You can cook Risotto...

I first made Risotto when I was newly married to my first husband.  I enjoyed the process, the multiple pots on the stove the slow, consistent cooking.  I never deviated from the recipes, and always felt a sense of accomplishment when it was time to add the cheese at the end.

Fast forward 10 years and with my second husband and two toddlers the idea of multiple pots and all that stirring makes my head spin.  So here is what I have learned.  Look at recipes for ideas on how to blend flavors and then follow these rules...

You will need:

• 3/4-1 cup risotto rice
• 1 onion
• some butter (optional)
• 21/2-31/2 cups water
• 6 chicken bullion cubes
• 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (fresh or from the container)
• Anything else you want to add...sausage, tomatoes, apples, beef, spinach etc.

Directions:

1. Chop up the onion, cook it in a pot with whatever amount of butter you want for a few minutes
2. Add the rice and stir
3. Add the wine
4. If you are adding meat, have it cooked and add it here (you can drain it or not...I usually don't)
5. Once the wine is absorbed start adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time
6. You do not need to warm/make your broth separately.  When you start adding the broth just put in all the bullion cubes with the first 1/2 cup of water.  I usually use 6 cubes for 3/4 cups of rice.
7. Keep adding the water in 1/2 increments until the rice is tender
8. If you are adding vegetables add them before you add the last 1/2 cup of water
9. Take it off the heat, add some more butter (a tablespoon is plenty) and the cheese

That's it.  Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking...cook it on medium heat...you will have dinner in about 45 minutes.  Enjoy!

A Holiday Read - Shamless Self Promotion

I got my first novel published and it is now available on Amazon for purchase as a hard copy and soon as an e-book.  I wrote it when I was 15 and the publisher actually went back to the original manuscript and used that for publication.  It's not a super uplifting story but its a story about what it means to be a victim and a survivor and why maybe both suck.

If you are looking for a quick (good) read that will remind you what's like to be a teenager...and transport you back to the early 90's, you should totally check it out.  It's also up as an e-book:



M

The Value of the Early Morning

I am not a morning person.  Never have been.  Left to my own devices I would happily sleep until noon on the weekends.  But my kids love the mornings.  The earlier the better. And so now I too wake up before 6 to change diapers, retrieve children from their respective rooms and start the day.  Here's the win: before work today I:

• got both kids up and changed
• settled my son on the couch with his blanket and milk while I fed his sister
• engaged both children with the same toy and watched them almost play together
• made french toast with my son (he helped to stir and add the cinnamon and nutmeg)
• sat at the table like a grown up and ate the french toast with both kids
• snuggled with my daughter while my son colored

all before 8am.  I had no guilt about working today.

F is for Visiting Family and Friends

When my kids got mobile my whole world changed.  It meant I had to make sure they couldn't eat anything they shouldn't, EVERYTHING became a choking hazard and everything seemed dangerous.  So, like most parents I turned my house (or at least part of it) into a kid safe zone.  But what about when they go other places?  Here are 5 ways to keep your kids safe and happy when visiting homes that haven't been childproofed!

1. Bring your own milk and/or juice.  Don't assume that people will have it at their house.  We usually stop at a gas station and buy those 1 serving milk/juice bottles and then stick them in the fridge when we arrive.  The distraction of a bottle or sippy cup does wonders.

2. Bring an easy to transport toy.  We don't travel with my sons building blocks, but we will bring one puzzle or one of his toy trucks.

3. Assume there will be no good place to change a diaper.  Make sure you have something to put under them to protect wherever you do change them

4. Use distraction well.  Your child focused on the stone fireplace and chimney? Time to go outside to run around the big tree!

5. Ask for help.  Is your child obsessed with stuffing things in electrical outlets?  Bring some covers with you and ask your host to place them in the room your child will be in mostly.

And remember, learning to exist in environments outside the home is important.  For you and your child!

E is for Eating with Toddlers

My son went from being an adventurous, try anything eater to a kid who prefers to say "no" without opening his mouth.  So through trial and error I came up with 4 ways that made meal time more enjoyable for all of us

1. Know what they do like.  In my house we love pretzels. My son would eat them for every meal and snack if I let him.  So I know most of the time the promise of just one Utz pretzel will make him eat a little of almost anything.

2. "Dipping sauce".  This is key in our house.  My son will eat just about anything if he can dip it in something first.  It doesn't matter what.  Strawberries into ketchup, squash into maple syrup.  A small pool of dipping sauce goes along way.

3. Changing the view.  When he was younger it didn't matter to him what his high chair looked at.  Now, we found he eats better when he is facing the table and we are all eating together.  He is more likely to eat more and sit longer if he is watching us eat as well.

4. Sometimes you just have to give them what they want.  Yesterday for example my son refused to eat anything but pretzels or yogurt puffs.  Last month this would have made me crazy...I would have tried everything to get him to eat something healthy.  Sure enough, today he woke up and ate fresh tomatoes with french toast and strawberries for breakfast, housed a tuna sandwich for lunch, ate a snack of veggie sticks in a little ranch dipping sauce and is already looking around for dinner.

Mommy is trying SO hard NOT to lose her $h!T!

Ever feel like screaming so loud you'd lose your voice, want to pull your hair out, or beat your head against the wall?

These desires were mine this morning.

Let me first say that I LOVE MY CHILDREN TO DEATH! They are my first and last breath of the day. BUT the drive me FU&$!&G CRAZY!

I so desperately do not want to take my six year old's child like dreams and happiness away from her. BUT, there is a fine line between being non-stop silly and putting laughter on pause to listen and understand simple instructions.

Lately it seems that everything to my six year old is a big joke. AND IT DRIVES ME CRAZY!

I try so hard to utilize every ounce of patience in my body when listening to each laugh or giggle. I think to myself, "How hard is it to just get dressed?" I mean for crying out lout, my daughter has a better wardrobe selection than Macy's, and STILL she complains she has nothing to wear. BUT, no matter how eclectic my daughter's clothing selection, sometimes Mommy has to take a deep breath and walk out of the room... So that Mommy doesn't completely lose her $h!T!

I keep telling myself, "She is only six", "Cut her some slack", "Her silliness is part of who she is". If only she would take SOMETHING seriously.

My daughter wakes up giggling, laughs at her own jokes, and continuously shares these rituals with others. All of the previously mentioned things are beautiful parts of her personality. I'm happy she has such a positive outlook on life. That being said, these qualities also make it difficult for her to stay focused on getting herself dressed and ready for school in the morning. She
would rather share her latest adventure with me than finish her breakfast.

But I wonder if we the adults are the ones with the problem. We are always focused on what comes next. We try so hard to stick to a routine or schedule. Hurrying from one place to the next, we never really stop and live in the moment. We don't allow ourselves to completely let go and enjoy what is going on around us.

Maybe, just maybe...if we try to channel our inner child, our giggles and laughter... Maybe we could stop and be silly instead of completely losing our $h!T!

Torn between Me, Myself, and I

"Me" as Mommy, "Myself" at work and "I" as a Wife. These three people equal one chaotic, messy, crazed, individual. Sometimes I feel brief moments of smooth sailing... and in the blink of an eye the seas get rough.

I love being a Mom. It totally has it's moments when I want to scream high shrieks into my pillow and rip out my hair. BUT, that being said the pros totally out weigh the cons when it comes to having kids. I can't help but love my girls to little bits and pieces!

Then there is myself at work. I don't excel at much, however, I am damn good at my job. I get a certain satisfaction from what I do. Work is something in my life that is just mine. A place where they call me by name and don't scream "Mommy" while climbing me like a jungle gym. A place where I am simple me.

And after the kids are clothed, fed, and loved... After my tasks at work are completed and my clients are happy... at the end of the day I am still a wife who loves her hubby. It takes all that I have left to keep my eyes open as we share the details of our day. Most times I don't even remember falling asleep as we snuggle. That being said, we still start and end our day together.

My life is certainly chaotic. Rushing around the house getting everyone ready in the morning, running from a meeting to a school field day or play, and then being home at the end of the day to hear everyone's adventures over a "thrown" together dinner...
I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, who else gets to be three people in one and still be declared legally sane?