Provencal Style Meatloaf..dressin' up a classic!

1-1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef 1 egg beaten 1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs or oatmeal (gives you some more fiber and whole grains) 8 oz fresh button or crimini mushrooms, chopped 1 or 2 shallots, minced 1 T Herbs de Provence (use this stuff in nearly everything!) 1 t grill seasoning, or coarse salt and pepper Pinch of cumin A couple of dashes Worcestershire sauce 1/2 T olive oil Mix all ingredients together and form into 4 large oval-shaped mini loaves (learned this tip from my hero Rachael Ray) Lightly rub with olive oil and roast and roast in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through. You can make into a whole loaf if you prefer, just add 20-30 minutes to cooking time.

Get Outa Town, Mommy!

Today I escaped! Teamed up with several other over-worked mommies and we headed to the wilderness (sort of). We drove, chatted, laughed, ate, hiked, wondered if we were lost, hiked some more, laughed, ate, chatted, drove, laughed, and went back to our real lives. And good grief, I forget how simple it is when you've just got yourself to look after...I even left the giant mom bag at home! What a fun and much needed adventure and a chance to reconnect with the person I used to be. Granted, there was a LOT of kid talk (we are moms after all). Still, just to get out with grown ups and do something really fun and new was a recharge for this frazzled mom. Plus, it had to have been good for my mommy-squishy belly. That is, until the various fried things hit the table at our lunch stop. So what if I came home to a feverish and crying child and a pile of laundry? It was worth it to do something fun for just myself. So moms, get together some friends and schedule yourself an adventure. If you're like me, that doesn't occur to you nearly enough.

Stay, Mommy, Stay!

It's a gorgeous day, sun is shining and you can just feel Spring's long-awaited arrival. It's the perfect day for some playground and zoo time. Which is precisely what I had in mind, until my daughter decided to get sick. Dang inconvenient kids, she can't feel under the weather when the temperature is sub-zero! Apparently sometimes you've just got to roll with it. So, instead we spent the day watching movies, playing trucks, and building block towers. And holding a very sweaty, very clingy preschooler while my poor baby boy desperately tried to shove his sister off of Mommy's lap while shouting "No, MY mommy, peeeease!" I did herd the poor child into the backyard while I spread about 30 bags of mulch and pulled weeds, two things I am constantly behind on. Hey, fresh air is good for you right? By 6 pm we were all worn out and sick to death of each other, so both kids went to bed early and Mommy is thinking a nice glass of vino is the perfect "medicine" for me!

Mall play

Truly, a most excellent idea when you're out of other options on a still-Winter morning. There are a few tips though, which I think can make the difference between good times in the world of commerce and a super-sized nightmare:

1) Go with a buddy. Trust me, some of the kids (and moms) at the mall are straight from Wal-Mart and you will need an ally to herd kids, confront bullies, and provide you a little friend time as well. Plus, if you're like me, you'll have at least one "zone out" moment and if the friend is good, she just might save your kiddos from disaster while you are contemplating wedges or pumps...or the meaning of life or something.

2) Do NOT bring snacks. Repeat DO NOT. Your kids won't play, they will just treat it as a buffet and every other kid in the place will want one too. Pretty soon, you will feel like you are feeding a herd of pigeons.

3) Sit near the entrance. Kids try to escape and it's better to be closer to the opening of the "pen." Not only can you better catch your own kids, but others as well, earning you appreciation and admiration from the masses, something every mommy craves and deserves!

4) Bring extra wipes and do not let those kids take off their socks 'cuz...eeeewwww! Seriously, I have seen a kid (thankfully not my own) pick a random booger off of the ground and put it into his mouth. I apologize, but you need to know the dirty truth. Don't avoid the place because of the germ factor, but be aware, very aware.

Slow Cooked Chicken Noodle Soup (aka The Only Soup My Daughter Will Eat)

I used to buy a whole chicken, roast it, pick it, then boil the bones with herbs and veggies, to make my own stock. It was a 24 hour + job. Then, I got smart and cut out a couple of steps and several hours. I start with a very small (1-1 1/2 pounds) free-range, local chicken. I remove the skin and yucky fatty bits (this makes me feel better about being to lazy to skim the fat after the fact). Of course, it changes a bit every time but here's the basic story. 1 small free range, local chicken 2-3 T olive oil Salt, pepper, herbs de provence to taste 1 large onion chopped 2-3 cloves garlic, minced, 3-4 medium carrots, diced 1 bay leaf 1/2 lemon 1 can petite diced tomatoes 6 cups water 1/2 Cup frozen corn Minced fresh parsley 6-8 ounces alphabet (or other small) noodles, cooked separately Rinse chicken and pat dry. Remove as much of the skin and fat as possible. Preheat large cast-iron our enamel oven-safe soup/casserole pot with olive oil. Season chicken liberally and sear in very hot pot, turning once until chicken has a nice crust on it. Add all other ingredients except corn and parsley. Cover and cook on medium low on stove top or at 250 in oven for 2-3 hours, until chicken is falling off the bone. Remove chicken, bay leaf and lemon. Pick meat off of chicken and return to pot with corn. Cook a few more minutes until soup is heated through. Stir in noodles individually into bowls and top with parsley. Yummy yum, homemade soup with fresh stock in a fraction of the time!

For the girls...

Our local library hosts a "Crowns Tea" every year as part of its Black History Month programming. This is a beautiful girls-only event featuring women of all sizes, shapes and colors wearing their "Sunday best" and the most elaborate hats ever seen. I have taken my daughter since she was six months old and am always amazed by the music, the food, and of course, the hats. Oh my, the hats, hats, hats, hats! What an amazing site, truly breathtaking to see.

Now I know that not every library has an amazing (and did I mention free) program like this, but a good many of them do something of the sort. Fancy Nancy or American Girl tea parties are pretty popular and common. Call your local library and ask about tea parties! Or, take a trip to the local tea house and be sure to dress in high style. Not only is this just a fun outing, but it lays the foundation for table etiquette and the importance of dressing up for special occasions, like church or a holiday dinner. Just because we don't live in a world where people "dress for dinner" anymore doesn't mean that there are not important lessons to be learned from those simple values: dressing up shows reverence for the occasion, sitting quietly and listing to a program or speaker is an important life skill, saying please and thank you and eating politely will always be an important way of showing respect for the host and yourself. All of these things can be learned the fun way at a proper tea party. So, gather up your girls and your best frocks, and get thee to a tea! Oh, and when you get home, put on her rain boots and play clothes and go in the back yard for a whole different kind of fun. I mean, you want a polite kid, not a mannequin!

When in doubt, go to Grammie's house!

Yesterday I was faced with a long day of nothing, and a possibly bum tire. Something in me said "Go East grasshopper, East to the motherland" ...MY mother's land that is. So, in about five minutes, kids were loaded with snacks and sippies, clothes were thrown into bags, and we set out for the 2 hour journey to my parents' house and the only tire place my father really wants me to go to. At the age of 32, taking a healthy interest in my car is my dad's "fatherly" duty that he is not about to wholy relinquish to any son-in-law. Ah, the bliss of my mother's home: it is small, it is crowded with bric a brac (or knicknacks for you non-Okies), and it has about 150lbs of dogs living in it. Still, it is my home and I feel instantly relaxed there (as in the kind of relaxed that coma patients experience). And as a bonus, my children LOVE it. Why wouldn't they, they get juice that hasn't been watered down, Horton Hears a Who is on a non-stop track, and my mom lets them play with all of her previously mentioned heirlooms and decorative nonesense. And if they get bored, my father has a garage and shop full of tetnus-inducing preschooler fun! So, that's my advice for the day...if you get to the point where you just can't take it anymore, load up those little monsters and head for a sleepover at the nearest semi-sane relative. Just getting out of town for even a little bit is always a fun new adventure for the kids, hopefully a much needed break for mom, and probably a pleasant surprise for dad too (much as he should deny it).