Compare and Contrast

   Why is it that I, as a mother, feel the need to compare myself to other mothers?  It's getting annoying.  I catch myself comparing how my fellow moms work with their children at home doing things like:  ABC's, 123's, writing, crafts.  Good lord.  I do minimal amounts of these types of activities with my children.  Yes.  I'm horrible like that.  I don't sit down with my kid every. single. day and go over these important skill builders.  I wish I was more disciplined.

No.  Instead.  My kid plays outside almost all day long with his buddy.  They build sand castles, they ride bikes, the play cops and robbers, build forts with my couch and ALL the spare blankets and pretend to play chess.  And then, there are the days where I sit down and we sing the ABC's, we count, we name the shapes and colors we draw and we practice counting and saying our ABC's in Russian.  It's just not every day.  I show him how to run my computer.  I send him out to collect the eggs and feed the chickens our fruit scraps.  And when Papa comes home out come the Play-dough, the model ships to construct, the kites to fly, the paper pirate hats made from newspaper and all the crafty activities.

As of late, Cylas has expressed intense interest in helping me cook.  So, we mix the flour, sugar, and eggs to make pancakes, we pour the batter together to form the little rounds.  Or, he'll pour the pre-measured seasonings into what ever dish I'm making.  We'll discuss and smell all of the ingredients going into the night's dinner.  That's what I do.  I'm not a super mom, I'm not a homeschooling mom.  I'm just a mom.  

My house gets messy.  Cluttery.  Annoying.  My kids scream, fight and cry.  My little boy wets the bed every now and then, my laundry over flows, my little girl takes baths in the toilet.  But I still have all my hair, my children are loved unconditionally and our home is a haven.  A safe one, at that.  I spend my days training my children, showing them how to love and be loved, teaching them the importance of communicating, how to be respectful...

Wow.  From my vantage point, it looks like I'm raising well-rounded, responsible citizens.  ok, ok, I'll quit comparing myself.  I'm not a bad mom...I'm raising my children differently.

Mommy Time/ Me time

Where do I start?  Because, honestly, those are foreign phrases in my book.  Well, ok, truth be told, they are not so much foreign as they are a rarity.  And, as I said in my last post, every situation is different.  At this point in my life, my children are still young and not in school.  Therefore, I am with them 24/7.  Seriously.  I go through guilty spells where I am thoroughly convinced that taking out time for myself is unacceptable.  I have two VERY distinct sides:  My mommy side loves being with my babies and couldn't imagine a day without them and my "oh-to-be-young-again" side pops its carefree, wild curled head up and wishes loudly that it could just, "TAKE A BREAK!!".  But I can't.  I tried it once.  

I mean, like a REAL break not just getting together with a girlfriend after NINE PM to take an hour to myself.  I went away with a friend for a weekend.  Just me.  Her.  And the lights of NYC.  Talk about the memory of a life time and yet I couldn't enjoy myself completely.  Uhg.  SO annooyinnngg.  Let's be honest, who sits through almost the whole show of Phantom Of The Opera, on Broadway no less(!), thinking about their children and wondering if they're fed, bathed and scrape free??  Me.  That's who.  Pa.thetic.  

I'm a hopeless romantic mom-antic.  There are times when I invent my own mom time and it is usually in the car.  For some reason, whenever I'm in the car with my kids I start to zone and think about ...whatever... I don't even know.  All I know is that my brain sort of takes its own course and I follow along mindlessly.  But, this also happens to be the time when Cylas is most chatty.  CHATT.Y!!  He will yammer non-stop for the duration of our drive and I'm batty by the end although I took a mental leave of absence.  I still responded faintly to his garbled conversation.  See.  I'm totally backward.  DON'T ignore your children, Misha!!  Bleh.  But I'm holding out a hope that once my babies are in school I will welcome the sweet hours of silence I have to myself and it won't be so hard to go off for the weekend and leave them with the grandparents.  *breath in, breath out*  Wow, I can't imagine myself at that point.  Leaving my children to survive without me.  Without me.  Maybe I'm putting the worth of my value too high.  Maybe not.  Maybe being a mom IS what it's all about. (with a few breaks in between!)

Ohk, I know this photo has absolutely nothing to do with my post BUT itwaspotentiallyacutepicandDruineditandheshouldbeembarassed.

Love you, hunny.

Stay at Home Mom = Lazy

Yes, I was called lazy because I am a stay at home mom.  No words.  Absolutely no words for such an ignorant comment....well, at the time I was speechless.  But now, I would like to dedicate this whole post to those who are under the unfortunate misconception that just because a mom is at home she is lazy. 

First of all, every mother’s situation is different from the size of their house, to why they are at home (by choice or request), to the size of their brood, to the ages in their brood and even down to the neighborhood (or lack thereof in my case) they live in, either the city/country. 

Cleaning is never ending because we live in farm country and the dirt is everywhere, which means it gets super dusty super fast, and I’m constantly interrupted by fights, boo-boos, doorbells, phone calls, crabby baby let-me-hang-off-your-leg, potty training accidents (including poop).  It’s not easy to clean the house.  Some rooms suffer a bit.  Namely, mama and papa’s room.  It gets a little dusty.  Bed is made, but everything else is left alone until I have the time to deep clean.  Contrary to the growing popular opinion that cleaning just “takes a second”, my level of cleaning takes me quite some time.  Our bathrooms, and proudly so, are urine stink-free.  ( I have an insane paranoia of pee-pee smell in the bathroom)  My sinks are scrubbed regularly, and the floors are constantly vacuumed.  Now, I have wood floors so they also need to be mopped regularly.  Uhm.  That part isn’t done so regularly.  I do spot clean if there is a tragic mess..mostly potty or milk.  But it usually takes me about a week until I next mop.  Now we have rules in the house that there is no eating anywhere else but the kitchen and only tippy cups allowed if you're thirsty and want to walk around, so this helps with the damage control and my sanity.  Two birds with one stone.  Two very FINICKY birds at that.

 My job description includes cleaning a three bedroom, tri-level home with three bathrooms.  Some moms only have one story homes.  Every situation is different!  My four year old is very, very imaginative and can create messes out of thin air.  We went to a restaurant the other evening and we left with a TAKEOUT BOX full of clam shells.  The next morning they were spread neatly over the kitchen counter.  They are his friends and far be it from me to be inhospitable and demand they seek sanctuary somewhere other than my kitchen counter!!  And Roma, I still have to strip her down when she eats.  So, put two and two together and that means her highchair is a noodly, cheesy, cracker crumbly mess.  Mess.  Clean.  Mess. Clean.  Story of my life.  It's a fact!
I get myself dressed.  I get them dressed.  I brush their teeth.  I brush my teeth.  I bathe them.  I shower.  I feed them, I hug them, I play with them.  I change diapers.

In the end, it’s what you do with your time.  I have maybe an hour to myself in a day’s time.  It shouldn’t be a contest to see who has more work to do but it’s about what you do with what you have.

... Even if it means taking a break and being silly with your resident mess makers.  Enjoy it because they can only be this age once.  And how will they remember their mommy?  A crabby woman who constantly cleaned, or a creative mommy who didn't mind making messes with them every once in a while.

Falling in love all over again...

No, not with my husband because that's just something I do every day.  I'm talking about books. 

I need to re-learn how to appreciate books.  My love for them hasn’t died but the amount of time I have for them has.  The last time I completed a book cover to tail...please.  There is no live memory for that.

As it stands, I’m listening to books on tape, a cheap stand in for the real thing, as I do dishes, fold laundry and clean bathrooms.  There has to be some way for me to get in a good read.  Well, this is what I tell myself every time I go to the library and find three or four good books I want to dig into.  The fourteen day check out limit passes.  I renew.  The fourteen day check out limit passes -- again.  I renew.  This goes on for about a month...and a half, and then I just give up.  It almost feels like I’ve buried an old friend every time I return those books unread.  Sad parting -- but necessary, because fines don’t care who you are or how attached you are to Bernard Cornwell or David Baldacci. 
If only there was a library fairy, I’d make a wish that each week I could effectively speed read through all the latest new releases from my favorite authors.  The library and I.  We  have a thang goin’ on.  And it takes me as I am.  Late fees and all.  It also loves my children and husband, too.  It tends to swallow us all up every time we come, two hours passes so easily, and we enjoy every submerged moment.  Sitting on the floor reading books to my babies, joining other moms and babies during story time, doing crafts, playing computer games, building with the jumbo legos.  Nothing like it. 

But I’m still waiting for the day when it’s just me. my book. two hours of silence. and a comfortable chair.  BLiss. 

The continuation of the crazed coupon-er's savings

And so, I'm not just crazy with saving money in my pantry but also with household items.  But, first things first.

Freezing your veggies:
Choose your fav veggies.  Bring a pot of water to an active boil and dump in your fresh green beans, bell peppers(best to buy them when they are on sale for freezing purposes), broccoli, asparagus...etc.  Make sure they are chopped, diced or minced how you like them.  Let them boil for approx three minutes.  You don't want them to fully cook.  Then, quickly, dump them into a colander/strainer and run them under cold water.  This is called blanching.  A fool proof method and way easier than canning!  Make sure to mark the date on your freezer bag, along with the name of which veggie.  Voila.

Potatoes and Rice -- Now, I mentioned potatoes and rice.  First, I have often frozen a batch of mashed potatoes but there is another way to freeze your taters.  Dice them and wait for your water to boil.  Dump them in for 3-5 minutes.  Once they're done let them set in icy water for 5-10 minutes.  Package and freeze.  So easy and it saves you from having to throw out your potatoes because they have eyes growing in their heads...

Rice -- Well, the only experience I have with freezing rice is with a certain Russian dish I make, Ploff/Plov.  I make a huge batch of this dish and then freeze the rest.  How many times...too many to count and the turn out has been great upon the re-heat.  You can freeze rice casseroles, too.  Wait, I just remembered that I've frozen just pain white rice.  Either way, it's fully cooked when it goes into the freezer.

 
No, you're not looking at a shelf in CVS or Walgreen's.  But this is my laundry closet.  Eight, yes, eight bottles of detergent.  There is one hiding in the back...And half of those I got for free.  They run close to $8 for the smaller bottles and $12 for the larger.  I don't pay more than $5.99 for the smaller bottle.  CVS is my friend.  I get amazing coupons for being a member of their rewards system on top of clipping coupons from the Sunday paper.  I wouldn't recommending stepping two feet inside that store without a coupon...they are just too expensive otherwise.  But, you couldn't find better deals when you're armed and ready.

All together now...the underside of my kitchen sink is lined with dish soaps!  Dishwasher and dishwashing.  I also have an arsenal of Clorox spray bottles, Clorox wipes, and all other sorts of cleaning paraphernalia.  And, once again, half of it was free.
The beauty of couponing is your coupons usually coincide with your local grocers sales.  And, if some of the coupons you clip don't match with the sales the store is having that week, don't worry because the next week they will match.  It's a game and you have to be smarter than the system.  Make them pay you.

I do.  I get free money every time I push my cart down the aisles.

This is how I shop. Like a crazed coupon clipper who listens to the rhythm of her pantry.

It took me over the course of six months to get this crazy.  Mad hunting for coupons, sitting the library filtering through miralax, puppy chow and Excedrin coupons to find the gold nugget -- .55cents off Land o' Lakes Butter.  Yes, I'm that crazy.  But I don't mind.  Even my four year old understands how important those "coopuns" are to me.  I faithfully buy two, yes two, Sunday papers.  One from the town I live in and one from a neighboring town.  The coupons are not always the same in each paper.  The $3.25 I shell out every Sunday, except for Holidays because they don't print coupons, pays for its self ten, sometimes twenty times over.  

So, that is step one.  TWO papers, every Sunday.  Not too shabby.  Because I know when I go shopping I will save NO less than $30.  The most I have ever saved in one go was $98.  Yeah.  I gulped.  Waited until I was outside, did the shout dance and called my husband.

Now, on to the nitty gritty.

Here is a list of items that I buy consistently to stock:
Chicken broth/ Beef Broth
Cream of Mushroom, chicken, celery
Tomato sauce, paste and diced tomatoes
Beans (black, pinto and pink)
Noodles (jumbo shells, mini penne, vermicelli)
Tuna
Marinated artichoke hearts (for casseroles)
Salsa
Ketchup
French Fried Onions
Water Chestnuts
Jelly
Oatmeal
Cream of Wheat
Juice
Flour (depending on how often you use it, I now make my own pancake batter so I tend to use a little more)

Here is a list of the items I buy to freeze:
Shredded cheese (sharp, mild cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella, parmesean)
Bread
Bacon
Butter (yes, I freeze butter)
Chicken
Pork (shoulder, and center cut pieces, labeled frozen and cut according to how much we eat)
Ground Turkey rounds
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Potatoes (if I made too many mashed potatoes over dinner, I freeze the remainder...I will go more into depth about other ways to freeze your 'taters')
Rice (more on this later)
Asparagus
Green Onions
Store bought, Pre-bagged mixed veggies (for soups and stir frys)

Store bought, Pre-bagged frozen corn (for soups)

Ok, there is SO much to talk about concerning these lists.  I buy a whole lot more than what I listed, but it varies.  It depends on what type of foods I'm cooking and what time of year it is.  I tend to buy more beans and frozen corn in the winter...all of the soups I make.  And in the summer I buy more hamburger buns(bread) and ketchup.  Either way, you will find the rhythm of your pantry.
One trick is to -- take advantage of the B1G1.  That is: BUY ONE GET ONE FREE.  Shoot.  If it's something you use a lot, get it!  Especially if it has a long shelf life like: ketchup, soy sauce, juice, mayo.  Also, the bread( know it doesn't have a lot of shelf life but it's expensive and is frequently B1G1).  We eat a fair amount of bread.  Not so much sandwich breads but when it's on sale I buy three loaves and pop two in the freezer.

O. that's the other thing.  My freezer. 
It's a life saver/money saver.  Invest in a freezer.  There has to be some room in the garage for a small freezer.  That's what makes all of my "stocking up" work so well.  My freezer.

Back to the food...  It also comes in handy to freeze your leftovers.  I make rather large batches of homemade spaghetti sauce, chili, ploff and a few other things.  How many times have I NOT wanted to make dinner, or, been a little short on ingredients and it's not convenient to run to the store?  Too many.  So, I pull out my reserves and dinner is served!

I am going to stop here and do a second post on how to freeze some of these veggies.  And also talk about some of the other non-food items I stock up on.  I don't want to system overload everyone.  I hope this has been helpful.  If you have any questions...

Food

      I totally want to do a whole post on food.  Foods that I've never heard of, until recently.  Why I'm afraid to try them?  But, I'm very, very tempted to start spreading my palate (or making my tongue fat).  I think I have a rather large taste-base.  But, I don't think it's very diverse or sophisticated.  Mostly, I stick to basic ingredients.  I'm not much of a gourmet cook.  It's fun to try new recipes, mostly the ones that have ingredients I'm familiar with.  I serve a lot of Russian and Latin foods at home and we have worked hard to make sure our children love veggies.  Asparagus, Broccoli, Leafy Greens, Zucchini, Cucumber, Bell Pepper and such like, you have 'em, they'll eat 'em. 
      My seasonings are basic: salt, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, chicken bullion, cumin, bay leaves, coriander...
See, all of those I'm sure you've heard of.  So, now, here I am surfing the net.  Submerging myself in the world of the blogging foodie moms and feeling a little stupid because I don't know WHAT in the world a cippolini onion is, or pecorino cheese, a meyer lemon, uhm, semolina flour, and frisée lardon is beyond me.  I feel so inadequate as a cook.  Is there hope for me?  I think I just made a pact with myself, while I was doing dishes, after torturing my mind with all the things I don't know about cooking.

"You need to expand your family's palate."  (I'm talking to myself at this point...more like inaudible mumblings)

"Get brave, go to the store and just do it!"
"But that's sooo scary!  Some of those things we might not like and then there goes a whole meal down the drain."
" Ok, fine, then don't do it.  Wait, ok, do it, but try it in small increments, first."

And so the convo went for a while until I settled on the recipe that I would make to introduce our family to new tastes, and stuff.  *gulp*

Anyone up for some Potato Gratin With Broccoli/Kale Pesto And Balsamic Shallots?
Yeah, I know, sounds kinda cool.  I've never made pesto before.  We shall see what we shall see.  Right?