whole parenting
I’m wracking up the holiday gift giveaways for you!! And this one, well it’s one of my favs. My girlfriend Laura is remarkable. We met through a girlfriend Lydia’s blog and realized we lived not an hour from each other. And that our children were similarly aged. This is before we each had our third, born one day apart! She sweetly came over to our house and as the kids played in the inflated–slightly deflating–pool in back we talked and talked and talked. And marveled on how we could have kept going but for the pottied-in swim diapers and gaspingly wet children. Beyond our similarities, I quickly came to admire a difference between us. Her writing abilities and style are well beyond the realm of this humble blogger. She is gifted. She is a real writer who has honed her craft beautifully. And this book//oh I needed to have these words in my life right now with three kids under five!!//it’s well written. Her writing reminds me of my creative writing undergrad companions. When the lens through which they viewed the world was truly and thoroughly as a seeker of ideas, a translator of visions, a go-between from our experiences to our conversation. Laura’s book, Everyday Sacrament, does this. She goes between parenting in all its unholy glory and pairs it with our religious experiences to put into words how they relate. She interlaces the spiritual and the poop. The layout of the chapters means I can float with her from…
Read More
Hello lovelies. For your perusal: the first week when I had lots of pictures. The second week when you had lots of ideas. The third week when I was out of steam and you guys saved the bacon // dinner. The fourth week which doubled as THANKSGIVING PREP! And now: volume 6: How was your Thanksgiving? Did you eat to your heart’s contentment? For me that would have involved much more pie and as it was, I was definitely overeating the pies. Your recipe failures and successes? Do tell! And this week coming up, now that we’ve had a week to nurse our leftovers and wounds, if any were inflicted. My son has two razor teeth. I can assure you I’m nursing some wounded fingers and other body parts. Moving along to happier fields. Monday: MEAT How about an Alice Waters number because I love her so? She was my gateway to real food. Grilled Chicken with Garlic Puree and shaved zucchini salad. You’re thinking, Nell it’s not summer! But I’m thinking: we have an indoor grill on our amazing stove. And I have zucchini. And already made the bread that tastes so moist with it. Tuesday: SOUP Smitten Kitchen. Am I on repeat here? Let’s do her carrot soup. My friend made it for us the other week and it was Ah-Mazing. Plus I have chick peas I need to use up. Carrot Soup with tahini & crisped chickpeas. Wednesday: BREAKFAST My son was allergic to eggs for three years.…
Read More
I love interviewing my friends. It is one of the many joys of having a blog. To blab about my gal pals! Anna and I met when she and Jacqui came to the parish mom group I started a few years back. They came in with their adorable baby boys and immediately I thought oh these ladies are cool. And it’s true. She is giving away an item from her recently launched knit goods shoppe on Etsy! And has a coupon for you holiday shoppers! {20DEC for 20% through end of Dec} But first, I give you, Anna {blog is called The Heart’s Overflow}: you’re a mama, wife, musician, blogger, and yarn artisan. Can you tell me a little about your new etsy shoppe, how you chose the name, what your offerings are, and what your inspiration is? I’ve been knitting and crocheting since I was in 8th grade. Over the years people have suggested to me that I should sell my wares, but I had no platform from which to do so and thought only really professional knitters could sell their stuff. So I just kept making things for myself and friends and family. I heard about Etsy a couple years ago and after meeting a couple people (Nell included) who run shops EVEN THOUGH they have babies to take care of I became inspired to start my own. After thinking about it and planning for almost a year I finally opened my shop this fall. Middle West Knitting…
Read More
Dear fellow people who eat, Yes! We are at week four of this really awesome meal sharing business. I cannot tell you how it has helped me plan in advance, and in arrears, with your delicious advice! For your perusal: the first week when I had lots of pictures. The second week when you had lots of ideas. The third week when I was out of steam and you guys saved the bacon // dinner. So I’ve got big plans again as last week was such a burn out. Monday: Mary’s suggestion from last week: Creamy Tomato Soup with basil. Going to de-frost our stock from scratch for it. Grilled cheese with it? Yes, please. Vermont Cabot Cheddar from Costco. You know it. Photo by the chef over at Shared Appetite. Tuesday: Cecilia’s lentils from last week: Lentils in vino! She suggested serving with sautéed greens. No probs. Got a ton from the garden in the freezer! Photo by Judy over at the recipe: Wednesday: Domestic Apologist’s Baked Chicken Serving this bad boy Alice Waters’ ratatouille. Just rubbing down a roaster chicken with butter, olive oil, stuff slices of garlic under the skin, and stuffing it with whatever fresh herbs I can muster up. Photo from the rata recipe: Thursday: Chewy Morsels’ Zuppa Contadina Zuppa Contadina with pork sausage and a loaf of crusty Italian bread for dipping. Taking these pages from Laurel!! Friday: Maggie’s White Bean Pizza from the other week ::white bean pizzas (drain a can of white beans,…
Read More
About a month back or so, when the time came to send our four and a half year old to the music preschool, one day a week, one hour and a half–(4.5 year old to 1 day a week, 1.5 hours)–I panicked. I posted on a fb group I’m freaking out about dropping off my son at music class!!! Backing up. This teacher, and this school, are phenomenal. We took a year long class together with the teacher. If anyone tells you pre-k music is just a time-filler, they haven’t had the experience I have. Wow. Not only is the curriculum geared toward building their little minds and skill sets, it’s artfully woven into a fun time and a silly time and a playing music time. And most especially, a time for exposure to instruments and musical ideas I simply cannot provide. BUT we’ve never dropped our kids anywhere. Only a few friends have babysat, otherwise always family. We’ve never left that at a gym play area, a church play area, a crafts play area, a daycare, a school, nothing. Returning to my panic. I called my sisters, my friends, my husband at work, and my mom, is he ready? what if there are peanuts? what if he poops and doesn’t wipe all the way? what if he’s mean to another kid? what if he’s the sassy boy in class? I texted my bloggy mommy friends. I freaked out. My fb group was soothing, for the most part. The moms reminded me that…
Read More
I don’t get it. They’re pretty adorable in real life. I just simply cannot say the same after I’ve threatened and cajoled them into attempting Christmas pictures. You heard it from the goat’s mouth. These pictures are pretty abysmal. We tried to rush them in after SuperBoy had sustained a tolerable level of good behavior at the 2 hour (you heard me. Two hour) mass at our beloved parish for All Souls Day. It was Mozart’s Requiem. Google it, people. It’s stunning. But I kept little screamer (that’s the one you know affectionately as SweetPea) and the true angel of the family (BabyLoves) at home. She has taken to acquiring an F- at mass these days. The girl who cried potty one too many times. The girl who needs whatever her brother has and isn’t afraid to slap for it. He was dressed up anyway, so I cleaned up her, and put something on the baby, and voila. Christmas photo opp. {also not afraid to show you what a 31 year old who has had three kids and isn’t working out regularly’s neck looks like. be warned, as my girl Lyz puts it so much more funnierly. Be warned.} Help me pic a Christmas photo?? I LOVE my cousin Meghan’s work but this year we’re on a tightytight budget leash so I think I’ll be printing them meeeself. Check out her work if you want something really pretty! And then she opened her eyes. Kinda ends with some foot aggression,…
Read More