for the tummy

Happy 7th Anniversary Breakfast Husband!  This was imagined while we lay in bed listening to two little girls happily watching Sunday morning TV.  This has not happened in so long that they were entertained for a solid hour.  It is nice to use the television as a filler for when life needs a break.  After 7 years of marriage, 2 kids, 3 jobs, 6 moves, and 1 very sad departing, we have arrived at this moment.  Fresh ricotta filled crepes with peach strawberry sauce.  Divine, just like my husband!



Ricotta filled Crepes with Peach Strawberry sauce
Crepes
2 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1 c milk
1 Tbsp oil

mix all ingredients until a all lumps are gone.  Place two TBS batter in lightly greased pan and swirl.  Cook until lightly browned and flip once.  This goes quick so be ready with the filling and topping

Ricotta Filling
1 c fresh ricotta
1 Tbsp honey
dash cinamon

Combine and set aside.

Peach Strawberry Sauce
1c fresh or frozen peaches (grilled peaches would put this over the top)
1 c fresh or frozen strawberries

Pulse in food processor until chunky.

Roll the crepes with 1 to 2 tbsp of ricotta in center.  Place on the plate and cover with sauce.  Eat. Smile.

Dress-ups

Cora woke everyday and put on the same tattered, white, discount halloween leftover.  It was sinfully ugly.  One of those costumes that is so seasonally inappropriate, that you are certain the company that fashioned it bought stock in cold and flu medicine.  I am sure it was still there due to the fact that any mom who saw this thought to themselves: "I am not having that fight!".  The one about wearing a bulky sweatsuit under the costume or a coat over it.  Gasp!  Cover that beauty! NEVER! Also, it is not authentic 'Winter Ballerina Princess' to wear anything under it.  This is why it became a member of our ever growing dress-up collection.
I forgot to mention that it had a wand.  For one day.  The dress itself has lasted 4 years.  And now Emme has taken to it. Any dress-up is magical beyond belief to this little dirty fairy of mine.  I have decided to be the mom who allows their kid to go just about anywhere in dress-ups.  So long as it is reasonable.  Bulky sweat suits must be worn under and if it is raining I will have to carry you to avoid having to wash an unnecessary piece of clothing.  Last week our playdate friends witnessed two tutus at once and the neighborhood got to watch as the tiniest, yet puffiest, princess waited for her big sister to get home from school. Anyone who has ever seen a tiny child swirl around the living room in a pile of tulle understands.  There is nothing quite like a day spent in dress-ups.

Things that are unusual

This conversation happens at least every other week.  It is the conversation that happens when I have to be very creative with Cora's lunch.  Usually it happens on a Monday when we have been away for the weekend.  This weekend we visited some very special friends and had a fantastic time.  It lasted a bit longer than it should have which meant there was no bread made for her PB and honey sandwich that  gets tucked in her lunchbox each morning.  Being vegetarian tends to cut out most items on the school menu and I rather enjoy making her lunch and knowing exactly what goes in her tummy each day.  Sometimes I can be creative and overfill her lunchbox with nourishing foods that will fill the void of the missing sandwich.  Other times her lunchbox looks like a confused monkey packed it.  My hope is that any adult that may see inside, assumes that my well meaning husband packed that day.  Like the time he forgot to close her water bottle and it made soup of her lunch.  Anyway, Cora is not always thrilled with these pieced together meals.  It is a favorite moment of mine when I get to ask her at the end of the day how her lunch was.  Today was a special treat.

Me: How was your lunch?
Cora: That pear was hilarious!
Me: Why?  It was just a pear.
Cora: I showed it to Anna and she laughed so hard.
Me: But it was just a pear.
Cora: YEAH BUT IT HAD A LEAF ON IT!
Me: Well that's because it grows on a tree, you knew that right?  And trees have leaves so sometimes there are leaves still on the stem. 
Cora: Well yes.... but it was unusual. 
Me: Unusual huh?
Cora: Yup, unusual.

I am still not sure if I should be alarmed.  I spend so much time teaching her where her foods come from, cooking everything possible form scratch, grow as much of our food as possible and she still was surprised to see a leaf on her pear.  My first thought was 'some vegetarian!'.  My second thought was 'She said unusual!'  I'm pretty sure she's doing okay in the smarts department. 

Gardening

The Gardens are almost finished.  This is the hard part when I have to drag the hose all the way out there everyday and wait for what seems like years to eat that first salad.  I went heavy on the lettuce and greens this year because of the shade.  I have no idea how things will grow but I had to at least try. 

Right now we have:
Escarole
Green leaf lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Butterhead Lettuce
Spinach
Beets
Chard
Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Acorn squash
Butternut squash
Cherry tomatoes
Yellow tomato
Heirloom 'Mortgage Lifter' Tomato
Kentucky wonder pole beans
And hopefully I can sneak some kale plants in somewhere. 

I have very high hopes for this little veggie garden.  It is very important to me to grow food for my family.  Knowing that I had control over what is was fed and where it was grown and all the things that make me crazy when I pick up a bag of greens at the market.  I know that it is the best I can give them.  Even if they look at it, scowl and remind me that they hate it and one time they threw up when they ate.  It is still worth it. 

That's Momsense

Cora invited me to a very special Mother's Day gathering called "That's Momsense" on Friday.  Each child left the classroom and took their mom by the hand, led her to her seat, and handed her a tissue.  They sang, the signed, they even had poems to share.  It was the cutest thing!  The kids were so sincere and it felt so amazing to be sitting there, as a mom of such an awesome child.  She turned on the cute and I know she was waiting for the tears, luckily she didn't have to wait long as I was, of course, the first to raise the tissue to her eye. Obviously, this is where I say it's because she is the cutest thing ever birthed.   Just when they are big enough that you forget they have the ability to be cute, they show you up and down and back again.  Have I mentioned how much I adore her teacher?  She is the teacher that you wish you could some how have every year for all eternity.  We even have the same Birkenstock!  I will be very sad to see this year end, she was an amazing advocate for Cora.  It is a great feeling when your child draws a picture for her teacher so often that we have started a folder at home as to not overwhelm her limited picture hanging space.  We have also had to ask her to stop picking our neighbors flowers to bring to her each day.  Her hippie sandals will be very hard shoes to fill.  Thanks for such a great day Cora and Ms. B!

Sunshine makes everything better

Sitting in the sun, folding sun dried laundry with a sun loving kid.  I have to say that this weather makes for some chipper people in this house.  Somehow the long days of being a stay at home mom are shortened immeasurably when you get to be outside.  I feel less stressed by all the little messes and the piles of laundry and toilets needing to be scrubbed.  That is most likely because I am outside, not looking at them.  But it works.  We are all so happy to be done with the cold winter and are willing to take the seemingly constant rain for a hint of sun every once in a while.

Things that are sewn

 

The Tea Party set was made from Emmeline this past holiday.  I followed the tutorial at Prudent Baby and was so impressed with how easy it was to put together.  Great instructions made the project a treat to make.  I have yet to figure out a better drawstring option that allows her to set it up without assistance.  I love that it is self contained and a quick clean up.  I highly recommend this project for any one who wants to jazz up pretend time.