Don't Pee on the Bee

Sense of Smell vs. Techno Device

OK, I think that this is absolutely astounding, and I mean that in a bad way!  According to research done by McCann Worldgroup (as cited in Real Simple September 2011 under "the simple list"), 53% of 16- to 22-year olds around the world would rather give up their sense of smell than their favorite personal technology device!

I don't even know what else to say!  Don't they realize they could keep their sense of smell and still use their second favorite device???  (Maybe they need more "philosophical" conversations!!!)   Maybe that's the difference between a 46-year old vs. a 16-year old, but wow!

Anyone else feeling less astounded and able to put a coherent sentence together?

Another Weird Yogurt Post

So hopefully none of you are thinking that I have some weird eating disorder!  But here I am with another possibly unusual take on yogurt as dessert.  The good news is that I did not dream this one up on my own but read it in the September issue of Real Simple.  I love this magazine!  It's one of those where you can sit when you are completely dazed and just gaze at the pictures and still feel that you are an upright human being!

Healthy Snacks for Every Attack was a very helpful article, but I will say it is much easier to read in the magazine itself than online!  There were some interesting ideas on what to eat for a snack--some things I probably won't eat, but others I might try if I think about it!  But the one that really grabbed my attention was under the "for your desk" option.  For me, it should read "for the couch, when everyone is asleep, and there is a good TV show on that you just really want to sit and enjoy" option.  And that would be 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt, 2 Tablespoons canned pumpkin and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice.  And I've actually got all those things in my cupboard!  We love pumpkin pie--although most of the time I just cook it as a custard and skip the super fattening pie crust!  We call it pumpkin pudding.  But this will do just fine during a warm summer when the idea of turning on the oven to bake a dessert is really one of the last things I want to do!  Sure sounds better than 2 carrots cut into sticks with 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter!

The Drive

Wow.  The other day when I finally sat down after everyone was in bed--and hopefully on their way to asleep!--I decided to read instead of watching TV.  OK, truth be told.  My TV watching choices are getting slimmer and slimmer with each season finale!  Oh well.  More time for reading, and that is always a good thing.

Anyway, I picked up the June 2011 issue of Real Simple and started making my way through it.  (The quote on the spine of the magazine this month?  Charm is the ability to make someone else think that both of you are pretty wonderful.  --Kathleen Winsor)  I read all the things that readers thought their dads had been right about.  Checked out the list of people's favorite book series.  Passed the pretty glasses and 10 finds under $50.  And then I arrived at the essay section, life lessons.  This one was called "thanks for the ride."  Get ready, sisters.  This one will give you some perspective.

And it's funny how perspective usually hits right when you need it.  Or not.  Or maybe right when you are already feeling emotional about your 4 year old daughter starting Kindergarten in the fall.  At first you thought you would be really happy when they were both in the same school at the same time.  But then she says, "Mommy, I had a really nice day with you today."  Or "Mommy, I love it when we are together."  And you realize that although she does drive you crazy in the car sometimes with her incessant talking or her wanting to hear the same kid song over and over and over. . . you know, the one with the dog howling in the background?  Well, you're going to miss it.

And that's just what Ann Packer has to say.  Read it and let me know what you think.

And speaking of Kindergarten, tomorrow is JJ's last day!  I can't believe it.  Where did the year go?  And speaking of going, I am going to be out of town for the next week at a writer's conference/retreat.  And so while I am gone, I am going to re-post some of my favorite blog posts.  And I have gone waaaay back in the Archives for these.  Hope you enjoy!  See you back in real time by the end of next week!

Good Food Stuff

I don't know if it's because my body still thinks it's winter what with all this crazy, cold, rainy weather, but all I want to do is eat!  Luckily, I'm not a big snacker, so this isn't really causing any major issues for me--other than the amount of time that I spend thinking about food!  Put a food magazine in front of me or let me watch a little Top Chef, and I'm obsessing even more!  Oh well.  I won't get upset about it until just obsessing about it puts the pounds on!

With each passing day, though, I realize how much I hate making lunch for myself!  And to think that my kids are only 4 and 6!  That means a lot more lunch-making through the years!  But I also realize that I really don't like sandwiches or cold lunches (which is kind of ironic because just this past week, JJ has been complaining that he doesn't like "hot dinners!"  Huh?)  Anyway . . . lunch . . . pain in the booty!

About a year or so ago, I pitched an article to some parenting magazines about lunches for moms.  I was so sick about reading about "lunches for picky kids" and "10 Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Lunch!"  I really thought that an article about what moms make for lunch would be fun and inspiring.  Well, quite possibly the magazine editors know more than I do, and  none of them thought that it was a good idea.  Maybe I need to pick that up here in my blog one of these days and get some creative lunch ideas for US instead of THEM!  Well, let's not go there today!

Go instead to the May issue of Real Simple  magazine.  It had a nice-sounding sandwich that I might actually make myself and eat!  They call it the turkey sandwich with hoisin mayonnaise, but I think it just sounds delicious.  Hoisin sauce, cukes, carrots and mint leaves.  Yum!  (The other thing I love about Real Simple is the quote that they put each month on the spine of the magazine.  This month's is from Rosalind Russell:  Taking joy in life is a woman's best cosmetic."  Nice.   As I was just perusing a list of organic face soaps and lotions!)

And speaking of organic, we planted our garden this past weekend.  A little bit of this.  A little bit of that.  We are all excited about our garden this summer.  Last summer went pretty well with our first big garden, but the weather, as we all know, wreaked a bit of havoc with some of it.  So we are hoping that this summer might be a bit better.  We'll have to wait and see.

But last year, we had planted way too much arugula all at once.  I couldn't keep up with it, and most of it ended up going to seed.  The Handsome Gardener asked me as politely as he could if I was going to plant arugula this year.  I shot him a look that said, "Hell, yeah!" and then I showed him this recipe for Arugula Pistachio Pesto that I found in the Green Day article from the April/May 2011 issue of Natural Health magazine. (Read the article or scroll down for the recipe.  There was also a yummy-sounding Blueberry Swiss Chard Smoothie recipe in there too!)  He loves pistachios, so his eyes lit up, and I think I was forgiven!

Off to finish making dinner!  And oh, does it smell good in my kitchen!  The kids and I made an apple blueberry crisp for dessert!  Yum!

Simply Fabulous!

The other night, instead of turning on the TV, I decided to read one of the magazines that are stacking up on my coffee table.  I chose the February 2011 issue of Real Simple.  So I don't know if this was just a particularly fabulous issue, or if I was just in the mood for practically everything they wrote about this month, but I think I may have broken a personal record and turned down sixteen pages that had something that I was interested in!

One of the sections that I really loved was 10 ideas for: smoothies.  Now I know that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make a smoothie, but there was something about seeing those 10 pictures of smoothies in all different colors that made me want to run right out into my kitchen and make one!  Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie anyone?  How about a banana-cashew smoothie?  Gingery berry and oat?  I can't wait to start making some of these!

And speaking of making things . . . I thought this Quick Carrot-Ginger dressing sounded fabulous too!

But it wasn't all about food.  I loved this one column about life lessons where the author talked about things in life worth admitting . . .

3.  Your house is usually a disaster area.

The next time you entertain, don't pretend that your place always looks perfect.  It's as annoying as a stick-thin model saying she eats like a horse.  If someone compliments your home, be honest and say, "I've spent the last two days cleaning up.  You have no idea what was behind this sideboard."  It's impossible to keep it together at all times.  Wouldn't you rather be friends with someone who owns up to her imperfections?  I know I would."

I can assure any of you who know me that I would never spend 2 days cleaning my house, no matter who was coming over!  And I don't have a sideboard, so no worries about me oversharing what was behind it!

As I flip back through the magazine while writing this post, I realize that it really may have been all about food which was why I also flipped down the pages for Creamy Broccoli Soup, Chicken Adobo with Bok Choy, Chili-Glazed Pork with Sweet Potato Hash and the article about the 30 healthiest foods.  (I actually felt pretty good after going through that list.  We're doing pretty well here!)

The very first page that I turned down was page 4 which had a great quote from Luciano Pavaroti.  He said, "One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is that we are doing and devote our attention to eating."  Amen, brother!

 

A Hungry Day

So I must have been really hungry the day I read the January 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine.  Nearly every page that I turned down had to do with food!  Now I haven't tried any of these recipes, but I thought they sounded good.  So I thought I would share, and maybe one of you will make them and let us know it they truly were fabulous!

I know I chose Spiced Cod with Broccoli-Quinoa Pilaf more for the quinoa recipe than the cod recipe.  I love quinoa but still am not very good at coming up with creative ways to make it.  I thought this sounded really good and could go with anything.

Spicy. Asian. Chicken. Brussels Sprouts.  All good words in my world, so this recipe for Spicy Asian Chicken with Brussels Sprouts sounds delicious.  And most people shake their heads when I tell them that my kids LOVE brussels sprouts.  We'll have to see how they rate this dinner when I make it!

I think the photo in the magazine made me more interested than the title of this recipe, Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes, although lately anything with "slow cooker" in it gets a look!

Even the article Passwords Made Easier had food words in the passwords!  Speaking of food, I'm getting hungry!  Better go eat lunch!

Editor's Note

As some of you know, I am super excited because any day now, the November issue of Sacramento Parent will be coming out, and the first of a 2-part series that I wrote is appearing in it!  And the topic is one that I think I will never tire of--that whole Hundred Dollar Holiday thing!  Will definitely talk more about the article once it's out and online, so don't you worry about that!

But what struck me the other day as I was reading the November issue of Real Simple was the editor's note.  She was talking about lying in bed at night and mentally going over your To Do list and feeling good about getting things done.  This can feel really good when you feel like your life is a bit out of control!  (Agreed.)  She then went on to talk about the stress leading up to the holidays (she needs to read my article!) and how life can feel like on gigantic To Do list then.  But she goes on to realize that what she is usually checking off her list are things (tablecloths, menus, plates, hostess gifts), and even though it feels good to check those "things" off, it is really a fleeting feeling. 

Recently she found an envelope full of thank you notes that people had written to her, thanking her for a promotion, a bottle of wine, support she had given, and she realized that the "envelope formed a different sort of to-do list, one made up not of things, but of people."  She then goes on to say, "Even during such a crazy-busy time of year, this should be on every to-do list: Accomplish something that someone will thank you for."

I love this idea.