Peaks and Valleys: All in a Day's Work

Emotional roller coaster sound familiar?

Pushed to your own personal limits?

Felt the ecstatic love one only feels for their offspring?

Ya, me too.

Today, my kiddos had me on the brink of tears one moment and not thirty minutes later I felt like the luckiest mama in the whole big planet earth.

First, there was an elbow here and a shove there. Then, right there in the middle of the children's section of our library, my kids were fighting over the computer. I tried pulling the Bird out of the situation to talk it out. Between screams (she only really had one volume: loud) I tripped over my words to try and calm the disgruntled 20 month old.  It worked momentarily and then the screeches resumed. I could not console her or get her to understand we couldn't scream in the library.  Every attempt seemed to make her more upset! A mama I know asked if she could help and I weighed my options: Let her calm down on her own time (not sure why it hadn't happened already), or get the hell out of dodge. I chose the latter.

I'm a believer that if you explain to your kids what will be happening next that it will go far smoother. I started telling the Bird in my arms and the Bear on the computer that we were leaving; it didn't go so well. The volume on the Bird's wails increased and I am pretty sure the Bear could only make out that we were leaving and was not happy.  As I was removing the headphones from a pissed-off Bear and sliding him off the seat I caught a glimpse of an angel. She was a mom of two kids just like me.  She mouthed the words: "You are handling this so calmly." I was so grateful could have cried. I didn't, but instead I mustered up freakish mom strength and picked up my almost four year old with my right arm matching the toddler on my left hip and high-tailed it out of there.

By the time we drove the two miles home they were both my best friends again but not without pink eyebrows and the light, white film of where tears had spurted moments earlier.

I decided lunch then nap time were our next steps.

After sitting between them at the dining room table to preemptively eliminate any elbows being thrown I found my smile returning. They were tired. They were hungry.  They were scooting their booster-clad chairs closer and closer to me to get bites of my lunch. My boxed Indian palak paneer trumped their peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

Their peanut butter faces wanted bite after bite. I couldn't tell if they were truly enjoying the dish or if they were trying to get back in my good graces but regardless, it was working. The Bear was hugging my arm and smearing sticky honey and Indian food on my sleeve while the Bird blessed me with tiny, tiny bird kisses that only she can do. Both had these rediculously heart-warming grins.  My blood-pressure returned to normal and I could feel the creases of my smile lines making a more permanent home on my face.  My emotional roller coaster was pulling into where it started.

And all was right in the whole big planet earth... until nap time.

Clean Soups by Aunt Kathy!

I am thrilled to introduce a guest to The Beehive! I used to go visit this person almost every summer in my youth.  She taught me how to embellish... well, just about any textile, how to make real pulled taffy, and how to throw a mean New Year's Eve party (and quite possibly her affinity for exclamation marks!!!)! 

Introducing my Aunt Kathy! She has perfected the Clean the Refrigerator Soup.  It not only cleaned her produce drawers but it is pretty clean eating as well.  Cheers to her, her soups, and a clean fridge!  Thanks for the post, Auntie! Soup's on!

Today I made "clean the refrigerator soup!!!!!!!!" 

I sautéed fresh ginger and fresh garlic and some wilty green onions in some good olive oil ( not much!! Just enough!!!) maybe a tablespoon or two !!!

I found snow peas, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots and little Dutch potatoes in the produce drawer!!! Oh wait.... There was a big turnip in there too!!!! Wow what a find!!!! 

Lastly... We had made a trip to trader joes yesterday and Kait had bought some kale and made kale chips last night !!! So I will add fresh kale just before we eat!!!  

THE BIG PLUS!!!!!! For breakfast I will drain the juice off and put a big spoonful of the cooked veggies in our scrambled eggs for breakfast!!! Yummy!!!! That is , of course if we have any soup left!!!!!  

If you want meat, add it!!! I cut up 2 turkey burgers I found in the frig and added those too !!!! All this I simmered in a can of 99%fat free chicken broth and since I only had 1 can, I added 1 can of beef broth!!!! 

EEEAAAASY PEEAASY and cheap, no waste and a clean refrigerator!!! And now I know what I need at the grocery store!!!! We made cabbage steaks last night!!! Awesome!!!!!!! We will talk about those on another day!!!! Love you sweet niece!!!!!! NO POPTARTS!!!!!

More Kids? What is Your Perfect Number?

 Feelings of sadness and wonder mixed with the urge to jump in the air and do an insane armpump. Do you recognize these feelings?  Perhaps you have considered not having any more children.

That being said...

How do you know when you are done?

What were some of your determining factors?

I hear moms and dads answer this with a very decisive answers...

In the Beehive, we have fluctuated on this HUGE decision.  When DaveBee and I first started dating (nine years ago) I shared that I wanted a herd of children...like 5, at least!  When he wasn't immediately scared off and joined the conversation around five years later we thought 3 kiddos would be perfect since we are both third children.

Well, as you know, we have two babes: The Bear (almost 4) and the Bird (almost 2). Honestly, I never thought I would say this, but, we have considered making our funky foursome final. 

But, how do you know... really know if you are done having children?

I play over scenarios of what having more kids would look like.  Logistical things come to mind like: bigger car, bigger house, busier schedule and then the sweet thoughts play out foretelling more kids to love, another new personality to get to know and nurture, the changing dynamic from two children to three-plus children.

I'm not going to lie, I miss having a small baby in our home and in my arms but I am most thoroughly enjoying seeing my two "big" kids grow closer every day and interacting with us on more and more mature levels. Also, the idea of moving out of the diaper phase is really enticing!

I want to be able to give my patience and attention to ALL my children the best that I can so... how many is that?  I grew up in a house with five kids and from what I can remember my parents adjusted and grew with every child.  In the way that my parenting adjusted and grew from one to two I would like to think that happens with every child.

Naturally, expenses also come to mind when anyone talks about having more children.  So, yea, there is that. Preschool, extra-curriculars, birthdays, health, grocery bill, and so on...

These are just a few of the pieces of the puzzle that is choosing the number of children that would perfectly fill out a family.

So, I'll let you know when we decide... one way or another!

What is your perfect number?

Baked Penne in Three Steps {Gluten Free}

Dinner.  Simplified.  Three steps.

1. Boil 1 package of gluten free penne pasta until al dente.

2. Saute 1 pound of sausage or ground meat with Italian seasonings, onion and garlic. Then, add a jar of pasta sauce.

3. When both are done, mix together in a bowl, spoon into a baking dish and sprinkle with your favorite shredded Italian cheeses and bake for 15 minutes.

This dish is seriously soul warming and so easy!

Muffin Tin Frittata {Naturally Gluten Free}

Ever since learning about simplyrecipes.com I have been obsessed.  It doesn't hurt that recipe creator and master food blogger lives probably within 30 miles of me and I have met her at a few California Food Literacy Center events.

Now, whenever I need inspiration for a recipe I know I can start there.  I LOVE supporting local talent.

Oh, and did I mention her recipe library is insane?

So, as you can imagine, I got the recipe and inspiration from here and tweaked it to create the delightful little Muffin Tin Frittata for Christmas morning.

Ingredients

12 eggs
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup chopped onion*
3/4 cup quartered mushrooms*
1 clove garlic (or more - to taste)
1 cup Quattro Formaggio shredded cheese blend from Trader Joe's (or similar)
Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

*Any veggies you would put in an omelet would work here!  Be creative!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a muffin tin (butter, olive oil, or coconut oil will work)

Saute your vegetables in the olive oil and add the Italian seasoning to taste for 5-7 minutes (until they are soft but still recognizable!).

Beat your eggs in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

Fill muffin tin wells halfway with beat eggs.  Add sauteed veggies to each one,  generously sprinkle stinky cheese (that's what The Bear calls it in our house!) nnd then fill the rest of the way with remaining egg.

Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes making sure the egg is thoroughly cooked!

Notes:   When adding spices, vegetables and cheese be very generous!  I thought I was OVER-seasoning and when I tasted them, they could have used more!

Now go get your booty in the kitchen and warm it up! CHEERS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Gluten Free Eating through the Holidays {10 Tips to Not Get Glutened!}

Are you a holiday partier?  Do you eat gluten free? Peruse the tips below to prepare yourself for the impending holiday food overload and how NOT to get GLUTENED!

Below, I will steer you to keep your gluten-free eating in check while still celebrating the season with parties, potlucks and family-style meals WITHOUT being a huge pain in the butt.

In an effort to keep this concise and give you bite-sized pieces as your take-away, I have broken this topic down into ten delectable tips.

10 Tips to Not Get Glutened

1.  Eat before you go. If you are certain that you won't be able to avoid gluten at a prospective potluck, eat something substantial before you go so you are not starving.  Then, hang around the pickled platter!

2.  Bring the gluten dishes. If you are concerned that the proposed meal may have some hidden gluten, offer to prepare that dish! Hosts are often grateful for you to take something off their plate.  If you know the host and know the potential recipe calls for a gluten-laden product, offer to bring over the gluten free substitute before they start cooking!

3. Chat up your chef. Hang out in the kitchen while your host is putting finishing touches on their meal.  Ask questions about ingredients of potential gluten dishes.  This is usually not a problem for me since I am usually genuinely curious about the ingredients in a recipe.

4. Steer clear of sauces, dressings, and gravies.  This tip can be a challenge because these are some of my favorite things!  They also are common culprits of hidden gluten.

5. Keep your drinks simple.  Fancy drink mixes can also trick you.  Having a simple glass of wine or cider is a safe route.

6. Host the meal at your house. This one is the most work but if you are a party planner it should be a piece of gluten free cake! Naturally, you will prepare most of the food.

7. When in doubt, don't risk it.  Everyone's gluten sensitivities or intolerances are different but most everyone who doesn't eat it are trying to steer clear of unpleasant symptoms as a result.  Play it safe and return to Tip #1 of you are worried!

8. G-Free themes.  Suggest themes that are more likely to be naturally gluten free (not Italian! :).

9. Read labels.  This seems like a no-brainer but often I have been duped by clever marketing (or, more likely, I didn't ready the full ingredient list). One hundred percent rice crackers could have added soy sauce for flavor (not that I would know...)!

10. Be gracious.  Respect that many people do not know how or want to cook gluten free and be okay with that (i.e. don't expect gluten free versions of dishes).  The good news is more and more people are becoming aware of what gluten is and what foods it is in!

Cheers and Happy Holidays!!

Pinecone Projek: The Bear's Glitter & Pinecone Project

The Bear has been collecting pinecones.... well, as long as I can remember.  My mom passed on her love for them to him. 

He collects them for her. 

He collects them for himself. 

He collects them for general piling-in-the-front-yard purposes.

Whenever we can, we include pinecones into art projects.  The latest is aptly named by The Bear: "My Pinecone Projek"

We got the glue. We bought the glitter, and lord knows we have the pinecones!

Here it is and yes, you should try this at home.  Kids and adults alike can make some pretty gorgeous pinecones for fun, for gifts, for centerpieces, for the mantle... you understand!

NOTE TO SELF: Never use glitter with a toddler again. Ever.