Mother's Day: How well do the kids know me?

Yesterday, my son brought home a Mother's Day project. It was very sweet and in it, he talked about how much he loved me, etc. Very sweet.
There was one section where he had to write my favorite things to do. He wrote: napping, followed by cooking. I can understand the napping; being pregnant, I've been taking opportunities to nap. But cooking? I cook for my kids because I don't want them eating out, but it's actually not one of my favorite things to do. I can understand why he would think so. After all, everyday after school he sees me getting dinner ready.
The project made me think of the perceptions we have about our parents and how accurate they really are. I know my mom pretty well. We talk almost every evening and she's open about her likes and dislikes. But I'm sure there are things our parents don't tell us. Dreams differed. At a young age, they probably didn't give us much insight into our their personal thoughts because we were too young to understand or in some cases to protect us. But as adults, I'm sure we're the ones that are too busy to sit down and ask.
As Mother's Day creeps up tomorrow, we inundated by images of the mother-child relationship, touted as the closest bond someone can have. As adults, these relationships are often complicated, but perhaps this year, when we take our moms out to brunch, we should have a heart to heart and really get to know the person we call mom.

Home sweet home

For the past couple of weeks, my house has had contractors coming in and out. Frankly, it's driving me crazy. About a month ago, we discovered a water leak in the kitchen sink (we discovered it when we noticed wood in the LIVING ROOM peeling). We had to fix the leak, dry the walls and cabinet and rip up and replace all the flooring downstairs. The result has been two weeks of dust, dirt, bugs, chemical smells, and a constant stream of people coming in and out. Being pregnant doesn't help.
What's worse is my husband hasn't been able to take any time off of work. So he'll send me the occasional text asking if I'm okay, which angers me more than makes me feel better. I'm frustrated because I can't function normally but life has to go on. I still have to help my kids with homework, I still have to feed them. Last week we ate out because our kitchen was under wraps while they were finishing up the flooring. My son finally cried on Friday and asked if I could please just cook dinner one night. We can finally cook in the kitchen, but today we ate in the porch while the painters painted.
As I was showering this evening, fuming about my situation, I was reminded of a story about the Alabama tornado victims I heard on NPR that morning. The story focused on the effort to find housing for the victims. When I heard it that morning, I was rushing to drop my kids off at school. But now, when I had time to reflect on my day, I was reminded of a powerful quote I heard. One lady interviewed mentioned how people had given them so many donations, but how without a home it was meaningless. She had no place to put them.
"We need a place to sleep," she said. "We need a room we can lock a door and be safe...Take a bath, be clean. Be able to sit and be still and be peaceful for a minute."
The inconvenience I face is nothing to the hardship faced by victims of natural disasters. But it did help me empathize. Not having the ability to function normally in my own home has really taken an emotional toll on me, I can imagine how it would feel not to have your own home at all. Being in a shelter might protect you from the elements, but it does not replace a home.

Trader Joe's..in Houston?

The Austin American Statesman reported today that the company Trader Joe's is looking to expand in Texas. I wasn't able to find a press release on the company website, but if a store does open in Houston, it would make me so happy.
It's hard to explain a store like Trader Joe's to people who are not familiar with it. The article in the paper calls it a Whole Foods competitor, but it really isn't. For one, it's not a one stop grocery store. The shops are pretty small and only carry the Trader Joe brand. By selling everything under its own brand name, the are able to carry gourmet food at a lower cost than at other grocery stores.
The stores are also ideal for people in urban areas who might not have a big kitchen. They are known for their prepped veggies (already cut up butternut squash is my personal favorite). Their frozen food section is awesome for parties. We used to always get finger foods from their when we hosted parties while living in the east coast.
My friends who have been exposed to this store in other cities love it, but I do have to wonder how successful it would be in Houston. I suspect in Houston, it would do well near the Heights or Post Oak, where their is a critical mass of young professionals that such a store would appeal to. Of course, that would be a far drive for me, (I used to live within walking distance from a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods), but I'd still make the drive.

My first crop of plants

Today, I picked my firth handful of homegrown cherry tomatoes. I've been experimenting a bit with gardening throughout the years. Lack of time and Houston's harsh weather prevent me from taking a more aggressive approach to gardening. So over the years, I've stuck to potted plants, whether prim roses on the doorstep, houseplants, or hanging baskets of ivy on the porch. On the ground, I've stuck to hearty native plants that require little maintenance.
An then there's the annual pot of herbs. I'm no expert but there's something satisfying about growing plants. In fact, it's one of the things, I feel make a house a home.
I think a lot of people feel intimidated by gardening. It's not surprising if all your inspiration comes from the the fabulous gardens featured on home and garden magazines. Those types of gardens are often expensive and difficult to maintain. But take it from someone who neither has the time nor money to take on such a task but loves nature. You can get the same joy from projects on a much smaller scale. Stratigically placed plants, carefully selected for their color, texture and hardiness, and of course a pot of herbs will bring you and your family joy.

Fast, fresh.. and heathly.. all for a good price

Ever since I became a mom, preparing dinner has been a challenge. Before kids, fast, healthy, and cheap wasn't so hard. Take the summer in DC where I would buy an eggplant on Sunday. Every evening, I would slice a piece, roast it in the oven and make a sandwich with whole wheat bread, tomatoes and fresh cheese. It was fast, healthy, and really cheap. Now with two kids and a busy schedule, that can be a challenge. I occasionally run across a recipe that works, which is food recipe nirvana.
One such recipe is my goat cheese pasta. I came across it in a Martha Stewart magazine. I wanted to make a dish for a friend who just had a baby. She was nursing and couldn't eat anything spicy. Over time, I made tweaks to suite my own taste. The beauty is how yummy it is given the easse to make it.
First, cook a pound of whole wheat pasta. Drain the pasta BUT reserve a cup of cooking water.
To the pasta, add crumbled goat cheese. I know..GOAT CHEESE? That can be pricey, but I found crumbled goat cheese at a reasonable price at HEB, and you can also substitute other less expensive cheeses as well. I add about 6 oz, but you can play around and add what you want.
Now you can slowly add the pasta water to make the pasta creamy. Sometimes, I forget to reserve the pasta water and don't add any water. It's really up to your taste.
Finally, have fun with it. My kids love olives, so I add olives. The other day I added leftover chicken chopped up. You can add tomatoes, thawed frozen veggies, whatever you like.
When I serve the pasta, I like to drizzle some olive oil over it.

The pasta is is always a hit with the kids, it's fast, healthy, and inexpensive. Perfect.

I'm back

I was excited about starting this blog, but alas, like many aspirations, it went to the wayside. I'm happy to say, I've decided to start it back up. I hope to share my experiences taking small steps for a better life for myself and my family and I hope as more people read, they share as well.

Sunday ritual

It's Sunday afternoon. My son and husband are playing Lincoln logs in the library, my daughter is asleep on the couch, and I'm engaged in my Sunday ritual, cooking for the week.
Everybody who knows me, knows that I spend Sunday afternoon cooking for the week. Sometimes the weekly chore can be stressful or dreaded, but some days like today, when the house is peaceful, and it's too hot outside to do anything else, I find it to be relaxing. Either way, it's a necessity.
During the week, we get home around 5:15 with the kids. They're tired and hungry and so are we. During the week, even take-out seems like a hassle, so I want to have meals ready in the fridge that I can just warm up in the microwave and eat. There's also health reasons. I want to be able to feed my kids wholesome food like my mom did when I was growing up. During the day, they're at school, and I can't control everything they're putting in their mouths (though I do send organic milk for their lunch). So I take breakfast and dinner seriously.
Menu planning can be a challenge. To make it easier, I break it into the food groups, old school style. I want to make sure my kids have some whole grains, veggies, and lean meats. Of course they drink a glass of milk with their meal as well.
When it comes to veggies, if I was just cooking for my husband, cutting up a salad or making a stir fry would be the easiest answer, but my kids are a bit picky. I've found that the frozen steam bag of veggies are my best bet. There are a lot of varieties available. My kids like the broccoli with cheese sauce. That adds a little fat, but at this age, I want them to eat their veggies and start enjoying the taste. My son recently ate homemade stir fry veggies without complaint. The best thing about steamed veggies, is the ease, it's just a matter of heating it up in the microwave.
Grains are easy. I make brown rice in the rice cooker the night before and reheat it. I also boil a variety of whole grain pastas the night before. Sometimes, I serve this with good quality store bought sauce, but sometimes, I just toss with olive oil, Italian herbs, and crumbled cheeses. You can mix in the same types of things with rice and make a quick pilaf.
For meat, on Sundays, I usually serve baked fish. I also cooked a big pot of chicken curry, make a shrimp stir fry, and one beef or goat dish. Besides Sunday dinner, I usually try to have three complete meals ready. That takes me to Thursday, when I usually have leftovers. On Fridays, we do the occasional take-out, or I feed the kids snacks when they get home and cook a fresh meal.
The chicken curry is done, now I must get back to my Sunday ritual.