Another One Is On Its Way (GIVEAWAY)
Do I seem like I’ve been a little scatter-brained lately? Are you suspicious that I’m so determined to give up caffeine? I haven’t even told you that I’ve been going to bed before 10 pm every night. My DVR is so confused. Pea Daddy found it odd that I bawled and sniffled for a good thirty minutes this weekend after watching the “Dear Sophie” Google Chrome ad featuring home videos, photos and emails a dad has sent to his daughter... Read More
Wannabe Recipea: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
I don’t even know what a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is. But Lauren does. And she emailed me and asked me to make one. Today seemed like as good a day as any. Do you ever wake up and the sun feels like it is shining directly on you? And there’s no specific reason, but you just feel happy to just be alive? I live for days like today. It was day six for me without coffee. No one died. Praise God! My child told me that she hates the cat... Read More
Career Day
Today I went and talked to 100 first and second graders about this wacky thing I do everyday that some people would call work. Gigi doesn’t. And neither do some radio hosts (this, my friends, is foreshadowing). When Gigi came home the first week of school with a handout asking if any parents would be willing to come talk about their jobs, she immediately said, “Do you think Dad would do this?” Of course I only had Pea Daddy’s dislike of... Read More
End of Summer Salad
I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but it is definitely Fall outside here. It is raining. This morning, I turned the air conditioning off and will not turn it on again until July. I spent ten minutes looking for a matching pair of socks in Lulu’s drawer so that her piggies would stay warm at our friend’s house. It was quite the feat. We haven’t needed socks since June, so I haven’t been meticulous in my matching. I... Read More
That’s My Girl
I’ve been thinking about getting a DNA test. Had I not spent 21 hours in labor only to see Gigi’s curly head wrapped up in a pink blanket in my arms, I would not believe she was mine. I never really questioned it until last week. She has my eyes. My flair for the dramatic. My love of spinach and cookie dough (but not together). Her first cold of the season had reached that point where I was contemplating keeping her home from school. ... Read More
Recipeas Worth Repeating: My Favorite Green Juice
There’s something I need to tell you. You probably already know. If my Tweets featuring homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes didn’t give it away, the griping about my 4:30 a.m. radio interviews accompanied by shots of my new French press surely did. I had a full-on coffee relapse. A 12 oz. cup before my interviews. A grande Americano while “working” at Starbucks during Lulu’s preschool. Another 12 oz. afternoon pick-me-up before ballet... Read More
Thinking Outside the Lunchbox: Tofu Dippers
I have goals for this school year. I am determined to have Gigi complete her homework of reading aloud for 20 minutes each night, even though it pains me considerably. She’s a great reader, she just chooses biographies that are about three levels too advanced for her. I had to explain what both “slavery” and “horse liniments” were today. Now that’s homework. I am committed to making sure that Gigi maintains her innocence despite... Read More
The Thing About Radio (VIDEO)
You may not know this, but I’ve been on a grueling book tour for nearly the past two months. With the state of the economy these days and the closing of brick-and-mortar book shops across the nation, formal book tours are generally things of the past. But do you know what is relatively free, reaches thousands and thousands of consumers and can be utilized without ever leaving my home or putting on pants? The radio. I’ve done over seventy... Read More
Cure for the Common Cold: Apple Cider Donuts
Lulu officially has Gigi’s cold. One week of sharing safety scissors, glue sticks, water fountains and boogered up monkey bars was all it took. I’m throwing back Vitamin C like Tic Tacs. Don’t jinx me. Sometimes I think the girls like to get these little colds. They get their own personal Kleenex boxes that they decorate with markers and stickers. Lulu’s box has a nice barrage of anti-meat messages from VegFest yesterday plastered... Read More
Pea Sighting: VegFest 2011
When I went to my first VegFest in Portland two years ago, I was still a fairly new vegan. Even then, I was in awe of the wall-to-wall samples of “new to me” products, in awe of the number of people who were living the lifestyle I was so inspired to adhere to, and in awe of all of the speakers and authors that were doing everything they could to help newbies like me learn more and eat better. I felt like a fish out of water, for sure,... Read More
So Totally Awesome
Behold! Ten totally awesome things: 1. The great detail with which Lulu recounts every single detail of her preschool day. I can’t get a word out of Gigi, but Lulu tells me everything. Today I learned that the question of the day was, “Have you ever touched a frog?” Nine kids answered “yes” and six kids answered “no.” I can name out each of the respondents, their answer and their respective eye colors, hairstyles and... Read More
Dinner Tonight: Slow Cooker Seitan Carnitas
I’ve been so excited for this all day. The type of recipes I seem to get asked for most are slow cooker recipes. I haven’t always been a big fan. But now, I totally get it. My life is busy too, between carpooling to and from school, soccer, ballet and running to the store for the third time this week to get apple juice because nobody will drink the grape juice that I bought. Maybe it was fermented. Maybe I shouldn’t have dumped it... Read More
A Night with My Best Friend
You know that friend that you liked the instant you meant her even if she thinks you are a whack job for wearing red lipstick to play basketball? (She was right.) The friend that won’t say a bad word about your crummy boyfriend because she knows you love him, as bad of a decision as that might be? (She was right.) You know that friend that just looks at you or hears the tone of your voice and instantly knows something’s wrong and wants... Read More
And Another One Leaves Me
How many posts will I write about the beginning of the school year? Let’s find out. “A one…a two-hoo…a tha-three.” (That’s this one.) Lulu starts school tomorrow. I’m trying to savor our one-on-one time as much as humanly possible without cramming her into the Baby Bjorn that’s in our closet and taking her for a really long walk. Sweet Girl let me savor some quality time at 2:30 in the morning. She wanted a drink of water. In... Read More
Mysterious Vanilla Cupcakes and Butterless Buttercream
Please tell me you know what these cupcakes are supposed to be. My aunt didn’t. My friend Deb didn’t. Come to think of it, I’m not sure anyone did. Our party sounded like one of those crazy 3D art kiosks at the mall with the number of, “Oh yeah, now I see it,”s that were being thrown around. That hurts. Mostly because I could never see the sailboat. Cake decorating is like a joke. Well, my cake decorating is a joke. But the... Read More
This Week
This week was nuts. And I loved every second of it. Between school starting, ballet starting, soccer starting and me-complaining-about-it-being-NFL-football-season-starting, I was doing “the mom thing” full time. And I was reminded of why I chose to have this job. Writing books and blogging are great, but they don’t hold a candle to being a mom. Because it really is the best job in the world. A few of the highlights: 1. Gigi’s... Read More
After School Snack: Cherry Chocolate Chunk Dough Balls
It’s starting. School. And all that goes with it. The 8 a.m. mad dash to “eat all your breakfast or you are going to be starving in an hour, make your bed, did you brush your teeth, no, you cannot wear your new faux fur-lined boots when it’s 92 degrees outside, are you sure you brushed your teeth because I’m going to smell your breath, we have to go now so bring your breakfast with you even if your smoothie tastes bad because you just brushed... Read More
What Barking? I Don’t Hear Any Barking
Amidst all the chaos of the weekend, there was a major milestone in our house. Our Lulu turned 4! We knew this year her actual birthday would be low-key. Having Poppy in the hospital and a mom on narcotics tends to put a damper on festivities. (Or not, depending on if you are the one on narcotics. Happy birthday, indeed!) And though we have a puppy-themed party planned for this weekend, we couldn’t let the day go by without a small celebration... Read More
A Little Advice and Thai Fried Quinoa
Don’t think a gentle morning jog will stretch out an aching back. Don’t then think a few sets of power squats will loosen up a massively throbbing back. Do have exact change for the Swear Jar. Lulu won’t break a five. Don’t think lying on the living room floor while you are having back spasms will make them go away. Don’t think about what’s been on the living room floor in the last week. Do pick up some more carpet cleaner. Don’t... Read More
Unfortunate Nicknames
Gigi and Lulu aside, our family has been cursed with some pretty unfortunate nicknames. You’re probably familiar with my nickname, “Muffin.” As if that isn’t enough in and of itself, there was my mom’s shortened version, “Muff” that she liked to yell at my basketball games. There’s nothing like standing at the free throw line and hearing your mother yell, “Thatta Muff!!!” You may also recall my grandmother, “Kinky.” ... Read More
Ten Things I Just Had to Tell You
1. Pea Daddy and I started up our daily emails again today. He didn’t have a choice. I just sent him the email and he was right back in it. For my question of the day, I asked him, “What are you looking forward to the most in the next year of our lives?” For his question of the day, he asked me, “Are you sure you want to start doing these emails again?” And here you thought I was the funny one. 2. I really do eat the... Read More
