My Secret Weapon

I have a problem.  My towels are just plain stinky.   There's nothing cool about drying your hands off and having them end up worse off than before you washed them.  I had tried everything; the strongest smelling detergent, bleach, wash boosters, vinegar, etc.  Nothing was making me happy until I decided to experiment.

Disclaimer: I generally don't advocate experimentation when it comes to cleaning supplies, as there are some deadly combinations.  Please use your smarts.  If you're lacking smarts, don't combine cleaning agents.

Here's my secret: 

 

One cup Borax and one cup Vinegar in the pre-wash cup of my machine along with some Tide in the detergent cup.  Clean and fresh.  Who could ask for a better towel?

Pick of The Month - September

Preparing for the notion that we'll soon have a child to care for who has needs that we've never come across with Z&C I really appreciate that there are places like Soft Clothing to help a girl out.  Super cute styles that help the sensory overloaded kids out there feel comfy and cozy all day.  

Sometimes I feel like a Fun Mom

Today I was patting myself on the back for being so easygoing.  Easygoing is not in my nature.

The girls and I left the park when we got word of an angry, cursing drunk storming our way.

I thought about lunchtime.  "Oh poo." I thought, remembering our scarce cupboards. "I really don't want to forage about for lunch again."

"Want to stop at the store, girls?  We can pick out everything we need for a fun lunch."  Needless to say, they were excited to shop for their own special noms.

They chose canteloupe, blueberries, yogurt and fruit drinks.  I spotted the crescent rolls and thought about how much fun they'd have making their very first pig in a blanket.

We spread out our blankets, placed the piggies carefully and stuffed them full of the mozzarella we had on hand.  Yes, they turned out yummy, but the best part was experiencing something new with my sweet babies.

And The Dingleberry Award Goes To:

The gardener who thought it was a great idea to use a leaf blower on the sand outside our open dining room window!

I can let it go that you weed whack my bulbs, I've heard that it's easy to confuse Irises and weeds...happens all the time.  I can sweep my own walk way when you leave it dirty and gross.  I can ignore that you rake vacant sand.  (Why do you do that?)  I can even shake my head in confusion as I hear you mowing the dirt patch out front.

What I can't get over is when I walked into my previously mostly clean dining room to find it covered head to toe in dirt.  Fine, silt-like, stick-to-everything dirt.  Uncool.  Dirt on the windowsill.  Dirt on the curtains.  Dirt on the computer desk.  Dirt on the filing.  Dirt on the floor.  Dirt on the highchair.  Dirt on the table.  Dirt in every crevice of the chairs.  Dirt on the bar.  DIRT EVERYWHERE!

You sir, wherever you are doing a half-assed job, win the Dingleberry Award.  Why do you get paid by our rental company? I wish they'd just lower our rent and let me rake my own sand.

Big News and Big Changes

And at a complete loss for words.  I'm generally a pretty wordy person, It's hard for me to bite my tongue and stop rambling sometimes.  But for this announcement I can't think of any way to say it other than to just spit it out....so here goes.

We're in the process of becoming a foster family in hopes of adopting a child through the county.  From the first thoughts I had of being a mother I planned on adopting.  I think my teenage words were something like, "Ugh!  I'd never, ever want to give birth.  Bleck."  Or something equally charming.  That plan obviously changed and I had two itty-bitties the old fashioned way.  Isaac and I were planning on building our family and of course our first thought was pregnancy and childbirth.  After thinking (and thinking and praying and thinking) we decided to go through with the licensing process for foster care and adoption.

It's been a humbling and enlightening experience.  We've learned so much about how children develop, how they deal with loss & grief, what drug addicts experience and the legal rigmarole we'll soon be dealing with.  Our "bio children" as they're fondly referred to in "the system" are feeling good about it.  Z & C are excited to be foster sisters.  And Z hopes that "they'll stay forever and ever".  Oh, and that the new baby's  name will be either Tree Climber or Pink.  I told her that our new baby will probably come with a name, and it will likely be a person's name... :)

We'll be licensed in the next couple of weeks and then be available for a placement.  Whether or not our foster child becomes available for adoption depends on if the birth parents can get their stuff together.  Of course I have mixed feelings about this.  Facilitating a family in the healing process would surely be rewarding, but naturally we'll become attached to the little person we'll be caring for and loving like our own.  It would be hard to see them go.  We cautiously trust our county Social Services.  They're one of the higher rated for successful reunifications which means that when a child goes home to birth family they generally don't come back into the child welfare system.  We just have to trust that if we do foster a child that is placed back with his or her birth family that they'll have the support they need to raise him or her well.  I suppose we'll cross that bridge if/when we come to it.

So this means that you'll get lots of juicy stories and cutie pie pictures, right?!  Totally wrong.  Bummer for you!  We'll be respectful of privacy and aware of safety so the stories I share here will likely be vague.  It's okay, you're already used to me being vauge about Z & C.  You'll be okay.

There's the announcement.  Questions?  Comments?  I'm open.

Pick of the Month

I StumbledUpon these awesome Ninja Cookie Cutters and instantly knew they'd be my pick this month.  The site the come from (worldwidefred.com) is freaking amazing..  Everything hilarious and odd you need I'm sure you could find here.  If I bought Christmas gifts (generally we make them) this is where I'd do all my shopping.  Have fun browsing about.  If you're so inspired share your favorite find!

I Wish I....

• had time and energy to do all the good things I wanted to do.
• learned new languages easily.
• was inherently patient and kind.
• was an extrovert.
• found more joy in the things that seem so darned mundane.
• could buy a house on the peninsula.
• had room for a real garden and some chickens.
• had a self-cleaning kitchen.

Happy Birthday Charley!

A Haiku for The Bear

Charley, so furry

and meowsy and pesty, too.

We love our kitten.

Rescued from an animal shelter in Sierra Vista, AZ,
Charley has stuck with us through 5 moves.
Soaking up the sun in Monterey.

Playing with Zoe's Easter pinwheel in North Carolina.

Yawning a big yawn, looking ferocious.

Charley's a great cat.  Happy 6th Birthday!

San Francisco Review Part III - The Noms

I don't even know where to begin.  There was so much food and it was all amazing.  I'm going into a food coma just thinking about it!

First of all let me just say that you can't judge a book by it's cover or a restaurant by it's facade.  Most places we went to in the city looked all hole-in-the-wallish from the outside, but offered up unbelievably tasty eats.  Also, we never ate breakfast out since our hotel offered a fabulously delicious full continental breakfast each morning.  Bargain!

We started Tuesday with Mediterranean food from Park Gyro.  So good, well priced, portions that made us happy.  Dinner at the ball park never disappoints.  How can you go wrong with a hot dog and Gilroy garlic fries?  There's no way.

Wednesday was our first and only let down.  We had lunch at the Exploratorium.  Two thumbs down.  Ridiculously overpriced, not yummy, bad quality, bad selection....I could go on all day.  Let's sum it up by saying it's worth it to scope eats somewhere else if you visit.  Dinner ended up being a hole in the wall pizza joint called Nizario's.  Delish!  We followed that up with ice cream and cupcakes from The Bi-Rite Creamery & Bakeshop.  I was told that this was must have of SF, and we were happy to try it out.  Hello, my name is Elizabeth, and I am addicted to sugar.  Now you all know - I am a sugar-aholic....big time.  I know my sweets and these sweets may very well be the best sweets I've eaten in my life.  Go to the Bi-Rite Bakeshop.  Eat a Sea Salt Caramel Cupcake.  Die and go to Heaven.

Thursday we got down on a buffet at Great America.  You didn't know there was a buffet?  We didn't either until we planned this trip.  It was a total bargain at $15 a pop, and we got real food!  There was BBQ chicken and green salad and of course hotdogs, to round it all out.  Fifteen dollars would have gotten us each a hot dog and a drink in the park, so we were happy to shell out the money for some real food.  We tried for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, but opted for The Burger Bar downstairs after we found out we'd be waiting over and hour for a table.  What a happy substitute!  Great view of Union Square, fantastic service and food that makes me salivate just thinking about it.  Don't be thrown off by the name, it's not grungy.  And don't be thrown off by the website, it's not that fancy.  Gourmet burgers, perfectly crisp fries and a deluxe shake to top it all off.

Friday we had lunch at The Academy of Sciences.  I was a little wary given our experience over at The Exploratorium, but The Academy of Sciences was 100% amazing!  Okay, so it was a little pricey, but we expected that.  There were a gabillion options and even a fun outdoor garden to eat in.  For dinner we took a chance on King of Thai Noodle.  The driver of our hotel shuttle recommended it and while it gets a big zero for atmosphere, the food hit the spot, the service wasn't too shabby and the prices couldn't be beat.  We had fun eavesdropping on a group of high school kids talking about "the good times."

Saturday was the day that I finally overdid it, collapsed into bed in an ice cream stupor after lunch and could barely make it to dinner.   On a recommendation we went to Fenton's Creamery in Oakland for lunch.  I don't know why I thought eating a huge plate of amazing diner food would leave room for a full sized sundae in my belly.  Isaac pleaded with me to split something with him, "Just get a cone." he says.  Did I listen?  No.  I order up a big ol' larger than life sundae.  It was amazing.  It was delicious.  I should have stopped after one bite.  Did I?  Of course not.  I ate The Whole Darned Thing.  It was massive.  I'm pretty sure it filled a quart size container.  I was so grossed out with myself as I repeated, "One more bite, one more bite" over and over.  Never again will I eat an entire sundae by myself.  Maybe I'll share one, maybe I'll show some self control and get a cone, maybe next time we go on vacation I won't get the vacation-crazies and eat for the sake of vacation eating.  It was so yummy, but I didn't really enjoy it.  Sad, sad, sad.  I tried to redeem my self respect with a light (and late) dinner at Maykadeh, a Persian restaurant near our hotel.  I had what is now my new favorite lunch at home, and you can all make it, too!

You'll need:

Pita bread
Feta cheese
Walnut halves
Plain yogurt
Mint
Cilantro
Basil
Tomato
Cucumber
Hummus

It's a make-your-own sort of dish.  Make it pretty on a plate and serve it up in different combinations.  Dip some pita in the hummus, top with a cucumber slice and mint.  Yum!  Pita, feta, yogurt, mint, walnut... the delicious and unique combinations are endless.

Sorry this post was so wordy.  The only dish I thought to take a picture of was at The Burger Bar, and the pictures were lame.  So here's a picture of a Persian inspired pita I made while day dreaming of being on vacation again.

San Francisco Review Part II - Being Hecka Cheap

We had a blast on our vacation, but we also had a budget.  I wanted to share a couple of tips on how we stuck to it and even came in $40 under.

1.  We compromised on our hotel a little.  I wasn't willing to go all Super 8 on my vacation or anything, but we didn't spring for 5 Star digs.  It wasn't the fanciest 'hood, but it was spiffy and comfortable and a lot more affordable than some others we checked out.

2.  The Exploratorium, de Young Museum and Conservatory of Flowers were all free!  We took advantage of the one day per month that admission was waived on these bad boys.  Sure, there were lots of people there who were undoubtedly taking the same advantage we were, but that's okay.

Cool Modern Art at de Young

Carnivorous Plants at The Conservatory that make me think of Fairy Shoes.

3.  We paid a total of $25 for our Giants tickets.  Okay, okay, they were at the top of the stadium -not down by the Dugout or anything- but the park is so "cozy" that we still had a great view!

Our View

4.  We bought advanced online tickets to Great America, saving $30.  Woot!

5.  We took advantage of Isaac's student discount at The Academy of Sciences.  Ten bucks....still in my pocket.

Cutie Froggies I spotted

6.  We were total ghetto-cheapskates at a restaurant sharing not only a burger and fries, but the milkshake too.  Shameless frugality, I know.  In my defense, I was totally full on my halved portions.

Sick Kids and No Pancakes

When your kids are sick and you're feeling miserable yourself, take the easy road.  When I asked the chickies what they wanted for dinner and they both piped up, "Oatmeal!" I was happy to oblige.  I love that one of their favorite "treats" is so darned cheap, healthy and easy to make.  Here's what I tried out:

Quinoa and Cranberry Oatmeal (as always, measurements are approximate)

4 C Water
1/4 C Quinoa
1 1/2 C Old fashioned Oatmeal
1/2 C Craisins
3 Tbs. Brown sugar

Put water into a big ol pot and turn heat up to hot, hot, hot.  Add quinoa.  Once the quinoa has been boiling for a bit (it'll kind of blossom and puff up a bit) add the oatmeal, craisins and brown sugar.  Lower heat to a simmer and keep an eye on it.  It's done when it's the consistency you like, about 5 minutes, give or take.

It went over great!  I loved the nutty flavor that the quinoa gave, and the slight texture difference, too.

Fun facts about quinoa (say it "keen-wah"):

• A gluten free whole grain
• One of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom
• It's from ancient times, so you know it's good
• It provides all 8 essential amino acids

So get brave and give it a try.  I'd love to hear about other ways to serve quinoa.  We have a Costco sized amount and could use some suggestions on how to use it.

Finally, The San Francisco Review - Part I

I know that I have no excuse for putting this post off for so long.  I think I haven't done it because there is SO MUCH amazing stuff to tell, so many delicious things we ate, so much fun we had!

Here's a breakdown of what we did:

Tuesday:  Conservatory of Flowers, de Young Museum, Giants game
Wednesday:  Exploratorium
Thursday:  Great America
Friday:  Academy of Sciences, Pier 39
Saturday:  Oakland Temple, Fancy dinner
Sunday:  Come back down to reality

Now how do I break this up?  Do I go day by day?  A post only for food reviews?  I'm so overwhelmed.

Maybe I'll start with an overview of my experience of San Francisco.  I'm no stranger to The City, I grew up relatively close and I'd go on family trips to Giants games at Candlestick all the time.  I've been to concerts, service projects, business trips, shopping trips, etc., but I had never spent this much time roaming the city just for the heck of it.  Here are a few of my observations.

• The Castro district was completely devoid of women.
• The homeless population was absolutely heartbreaking.  People so desperate and strung out and in need of real medical/emotional help.  Yes, there are some who put on little acts, like the guy painted silver or the fellow who was dressed in a cow costume and let tourists pose with his dogs for pictures...why in the world would you want that?  "Hey ma!  I went to SF and I posed for a picture with a dog in a top hat!  Cool, huh?"  I don't understand that one.  Tangent...sorry.  But there were others who were just lost in a system that is quite obviously broken.  Heartbreaking.
• San Francisco is disgustingly dirty.  I think they pressure wash the entire city every morning just to keep the stank and filth under slight control.  Was that too harsh?  Sorry.
• There is a very good reason that tourists spend 53% of their budget on food.  There are so many amazing and delicious options!  We tried to eat from as many different genres as possible.  We did Greek, Thai, Persian, Gourmet Burgers and probably some other things that are slipping my mind right now.

I think that's all I can handle right now.  Here's a picture of the Bay Bridge from AT&T Park to hold you over until my next SF post.  Gorgeous!

No Camera = Lame Blog

Hey Cool Guys.  Someone I know took off with my camera.  Bummer.  I have so many great things to take pictures of now that it's not here!  Isn't that how it always is?

Here's the up and coming list:

• After pictures of the patio furniture.
• Garden progress and decimated lettuce.
• Cute craft project for the girls' room.

Hope that whetted your appetite, stay tuned!

17 Pancakes and Scary Movies

Happy (totally belated) 4th of July!

What would I have made if we hadn't been invited to a BBQ Sunday afternoon?  Completely unoriginal, but I planned for blueberry pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream on top.  BBQ with friends or pancakes at home?  I vote friends.

We had fun.  The grown-ups hung out, the kids played/fought (do they ever stop fighting?) and then we settled in to watch some Lion King.  Now, I must admit that I'm prudish when it comes to movies that I watch, books that I read, music that I listen to, etc., but I don't think I'm crazy when I think that Disney gets away with G ratings on movies that have other-than-G-content.  Are there terrible things in Disney cartoons?  No, I don't think so, but they're darned scary! 

Murder and death and fire and fighting- it's all too much for my sensitive little girl.  Don't worry, I'm not getting all preachy.  Watch whatever you want, let your kids watch whatever you're comfortable with.  As for us, we'll stick to Clifford and Strawberry Shortcake.

Gettin' my Exercise on

I'm chewing gum instead of eating chocolate.  I also joined a gym recently and have committed to going every morning.  It helps that they have slammin' child care.

The most important thing I've learned at the gym so far is this:

Always look at the floor or the ceiling when walking into the locker room.  If you don't, there will be a saggy naked behind assaulting your eyes.