The Best Medicine

Last night my dashingly handsome husband walked in the door with a brand new iPad. Sometimes there is an occasional perk to being a high school teacher, because his school distributed iPads to all of the teachers to familiarize themselves over the summer. It sort of felt like a Christmas gift in May, and since we are not an iPhone family, we were slightly over the moon about the whole thing. What are all of these things? Apps? Face time? Games? OH MY! Word on the street is that kids these days are using iPads in high school. You know, as opposed to paper & writing utensils. Children, what happened to good old fashioned glitter pens and mini personal pencil sharpeners?!

Anyway, we fumbled around for awhile and eventually came across the "Photo Booth" program (or is it an app? who knows...) and had some quality family photo shoot time. You guys- I have never, EVER laughed so hard in my life. Or if I have, it's been years. I was out of control, tears streaming down my face, belly aching hysterical over the twisted & distorted photos we were able to take of ourselves. I mean, really. Can you look at these pictures and not laugh out loud?

Yes, I'm aware that I resemble some sort of evil cartoon villain.

This is the one that sent us all into level 2 hysteria. Look at my sweet, beautiful baby! She looks insane!

After the laugh-fest was over, it took me some time to recover. Honestly, it was physically taxing expending all of those tears and giving my abs a much needed workout. And when I was ready to move on the the regular duties of the evening, I felt like I just took a one week cruise around the world & back. Exhausted, but so full of happiness for the memory we had just created.

God bless the iPad. Amen.

Summer's Finest

Many months ago, in the early days of Spring, Dan & I took a hot date to Costco and bought a three pack of already happily-blooming tomato plants, which included three different varieties. We were so excited! Time for tomato planting & harvesting, sweet family of mine! We eat a plethora of tomatoes around here- almost every night in our salads, always on burgers (remember these sliders? Still a family favorite), and often just drizzled with olive oil & kosher salt on top. In fact, I've been known to spend half of my weekly Farmer's Market budget on gorgeous (and the not so gorgeous, but cheaper and still just as tasty) heirloom tomato varieties, so the thought of going out to our own backyard to pick them was a concept too exciting for words (that is, for Mom; not so much for everyone else).

But I was nervous. I've been known to kill almost every plant we've tried to grow around here. I don't know what I'm doing wrong- I water, I whisper to them, I wait, and I give them space. Inevitably, they die because apparently finding the balance between too much water and not quite enough is impossible when you're me. My basil plant is in a complete state of rebellion- constantly trying to reflower itself and will only give me basil leaves the size of my thumb nail. How am I supposed to make pesto with thumb nail sized basil leaves? It's a disgrace to my Italian ancestors. Maybe basil rearing skills skip a generation. This is my defense.

Anyway, we were left with no choice but to forge ahead! Mom's non-green thumb was not going to keep us from trying. Even the kids got involved in the watering process. No amount of stubborn green tomatoes could kill our hopeful little spirits!

Watering tomatoes is really so much more fun in a swimsuit. Here, Ella is proving that point.

Ben takes his tomato watering quite seriously. So sometimes I "accidentally" spray him with the hose to get him squeling with sheer deight.

In defense of the green tomatoes, we had an unusually cold, gray summer here in Santa Cruz. Apparantly this does not mesh well with tomato growing. Plants really do need sunshine- who knew? And then suddenly, one day, the tomatoes all got together and decided to turn red. The most beautiful deep tomato red you've ever seen! Even though the army of snails had their way with my plants over the course of the summer, we must have done something right. Because we have more tomatoes than I know what to do with. So for now, I line them up on our kitchen windowsill and show them off like they're my personal trophy collection. Who's suddenly in the mood for a Caprese salad?



Good Stuff

Oh, how I needed this today. Perhaps you do, too.

“All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail.”

– Dorothea Brande

Footloose

Back in the day before I was married and had kids, I always pictured myself having spontaneous dance parties with my family, the kind where everyone genuinely lets loose and displays their inner dance genius. Then, once I met and fell in love with Dan, I knew these future dance parties would be inevitable. The man is a dancing machine, one I can hardly keep up with. On the dance floor he's been known to steal the show, particularly at weddings. There was the time he wore his tie around his head, bandanna style, while moonwalking. There was the time he used the trees at an outside reception as dance props. There was the time where SEVERAL people grew suspicious that he might be a "wedding crasher", given the way he moved with such uninhibited freedom. There was even a very animated T-Rex impersonation during the toast portion of our own wedding, but I digress.

So it should come as no surprise that our offspring have a deep passion for dancing, and find ways to incorporate it into our daily routine as often as possible. Example: After a long, tiring day, Ben might offer this gem of advice: "Mom, we should probably just go home, and have a dance party." And of course, we usually do because nothing can melt my anger or stress or frustration like seeing my babies trying to imitate their crazy parents on the living room dance floor.

I am beyond thrilled that I was somehow able to capture this mini mid-day dance party with the kiddos. Make sure to keep a close eye on Ben- all the way up to the very last second of the video.

Oh my.

Modern Family

As Dan & I were cuddled up on the couch this afternoon, unwinding and clinging to the last few minutes we had before the next wave of late afternoon commotion began, Ben declared:

"Okay, here's the game: Mama, you're the babysitter. And Daddy, you are her grandson. I will be the garbage man, and Ella is a hunter-girl. Okay? OKAY EVERYONE?"

Sometimes I can hardly wait to see what this kid is going to be when he grows up.  Or, even better, who he'll marry. His future wife better excel at 1) listening and 2) being bossed around.

I love you, little Bug.