As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it. ~Buddy Hackett It’s safe to say that the by-product of the back-to-school rush is a frenetic household environment. Until a sense of routine is established, everything seems a little bit undone. New start to the school day, different bus pick up times, later school days, after school, religious school, increase in homework – all of these factors exacerbate the pace of the day and usually what tends to suffer most is dinner time. For me, after a long harried day at … [Read more...]
Combating Your (Kids’) Jitters
September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. ~Albert Einstein After much anticipation, school is finally starting. It couldn’t come at a better time. The kids have spent almost every day together the past two weeks. They need separation. They need structure. They need school. I need separation. Isn’t it interesting how kids deal with anxiety? Emotionally, my kids are split down the middle. My son tends to err on the unflappable end of the spectrum (like my husband). Conversely, my daughter’s … [Read more...]
So Long Summer, Hello Whatever-Comes-Next
September 6, 2011 By 2 Comments
There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. ~Celia Thaxter It seems like just yesterday we were kicking off Memorial Day weekend with the traditional burgers-and-dogs barbeque, watching our pale-faced kids enjoy the warmth of the sun and the extra day light hours. Last night we were doing the same, except we were toasting to the end of Summer 2011 in our fleeces, watching our sun-kissed children roam around in our neighbor’s backyard! As with the end to every summer, I’m left scratching my head wondering where the time went. Last … [Read more...]
Wholly Guacamole!
September 2, 2011 By 9 Comments
There have been many lessons learned these past four days without power in the wake of Hurricane Irene. One lesson: how quickly food spoils when you don't have a working refrigerator or freezer! But, as I have been preaching all along, you have to try to make lemonade from lemons. That meant taking a full survey of our pantry items to see how far we could stretch our dry meals over the duration of the blackout. Lucky for everyone, my new found love affair with avocados helped us relish in some amazing guacamole. Actually, the guacamole was … [Read more...]
