Typical Lily

Yesterday I closed the fridge door to see Lily standing straight up on the kitchen table, staring at me; smiling. As a reminder she is only 19 months old and has already suffered a broken wrist. My next move was calculated so I did not shock her into falling on my rock hard tile floor. I somehow calmly walked over and picked her up <insert> wailing. How dare I save her from certain injury! Bad Mommy.

Next, I turned around to see Ella (3) staring at me; this is what she said next;

"Typical Lily."

Then she went back to playing with dolls and whatnot. Stunned, I just nodded - yup Typical Lily.

"Typical Lily"

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

Where to go, when there is no where to go...

Maybe I am losing my mind, or maybe it is just winter and I have a crazed toddler and an "eager to move" 3 year old on my hands. But I couldn't hack it today. Maybe it is the fact that for the first time in a LONG time, I had a night away from my girls, and I am a little rusty. Maybe it is just that I am human. Whatever it was, today I was losing my mind. Kids screaming, playing with things that are not toys (electric sockets), no plans with friends to distract from the mayhem, no cream in the house for my coffee, no moments of peace this morning. Just non-stop Mommy. So I scooped up the girls and we headed to Whole Foods; for cream for my much needed coffee.

Our Whole Foods has a kids play area right next to a coffee and gelato bar...score. For one full half hour I enjoyed a large latte and a cranberry pistachio biscotti while my girls happily played with new and exciting toys and the occasional kid.

A moment of heaven in an unmanageable day. I got my mojo back and we went shopping for cream (for more coffee) and for something to make for dinner. Mussels, fennel, tilapia, asparagus and crusty bread.

We went home and played in the backyard for an hour before I threw them in the bathtub...my trick to get them to take a good nap. A two hour nap later (them, not me) and I had dinner prepped and was enjoying a nice cold beer as hubby walked in. Thanks Whole Foods for saving the day. Wonder who will save the day tomorrow?

Bacon, shallots, fennel and jalapeno mussels  in a Beer/Butter broth. Say that 10 times fast.

Redefining Kid-Friendly

I have decided to pass along some of my favorite "nuvo kid-friendly" activities and restaurants to my readers. These are places that my crew enjoys on Long Island. One of my favorites is a special little place in Huntington Village. It is an incredible French Bistro, with a menu that would tantalize any diner, and guess what? They are super kid friendly. By "kid friendly" I mean that they don't scowl at you when you walk in with kids, they have high chairs, and they are loud enough to compete with a noisy toddler. Most of the noise in the place is diners enjoying great conversation and wine, not kids screaming; but a screaming kid thrown in the mix would not be noticed. Yeah for us!

There is even a section on the menu that says "Pour Les Enfants." A bit pricey, but if you are looking to have a grown-up dinner and want to bring along the "les enfants" this is the perfect place to accomplish that. Plus, my girls were able to split the chicken and fettucini dish and we even had left-overs to bring home. The food was fresh and delicious and we got to eat, drink and be merry, as a family. You can't ask for much more.

My gift to you;

Bistro Cassis  

55 Wall Street Huntington, NY

http://www.bistrocassis.com/

PS. It is next door to a Movie Theater. Dinner and show anyone? 

Moms Gone Crazy

This morning, my Ella woke up with a runny nose and scratchy throat. She was so bummed that she had to stay home from school and miss her Christmas Pageant. So sad, because she was supposed to sing in a choir outfit and everything. We laid low most of the morning, but we ventured out to get peppermint tea and stuff to make homemade chicken soup. Gotta have homemade chicken soup when its rainy, cold and you have a sick baby. So we ran to Trader Joes for sustenance.  It was insane out because of the Holiday craziness, but finally we made it back home. 

I carried in all 4 paper bags at once and dropped them on the floor. Ella started grabbing things to put away; one of her favorite activities. Lily happily joined in the fun, reached into the bag and pulled out a full carton of eggs. Down they went, in slow motion, one at a time it seemed. Smashing on the floor and back into the bag and all over some of the nice fresh groceries. I stood for a second with my mouth wide open, not too sure what my next move should be. Then I bust out laughing so hard, I couldn't breathe. 

The girls looked at me like I had lost my marbles. 

I think I may have, but it felt good.

Here comes trouble...

Wino Wednesday!

My pick for best budget red wine of the season.

Drum Roll Please....

THE SHOW

Cabernet Sauvignon

This Wino Wednesday is extra special, because I get to spend it with some of my favorite people. Some of my Playgroup Mamas! Bring on the good food, drinks and good friends. Can't wait girlies. 

Merry Merry Christmas and Happy Happy New Year. Thanks for reading. 

Celina

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

A Holiday Light Show Gone Bad

The other night Don arrived home early from work. We ate a quick dinner and jumped in the car to go see a local Holiday light show. We stopped to get strawberry shakes for the girls and blasted Christmas music the whole way there.

Before those dreaded words were said...

The girls were so excited. The lights were beautiful. We were driving through this 60 acre lot with a one way road with cars in front of us and cars behind us; all of us inching along looking at the light exhibits. The lights were bright and all around. It was pretty amazing.

Then Ella lowers the boom;
"I have to go potty, really really bad."

Maybe the strawberry milkshake wasn't such a great idea. So now the pretty light show turned into an annoying mess as we prayed that the drivers in front would go faster. We went from "oooooos and ahhhhhhhs" to "geez they are just lights, get over it people!" 

Finally we got out of that "trap of a place" and pulled over on the side of the road and Ella had her first experience "popping a squat". She seemed slightly horrified. It made for a memorable experience and will make a good story to tell at Holidays going forward.
                                                                 
                                                                               

Wino (Thursday) Wednesday!

White Wine Change Up

Rockbrook Chardonnay 2009

I needed a white wine to make a sage butter sauce for dinner. I tasted this as I was cooking and it was pretty darn tasty. Not to mention is was $6.99! So rather than let this wine sit in my fridge until the next time I decide to undergo a cooking adventure, I am enjoying a glass. It goes well with the chocolate I stole from my girl's advent calendars....

Double Ear Infections = Double the Fun

Today was rainy and yucky and the perfect day to stay in bed and be cozy. But alas, Ella had school and Lily had a ferocious cough that needed immediate attention. She was up most of the night coughing and pretty miserable. I made an appointment with the "Giraffe Doctor" as soon as I could.

I picked Ella up from school and we headed over. Ella so aptly named her doc the "Giraffe Doctor" because the office is covered in Giraffes. Giraffe lamps, mobiles, paintings and statues; you get the picture. The "sick waiting room" at the office is much cooler than the "well waiting room". So the girls are always excited to visit this fun zone. Me on the other hand, I dread it. Slimy, sick kid germs floating about waiting to engulf my girls who merely have colds.

When we walked into this waiting room, you would have thought we were in Disney World. They were running around playing with every toy, and laughing and having a grand old time. The other poor sick pre-teen kids were probably ready to kill my two sweeties. But I thought it was great. It was a rainy day and they needed to blow off some steam. So for once the wait in the waiting room wasn't long enough.

Wino Wednesday!

Wine of the Week

The Show - Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

This wine is hands down my favorite budget wine of the season. I can't get enough of it. Luckily Wednesday only comes once a week. If I have to bring a nice yummy bottle to a dinner party, this is the one. A pretty label, a delicious smooth taste and it is easy on the wallet. Homerun. The Show is typically around $15, but can be found for $10 if you look hard enough.

Lullabies from a 3 year old

The past two nights we have been working on putting the girls to bed at the same time. Last night we were met with some opposition from Lily. A few minutes of her whining, not wanting to sleep but rather play with her sister who was right next to her. Tonight Lily was much more disgruntled. Crying, yelling for us, wanting to get out. A far cry from our easy, just lay her in the crib baby. Tonight she was pissed.

After Don went in one time to try to soothe her, we decided to let her cry it out. What happened next is quite possibly the greatest thing ever. We heard Ella start singing really softly to Lily. Singing our family song, "Noonie noo and a Noonie noo, Noonie noo and a Noonie noo." She sang it over and over again. It wasn't working so she switched to "Row row row your boat, gently down the stream..." Still Lily held strong. Then we heard Ella whisper "Lily, do you want the closet light on? Say yes" Of course Lily said yes and Ella hopped down and turned on the closet light.

Now Ella is softly telling Lily that she needs to go to sleep. She is making up silly rhymes about butterflies, flowers, hearts and princesses. In between saying these rhymes she sings "now go to bed".

I know I will need to go in and tuck them in one more time to get the desired result of sleep, but I am enjoying this too much. A bucket of popcorn and I could listen all night....

******Flash 2 hours later and Lily has exhausted all of Ella's singing skills, my rocking and Don's belly rubs. She finally passed out, but it was a doozy.

No WINO Wednesday this week, since technically it is Thursday and I still am on wine strike due to my cold. Next week, I promise.