A Tale of Two Dinners

Last night, we had quite possible one of the best dinners we have made for ourselves in a long long time. Don't get me wrong, we have actually done a really good job of continuing to cook and try new things (although I don't seem to get around to blogging about it), but we do. We still menu plan, and cook, and try new things.

So yesterday, as we were watching the Packer game, I told Nate he was on dinner duty. We hadn't planned anything and I was swamped with work, house and shower stuff. So he planned it out. About 30 minutes before we were going to eat, he gives me this warning:

"Umm..so the dinner I planned is really complicated, sooooooo you are going to have to keep the girls busy".

Me: slightly annoyed, but up to the challenge.

AND IT WAS SO WORTH IT. OMG...delicious. You need to put this Chicken Piccata and this Brussel Sprout recipe on your next 'to try' list IMMEDIATELY.

All I can say is you know you have struck the brussel sprout jackpot when your TWO year old asks for not one, not two, but THREE helpings of them, and literally (and I kid you not) claps her hands when you ask her if she wants more.

Contrast that to tonight, where we were so proud of ourselves for pre-making the turkey meatballs for our spaghetti last night, and somehow the whole dish smelled and tasted like raw turkey. It was sooooo gross Nate wouldn't even eat it.

Ugh. We both were horrified. The worst thing is that we have made this recipe numerous times before too. Epic fail. Would have felt much worse if it wasn't for the delicious amazingness that occurred last night.

Life lesson learned: this is why we always try new recipes. Because that way you can always blame the bad recipe vs. your bad cooking skills. :)

Race Against the (Bedtime) Clock

Traveling for work used to be glamorous. Exciting. Exotic even.

Now, not so much. Although one could argue that pumping in the back of a massive SUV while your entire team goes into a Wal-Mart on a store visit, is quite exotic. Meanwhile--the whole time you are just saying a prayer that no one forgot something in the car and decides to run back out real quick....

No, work travel has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I MISS the girls so. much. when I am gone. I feel SO guilty leaving Nate to fend for himself. And the damndest thing of it all--in my mind I am going to get the best night of sleep ever, but in reality I am totally ruined and am up at 5AM anyway (which by the way in Denver is 4AM).

But on this trip, I had my first realization of the best part of work travel.

And no, I am not talking about getting to go to an amazing farm-to-table dinner at The Kitchen and actually have long, slow courses and adult conversation the entire time. (although that did happen and it was AMAZING--shhh don't tell Nate).

No, I am talking about getting on an earlier flight home and flying into the house just.as.the.footed.jammies. went on. Seeing the super excited face of one Matilda Mae. Being the recipient of one giant bear hug. Questioned about my airplane ride, and then getting to snuggle in to read bedtime stories.

Bliss.

Translation Tuesday: Tummy Treat

We are big into re-branding in our house. Medicine still remains a 'fruit snack' and I fear the day that Matilda puts 2 and 2 together and realizes we have been pulling the wool over her eyes for pretty much her entire life at this point.

And it hasn't stopped there...recently Matilda has been having troubles getting things...er...moving. But she wasn't so keen on the prunes and would demand raisins--which didn't help the problem.

Enter: Tummy Treat.

No joke--the second we called them a tummy treat, and it's was magic. Viola! Eats them like a champ.

Asks for more.

WHAT?!?!

But it works. And the tummy treats work too.

And now when Matilda's tummy hurts she will tell us, and then say "I need a tummy treat"

Who knew I would get branding practice at home?

Trick or Treat!

Halloween is sort of becoming one of my favorite holidays.

First of all it should really surprise no one since it revolves around candy.

And it only gets better when you have children to collect candy for you and then you steal every last piece of it.

But also it is a lower stakes holiday. Less expectations, less fuss about food.

And again, all about the candy.

And there are always so many fun parties to go to. Neighborhood parties. Friend parties. Trick or Treating. Parties with the AMMA babes.

And then there was the costume making.

I have tried to pick costumes that represent something Matilda is 'into'. 

And she loves nothing more than owls right now. Every time we go to the zoo, all she really cares about is the owl. The owl show. The owls that swoop and touch her head.

And so, owl costumes were made (because let's be honest, Bea doesn't exactly have interests at this point, and if she did it would be doing whatever Tillie was doing so it was quite fitting). My Mom made Beatrice's perfect costume. And I made Tillie's. It was quite the sewing adventure.

Tillie LOVED trick or treating. Going to each house. Knocking on the door.

Saying "Trick or Treat"

And then immediately saying "thank you" and "another house, Mama" as soon as the door closed.

We rodeo clowned her into thinking the candy was a surprise and that it had to go in her bucket in order to go another house, so she didn't actually get any candy.

but have NO FEAR people. She did get a treat. We made an "owl" pizza and she got a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh from the over--which is something she has never gotten at home before.

We were lucky enough to have Grandma up the weekend before to partake in the fun Halloween festivities, and she helped us capture lots of fun pictures of the girls in their costumes.

And since Halloween has concluded, Tillie asks me to take her Trick or Treating approximately 4 times a day, and predictably every night as we are driving home from daycare.....

Future Paparazzi

Look out, Hollywood!

There is a soon-to-be new photographer on the loose.

Matilda has found our old point and shoot, and is NOT shy about declaring what is worth running to get the camera for, and what isn't. 

About two weeks ago she would ask to have it turned on, and would only take pictures pointing down at the ground.

Within a week, she is turning it on, and blinding everyone with a million flashes.

Bea doesn't mind being her main subject....

Maybe someday I'll figure out how to get all of these amazing shots off of this camera and post them for you....she has taken some doozies.

But I feel like I should keep them in case she is a famous photographer some day. :)

DST Hell

One hour.

60 Minutes.

A normally swift, brief and un-noticeable amount of time.

Unless, of course, it is an hour that gets ADDED to your day, in the middle of the night.

And renders your children (correction, your eldest child) a monster.

Don't get my wrong, I love Matilda. So much.

But today was a day that tried even Nate's patience--which extends far beyond mine.

Beatrice acted like the extra hour never happened (unless of course you count her wake-up time of 4:17AM this morning).

But Tillie....Tillie, Tillie, Tillie.

Woof.

Whining. Crying. Cutting a molar. Hungry all day. Tired all day. Sassy all day.

Only wanting the Daddy all day.

At one point she burped and barfed a little at the same time.

Seriously, that legit happened.

It was one of those days that Nate turns to me and says I know how I am getting through the evening, and it's in the fridge (i.e. beer), how are you?

And since I am not a fan of beer, I turned to the Halloween bowl and ate about 374 tootsie rolls.

And I felt better and worse all at the same time.

But tomorrow is a new day, and I am hoping the little "alarm" goes off later than 4:17.

And even if it doesn't, at least this alarm is quite cute.

Early Morning update: Both of the girls are still totally screwed up. 4:30 wake-ups all around.

I am currently toggling between exhausted despair that we are in for another 6 months of this (which is pretty much what happened last year with Tillie and was and I wish I was kidding JUST getting back to normal people time) and pure fury at whoever is still allowing this madness to occur in modern day and age.

Who cares if it is dark out at 8AM and light out at 6PM? Not me. I prefer it that way. Although the truth is I prefer it any way that gets my kids to sleep.