While The Kids Were Away
Gigi and Lulu were gone for the last 24 hours. I love them. But I needed that. Pea Daddy and I did not relax together in a hammock, sipping lavender lemonade and discussing the weather. Are you crazy? Instead, as any halfway intelligent, exhausted parents might do, we tried to cram as much as we possibly could into the childless day. We went running together, just like we did in law school. Only this time I didn’t put on mascara. I... Read More
Sunrise Smoothies
Have you heard of that children’s book (that isn’t for children) called “Go The F**k to Sleep?” The book is so very, very wrong. And so very, very funny. I’ve already got the follow-up book concept sketched out in my head. It’s called “Why the H**l Are You Up?” This morning, I treasured the thought of “sleeping in” after a long, tiring week. I put “sleeping in” in quotes because if you are childless that could... Read More
The One You’ve Been Waiting For (GIVEAWAY)
It’s about to get crazy up in here. “Swimming with an umbrella” crazy. “Pea Daddy’s going to kill me for letting his landscaping go to hell, but that looks so fun I can’t say no” crazy. “Mama let me paint while she was on a conference call” crazy. “Pickles and bladder control-challenged peas are art” crazy. I wanted to invoke a little censorship, but Gigi said, “Maybe they’ll put this in a museum someday” and... Read More
What You Should Make: Blueberry “Cheese”cake Muffins
My friend Deb has been talking to me a lot lately about the word “should.” Since she’s smarter than I am, I listen when she gives advice, even if I have to fight with ever fiber of my being not to let certain things about her affect our friendship. And by that I mean, if I didn’t love her so much, I would hate her. Because she has glossy, silky hair without the aid of flat irons and hairspray. (Guilty as charged, ozone layer.) Because she... Read More
Peas in Print
I’m deliriously tired. Today was quite exciting and fun with our book release, but I really just kept thinking about the pint of blueberries waiting for me in the fridge and how badly I needed to use them before they went bad. Which is exactly what you should be thinking about on a day like today. I told you I was delirious. The good news is, when you are delirious. everything is funny. Today, we found our book. And with the blessing... Read More
The Night Before
I’m finding it hard to come up with words to describe how I’m feeling right now. And as anyone that has spent five minutes around me can tell you, words are never something I’m short on. Words and hairspray. It’s like a glossy, weatherproof helmet, I tell you. As we anticipate our book being released tomorrow, I’m…well, freaking out. The only other times I’ve felt like this before is the night before I got married. “For better... Read More
Third Time’s a Mmmm
You have one thing to thank for the amazing recipe I am about to share with you. My taste buds are still screaming. You can thank Public Enemy #1, corn on the cob. Actually, you can also thank Public Enemy #2, our backyard fence and Public Enemy #3, Gigi’s really awful “beach towel” impression. They did some damage in June, you may remember. That’s right. Corn on the cob ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. But it doesn’t... Read More
A Little Advice from Mama
I hate being told what to do. Hate it. I got all red in the face at the gas station yesterday because the attendant told me to pop the door to my gas tank. Still, I did it. But no, sir, I will NOT have a good day! I’m not going to tell you what to do with the rest of your glorious weekend, I’m just giving you a few suggestions. You may want to grab a pen. 1. Stay in your pajamas as long as you want. Workout in your pajamas. ... Read More
Brought to You By the Number Five…and Toasters (VIDEO AND GIVEAWAY)
High five! The release of our book, Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love is in FIVE DAYS. (okay, now it is only FOUR, but when we filmed this last night it was FIVE) We thought we’d make another little video for you this beautiful Friday! P&TY release July 26.2011 Is it just me, or can Lulu not keep her hands off me? I feel so used. But in any event, this weekend we’re giving away 5 +5 for a total... Read More
Another Kind of Bar
I’m not the kind of girl to go shopping, buy a new shirt and have it sit in my closet with the tags on it for six months. I’m the kind of girl that buys a new shirt and wears it until the seams give out. And then I’ll try to sew it back together with a shade of thread that doesn’t match, making it a sorry looking Frankenshirt. So really, I have no idea what Pea Daddy was thinking when he said he was afraid that I wouldn’t wear a beautiful... Read More
Hey, Ketchup!
I’ve been holding out on you. While I mentioned the few antiques I retrieved from my grandma’s house this weekend, the beautiful wedding cake topper, an antique wood hand mirror, some porcelain bunnies, I failed to mention one of the best things I may have ever laid my eyes upon. This, my friends, is The Ketchup Cookbook. In a word, it is AWESOME. Or perhaps, “groovy?” I think my parents told me about Spin the Bottle once when I was a teenager. ... Read More
Vegan Values: Italian Style Meatless Meatloaf Muffins
“Man friendly” is not a word I would ever use to describe most things in the Pea household. We write on pink Post-Its. We blow our noses on pink Kleenex. And if Pea Daddy cuts himself shaving, he’s going to have to patch himself up with a Barbie Band-aid. They’re pink, of course. Not that the tidal wave of estrogen doesn’t have its perks. There’s never a shortage of hair products, should he ever feel the need for a slicked back look... Read More
The Street Sale
You may not have known it by all the talk about donuts, books, sprinklers and French fries around these parts, but this past week was a hard one. I’m getting pretty good at putting on a brave face. It’s a skill you instantly acquire when you become a mom and have to pretend like getting legs stuck in dining room chairs or crashing into fences with your front teeth happen every day. I guess around here they almost do. Up until seven years... Read More
Peas Pre-Orders and Prizes! (VIDEO & GIVEAWAY)
The Peas and Thank You book countdown is underway! The official Peas and Thank You publish date is in just eleven days on July 26th. You know I’m so excited I could just pea. (Sorry, I had to do it.) And it makes me even more excited to hear from you, via your email messages and Tweets, that you want to help us rocket to the best-seller list. Here’s how: if you pre-order now and/or buy the book in bookstores (notice how they are not mutually... Read More
My French Fry Soulmate
Pea Daddy wasn’t always the only man in my life. I should be so lucky. A little life advice: don’t date brothers, even if it isn’t simultaneously. Especially if they both still live with their mom. At the age of 30. You’re welcome. But even then, I had Pea Daddy in the back of my mind. So when “Mr. Right Now” turned into “Mr. Wrong,” as he always did, I took consolation in the fact that there was one good man still out there. ... Read More
Taking a Minute
Today, I completely lost track of time. No, really. I looked down at my watch and realized it had stopped. Five days ago. I’d just been too busy to notice. So off to the repair shop it went. And suddenly, I had nothing but time. Time to search for the missing Skipper doll who got left out in the backyard last night. The sprinklers came on and washed the brown marker out of her hair that I’d used to cover that rebellious pink streak of... Read More
Make Ahead Veg Meals (for Trains & Freezers)
One of the great things about having a blog is getting the opportunity to share things I’ve stumbled upon that might just make someone’s day. That make my day. I’ll admit, a lot of times it’s things like donut pans and miracle working pushup bras. The importance of both should in no way be diminished by this post. But today, it’s something a little different. Have you heard of Meal Train.com? It is this really brilliant website that... Read More
Just What He Wanted…Almost
Pea Daddy wanted an iPad for his birthday. I, however, did not want to spend the next 8-10 years in prison for robbing a bank to buy one, and Gigi can’t pedal hard enough to drag away an ATM with her bike. So he got a Kindle. Poor thing. Pea Daddy wanted to go see an concert and have a nice dinner out. Translation: he wanted a burrito the size of his head. The girls, however, aren’t as into Mexican food as sus Padre de Arvejas. So he... Read More
Lessons from the Road: Portland Edition
1. A “weekend getaway” isn’t a “weekend getaway” if you take your kids with you. It is a “weekend experience.” 2. Upon checking into a hotel room, Gigi will immediately grab the dirtiest item in the hotel room, turn on the TV and try to order an “adult feature.” 3. Upon checking into a hotel room, Lulu will immediately grab the second dirtiest item and try to order a pizza. 4. “Do not disturb” is not specific enough.... Read More
The Lottery Winner
It’s Pea Daddy’s birthday. It’s no secret I hit the jackpot when it came to that guy. He lets Lulu sit on his lap during lunch, with Blankie, while she eats applesauce with chopsticks. He gives Gigi the last cookie in the batch, his quarters for her piggy bank and a willing ear and hearty applause when she performs an over amplified, off-key rendition of a song I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard before and am not sure I can handle ever hearing... Read More
Name That Summer
It’s the summer of kiddie pools. Probably the last one. When the girls sat down in it together today, all the water splashed over the sides and I had to wedge them out with a broomstick. It’s the summer of beach towels. Both real and pretend. The summer of pickles. Heck, the year of pickles. The summer of flip flops. As in the girls (as of today) can now both wear them with the toe strap between the appropriate toes. That was an... Read More
Wannabe Recipea: Spicy Black Bean Dip
This is not just a recipea makeover. This, my friends, is a story of persistence, of a deep unwavering love and a story of friendship. I’m writing the screenplay as we speak. I hope Ryan Reynolds is free and willing to work with a first time director on a very short film about bean dip. I shall call it Sarah and Sarah. (I haven’t quite figured out how Ryan works into that yet.) Sarah first wrote to me about bean dip in early November 2010. ... Read More
The View from the Backyard
I’m going to go out on a limb and call this 4th of July one of my favorites ever. I didn’t make the homemade pound cake I wanted to. I didn’t make it to the baseball game I wanted to. Or that I pretended to want to. My only contribution to our party spread were two overripe avocados that I somehow found the energy to mash with a fork and turn into guacamole. It was exhausting. The funny thing is, sometimes it takes relying on a little cold... Read More
The Ice Queen
Don’t let the pictures fool you. I’m sick. And thus today, I’m a jerk. I know exactly how I got sick. It wasn’t splashing in the icy Pacific Ocean. Let’s be honest, I spent most of the day like this. Insert me cursing and chasing a dirty wind-swept Kleenex down the beach. Instead, I got sick from the week Gigi spent at VBS. Oh, you don’t know what VBS is? Vacation Booger School. And we brought home more than arts and crafts. Refusing... Read More
My Country ‘Tis of Pea! (GIVEAWAY)
The Pea Family 4th of July Weekend is almost here. There’ll be a trip to the beach. There’ll be “cheese” stuffed burgers. There’ll be a minor league baseball game. There’ll be strawberry shortcake. There’ll be a day at the museum. There’ll be food carts. With any luck, there won’t be a single firework. You could lose a finger, people. But there will be a whole pack of Peas, just enjoying our time together as a family. To kick... Read More
