I want to write about our mind-popping trip to Disneyland, really I do. Much to share, there is. But now I’m back and there’s life and I’d rather write about what we’re doing now but I feel pressure to blog the big D so instead I blog nothing. And that’s just wrong.
Today was as near perfect as a day can be… in my world… with the life I have… with these children I own. Dan and I sat down this weekend and listed out a bunch of goals. We basically wrote down the things we would be doing in our ideal life and chose several of them to focus on for a whole month. They include things like consistent bed and wake up times, scheduled family dinner, exercise, meaningful prayer and scripture study and more dateage and schmoopage.
So for two days we’ve stuck to our plans and despite a plague that’s ravaging Dan’s delicate software-engineering body, we feel great. I’ve had healthy attractive dinner on the table at the same time for two nights in a ROW! I even used several of the herbs and vegetables disguised as weeds that I received from my CSA in tonight’s dinner.
I’ve been excited to support local agriculture and broaden my horizons but a little afraid of the bag of early spring greens I’ve been getting each week. I thought I had a wide veggie repertoire but it did not include chervil, lovage (Dan says he’s a big fan of my “lovage”), lemon verbena, nasturtium, new varieties of kale complete with little yellow flowers, leeks, silver thyme, mountains of rhubarb. Don’t get me wrong, I can make a super-rad rhubarb pie or crumble, especially if organic strawberries are on sale, but there’s still the question of what to do with the other 10 lbs. Suggestions?
Tonight I made a salad from the lettuce mix in this week’s bag, chopped chervil, verbena, sorrel (looks like spinach, tastes like lemons), mushrooms and yellow tomatoes. To this I added salmon marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, fresh oregano, chives, verbena and lovage with brown rice and steamed carrots. It was delicious and 3 weeks into the CSA I’m finally getting more comfortable experimenting with all these new foods.
This weekend I made an omelet with sauteed lovage stalk and sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in red pepper oil because I happened to have those things from the farm and they were yummers. Who knew?
I woke up before the kids this morning and read scriptures while I waited for them to pounce. Then we had oatmeal and fresh cantaloupe for breakfast. We read several stories and then walked to the park to meet some friends. Magoo rode his new scooter and when we passed a jogger, he jumped off, lifted it in the air towards her and shouted, “I GOT A SCOOTER!”
“Wow. I can see that.”
“And it’s BLUE and I saw a BUG!”
“Really? A bug?”
“Yessir!” he called to the nice lady.
And we walked another 3 feet until he saw ANOTHER BUG!! The bugs were plentiful and we paid our respects to each and every one. No one was maimed or park-napped. Everyone waited for mom before crossing the busy roads. No one even asked me to push them on the swings! When it was time to leave, I told them we had to go and they CAME WITH ME, no questions asked.
We went to Target and Costco where we got decent, if not super-hero-worthy, parking spots. I stayed close to budget. There were free Haagen Dazs ice cream bar bits at one of the sample tables.
After coming home, we headed to the farmer’s market where we bought tomatoes, more herb starts and a loaf of fresh-baked apple cinnamon bread.
My neighbors came over to play.
The sun shone.
My kitchen remained clean.
My new washer was shiny and it washed things.
I weeded my garden and no mosquitoes bit me.
The Bambi deer stopped by and left my garden untouched in their beneficence.
Dan asked me if I might like to watch Corner Gas later even though he’s not orignally from my motherland.
We had healthy dinner in which the children ate green things without much coercion.
There was no TV and no video games today and no requests for them.
My dining room floor smells like peppermint.
Today is the opposite of that one other day.
You ROCK! Now I’m not only jealous of your washing machine, but jealous of your awesome day….you have inspired me to have the same type of day tomorrow!
It doesn’t get much better than that!
Woo-Hoo for you! What a fabulous day!
I’d give anything for my kids to actually do something the first time I ask, instead of the thirtieth – and floors that smell like peppermint . . . nothing sweeter, I say! 🙂
Here’s hoping you have an equally lovely tomorrow.
We are not from your motherland either, but we love Corner Gas! 🙂
See? Now if you have another “that one other day” you can just read this post over and over again and chant “THIS DAY WILL END TOO”
Love the “Yessir!” to the nice lady.
It’s nice when you can plan your version of heaven based on actual experience. About the rhubarb, there’s a Persian rhubarb drink that’s great in summer, and rhubarb chutney with apples or dried cherries. That’s all my suggestions, though. But the rhubarb drink is pretty darn good. And I think you may be able to freeze the pie filling. Oh, but I am jealous of your mountains of rhubarb. And all the other things, too, of course.
Awww…Well, you’ll always have the memories of your day in the sun.
I love your perfect day! I love your healthy food, your cooperative children, your fab hubby, and your happy, happy post. You deserve days like this a million over, and I’m so grateful you got one. Here’s to many, many more… 🙂
No requests for TV? I can’t even imagine.
Oh, that day… it sounds as if it were a gift straight from God. (And sorry, but I have no idea what to do with the extra rhubarb. I’m not that into it.)
Maybe any leftover produce could be left for Bambi. But if you CAN think of ways to use those green things, AND get the kids to eat them, you deserve more than just a little chunk of a Haagen Daz bar.
peppermint floors? do you lick them?
just added Corner Gas to my netflix queue. sounds cool!
Sounds like such a wonderful day. Hope you have many more to come.
I experimented with muffins for some of my extra rhubarb recently. My husband and 2-year-old and I loved them but my 4-year-old was a little iffy.
Kathryn, sounds like the most perfect day EVER. May the memory sustain you when you have days like the other one.
That’s it! I’m coming to live at your house.
The washing machine and peppermint floor just pushed me over the edge.
i let the internet do the answering for me. http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?s_type=%2Frecipes.php&q=rhubarb&Search=Search&Searcht=
i think the only rhubarb thing i’ve ever cooked was strawberry rhubarb pie – like you. 🙂 good luck!
That is awesome! Can I send my kids to your house now? Or at the very least can I come over for dinner??
We’re also trying to add more God worship and less t.v. worship into our routines. It can be quite the battle on some afternoons.
Great day!
The veggies look wonderful!
I think waking up before my kids would really help – if only they would wake up later 😉
I am envious about your kids eating greens without coercion. Any hints on that one?
Oh, I loved your day… motivates me to stop and visit bugs nd eat greens-n-such 🙂
don’t you love it when you have a perfect day like that? even though they are generally few and far between, they sure feel good. and help make up for those other days.
i’m glad you got one. you deserve it.
rhubarb bread
or rhubarb-strawberry jam
I have recipes for both, but I haven’t personally made them.
I’ve only made crisp and/or pie…BUT I’ve tried the bread (a friend of mine makes it) and it’s very yummy…so I asked her for the recipe. If you want it let me know.