No School Tomorrow!

Spring is Bliss

Confessions of a Competitive Mom

We have a delightful program at our school called Thoughtful Thursday. Every Thursday, homemade treats are brought in by parents to the teachers. Because I had a food business and all the teachers knew about it, the bar is set pretty high when I need to bring in treats.

I have to admit, though, I'd like to get by with a bowl of cut up fruit or mix made muffins like many of the other moms bring in.

But, my pride won't let me. Why?

I've had pneumonia. The cold that I had developed into something that knocked me on my butt, literally. I finally am starting to feel like I'm back to normal.

Last Thursday, though, I was in the grips of it. And of course, as the laws of nature and motherhood dictate, it was my turn again to bring in teacher treats.

I literally did not have the strength to fuss much, but my reputation? Could I let it go? Hell no.

Bread machine to the rescue! (And my good cook status is still intact.)

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Golden Raisin Date Bread

Fat free, but I have no idea how many WW Points. I was sick, remember? (And I don't feel like figuring it out now, especially since my measurements are so vague. Sorry about that, but that's how I really cook. Throw it all together and eyeball the measurements.)

1 1/4 cups water

2 tbsp applesauce

3 1/4 cups stone ground wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar (or other sweetener, I bet honey would be fantastic)

lots of cinnamon (2 tsp?)

some powdered ginger (1/2 tsp?)

3 1/2 tsp yeast

lots and lots of golden raisins

about half as many dates as raisins

Add in the order your bread machine recommends. Makes a 2 pound loaf. Bake on whole wheat or regular setting with light crust.

I also made Third Bread, recipe here.

And I sent them both, on a tray with honey cream cheese spread. (Low fat, Neufchatel cream cheese mixed with honey until slightly sweetened).

Yep, I'm an overachiever. Yep, I'm competitive. But, the teachers appreciate it. And I know that they don't always feel like facing our kids every day, with colds or cramps or headaches, or whatever. So, I did my bit.

As a side note, if you do this for your school, let me tell you a little secret. The teachers get inundated with sinful treats. While they appreciate it, more of them love it if you send in something that will not put them into a diabetic coma.

Dangle that Carrot

I hate to work out. I'm finally going to admit it. I'm never going to be a Gym Bunny, let alone a Gym Rat. I will never have cute coordinating workout clothes, nor will I look glistening and glowing as I work.

I will, forever, be reluctantly working out while wearing torn yoga pants, an industrial strength jogging bra, and a red faced grimace.

I've finally put it down in print and I intend to stand by this. Like flossing, working out will NEVER be on my joy list. NEVER.

I will do it because I have to. Like I have to check everyone's pockets before they go into the laundry. Like I have to clean toilets. Like I have to make dinner when a yogurt cup would suffice for me. Like I have to clean out my car or weed my garden or nag encourage Young One to wash his face and not just wet the wash cloth to fake me out.

Today was one of the dreadful days. I didn't enjoy one bit of my workout, but I had a goal to work towards. Nope, I'm not talking about buns of steel. (I seriously doubt I will ever own a set of THEM.) Nope, it was a food reward. Probably, this is very psychologically telling of some bizarre eating disorder. I don't care. It got me moving and the reward was well worth it (especially since breakfast was meager this am)!

My piano teacher was a wise woman. She always called Spring the time of year when it was time to throw out the rhubarb that we had frozen last year, just to replace it with the fresh stuff sticking up out of our defrosting gardens. I think of her every time I pull rhubarb out of the freezer. And she was right, I am using up the frozen stuff! I'm not sure if rhubarb is a midwest regional thing, but I do know that when I lived in the South, I could find it in the freezer section of the grocery store by the frozen fruit.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Sweet and tart with a crumbly brown sugar and oatmeal crisp on top. I developed this recipe last Spring when the rhubarb was fresh. Serves 8 at 3 WW Points per serving.

1 pound fresh strawberries (if frozen, unsweetened berries, defrost and drain a bit.)

4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb

2 TB honey

2 TB cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the above and place in an 8x8 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the next four ingredients until crumbly.

1 cup quick oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 TB Brummel and Brown soft margarine spread

Sprinkle over strawberry rhubarb mixture. Bake for 40 minutes.

I usually put it in the oven so that it's done right when we sit down to dinner. Then, it's cool enough to eat when we are.

Go Be Pearl

I don't watch a lot of TV. Since the writer's strike last year, I've quit watching most of my must see shows. They all lost me. Some have gone over the top. Some, just completely lost my interest. I spend the evenings reading or occasionally watching a documentary. I still love my Netflix subscription and anything that we do actually watch, we've usually recorded on TiVo, so we skip all the commercials. That in itself gives you so much more time to pursue other things. An hour show can be watched in 40 minutes.



Amazing what we moms can accomplish in 20 minutes right?



We stumbled upon the documentary A Man Named Pearl quite by accident. It was probably one of the best documentaries I've seen in ages. Such amazing wisdom from such a quiet, peaceful man. You must watch it if you can.



One of the things that struck me and struck a chord in our marriage was an interview with his wife. My memory is foggy, so forgive me if I get this wrong, but I believe that she was asked if she resents the time that Pearl spends in his garden. And she simply replied, that he just needed to go be Pearl.



I'm often not so generous with my husband and this was a light bulb moment for me. My husband works long hours. He often leaves the house before six and returns after seven in the evening. He's really good at what he does and he provides well for our family. All day at work, he is pulled in many directions. When he comes home, I sometimes pull him in many directions. I want his attention, him to be a handyman, him to be there for me, for us. It's not often that he gets to go be himself.



We laughed at the interview with Pearl's wife and we decided that "Go Be Pearl" would be our new code for just needing alone time. Me time. D needs it more than I do, I can be sure of that. He loves to ride his bike. I used to laugh at his need to "Lance it up", but now I know it's good for him and because of that, he's better for us when he gets to ride a few miles a day.



Go Be Pearl and let your spouse go as well. Sometimes, these little reminders come fast and furious. This documentary knocked my socks off. You'll be amazed too, I'm very sure.

Breakfast Pasta?

This is a quick recipe that I go to when I've forgotten to defrost dinner! I usually have most of the ingredients on hand. In a pinch, use dried parsley.

Guiltless Spaghetti Carbonara
Bacon and eggs pasta! The original recipe calls for pancetta, a very high calorie food. I've subbed Canadian bacon. You could cut the oil down tremendously (maybe to 2 tsp or less) and also use egg substitute to lighten up even more. The recipe, below, stands as tested. Serves 6 at 7 WW Points per serving.

6 oz cooked Canadian-style bacon
2 tbsp olive oil
3 item(s) egg
1/4 cup(s) parsley
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
6 serving(s) Ronzoni spaghetti
1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese

Boil water in a large pot. Add spaghetti and cook as directed to al dente. Chop bacon into 1/4 inch dice. Cook bacon in oil in large pan until browned and slightly crispy. Remove from heat. Whisk eggs, parsley, salt, and red pepper flakes until well combined. Reserve 1 cup of the spaghetti cooking water. Drain spaghetti. Add hot pasta to bacon in pan. Toss to combine. Add half of the cooking water, then all of the egg mixture and stir quickly. The pasta will appear creamy and delectable (!!!). Add Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Enjoy!

Things that Terrify Me

• Visiting a website that plays music and not realizing that Young One has turned the speakers up to high volume. There's nothing like Hawaiian music at high decibels to shock your heart into a new rhythm.


• My husband doing laundry. His heart and intent are pure gold. The results not so precious.


• Snakes. I know, I KNOW. We have no poisonous snakes in Minnesota. No poisonous bugs either. You can tell me they're a great part of our ecosystem, you can wax on about the pests they rid our Earth of. I don't care. No likey. And I won't hold one. Ever.


• Sharks. I know, I KNOW. We don't have sharks in Minnesota. Well, we do, but they're in an aquarium. I know that you're more likely to get killed by a falling vending machine than a shark, but I'm still terribly frightened. Don't ask me to swim in the open ocean, I can barely handle the waves lapping at my feet.


• Closed spaces. I once hyperventilated just thinking about what it would be like to be in my clothes dryer. I'm not embarrassed by this in the least. Honest.


• That I just might actually complete the transition of becoming just like my mother.


• That the last words to my husband just might be, "Take out the garbage."


• That I was a better mom before I had a kid.

Everybody's a Winner, She Says Through a Fake Smile and Gritted Teeth

We moms want our babies to succeed, but more than that, we want them to learn that through hard work and perseverance, you will pass beyond average. Hard work and perseverance was what got me through nursing school with straight As. It helped me to pass my nursing boards with a perfect score. It helped D get through West Point and become an officer in the Army. Hard work and perseverance got him a VP position at a very young age.

Last night, I was shocked to find out that, not only were the science fair projects not yet graded, but they were not judged. It seems we've been the victim of the prevalent "We're all Winners" philosophy of teaching.

I couldn't go the science fair, but asked D to take a ton of pictures. He came home with a half dozen or so. Each project showed how hard these kids had worked. The unique projects, the ones obviously done by the parents, the silly ones--well, they were all worthy of ribbons. I understand that. I do, deep down in my heart, believe that every kid deserves to "win".

Really, I do, I'm not trying to be harsh here.

Of course this comes with a big but.

BUT, I wonder what message we are sending to our kids when we offer them all the same award for obviously very different levels of work and dedication. What kind of disappointment does this set them up for in the future? How does this motivate them to work harder next time or that all they did this time was worth it?

Kids are not stupid. That's something I wish more people would remember. They all sneered and rolled their eyes at the flutter of purple ribbons on EVERY project.

I know the intent behind this was good, but it flopped terribly. Getting a generic award means nothing. We owe our kids more.

An education is more than what is written in the curriculum. It's about the life lessons that go along with the text books, papers, and pop quizzes. I bet you remember some of those life lessons more than you remember specific facts that you were taught. This science fair could have done more than get the kids excited about a topic of their choice. It could have been much more. It could have been a pivotal moment for a kid who made a half hearted effort. It could have genuinely awarded very hard work. It could have motivated someone to try harder next time.

But, instead, they all got a purple ribbon that says exhibitor.

Congratulations, you're mediocre.


(Apparently grades come Friday. Joy.)

(His topic: Will captive marine animals form a symbiotic relationship?)