A Second Quote

William George has ushered in a new phase... the curiosity phase.  His curiosity, coupled with his less-than-gentleness, leads to a great deal of breakage and mayhem.  For a couple of Type A-er's, this phase has had an unsettling effect.  As you read this, there are still two boxes of Christmas presents sitting on the landing of the steps leading upstairs.  Six weeks into 2013... yet there they are.  Largely this is because 1) I am usually "spotting" William George as he climbs or descends the stairs (no extra room to carry boxes) 2) ANY activity on the steps during naps wakens George and 3) most of my waking hours are spent cleaning up the many, many, many messes he makes each day.  Instead of making any progress with projects, the daily routine involves barely keeping one's head above water in the tidiness department. 

The dining room is also still overrun with toys from Christmas, and the closets are all a disaster zone again.  Honestly, I have no idea when or how I will clean them, as my "helper" is ever present and insists on being a hands-on participant. This isn't a confessional; this is merely the state of things at the moment.  It is in this mindset that I ran across the below quote (via MightyGirl.com): 

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” -Haim Ginott (via The Happiness Project)

Such a timely reminder.

Friday's Quote

Old Town Lunenburg on Heritage

Never let life's hardships disturb you.  After all, no one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages.

-Nichiren Daishonin

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Food: Glazed Pork Tenderloin With Pineapple

Remember last week's quick and easy recipe?  Well... this week's recipe is equally easy and has the added benefit of not involving Bisquick.  (Obviously, Bisquick has not sponsored ANY of these posts and likely will not be a blog sponsor at any point in the future.)

This entree is really yummy, and it has a nice presentation as well.  I say that less from a place of foodie pretentiousness and more from a place of wanting to intrigue my children enough to want to eat their dinner.  Either way, pineapple always adds an interesting element.

We followed the literal recipe, which was taken from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin With Pineapple

Ingredients:

4 slices pineapple (each 1/2 inch thick)
3 tablespoons dark hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
Quick Ginger Sauce (recipe below), for serving

1) Heat the broiler.  Place the pineapple slices on a foil-lined baking sheet.

2) In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic and mustard.

3) Place the pork on the broiler pan fitted with a rack.  Brush with the hoisin mixture; season with salt and pepper.

4) Place the pork in the broiler, about four inches from the heat; place the pineapple in the oven.  Broil the pork until it registers 155 degrees (F) on an instant-read thermometer, 15 - 20 minutes.  Remove from the broiler (let rest at least ten minutes before slicing; the temperature will rise to 160 degrees as the pork sits).  Turn the pineapple slices; cook until browned in spots, about ten minutes more.

5) Halve the pineapple slices; arrange on a platter with the sliced pork. Drizzle the pork with pan juices; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the quick ginger sauce.

Quick Ginger Sauce

2 tablespoons dark hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Fresh ground pepper

In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, pineapple juice, ginger, and soy sauce; season with pepper.

Delish.  Enjoy.

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Artists

How do children who normally love being outdoors spend a chilly winter day? Inside... painting, of course.  We add a little color, get creative and enjoy making a colorful addition to their portfolios.  

How do you occupy the winter months?

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Movie Night

We have a new Friday night tradition: MOVIE NIGHT! We tried having movie night in previous years, and the then-younger audience was not quite ready to sit in one place for that amount of time. Since they are enjoying their American Girl movies, we decided to air "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" and see how it went. They grabbed their Kit dolls, and we popped popcorn. William George, on the other hand, walked around demanding "Belbo" (that's George-speak for Elmo) the whole time, but we were able to appease him by bringing his monster truck into the family room.

 

Last weekend we missed movie night, and they were bummed when Sunday night rolled around and they realized movie night did not occur.  This week we were sure to carve out time to air Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front.

We may not have seen all of the movies that are nominated for Oscars, but we are having a fantastic time watching movies as a family.

Enumerated Update

We are getting a late start today.  I have had a thousand things to do this morning, and I am volunteering for a fundraising activity today after school.  Quickly, here's where we are:

1)  February:  Better, yes?  Doesn't February sound better than January?

2)  Superbowl:  We, uhm, didn't watch. 

2)  Lists:  No matter how extensive and exhaustive shopping lists are, why is it that something is always left off the list and/or forgotten?  Do you have this problem, too?

3)  Appliance Locks:  Yet another way that toddler boys are different than girls is the necessary use of appliance locks.  We previously had TWO toddlers simultaneously running through the house and getting into everything... yet, I never needed to deploy the appliance locks until William George entered the picture.

4)  Cleaners:  Our dry cleaner's personnel are not very fond of yours truly.  Skip and I have both noticed some hostility from all of the employees.  Although we are super nice to them (in fact, Skip and I have both had the sentence "you're too nice" applied to us over the years), they are hostile with every exchange.  My last experience involved a drop off on a Thursday.  I needed the clothes prior to Monday so when the employee asked if Monday after 2:00pm would be ok, I had to say we needed them sooner than that (I didn't elaborate and explain that my spouse would be on an airplane Monday with a packed suitcase -- a suitcase that would not contain some of those articles of clothing). What happens is that, because of how they process and receive their shipments of clean clothes, the clothes were processed to be returned after 2:00 pm on Friday.  Because I do not need them Friday, I pick them up on Saturday when we are out and about.  In their minds, I make them rush, and then I sashay through the line on Saturday.  I think that may be the source of the hostility.

I also think it's time for a new dry cleaning relationship.

And I think I may have bored you tears with that story.

5) Blackberry:  Secretly, I have been pulling for Blackberry to survive.  Skip is a devoted Blackberry user.  Although we have had some debates in the past (distant past, obviously, given Blackberry's decline) about the superiority of iPhone over Blackberry, I have always wanted them in the game.  I am hopeful that their latest unveiling will be a home run and that they will gain a foothold to stay in the market.  In the meantime, Skip had to replace his mobile phone this weekend, and, since his employer cautioned against purchasing the Blackberry 10 while they decide whether or not to support the device in the future, he went with an iPhone.  As we were driving away from the Apple store, he casually remarked, "You know, I feel like Blackberry should have sent me the new phone, as long as I have been a customer."  Touche.  I feel the same way about my iPhone.  As many dollars as I have handed over to Apple, they could at least throw in a phone.

Since Blackberry is betting the house on that device, I can understand why they are not simply passing them out to their few remaining fans.  A better idea might have been to waive the Blackberry monthly surcharge for using the Blackberry software.  Just a thought.

And that's about it for us.  What is happening in your world?  Did you watch the game?  Which commercial was your favorite?  I know the Budweiser ad is getting the best reviews, but it seemed a little sad to me.  

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Food: Chicken Fingers

How long has it been since we discussed food? Approximately 18 months or more? I distinctly know the timeframe because, when William George joined the family, we reverted back to our basic menu of a dozen or so different entrees. (#blamethebaby.) We are tiring of the routine and are starting to explore some other options, although nothing overly ambitious or too fancy.

Today's snack/appetizer/simple entree falls squarely into the simple category. Skip deserves full credit for this find, and, in full disclosure, he found this recipe on the back of the Bisquick box. Skip is a big believer in the Bisquick brand, whereas I tend to be a Bisquick snob. The backstory for this recipe is that chicken fingers/nuggets are incredibly popular with the Lindsey demographic, especially the age group 6-and-under. However, the older segment cannot bring themselves to eat another single bite of fast food.

Sidebar: In the past, I relocated for work, and I landed in a state devoid of Chick-fil-A. At the time, CFA was my very favorite, as evidenced by my previous, thrice-weekly visits.  A friend/coworker later traveled to my office for a meeting, and she brought a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich to me!  She packed it on a freezer pack, put it in her carry-on bag, boarded a plane, and brought me a sandwich!  That is friendship, and I LOVED that sandwich.  (Does this story make me sound like Joey from Friends?  With his affinity for sandwiches?)  I had gone almost a whole year without a CFA sandwich, and I was glad to see my long lost favorite.  On a related note, there were so many times I saw the CFA at the Atlanta airport, like a glass of water in the desert, after a lengthy flight.  Concourse A.  I could have walked to the counter blindfolded.  (For the sake of accuracy, Skip tells me the CFA has been relocated to a different concourse.)

Fast forward several years... I can barely eat a CFA sandwich. In fact, I would rather not. Maybe the quality has been compromised; maybe my preferences have changed; maybe I have had three children who think CFA, McDonald's and Burger King equate to fine dining. I don't know the reason(s), but restaurants of that ilk are no longer for me.  You might be thinking I am one of those healthy types, and you would be mistaken.  Sure, we try.  We have vegetables with every meal, and we always have fruit on hand.  To be honest, I love a good pizza.  Therefore, if fast food is your thing, please don't think I'm judgmental because I will ask for extra cheese on my pizza in a flash.  Would I like to add cheese sticks to my order?  Yes, I think I would.

Basically what I am trying to do is explain to you how Skip could have seen a Bisquick recipe for chicken nuggets as a solution for our family. (And he is going to read this and ask, "What is wrong with Bisquick?") Despite my skepticism, he prepared chicken for our family using the below recipe, and y'all. This chicken is delicious!  Bisquick prejudice aside, this recipe is worth trying.

Ultimate Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
2/3 cup Original Bisquick mix
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, if desired
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cut-up whole chicken (3 - 3 1/2lbs)

1)  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Melt butter in 13x9 inch glass baking dish in oven.

2) Stir together Bisquick mix, paprika, salt, Italian seasoning and papper; coat chicken. Place skin side down in heated dish. 

3)  Bake 35 minutes.  Turn chicken; bake about 15 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees for breasts; 180 degrees for thighs and drumsticks. 

Details:  We remove any and all fat from the chicken -- with surgical precision.  While labor-intensive, I am convinced this is the step that makes the chicken soooo good.  We also add extra paprika and pepper.  Finally, we use metal pans because we like our chicken crispy. 

I promise it's good... Enjoy!

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Winter Afternoons

Winter afternoons have a different tone than the rest of the year.  We complete homework as soon as we get home, and then, on the 2-3 days per week we do not have extracurricular commitments, we take baths and put on pajamas.  Then, the trio play until dinner. 

We are enjoying this quiet time before softball begins in a few weeks, causing our schedule to jump from 2-3 events per week to 4-5.  And then there will be the craziness of April and May... the recitals...


In fact, Lauren is already practicing some of her moves. 

William George waits all day for his sisters, and then he pounces on them as soon as play time commences. 

Even after approximately two hours of play time, they protest when dinner is served, complaining that they haven't been able to play all day. 

We try to understand, knowing that this sacred play time is very special, that the desire to play together is important for many reasons.  For us, we know that this is a developmental phase that will pass more quickly than we would like.  Therefore, we have no problem getting the "work" portions of our evening out of the way to make plenty of time for their time together.  

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Before Midnight

Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, are two of my favorite films.  Imagine my surprise to learn, via Joanna Goddard's A Cup of Jo, that there is another installment, Before Midnight, that premiered at Sundance last week to rave reviews.  Praise has been heaped from many sources, and the description that captures these movies best was written by New York Magazine's Vulture blog.  The movies, in their entirety, rely on "hyperliterate conversations that are this franchise's trademark pleasure." 

I loved the first film when I saw it in 1995.  The second film (2004) really struck a cord because Skip and I were dating, and we lived in different cities at the time.  Therefore, we exchanged lots of e-mail and had many, many, many telephone conversations in between visits and before we resided in the same city in 2005.  This dialogue-rich film felt familiar to us.

I will be excited to see Before Midnight. I would like to recommend an immediate viewing, but the film is slated for a September release.  In the meantime, if you missed the first two installments, please see them now.

The Greatest Show on Earth

How was your weekend?  We finally made good on our promise to take the girls to the circus.  They have been excited about going for weeks.  In fact, the promise of seeing all those circus acts probably helped them get through January.

A funny little story... when I researched and purchased tickets, the "best available" in the upper deck were going to cost about $224.00.  "No way.  Absolutely not," Skip said.  So I looked again and found seats for $84.00 a mere ten rows higher than the $224.00 option.  We shrugged, paid the $84.00, and hoped that the saying there's-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-seat at the circus proved to be true.

Because,  unless Prince was performing as the ringmaster, we were not paying $224.00 for four tickets.

Our seats were fine.  We could see everything, and we let the girls take binoculars just in case we needed them (we did not).

The acrobats were Lauren's favorite part of the show, whereas Gracie and I preferred the elephants.

Overall, we were impressed with the show.  The duo loved the entire production - from beginning to end - and would definitely want to go back again.

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Runners

 

 

At our elementary school, the physical education teacher, Mrs. M, takes her job very seriously.  Admittedly, we were a little skeptical at the beginning of the year because we were inundated with flyers and forms from Mrs. M, explaining the various fitness clubs and programs at the school, although my skepticism pertained more to the lack of communication from other departments versus being directed at her enthusiasm and commitment. 

 

The duo quickly expressed their love for Mrs. M.  They quote her. They imitate her.  They have even asked to join the running club, whose membership requires a 7:00 am arrival one day per week.  (We will consider that activity in future years.)  Mrs. M blocks off each Wednesday for running, and the class runs laps.  The girls, who just last year looked shocked when their softball coach asked them to run to the end of the softball field and back, have gotten very excited about running in PE each week.  To help them, we always plan to wear exercise clothing on Wednesdays and our best running shoes. 

 

This week in the car pool line, Mrs. M called to the girls to have them tell me how many laps they ran this week.  "Seven!" they said.  Mrs. M explained that seven laps equates to almost 1.5 miles. 

 

1.5 miles!

 

"They just kept going and going," she said.

 

"My mouth was soooo dry," Lauren told Skip later. 

 

Mrs. M's enthusiasm is clearly infectious, and I need to be running laps with the class each week. 

 

 

 

 

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Weekend Visit

So this past weekend we went to Atlanta to visit Skip's sister and her family. Our purpose was twofold, as they moved into a new house last summer and we have yet to see the new spread(gorgeous!) and our nephew, Will, was celebrating his 10th birthday (go double digits!). We have been trying to get over to see them and even had plans for a Thanksgiving visit that were canceled due to illness.

This time we made it. The trio watched Elmo (Geo) and McKenna (duo) in the car, and we were there before we knew it. The duo visited and played with their cousins, William George ran around crazily, and we had an all-around good time.  Most importantly, Will became a tween.

We have a photography miracle because there are a few usable shots, mostly of the monkeys.

 

We captured Poppa while he was furiously working the grill. 

William George alternated between euphoria ("What can I smash up in here?") and panic ("My parents are going to leave me here, aren't they?"). 

By way of explanation, William George has a daily crash, hence the nickname "Crash Bandicoot," and always has a bruise now.  Last week he had dual bruises, and he has a new one today. 

The monkeys had a blast playing....

...and playing...

...and visiting...

...and helping Will with his birthday loot!  Will was very gentlemanly to allow assistance.

The girls kept a close eye on Gran, who passed out snacks, changed them into pajamas and provided first aid after a trampoline incident -- all while we were chasing after George. 

And that was it.  We wish the visit had been longer and more photos would be nice, but we had a great time, delicious food and enjoying seeing everyone. 

Gracie's Milestones: Tooth #5

Gracie lost another tooth last Thursday. The usual drama unfolded, with excitement from Gracie and envy from Lauren. A letter was written to the Tooth Fairy, and she responded with notes to Gracie, Lauren and George. The entire exchange was very business-as-usual.

 

The next day, the duo had appointments for their biannual cleaning with the dentist. Gracie got to show off her new, adult teeth, and her x-rays and exam revealed her permanent teeth are ready to descend. "She is sitting on a goldmine!" Dr. G said, when describing all of her loose teeth. Lauren, on the other hand, had lots of questions about when her teeth will loosen and when the Tooth Fairy will visit her. Luckily, the treasure box provides distraction because exactly none of her teeth are loose.

Otherwise, the dentist and his staff would join the Tooth Fairy on Lauren's probationary list.

Luckily for them, she has a weakness for the treasure box and can be bought off.

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The Sun

We have been experiencing rain in biblical proportion.  We have literally had several weeks of rain - the grayest rain imaginable with even darker gray clouds ever as the backdrop. Finally, the temperature dipped enough to cause snow, and then the sun came out two hours later to melt everything away.

As I type this, William George has awakened from his nap and is calling out "Shnow!"  That's not in the cards for him because we have more glorious sun this week.  To celebrate, we are channeling my second favorite Beatle...



 

...and my second favorite George.

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Enumerated Update

How was your weekend? Hopefully, you enjoyed a long one. We mostly did, although Skip opted to work Monday. The duo were out of school, and we decided to take a quick trip to Atlanta to see family. Other than that, here's where we are:

1)  Planners:  I received an e-mail from a friend six days into the new year regarding plans/events in June.  Even with my resolution to be more organized and my new-found planning skills, I gave the note a double take.  Obviously, I need to channel her skill set going forward.  After comparing notes and planning a couple of things in June (again, not spring break plans but SUMMER plans), I ran across this article in the NYT.  There's an entire world of planners out there that I don't know about, isn't there?

2)  Red Carpet Season:  I watched the Golden Globes when it aired recently (loved Ben Affleck's facial expression when he won for "Best Director," by the way) and am looking forward to the rest of the awards season.  Since we normally aren't big television watchers, we only have one television (how typically first-world is that statement?), and, for the first time ever, I am sort of wishing we had a television in the bedroom.  My wish to see all the fashion is colliding with my primal need to hibernate for the winter.  As much as I like all the pretty, I don't like fashion's chances in this showdown.

3)  Vocabulary:  Speaking of, the other day William George was messing with (read: destroying) something in the duo's room.  Gracie asked him to stop, saying, "I don't want you to break that, George, because it makes my room look so fashionable."  The vocabulary expansion is always so endearing and never gets old.

4) Inauguration: This was a big event at our house -- at least it was for me. Skip worked for most of the day, but I pulled the duo into the family room to watch portions of the ceremony. We have been talking about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the holiday celebrating his birthday. I pointed to the screen, to the image of President Obama and told them MLK made that possible. I told them they also watched in 2008, although they have no recollection, what with being two years old at the time. I am hopeful they remember this time, although my first political memory involves watching Ronald Reagan's inauguration in the 4th grade. I remember the chairs aligned and positioned in front of the television, and I remember the swearing in ceremony.  If not this time, they will surely preserve the inauguration of 2016. 

 
5) Inauguration Bonus (i.e., the fashion): Mrs. Obama's sleek bangs are fantastic, and I loved the black ensemble... but... not for the inauguration. Did you expect to see something more glamorous? The girls, on the other hand, were absolutely stunning in their colorful J. Crew. I am a complete softy for girls in dress coats, and they knocked it out of the park. LOVED.

6) Weekend: We went to Atlanta for a quick visit to celebrate cousin Will's birthday. Although I tried to take some photos, what the camera contains is a mystery, as we were dedicated to wrangling William George on a full time basis. He is not used to a non-baby-proofed environment (neither are we, it turns out), and it took Skip and I both on constant watch to keep him from falling down the stairs on various occasions.  If there are any usable photos, I will update. If not, assume we are medicating with copious quantities of wine to settle our nerves from all the nonstop toddler wrestling.

7)  Shnow:  When we returned home from Atlanta, William George was looking for the snow from last Thursday.  He kept going to the window saying, "Shnow? Shnow??  Shnow???"

8) Status: Did you make resolutions? As January closes, how is your progress? Our big goal involved revamping out entire organization system. Although we have a long way to go, I would grade us favorably so far.

That's it for us.  What's happening with you?