With an Accent

My sister moved to the UK and now has an accent. Not exactly a British one - it is more of a cross between a New Zealand and Canadian accent - but it makes her sound more glamorous all the same. I think when I am having one of those "lost the will to live" exhausted days, I will speak with an accent. Maybe a French one. Heck, my whole family just got over the stomach flu, so I will be effecting an accent at playgroup today for sure.

Since we all need a little more glamour in our lives, check out one of my new favorite blogs. The Glamorous Life Association

Preschool

For me, one of the very wonderful things about not living in Manhattan was the low-key approach to schooling. I say was, because apparently all of us left coast parents have decided that we aren't cool enough unless we also take a cutthroat approach to education. Preschool - which by very definition seems to be about what kids do before they go to school, is now very competitive. It is not nearly as bad as New York, but I hear all the time about parents signing their kids up before they are even born. At many schools, there is a 2 year waiting list.

To me, this seems ridiculous, but in general I have a very relaxed approach to parenting and education. Maybe it's because I was homeschooled for part of my education, but it seems to me there are many different ways for kids to learn. Regardless, I too have jumped on the waiting list bandwagon and have found a trick to avoid getting left behind when my daughter turns 3. What is it? Sorry, you'll have to figure it out on your own.

Support La Dolce Mama in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

Support La Dolce Mama in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

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Bread

I made bread this morning. Not in a bread machine, but purely from scratch. I consider myself a pretty confident cook and baker, but bread is something I have never quite gotten. Bread is like wine, in that "yeasty" is never a good adjective to have in the same sentence. Although, I suppose yeasty is never a good adjective, period.

It makes me wonder how our grandmothers and great-grandmothers ever made bread, when I have a KitchenAid mixer and a well-functioning oven and still can't manage dough that will rise right. Never mind that I had a sick 1 year old running around the kitchen and bringing me books to read - the challenges of a wood- burning stove or absence of stand mixers seems a greater challenge. Perhaps I should wear an apron and affect a pioneer accent, next time.

Either way, bread from scratch has gone on the list of things to perfect before I die. It's a good thing the other items on the list like "Go skydiving" and "Get scuba certification" absolutely require technology, or I would have a long road ahead of me.

Preparing for Spring

Yes, I am nesting. The house is as clean as it ever gets, I am compulsively labeling, painting and working my way through household chores. I am excited about getting my garden for spring. I love organic and home-grown vegetables and flowers, but I have to reign it in a bit. If you like gardening, check out Heirloom Acres Seeds

Change!

New years are always about change - 2009 more so than most. As our shiny New Year's Resolutions begin to tarnish, we are still being called to better ourselves with the focus on the changes in civil rights and the presidency and without a strong economy to help us spend away our introspection. However, with all the fog outside my window this morning, things are just a little too serious for me. Instead, I am going to thnk about change in terms of that which is in my pockets, sofa cushions, and bottom of my purse.

January 19th - Resolutions for the day -
Clean the house and find enough change for a latte(Optimistic for Starbucks, maybe, but I haven't cleaned my office in awhile)
Change the order of meals and have breakfast for dinner

That should take care of the gloom. The world-changing resolutions will have to wait until tomorrow.

Two Kids Under Two

I never thought I would have kids.
I didn't particularly like them and as the oldest of a large family, I well know how much work they are.

Life happens, however, and the decisions that I made in the past for my future stopped making sense once I got there. Somehow along the way, two kids under two(heck under 1 1/2) sounded like a fabulous idea. Do I regret it? No way. If I ever stop moving, or even slow down, I feel that life is passing me by. Yes, I am crazy like that. But, oh so much fun.

Today somewhere between chasing my first child, feeling the baby kick the heck out of me, and weeding the yard, it finally dawned on me just how much "living" I will be doing very, very soon. I could freak out or I could have a mocha. I am going for the mocha.