Our evenings just got hotter

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we made the final (for now) improvement to our previously outdated kitchen. We replaced our dishwasher and refrigerator this summer, and my plan was to have a new oven by Thanksgiving. That happened -- barely!

Our old oven was very old and it was the cursed drop-in kind that are very hard to find now, and when you do find them, they're ugly. (A funny aside: our first house had a drop-in oven too and we also had to replace it.) We wanted to really make the kitchen look updated, so we did a bunch of legwork to find the right way to do it. Regular ovens are 30" wide; ours was 27", so that would have meant cutting cabinets and losing the use of drawers just to put in a "normal" oven. One handyman made a great suggestion of replacing the current drop-in oven with a wall oven and a separate cooktop. Because of that brilliant idea, we rewarded him with the job of making it work.

And, he did! He finished up on Wednesday, a couple hours before I had to bake my pies (and I tried a new crust recipe with vodka that was fabulous, by the way). Now we have an oven that doesn't burn everything you put in and burners that take much less than 20 minutes to boil water.

No-fail turkey

We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the sixth consecutive year. This will be the first year since 2003 that I will not be pregnant or nursing, so it may even seem a bit easier.

I love having an occasion to really cut loose and make a production out of cooking. I'm a bit afraid to curse this by writing it, but I have a perfect record on my turkeys. No disasters, not even close.

So I thought I'd share my turkey method in case you are seeking one. I promise you there is no way to screw it up.

1. Prepare your turkey as usual -- get out the innards and take care of the neck.
2. Get a stick of butter and dice it into cubes. Shove the butter, and preferably fresh herbs, underneath the skin. Also rub butter on the outside of the skin.
3. Roughly chop some carrots, onions, celery and garlic and scatter them in the roasting pan. Situate the turkey on top of those.
4. Put the turkey in the oven at 500 degrees (!) for about 30 minutes. This browns the skin beautifully and seals in the juices. (Watch it after 20 minutes to make sure it doesn't char)
5. Take the turkey out and cover the breast only with a piece of foil that you've cut to fit. Make sure it sits on there snugly.
6. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Bake the turkey for the required time using the per-pound calculations as a guide. Use a thermometer to test doneness -- take it out of the oven once the thermometer reads 161 degrees in the breast.
7. Let the turkey sit at least 10-15 minutes before carving so you don't lose the juice.

Snot-free landfills?

We try to live as "green" as we can, and because of that we have some rules to help prevent waste in our house. One of those rules is no paper towels. We have lived without paper towels for about 3 1/2 years, and I'm pretty proud of that (dish towels do the same job, as it turns out!). Paper waste, including household paper towels, is the largest contributor to landfill waste by residences.

To that end, I've been saying for a while now that we need to find a way to stop using Kleenexes (or facial tissues or whatever your term of choice is). They are every bit as wasteful as paper towels, and there are logical non-disposable replacements: handkerchiefs. Until this year, I've been all talk and no action.

But now, we're changing! Jellybean has a runny nose this week, and I have brought in our handkerchiefs: old burp cloths from when they were babies. Jellybean much prefers them to Kleenexes because they're softer, and in fact she has voluntarily wiped her own nose more times than I can count. This from the kid who used to run away at the suggestion of wiping her nose.

So far, so good. I hope we can keep it up when we all have colds, so that remains to be seen. But my resolve will be strong on this. (I do have one box of Kleenex for guests so they don't have to submit to our reusable method unless they'd like to, which would be lovely.)

On the nose

These days, it's pretty easy to take both girls with me on most of my errands. Yesterday, I had to take a book and a DVD back to the little library branch by our house, so I took both girls in tow. Jellybean has become a reliable helper to do little jobs for me and assist me. As we were going to the garage, I gave her the library book to carry with her.

I got the girls situated in the car and buckled in. We headed for the library, found a parking spot and I got out of the car to start unbuckling them. That's when I realized I hadn't seen nor heard mention of the library book since we got in the car.

Me: "Where's the book?"

Jellybean: "I put it on the nose."

Me: "What nose?"

Jellybean: "The car's nose."

Me (I couldn't help but think how cute and innocent that was): "Well it's not there now, so we're going to go look for it."

So I re-start the car and re-trace our route. The whole way home I was looking in the street for an abandoned library book. I was a bit worried -- I had better ways in mind to spend the $20 or so to replace that book -- but I wasn't stressed. I couldn't conjure how it could be much farther than our driveway when I backed out to turn around. It was about 4:50 p.m., though, so I wanted to get to our house before people started coming home from work -- and running over the book!

I turned up our street, and I could see the glossy book jacket shimmering in the fading sun. I was relieved as I pointed it out to the girls. Peanut said, "I see book, Mama!" It was down the hill in front of our next-door neighbor's house. I got out and retrieved it, and we were back on our way to the library. Crisis averted.

The darker side of motherhood

I was brutally honest with a total stranger yesterday, and she thanked me. She was expecting her second child, who will be 18 months younger than her first, and I told her that it won't be easy for a while. In fact, I told her she may feel like she made a gigantic mistake at times, especially early on, but she'll get through it.

Why did I do that, besides impulsiveness? No one told me these things when I was pregnant with Peanut. My girls are 22 months apart. I just wanted someone -- anyone -- to give me insights on what it is like to have two very little kids. I wanted to know good, bad or ugly. But no one really opened up to me. I'm an only child, so my parents weren't much help. L's brother is six years younger, so my in-laws were out. I would go places with Jellybean while bursting at the seams with Peanut, and hardly anyone even mentioned what it's like with two kids. So I went into dual motherhood quite blindly -- luckily, with lots of support.

The first five months or so with my girls were very tough. Don't get me wrong: There were some wonderful times amidst the struggle. Every time Jellybean kissed Peanut or Peanut giggled at Jellybean, it made my day (or my week!). But between sleep deprivation, breastfeeding hormones and chasing a mischievous 2-year-old, I was pretty worn out physically and mentally. L was fantastic and very involved. Unfortunately, he had to teach night classes that school year, so I was on my own for dinner and bedtime with two babies a couple nights a week. That didn't help.

Pretty soon, though, when Peanut could sit up and play, things started to get easier. I could put her down and she could entertain herself while I, say, took Jellybean to the bathroom. When Peanut hit nine months and she could move herself to where she wanted to be, it actually started being fun! We could play and have a good time, and there was a whole lot less crying (from all of us!).

I told the stranger lady most of this yesterday. Don't worry, I didn't just walk up to her and say, "Oh, you're pregnant. Wow, that's gonna be rough." She started fishing for how far apart my girls were, and I could just tell she needed someone to tell her things -- just like I had secretly wished. After we chatted for ten minutes or so, she looked me in the eye and thanked me for being so honest. She said everyone around her expects everything to be so beautiful and.... I stopped her there and said that there will be beautiful moments. Just use those to get you through everything else, and you'll be fine.

Why is it socially unacceptable for a mother to admit that being a mother is a hard job?

A "beef" with American food

About a year ago, I made a pretty significant change in my habits that also helped me lose weight and keep it off. No, it's not the new diet magic bullet, but it certainly wouldn't hurt you in that department: I stopped drinking pop every day. The best part is that I didn't give up my lunchtime caffeine bump. Instead, I switched to bottled sweetened iced tea -- this brand, to be exact.

I stopped with the pop (regular Coke had been my drink of choice) mostly to avoid the high-fructose corn syrup that pervades our food system. I also had heard anecdotal evidence that Coke and the like can cause you to crave sweets and actually eat and drink more than you would otherwise. So, I substituted the tea -- with real sugar, mind you -- and not only did I enjoy something more natural, but I lost weight! About 12 pounds. Let me repeat that: I consumed a decent amount of sugar on a regular basis and still managed to lose and keep off weight. I think that's a testament to how insidious high-fructose corn syrup is to the American diet. (The only downfall to all of this is that the tea may have been an accomplice to my problems at my recent dentist visit)

Speaking of the American diet, a while back I read the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It is a non-fiction story of how her family vowed to eat locally for an entire year -- winter and all. The book is wonderfully written and engaging, and it also changed my perspective on our food system and habits. I have consciously made an effort to eat more locally and in season so as to support local farmers and conserve fossil fuels used to deliver our food nationwide. Our local farmer's market, grocery stores and even many restaurants also have responded to this call and offer a big array of locally grown foods.

Also as a result of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (and an excellent episode of Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days), I have decided to eat only beef that has been grass fed. Cattle were not made to eat corn and all the other by-products we feed them. Ever hear people joke about cows' flatulence? That's mostly due to their inability to digest the corn feed -- we just feed that to them because it's cheap. They were designed to eat grass, and the nutrients in grass affect the composition of the meat and actually make it healthier for us. Grass-fed beef contains significantly less saturated fat than traditional beef, as well as significantly more omega-3 fatty acids. Not to mention the cattle are raised more humanely than mass-fed cattle on the factory farms.

Locally raised grass-fed beef is available in our local grocery stores, so it is easy for me to find for all my cooking needs. I don't plan to eat the other kind of beef because as a consumer I want to send the message that factory-produced corn-fed cattle are unacceptable for my family and me. I hope to be a part of changing our agricultural system for the better, and I'm voting with my dollars.

(By the way, I now have ranted against high-fructose CORN syrup and CORN-fed beef. I don't have anything against CORN per se -- I just wish we could limit its uses as a substitute for better ingredients.)

Not-so-little girl

At 3 1/2, Jellybean is maturing so much lately in her speech and actions. As much as I love to watch her blossom, it is bittersweet at times. Yesterday was much more sweet than bitter, though, as she said some just priceless things that I thought I'd share.

I was reading the newspaper in the morning, as I do every morning while the girls and I eat breakfast. For the first time in a few days, for obvious reasons, the paper did not feature a photo of Barack Obama on the front page. Jellybean asked astutely, "Where are Barack Obama and John McCain?"

I replied, "They're back at work after the election. They'll be in Washington, D.C., soon."

Jellybean announced, "I think they're coming to our house for Thanksgiving." I'll make sure and get a bigger turkey at the store.

A bit later in the meal, Jellybean was asking me questions about Obama's daughters. I explained that the girls will move with their parents into The White House, and I made a point to mention that their mom, Michelle, also has a job and is a lawyer like Dad. I said, "Isn't that neat? Their dad is president and their mom is a lawyer. Wouldn't that be neat if Mama or Dad were president?"

Her reply: "I'M going to be president!" You go, girl!


This anecdote is not so presidential. Later in the day, after preschool, I was quizzing her about what she did at school. She happens to go to a Lutheran preschool (our favorite choice although neither L nor I is particularly religious at the moment). I asked her what her story was about, and she told me, "The animals pooped on the Ark. Animals don't use the toilet, so they pooped on the Ark." I'm sure her preschool teacher would be thrilled to know that that was her take-away from the religious lesson today. A little too much like her dad.

Although I do love her comments and insights, I also love the things that remind me she's still a little girl: how she bounds enthusiastically toward the park each time we go, the way she cuddles her teddy bear close when she's tired, her chubby little wrists and hands, her sweet voice singing along almost in time with the music. I'll take all these things while I can get them too.

Cheating winter

I haven't blogged in a while -- sorry if you missed me (as if...). We have been busy playing outside. Yes, outside in late October/early November. Not only outside but outside without jackets and sometimes even in short sleeves! It is completely WRONG for there to be weather this warm in Michigan at this time of year, but we have been loving it.

I can't help but think -- with my typical Michigan weather cynicism -- that we will pay dearly for these warm days. It won't come in the form of a humongous winter snowstorm. No, the worst way we could pay (are you listening, Mother Nature?) would be to have freezing weather and snow in May. The springtime winter weather makes me particularly crazy, having grown up where winters were only three months long.

I have tried to put those negative thoughts out of my head, though, as the girls and I have enjoyed our last hurrah of swinging in the backyard, blowing bubbles, coloring with chalk and leisurely walking around the block. I list those things specifically so I can look back and read this in February, when I have completely forgotten what it's like to play outside in warm weather.

I am resolving right here not to dread the length of winter this year. I will let it happen as it may. You see these words. If you feel I violate my resolution anytime in the months to come, please call me out on it.