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.

Say YES!

Lately Ella and Lily's interactions have become more and more entertaining. Ella is learning that she has a certain power over her little sister. A power that proves very useful to her. Here is a sample of the conversations I overheard today.

Ella: Lily are you done playing with Teddy? Say yes.

Lily: Yes

Ella: Lily do you want to run with me? Say yes.

Lily: Yes

Ella: Lily can you give me that cookie? Say yes.

Lily: Yes

Basically, anything we tell Lily to say she says. Ella has seen the magic in this. A few times today I had to say something to Ella about her conversations with Lily. Ella simply turned to me and said, "But Mom Lily said yes", as she showed me the cookie that used to be Lily's. I proceeded to explain to her that Lily doesn't understand the meaning of YES yet. Ella looked at me confused by my explanation. I knew it hadn't sunk in and that I hadn't done a great job explaining.

Two minutes later I heard; "Lily, can I sit in that chair? Say yes."
Then I heard a tiny little "Yes" from my sweet Lily. Followed by a small thud and a cry. I walked into the playroom to see Lily sitting on the floor next to her chair, which was now occupied by Ella. I tried to explain to Ella that we can't trick Lily into saying the answer we want to hear. I know it fell on deaf ears. I mean how can she resist?

I wish Ella's "Say yes" method worked on grown-ups. How easy would that be? "Can I please have my bottle of wine for free? Say yes."

YES

Wino Wednesday!
Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon

Ok, so I am not technically drinking this tonight. I am suffering big time from a head splitting cold. I did however buy a bottle to serve tomorrow for Thanksgiving. This is my perfect cheap go to safety wine. It is tasty and only $6.99/bottle! In New York we don't have 2 Buck Chuck. We do have Barefoot though and it is yummy.

Wine, Cheese and Sleeping Babies

Wino Wednesday is here! I am cheating again this week. My budget wine, isn't as budget as I would like, but it is worth every penny. Tonight we are sharing a Vincent Arroyo Melange Reserve, 2009.

Vincent Arroyo is this amazing little boutique Vineyard in Calistoga California. We visited it back in 2004 with our closest friends. They were excited to share this special little place with us. I am surprised they did; it is the kind of place you want to keep all to yourself. We fell in love. You never forget the first time you get to taste wine straight out of the barrel, from a turkey baster. You feel like you are part of the birth of something.

So this past July we went back to Vincent Arroyo with those same friends. This time we had our two girls and they now have a little girl and another baby on the way. It felt like we were going back to visit an old friend. We saw Vincent, tasted their own personal stash of 1984 "nameless", we took picture after picture of the kids running around the vineyard and of course we ordered a case of futures to be shipped back to New York. This vineyard only sells directly to consumers so you have to get it while you can. Their wine isn't carried in any restaurants or stores and often sells out before it is even bottled.

So the case arrived, along with a shipment of cheese from Artisanal Premium Cheese in NYC (a Living Social Deal). The babies are asleep, the cheese is laid out and the Vincent is flowing freely. Wednesday is my favorite day of the week.

It Takes a Village

Elle had school today and like any typical Monday, while Elle is at school, I make my rounds of phone calls to my girlfriends. Checking in on my friends who have become my Long Island family is a Monday ritual. Not being from the area, it has been a blessing to have found true and amazing friends that I can count on. Whether it is a mundane Monday or a hectic Thursday, building this network has made my life as a mom a million times easier. These are safe, comforting, amazing women who at the drop of a hat I would leave my babies with and feel utterly relaxed. Thankfully they have made living away from my family somewhat bearable.

Three years ago when Ella was only 4 months old I attended a Gymboree Music and Play class. There, I met some women who were all going through the same things I was. We all had our first babies, 4 months old, sleepless nights, some juggling work, some juggling being a SAHM for the first time, all equally as devoted to their new babies as I was. I felt like I could breathe, I wasn't all alone on this Island! It started off small. Going over to the local coffee house, sharing stories of "cluster feeding", gassiness and the dreaded teething. A group of women experiencing the exact same things at the exact same time, it felt serendipitous.

It grew from coffee houses to our houses. Rotating every Friday hosting play-dates at homes and parks. Now, 3 years later and still going strong. We have evolved, adding children and adding friends, but never have we lost sight of this special bond. Our children have become cousins and it feels like we have become sisters. All of our connections are unique and often dependent on schedules. But it is so rare to find a group of people you can trust with your children. Never questioning their love and loyalty to your family.

My number one recommendation to new Moms, is to put yourself out there. Try to get out and meet Moms with babies the same age as yours. You will find that the things you have in common, can make those sleepless nights much easier to bear. You may even find that in those moments of bonding over war wounds, a different kind of friendship can form, one based solely on family, a new kind of family.

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

Tonight I made fried eggplant with angel-hair pasta and semi home-made tomato sauce. Half roasted tomatoes and garlic half store bought sauce - makes for a homemade feel in half the time. This is a favorite of the girls.