along? 

Wordless Wednesday

Blueberry Cupcakes

I found  this recipe in my July 2011 issue of Family Circle before blueberry picking had hit my radar.  I pulled it out and tucked it into my recipe binder in case we made it to the blueberry farm this summer.  It has been tugging at my brain...it just sounded so good, and slightly different, and I really wanted to try it.  So, after our haul at the blueberry farm, this was the first recipe we whipped up. 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh blueberries (I threw in an extra handful)

Topping:
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespooon confectioners sugar (optional)

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line one 12-cup cupcake pan with liners.

2.  In medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  In large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  On low speed, add half the flour mixture.  Beat in the milk and vanilla, followed by remaining flour mixture.  Fold in fresh blueberries.

3.  Spoon batter into pan, a scant 1/3 cup in each one.  Bake at 375 for 23-25 minutes, turning pan once.  Cool in pan on wire rack, then remove cakes from pan to cool completely.

4.  Prepare topping.  In large bowl, combine cream and granulated sugar.  Beat until medium-stiff peaks are formed.  Spoon onto cooled cupcakes, about 1/4 cup each.  Scatter 6 or 7 blueberries over each cupcake, and dust with a little confectioners sugar, if desired.  Serve immediately or keep cool until serving.

(mmm, nothing better than fresh whipped cream.  Should I admit the best part was licking the bowl?)

The cupcake was a bit denser than I'm used to a cupcake being however, it works.  It holds the blueberries and is offset by the light, fluffy, freshly whipped cream.  It really is a tasty cupcake! 

Weekend in Review: T shirt

Recently Martin from TShirtPrinting.net sent me one of his shirts to review.   His company specializes in screen printing clothing that you can personalize for your needs.

The shirt he sent me sports a cute monkey design.  I've worn this shirt a bunch of times now and I can say it washes and wears well.  It fits true to size and I haven't noticed any shrinking, even after my lazy self throws it in the dryer.  The design itself hasn't cracked, peeled, or faded either.  I think it is a great t-shirt for casual days.

If you are in need of some customized shirts and gear be sure to pop on over to check out all that is available on his site. 

My Top 10 Missed Shows

TV is a favorite way of mine to unwind.  I don't usually turn the TV on at all during the day, but by night you can catch me curled up on the couch or in bed with the remote.  I'm a Real Housewives junkie and even though it isn't what I would consider quality programming, it helps me forget about what happened during the day, put off thinking about tomorrow, and be happy that somebody else has bigger problems than me. 

My very first post on this blog was about my thoughts on TV and the lack of quality family programming.  I miss that there were great shows that my family and I enjoyed sitting down to and watching together.  While I may not want to revive the Olsen Twins, I wish that a TGIF lineup would make a comeback with shows that I wouldn't be embarrassed or horrified for my children to be watching.  Some quality Saturday morning cartoons would make my day too. 

If I could pick my Top 10 Shows to make a comeback they would include:

1. Leave it to Beaver  We need a little old fashioned TV back in our lives.  Who doesn't love the shenanigans the Beave used to get himself up to? 
2. The Cosby Show My entire family used to laugh themselves silly during these episodes.  My dad got some great ideas from Cliff too.
3. Growing Pains  I loved me some Kirk Cameron.
4. Who's The Boss  For some reason I wanted to be Alyssa Milano growing up.  Now, I wouldn't mind having a Tony come and clean my house for me. 
5. The Magic Garden We didn't have big purple dinosaurs, we had 2 hippie chicks singing, playing guitars and swinging on swings. 
6. Friends  I miss me some Friends.  I'll admit, you can frequently find me watching reruns. 
7. The Muppets I couldn't wait for Sunday nights when the Muppets came on!
8. Gilligan's Island  Yes, it is completely ludicrous to think that the Howell's would have packed so much stuff for a 3 hour tour and that they'd have so many visitors on a deserted island yet never be rescued.  But it was still fun to watch.
9. Doogie Howser I always wanted to have a friend like Vinny who climbed through my window.  I also thought his computer diary was cool.
10. Smurfs  Who doesn't love those little blue men?

I asked my family and friends some of the shows they'd like to bring back and I got some interesting responses and this is what they had to say:

The Brady Bunch, Love Boat, Happy Days, MASH, The Partridge Family, Lost in Space, Seinfeld, Fantasy Island, Mand From Atlantis, Dallas, Little House on the Prairie, Friends, Gilmore Girls, A Team, Soap, Green Acres, I Love Lucy, Touched by an Angel and Welcome Back Kotter all made the list. 

If you could pick one TV show to bring back, what would it be?

For more Writer's Workshop visit Mama's Losin' It

Blueberry Picking

Take it as it comes

Sometimes the best plans come from no plans at all.  Today was a perfect example of that. 

This morning I woke up knowing we had no plans.  After two lazy days at home I knew my kids would be restless and wanting to get out of the house.  After the coffee kicked in, I asked them if they had any ideas for the day and they suggested calling friends to go to the park.  An impromptu play date at the park led to plans for an impromptu potluck BBQ and a trip to the fireworks.  Both families ended the day happy.

It got me to thinking about all the plans I've meticulously layed out and they haven't gone well or didn't seem as fun as we had hoped.  We end up disappointed and wondering what went wrong.  How does that happen when an impromptu day like today can end up fabulous, despite the lack of planning?  I think it has to do with anticipation and expectation.  When we take the time and energy and invest in a lot of planning we get our hopes up.  If they don't live up to our expectations we are disappointed.  In contrast, when we have no plans and fly by the seat of our pants, we are pleasantly surprised by what turns up.  We are more open to what comes and accepting it as it is. 

So next time you have no plans, try rolling the dice and seeing where they lead you.  You just might end up having a fabulous time!

Happy 4th of July

Photo Credit

May we all enjoy a little sparkle in our day.

I'm proud to be an American!

Season of the BENNY

Here at the Jersey Shore we use the term BENNY to describe out of towners, but most specifically those from North Jersey and New York.  You can tell a BENNY in many different ways.  Their license plates can be giveaways, their physical appearance may be a tip off, and you can always tell a BENNY by the amount of stuff they haul onto the beach.  They could probably survive for a week just on what is in their coolers. 

The thoughts of the BENNYs coming usually doesn't give locals a warm and fuzzy feeling.  When we hear BENNY we think of all the traffic that is to come, all the extra people on the beaches and in the restaurants.  While we know that they are vital to the economy for many of the local businesses, we much prefer the off season when it isn't crowded.  AND we might not use the term BENNY as a derogatory term if they could just learn a little etiquette.  For starters, leave the city at home.  Here are a few other tips (some that locals need a reminder of too!):

• When driving, it is understandable that you might not know where you are going.  However, instead of driving like a bat out of hell, try slowing down and using your signal. 

• Leave your truck driver mouth at home or at least keep it to a whisper.  My kids don't need to hear the F bomb dropped every other sentence.

• The beach isn't a giant ash tray and I don't want to smell your smoke.

• Don't crowd your neighbor.  Leave a little room around you when setting up camp. 

• When leaving, survey the area around you and be sure to take all your trash with you. 

A little respect for those around you goes a long way whether you are an out of towner or not.  We all just want to enjoy our summer and our beach days.