Confessions of a Mediocre Mother

You know, for years now I've worked in people's homes, delving into their personal lives, asking all kinds of intrusive questions and offering them suggestions to all their life problems ranging from mental health issues, to budgeting to parenting.  For some of the subjects, I feel like I live pretty true to the words I give to them. When it comes to budgeting, I have a good system.  I spend, but I don't over spend.  I don't idolize my credit card.  We don't have any real debt aside from the God forsaken student loans, and of course our house and cars.

When it comes to setting a household routine and time management advice, I feel pretty adept at that too.  Not that I think my system should work for everyone, just that I have a system that works very well.  I'm shocked at the number of people who just fly by the seat of their pants from day to day and wonder why they always feel unprepared and stressed out.  A little planning goes a long way.

A little bit of cleaning goes a long way too.  Yes, I can be on the extreme end of cleaning (according to some), but this another thing I am shocked by when I visit other people.  If you clean a little bit every day, it's very easy to stay on top of things.  It's when you let it go and then have to tackle huge piles of laundry, toys, dishes and dust that it becomes unmanageable.  I spend the first half hour of every morning, stumbling around in a sleep stupor, with my coffee, doing a load of laundry, unloading the dish washer, dusting a little - whatever needs to be done.  I do all the ironing for the boys and myself on Sundays, and I make as much of our lunches in advance too.  I lay out everything that we are going to need for the day the night before.  I still have big things, like the floors, kitchen and bathrooms waiting for me on a weekly basis, but almost everything else can be done in spurts and those gigantic mounds of overwhelming messes can so easily be avoided.  Oh well.  To each his own, I suppose.  Other people's messes don't bother me.

Other people's kids don't bother me either.  I can tune out your kid like you wouldn't believe.   After nearly 12 years of working in other people's homes, I have found that I can talk over anything...except my own kid.  Maybe it's an evolutionary hard wiring that fine tunes our senses to be particularly attentive to our own off spring.  Or maybe my own kids are particularly annoying.  I don't know.  All I know is that if I am on the phone, or at an appointment, or doing anything that needs my undivided attention and my boys start talking to me or fighting with each other, I need to end the conversation.  It's just too overstimulating.  Within seconds, I feel twitchy and agitated.

Which brings me to the topic at hand.  Parenting advice.  I have always been upfront with the people I work with, and when I give them parenting advice, I am frank about what works and doesn't work for me, what is a company view versus a personal view, and what I have actually tried or not tried with my own kids.  I don't pretend to be a parenting expert by any means.  In fact,  I think that of all aspects of my life, this is the one where I fail the most.  Maybe it's because I know the way things "should" be done.  Maybe it's because I see the repercussions of poor parenting on a daily basis and I worry about my own children's future.  Maybe it's just that old perfectionist in my personality telling me that I could, would, should do better.  Who knows.  All I know is that when it comes to parenting, I'm certainly no role model.  Indeed, I have a few confessions to get off of my chest:

1.  I let them watch more than an hour of TV a day if I need to get things done or if the weather is yucky and I'm too tired to come up with fun filled activities to occupy them.  I do limit video games no matter what.  That's my justification.

2.  I swear in front of my kids on a daily basis...many times.

3.  Once in a while, I get overwhelmed by long, drawn-out conversations regarding dinosaurs, monster trucks, or other toys whose names I can't pronounce (Pokemon, Bakugan, etc.), and I give generic responses like, "Uh huh" or "That's awesome!" without actually assessing the precluding statement.  More than once this has elicited a vehement response of, "No it isn't AWESOME!" from Andrew trying to tell me something tragic about his Lego buddies.  Oh.  Sorry, little guy.  What I meant to say was, "Oh my goodness! [insert extremely sympathetic sigh] That's terribly sad!"

4.  When my kids vomit, my first reaction isn't to comfort them, but rather to contain the mess.  There's plenty of time for comfort once you are on a water-proof mat with a bucket at your side.

5.  If we are outside, I don't always bring Andrew inside to pee.  He's a boy.  The trees, plants, bushes, side of the house or car - whatever - works just fine.  I promise I'll stop letting him pee outside before he gets pubic hair, at which point, the blame falls on his shoulders, not mine.

6.  Sometimes if I am really tired at night, I turn two pages at once when I'm reading bed time stories.

7.  I have been known to use chocolate or fruit snacks as bribes and/ or rewards.

8.  I do not handle middle of the night wake-up calls with grace or dignity.  Ever.

9.  I don't have a clue about potty training.  I didn't have a systematic approach with either of my kids, aside from letting them come into the bathroom with us to observe.  (Ha!  As if I had a choice in whether or not the kids came into the bathroom with me!  Heck, even the cat puts his paws under the door if I'm in there for more than 30 seconds alone!)  Both of my boys trained themselves.  Thankfully they both decided to use the bathroom independently at a reasonable age, so I didn't look like a negligent parent, at least in that particular area.

10.  I rarely work on letter or number recognition with Andrew.  I have things labeled around the house, but we rarely talk about the labels.  It just seems to get lost in the chaos of our every day life.  Hey, I did teach him his colors.  That counts for something, right?

11.  More often than not, my explanation for why something can't be done is simply, "because I said so" or "life's just not fair."  I'm too tired to negotiate or explain everything.  Someday this will prove to be a valuable life lesson for them, right?

So there you have it.  Don't judge me.  Or if you do, don't tell me about it.  My kids are still little.  This list will only grow with time, I'm sure, as will my guilt.  Kids - they are truly greatest gift of all, but they sure do break you down!

Happy October - A Celebration in Pictures

Just what you've all been waiting for!  More photos from our 1st day of October celebration!  Well, here you go!

Here's me, blogging! Haha!  Jake took this picture.

Apparently Kittens love pumpkins.  

"Wow, Dad.  That looks hard!"

Taking Jake's top off was a two-man job!

There are the finished products!  Aren't they Boo-tiful?! 

Can I Call You Dad?

 It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons.

 - Friedrich von Schiller

I found this page in Jacob's school journal.  It's a picture of Jake and Greg fishing off the pier at Glendale. Under it is written, "My favorite person is my dad because he takes me fishing."

I'll never forget the first time I heard Jacob call Greg his dad.  It was just after Christmas in 2006.  I had taken Jake to work with me and one of my coworkers asked Jake what his favorite Christmas present was.  He said it was a gum ball machine, a gift from his mom and dad.  (That gum ball machine is another story too!  It nearly ruined his belief in Santa!  I'll share it another time.)  I was a little surprised that he referred to Greg as his dad.  I never called Greg "dad," Jacob did it on his own.  Even though Greg is not Jacob's biological father, I'm certain that Jacob can't remember a time in his life when Greg wasn't present.  Greg and I met when Jake was only three months old, and by the time he was 18 months old, my relationship with Greg had become serious.  There's never been a time that Greg didn't treat Jacob as his own, never a question of whose boy he was, and Jake has always known that.  Even with the addition of a biological son, Greg has never differentiated between the boys.  Greg is simply a sincere and genuine soul, kind and generous without discrimination, and the best father and husband we could ever ask for!  If anyone has earned the title "Dad," it's Greg!

Making The Best of a Rainy Day

I guess I spoke too soon when I said we were making a day trip to Pittsburgh for a pumpkin patch romp with my sister and niece this morning.  Shortly after I wrote the post, she sent me a text message and said that the weather was nasty and it was just too wet and rainy for a day outside with kiddos.  My niece cried when she got the news.  My boys were disappointed too.  We always enjoy getting in some time with our family in the Pittsburgh area.  Plus, there isn't another time this month that we are able to coordinate our schedules, so this year we are going to miss the adventures at Riley's Farm completely.  Bummer.   

We were then left with the decision regarding what to do for the day.  It's cold and rainy here too, so going to a local pumpkin farm really wasn't an option either.  Since I did most of my cleaning on Thursday night and Friday morning,  I didn't have anything extremely pressing to do around the house, so we lazied around until mid-morning.  It was very nice to just kind of hang out and take our time.  It's not often that we have no obligations, and I truly appreciate those moments when our schedule is clear.  We decided to head out for some errands and see where the day took us, and it ended up being a pretty good one! 

First, we went to the post office (OK, not so much fun, but a necessary evil).  Then we went to a local farm market and stood in the drizzling rain, rummaging through great big bins of pumpkins in search of the perfect two.  It didn't take too long until we found the ones we wanted, and we were only moderately dirty and wet!  We paid for our pumpkins, and headed home.  When we got home, the cold and rainy weather called for some baking, so we worked together making a batch of brownies.  While the brownies were baking, the boys painted Halloween decorations and little gourds.  After they were done painting, they ate lunch and Andrew took a nap.  Jake and I decorated the brownies for Halloween in honor of the first day of October.  This evening, when Greg gets home from work, we are going to carve the pumpkins and roast the seeds.  Roasted pumpkin seeds are one of my favorite treats of fall.  Since we only get them once a year, I get really excited to make them!

I'll post pictures of the Jack-O-Lanterns when they are completed, but here are some photos from the course of today.  I don't know about you all, but this weather along with all the activity this morning has really worn me out!  I should have napped when Andrew did! 

They picked the biggest pumpkins they could find in the giant bins in the rain! I think they did a pretty good job!  Those babies are massive!

Maybe someone told Andrew that you can tell the freshness of an egg by smelling it.

Teamwork...a rarity in this house!

 Whoa!  Brownie mix!  Awesome, Dude!

What good is making brownies, if you don't test the batter?

Some serious focus going on for Andrew's bat decoration.

 Jake made a black widow.

Nothing beats being proud of your own work!

 The final line-up.

For future reference, the dishwasher doubles as an instant cat bath.

While the boys were doing their thing, the cat decided to make his own fun too, by tearing apart my dining room table.  Lovely! 

Our decorated brownies.  This is the best I can do...hey, unless you are Betsy Cron (my beloved "cake lady"), keep your thoughts on my artwork to yourself!

Rainbow Connection

On the way to work on Thursday, there was a beautiful double rainbow.  (I only got one in this shot)  We literally watched it the for the entire drive.  I think I was just as excited about it as Andrew was!  At one point we could see the entire bow from one end to another.   It even made the local evening news!  The only way it could have been cooler would have been for us to find that elusive pot of gold! (If only!)

What an encouraging way to start the day!  "Sometimes we have to put up with the rain, before we can see a rainbow." Doesn't the rain make the rainbow so much sweeter? No, it didn't end up being a prognostication of the best day ever.   Friday didn't rank high on my list of most memorable days either, but it shed a bit of light into my perspective, enough that I'm still thinking of it three days later.  Sometimes it truly is the little things that make a big difference, and a little attitude adjustment goes a long way.


That said, I am taking my boys to the pumpkin patch with my sister and niece today.  The weather is looking a little iffy right now, but we will keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. This is one of their favorite "field trips," and I don't want it to be ruined.  And if it rains, let's hope that we get to see another rainbow!  


(BTW - I wasn't driving when I took the picture.  I was at a stop light.)

What's That Smell?

Did I ever tell you about the time I caught my cat on fire?  If you've been my friend for more than ten years, I'm sure you know the story.  I bet some of you can even remember when it happened!  My boss at the time asked me how "Old Fire Butt" was doing for years after the incident.  If you haven't known me that long, or haven't heard the story, well then, let me enlighten you.

The story actually starts well before the cat comes into the picture.  It all began one afternoon when I was working at the day program for adults with special needs.  It was the end of the day and all of our guys had gone home.  I went to my purse and opened my wallet with the intention of grabbing a soda from the machine (yes, this was back when I drank soda!).  When I looked into my wallet, it was empty.  Completely empty.  No credit cards, no cash, Nada.  My first thought was that one of my guys unknowingly took my stuff.  No big deal.  I would call their house staff and get it  back.  I called several of my client's residential staff and none of them found any of my belongings.  That's when I started to worry.

It's also when I recalled the last place I had seen my wallet...on the front seat of my car, where it had been all night long, with the car doors unlocked.  Um...oops!

I hurried home and called the police to file a police report.  While I was waiting for the police to arrive, I decided to call and cancel my credit cards.  At the time, my (now ex) husband and I had two cats - Ziel, who I make reference quite a bit, and Frey, who we endearingly called "Little Shit."  Little Shit was actually my (ex) mother-in-law's cat that we took in when she was unable to care for it.  It was a gray long haired cat.  Well, while I was on the phone with Visa, I heard this unusual "shrshshhhh" sound beside me.  I looked over and there beside me, with her tail over a jar candle, was Little Shit, tail ablaze like a giant torch reaching out of her rear end!

Oh my GOD!  The cat was on FIRE! And she didn't even know it!  Without thinking, I took two deep and fast breaths and literally blew out my cat.  Luckily, the fire was extinguished before her skin was burned.  When I tell the story, it seems like a longer amount of time than it really was.  The whole thing went down in a fraction of a second, I'm sure.

Just after I blew out the cat, my door bell rang.  It was the police officer.  I invited him in, apologizing that my house smelled like burned cat.  He excused the scent, but after a few moments asked if we could go outside and complete the report, so he could see better.  Yeah, see better, that's why.  Sure it was.

All things considered, the day ended pretty well.  I was able to cancel my cards and wasn't held accountable for any of the charges, and the cat was saved from what could have been a very painful experience.  It could have been a lot worse for both of us.

What's the lesson to be learned here, my friends?  Well, it's twofold.  Keep a good eye on your wallet.  And don't burn candles in a place that is typically trafficked by long haired pets!

Oh, and the smell of burned pet hair cannot be masked with fragrances, and it takes about a week to dissipate.  You know, just an FYI.

Greased Lightning

During a routine trip to Target two nights ago, Andrew decided that he simply, absolutely, without a doubt, must have a pop-up Lightning McQueen tent.  It wasn't just a matter of who was going to win the race, it was indeed a matter of life or death.  Of course, not wanting to cause my own child's demise, I forked over the $30 for the toy.  I left Target with none of the items I intended to buy and a $65 transaction on my debit card.  How does that happen?  Kids, my dear friends.  That's how. 

Now, let's back track just a bit.

I played Spent the other night online.  You can play it here: http://playspent.org/ 

It's a game that simulates real life scenarios to see if you could make it through the month facing conditions which are too much of a reality to people living in poverty.  I made it through the game with a few bucks in my pocket, but I had to make some tough decisions.  I sent my kid to school in generic sneakers, hoping he didn't get beaten up because of them.  I gave my pet away to the shelter.  I chose not to pay for my child's field trip, so he had to sit in the school office for the day while the rest of his class played.  There were more hard choices too.  I left Target two nights ago thinking that if I were truly living in poverty, I wouldn't have bought that tent.  The money would have gone to gas or groceries or some other necessity.  It left me feeling both grateful and a little unappreciative at the same time.  

I'm so glad that my children are not faced with the consequences of living in poverty.  I see kids every day who live in situations that are heartbreaking.  Sometimes, though, if the kids I work with have good parents, they can actually turn disadvantage to their advantage.  They are appreciative and grateful, unassuming and thoughtful.  Can I say the same about my own kids?  I'm not so sure.  My kids have so much stuff that they really don't appreciate half of it.  They assume that they will leave the store with at least a pack of gum, maybe more, each time we head out.  The question in their minds isn't if they can buy a book at the book fair, but which book should they choose.  

I try to use teaching opportunities to help my kids realize their blessings.  I hope and I pray that my example will lead them to a life of gratitude and generosity, not entitlement and selfishness, but I guess that only time will tell.  In the meantime, I am trying to focus my own energies on enjoying and appreciating what we have...and among our blessings is now is a giant Lightning McQueen tent in our living room! 

 Andrew isn't the only one who love the tent.  Sam has been using it as his hideout too.  It makes a great place for stalking unsuspecting legs to bite. 

Look out.  Those baby teeth are sharp!

What Was I Thinking?

Well, it is official.  I have signed up for the May 6^th Pittsburgh Marathon.  

Yep, the full 26.2 miler.  

Whew! 

26.2 miles.  

Twenty six point two miles! 

That’s a long way to run!  

I’m super excited…and maybe also a little terrified.  I’m worried about my hip and knees, and I’m worried about my stomach too.  I am currently only running 2 miles at a time, which isn’t far enough to cause stomach irritation. I hope that the benefits from chia seeds and other dietary changes I have made are apparent when I get into the longer runs so that I can avoid, well, the runs! (I know, nice huh?) 

Equally as disconcerting (or maybe even more so) is my hip.  At this point, after I run those two short miles I need chiropractic care as well as ice, ice, ice!  That worries me a little, but I talked to my chiropractor before I registered and he is optimistic about my body’s response to manipulations, and confident that I can run the race, if I am sensible in my training.  

Sensible.  What a word.  It sounds so easy, but sometimes sense slips just outside of my grasp.  If I am truly going to run a marathon, I need to prevent sense from eluding me, so I have come up with a plan.  Here’s what I have so far:

1.  Eat right.  I think this will only be a moderate struggle for me.  I eat pretty well most of the time.  Now, I do have a tendency to get off track from time to time.  That’s OK.  An occasional slip up here and there isn’t going to cause any major set backs, but if I habitually lapse, there could be serious repercussions. I’m confident that if I have a concrete goal in mind, I will be better able to retain control.  The words “control freak” have been used to describe me on more than one occasion.   The chance to be controlling in a constructive manner is oh –so-enticing! 

Part of the concern with eating right stems less from lack of common sense, and more from an anticipation of a voraciously increased and insatiable appetite.  If my appetite grew while training for the half marathon, it only goes to say that I will also experience an upsurge when training for a whole marathon.  The trick will be to fuel and refuel with healthy choices, not junk. I’m OK with putting on a few pounds of muscle (hey, my ass never looked better than it did last May!), but I also know that it is extremely easy to gain fat while training for a marathon.  

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?  How could anyone possibly get fat while logging 10, 15, 20 miles a day?  Well, they can, because they think that running those distances is a free pass for eating whatever they want.  Not so.  If anything, it’s more important than ever to make sure that you are nourishing your body with appropriate foods rather than convenient junky foods during intense training.  This will mean having lots of healthy snacks on hand, in addition to making healthy meals.  I have confidence that I can tailor my eating accordingly.  It will just take planning, and hey, if nothing else, I am a planner at heart!  A planner and a control freak…makes you wonder how someone could stand being married to me, doesn’t it! (Don't answer that!)

2.  Train well, but don’t over train.  It’s easy to let nerves get the best of you and to over-prepare as compensation for that anxiety.  It is 100% in my personality to over-train for something as big as my first marathon, but I am actually not terribly concerned with this part of my plan.  You see, I have a job, small children and a husband who is very supportive, but works like a maniac.  I actually think that my life will simply get in the way of my training and prevent me from over-doing it.  One of the few times I can be grateful for the chaos!

3.  Don’t let my desk job destroy my joints.  “Huh?” you say.  “Isn’t the running what’s destroying your joints?”  Well, yes and no.  The running is hard on your body, but so is sitting all day.  It shortens your leg muscles and makes them tight.  Then they pull you out of alignment when you are running.  I pulled a page out of my latest issue of Runner’s World that has some easy exercises specifically designed to counter act the impact a desk job on a runner’s body!  Talk about perfect timing!  Now I just need to bring a resistance band and a ball to work.  If anyone asks, I’ll say they’re for the kids!  

4.  Read, research and implement good training strategies.  Reading and researching is not a problem.  I’m an avid reader and I’m constantly looking things up and reading what I can.  As for implementing, that’s another story.  I’m chock full of good intentions. Like this morning, for example.  It was the 5^th time in a row that I reset my alarm clock, choosing to snooze rather than get up and do some strength training.  Strength training which I SWORE I was going to do when I went to bed last night.  Which, brings me to the next step in my plan:

5.  Find a cross training/ strength training routine and stick with it.  I know that my lack of strength training is at least somewhat to blame for my hip and knee issues.  I know this, yet somehow, I still manage to find reasons not to strength train.  I’m an idiot.  I need to quit the belly-aching and get moving.  I love running.  I love it so much that I don’t want to do any other kinds of workouts.  Well, if I want to be able to continue running for years to come, then I need to do the other workouts too.  Enough said. 

6.  Be realistic.  No problem here.  I don’t have any grand ideas of speed.  I rarely do.  Once in a while I’ll get notion to pump up my speed, but it often quickly fizzles out. I’m not a fast runner. I never really was.  My fastest time is about 7:50 a mile and I can only keep that up for 2 miles.  That pace is reserved for my speed work days.  On long distances, I have historically averaged out at about 10 minutes per mile, sometimes slower.  That’s certainly no record breaking pace, and I am totally OK with that.  Just like my first half marathon, I am going into my first whole marathon with my only expectation being to finish it.  If it takes me 5 hours or even 6, I’m OK with it.  I just want to cross that finish line.  

Along those lines, I need to be realistic with my mileage too.  A 10% increase per week is all that is recommended.  That’s OK, because I have 7 months to train.  I might not get caught up in speed, but it’s totally foreseeable for me to decide to run extreme miles.  Starting low is hard.  Even when I wasn’t training for races, I ran around 5 miles a day.  Starting at 2 and keeping the mileage low in the beginning is going to be a struggle for me.  I know I will want to go longer too soon.  Again, I need to keep my eye on the prize and be reasonable.  Over doing it now could risk an injury that would set me months behind, and that is not where I want to end up.  So when I’m considering doing another lap, or running just a little farther, I’ll just make myself reconsider.  

7.  Last, but certainly not least - relax and enjoy the ride.  I can do this.  I totally can!  I took nearly two years off from running in the midst of my battle with headaches and headache related complications, and I came back stronger than ever.  I worked up to it, and I breezed through my first half marathon.  Most importantly, I loved nearly every minute of my training as well as the race itself.  I felt more confident and mentally clear during those months than I had in a long time prior.  Since the half marathon, aside from the July 4^th 15K, I have been steadily decreasing my running.  With that decrease in mileage I have seen a notable increase in tension.  Running is my release.  It’s my time alone.  It’s my time to resolve the problems that keep me up at night.  It’s my planning time, my connection with the outside, my self-esteem booster.  I am so ready to get back on the road and get some serious miles under my feet.  I said it before and I’ll say it again – I really think that anyone can finish a marathon if they train properly.  I’m not special because I run long distances.  I’m special because I am dedicated.  And I am pumped about being dedicated to the Pittsburgh Marathon!  City of Bridges, here I come!

This Is The Life

What a wonderful day I had yesterday!  In the morning, Andrew and I made a road trip for an impromptu meeting with some old friends.  He was amazingly good and played on the playground for several hours while we caught up with one another.  There's something to be said for long time female friends.  It is such a blessing to be able to vent and not be judged or misunderstood, to be comfortable in who we are together and to know what we have seen each other through.  We all agreed that an afternoon together was just what we needed to recharge our weary batteries.  I send out my love to you beautiful women, and I am also sending out my love to my other group of cherished friends.  Some of us were able to get together in August, but not everyone.  I know we have been struggling to find time in our busy schedules to gather once again.  Let's keep trying.  You all dwell in the parts of my soul that would benefit from constant refreshing! 

After the visit with friends, Andrew went to my mom's to spend the night and Jacob and I were able to have our own little date night.  For me to have time alone with Jake, the world has to practically stop, so I think we were both happy about our evening of bonding.  We played LIFE.  We played by Jake's rules, which are slightly twisted, but hey, it wasn't about rules last night, it was about time.  And I actually won the game with $1,328,000 in the bank.  I can live with that...unless I end up living a freakishly long life and outspending myself!  

 Sammy joined us for the game, with Jacob's blessing. 

"Hey, what are you guys doing over there?"

"Life is boring.  I'm going to take a nap!"

Jacob also enjoyed his snack, sent home by one of my friends. 

This day was given a "Two Thumbs Up" rating by Williams and Orr.  

This morning we put up all of our inside and outside Halloween decorations.  It's simply a beautiful fall day where I am, and I just can't spend one more minute inside.  I'm taking the baby monitor out to the porch, and I'm going to read a book in the fresh air while Andrew finishes his nap.  I can't think of a better way to end a wonderful weekend.

Summer 2011

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The Untidy Toddler

Last night, I asked Andrew to pick up his toys so that I could vacuum.  This was the result: 

 It looks like a toddler version of "Hoarders: Buried Alive."

Now, the living room floor was completely clear, so the mission was accomplished. With that in mind, I chose not to comment on his tidying skills.  I'm just not quite sure where he's pulling his technique from.  I can assure you that the "shove and dump" method is not one that I employ!  If you hear him saying, "damn it to hell," well, I have to take the blame. But this type of cleaning, if you can call it that, could only have been learned from Greg!

Good Eats

It's been a while since I've posted a good recipe.  That's because in the crazy haze of daily life, I have really gotten away from trying anything new.  We've been eating well, but I've been sticking to good old stand by's, just because I haven't had the time or energy to spend looking up or cooking new stuff.  It just happens that Runner's World sent out this yummy recipe in a recent newsletter.  It was very easy to make and will now be added to our list of go-to recipes.  I used jalapeno peppers from my dad's garden, and they are the hottest damn jalapenos ever!  This dish had a little kick to it, with just one small jalapeno, but I imagine it would be a lot milder with a store bought pepper. The last time I cooked with my dad's peppers, I somehow got the pepper juices around my lips and in my nose while I was preparing the dish.  I could hardly breathe!  I had to actually stop cooking and run my entire face under water!  It was awful.  Don't worry, I recovered, and I still ate dinner, which was very good - tuna burgers...have I posted that recipe?  It's super easy and very good too, although we don't often eat it.  It calls for canned tuna which is (just) OK for you, but still has the processing, and then there's the whole ethics issue with dolphins and tuna, yadda, yadda, yadda...

Anyway, this is a recipe using my all time favorite heart healthy and protein packed quinoa, as well as sweet potatoes, another one of my favs.  Here's what it looks like:

And here's the recipe:

• Chicken Sweet Potato Stir Fry
• 
  
• 1 C WATER
• 1/2 C QUINOA, RINSED AND DRAINED
• 1 MED SWEET POTATO (ABOUT 8 OZ), PEELED AND CUT INTO 1/2" CUBES
• 4 TSP CANOLA OIL
• 12 OZ BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST, CUT INTO 1/2" PIECES
• 1 MED ONION, CHOPPED
• 1 JALAPENO CHILE PEPPER, FINELY CHOPPED
• 1 MED RED BELL PEPPER, CHOPPED
• 1 CLOVE GARLIC, MINCED
• 1 TSP GROUND CUMIN
• 1 C FROZEN PEAS
• 3 TBSP CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO
• 1/4 TSP SALT
• 1/8 TSP BLACK PEPPER

Directions

1.

Combine water and quinoa in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.

2.

Put sweet potato in small saucepan with enough cold water to cover by 2" while quinoa is cooking. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.

3.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in large nonstick frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

4.

Return pan to heat and add remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Stir in onion and jalapeno pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add bell pepper, garlic, and cumin. Cook until vegetables start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas and reserved chicken and cook 2 minutes. Add quinoa and sweet potato. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, salt, and black pepper.  (Thank you, Runner's World)

To balance our super healthy dinner, Andrew and I made Halloween cup cakes for dessert...this recipe comes straight from Betty Crocker!  I can cook, but I'm no baker.  And when it comes to sweets, well, I'm just not that picky -  I love it all! The mix was an impulse buy at Giant Eagle this afternoon.  It was actually less the cup cakes themselves that enticed me, and more the Halloween fun-fetti icing! 

I love fall.  It's my favorite time of year.  I love the cooler (but not cold) weather, the beautiful leaves which are especially spectacular in the rolling hills of central Pennsylvania.  I love fall clothing, fall foods, fall holidays, you name it!  So do my boys, and I have found that every time of year is better with little kids than it ever was before they were born.  It's exciting seeing them be excited about things that I may have noticed, but never fully appreciated until I became a mother.  Andrew was ecstatic about 4 little gourds he got with my father in law this afternoon, and Jacob is absolutely thrilled about Halloween, as he is every year.  We plan to spend this weekend digging out our decorations and making our house as spooky as I can stand it!  Soon we'll get our pumpkins, carve Jack-O-Lanterns and roast the seeds with my sister in law, Dalann's all time best seed roasting recipe! (If she gives the OK, I'll post it for you all) I can't wait!  

What's your favorite season?  What do you like best about the fall?  Don't email me - post a comment!