Pintastic! Pleasantly Proven Wrong

If you're not a fan of good food, using common ingredients, that are easy to make, stop reading now. If, however, you are a fan, you might enjoy an otherwise boring post that contains a handful of mediocre photos (at best, especially those ipad's images!) and links to the tasty recipes.

When I first started using Pinterest, I was certain I would not use it for recipes. I have hundreds of cookbooks and a few favorite recipe sites and apps at my fingertips. But then, a few weeks ago I found myself eyeing said images in my "Following" feed and couldn't resist creating a "Recipes" board. Oohh, I really love when I am pleasantly proven wrong!!! I think Joe does too, given the amount of new meals I've been whipping up.

The beauty of Pinterest (& the below recipes) is that it doesn't get much better than seeing a delicious looking food image with a few ingredients listed next to it. If something looks good, can be described in a few words or less (and the kicker: I can pretty much guess how to make it just by looking at it), I am hooked.

Baked Pear + Goat Cheese + Pecans + Honey

Dessert for the past few nights. Heavenly & Healthy. And so fun to have Max ask (when I was having difficulty locating the pears at Costco today), "I know Mom, how about we bake apples if we can't find pears!" I've never baked apples in my life, but this recipe and Max's enthusiasm all but ensure that's on the docket for this week!

Cauliflower + Chick Peas + Olives

Add some garlic, oil and salt and roast. Ta.Da. Super simple and a change from plain old steamed cauliflower. The boys still didn't love the cauliflower, but did enjoy the peas. More for me. Sigh.

Quinoa + Edamame + Corn + Red Pepper

Such a great simple salad. And as I sampled it after making it at 4:38pm and noticed the sun was still a good 15 minutes from setting, it only made me wish for Spring that much more.

Shredded Brussels + Lemon + Poppy Seeds

I love brussels sprouts. I was getting sick of always sauteing or roasting them, resulting in generally the same flavor. Why didn't I ever think of shredding them? Toss them in the Cusinart, toss them in a pan, add some lemon, stock and poppy seeds. Presto change-o. Although not earth shatteringly good, a refreshing change.

Autumn Chopped Salad

Pears + Craisins + Pecans + Feta + Bacon

My husband is not a man who throws around superlatives easy or often, so his comment of "This is the best salad I've ever had" - uttered twice about this Autumn Chop Salad - should speak for itself. Get yourself the above ingredients (as well as some creamy balsamic dressing and poppy seed dressing, and a little chicken if you wish) and get chopping. Knowing the boys would like all the ingredients except the lettuce, I just tossed a little bit of everything but that on their plates and dinner was, what do they say, served!

Quinoa Patties

Oh my were these delicious! Some quinoa, cheese, carrots, eggs, etc. Another "It's a keeper!" from Joe after dinner tonight. Max gobbled them up, but Otto stuck to his fruit. At least I've found another (non meat, non peanut) lunch option to pack for Max.

Shrimp + Pineapple + Brown Rice

Cook the rice and then toss it in a stir-fry pan with some chopped shrimp, pineapple, fish sauce and soy sauce. It was pretty good - and the flavors are quite mild so the boys ate much of the rice dish too.

A Whole Lotta Talk

And not much action.

I've said this before and know I'll say it again. Max was pretty much born talking. Literally, came out of the womb and before I knew it he was speaking. By 10 weeks he had very clearly learned a few sounds and would babble them non-stop (oohs & ahhs). Within weeks after that he had figured out, as if he were channeling the German in him, how to say really harsh, abrupt sounds ("kaa," kind of like a chortle). Joe and I have wondered on various occasions whether or not he might have a photographic memory (I'm not joking about this. I've asked the Pediatrician about this. And I hope it's not true - even though it's been quite helpful at times, like when at 2 years old Max would remind me what our neighbor's first names were when I couldn't remember).

But I digress. The point is, Max is a very good talker - quite accomplished for an almost 4 year old. He "sold" me and Joe on signing him up for soccer again this winter. Even though last winter, every Saturday for six Saturdays, we had to bribe him to get out on the soccer field and attempt to "play" soccer for a half hour.

A couple months ago Max was asking if he could play soccer again this year. We said he could and then casually brought up how he'd need to play - on the field with the other kids and coach - if we sign him up. Max insisted that, yes, he'd like that.

We waited until the last day possible to register him this year, trying to figure out if he had matured into an organized sports kind of kid during the past 12 months. This past Saturday morning it was pretty clear to us that the answer was no, he hadn't.

While getting him into his yellow team gear, the first thing out of his mouth was "Can we go to Dim Sum after soccer?" (You see, dim sum happened to be his favorite bribe from last year's soccer season). Joe and I gave each other the look knowing that we had 30 very long minutes ahead of us at his 1st soccer practice.

We casually cajoled, we enthusiastically supported, we ardently attempted to trick Max into playing a little soccer that morning. We did not bribe. We did not succeed.

Max had every excuse in the book for why he couldn't play: his stomach hurt, he didn't like how there were so many kids and people there, he was too tired, it was too hard of work, he was too hungry.

Joe and I are still finessing this "teaching moment" with Max. While we wish Max would follow through with his request to play soccer, we both had a feeling that this sport wasn't exactly the best fit for him at this time. After talking with some other parents in Max's school, this type of behavior seems pretty typical. We're trying to do a better job deciphering when it's just a whole lotta talk vs. some action with him for future interests.

Lucky 13

Last night as I began drafting this post, it was all about how lucky 13 is. As I lay in bed I began to question myself (& ask Joe)..."Is 13 considered a lucky or unlucky number?" Pretty sure I jinxed the number.

The thing is, Joe and I know we are very lucky, but last night was especially so. His parents came over to babysit the kids so we could go out for our first 13.1 miler since Wren was born. And it just so happens that in addition to how lucky we are to have them offer to babysit so frequently, Jamie does as well. Even luckier still, Jamie sometimes cooks us food while we're out running and she's there watching the kids with John and Diane. Last night was one of these nights.

Joe and I got home from a cold, icy run and upon opening our front door we were bowled over with the smell of dinner. All made. Not by us. While Diane kept the natives at bay, Jamie and John cooked up an amazing Pork & Apple Pasta dish, opened some wine and had dinner waiting for all of us. Lucky 13!

But then Jamie, John & Diane went home and tides began to turn. Upon successfully getting all kids down to bed early (or on time - quite frankly I've forgotten what I consider early vs on time), I made the biggest mistake I've made in awhile. I stayed up and watched a movie with Joe. Then I read a bit. Then around 11pm I layed my head down to...get woken up every 40 minutes until 3am. And even though I didn't get a very good night's sleep, I still woke up to sore, achy muscles from our 13 miler. Unlucky 13.

Jamie, John & Diane -

Thank you for helping me believe 13 is a lucky number! We always appreciate you watching the kids and are blown away when you make us food for a post-run meal.

Xoxo, Summer & Joe

The Chefs at work

Pork Apple Bogenese

(it was soooo good - the camera on the ipad makes everything look much less savory)

She's Crafty

Guess what this fabric was turned into...

I'll give you one really good hint:

New lunch bags for Max & Otto!

I've been having so much fun playing around with my sewing machine the past couple months. It had been a couple years since I really sewed anything and I'm determined I'll be whipping up some simple dresses for Wren by the summer time as well as tackle a quilt this year.

Since we pack lunches for the whole family every day, I had been planning to make these bags for a few months now. Somehow I think the cute bags will make this chore a little more inspired.

After searching around online for how to make a simple drawstring bag, I came across this tutorial, which seemed to be the easiest version I found (simple measurements, good photo illustrations, no interfacing needed, etc). Sure enough, it was pretty darn easy! If you have a sewing machine, I highly recommend trying it. Next up, the girls in the house each need a cute one, too. Can't wait to pick some fun fabric for me and Wren.

P.S. - While Max was excited about his robot lunch bag, Otto was a bit confused and wanted his lunch put back in the paper bag he's been carrying to and from school for the past 6 months.

Pintastic! Idle minds are the devil's workshop

Are you loving Pinterest as much as I am? I've got to say that it has been such a huge help to me as I think of ways to keep the boys entertained. As anyone with toddlers knows, if you keep the kids engaged in some kind of activity they are so much better behaved than when left entirely to their own devices. While I'm fully supportive of free play and not over-scheduling kids, I am a huge fan of guiding them to an activity and allowing their creativity to take over.

I've been able to quickly peruse a variety of crafty ideas on Pinterest, file some away for later and implement the easy ones when a moment of boredom strikes the boys. Literally, if me or the boys are feeling antsy, I pull up the app and see what I've got on hand that we can do.

While I do have a few gripes with Pinterest (I'll save that for a different post), the benefits far outweigh the minor grievances. Take for instance, a few recent Pintastic activities.

Exhibits A - C

Blue Tape Painting

It was fun to see what shapes everyone decided to make with their pieces of blue tape. We learned it's more challenging to make the curvy lines of the "O" for Otto out of the tape than it is to make the straight lines for the "M" in Max. Max also helped me learn that the blue tape peels off the paper more easily if you do it while the paint is still wet vs. waiting until the next morning when the paint is dry (the things they learn during "tool time" with Joe)!

Paper Plate Tambourines

These homemade instruments are the music of angels. Nice and twinkly and soft. I thoroughly enjoyed music time that was a few (hundred) decibles quieter than usual. Max enjoyed practicing the dexterity necessary to string the jingle bells onto the pipe cleaner and lacing the pipe cleaner through a hole punched in the paper plates. Otto liked practicing his scissor skills the most. The quiet constructive time was music to my ears.

Valentine's String Up

While I'm always ready to take down my Christmas decorations by the end of December, I do miss the peaceful glow of the tree's lights inside our house. This Pin crossed my path at the perfect time... I had a spare set of white lights and grabbed some doilies when I was at the paper store. Voila! I've got "winter" and "Valentine" lights to enjoy now that the Christmas tree is down. A lovely touch to our living room given the short, dark winter days we still have.

When We Welcomed Wren to our World

Well this is long, long overdue. Three months overdue. Here are just a few observations and memories from Monday, October 17, 2011 - the day we welcomed Wren to our world.

THE DAYS BEFORE DELIVERY

I have been blessed with three very healthy, very comfortable, easy pregnancies. For the first 9 and a half months of each pregnancy I had minimal complaints. My OB probably thought I was a very low-maintenance patient. However, I become exponentially higher-maintenance my last couple weeks of pregnancy. Not due to health concerns; at least not physical ones. I become a wreck when delivery nears. Not because of the actual labor and delivery (in case you've heard, yes!, I really enjoy giving birth). I become a wreak because while I want to go into labor naturally, I've always chosen to be induced. Technically with my first delivery I had already been in labor for quite awhile, they just needed pitocin to move it along.

Anyway, I really thought I would not choose to induce with Wren, but given I was on my 4th day past my due date, both boys were born big (8.2 and 8.10) and both were born with shoulder dystocias, I signed up to be induced on Monday morning. In fact, I had considered being induced the Thursday prior. But after himming and hawing over it for a few days, it struck me that it was not only the 13th (in and of itself, this does not freak me out - my birthday is on the 13th), but there was also a full moon on that day. After mentioning this to Joe, he admitted that it kind of spooked him to schedule an induction on the 13th, in October, when there's a full moon. We just weren't ready to sign up for a vampire or ghost or zombie.

OK. So Monday the 17th it was. We woke early and remarkably I didn't text my OB saying I wanted to back out of this scheduled induction (pretty sure it would have been the 3rd text he'd received from me saying I wanted to push the induction back again with the hope of baby girl coming naturally). Off we head to Abbott hospital to have a baby. In about 12 hours I'll be saying "in hindsight, Wren's delivery was the easiest thing about the day."

AT THE HOSPITAL

I probably shouldn't have ended my earlier segment so dramatically. There's nothing that really went wrong, nor anything that was all that bad. There were just some minor annoyances and surprises that did ultimately make me think that the delivery was the best and easiest part of the 17th.

One of the main reasons I hate induction is because I'm perfectly healthy, but within moments of arriving at the hospital to be induced, you start to feel like you are an invalid...not the mindset I want when I have to push a baby out. I want to feel strong and energetic and ready to meet baby #3. Hell, I've already told the babysitters to show up with babies #1 & #2 around 5pm, so I best remain healthy and get the show on the road, right?!

For some reason they couldn't find my veins, which need to be found in order to start the induction drip. After a few tries of putting the needle in - and then taking in out - just to put the needle back in again and hear the nurse-in-training ask the other nurse "How far am I supposed to stick the needle in?" (shouldn't this have been discussed before you have the needle in me), I was beginning to lose patience.

Needle in.

Nurse "Do you want an epidural?"

Summer "Yes, I am pretty sure I'll want an epidural."

Nurse "Should I order it now?"

Summer "Have you even started the Pitocin?"

Nurse "Yes, and it's a very busy day here. If you want an epidural, you probably should order it now."

Summer "But I don't even feel the slightest tinge of a contraction. Let's wait til I am confident the drugs are even working."

----10 minutes later----

Nurse "Ready for that epidural?"

Summer "Hmm, I still don't feel contractions. Let's wait."

...This nurse and Summer banter continues for a bit and finally I cave and say "fine, order the epidural."

THE EPIDURAL

It sucked this time. I was in no pain - barely feeling contractions - so I was freaked out by the huge needle going into my spine (although they corrected me that it actually goes right next to, not into, my spine), the feeling of cold serum being injected next to my spine and the very graphic discussion of epidurals and spinal cords that Joe and the Drs and nurses were having as I was trying to stay.totally.still.so.as.not.to.paralyze.myself.

As luck would have it, as I'm trying to stay perfectly still with a needle inserted a couple inches into my back, I look up to see Joe's eyes rolled back in his head and as pale as a ghost. In that split second, I also hear him say "I'm going to pass out." Somehow two nurses are instantly breaking Joe's fall and I start sobbing - staying as still as I can because I'm petrified of paralysis. I keep asking if it's ok for me to move yet, and in a moment it was. Somehow Joe's getting the "hero of the day" award (the nurse's words, not mine) because he was "man enough" (their words again) to fess up that he was going to faint. Apparently this happens frequently with the dads, and the nurses hate when they faint without saying something because they wind up hitting their head, needing stitches and disrupting the peace in the maternity ward. After a little sugar water and a few moments of sitting, Joe was back to himself and ready to support me for the next few hours to really earn the hero of the day award.

I firmly believe you should wait to get an epidural until you're actually in some level of pain - even just a little discomfort would help - so that if happened to be playing "Would you rather?" you'd actually choose the large needle next to your spinal cord rather than the next labor contraction.

THE WAITING GAME

Perhaps the worst part of labor is being bed-bound once you have the epidural. Not to worry - this time we used that time to make a playlist for the actual delivery, as well as research some vacation options for our "7 Year Itch" (7-year anniversary this May).

Once bed-bound it's also the ideal time to munch on (yes, I disobey the "only clear liquids" rule) the snacks I packed. Speaking of pack, it's funny how my hospital bag changed from the 1st to the 3rd birth. Having not much more than some chocolate and a pony tail holder in my bag (and not having Max & Otto with me) this time, I felt totally prepared to head to the hospital.

THE PLAYLIST

I could tell things were getting close, so Joe and I wrapped up our music downloading. Here's what ended up making the list and played while our sweet little girl was being born. You'll see it's a mix of upbeat running songs and music that sounds like snow.

- The Show Goes On (Lupe Fiasco)

- Lighters (Bad Meets Evil/Bruno Mars)

- Remember When (Alan Jackson)

- Raise Your Glass (Pink)

- Grenade (Bruno Mars)

To this day, Wren gives me the biggest smiles when I'm playing the 5 songs above and dancing with her. They say a song can bring back memories, so I like to think that there's no place our little girl would rather be than in our family's arms listening to a little Pop Hop and Country.

MY FIRST REACTIONS

My very first reaction, literally as I looked down while birthing Wren was, "Oh my God, she looks just like a little Otto!!!"

For a while I couldn't figure out why this spontaneous 1st comment made me so delighted. Then it hit me. After two years of usually having Otto being compared to Max, I realized that in the "thick" of the moment, I spontaneously thought Wren looked exactly like Otto. It was fun to have Otto be the comparer rather than the compared (does that make sense? Not sure I got the words right).

And my second reaction was "Look all all her dark hair!" From the time I knew I was pregnant with Wren (but before we knew whether she was a girl or boy), Max insisted the baby was going to be a girl...with dark hair like mom and dad. I guess he was right! I often think I had a little bird with raven colored hair. And it was in the most perfect pixie cut. Reminded me of Twiggy's do from the 60's and even seemed to have gorgeous highlights throughout it. And, yes, I had heartburn with her and none while pregnant with my bald baby boys.

I think my third thought after Wren was born was needing to find out how big she was. Leading into labor I just kept saying/hoping she would not be bigger than 9 pounds. As they put Wren on the scale and I'm watching the numbers bounce around, sure enough, the scale settles in and stops right at 9 pounds, 0 ounces. It reaffirmed for me that ultimately choosing the 17th for her birth date was perfect...another day and she likely would have tipped the scale past 9lbs.

As soon as Wren was born, my OB let me know that quite a bit of the placenta membrane had gotten stuck inside me while I birthing Wren and he needed to remove it. Let's just say that little 'procedure' hurt a lot more than delivering Wren. But as every mom will tell you, I really don't remember the pain anymore - especially as I think back to the first moments holding Wren and now as I enjoy all our children.

Joe and I have so much love and hope and excitement for our family. We know we have been very blessed and hope every day we help teach Max, Otto & Wren to live a life of love rather than hatred, to choose courage over fear and hope versus despair.

My Case of the Mondays...

Better Together

There are many things that are better together, not the least of which (from the mom's POV anyway) is a combo birthday party for siblings that were born just weeks apart.

By now you're probably thinking that we've moved to Edina given the amount of cake we've been eating around here the past couple weeks. But brace yourself. Max's birthday isn't until February 2nd.

In theory the combo birthday party was supposed to cut down on the quantity of cake this month, but in practice it seems to have just added another party in addition to the boy's actual birthdays. Oops.

For the boy's party we had our family over for dinner. When Joe's Grandma Gloria was alive, she made the best spaghetti and homemade meatballs. She rolled the meatballs super tiny and made the sauce sweet and tangy - unlike any I've ever had. Way better than any I've ever had. Here's Joe making the meatballs for the party...

Another thing that's better together are cousins! Quintin, Grace & Lyla are our nephew and nieces here in the Cities and Max & Otto were so excited to have them over for their party. They adore them and love spending time with them any chance they get!

Otto LOVES his cousin Lyla, especially saying her name

Quintin & Max

All the cousins enjoying the meatballs (with the exception of Wren)

Here's Wren with Grandma Diane

And with me

If one cake is good, two cakes are even better.

Happy 3 Months Wren

Wren is 3 months old. I think this is when she is no longer called a newborn, but rather an infant. Of course I cannot believe 3 months have already flown by. But I am glad I've started capturing and writing about what we've been up to because it's helping me remember the little things.

If I have said this before, Wren is a doll. Totally delightful. She's the best newborn sleeper we've had. She's pretty much done 4 hrs (but usually 5+hr stretches since the week after she was born). For the past couple weeks we've been getting a handful of 10+hr stretches. This is a huge help, because her brothers have regressed when it comes to sleeping :)

The past month we've once again been blessed with unseasonably warm weather for Dec/Jan in Minneapolis. We've only had minimal snow, and last week it even got to be 50 degrees, melting all snow.

For Wren's 3 month celebration we had some cupcakes from Wuollet bakery. These are my favorite cupcakes - white cake and white frosting. Wren was exhausted but stayed awake to hear us all sing to her, and see her brothers eyes light up at their good fortune of being part of a family that totally eschews New Years health resolutions in January (too many Birthdays!).

My dear friend Marie's birthday is the day after Wren's 3 month. We visited her, Katie and Greta at work and enjoyed some time catching up over coffee, and what other than...more cupcakes! We even got the candles lit and blown out without setting off any smoke alarms (come on, Marie's not that old!). It may have been Marie's birthday, but spending time with these friends was the best gift for Wren and me. Well, that, and an extended maternity leave...

As irony would have it, General Mills HR called my phone as I was walking out of the building, you know, to check and see if my plan was still to return to work in April. Yep, that's still the plan. Until then, we'll keep savoring every moment of every day and be grateful that I work for a company that has allowed me the opportunity to share a lot more moments at home with my family right now.

Marie, Happiest Birthday! Happiest Year! You deserve only the best. Thank you for being such a dear, dear friend.

Otto Is Two

Otto turned Two on January 15th!

Otto, over the past year you've gone from being a baby just learning to walk to a big kid that runs and runs and runs. You've also gone from being "just" the little brother to becoming our family's "big little brother." Sometimes you love being the little brother and are willing to follow Max's lead, while other times you most adamantly won't!

You are your father's son. So focused and intent on figuring everything out. There is no such word as 'tinker' in either of your vocabularies. Absolutely not. You both have well thought out plans and are always on a mission to accomplish something. Like a surgeon has a playlist for their surgeries, so do you. Much of the time you are humming a song and babbling as you work. You can get entirely lost in what you're doing, and it's these times that I think I can literally see the tiny gears in your brain churning away engineering something new.

Although you have tons to say, the number of words you know is fairly limited, but growing every day. I love how proud you are as you learn new things and when you point out pictures in books and tell me what they are.

You are such a great big brother and little brother. You are perfect at being Otto! We all love you so much. Happy 2nd Birthday!

Last year, for Max's 3rd Birthday, Joe and I had blown up balloons and put them on the floor in his bedroom for when he woke up.

This year I wanted to change it up and do something special for Otto's Birthday so I decided to get a couple dozen helium balloons and put them in his bedroom in the middle of the night so he'd be greeted with a little party when he woke up. The thing is, Max and Otto share a room and neither of the boys has been sleeping well recently - at all. I ended up putting them in Otto's room when I was up feeding Wren about 2am. Otto woke around 5am and I rushed in to (1) try and lull him back to sleep and (2) keep Max sleeping. #1 didn't work and #2 only worked for about 20 minutes. Mind you, it's still pitch black at this hour of the morning, so the balloons were fairly well hidden in the darkness. But as the minutes passed, Otto was itching to get out of bed and Max was sitting up in bed looking around. I could tell Max was eyeing the odd shapes and shadows on the ceiling trying to figure out what it was. Otto got out of bed and felt the strings on the balloons as he walked across his room, which throughly freaked him out. Max was asking what the shadows in the room were because he didn't like them. So, here it is, Sunday morning nubbing 6am. Two toddlers both a little off kilter from the "surprise" for Otto's Birthday. I ended up turning the lights on dimly and let's just say that's when the party started. Oh, were they excited to see balloons, which resulted in the boys each grabbing as many as they could and racing at full speed in circles around the house, balloons flying behind them. I think Otto "got" that it was his Birthday and seemed to love playing with the balloons all day long (more on this later).

I'm not going to name any names, but someone in our house must have read this popular post and figured it was entirely appropriate for moms of sons to replicate what dads with daughters are supposed to do for Birthday breakfasts... Otto blew out these two candles so fast - before I even had the plate set down in front of him - that I think I missed catching a photo of them lit. He loved the colorful sprinkles on his #2 pancake and was definitely catching on that this day was going to be all about him!

Next up, cake. I usually make a cake for the kid's Birthdays, so I quickly whipped this up, even throwing extra sprinkles into the Funfetti cake mix. Here are the "Before" and "After the decorators got ahold of it" photos...

We all decided to take the party outside after naps. Otto had a blast running around with the balloons tied to his jacket. I had an epiphany that a running resistance parachute would be the best Birthday gift of all for both of the boys. Otto looked just too cute racing around with all the balloons tied to him. I kept asking if he wanted me to take them off, but that always came with a firm "No!"

Otto got wonderful gifts from his family. A couple favorites were the Lego camper from Jamie and a Sort & Snap Pegboard from Grams. But I do have to say that I was so thrilled when he opened his last gift - the Boogie Monster book and dancing legs - that Joe and I got him.

Although the below photo doesn't capture this too well, as soon as I told Otto about the book and put the boogie legs on him, Otto just got up and started dancing around. Jumping, spinning, doing "happy feet," grabbing some balloons and, well, boogie-ing!!! He's always been fun and goofy and up for a laugh!

Since Otto's birthday was on a Sunday, we decided to bring in an Elmo cake to school on Monday for his class' snack. His teachers made him a Birthday crown, lit a #2 candle and his friends sang him Happy Birthday. Even Max came to the toddler room to help celebrate again.