Category Archives for Family

OMG

My house looks like about 23 moms, 4 dads, and 33 kids came in, chowed down, hung out for a while, and left behind a couple of tall kitchen trash bags each.  Oh wait – that really happened!  Hopefully A&E isn’t roaming the neighborhood looking for candidates for the next episode of Hoarders, because I’d be a contender.

It was a great day, and once again I forgot to take photos because I was so busy sitting around chatting.  Aliya ran the check-in table and she was seriously a huge help.  We collected gifts for 61 kids!

I don’t know what I was thinking when I signed up (and pre-paid!) for a 1 1/2-hour Zumba class this afternoon, but I can’t move without groaning, so the clean-up will have to wait.  A lot of people wanted recipes for the brunch menu, so I’ve attached a pdf to this post that you should be able to download by clicking here.  These recipes were previously included in our “Family Food” cookbook, which is why they’re already so nicely formatted.  BTW…the photo below was on the cover of our 2005 Family Food submission, and it’s one of my all-time favorites.  Aliya got a little too close to Choco-Monster, but she was more acquiescent back then.  It wouldn’t go over so well today.

The soup has not yet been included in Family Food…it’s from the New England Soup Factory Cookbook, which I highly recommend.  If you haven’t been to the NESF, it’s in Needham near my office and we are frequent customers.  I was a little worried when I was making the soup because honestly, it doesn’t look that appetizing.  It was my first time making it and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to serve it but I just forged ahead.  I’m glad I did!

Cheddar-Corn Chowder with Bacon and Scallions

1 pound uncooked bacon, diced (I used turkey bacon.)
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 medium red bliss potatoes, diced into 3/4-inch cubes
6 cups chicken stock (I used 8 cups because I didn’t want to throw it away.)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 cans (each 16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained (I used frozen corn.)
2 cans (each 16 ounces) creamed corn
1 pound (16 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups heavy cream
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 bunches scallions, sliced

Heat stockpot over medium-high heat and add the bacon.  Cook the bacon until brown and crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside on paper towels to drain.  Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the drippings and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, stock, cayenne pepper, and coriander.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 35 minutes.  Add the whole kernel corn, creamed corn, cheese, and cream.  Simmer an additional 7 minutes.  Season with the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the scallions and crispy bacon pieces.

Makes 10-12 servings (I used my crock pot to keep it hot, and one batch filled it to the rim.)

Can I interest you in some Shame Pain?

Aliya and I just hit the sack after finishing the preparations for the Pathways brunch tomorrow (actually, today!).  I’m beat, but this photo cracked me up so I had to post it.  Aliya overheard me talking on the phone to a friend who will remain nameless.  The friend said that she couldn’t have any champagne tomorrow because she embarrassed herself after drinking sangria at the candle party.  Aliya asked me what she did to embarrass herself and I said that maybe she just acted a little silly.  Aliya responded, “Yeah, a lot of your friends act like that sometimes.”

She was very interested in what was going into the pitchers and why one had a red ribbon around it.  Apparently she didn’t think the tags I hung on the handles were sufficient, because I noticed that she added her own labels.  At first I thought the purple one was some sort of judgmental commentary on the consumption of alcoholic beverages before noon on Sunday, but then I realized that she just hasn’t mastered wine list spelling yet.  She was so helpful tonight though…she has actually gotten to the point where she can be an extra pair of hands for me when I’m cooking, and she’s pretty willing to help clean up and get organized.

So if you’re in the neighborhood tomorrow morning and want some “Shame Pain,” stop by.  I will warn you though…some of the other family members don’t share Aliya’s organizational talents, so open closets and doors at your own risk.

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Aliya’s all ready to collect the gifts and distribute the Partylite orders:

If you weren’t convinced that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, here’s Aliya’s schedule of what to wear last week, which she coordinated with Hannah:

When I finished cooking and cleaning up I dragged myself upstairs and found this in Norah’s room.  Ugh.

Thanksgiving 2010

Last Thanksgiving I woke up with the flu.  This Thanksgiving started out in a very similar manner, although luckily it didn’t leave me bedridden for a week like last year.

I woke up with a headache, which happens when I sleep in a funny position – usually because there’s a small person sleeping next to me.  We were headed to my brother & sister-in-law’s in Maine, so I got up early to whip up the dessert I had promised to bring and procrastinated on making.  By 7:30 a.m. the kids were already fighting over what movie they were going to watch on the way to Maine, and that continued for the next 3 hours.  Add in the multiple times I asked them to do each task (get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, pick up crap), and my headache turned into a whopper.

At 10:15 the kids were in the car and we were packing up the last few things, and they started physically beating each other, crying, screeching, and whining.  What about?  About which F-ing movie they were going to watch!  AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

By then  my head was absolutely KILLING me, but we got in the car anyway.  I put in my earplugs and tried to will the headache away, but it got worse and I started feeling nauseous – it had become a migraine.  I was really in a bad way but nobody in the car was taking me seriously until I puked into a zip-lock bag.  While I was yakking, it vaguely registered that Aliya was alarmed, Norah was covering her ears, and Adlani was yelling, “YEAH!  I TRANSFORMED INTO ANOTHER POKEMON!” while playing Nintendo DS.

We stopped at a rest area and I staggered inside, and then we continued on our merry way.  I dozed off and woke up ready for more action – luckily there was an empty cracker box and a leaky bag handy.  Then more dozing and finally we arrived at Josh & Rachael’s, where I stayed in the (cold) car and slept the migraine away until it was time to eat. Amazingly, I felt almost back to normal when Aliya woke me up – I think I had slept for an hour and a half or so.

From then on, it was a great day.  The food was unbelievable, the baby was adorable, and the kids didn’t break anything.  I’m sure it was a loud and hectic afternoon for our hosts and Grandma Katie and Papa John, but I had a lovely time.  The kids passed out almost as soon as we got in the car to come home, and they successfully transferred to bed without getting a second wind.


Ben is headed out early tomorrow morning for a few Black Friday deals…we drove through Shoppers World to see what the lines were like, and at 9 p.m. there were people lined up at Best Buy and Toys-R-Us, including a woman with a very unhappy baby.  I can’t imagine what deal would be good enough for me to sit on the freezing cold sidewalk with my screaming 1-year-old, but to each his (her) own.

Here are some photos from today…please note that the baby did not actually ingest any beer, even though she really wanted to.  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

All I Want for Christmas…

Dear Santa,

I have been very good this year.  I have done at least 10 loads of laundry each week, filled out almost all required school forms, facilitated Norah’s thyroid removal, worked more than full time, kept the house clean enough to avoid rodent infestation, sent the kids to school daily with all of their private parts covered, packed lunches and snacks as required, participated in various PTO events, donated to charity, performed my wifely duties, and paid most of the bills on time.  I have thought long and hard about what I would like for Christmas, and while a new macro lens is near the top of my list, there is only one thing I REALLY want…one life-changing thing that would make my world nearly perfect.

I would like my family to listen to what I say, and respond appropriately the first time.  That’s it – that’s all I want.  I want to say, “Don’t do that!” and see someone freeze mid-action.  I want instructions to be followed the first time…underwear picked up, food eaten, arguments ended, seatbelts buckled, basic hygiene tasks completed, eyes closed and lights out.  I want to be heard.  That’s all.

If you can’t grant me this Christmas wish, would you please bring me a bullhorn?  Merry Christmas.

Love, Lori

Mom’s Music

I made a very important discovery a few weeks ago – one that will change the morning drop-off forever.  Every morning we get in the car and the kids immediately want the radio on – KISS 108.  Then they complain that there’s too much talking, they’re not playing the songs they want to hear, continuously ask to hear their favorites (they don’t get that I can’t control the radio), and eventually they ask me to turn on the iPod.  That’s when the real fighting begins…they each want to hear specific songs, including a Christmas song about a cat who dies out in the cold but saves a mouse in the process.  What a depressing way to start the day.

Finally, one day I just decided to play my own music.  I hadn’t focused in on the fact that I had done away with listening to music in the car because I use that as some of my “thinking time.”  That’s when I plan upcoming meetings, think about what’s on my to-do list, and pre-write blog posts.  Well, I’m obviously not getting any of that done during morning drop-off, and I think it’s time to get back to sharing the ride with my favorite artists…Susan Tedeschi, the Dixie Chicks, Eva Cassidy, Bonnie Raitt…basically whatever I can sing to.  My parents must have figured this out too, because I still know the words to every John Denver song, and have memorized the Carpenters Greatest Hits, Joni Mitchell – Blue, and Hey Jude (the album) by the Beatles.

In addition to helping me relax, turning on my music means that nobody is fighting over which song is played next, asking me to turn it up or down, or wanting to know what it means to brush your teeth with a bottle of Jack.  If there’s anything going on in the back seat I just turn the music up loud and avoid looking in the rear-view mirror.  I think the kids are actually starting to like my music, and I’m sure they like to hear me singing rather than yelling or crying.  It’s a win-win.

Speaking of music, I ran across this singer on YouTube last weekend – Lisa Scinta.  She has recorded a whole bunch of covers and some originals in her bathroom, and has millions of views on YouTube.  I think she has a GREAT voice, and coincidentally, she is the daughter of Joe Scinta, who is a member of a musical act called The Scintas.  We used to go see the Scintas multiple times every summer when we were in Alexandria Bay.  They were fabulous – I just loved them.  Give Lisa a listen and cross your fingers that more traditional (and lucrative) fame and fortune will come her way.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLsT86nbAVQ&fs=1&hl=en_US]