Hygge Life

 Sometimes, I start dreaming about my first cup of coffee of the following day while I am still in the middle of the current day. Does anyone else do this? I love the day's first cup of coffee like no other thing. First of all, I am old and haul my decrepit bones out of bed many times in the middle of the night with a wakeful baby, so I really do need my magic beans. But more than that, a first cup of coffee is like drinking the promise of a new day. So much potential! No possibilities are foreclosed! A cup of optimism! I used to feel the same way about the morning's first cigarette (LOLz for days).

Now, though, I frequently find myself fantasizing about putting on my favorite PJ's and collapsing on the couch at the end of the day, too. I love a good cozy morning to start things off and a slow cozy night to end them.

Sometimes I don't even want to take my PJ's off, even. In fact, here I am taking Jack to school in my jammies. We even stopped at Starbucks on the way (but he ran inside, obvi).

Hygge. It's a whole lifestyle.

Fat Kid in a Little Suit

I originally posted this in 2009, and it's still my favorite Thanksgiving story of all time.  Happy Thanksgiving-- I hope it's the best one yet.

Thanksgiving, circa 1985-ish

My brothers and me-- I was 7; Ben was 3, and Jon was 2.

Shortly after this picture was taken, I pushed past a houseful of guests to be first in line for the Thanksgiving buffet and heaped my plate high with turkey, chopped liver, stuffing, cranberry orange relish, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole-- you get the idea. I marched into the library where the folding kids' table was set up, delighted that I didn't have to waste time talking to my brothers or any guests, plopped both my plate and my fat little self down on the bench, shot my cuffs, picked up my fork, opened my mouth, and raised a heavy, quivering bite of buttered roll and gravy-drenched meat to my eager lips. And then the table collapsed under the weight of me and my leaning tower of flesh and carbs.

Happy Thanksgiving. May you eat like no one's watching.

Giving Thanks

 The other night, Minnie was like 90 minutes off her schedule which means she threw in an extra! bonus! fun! wake up. Instead of getting up just once between 3-4am, she woke up at 1:30am and then again at 4:45. When I heard her at 6:01, I just sort of groaned, and Ben dragged himself out of bed like a bear and stumbled into the kitchen to mash the brew button on the coffee pot before lumbering down the hall to her room to collect her, wild-haired and red-cheeked in her sleep sack. He handed her to me and burrowed back under his covers, tossing a diaper on my bed in case I wanted to un-bag her. I nestled her under my arm, and the two of us snuggled up together. She didn't even want to nurse, just to sleep with a hand on my face. I woke up at 6:48 when she stretched and hit me in the nose and stared at her pouty open mouth and all her sharp white teeth and her pin cushion cheeks, and I was just so overwhelmingly grateful. For her, sure, but also for all of the kids and Ben and my warm bed, and these 20 months of togetherness that reminded me how it was to be a mom to little kids even though most of mine are big, for our stinky dog and a job that still brings me joy. And that the coffee was still fresh in its carafe (because it turns off after an hours). What a wonderful life.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

A couple quick recipes

How to describe Minnie's love of pasta dishes? I think her above smile (and the orange stain on her white high chair tray says it all).

(Do you love this polite let-me-eat-breakfast smile? I do)

I am sure you have all already thought about this because you are much smarter than I am, BUT. When you are making a batch of something ahead of time to freeze for later, don't choose STUFFED SHELLS or anything that you have to, like, stuff or touch in some way. Making 2 casseroles? Easy peasy. Making twice as much soup as normal? Sure thing. Making 70 teeny lasagnas instead of 35? STOOPID.

(But also delicious.)

(I made these with a whole whole whole bunch of chopped up spinach-- I also pureed a can of san marzano tomatoes and threw like 1/3 of them in the filling)

THESE cookies-- delish!

 

OMG I cleaned the oven

 I never clean the oven.

I read this BHG article which promised me that if I let baking soda and water sit on every surface overnight, it would only take me 5 minutes to clean the darn thing. LOLOLOLOLOL. More like 2 HOURS of intense scrubbing. But still! MY OVEN IS CLEAN, and I only used baking soda, water, and vinegar.

BEFORE: (shameful, I know)

DURING: (momentary panic when I couldn't shut the door and thought it was broken but really the baking soda was just all hard and crusty in the hinges)

AFTER:

I did not clean the racks, but I DID clean the gross oven drawer:

Remind me to do it again in 10 years.

Very Sporty Weekend

Can you believe this tiny baby is eating BIG KID LUNCHES?!

She's pretty proud

Cooper played hockey this weekend, and we had so much fun watching

Especially Minnie, who really likes going Anyplace.

We are having a Very Sporty Weekend, and I know I will change my tune eventually, but we loooooooved it. Cooper has been so much happier since he started playing hockey again. I think the exercise is part of it, but he really loves playing. He gets lots of exercise swimming, too, and he likes swimming, but hockey is his true love. I am so glad he can play again.

Our county mask mandate expires on 11/27, and -- despite rising cases-- public health officials have said they will not renew it. So, we figured we'd take Minnie to the rink while the taking is good. If I can get all my house work done, I plan to spend the afternoon at dive with Jack and Cooper where I have big plans to read 2 books in 2 hours. CAN IT BE DONE?

What about masks in schools? Our district has said they'll be in place until 1/21 and then they'll reevaluate. Neighboring districts have said they are going to mask optional in January, and I don't know if ours-- the biggest and most economically stratified-- will follow suit. I hope not, but I think it will be OK because all 4 school-going kids will be vaccinated AND wearing masks.

How are you feeling about loosening restrictions/rising cases? Vaccinated kids without masks in school?
 

Fat baby in a little onesie

 She is DELICIOUS

And looks like Chris Farley.

Remember when JACK looked like Chris Farley?