Cooking with Royalty

Tonight Ella helped me cook dinner, a favorite activity of hers. I hate to admit it, but these days it rarely happens. The frequency of her wanting to help hasn't diminished, but my patience has. I'm always rushing to get dinner on the table and any task that involves a 3 year old seems to take 3 times as long. Today though, Lily was taking a long nap and Ella was glued to my side, wanting to soak up this rare "Mommy alone time". I told her I had to get started with dinner; usually her cue to go play. This time she pulled over a chair, which meant she wanted to stand on it and help me cook. She had the hugest grin and an adorable tiara; how could I resist? Everything I was asking Ella to do, she was doing with such enthusiasm. "Ok Mommy", "yes Mommy", "yum Mommy this is going to be delicious".

We made a kitchen sink salad which is becoming one of her absolute favorites (see recipe below). Also - Baked lemon pepper chicken and tuscan bread with oregano and feta cheese.

Don walked in and the house smelled yummy, his two girls were giggling together and listening to Miles Davis. Ella had already set the table. He said it was a perfect sight.

Mommy Mantra: "Make your kids an incredible Part of your life, not your WHOLE life."

From now until Christmas I will be reviewing "budget bottles" of red wine. I will then declare my favorite budget bottle around Christmas. The criteria - red wine between $8 and $12. What qualifies me to review wine? Nothing except my love of drinking it. October to December is my season of red wine! So I'd like to pay homage.

Wine of the Week
Vinos De Arganza Flavium Mencia 2008; a recommendation from my local wine shop, Grape Culture. At $11/bottle this is an amazing find. I've been in a deep Malbec phase, but I thought I'd give this a shot. It is deep and rich and has such a smooth texture. The nose is rich and yet fruity. Who am I kidding? It is just plain delicious. Right now I am longing for Manchego.

http://wiredforwine.com/featured-wine/vinos-de-arganza-flavium-premium
but if you are local go over to the guys at Grape Culture in Saint James, NY. They rock.

Kitchen Sink Salad
1 cup, Brocoli slaw from trader joes
1 cup, 8 ingredient chop salad from trader joes
handful of golden raisins
chopped handful of almonds salted almonds
one peeled, chopped apple
1/2 cup gorgonzola crumbles
1/4 cup thick blue cheese dressing combined with 1/4 cup olive oil

Toss it all in a bowl with salt and pepper and gobble it up! Sounds weird, but so yummy.

If you are happy and you know it, read my blog!

What a cool day today was. "Wine, Cheese, Baby blog" got a little nod from American Baby Magazine. I knew the blurb was coming, I had been contacted by a writer for the magazine a few months ago. She was looking for some background info and a picture. She told me she would like to take some quotes from my Blog for the magazine. I was shocked that anyone other than my facebook buddies and my Mom were reading!

I wasn't sure what she was going to quote and I must admit I got a little nervous. Would she quote me making fun of Mom jeans? Or talking about how much I love my mini van? Or possibly me telling people they don't HAVE to go to Disney World? I was relieved; that what she decided to take was something from the "heart" of the reason I started blogging. She wrote "Celina says: Take a vow to keep doing what you love, No, that doesn't mean you can lounge on the beach whenever, but kids are often welcome at concerts and nice restaurants". I think when it boils down to it, if I am happy, my kids will be happy. They will learn to savor life and find enjoyment in everything that comes their way.

Tonight, appropriately enough we went to a Wine and Cheese bar to celebrate. The girls got mini cheese plates with grapes and organic milk, Don had an imported beer and I got Fisticuffs Cabernet and some seriously delicious truffle cheese. We followed up with frozen yogurt and a walk along the harbor. Not too shabby for a Tuesday night.

Mommy Mantra- Make your kids an incredible Part of your life, not your WHOLE life.

Mommy what's a Bar?

Ella: Mommy what's a Bar? (From the backseat of our minivan after dropping Don to have a few drinks with old college buddies.)

Me: It's a place where people go to buy food and drinks.

Ella: Is it like a granola Bar?

Me: No, a Bar is more of a restaurant that grown-ups can go to and get grown-up drinks.

Ella: Is it like a Bar I can do pull-ups on, like a Monkey Bar?

Me: (Long pause, think think think...) Yes, yes it is.

A Sleepover Forever

While we were away on vacation Ella and Lily shared a room the whole time. When we came home Ella asked me the most adorable question ever. "Mom, when can I have a sleepover with my sister forever?" Anytime she refers to Lily as "my sister" I melt. So that comment, coupled with Ella's adorable desire to spend every moment with her sister, made me want to smother her with kisses. This question started my quest at putting my two girls in the same bedroom together.

Before the change both my girls loved their rooms. I have prided myself in making their bedrooms the coziest little nests possible. I have filled them with the softest blankets, the happiest colors and all their favorite things. To me this is what a little girl's room should be; filled with joy and happiness and comfort. I was worried that with the change I would mess up their amazing sleep schedules and content nights. Still though, Ella's question tugged at my heart strings, I had to give it a shot.

This weekend Don took apart cribs, moved couches, lugged dressers - all without a single complaint. The whole time Ella was hopping up and down looking to help. With this change we were gaining Lily's old room back as a playroom. This made the move all the more appealing to Ella - Her very own playroom! I saw the happiness oozing out of her little smile.

Has it been seemless? No. Nap time is tough, but we are working out the kinks.

Being 11 years older than my sister, I never had the chance to do many sisterly things. We never shared a room, rode the school bus together, or shared clothes. I wish all those things for my little girls. We always read books about sisters and I try to drive home the lesson that they are best friends first before all others. I want them to always be close. I'm hoping that sharing a room will start them off in the right direction. I am a realist though; I know this love of each other and sharing a room will change with age, and we can switch it up then. For now though, tucking them into bed, reading them a book together and listening outside the door as Ella whispers "goodnight" to Lily is the most amazing way to end my day.

Mommy Mantra - Make your kids an incredible Part of your life, not your WHOLE life.
My brother is in town, so he picked up pizzas and we packed up and had dinner on the beach. The sunset was incredible, Ella and Don went swimming, Lily practiced her walking and I got to relax and enjoy one of the best perks of living on Long Island - the beach. Pizza, Cold Beer, Beach, Sunset, Family, Perfect. I want more nights like tonight.

A stay at home Mom's how-to guide to making your kids part of your life, not you WHOLE life.

Comments from friends and family that inspired me to write this blog; 

"Your kids are so good"

"so well adjusted"

"how do you get them to sit through a whole meal?"

"When you put them to bed, they stay?"

"Lily ate artichokes, chicken and sundried tomatoes for dinner, wtf all my kid ate was frozen french fries straight from the freezer!"

"we are going to Disney and you are taking the kids to a bed and breakfast?"

"Just got back from Applebees again and you are coming back from a steakhouse with BOTH girls...(frustrated grunts)"

Can you hear me patting myself on the back??? I know this will come back to bite me when my girls are teenagers, but for right now, I bask in the glow of these kind words. 

I realized quickly that friends, family, strangers and pretty much anyone who has children seem to constantly bend to their every whim. This is what a good parent should do, right? Become selfless, start only going out to diners and family friendly chain restaurants, stop going on beach vacations and instead head straight to Disney. Im sure we will be heading to Disney in the near future - Im not knocking Disney, its a magical place and I cant wait to see it through Ella's eyes.  However we could easily take a luxury cruise and live like royalty for what we end up spending at 3 days in Disney. I digress.

A little intro to who I am. I have two young girls - Ella is 3 and Lily is 9 months. Im 27 years old and have been married for 5 years. Becoming a young mom 3 years ago I couldnt haven been more excited. When my friends who were still in the single, partying phase would say - "wow I can't even imagine becoming a parent right now." I would defensively adapt this tag line that morphed into a philosophy and ultimately a parenting style. This style seems to be a unique point of view, so I've observed.

Make your kids an incredible PART of your life not your WHOLE life.  - There it is, my mantra that guides me in being the best mom and family that we can be. 

Sounds much easier said than done. Basically I vowed not to stop doing the things my husband I love to do, but instead to incorporate our kids into our existing life. We are not going bar hopping until 5am, lounging on beaches whenever we feel like it and we certainly arent having 3 hour long dinners at the high end restaurants. Good food - thats where our money always goes. However, we are taking our kids to Vineyards, concerts, long hikes, Cafes and of course Restaurants known for one thing, good food - not the toy that comes at the end.

It may sound like I tote my child to do all the things I want to do and dont embrace the greatest part of parenthood - watching your children soak up something they truly love. I have done every Mommy and Me / Gymboree / My Gym / Music Together / Story Time etc. I constantly take my girls to The Library, Zoos and Nature Preserves. I try to keep things on a sliding scale - we may spend one day out at a vineyard playing and exploring, listening to good music and spending time with friends. The next day might be spent going to two birthday parties where face painting and music makes your head spin for hours, but thats parenthood. Its trying to find the balance between who you were and becoming the best FAMILY you can be. 

Stay tuned to hear my tips, advice, listen to my stories of failed mantra moments and come on this ever evolving journey of parenthood as I experience it first hand.