thejlbs

Super Bowl Party For Two

Jim — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:13:36 +0000

Shown:
Jim’s famous homemade wings, slaw and blue cheese.
(Yes, this is how we lost a collective 70 pounds since this time last year).

Not Shown:
Two kids asleep at 6:45.
Score!

52 New Recipes: White Bean and Sausage Sauté (That Did Not Get Made. Yet.)

Jessica — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:35:11 +0000

Funny thing. I got all ready to make this recipe for dinner, or so I thought, and then realized the first step was soaking the beans for EIGHT HOURS, then just pop ‘em in the crock pot with water and bay leaf for another FOUR. Details. Here’s another funny detail: I bought Lima beans instead of great northern. Whoops. Jim says it will still be “good and interesting.” His exact words. So let’s just go with that.
Happy weekending.

Sesame Street Live (Again)

Jessica — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:00:44 +0000

With Hadley screaming in a heap on the floor, the day of this event started much like last year.

Some new, exciting things for this year though:
Meeting friends there.
Third row, center seats!
Forgetting wallet at home only to realize when trying to pay for parking.
Would not recommend the latter.
Everything else was just about perfect…

Especially the after party…

(A great big thank you to the parking attendant who let me in for free. And to Lisa, for sending me home with some gas cash. And to Jim, for meeting me outside his office with credit card in hand so I could actually pump gas without leaving sleeping children unattended. Shew! We are watched out for.)

100%

Jessica — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:00:28 +0000

A mom I admire posted once that she was doing the best she could at motherhood. I believed it. It has stuck with me.
Am I, I’ve wondered?
Not quite.
It’s such an arduous task, it has seemed preferable most days to give it my worst, or just plain wish it away.

Some things however have called out to me recently. The way Hadley mothers her dolls. The way my children gaze in awe at infants. Hearing countless stories from friends and relatives about fertility troubles. Through these things and more, I have been reminded of the ways I’ve trained and yearned for this very position I’m in since almost my own beginning. This mothering thing was and is, in many ways, my dream job.

Suffice it to say, things are looking up. I’m not sure if it’s less work vying for my attention. Or an answer to many prayers. Or the fact that I’ve been outwitted, outlasted, outplayed by my own kids too many times to count. Or what. But I find myself having way more patience these days.

Moving slower. Getting over things faster. Enjoying more. Retreating less. Understanding more. Yelling less. What a relief.

I know that all things have seasons. Especially all things having to do with children. And this could very well just be a particularly good, albeit fleeting season. But even if that’s the case, I will gladly take it.

Winter Activity List

Jessica — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:00:10 +0000

Our list, it’s growing! Every day, a simple, new activity. Thirty minutes or so of concentration together. And if we’re lucky, a few laughs too. There’s plenty of winter yet to go, so if you’re looking for a few fresh ideas for your kiddos, feel free to drop in on our Facebook gallery here.

Weekending

Jessica — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:42:09 +0000

A three-day weekend. Gone in a wink. But full, full, FULL of the things and (most importantly) people we love. Note to self: More weekends like this, please.

52 New Recipes: Lentil Soup AND Stewed Apples With Butternut Squash

Jessica — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:00:48 +0000

My friend Maggie recently Facebooked that her four-year-old daughter loved her lentil soup so much that she “could just lay in it”. Now if that’s not a compelling reason to make a recipe, I don’t know what is.

Here is the recipe she gave me:
2 Cups rinsed Red Lentils
2 Boxes Swanson Chicken Broth
½ Onion chopped
2 small-med carrots diced
1 celery Stalk chopped
½ baking potato
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp+ Cumin
½ tsp of coriander
2 tbs Olive oil

Sautee Onions/garlic in olive oil in pot. Add celery/carrots/broth. Bring to a boil. Add lentils, spices & potatoes & cook over med heat for 30 with lid on. *I add ½ a potato because I like it thick, but no other recipe calls for it . I mash all the veggies while still in the pot before I serve.

So that’s what I did. My only regret is that I used organic chicken “Better Than Bouillon”, since that’s what we had on hand. And the soup came out ridiculously salty. I’m pretty sure I would make this again, but just use free-range, low-sodium broth instead.

Then I decided I needed to adventure into a side dish to round out the meal. Enter Stewed Apples with Butternut Squash from 5 Ingredient Fix. Very simple. VERY tasty. You should go ahead and make this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

And that makes two more for my beautiful, new whole foods favorite recipes binder.

If You Can’t Take The Heat, Get Out Of The Kitchen

Jessica — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:00:30 +0000

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Float On

Jessica — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:00:16 +0000

I’m knee-deep in film editing for the 2011 Bastien and Hadley Movie Release and absolutely could not resist pulling out these gems for your viewing pleasure.
May your feet find that much happiness today.

Dates

Jessica — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:35:00 +0000

One of my new year resolutions, if you will remember, was scheduling one-on-one time with each kid, each month. Last weekend marked the start.

On Saturday I took my love Bastien to a puppet show as part of a fascinating children’s theater series at Brighton High School.

On Sunday I took my love Hadley to a national cheer and dance team competition at The Palace.

Hey, culture takes on many forms.

For the most part, both dates were filled with more calm time than we usually spend together. Well, apart from the crazy loud music at the competition, but that came with the territory.

Also, what both kids really wanted more than anything was to sit on my lap the whole time. I found that interesting. And flattering.

Best of all, the kid left at home each day got some QT with Jim. I feel like we all needed this. Even though both kids lamented being left behind and being without their sibling at the event. Well, there’s always something to complain about I guess.