"me time"

I seriously think Tina Fey is genius.  I have previously used a passage from her book, Bossypants, as inspiration for a post.  Today I return to this side splitter with a few of Tina's ideas for carving out "me time" in your day.  "Me time"?  Those 5 minutes every mom is looking for to collect her thoughts, breathe deeply, and pee all by herself.

Tina advises:

• Go to the bathroom a lot.
• Take ninety-minute showers. (If you only shower every three or four days, it will be easier to get away with this.)
• Stand over the sink and eat the rest of your child's dinner while he or she pulls at your pant leg asking for it back.  
• "Sleep when your baby sleeps."  Everyone knows this classic tip, but I say why stop there?  Scream when your baby screams.  Take Benadryl when your baby takes Benadryl.  And walk around pantless when your baby walks around pantless.

I adore her take on motherhood.  Hilarious, with a touch of realism and self-deprecation.  She and I are kindred spirits.   If only I lived in Manhattan-I do believe we could be the best of friends. 

 

Buy your own copy [here]

or download onto your Kindle, Nook, iPad, or tablet

PS.  Saw this on facebook today and loved it.  Pretty sure Tina would love it too!

 built by Kate Hatton-Whyte

shared over 3,600 times!

supper, superfast.

my cast iron dutch oven + superfast suppers cookbook = tuscan chickpea stew

No need to ask tonight, "What's for dinner?" Got you covered.

I whipped up this dinner last night in less than 20 minutes.  Let me repeat that.  20 minutes. Had I known it was truly a superfast supper, I would have saved it until Monday. (My loss is your gain!)  Let's just say it was incredibly easy to make and delightfully tasty. 

Tuscan Chickpea Stew

2 T olive oil, divided

3 garlic cloves, crushed

4 Chicken Sausage link, fully cooked

1 T fresh or dried rosemary

1/4 t. pepper

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery, and onions, undrained

3 (15.5 oz) cans chickpeas, undrained

3 cups fresh prepackaged baby spinach

1/2 cup freshly Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 T. oil in sauce pan or dutch oven or medium-high heat.  Add garlic and next 3 ingredients.  Saute 4 min or until sausage is browned.   Add tomatoes and 2 cans chickpeas, scraping pan to loosen brown bits.

Drain remaining can chickpeas.  Add to pan.  Bring to boil: cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes.  Uncover and stir in spinach; cook 2 minutes our until spinach wilts. Place a slice of crusty bread in shallow bowl.  Spoon stew into bowls over bread.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese.  Done and done.  Let's eat!

Serving size 1cup:  calories: 331; Fat: 9; Carb: 49; Fiber: 10; Protein: 14

I used al fresco fully cooked roasted pepper and asiago chicken sausage.

This recipe was taken directly from Cooking Light Superfast suppers.  Find it [here].

[one can dream]

I occasionally let my mind wander.  What would I build if I could design my house for my modern housewife life?  The plans would not be grand, but my dreams are specific.  

1.  mudroom.

Let's be honest.  This isn't a frivolous dream....this is a necessity when you live in the Northwest. 

OmG!  This one is perfect.  Floors that can get wet and muddy, storage for all that 'stuff' that comes along with a busy family, and a work station for a modern housewife.  And look, a built-in for the printer and cabinets to conceal all that must be hidden. 

2.  a cavernous laundry room

I feel serene just looking at these shots.  I picture myself standing at that table folding my family's laundry and smiling.  How could you not smile?  One might actually look forward to throwing in a load of towels.  [ok. that might be stretching it a bit.]

3.  a welcoming entry way. 

[inspiration directly from Trove Interiors]

Welcome to our home, we're glad you're here.  That is what I would love for my entry to say.  [And I will take all that natural sunlight as well.]  

 

For most of us, we are dealing with the existing architecture of our home and the shortcomings of our creativity.  These scenes above are a far distance from the reality.  

Case in point:

My entry/mudroom?  Can't be the mudroom because we don't enter through the front door.  Yes, we have a place to hang our 'stuff', but all I see is old, dated wood.  An entire wall of brick and back packs that never actually make it onto the hooks. 

So, I will keep dreaming, planning and picking up back packs. 

mangia.

{check out their website here} 

Ventured out to the "New Seattle" last night.  That is what I call South Lake Union.  You seriously must run on down there- if you haven't already.  Brightly lit shops, inviting restaurants, a bustle of people, great architecture.  (Can you tell I liked it?)

I dined at Cuoco.  A newer Tom Douglas eatery.  It was delicious!  The ambiance was warm. The service was superb.  The food?  Fantastic!  

Our indulgences:

I shared with my sister in law:

20 month aged parma proscuitto, honey crisp apples, arugula

Roasted beets, mache, almonds, goat cheese, apples, cider vinaigrette

I ordered:

Bucatini - hollow dried wheat pasta, marinara, brasied beef meatballs 

Had planned on leaving some to snack on today but I couldn't stop myself.  It was that good!

She had:

Agnolotti dal plin - house-made filled pinched egg pasta, rabbit, veal, pork, marjoram butter

Tiny, delicate bow tie raviolis. Simple and perfect.  

**If you or someone you love must eat gluten free, they have a gf pasta that can be used as a substitute in almost any dish.   That makes us smile in this house.

Give Cuoco a try on your next night out.  Happy Weekend. xoxoxo

moving up in the world

For those who shop in downtown Seattle often or just every so often- the Nordstrom Rack is moving up in the world. Or at least up Pine St.

  Snapped this shot in front of Westlake Center.  Spring 2012 is looking brighter already!

Mad Men is back! (almost)

The wait has been painful.  March 25, our wait will come to an end.  Need a fix to hold you over?

real moms-it isn't always pretty

Want the real deal?  Motherhood isn't always pretty and it 'aint for the faint of heart.  I wanted to end the week with a list from what I'll call real life motherhood. [Please note this is not a glamorized mommy blog written for people.com that gushes about the true gifts my children are and how mothering has only made me a more complete human.]

Real moms:

• drive their kids to school in their pajamas without brushing their hair or teeth
•  yell
• switch their kids lunches in the mad dash out the door and are bitter when they have to "fix" the f*#^ up.
•  need to drink wine (insert alcoholic beverage of choice) to do homework with their children.
• are exhausted by 9am
• buy syrup for a class party which contains high fructose corn syrup [gasp.]
• wonder daily how any of their children will turn out "normal".

These statements are all taken from true stories told by real moms.  Or they are all about me.
Remember, we are all in this together.