Book Review: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

With Little Bee, author Chris Cleave has created a character that no reader will easily forget.  Wry, funny, scarred, proud, hopeful, Little Bee is a refugee with a new name but an old story.  I almost do not know how to describe this book.  After a chance and nightmarish encounter on a beach, the lives of a vacationing British couple and a hunted Nigerian girl are forever linked.  

While the couple, Andrew and Sarah, return to England and try to reclaim their lives, Little Bee escapes to England to try and build a life.  Yet, things thought buried have a way of returning and Little Bee and Sarah find themselves working together to form a life in the aftermath of horror. 

This book is tragic, it is beautiful, it is funny and it is frustrating.  It is not what I expected but I very much enjoyed it.  Through the tragedy, there are glimmers of hope for the future, particularly in the form of a 4 year-old superhero.  You will have to read the book to figure that one out!

Summer Time is Library Time

Yes, I know that there are a lot (a lot, a lot, a lot) of fun things to do during the summer...not to mention the mandatory do-nothing time!  But, do not forget your local library.  Chance are, you grew up doing summer reading at your local library.  Well, we are still going strong!

This morning we went to the annual kick-off parade at one of our nearby hometown library.  We have gone every year since my daughter was born and every year I am amazed by the excitement, the creativity, and the FUN of these librarians.  What child does not want to be part of a parade?  Incidentally, hauling a wagon with 70lbs of children is a pretty good calf work-out as well!  After the parade, it was inside for henna tattoos, fan making, snow cones, Native American dancing, and sign-up time.  The theme this year is One World, Many Stories.  Your local library should have lots and lots of fun and (shhh...) educational activities for kids all summer long.  If it doesn't, you might want to ask why.  Start with your librarian and move you way up to your legislator.  And if you do like your library, then GO!  Libraries receive part of their funding based on things like door counts and "stats."  That is what tell the decision-makers that their money is being used and appreciated, and maybe they should send even more!

Waiting for Fancy Dancing

Here is an incomplete list of some of the fun things we have done at our local libraries:  Philharmonic string quartet, bug festival, music education classes, magician shows, trick roping, science experiments, craft time, story time, tea parties, cello story time, and the petting, exploring, touching, and learning about many, many wild and unusual animals.  And that is just what ONE library does for children.  They also have great programs for teens and adults, even services for home-bound residents.

So, that's my advocacy for the day.  Go to your library.  Sign up for summer reading.  Find fun and free ways to keep your child entertained and educated until school starts again!

Let's Talk Coupons...

I've always couponed.  To a degree.  I like to do the "girl math" and think: "Well I saved $20, so now I can buy something fun for myself!" 

So, I haven't watched that show, Extreme Couponing.  I try to limit my intake of "reality" shows and right now I'm full up on Celebrity Apprentice..shhh...don't tell anyone!  I truly do not understand how someone can walk away with $600 worth of groceries for like $0.23.  When I save $40, I get really excited.  At Homeland, if you use too many coupons, a manager has to come over and push an "okay" key...I love that!  Of course, my husband complains that he has a "lifetime" supply of deodorant, but if that's the biggest problem he has, then so be it.  I mean, I paid practically nothing for it and I'm pretty sure it doesn't expire!

A few weeks ago in the grocery store, I was in line behind an extreme couponer.  She literally had 4 children hanging off her cart.  When her cart-load of groceries was totaled it was over $200.  When the coupons were totaled, it was $96.  That's over 50% savings people!  She had a binder and I just had to ask to see it.  I try to not get too "extreme" about anything, but the binder definitely seemed more logical than my wad of crumpled coupons in my pocket.  So, I've been on the lookout for baseball card sleeves (which is what those couponing mom use), but I haven't had much luck with it.  For now, I'll stick with the wadded up pieces of paper in my pocket.

If you are interested in getting into coupons or free deals, here are some places I like (besides the Sunday paper):

Magazines: Lots of magazines have great coupons.  For example, Everyday with Rachael Ray often has either a 20% or $5 off coupon for Merona clothing (a Target brand).

Groupon and LivingSocial:These are flash-sale type "deal a day" sites.  You have to be careful and not buy something just because it's cheap, but if you have some self-control you can get really good deals.

Couponmom.com: This is sort of a clearinghouse where you can print grocery store coupons and browse specials by store. 

Target.com: They have printable coupons on their website.  Again, you have to be careful because a lot of their coupons are for clothing, household goods and other things that maybe you weren't intending on buying.  But they also have great deals on food and drug/beauty items.  Plus, you can combine their coupons with manufacturer coupons.  Back to the deodorant as an example:  Men's Degree deodorant is $2.24/each.  I have a buy 1 get one free coupon, a $.75 manufacturer coupon, and a $2.00 Target coupon.  What this means is that I score two deodorants for $0.24.  Great deal but I'll warn you, if you do that too many times your  husband starts to think you're crazy! 

I've signed up for UPromise.com, which is where you register a store rewards card and instead of money off certain products, you get that money deposited into a 529 plan.  I'll admit, I haven't taken the time to do much with it yet, it still sounds a little complicated, but I'll let  you know if it works out.  I would love to be able to shop my kids to college!

So, coupons.  Great, handy tool but probably not something to get too carried away with.  I mean, I don't want to become one of those people who has turned their shower into storage for toilet paper and tuna cans! 

One last thing, it never fails when you are in line with $200 worth of groceries and a fistful of coupons, some tanned college girl is going to be in line behind you with her vitamin water and English cucumber, huffing noisily that it is taking you approximately 30 minutes to check out.  Just smile politely at her and know that in just a few more years, she will BE you!  Happy couponing!

Mama's Taking Us to the Zoo Today, Zoo Today...

Sorry, once you let Raffi in, he never leaves!

So, yesteday Hubby was off work and by gosh we were going to the zoo.  It didn't matter that the rain was pouring down and had been all night.  It's not like the weather cared about our plans so why should I care about it?  We spent the morning watching DVR'd kids shows and staring at the water pooling in various spots of our backyard. 

By 11, I was ready to pop!  I tossed a bunch of crackers, cheese, fruit, wet wipes, and other zoo "supplies" into a bag, sent everyone off to potty, and declared that we were by gosh going to the zoo!  Off we went in downpour rain, with my three-year-old singing "Rain, rain go away.  So WE can go to the ZOO!"  After a few other stops, in which we purchased a zoo pass from the local furniture monolith and gave away half of our packed lunch to a "homeless" man dressed better than us, we were finally at the zoo.  And miraculously, it was no longer raining. 

We parked on the second row, strolled right in, and marveled at the wide open walkways and relative peace of the place.  Instead of shouting children and over-stressed moms, we heard monkeys whooping and birds trilling.  We stared face to face with two sleeping black bears, their rain slicked bodies pressed tightly against the glass.  We joined a line of roaming ducks, practicing our best waddles.  We sat on a bench and watched the current pride of Oklahoma City, baby Malee, play and cuddle with her mama and aunt.  We slid down the slide in the Children's Zoo again and again.  We saw animals that I have never seen before there.  It was probably the best zoo experience I have ever had.  I can't wait for another rainy day; we're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you?

Braised Cabbage and Leeks with Sausage

I love red cabbage.  It's so pretty, it's crazy cheap, and you can do a lot with it.  I make this dish several different ways, but here's the latest:

1 package all-beef skinless smoked sausage, halved, sliced, browned and removed onto paper towels to drain. 

Drain any remaining fat from pan.  It's not exactly going to make this recipe "lean" but it will make you feel better!  The turkey smoked sausage is great too, I just didn't have it this time.

In the same skillet on medium, add 1-2T extra virgin olive oil and:
1/2 medium head of red cabbage, halved (as in quartered I guess) and sliced. 
1 medium leek, halved, sliced, soaked in water (to remove grit), patted dry
1 clove garlic, minced

Let veggies cook until tender-crisp (10-15 minutes), then add:

1 heaping T  Dijon mustard and orange marmalade, 1/2 C (again, I don't usually measure...a couple of swirls around the pan) unsalted beef stock,

Cracked black pepper

Turn heat to medium-low, add sausage back in, stir all ingredients to incorporate sauce and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Garnish with flat-leaf parsley and a squeeze of fresh orange.

I also really like this with the chicken apple sausage and sliced Granny Smith apples cooked with the veggies.  It should also cut the calories and fat.  Although, when I do that, I add apple juice and real maple syrup and omit the orange marmalade/juice.  I have to use that recipe sparingly though because Hubby is weird about fruit and meat being in the same dish.  But, if  you don't have those same hang-ups, the chicken sausage is really the way to go! 

Enjoy!

Toddlers and Tutus

My daughter takes dance.  She loves it and I think it is fun, simple activity for her.  That is, until recital.   First it was the costume with matching accessories, then it was the "site fee", then it was the special tights, then the photography session, then the extra practices, the dress rehearsal, the stage decorating, the actual recital, and the reception afterwords in which parents are supposed to bring snacks.  And, from polling my mommy friends, this is a pretty "simple" recital, no multiple costume changes, no super-late performances, etc.  Still, I can't help but think, isn't this all a bit much for three year-olds?  Can't we just put them on the stage at the church where they take their lessons, invite family, and watch them dance their little blessed hearts out? 

Trust me when I say that on recital night, I will be there, tears in my eyes, blissfully thrilled to see her get up and dance...if she does, I mean, she's THREE, anything could trigger an urge to not cooperate.  I just think that as parents we sometimes make our kid's activities a bigger deal than they need to be.  They have years to stress about proms and cheer leading tryouts and things like that. 

Sometimes I just think we have lost our balance as parents.  There are the moms who are "un-schooling" and letting their children roam the planet without a shoe to their name (I mean, we wouldn't want to conform by protecting our children from tetanus), and then there are the moms who are treating every t-ball game and play date like its a measuring stick for life (win, learn, shine, make me the envy of every suburban housewife within hearing distance). 

So, I will go and watch this dance recital with my husband and my family.  I will cheer and clap (if that's allowed) and hug her proudly when she's finished, regardless of her "performance."  And, I will even sign her up for next year because I do think it's a good program.  But, I will also think "We could have had a cute recital in the church basement."  That's just how I roll, call me the "free range mama!"

Just Another Meatless Monday...

So I don't exactly do it every Monday but I am trying to reduce the amount of meat my family eats.  For one thing, my daughter does not really like most meats anyway and I've never been a huge meat person myself.  I mean, I love a good filet or some bacon as much as the next person, but there are plenty of just lovely veggie meals that I enjoy (pasta primavera, veggie pizza, caprese salad, etc.).  Just don't take away my cheese, that's just wrong!

Anyway, I heard about Meatless Monday a while back and thought it sounded like a  great concept.  Basically you can reduce your environmental impact by eating less meat, not to mention the money and fat/calories you will likely save.  So, here's my Meatless Monday recipe:

Slow-cooker black beans

1 lb dried black beans, picked through (I found 2 rocks in mine this time), rinsed, and soaked overnight

This is all I start with.  My grandma (who was an amazing cook and knew a thing or two about cooking beans, growing up in the Depression and all) told me that if you salt the beans right from the beginning, it makes them mealy and they don't get as tender.  So, set your slow cooker on high and cook the bare beans, covered about an inch deep in water, for about two hours.  After beans have cooked by themselves for a while, turn slow cooker to low and add the seasonings:

2-3 small red or 4-6 green onions with some green tops (I reserve some of the green tops for avocado/tomato topping), sliced or chopped
2-3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 chili pepper, chopped.  I used a banana pepper, just because the jalapenos looked like the had seen better days. 

1t cumin
1t chili powder
1t coriander
1t sea salt
1t black pepper
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

Saute veggies in a bit of olive oil until they have some color, then toss them in the pot with the other seasonings.   Stir, check seasoning if you like (I don't really measure so these are approximate), and cook on low for another 3-5 hours.  Because this is meatless, you can let it sit on your counter after it is finished cooking through and then just turn on low again when it's almost time to serve.  I top it with shredded cheese and a salad/guacamole mix of diced tomato, avocado, green onion tops, shredded romaine, parsley, and salt and pepper.  A squeeze of lime would be spectacular but not worth going to the store for!

Here's the final product served bowl-style: 

Hubby has his on a tortilla as a burrito.  My daughter prefers "tiny taco salads" with a spoonful in a few Tostitos Multi-grain Scoops.  You know, 'cuz she's high maintenance like that.  My son really just wants the chips, but I manage to sneak a bean onto his spoon every so often.  Any way you want to eat it is alright by me!  Enjoy.