The Animation Babysitter

It's Day 5 of Strike-A-Palooza...  

My patience is wearing thin for the teachers' "Good Fight"... 

They have been "So close" to agreement
with the CPS for two days now...  

Kiss and make up, already!

We parents are at the end of our ropes...  

I am not Julie McCoy on the Love Boat,
for crying out loud...

That ship has sailed, so to speak, 

and I am ready to have school
provide the entertainment, thank you...

The TV has been blaring for way too long
and if I hear any more canned laughter on the Disney Channel,
 I am going to hurl a large chapter book,
with no pictures, into the screen...

So, I sent Kate off on a play date
and put Jack to work....

He owes us a substantial sum
for buying an insane amount of app's...

Tommy thought he was old enough to handle the password...

Wrong a mundo!!!

So, after cleaning toilets, sinks and tubs, 

running large bags of trash to the alley 

and a full hour of reading, 

I left him to his own devices..

And to my pleasant surprise, 

instead of letting animation entertain him, 

he is creating entertainment out of animation...  

Of course, his little stories usually have 

themes of death and destruction, 

but he is ten year old boy, after all...

My husband used to get great pleasure 

out of exploding his green, plastic army men 

with M80's...  

It's nice to see what can happen 

when the TV gets turned off...  

Granted, if Kate was here, 

the result would most likely be screaming 

and a visit to Children's Hospital....

I'll take what I can get....

Scroll down fast to see the animation....

Have a great weekend!

Best Laid Plans....

Apparently there is a saying in the sailing world 

that if one thing goes wrong, 

you can count on more things to fall apart too...  

Such was this morning...

It's Day Two of Teacher's Strike-a-palooza in Chicago...
Otherwise known as "Summer, Part II"...

While the teachers are marching in organized ovals, 

dressed in solidarity red and sipping lattes, 

parents are scrambling to find child care 

for their little ones... 

Luckily, while I don't have that panicked feeling 

of finding child care, 

I do have the slightly stressed out feeling 

of what to do with these kids...  

A small worry, compared to others, 

but if this strike lasts more than a week, 

I am seriously going to have to
learn the ropes on homeschooling... 

And to get a case of Pinot G...

I choose to not think about that just now, thank you...  

Back to my earlier lament...  

You know how you mean well 

and then a bird still craps on your head?  

Yeah, well...  

It's was a Murphy's Law moment around here...

I am also in Day 2 of some nasty, 

stealthy head cold that has 

smacked me square in the face...  

I feel like a hundred bucks...  

It was a busy early morning; 

Kate was headed to a "strike camp", 

held by a good friend and "lemonade maker",

Tommy was going to take her for me 

while Jack ate breakfast and dressed in anticipation 

for his play date to come over...  

In my mind, the list unfolded:

Make Chicken Pot Pie,
Chocolate Cake,

Get Salad from store,

laundry, 

clean up after boys, 

tidy house,

blow nose, over and over...  

It was my turn to cook dinner for a friend 

who has a sick family member...  

The plan was to make them chicken pot pies, 

salad and mocha chocolate bundt cake....  

Then it hit me....  

Dang!  

I forgot the Veg All!  

Do you make chicken pot pie?  

Maybe you saute' fresh veggies for the filling, 

but my mama always used Veg All 

and so do I.  

Don't mess with a good dish, I always say...

I love my pantry...  

I make sure it's lovingly maintained 

so there are always the right ingredients 

for most anything I want to make...  

If you are looking for capers, tahini or cake flour, 

I've got it, Sister...

I try to keep lots of pasta, 

sauce and basics on hand...

My sweet neighbors know to call me 

if they are out of brown sugar 

and it makes me happy...

It's the little things, Man...

I peeked behind every can and box in the pantry....no Veg All...  

Rats!

So I had a dilemma...  

Jack and his buddy were fully ensconced in their video game, 

and being ten years old, 

they are capable of holding down the fort 

for a very quick errand....  

However, Jack doesn't like to be home alone, 

so I rarely leave him...  

 

With his friend, he seemed fine with it 

and I left them my phone to use for any reason...  

Like if a buffalo should charge through the front door, 

or if alligators shoot out of the toilet...

I dashed off to the store, 

snagged the Veg All 

and raced back...   

I was home now, 

but I  made the fatal error and stepped next door 

to chat with my friend for a couple of minutes...  

Was it one minute or ten?

Time flies when shooting the breeze with a girlfriend....

While I was yakking in the back yard, 

Sears was at our front door, 

trying to deliver the mattress 

we bought for the apartment unit....

They called me twice yesterday 

to MAKE SURE someone over 18 

would be home to accept the delivery...

Oops...

Jack panicked and called Tommy,

 who called me, 

but I did not have the phone.....

Jack did!  

At that same moment, 

my in laws arrived to say hello before flying home, 

only to find two young boys, 

two delivery men 

and no parent in the house....  

As I strolled up the gangway and around the corner, 

I saw the truck 

and then remembered the delivery....  

Nice...

I walked into the apartment to find that 

they delivered the wrong sized frame 

and thumped the mattresses down in the wrong bedroom...  

Now, had I been there, 

as I should have been
instead of griping about the teacher's strike

 with my friend, 

I might have intercepted Sears' mistakes...

Thank God my in laws showed up
 at exactly the right time... 

Good for the boys, 

embarrassing as hell for me...

So there I was, feeling like Mother of the Year, 

with the wrong merchandise in the wrong spot, 

with family thinking I am the village idiot....  

 

All I wanted to do was make dinner 

to help a family out 

and I ended up looking like a neglectful, 

unorganized spaz with a runny nose....  

Oh well, at least the chicken pot pie will taste good later.....

chicken pot pie

• 
  

prep time: 20 min

total time: 90 min

Makes 8-10 servings

First the creamed chicken or turkey, then the pot pie.

ingredients

• For creamed chicken or turkey:
• 3 1/2 lbs chicken parts, or 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or turkey breast cutlets or tenders
• 1 3/4 to 2 cups chicken stock
• 4 Tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour (for a creamed dish) or 1/2 cup (for a pot pie or casserole
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, half&half, or light cream
• 2-3 Tbs sherry (optional)
• several drops lemon juice, salt and ground white or black pepper
• 2-3 pinches freshly grated nutmeg
• For Pot Pie:
• 2 Tbs Butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled sliced 1/4 inch
• 2 small celery stalks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 Tbs minced fresh parsley
• 2 Tbs beaten egg (1/2 large)

directions

• 1  Creamed Chicken:
• 2  Place the chicken in a dutch oven and add chicken stock and just enough water to cover the pieces. Chicken parts may need as much as 3 cups and boneless skinless pieces may not need any. Bring to simmer over high heat, then reduce to simmer so the poaching liquid barely bubbles. Partially cover and cook until the meat releases clear juices when pierced with a fork, 25-30 minutes for chicken parts, 8-12 minutes for boneless, skinless breasts. Remove the meat from the stock and let stand until cool enough to handle. If using chicken parts, remove and discard skin and bones. Shred or cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Skim the fat from the stock with a spoon.
• 3  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and whisk until smooth. Whisk in cream (or half&half etc.)
• 4  Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture just to a simmer, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat, scrape the inside of the pan with a wooden spoon and whisk vigorously to break up any lumps. Return the pan to heat and, whisking, bring to a simmer and cook for one minute. Stir in the cooked poultry along with sherry and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and season with salt & pepper, lemon juice and nutmeg.
• 5  Pot Pie:
• 6  This pot pie has a top crust only which may be either biscuits or pie pastry. Sautéing the vegetables separately instead of cooking them with the chicken ensures that they will retain their texture and color.
• 7  Prepare (using 1/2 cup flour) creamed chicken. Prepare the dough for Biscuits (see biscuits in breads and brunch)  **I use store bought pie dough
• 8  Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter a 13x9 inch baking pan or other shallow baking dish.
• 9  Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam begins to subside. Add onion, carrots, celery and cook, stirring often, until barely tender, about 5 minutes.  *I open a can of VegAll
• 10  Stir the veggies into the creamed chicken along with the peas and parsley.
• 11  Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared pan. Cut the dough into biscuits and arrange on top of the chicken, overlapping the biscuits if necessary. For a golden glaze, brush the top with egg.
• 12  Bake until chicken is bubbly and the topping is nicely browned, 25-35 minutes.

Source: Joy of Cooking

Mocha Bundt Cake Courtesy of Family Circle Magazine

Makes: 12  servings

Prep:   15 mins  Bake:  1 hr  325°F 

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup 2% milk

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously coat a 10-cup Bundt pan with Baker's Joy nonstick spray for baking.
2. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Beat in sugar until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. On low, beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk. Beat 1 minute. Scrape into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully trim cake level. Run a thin knife around edge of cake, invert onto rack and remove pan. Cool completely.

Land Shark

You know that feeling when you believe 

you should be able to do something 

and then your body lets you down?  

 I'm not talking about being out of shape 

to run a marathon at the age of 40-something... 

 hell, most of us are too weak 

and sane to do something like that...  

What I am complaining about are things 

like loss of manual dexterity, 

such as when your fingers just don't type as fast,  

or not being so nimble with those teensy buttons 

on your smart phone....

How about when you see your kid skip down the street 

and it occurs to you that spontaneously skipping 

is top of mind akin to wrestling an alligator... 

Ever consider sitting on the floor 

with your legs tucked under you?  

No way...  

My kids bounce on their knees 

like they are rubber balls... 

And when did I stop being able 

to thread a needle in the sewing machine?  

Oh, and then there's my face...  

There is no magnifying mirror strong enough 

to aid my eyes in finding that errant blemish 

or the glaring whisker defiantly poking out from my chin 

like the Wicked Witch of the West....  

I remember watching my grandma 

put on makeup when I was a kid... 

She would not see certain imperfections on her face 

as she dabbed on the powder 

and drew in her eyebrows... 

My eagle eyes would spot them right away 

and then I would clam up... 

Who wants to tell their sweet grandma 

that she has a blackhead the size of New Jersey 

on her nose?  

Not me...  

And so now I am there...  

After I turned 40, my eyes went downhill, fast...  

It was subtle at first... 

Minor squinting... 

Purchasing weak readers at the drug store...  

Now I have full on bifocals that I am still getting used to...  

Ever try to apply eye makeup while wearing glasses?  

Impossible, so I wing it 

and probably look like Tammy Faye Baker 

on one of her crying show episodes...  

Yes, my eyes are not so good these days 

and that is one reason why 

I am hopeless at finding shark's teeth... 

While on vacation at Amelia Island recently, 

I became obsessed with finding shark's teeth...

 Apparently the ocean currents dump truckloads 

of these ancient, fossilized teeth 

right along the beaches of the island...  

There are supposed to be so many 

that you could mosaic your kitchen floor with them... 

Um, right.  

We met people who have bowls of them at home, 

gracing their coffee tables... 

So, I felt the thrill of a challenge awaiting me... 

Every time we hit the beach, 

I stooped over and slowly combed the shore, 

looking for anything that resembled a tooth...  

Nothing... 

I got sunburned on my hunched back, 

searching the clusters of tiny shells 

that stretched for miles along the beach... 

The colors and shapes started blurring together 

as the sweat, mixed with sunscreen, 

burned my eyes... 

Nada... 

One day, a lady walked by me, similarly hunched.  

Suspecting she was also unlucky in her search, 

I asked her how it was going.  

"Oh, gosh, I have found five of them," she replied.  

"How long have you been looking for shark's teeth?" 

I asked, thinking five teeth was her all time collection.  

"I have been here about ten minutes." she said.  

My spirits fell like wet sacks of cement dropping from the sky... 

What was wrong with me?  

Why couldn't I see those shiny, T shaped teeth?!  

Later that day, a new friend I'd made showed up 

with her young daughter and I shared my frustration 

at not being able to spot any shark's teeth.  

"They are so easy to find!" she chirped.  

 "I have a big jar of teeth back home.  

One day my son and I wouldn't stop looking 

until we found a hundred."  

A HUNDRED?!  

I have been staring at piles of sand for two solid weeks 

and have not seen a damn thing!  

So she walked with me and picked up four 

before I realized what was happening... 

She even dug up the coarse sand at the water's edge 

and spotted teeth being washed to sea!  

She would dive at the tooth with the quickness 

of a pelican dive bombing a fish 

and reveal a shiny, black tooth in her hand 

the size of a Q Tip head... 

Grrrrrrrr!

 Later that night we took the kids out for dinner 

and stopped by a souvenir store to marvel 

at the front case filled with all sizes of shark's teeth...  

Some huge ones were the size of a playing card... 

All the while I was simmering with the frustration 

that my eyes suck 

and that I am either too stupid or unobservant 

to find one stinking tooth on the beach...  

My eyes used to be amazingly sharp... 

What happened?  

What's next?  

Will I lose my sense of smell?  

Will I break my hip?  

I want to return my body for a younger model... 

What's the warranty on this thing?!  

Next year, I am hitting the beach 

with a magnifying glass... 

Or I am paying the kids for the use of their eyes...  

Finding a damn shark's tooth is a sad entry 

on my bucket list...  

Right next to going para-sailing.  

Okay, maybe not...

Back in Action

Holy pencil sharpeners, Batman! 

School is back in session! 

Well, sort of... 

There is a major battle between the teachers' union 

and our mayor that is about to explode 

faster than an egg in the microwave...

Rumor has it that the kids will get 

a week of school in before the strike begins... 

Then, supposedly our mayor will swoop in, 

end the strike and save the day...

Whatever... 

I think I can speak for my parent friends 

when I say that if we have to entertain our kids 

again after a long summer, 

we might go insane.... 

A good friend of mine used to have a mom's mimosa party 

on the first day of school after drop off...

What a great way to celebrate parental freedom...

If the strike occurs, I might plan the same party 

for when the strike ends 

and the kids are safely tucked behind desks again...

The house is so quiet... 

It's a beautiful thing... 

I can think without being interrupted by,

 "MOM....Jack just kicked me!" 

or, "Mama, I'm hungry!" or,

 "MOM!  What are we going to do after we get groceries?  

If I am good, will you buy me a toy??" 

Nope....

 It's peaceful... 

The house looks like a family of orangutans live here, 

but it's my silent disaster...

 I can reflect on the summer 

and what went down... 

Here are the highlights:

1.  Farming is fun...  Especially if booze is involved.

2.  Camp is fun...  

Unless your youngest hates the nature hikes 

at her NATURE camp...

 "It's too buggy, and scratchy and hot.  

And Andrew keeps throwing rocks at me..."

3. Baseball is fun...  

For the kids... 

While we haul bat bags, portable chairs, 

coolers and blankets to watch the kids play in the coldest, 

wettest and hottest conditions known to man, 

they hone their skills on the field.  

Thank God I met some fun moms who drink wine in Solo cups 

and who have a sense of humor...

4. Paris is fun...  

Especially without the kids...  

Cafe Creme, Rose', croissants, you get the picture.  

Total awesomeness...

5.  Pools are fun...  

Unless you arrive at precisely the time 

the local swim meet commences 

and then you are banned from the fun pool 

for the rest of the day...

6. Visiting the grandparents is just plain fun...  

Who can complain about pool/beach frolicking, 

daily Oreo smoothies, playing golf and tennis 

and making Florida friends?

7. Being a "Junior Naturalist" is fun 

when you get to feed turtles, hold snakes (ewwww) 

and make toys for the resident parrot...

8. Disney is fun...  

Other than pickpocketing you out of a fortune 

while you eat high caloric, low flavor foods, 

walking for miles in every "Land" possible, 

meeting princesses and large chipmunks, 

riding roller coasters while Mom is praying for a quick end 

and Dad suffering through "It's a Small World"....

Disney made us a lot of precious memories...

9. Coming home feels good.... 

Oh, to sleep in your own bed, 

get back into a routine 

and plan for the season, 

just feels warm and cozy...

I am ready for autumn to arrive...

I am not ready to have the kids back home, 

with no school in session... 

We have had enough togetherness 

to last us until Christmas Break... 

Maybe I should put them to work on my to do list at home, 

painting the front porch, 

organizing the toys 

or cleaning the silver.... 

They will run screaming to school, 

begging for class.... 

Hmmmm, that's an idea....

maybe I'll share that with all the moms at school 

and create a student led protest at the doors of school... 

The picture in my head of kids pleading 

to go to school is out of a far side cartoon... 

Kind of like the kids running from the liver and onions truck....