Week 24: A Galaxy, A Smoothie, and A Toddler

what's new?

We spent week 24 in the company of our fabulous friends, the Morrows, who were staying with us for a week before they moved to their next Post. We have grown quite close over the last year, and I gave them my whole heart, and they gave me several solar systems, in return. Sometimes, when you allow yourself to be truly vulnerable in friendships, you get stung, but other times, you get a galaxy :) And so, there seems no other passage more befitting than One Art, by Elizabeth Bishop:

 The art of losing isn't hard to master;
 so many things seem filled with the intent
 to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

 Lose something every day.  Accept the fluster
 of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
 The art of losing isn't hard to master.

 Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
 places, and names, and where it was you meant
 to travel.  None of these will bring disaster.

 I lost my mother's watch.  And look! my last, or
 next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
 The art of losing isn't hard to master.

 I lost two cities, lovely ones.  And, vaster,
 some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
 I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

 ---Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
 I love) I shan't have lied.  It's evident
 the art of losing's not too hard to master
 though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

New things we tried in Week 24:

• Scooter's Blend Coffee (a medium roast/blend). I liked it - very deeply roasted and nutty flavor overall. Still not better than my favorite, but better than many. An easy drinking coffee that you can get at the drive-thru in a pinch if you don't want to make a special grocery store trip just for coffee.

• New deployment book for kids - Lily Hates Goodbyes. This book received the utmost praise from critics and reviewers, buuuut...I was not a fan, simply for the reason that "Lily hates goodbyes" is repeated on almost every page, despite the creative and wonderful things she is doing throughout the story. I don't like the idea of harping on hating something and continuing to whine about it. Say it once, get over it, and move on. Tough baloney, Lily. C'mon. 

• Red Barn Farms Country Market (Weston, MO). I LOVE the town of Weston (about 20 minutes east of Fort Leavenworth), and though we have visited many of the local farms around here, have never made it to Red Barn! They have the cutest little country store - I highly recommend paying them a visit, should you venture out this way.

• The Farmhouse (Kansas City, MO). Beautiful farm-to-table restaurant downtown, near City Market. Our dear friends treated us to this great find, complete with lovely outdoor seating and delicious wine and appetizers before the beginnings of a toddler meltdown occurred (mine) and we said goodbye. It happens...We will be back. They have Black Butte Porter ON TAP :)  

• Green Smoothie Revolution (by, Victoria Boutenko). This book was given to to me to read by my neighbor, after chatting about rebuilding immunity from being sick/taking antibiotics. Her exact words were, "This book will rock your World.". I (wildly) concur and recommend to just about anyone. I learned quite a it about the overall digestion of green vegetables in general from this book. As a Colitis patient, I also learned some valuable tips for the absorption of the vitamins and minerals from veggies, but even if you learn nothing, this particular recipe feels really good on your tummy. I love parsley. It is highly underrated. We will alternate the types of greens we use (to avoid alkaloid absorption) every other week, but here is this week's smoothie recipe, which I modified (the original called for dates and only one lemon, and I prefer the piney-citrusy flavor of the parsley and didn't want it that sweet, so I opted for unsweetened berries):

2 cups parsley

1 Fuji apple (we used whatever)

1/2 cup frozen blueberry/raspberries

lemon juice from 2 squeezed lemons

a little bit of water to make my cheapo blender turn

This will be enough for a couple of days - make sure to store in glass, not plastic, which will leach nutrients

Week 23: The Good Graces of Time

What's New?

Dear Week 23, 

You were not an easy week, but within the good graces of your time, we have learned much about the amazing strength of our little boy. Please tell future weeks to go easy on this momma, lest I forget what I have learned about my 2.5-year old during this time :) And please, please remember: I am only a Padawon in all of this. There is still so much to learn in order to be a Jedi Master deployment momma, and I am not always 100% sure if want to be, for that matter.

Ted left at the end of last week, after only having been here a week, and each day since has been a parenting adventure trying to explain that each light left on in another room does not mean that daddy is home. Every time a car goes by or a male runner passes us on the trail, that is not daddy either. Daddy is on a ship in the ocean. He is probably having coffee with Nemo. He is protecting people from sharks, so the sharks don't bite them and make a big, giant, owie. 

Sometimes, distraction seems like the best thing, and other times, just talking about it really matter-of-factly is good. Still, most times, a big hug and a kiss and a good, long walk is the best thing. I find that if I let him lead with all of this, he usually works through it using his own little brain. Yesterday, I heard him upstairs get out of bed during his nap and go into mom and daddy's room. He was just sitting in a chair we have up there going, "daddy's room. this is daddy's room," very definitively. That must have brought his little heart some peace because then he ran into room and took a nap :)

Thankfully, one of my good friends brought over a couple of books for us to look at, which ended up being so great (and we ordered our own copies). He LOVES Over There (by Dorinda Williams). It has some very simple illustrations and is action-oriented (i.e. "I brush my teeth here. He [Daddy] brushes his teeth there." Just really could not be any more perfect for Henry! We have also enjoyed the activity book (created by Julie LaBelle) and have already completed our first deployment time capsule. There are cute ideas in there befitting for a 2-3 year old, such as connect the dots (and it is a Navy ship). 

My mom also sent a U.S. Navy Alphabet book, which I had never seen. Not only does Henry love this, but as a terrible Navy wife, I have learned more from this book about the Navy than I have ever known! :) This book should be given to every new Navy spouse. "V is for vessel" people! 

Another great "resource" has been just simple prayer!  Every adventurer's pathway calls for meditation and prayer at some point, and we do this often. Not only has it been a great bonding time for us, but I think to teach our kids to rest and be still in the small spaces of the day, amid the running around and endless structure or lack thereof, in many cases, is teaching them how to use a tool for real happiness. We are the praying type, and we believe prayer works, but even if you are not, teaching your kids to just count to 10 and take a deep breath every once in a while is a good thing in this World.

Going beetle and spider hunting and playing puzzles. Making chocolate chip cookies and raisin trains. These are the things that make us both happy turtles. So that's what we are doing, for now.

Other Week 23 Newness:

• Finally got my dream kitchen tool (besides the Kitchenaid pasta maker attachment)! A rice cooker/food steamer with a timer. This thing has been LIFE CHANGING. It has a white and brown rice setting, but you can also cook quinoa, lentils, or just about anything in half the time. I am eating a ton more vegetables with the steamer - and I just love it. Now if I could just get Henry to eat this stuff :)

• Henry did his first bird call: the California Quail. Yes, I was beside myself with glee.

• I signed up for a Foodie Pen Pal! Doesn't that sound exciting?? It was created by a dietician whose blog I came across via a gal who I sometimes get Weight Watchers recipes from. Check it out!! The Lean Green Bean

Week 22: Happy Dinosaurs

What's New?

We fully lived each and every moment of Ted's week-long, pre-deployment visit in Week 22, on top of which, he let me win at Scrabble. Just kidding. If you think for a second either of us would ever let the other one win at Scrabble, you totally have the wrong idea regarding the level of competitiveness in this household :) Buuut, I am pretty sure I won with a word that I misspelled, and he initially questioned it, but at the risk of losing his turn should he end up wrong (I was 99% sure of my spelling), took the chance. The word was "Ouija", which I had incorrectly spelled, "O-u-j-a-i". But what a great way to use your J (8 points!) on a double or triple letter block! 

Aside from Scrabble, puzzles and stories with our Buddy, and 99 bottles of delicious and nutritious beer on the wall (to wash down all of the BBQ we consumed), we just enjoyed each others' company and had lots of cuddle time and outside time with our Henry dinosaur. By the way, our level of dinosaur knowledge, in general, is insane right now. Ask us anything about the Cretaceous period, or rather, ask Henry. He would be happy to explain it all to you, which is good because I am pretty sure some of that is going to be on my Praxis exam in July. 

Ted and I also managed to squeeze in a wonderfully long date night at The Majestic, which is a delicious steakhouse and jazz club located in downtown Kansas City. This place had come highly-recommended by some dear friends and acquaintances alike, so we had to try it out! Though it was recommended that we get a seat downstairs, in the club, we actually opted to sit upstairs, in the main dining area, next to the beautiful bar and the jazz pianist. It was a little more open and airy, which was a plus for us. We experienced wonderful service, and any server who is willing to talk about the marbling and aging in steaks for 20 minutes had me at hello. I recommend trying one of their prohibitionist era cocktails :) Also, I am 99% sure that after a week of partying with my husband and 2.5-year old, I can no longer fit into the dress I wore for this date night :)

Ah well. I love that man so much I want to marry him. Good thing I did :)

Other Week 22 newness:

• Discovery of the most beautiful running trail ever, which I got to run sans jogging stroller while Ted and Henry went for a hike on a nearby nature trail (the one I ran was paved). From what I could tell, it was pretty non-creeper, but I would still carry mace just because I will mace your face! :) Thanks to my Lover, who showed me where this was. 

• T-Rex Cafe in Kansas City. We sat under Pachycephalosaurus and had a view of Parasaurolophous and the jelly fish forest. AND we sat by the aquarium. Overstimulating just a teensy. Good food! Best timing ever for a 2.5-year old obsessed with dinosaurs, but still a bit scary because they do a simulated meteor shower every 30 minutes and all of the animals roar, tweet, or buzz all at once. A solid 5/5 stars for us!!

• Ted and I tried 2 new beers from Boulevard: Long Strange Tripel and The Sixth Glass. Ted is a harder sell on new beer than I am, but he said he liked them both. I loved The Sixth Glass for the light molasses aftertaste and cannot wait to have it again. It has all of the flavor of a good, dark beer but with a light body. I think these Belgian dark ale finds are slowly but surely becoming my little beer treasures in life. Not the easiest to find, but I always like them. Long Strange was meh. It was good. Nothing to write home about, but then, you are reading beer notes from a gal who still likes Budweiser with her barbeque. What do I know? :)

• I finally perfected one of my favorite comfort foods of all time and one of 3 things that my Dad knows how to make: Cocoa Quickies. This is more like a candy than a cookie, which means it requires precision, patience, and exact ingredients. I had to finally just call my Dad because of course I kept screwing it up so badly. The key ingredient? Nestle Quick Cocoa. Yes. It has to be the one with the bunny :) And the key technique? Cook 3-4 minutes AFTER you bring it to a boil, otherwise it will be gummy!   

Here is the recipe for my Dad's Cocoa Quickies: 2C white sugar, 1/2C butter, 1/2C Nestle Quick, 1/2C milk, 3C oats, 1 tsp vanilla. Mix all in saucepan. Quickly bring to a full, rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook 3-4 minutes. Take off heat and add oats. Drop onto waxed paper until they harden. "You will know immediately if you did it right or not." (my dad)

Week 21: Tornados, Tiger Tails, and Those We Love

What's New?

In Week 21, I received a phone call from my Dad asking if we were in our basement. No, I responded, we just got home from a run. Laughter. "There's a tornado watch in effect in your area," he explains. "Yes, Dad. I know. But we ran in between watches." Twenty minutes later, our power was out, and wind gusts were strong enough to throw our neighbors' yard trampolines across Post and to knock a person over. And those are just wind gusts. We experienced our first real tornado watch.

We are relatively prepared for minor things such as power outages in our area, and for this, I am thankful. Flashlights, candles, propane stove, blankets, changes of clothes and water/food/medicines...We would be okay for a few days. Residents of our area were told to watch the skies for hail and a "greenish" tint. Henry and I made hot cocoa and curled up in a blanket and sent texts back and forth to my Husband and Siblings/Parents. Henry was getting over a quick but nasty flu virus, and honestly, my worrying had been so great over that incident, that the tornado watch seemed somewhat insignificant in comparison. I just hugged him and smiled at his 2.5-year-old curiosity about what thunder and lightening and flashlights were. 

The next day, we turned on the news to hear and see the tragic outcome of the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. Feelings of helplessness and grief washed over us all. As insignificant as it may be, here is the link to the Red Cross if anyone reading this feels lead to help out in a small way. 

Hug your loved ones, and maybe even your acquaintances, once in a while.    

Newness for Week 21:

• Tried out Weston Brewery on a momma's-only lunch date with a girlfriend. The Drop-Kick Ale (which I had never tried from there) was delicious, comparable to a nutty amber such as Fat Tire, but better. We enjoyed delicious burgers and spicy fries on the patio - I will definitely be returning! Very kid and family friendly, which is always a plus. 

• Tiger Tail Rolling Muscle Massager! WHY is this just now in my house?! A-MAZING. I have been rolling it over my feet, my ridiculously tight IT bands, and my hip flexors. I basically just want to marry it. 

• Discovery of a great new blog: Silly Eagle Books. The author of this blog is a friend of a dear friend, who recommended this site to me. She reviews children's fiction and discusses related projects that she does with her kids, who are home-schooled. It is not a cheesy crafting site where they paint egg cartons and glue googly eyes onto toilet paper rolls! It is very legit with some meat on its bones, if you know what I'm getting at :) Check it out! You will love it even if you don't have children!

• Guess who came home (for a whole week!) during Week 21?! Our Other Third!! We are sooo excited. We have missed him greatly these past couple of weeks.  

Week 20: I Wish to Live Deliberately

What's new?

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion." 

- Henry David Thoreau

I'll admit, in Week 20, we did not try many new things! However, I was one busy momma, and I started off the week by taking a 4-hour reading and writing test for the State of Virginia Department of Education. Blech! I have not taken a test like that since the SAT/ACTs in high school, and my DayQuil-infused brain was in sprint mode, trying to take this test. Thankfully, I passed with flying colors. Though I am a nervous test-taker, I can squeak out essays and edit technical excerpts pretty well, when it matters. As much as I poo-pooed this test, my Husband was really sweet and supportive about it, pointing out that it was necessary to celebrate small wins. I know he tells that to his crew probably daily. You'd think that would work on his Wife :) The take-home lesson for me from this test is that I need to focus on relaxation and on getting better sleep for "the big test" in July. It is hard for me to relax and stay on task, concurrently. I am usually more productive if under a wee bit of stress. Thus, I am usually always a wee bit stressed :) haha

I think it is nice knowing that God gave me the tools to be able to move forward with my goals and not be stunted by failure or even just fear of failure. I feel blessed that my parents raised me to "live deliberately" and expect to have to work hard for things in life. There are a lot of people out there who just expect everything to be handed to them or to live without failure, and they never MOVE forward. If writing fiction has taught me anything, it is not to be afraid of failure or of what people think of you. And the great scientific minds whose creativity and curiosity drove them to fail and discover the basic truths which I am hopefully going to be teaching to our young people? Their failures are just as big of an inspiration to me than their successes. 

Week 20 newness:

• Ted and I "celebrated" our 4th wedding anniversary. He celebrated by being Underway with 85 sailors, and I celebrated by studying for my Praxis exam while Henry napped and having sushi with a friend. We plan on for-real celebrating when he comes home for a week at the end of this month! 

• The only real new thing I tried this week was Bean Blossom Blueberry Hard Cider, and that is because Meghan gave it to me, not because I took the initiative to actually try something new on my own. I was not a huge fan of this, but I think I was expecting something more like a Hornsbys. It was more like a sparkling wine infused with blueberry flavor. After a few sips, I poured it over ice, which helped a lot. Well, then I read the can label, and it says right on the can "apple wine". So, maybe I just don't know what real cider tastes like? :) In any case, it's my "something new".

Week 19: A Flavor Explosion

What's New?

Week 19 was cut a little short by a nasty momma flu virus (ew!). Damn, I really need to stop licking the carts at Walmart :) Luckily, we started the week out with a bang and didn't lose any time in trying new things despite the midweek bump in the road. We were also able to get in some fantastic toddler bird-watching, and my kid is so into it! I never expected that he would be at all, but he is really good at remembering the names of things and at spotting critters. I will probably cry when he gets his first pair of binoculars. And he will think I am nuts. And that will be us for the rest of our lives together. That is all.

So, yes. I tried a new coffee, which is one I bought from the Coffeehouse at City Market in Kansas City the previous week, along with my loads of black jelly beans. It was bright, spicy, and a little green...they would hate me for saying this, but it reminded me of Starbuck's coffee. A lot of folks LOVE that, but I am going to stick with my Pete's Major Dickensen's blend, thank you very much. All time favorite is still Caffe Vita from Seattle, or Tully's, if I am near one somewhere on the West Coast. I'll try anything twice, but am a tough sell on replacing my true favorites (again, a reason this blog exists)!

A friend down the street surprised me with a jar of her homemade pineapple salsa. Since chips and salsa are a staple item (one of the 4 food groups, actually) in this household, and I have a salsa addiction, I was excited. I had never tried a tomato-based pineapple salsa before, and I have to say, I liked it! It was definitely different, and I ate the entire jar in 2 days, so I guess different is good :) I think this would be amazing on grilled tilapia, or mixed with rice and beans. A nice change of pace from a lot of cilantro.

Josh Cabernet (Vintage 2011) was actually something I tried a few weeks back, but I somehow forgot to mention it. This was a recommendation by a friend whose palate I trust more than just about anyone else's. I love how winemakers describe their wines as "approachable". What does that even mean? Have you ever met an unapproachable wine? C'mon. Yet Josh is one that I have approached several times already and loved it each time. I always love a confident cab with a soft finish that doesn't overpower everything. I think that's what "approachable" must mean :)

New Henry Stuff for Week 19:

• First time he reached up and held my hand while we were out walking. He even said, "holding momma's hand" and looked up at smiled at me :) MELT. Of course, on another occasion out walking, I reached down to grab his hand as we were crossing an intersection, and he had a complete meltdown the whole rest of the way home...

• Got our first library card! This boy loves his books, and we go through them pretty quickly now. Even with eBaying, a children's book habit (or an adult one, ahem, my HUSBAND) can spiral out of control REAL fast. The library (L-I-B-R-A-R-Y) is loads of fun :) xoxo

Week 18: Bug Hunting and Manners

Caterpillar stalker

Week 18 brought with it a special weekend visit from our other third. We packed in no less than 48 hours of family cuddle time, pizza-eating, and exploration. There seemed to be just enough time for everything, but not enough time to say goodbye again. And thus, we have what seems to be the theme of my life :)

New for Week 18 was a visit to the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens! It was wonderful, and we highly recommend this as an activity for anyone! Singles, couples, families with small kiddos - You will all have fun here. We have explored a number of arboretums and botanical gardens across the Country, and what I loved about this place were all of the intricate, little alcove and specialty gardens within the nooks and crannies of the main, theme gardens - A lot of privacy :) They have a weekly birdwatcher's group here, too, as well as a children's garden and a train garden (in progress)! This place is picnic-friendly (in the picnic pavilion), and most of the little trails are only a mile or so long.

Henry loved the big pond and the turtles as well as bug hunting along the pathways and butterfly-chasing. He is such a good little hiker now and (most of the time) a good minder. For short outings, we don't even need the stroller anymore. He's good for at least a mile :) It is amazing how much he has grown up in the last 2 months (since the last time we went exploring with Daddy)! He was so proud to show Ted what a big boy he was. 

Other newness for Week 18:

• We've been working on manners lately (and watching where we are walking in relation to others). In particular, saying, "excuse me" when barreling through or over someone, now that Henry is not really in a stroller anymore. This week was the first time I heard him say, "scuse me". It was very cute :)

• Snow in May. Only in Kansas, people.