Hair today

Today Bode and Gianna got haircuts.  We went to a dedicated children's hair salon that I found in a neighboring city. It's the same franchise we went to in Palo Alto.  I like this experience, and more importantly, I think the children do, too.  

Gianna was so tired by the time we got there. But she was a trooper, and so good, while Bode got his haircut and then while she got her hair cut.  Gianna got her baby hair snipped off! I had mixed feelings about this; hate to see the baby-baby stuff go, but also knew that she had dead ends that needed to be taken off.  

Her hair looks long when it is wet and combed out!

Her first "palm tree."

Her hair started curling up again even before we left the salon.

It wasn't until Bode was finished with his haircut that I realized I hadn't even snapped a photo of him.  I think I have a photo of every haircut he has gotten.  Here are his "after" photos:

Bode watching a little boy cry & scream during a haircut.

I am fortunate that both children do so well while getting haircuts.  There is usually a child in the salon that is crying and/or screaming.  Ai-yi-yi!  The drama! I feel so bad for the child, the mother, and the hair stylist.

Afterwards, we went to a shoe store and got Gianna fitted for new sneakers. This weekend, when I was putting her shoes on, I thought that Gianna's feet felt a little too snug. I was right: her feet have grown! I always feel bed, thinking that I'm shoving my kids' feet into too small shoes and they can't tell me. Bode's feet are the same size, so he didn't get any new shoes. I was wondering if this would be a problem. I worried that Bode would think, "Why is Gianna getting new shoes, and I am not?"  But he didn't seem to think anything of it.   That kind of thinking will come later, right. 

This weekend we drove to the "dacks," to Gore Mountain.  It is definitely bigger than the other two local ski areas.  But not anywhere I'd want to just hang out with Gianna. Why don't these places have nice lodges decked out with cushy sofas and fireplaces, a decent cafe, etc?  They need to get a clue from Park City and other areas. We drove into town afterwards and stopped at a little cafe for breakfast. I ordered the "lumberjack breakfast," and after the waitress had walked off with our order, RWF asked, "You do know what the 'lumberjack breakfast' means, right?" I told him that I was well aware of what I had ordered. When my food came, I cleaned my plate (Bode ate the 3 pieces of bacon).  It was delicious.   RWF laughed all the way home, and told me that he'd never let me forget the "lumberjack breakfast." 

Sunday, RWF took Bode skiing at West Mountain.  RWF said that he had the hardest time getting Bode to stop skiing. Bode gets tired, but isn't ready to stop. RWF always has to bribe Bode with food. I love that they go out to breakfast after skiing.  I love the idea of my two boys hanging out together. I think Bode really enjoys the time with his daddy. And I know that RWF loves it, or he wouldn't take Bode out every weekend. This may be the last weekend for skiing though. 

Today the high is supposed to reach 66 degrees. The sun is shining and I'm wondering why we are inside (naps).  I hated to use this beautiful morning getting haircuts, but Bode wanted to do that instead of going to the park.  (I can't explain it.)  This afternoon, I plan to take the children to a park.  We need to enjoy this beautiful weather while we have it!

Happy Monday.

xo
PS It should be noted that it snowed Friday night!  While Bode and Gianna were modeling their new rain gear, I looked outside and it looked like a blizzard.  I am gearing up for Spring, but becoming fast-aware that we are living in a totally different environment this year!

  

Bonk

The morning started out great.  I had made a delicious cheeeeese (oh so much cheese!) omelet for breakfast. Bode came downstairs, took one look at the eggs on his plate and announced that he wanted French toast.  I was in such a great mood that I thought, "Hmm. Why not?"  And got up from the table and made him French toast. It was delicious. My stomach is so happy that I let my 3 year old rule my culinary endeavors at 7 AM.

Then, after breakfast, because Gianna had decided to get up at the ass-crack of dawn, we had plenty of time to have a party on the bed before dropping Bode at preschool.  I know that I've mentioned before how much I love hanging out in our bed with the babies.  We had a ticklefest, story time, and some zerberts,  all before 8:30 AM.

These are all blurry, because I was giggling like a loon while trying to snap pics.

Gianna is big on two things right now:  exposing her belly for a zerbert (raspberry) and not allowing me to put pants back on her after a diaper change.  As soon as the diaper is fastenend, she rolls over and runs off before I can even grab a leg.  If I suggest putting on her pants, she says, "No!" like, "that is the dumbest idea ever, Mom."   

Runnin', runnin'...

I thought I'd get more downtime while Bode was at school, but that is not the case.  It seems that Gianna wants to capitalize on all her "alone time with Mommy" and holds me hostage in the playroom.  She single-handedly destroys the playroom while Bode is at school. Books, puzzles and games all come off the shelves and are opened and dismantled.  If I check my iPhone or get up to use the bathroom, she warns, "Mommy!" and presents me with a puzzle or something else that I need to play with right away.  It is like that movie Misery, where the obsessed fan Annie wants the famous writer all to herself. 

Here is a puzzle for you, Mommy!

Today I dropped Bode off in his ski pants and a fleece jacket. It wasn't until I was almost home that I realized that he didn't have his down jacket on in 30 degree weather.  I did a crazy U-turn in the street and barrelled on back to his school, because "MAH BAYBEE! MAH BAYBEE is a-freeeezin!"  I felt horrible. I got to the school and ran over to the playground. There was Bode, having the time of his life running around on the playground (with the other snow-suited, mittened, snow-booted children).   The teacher laughed when I dangled his down jacket in front of her.  She said, "It looks like he's doing fine, but I'll definitely get it on him."

When I picked Bode up from school, he ran out the door and immediately onto the playground. Gianna was running in another direction and I had to grab her. I looked up to see Bode running directly toward the swingset. If you are a mother, you know where this is going. In slo-mo. I have seen this happen enough times on the playground but it has never actually happened to Bode. Until now. I screamed, "BODE, NO!"  as he ran right in front of a big kid swinging.  The big kid missed kicking Bode on the upswing, but then BONKED Bode on the head (with his snowbooted feet) on the downswing.  Bode was knocked to the ground and immediately started crying.  I felt so horrible for him.  He laid there and cried for a long time. I tried to soothe him, while checking for any traumatic injuries. Luckily, there were none.  This of course caused a lot of attention with the teachers on the playground. Attention that Bode did not want. I shooed the teachers away and just held Bode (while also keeping a squirming Gianna in my lobster claw grip). I have to figure out a solution to school pick up.  Maybe Gianna will have to go into a stroller. But I don't know what to do about my playground loving boy.  I am sure that he has already forgotten about the big hit he took this afternoon.  But I haven't.

He was so sad after the big swing hit!

Saying goodbye to his teacher, who ran after us, (all the way to our car!) to make sure he was okay.

What are your weekend plans?  I am trying to catch up on laundry today so I don't have to worry about it this weekend.  I was really hoping to do more today, but it seems that I have run out of steam. I hope that we eat breakfast out sometime. I need pancakes.

Happy Friday.

xo

Thaw

Yesterday it was 55 degrees.  55 degrees! And sunny! I felt like I had won the lottery.  And today is turning out even better, sunshine with a reported high of 63.  I can not believe my good luck. Thank you, Spring! Thanks for showing up early this year.  

Our yard is a mixture of (melting) snow, ice and large puddles of water.  It was warm yesterday, so the children were in fleece jackets. They wore snow boots on their feet because of the snow and wetness. The children played outside for a long time.  I think they enjoyed the warm weather and sunshine more than I did (if that is possible).

Bode loves that our driveway is getting flooded in parts, thanks to the melting snow. He pretends like it is a car wash and runs his bike (or Gianna in the car) through the water really fast.  

They love to "skate" on the ice, too.  This makes me incredibly nervous.  RWF thinks that it's great that they get out there and practice their balance on the ice.  

Of course, by the time I made everyone come inside for dinner, they were both absolutely soaked.  I had to strip them of their wet clothes and boots immediately. Their little feet and legs were red and cold.  They were not happy about changing into dry clothes and socks! Children are so funny in that they don't let a pair of soggy boots and pants stop them from play.

Yes, he is sitting in (cold) water.

Yesterday I ordered rain jackets, rain pants, and rain boots for the children. I am a little bit behind! I was not expecting Spring to arrive in NY so soon. Hopefully their rain gear will arrive quickly so that they can use it. 

Happy Spring!

xo

Banana nut muffins (and a steak)

Yesterday afternoon, my little sous chef and I made banana nut muffins.    We had four blackened bananas decomposing on the counter. I didn't want to throw them out. I hate wasting food. It is a huge pet peeve of mine. I am learning that having two toddlers equals a waste of food every day.

Back to the black bananas. The problem is, I was not feeling motivated to make a mess in the kitchen. So I asked Bode if he wanted to make muffins. Of course he said, "Yes!"  and we had to start immediately. If I ever don't want to do something, but 'have' to do it, I mention it to Bode. That is one surefire way of getting myself to do it, because once he's in, he's in. The good news is, these muffins are made in one bowl with just a wooden spoon for mixing. 

Warning: I was seriously addicted to these when I was pregnant with Gianna.  I made them a lot, and I was the only one to eat them, too. (RWF does not eat muffins, and Bode was too young for muffin eating at the time - or so I thought, at the time.) Unfortunately, I found out yesterday that I am still seriously addicted to these muffins, and I can't stop at just one (or three).

Banana Nut Muffins

3-4 very ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 c melted butter

3/4 c sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

salt (pinch)

1 1/2 c flour

1 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. With a wooden spoon, stir melted butter into mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle baking soda and salt into mixture, and mix. Add the flour, and stir until just incorporated. Fold in walnuts.  Pour mixture into muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes.  Twelve muffins.

So easy a three year old can do it:

And his little sister gets to enjoy the fruits of his labor:

All my pics of Bode enjoying his muffin turned out super blurry. I'll spare you (this time).

I guess I was on a roll yesterday because even dinner turned out good (so I am told).  I made steak, roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli. Again, so easy!  Bode and Gianna ate so much at dinner. It always makes me so happy when Bode eats what I make. Bode is in that "no, that's yucky" stage of life. He won't eat anything with tomatoes, or "red" in it.  Another thing is, if he eats something one night and likes it, that does not necessarily guarantee that he will love it the next time it is served, either.  It is a very challenging time for me.  I'm trying to just fix whatever I feel like and have the "here's dinner, eat it or starve" approach. Easier said than done.  Last night, Bode asked for seconds on the steak. And then thirds. 

I ate my weight in potatoes. I love roasted potatoes with garlic, olive oil and rosemary. Delicious! The broccoli was good, too. But the potatoes took the prize, in my opinion. 

To make a super tasty and tender steak, just marinate it in olive oil and vinegar for an hour before you cook it.  I took one steak (I used top sirloin, I think? but any cut will do because the marinade will tenderize it), added 2 tbs olive oil, salted it, and then threw it in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Then I added in 1 tbs of white wine vinegar. Shook it around in the bag for a minute, then stuck it in the fridge for an hour to marinade. When I was ready to cook, I took the steak out, rinsed it, dried it, then put salt & pepper on it. Added a splash of olive oil to a pan, then grilled it for 8 minutes.  Everyone loved it. RWF is very picky about meat, and how it is cooked (which really challenges my vegetarian cooking skillz) but he said last night's steak was "really good."   He asked me what cut of meat I had got and how I had cooked it. This tells me that he really enjoyed it. 

I spy a Coonhound who wants a steak:

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

xo

Hattie's

Friday night, RWF and I were in the kitchen discussing weekend plans.  RWF proposed eating breakfast out Saturday morning. Since eating breakfast out is one of my favorite things in the world, I happily agreed. I went to bed anticipating the pancakes that I would be enjoying the next morning.

Saturday morning, RWF spontaneously proposed that we drive over to West Mountain to check out the ski area.  I agreed, even though I knew that it would delay breakfast a little.  We went to West and it was just okay. Well, it was fine for Bode and RWF to ski.  The lodge was not any place where I wanted to hang out. I've been spoiled by Sundance, Deer Valley and other nice ski resorts!

We headed back into town for breakfast.  I reviewed the menu of the one rec that I had received, and I wasn't jazzed about the menu. They only had lemon ricotta pancakes on the menu. I wanted old-fashioned buttermilk!  So we drove on while I scanned my iPhone for breakfast recommendations. The restaurants I reviewed all had special brunch menus involving eggs benedict, poached eggs over polenta, etc. Nobody had a simple breakfast menu. I was so disappointed. All I wanted were pancakes.   We found one other place downtown that had a breakfast menu. It was a little cafe. There were fake flowers in the window and it had an old-fashioned look about it.  "It looks kind of "potpourri-y" RWF announced. Luckily we found a parking space across the street. After a lot of debate, it was decided I should run in and scope it out.  It was an old drug store with an old-fashioned candy counter and bench seating. It was packed, and  there were a lot of people waiting. Worst, a family of 5 had just signed up before me.  It would be forever before we were seated in a booth. Angry, I stormed out of the restaurant. I was so hungry. And all I wanted were pancakes! Downtown was busy with traffic, preventing me from getting back to the car. I yelled across the street to RWF that this restaurant wouldn't do. I was mad, and RWF knew it.  I finally crossed the street and got into the car. "Let's just go," I fumed. I slammed my door behind me.  RWF started the car up and the car was filled with tension. I was so mad because I couldn't find any place that just sells pancakes!  At that moment, I hated where we lived and I hated the day.  RWF drove around like a crazy person, just driving. "I don't want to do this. Drive me home, now!" I demanded.  

Bode tried to make peace from the back seat.  "I think we should just go to the cafe.  Mommy, it will be alright. Don't you think we should just go to the cafe?"  he reasoned in his sweet little boy voice.  

This broke my heart.  At the next stop sign, RWF stopped and stared at me. We looked at each other while Bode again suggested the cafe as a great alternative. We looked at each other and smiled softly, both thinking that Bode was our little peacemaker.  I sniffled. I felt terrible being such a brat in front of my sweet little boy. I didn't want him to feel like he needed to make the situation right for me.  "Do you  want to just go grab some lunch?" I asked RWF.  "Yes!" he groaned, pointed the car back downtown, and we headed out for lunch.  

I was still angry that I wouldn't get pancakes.  All I wanted were pancakes!  But I decided that eating lunch out was the best thing for all of us.  We parked in a lot across the street from the restaurant Bode had suggested for lunch. As we walked, we both noticed another restaurant that we had reviewed on the iPhone. Actually, RWF had suggested it earlier, and I had dismissed it as being a Southern, Louisiana-style restaurant serving fried chicken and jambalaya.  RWF stopped in front of this place, called Hattie's.  It was an old house. A chalkboard outside announced "Brunch 9-2." RWF opened the screen door, and it squeaked loudly as we stepped inside.  The tiny place was packed with little cafe tables covered in red-checked tablecloths.  It wasn't busy.  The server greeted us and told us to sit anywhere we'd like.  

We sat down as she passed out menus.  The first thing I noticed was that they had buttermilk pancakes on the menu.  We were staying.  The menu looked delicious: buttermilk pancakes (did I mention the buttermilk pancakes?), beignets, biscuits and gravy,  and French toast.  I wanted one of everything.  We decided on a full stack of buttermilk pancakes and the "back porch breakfast" which consisted of 2 eggs, toast, and bacon.   I really, really wanted the biscuits and gravy.  I can't explain it. I've had this a few times in high school. My best friend Amy and I would go to a diner and that is what she would order.  Amy was a true Southern girl.  And right then, biscuits and gravy sounded perfect. But I decided to wait on the biscuits and gravy. Another time. I was here for pancakes. Bring on the pancakes!

Our breakfast was delicious. The coffee (served with cream) was hot and strong, but not too powerful. The pancakes were thick, but fluffy with a delicious warm, buttermilk flavor.  The back porch breakfast had soft  mounds of scrambled eggs that were coated in butter.  Speaking of butter, even the butter was delicious: rich and creamy, with a little hint of salt. It was one of those dining experiences where we just keep shoving the food in our mouths, not wanting to interrupt our very important eating with small talk.   RWF and I would just look up at each other while chewing our food, and kind of give a nod to each other, like, "Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout..." We now have a new breakfast place.  Hattie's is delicious! 

I feel terrible for being such a brat about my pancakes. But I'm so glad that it worked out like it did. I want to go back  to Hattie's right now.

On Sunday, RWF and Bode went skiing at West.  RWF drove off with Gianna's car seat still in the car. So when I decided that we needed to go to Target, Gianna rode shotgun.

I'm just kidding!

Gianna did ride forward-facing in the big car seat for the first time ever.  The QEII has the one big car seat set up, along with the  holder for Gianna's car seat. I am a firm believer in keeping children rear-facing in car seats for as long as possible. Luckily, Gianna is small enough that she can still ride rear-facing for awhile.  But Sunday, because of our car situation, Gianna got to experience riding in the car like her brother.  She really liked looking out the window like a big girl. 

She looks like a big girl!

Saturday and Sunday afternoons were spent outside enjoying the sunshine.  RWF took the babies out and helped them ride bikes, pulled them in the wagon, and pushed them around in their cars.  Afterward, they'd all come inside before dinner.  RWF would check out a basketball or lacrosse game to relax, and the babies would pile into his lap and watch the game with him. Poor P, she would have loved to cuddle in the green chair with everyone. But there just wasn't enough room for a big Coonhound.

Sorry, P!

I shopped for Easter decorations this weekend. I have a few ideas for the house. I am definitely doing some crafts with the children, at some point.  I think Bode and I will make banana nut bread today.

Happy Monday.

xo