The Top of the World
The most precious gifts come from unimaginable sacrifice. Like waking up at 3:30 a.m. Driving nearly straight up the side of a mountain. Freezing your peas off while huddling tightly in a hotel blanket that just a few hours earlier you were picking off the bed with salad tongs. Haleakala Crater is the highest point on the island of Maui, reaching almost two miles up in the sky. When we booked our first trip back to the Islands without kids, Pea... Read More
Healthy Eating Tactics for the New Year
Happy New Year! I know we’re all done with gifts for the season. But one of the greatest gifts I think you can give for the new year, be it to your kids, your spouse or your significant other, is the empowerment to make healthy food choices for themselves. This is a gift you can even give yourself. Like new jeans. Totally the same thing. I think it was about a midway through Christmas break that I decided we needed a new technique for empowerment... Read More
The Perfect Christmas
It’d be very easy for me to just sign off for the holiday now and wish you the very best of Christmases with your loved ones. And I will. But I wanted to share something else too. It’s far from the perfect Christmas here. Despite Gigi making up her own, very creative Spanish lyrics to “Feliz Navidad” today and Lulu donning her skunk costume for no apparent reason, I’m not quite in the Christmas spirit. I feel like I have the weight of... Read More
Tuesday News
1. I’m still addicted to Pinterest, and it’s not doing me any favors. Since joining, I’ve been wearing a sloppy smoky eye to Target for laundry detergent, I’ve stopped washing my hair with shampoo and I’ve cut off the sleeves from my cardigans to make boot socks. In other words, I’m a hot mess. Thank you, Pin-interest. 2. The candy on our gingerbread house is “accidentally” falling off faster than it was put on. ... Read More
The Certificate
Say what you will about Gigi, but that girl wears her heart on her sleeve. She gets it from me. If I get a paper cut, you’ll know about it, the thickness of paper that instigated the wound and the eight naturopathic remedies I’ve applied to ensure rapid healing. Aloe vera for the win. Pea Daddy, on the other hand, internalizes things a bit more. I’m sure it has nothing to do with me or my listening and empathy skills. Nope. Gigi came... Read More
The Antidote for Mommy Guilt
From the moment I found out I was pregnant with Gigi to this very instant right now (and now….and now…), I’ve experienced overwhelming love for my children. Coupled with overwhelming guilt. Mommy guilt. This guilt stems from: Riding every ride in Disneyland including the Tower of Terror 13 times before I officially knew I was with child. Poor fetus Gigi. Forgetting to put a note in Gigi’s lunchbox this morning. Getting, no, begging for,... Read More
This Thanksgiving: The Most Wanted
I had a thought in church today. “We need bread. We need almond milk. We need more Brussels sprouts.” Oh yeah, that’s not a thought. That’s just a grocery list. I made a grocery list in church today. And then I started thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. You are probably expecting I’ll do a rundown of my favorite Peas and Thank You Thanksgiving-themed recipes so you can fill out any holes in your menu. If that’s the case,... Read More
Report Card
Gigi got her first report card today. She was so excited to hand it to me, she didn’t even want me to wait to drive home to open it. Lulu snatched it and offered to rip it open while I drove. Always a helper that one. I came in and sat my purse, our grocery bag, lunch boxes and backpacks on the counter and Gigi jumped around like a bean, shouting, “Open it, Mom! Open it, Mom!” And then a little more quietly, “I hope I get all good marks,”... Read More
The “Go Food” Movement
Or “How Lulu Told on Pea Daddy.” There is nothing I like better as a mom than “teaching moments.” Okay, as a mom, I like date nights, Christmas mornings, Mother’s Day cards and that solitary morning cup of coffee while everyone is still asleep better, but teaching moments are pretty good too. You can lecture all you want, but until your child actually experiences something firsthand, you are pretty much just wasting your... Read More
The Pride of Austria
I am no longer a soccer mom, and I can’t stop smiling about it. While most Wednesday nights we’re racing off to soccer practice, this past weekend we had our last game and our Team Austria end-of-the-year party, so tonight I am free! Well, free of soccer anyway. While I’m happy Gigi has played, something changed this year. Girls were more aggressive. There was shoving and there were scowls, and not just from Lulu who wanted Gigi’s post-game... Read More
One Warm Coat
It’s cold today. So much so that in the couple of hours I had to myself this morning before picking up Lulu from preschool, I was tempted to turn the heat up. I was also tempted to lick the pancake syrup off of my plate just because I could. I won’t tell you which urge I gave into. The syrup on my cardigan might. On the drive home, Lulu informed me that she was the “weathergirl” for her class today, and that she put the “COLD” sticker... Read More
“Eat Cake For Breakfast” and Other Lessons I’ve Learned
Do you need a reason to bake a cake? I’ll give you one. Or four. The weekend is over. Shoot. It’s Monday. Double shoot. There’s Monday Night Football on tonight. (Make of that what you will.) And then there’s the reason I did: today marks two full years of Peas and Thank You. (Can I use the “Terrible Twos” as an excuse for any forthcoming posts?) It seems like we’ve known each other so much longer than two years,... Read More
Postcard From the Peas: Disneyland, Day 1
Dear Friends, Having a great time in Disneyland. Unfortunately, however, Pea Daddy is divorcing me because: a) I made him drive 10 miles in traffic last night after already driving all afternoon just so we could go to Loving Hut for dinner; b) Loving Hut was closed because it was Sunday; c) the vegetarian restaurant I then frantically found and made him drive to, cursing the whole way there, was also closed because it was Sunday; d) I... 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
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
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
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
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
Going Veg: The Why and The How
I intentionally don’t preach about our lifestyle. There are several reasons for this: 1. I don’t like being told what to do, so I feel like telling you what you should do is hypocritical. Tell me you agree with me. Do it now. 2. There are lots of fantastic resources already out there to point out the merits of a veg lifestyle. I can list them out for you. 3. I don’t like to play favorites among all the good reasons to give up eating... Read More
How the Book Came to Be
Ever since I announced that we were writing a book, the requests came pouring in for me to explain how we got a book deal. And though I promised to write a post about it, I put it off. To be honest, I wasn’t sure the story was worth telling. An agent didn’t just stumble upon my blog, declare me a culinary genius and take me under her wing. A publishing house wasn’t scouring the internet for prospects, discovered my wacky anecdotes... 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
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
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
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
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
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
Pea Mail: Make My Man Eat Plants
This is my man. This is my man on plants. Any questions? I’ve talked about how Pea Daddy went veg before. In fact, he’s told you in his own words. But I’m still getting a lot of questions, from readers, friends/ultra-fabulous food bloggers and even my own family, on how to keep a man satisfied on a vegetarian or vegan diet. Turns out, I do have some more advice to share. You know Mama always does. In the following tips, I’m using the... Read More
Still On The Fly
A few weeks ago, I wrote about our life on the fly. It’s yet another crazy week in the Pea Household, complete with birthday and Father’s Day celebrations, the last day of school, haircuts, Bible studies and phone meetings and culminating with what will surely be the most memorable production of Peter Pan ever. We’re busy. We’re hungry. We’re jealous that Big Sister got her face painted on the last day of school and thus are drawing with... Read More
The Graduate
Tonight my firstborn graduated kindergarten. It was a year we’ll never forget. The year she learned how to read and now won’t ever stop. The year she faked a stomachache and went to the office because she didn’t want to learn about frogs. They’re icky. The year she prayed on the bench at recess because she wanted to talk to God. The year she started “The Grace Club” with the other “Grace” from Mrs. Davis’ class, every day doing... Read More
My Plate
As someone who talks about food constantly and cares about nutrition deeply, I feel like I have a duty to tell you my thoughts on the new USDA My Plate Dietary Guidelines. I was going to tell you that I’m pleased that fruit and veggies take up a bigger share of the plate, yet it’s a shame that our food subsidies don’t reflect this same proportion of our tax dollars. But Dr. Barnard already covered that. I was going to tell you that I don’t... Read More
On Gigi’s Birthday
I’m willing to do art projects at 6 a.m. With previously banned glue, Previously hidden glitter, And really, really mediocre poetry. On Gigi’s birthday I have no choice but to turn a blind eye when she wants a donut for breakfast. And I’ll spring for mid-morning pedicures. On Gigi’s birthday, I’ll volunteer to trace silhouettes of 24 classmates, 25 if you count Lulu who now believes she will be graduating from kindergarten in two weeks. I’ll... Read More
High as a Kite
It’s been a remarkable week. I was driving the girls home from school on Monday, wishing I had an obvious way to give back more. I like to think I am appreciative of what I have, not from a financial or material perspective, but in terms of happiness. I absolutely love my life beyond measure. But if I don’t share that, if I don’t have compassion and grace about that, how do I really have anything? And then Alyssa’s story fell (was dropped?)... Read More
A Celebration of Life
Update on Alyssa’s story at the end of this post! Tonight we had a celebration of life. For a maple tree. We planted this maple tree seven years ago. You can even count the rings to make sure I’m telling the truth, because I do tend to pathologically lie, especially about the age of agriculture. I’m trying to stop. Okay, that’s a lie. It pained us to pay to have this tree removed. He died over the summer, along with a peach tree... Read More
The Hero Next Door
I had every intention of giving you a fifteen minute fajita recipe tonight. But some things are just more important. Like telling you about the hero that lives next door to me. I was sipping a cup of tea in my sweaty gym clothes this morning, putting off a shower and picking up the wrappers from the pile of crayons that Lulu chose to peel one by one, when I got an email from Pea Daddy. Since the subject line was “The Greatest Gift,” I assumed... Read More
It Bears Repeating: For Mimi
I’m celebrating my Mother’s Day with the girls, of course, finally opening the gift that Gigi has been trying to give me since she brought it home Thursday and then acting surprised at receiving the cookbook that on Friday Lulu told me was at Daddy’s office and that he was going to bring it home so they could wrap it and give it to me this morning. Surprise! Later, I’m hosting a tea for my aunt and my own fantastic mom, and so I thought... Read More
Cinco Means Five
I am a smart person. But I can be a complete moron sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. Monday, I unknowingly left a candle burning for the entire two hours we were out for dinner. Bad news: it could have burnt our home and everything in it to the ground. Good news: for once my house didn’t smell like steamed broccoli. I promise, it’s the broccoli. Yesterday, I forgot the check for ballet class, but remembered it when we got to the mailbox,... Read More
Notes On a Not-So-Wacky Wednesday
1. I wore shorts for the first time all year today. And a Snoopy Band-aid. Because shaving your legs is not like riding a bike. 2. Gigi knows far more words to Cee Lo’s “Forget You” than I’m comfortable with. But at least she doesn’t know that word. 3. I met a woman at ballet today who had four children, each eleven months apart. I had to do the math because I was pretty sure that wasn’t physically possible. Please don’t... Read More
Books, Bites and Indecision
It’s library day. Every other Thursday is library day. Why every other Thursday? Because it’s not Ballet Day (Wednesday) or Grocery Shopping Day (Friday) or Church Day (Sunday) or Stay in Your Workout Clothes And Simply Reapply Deodorant Day (Monday and Tuesday…and often every other day, too). Library books technically aren’t due until three weeks after we check them out, but after a week and a half, I’ve grown tired of the Junie... Read More
The Education of Mama Pea
This weekend, I went back to college. But this time, I returned without the fear of “what comes next,” the pressure to pick insignificant things that really didn’t end up mattering in the long run—the right dorm, the right major, the right guy. Because the right guy was somewhere else altogether. Last night, we had the opportunity to go back to Pea Daddy’s alma mater to hear New York Times food writer and best-selling author of Food... Read More
