Disastrophe: When Parenting Disasters Meet Catastrophe

After his first soccer practice yesterday while I was helping him change out of his cleats, my four-year-old looked at me and said "Someday I'll sit and watch you play soccer when I'm big," and whether he was promising this to repay or reward me, it melted my heart. As both kids are getting older these sweet moments are happen more frequently and I love the way little minds show us exactly what they're thinking when they think it. Of course, like every family we have our share of the not so Pinterest-worthy moments too...

My son shouted DISASTROPHE after crashing a tower of blocks down and ever since, it is our go-to term for the minor to major 'oops' moments that seem to happen all day long. He used to watch Gaspard and Lisa, a cartoon about French dog/children that look more like bunnies and go to school in Paris. At some point in each episode they yell CATASTROPHE and when he combined that with the word disaster, DISASTROPHE became the best way to punctuate our most terrible moments with a little French flair.

Every parent knows how easily bad becomes worse and can probably think of a time when equal parts disaster and catastrophe combined to form the dreaded disastrophe. 

It's not only that the baby had a diaper blowout but had a diaper blowout on the couch, or that the same baby didn't just fall down at the park but fell onto a huge pile of green goose poop. Get the picture? Disaster is implied when a four year old screams "I NEED PAPER TOWELS" but followed by "FOR PUKE! ON THE RUG!" it's clearly a disastrophe.

The wrong color countertops were installed in the kitchen at our last house while I was at work. Some would decide that was a catastrophe and it sure felt like that to me when I arrived home to see a product installed in my house that I wouldn't have ever considered, but finding out that I signed paperwork with that wrong product listed clearly on it weeks earlier? Therein lies the disastrophe.

As parents we have to try to stay on our toes for the survival of our little people but the reality is that a lot happens in the instant we let our guard down- whether it is once or ten times a day. These are the moments that produce our disastrophes. Beware when something seems like a disaster- "Mommy I SPILLED!" because that's when the words "your coffee" or "your wine" follow and a would-be disaster becomes disastrophe.

I like to think our use of disastrophe is the perfect way to indulge our melodramatic side and avoid offending those who may have experienced actual disasters or catastrophes. (Or those who haven't but would still be offended because they just need to laugh more)

A Day in the Life of My Texts

One of the things I noticed right away after having kids was that the time or desire for talking on the phone no longer existed. My children can be playing quietly or even asleep but the second I get a phone call, they make a beeline for me and put an abrupt end to any adult conversation with questions, demands, or telling me they have to or have just pooped.

Lucky for me, around the same time that my son was born, texting became the accepted and preferred way to communicate with just about everyone I know. Scrolling through my phone at the end of the day can be an amusing snapshot of how my day went and the kind of friends that played a role in it. Do you see yourself in any of the categories below?

The hungry pregnant friend: "I want some really good chicken fingers with ranch" and "Where is there a donut shop?" These texts often come in at strange times because pregnant friends like to taunt their sleep deprived mom friends with the fact that they could be sleeping but aren't.

The workout motivator: "Did you get a workout in this morning?! Perfect weather for a run!" Depending on whether or not this text arrives before coffee you might hate this person but either way, unless you've already worked out, this text is super annoying. (Bonus points if your pregnant friend is also your workout motivator)

The best friend: "I'm in the Starbuck's Drive-Thru. I'll be there in 5." They know your order and they know you're home.

The 'not quite there yet' texter: These narratives often take the form of a hybrid voicemail-meets- email from your mom who knows you probably don't have time to talk at 11 a.m but somehow manages to do it anyway via giant texts. "Hi Kate, it's Mom. I just wanted to say hi and see how it went last night. It's snowing really hard here but Dad and I are getting ready to go out to breakfast and were wondering if you wanted us to mail you....." These texts disappear from your phone's screen before you can get to the punchline but you make a mental note to call later.

The perfect husband: "On the way. Want wine?"  Experience and self preservation combine to ensure all is well at home after a long day. In time the wine in that sentence will be understood and the text will become a question only of "red or white?" but for now, I'm happy to reply a simple 'Y.'
Who am I kidding? My reply will still be 'Y'

Pot O' Gold Potato Gratin (An Ultimate Recipe Challenge Blog Hop)

I'm so excited to team up with The Kim Six Fix and this group of amazing bloggers to share The Ultimate Recipe Challenge Blog Hop with you today! Each challenge will have a theme ingredient and our first challenge ingredient is potatoes. (Endless possibilities right?!)

We love combining cheddar and Gruyere cheeses in our homemade macaroni and cheese but for this challenge we decided to try mixing Gruyere with a Dubliner for a St. Patrick's Day spin on a potato gratin.  

We used our mandoline slicer to get the potatoes super thin but you could also use the slicing attachment on a food processor. Just get them as thin as you can!

The bubbling cream mixture that froths out of the sides of this dish when it's finished is practically dessert-like and it smells like fondue while it's cooking. Even though we make this for a side dish, it's rich enough that it could easily be the main dish served with a salad. My thoughts are more along the line of 'so rich it's best served with a good steak and an even better wine' but that's just me. 

Our 'Pot O' Gold Gratin' came out so savory and delicious and I can't wait to try the recipes the other bloggers came up with for the challenge!

Ingredients:

3 Pounds Gold Potatoes
1 Cup Finely Shredded Gruyere Cheese
1 Cup Finely Shredded Dubliner
3/4 Cup Whole Milk
1 3/4 Cups Heavy Cream
2 Cloves Fresh Garlic (smashed)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill (plus more for garnish)
Salt and Pepper
Butter for dish


Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Butter the bottom and the sides of a casserole/baking dish

3. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes using a mandoline slicer or food processor ( about 1/8 inch)

4. Combine milk, cream, chopped dill, and the smashed garlic in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer

5. While cream mixture is warming, grate cheeses 

7. Layer the potatoes and cheese like a lasagna, seasoning as you go with salt and pepper and reserving about 1/4 of the cheese for the topping

8. Pour cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer over the dish to catch the garlic cloves and dill

9. Press hands down on top of the potato mixture forcing the liquid between the layers of the potatoes

10. Sprinkle remaining cheese mixture over the top layer

11. Bake for 90 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and browning to look like a Pot 'O Gold!

Garnish the finished dish with some sprigs of dill and serve in cheesy stacks. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Potato Gratin


Be sure to check out how all of the other bloggers used their Potatoes in this Ultimate Recipe Challenge! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Military Mondays at the Georgia Aquarium

Our favorite place to visit in Atlanta is the Georgia Aquarium. I love looking back at our pictures to see how much has changed in the short time we've lived here.

The Georgia Aquarium is the best we've ever been to and I'm excited to share that in honor of November being Military Family Appreciation Month, the Georgia Aquarium has launched Military Mondays!

As a token of gratitude, each Monday through December 28, plus November 7 and November 11, active and former military members receive free admission and their family members receive 30 percent off admission!

If you haven't been yet, or even if you have, be sure to take advantage of this wonderful offer from the Georgia Aquarium! You can find all of the details here.

Memorial Day Memories

It was our first day of summer vacation with weather that was the best combination of warm, sunny, and breezy so I was determined to take the kids strawberry picking. I texted a few friends to see if they wanted to come and when no one did I hesistated for a second about going. I'd have the stroller, the camera, two kids, a backpack, and maybe it was too sunny??  I'm so happy that I didn't let anything stop me from going.

We had a day that I'll always remember; the perfect way to start our summer vacation and Memorial Day weekend- making memories.

I can imagine what I would've done if we'd stayed home. Grocery shopping or cleaning, maybe a trip to a playground where the kids would've been occupied climbing or playing with the other kids there. We would've had fun but probably not a day to remember over the others.

I wonder about the memories we have of the nearly fifteen years since September 11th and think about how different things were for me as a child. Memorial Day meant bringing flowers to the graves of grandparents, maybe a parade, and always a cookout. It's hard to accept that for so many children of the last decade, it means remembering a parent lost fighting a war and hard to avoid worrying whether my children will grow up with a different experience of Memorial Day than I had.  

Someone posted recently that parents should make childhood magical for their kids and I thought about it for a long time after. Even though so many people seemed to find that idea ridiculous, why shouldn't there be a little magic in each day while we're here to experience it with them?

Many friends are posting reminders that this weekend isn't about parties or a summer kick-off and I agree that sometimes the meaning of the holiday is forgotten by the lucky few not affected by loss but I can't think of a better way to honor those who are no longer here or those who are missing them than by making happy memories with our families.

Celebrating the End of the School Year

Summer vacation is here and we're so ready! It was really hard saying goodbye to the teachers this afternoon, even harder than I thought it would be. As often as we move and have to say goodbye to people, it truly doesn't ever get easier. The flowers were pretty but couldn't come close to showing how grateful we are to the teachers that cared so much for our son this year!

For the school picnic I made the kids' desserts and had fun making these very simple 'sand' buckets.

I used vanilla pudding on the bottom of each bucket, topped with a thick layer of cool whip, and then covered the tops with crushed cookies to look just like sand. The buckets were a perfect size for the preschoolers and two packages of both the pudding and cool whip made 24 buckets. They're so easy to make (at 11:30 at night because that's the only time I can fill tiny toys with whipped cream and cookies in peace.)

The kids were excited to eat the sand and I will definitely make these again this summer for parties.

For a non-dairy option I also made some little blue jello 'pools' with beachball cupcake toppers stuck in them.

Unfortunately for all of the parents, most kids tried both and ate the other desserts at the party as well. I have a headache from all of the sugar. 

In the fall, I made this sign with the idea that I could reuse it on the last day and I'm happy that I actually remembered to do it! Here is the photo from the first day of school in August.

And here is a photo from today with the new year and the word First changed to Last.  He wanted to hold it in front of his head after it made me laugh but I did get a few pictures that show just how much his face has changed from baby to boy.

Now bring on the pool parties, road trips, family visits, backyard barbecues, and sleeping in (just kidding I have a toddler.) 

A PSA for Vacation Rental Owners: What Every Parent Wishes You Knew

You know that feeling you get when you walk through the door of your vacation rental after a long road trip to get there? It's the sort of relief for parents that comes with knowing it's time for worry free days filled with fun and relaxation, maybe for the first time all year.

Now imagine walking into that house and seeing a sign on the wall as your 15 month old is scanning the room for his first target that reads:

"Please DO NOT Move Furniture or Decorative Accessories! Things MUST remain in their original location! Inspector will check house upon checkout and you may be charged damages if things are not in their original location"

For a second I looked at the framed warning, its font playfully encircled by colorful butterflies, and laughed at the absurdity but the thud of a glass flounder hitting the carpet scared me back to reality and the beach house went from a vacation to a nightmare before we’d even carried in the suitcases.  As I frantically searched for the flounder's original location wondering what the fine would be for moving him, I realized my vacation was going to be work.

Summer is fast approaching and as rental property owners prepare for a busy season hosting guests, many will overlook the fact that their decor is a nightmare for parents.

So just how can a rental property owner ruin a parent’s vacation?

Don’t Skimp on the Foliage – Arrange fake plants, silk flowers, or even decorative palm trees if space allows, throughout each room of the house but don’t dust them or worry about accessibility to little people who may try to tip, rip, or even eat them.

Assume Everyone Loves Glass Tables - Each room needs at least one, preferably train table height, and with very sharp corners.

Believe There’s No Such Thing as Too Small – Provide numerous choking hazards for rainy day entertainment such as dice, marbles, and jax and store them where children can most easily reach them.

Don’t Think it’s Possible to go Wrong with Pastel - All furniture should be a pale pink, satiny fabric that the tiniest drop of liquid stains and even so much as sneaker Velcro creates a pull in.

Forego Function for Whimsy – Litter the home with beach themed decor that resembles children's toys but is in no way designed for children to play with like painted baby blocks or decorative metal shovels that look like sand toys.

When in Doubt Use Carpet- Even the bathroom needs it

Equip the Home with Poison- Make sure parents know that ants and roaches frequent the home by placing poison traps in the corners of rooms and keep insect sprays within easy reach.

Relax When it Comes to Safety- Opt for nautical themed roping instead of railings or sturdy boards to prevent falls from decks, docks, or terraces. Always resist the urge to mar the beauty of the landscape with safety fencing whether around a pool or near a busy road and if in doubt, always just assume the house is kid friendly.

Parents deserve to relax on their vacation so if you happen to own one of the many vacation houses about to be rented this summer please consider these ways your decor ruins a parent’s vacation. No house needs a glass flounder.

Heart Art for the Nursery

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When I saw a hot pink animal print heart on clearance at 90% off I knew I could turn it into something a little less wild that would fit perfectly with the pinks and reds in the baby's room. 

Even though we'll probably move again before it's finished, I've been trying to decorate her nursery with homemade artwork and crafts. I made this canvas sign:

I loved this trim so much and knew I was going to use some bright pink eyelet trim that I found on sale a while ago. Because the center of the cheetah heart is raised, it provided a nice border all around it to fasten the eyelet trim to.

The first step was to cover the wild print and I used several coats of white paint to do it. The finish wasn't perfect but I wasn't expecting it to be after rescuing this piece from the cluttered clearance section.

I glued the fabric trim around the center heart and tried to trim the pieces in a way that made them fit together. 

I really didn't love the look with the heart painted white so I mixed some fuscia, red, and pink paints and colored the inside of the eyelet trim area.

I painted a small letter A red for the center of the heart for my daughter's first initial and covered it with tiny paper polka dots before varnishing it for shine.

I really like the bright happy look of the red and pink combination in her room!