I was back around 6:30pm and Travis was wondering why I was back so soon…well, little did I know…

I was about to get sick…really sick.  It was basically like having food poisoning on steroids…but, it wasn’t food poisoning, it was the flu.

Blake had been battling it for a couple of days and Travis was complaining of a stuffed up nose.

Then I got knocked down with stomach stuff, a fever, chills, aches and all that comes with that.

That night Brook got a fever too.

Four sick Newman’s in the house is not fun and Mommy’s really should never be sick.  Travis helped me out yesterday, but today he gave me a fair warning of only helping out a bit…”I have to make money dear.”

Um…well, this house can’t run if I’m knocked down by the flu dude!

I remember those times when the hardest part about being sick was getting to the grocery store to get all of the remedies I needed before I hunkered down in my bed for three days.  I miss those days.

Good news though, we are on the mend and hopefully Brook will be able to get back to school by Thursday…even though she is sick, she is going stir crazy and I honestly don’t have a lot of energy to entertain since I’m trying to get better too.

There should be a rule that Mommy’s are not allowed to get sick…because the family just doesn’t work when she’s down.

Hopefully tomorrow my family and I will feel healthy and terrific…here is to hoping!

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Brook and Travis Working On Their Skeleton

Here is what you will need:

Halloween Skeleton Art Project

• Black Construction Paper
• Cotton Balls
• Q-Tips
• Scissors
• Glue
• Hole Puncher
• String or Ribbon
• White Marker
• Black Stickers or Paint Pen for Face

1 – Glue the head cotton ball on first.  Glue one whole Q-tip underneath head for the body and then glue second cotton ball under Q-tip to represent the pelvis area.

2 – Cut off the tips of 4 Q-tips and then cut them in half.  Glue them on the right and left of the long “body” Q-tip…they are representing ribs.  Tip:  if you put the glue on the paper first and then put the Q-tip on, it seems to be easier.

3 – Glue two leg Q-tips under the “pelvis” cotton ball and glue 2 Q-tip arms by the ribs.  Use any black stickers you have or some type of paint pen from the craft store to make a face on the skeleton.  Or, leave it faceless…your choice.

4 – Use the white pen to put your name on your piece of art.  Make two hole punches on the top of the paper and string the ribbon through the hole punches and tie it off.  This is so you can hang your art work.

5 – Find a fun place to show it off…

Here is what the finished product could look like…

Skeleton Project

This is how happy my family was making these fun guys!

Brook Doing Her Halloween Art

The Artists Showing Off Their Masterpieces

And this is where are art gallery of skeletons are inside our house…

Our Studio and Gallery

Have fun this Halloween season and make some memories…Happy Creativeness!

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Today was ordinary, special and fun.  Travis took the kids out this morning to give me a small break and it’s funny because you would think I would use that time for doing something special for me like a pedicure, or to go out shopping by myself (which I dream of) or I would catch up on my to-do list.  But, every time he is nice and takes the kids off my hands for a couple of hours, all I really ever do is sleep.  It kind of feels like a waste of this precious “me” time, but inevitably I always end up taking a nap.  It did feel great and I slept well and even though I really should do those other things, sleeping always wins.

They ended up coming back early today cuz Brook has a small accident and hit her nose into some flagstone…she’s fine, she just has a nifty bruise on the bridge of her nose.  Nothing boo-boo bunny couldn’t fix .

Then later on we took the kids to the park and it was great because the weather today was beautiful.  It’s finally starting to be the temperature others get envious about.  Warm in the sun, cool in the shade and perfect at night.  In my opinion, from now until the end of May, Phoenix is the best weather around.

At the park we all played and met some nice neighbors.  And for the first time, Blake played in the sand.  He was interested in the texture and although a little got into his mouth…he didn’t freak out about it the way Brook did the first time she played in sand.  Funny thing is Brook now loves to get dirty and she could play with sand and rocks all day, every day and be completely happy.

When we walked back to our street we ran into Matt, Corey and Sam.  And while we were chit-chatting the rest of the street found their way out of their homes.  It was great…this is why we love living on this street.  We love hanging out with our neighbors while all the kids play together.  We caught up with everyone, cooed over the new babies that were born this year (there were four on our street alone) and made plans to hang out more.  We ended up having dinner with Katy, Ryan and Makenna which made it a perfect ending to this Saturday.

So all in all, it wasn’t an overly significant day…if I didn’t write about it, I’d eventually forget the details.  But, it was a wonderful day.

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Brook Playing in the Fountains at Desert Ridge

Today after I picked Brook up from school I took the kids to Desert Ridge as a special Friday treat.  We went to the toy store, had a snack at Rubio’s (Brook’s favorite) and then I let Brook splash around in the fountains.  There is nothing better than watching a smiling and laughing little girl cool off on a hot summer afternoon.

Blake Laughing as Daddy is Tickling His Belly

Blake was content sitting in his stroller, watching all the other kids splash around and have some fun.  Later, Travis met us and then we all went out to dinner and spent a wonderful summer evening together.

It’s moments like this that make me…

A) Fall in love with my husband all over again

B) Fall in love with my children even more

C) Reminds me that nothing is more important than family

D) Reminds me that my life is wonderful, amazing, happy and complete.

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Sometimes we have other guests pop in for these dinners…either people in from out of town, neighbors, friends and/or anyone who wants some of the Newman warmth and hospitality…I can always find one more place setting for the people I love.  It’s just a great way to reconnect with the people in my life, plus I usually make something a little more special than usual…I get to be creative!

Another tradition is the clinking of the forks.  Before we all eat, we clink forks as a means of starting the meal…kind of like a celebratory clink of the champagne glass if you can imagine.  Then we also go around the table and tell everyone one good thing about our day.  It’s a wonderful evening!

This dinner, Shannon was still in Madison, so she was not here…But, we were lucky to have my Mom and my neighbor Karissa over for dinner.

Karissa with Baby Blake

This Tuesday I tried another adapted recipe from the Clean Food cookbook.  This one was Green Beans and Sweet Corn with Summer Vinaigrette.  Again, I added some other things to give it my own touch and it was a wonderful summer salad/side dish.  I served it with a Pepper Crusted Flank Steak with a Red Wine Cream Sauce.

Peppered Grilled Flank Steak with Red Wine Cream Sauce and Green Bean and Sweet Corn Salad with Summer Vinagarette

For dessert I did a fresh Mission Fig Plate with some great cheeses and dark chocolate.  We served that with a Vintage Port.

Fig and Cheese Plate with Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar and Vintage Port

Here is the Wine List from this evening:

Marianna 2005 – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot blend – FANTASTIC smooth, delish!

Peirano Estates 2007 – Cabernet Sauvignon – good but needed to have the tannins mellow for a couple of more years.

V. Santui Vintage Port – 1999 – Sweet and a great with our dessert…love this winery!  A must stop every time I go to Napa.

Cheese Platter List:

Manchego El Trigal 12 months – great salty and was wonderful with a drizzle of vanilla infused balsamic

Brillat Savarin Triple Creme – Fantastic, salty, creamy and buttery….If you can find it, buy it…I got mine at Whole Foods

Fresh Mission Figs

Vanilla Infused Balsamic Vinegar from The Lake Geneva Olive Oil Company

Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate with Madagascar Vanilla 60% Cacao

My Take on Terry Walters Summer Salad

Recipe for Green Bean and Sweet Corn with Summer Vinaigrette by Terry Walters with some adaptation

Veggies:

1 1/2 cups corn, fresh or frozen, steamed and cooled

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and steamed and cooled

1 pint assorted cherry, pear, heirloom tomatoes halved – any color

1 stalk of celery hearts chopped – my addition

1 yellow sweet bell pepper – my addition

Herbs / Cheese

Fresh Parsley – To Taste

Fresh Basil – To Taste

Parmesan – shaved to taste, put on top of salad – my addition

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (Terry says 2 tbsp, but I added way more veggies, so I added more oil)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar (Terry says 2 tbsp for this too)

2 garlic cloves minced (Terry calls for 1 clove)

The juice from half a lemon

2 tsp dried oregano – my addition

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Steam corn and green beans to desired tenderness.  If using cobs, after they cool cut corn off of the cobs.  In a bowl add cooled green beans and corn.  Put in diced yellow peppers, celery hearts and tomatoes. Then add the chopped parsley and basil.

In a separate bowl, whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper.

Add the vinaigrette to the bowl of veggies and herbs, gently toss till the vinaigrette coats the whole salad.  Place in serving bowl and add shaved Parmesan.  Serve chilled and great as leftovers for lunch the next day!

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Okay, seriously…I chose the family path.  I don’t regret it, not in the least, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t sometimes daydream about the “what if” factor.  What if, I chose plan B?  What if I stood up for myself instead of fulfilling someone else’s dream?  What if I accomplished all of my other dreams and goals?  What if?

I had a long talk with Travis yesterday about this very subject.  I love how he can put the personal side away for a moment and just talk to me like a friend instead of a husband.  It was really important in this conversation, because I was basically telling him that sometimes I wish that I chose career over family.  That has to be hard to hear from your wife.  But, I needed someone to listen and he was there…he is an amazing man.

On Friday, I begged profusely to Travis to take me and the kids to see Julie and Julia.  I have been dreaming of this movie for weeks and I just couldn’t wait until Abby could watch the kids to see it.  Luck was on my side, because it was raining and there was absolutely nothing else to do other than go to a movie.  So, after some bribing he said yes.  Now taking kids to a non-kid movie is crazy, I don’t recommend it…but, Brook and Blake were so very good and I was able to see a movie about a woman that most chef’s admire…Julia Child.  I won’t go into the story, but if you are a foodie, I recommend watching the movie…if you are interested you can read more about the movie here.

Back to me!

Of course the movie made me miss the road less traveled.  Here is the what if I said something different dream.

What if I told my Mom that I didn’t want to fulfill her dream of going to a “traditional” university?  What if I told her I was going to apply and go to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America)?  What if I actually went?  Where would I be right this minute?

I would like to think that if that scenario happened, that I would be either working in Paris or New York this very minute.  Hopefully, by now I would either be part or full owner of my own restaurant and I would be in the creme de la creme of chefs.  You know, the ones who people talk about, the ones where you need to make reservations months ahead of time for a table.  I would like to think that I would be there.  I would also hope that I would travel to learn about new trends in food and to have a cultural knowledge of my art as well as a gift for technique and talent.

I would like to think that I would have kicked some major ass in the food world!  I really don’t think I would have been everyday famous like the food network people, but I would have been awesome!

Instead…I chose family.  I chose to make my Mom happy and I went to ASU…I met my husband and together we started and have a wonderful little life full of laughter, children and love.  I don’t regret any of my decisions.

I have thought long and hard and have come to the realization that these two lives can and will never meet.  If, I chose plan B, I only see it being a success because I chose to stay single without children.  Or, I would have gotten married much, much later in life, but I still don’t see children in the plan B dream.

Now, I can’t imagine my life without my husband and my children…Brook, Blake, Travis…they are my world.

Plan B sounds nice on paper, but the reality of now is soooo much better.

And for all of you thinking I can do it all, I could still go to school and own a restaurant…yeah, in some ways you are right.  BUT…it wouldn’t be the same.  The restaurant life is hard on a family and I just don’t want to put them through that.  My heart would always be torn, always be where I wasn’t.

Career or Family?

Answer is family because this…this is the good life.

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Milestones:

Blake’s two bottom teeth are coming up!  Oh and he is a drooling, crying, crazy explosion in the pants mess right now.  The only thing I do is give him as many chew toys as possible and some baby Tylenol for the discomfort.

As for the explosions…they have been so gross.  Sometimes your mind can turn off and you don’t realize that in fact your hands are elbow deep in shit, and then there are other times when you are trying to hold back your own puke because it is far too gross and smelly.  Well, lately it’s been the latter, he’s had some doozies!  Ah, it’s all part of the parenting package….itty bity baby with more crap than anyone could imagine!  I mean seriously, where do they hold it all before the explosion and it’s amazing that they still have their body weight once the filling of mulitple diapers are over.

Another thing he can now do is roll from his back to his side.  The funny thing is he likes to roll, but he doesn’t like to be on his stomach, so after the roll, he’ll scream for you to move him back to his back and then he just rolls right over again.  Sounds funny, but in reality I feel like telling him to make up his mind and stick with it!

As for Brook, well to my Mother’s happiness, I have gotten her hooked on old Hollywood musicals through instant watch on Netflix.  So far she’s watched Singing in the Rain and An American in Paris.  It is really cute to see her mimic the movie once it’s over, dancing around and being fancy.  Maybe she’ll want to be a dancer…only time will tell

Speaking of Mother

The reason why we have been so busy is that my Mom and John came to visit for a few days.  We were very busy people, going on beer tours, seeing the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play at the outdoor theater Ravinia, going on a huge shopping spree at the outlet malls, taking John fishing, eating every single Wisconsin food there is and well the best is saved for last…Tequila Fest 2009.

See, Jose and I were deeply in love when I was in college…we’d party all of the time, I loved him…then, well I got sick one too many times off of his cheep ass and well, we divorced…I have been tequila free ever since, until…

The family BBQ.

I thought it would be fun to have a BBQ for my Mom and John and invite my neighbors, my in-laws and my Shannon.  It would be a traditional Brat and Corn fest and we’d drink some Brandy Old Fashion Sweets and Mojitos.  Sounds innocent until Shannon shows up with two bottles  of very nice, very pricey tequila.  And for all who don’t know Shannon, she isn’t a drinker, so when she feels like it, I get on the bandwagon.

I should have let this bandwagon continue on…Oh my heaven!  It would have been fine if I only took one or two shots like I planned to…but, that didn’t happen, because Jose’s richer Uncles tasted so yummy that I went just an tini-tiny bit overboard.

There are pictures….lots and lots of them, but you know what?  I think I will keep them to myself this time as to not overly embarrass myself.

Let’s just say that my brief love affair with Jose’s Uncle(s) are over…I divorced them too!  One cannot be a parent and have that kind of relationship with tequila or any other form of alcohol.  Thank god Travis was somewhat responsible that night because there was no way I could take care of my children the next day.  The hangover from hell was not my idea of fun…it lasted for two and a half days!

So that’s it for now.  We are heading Up-North to the Carani Lake Cabin for a few days, so you won’t be hearing from me again for a bit…but, I’m sure I’ll have some fun stories when we get back.  TTFN!

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The Newman's In All of Their Red, White and Blue Attire

This is the one holiday where I make the whole family dress in some type of red, white and blue combination.  I just love all of us being dressed for the occasion and as silly as this sounds, it makes the holiday feel more holiday-ish.

For the third year in a row we have gone into Lake Bluff, Il, which is this quaint little “Americana” town to watch and be in the 4th of July parade.  My father-in-law is the fire chief for the neighboring town Libertyville, and he lets Brook ride in the fire truck in the parade.  I’m not going to lie to you when I say I was “really” excited because this year, I got to ride with Brook in the fire truck too!

The "Americana" Look of the Parade

Brook and I in the Fire Truck In The Lake Bluff Parade

I am pretty sure I was way more excited to be in the parade then Brook was.  We rode in a 1947 fire truck, which is an original to the Libertyville Fire Department.  Brook and I waved to everyone and I encouraged her to shout, “Happy 4th of July,” to the crowd and they loved it…especially the older generation in the crowd.  It also was a beautiful route full of restored old homes or beautiful new semi-mansions.   People were having parties on their driveways and after the parade we all went to the park which was holding a festival.

Blake with Fire Chief Papa After the Parade

Blake was a little jealous that he didn’t go on the fire truck.  I told him not to worry, that he will be able to go next year and he’ll have loads of fun!

Brook with Her Great-Grandpa Rich Walking The "Balance Beams" Together

After the parade and festival we all went home for a well needed nap….and yes, I got both of my kids to nap at the same time which is what I consider my version of heaven now and days!  Then we had a barbecue followed of course by the firework show in downtown Libertyville.  All in all the 4th of July’s here are perfect and this one was no exception!

Blake and Mommy During Blake's First 4th of July Parade

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Brook Pulling Her Beach Toys

So last week was quite warm…actually it was crazy hot and yes I loved it!  So we decided to take Daddy and Blake and head down to our beach on Browns Lake.  The water was as warm as a bath which makes me wonder what wonderful things are growing in there that we in turn voluntarily splash around in.  If I put my germaphobe thoughts aside, we had a blast swimming around and catching Brook as she jumps off of the pier.

Brook also picked her first tomato of the season off of our tomato plant.  She was very proud of it and is showing it off in this next image.

Brook Showing Off Her Tomato

We promptly took it inside to get it washed up, sliced and salted and she ate the whole thing in three seconds flat.  That’s my girl!

Blake recently hit yet another milestone…he is now eating some solids!  So far we have given him applesauce and peaches…he thinks peaches are far yummier than the applesauce.  Here he is in all of his eating glory…

Eating His Stage One Peaches

Here is a great picture of Blake being annoyed by Brook…Not the first and not the last!

Blake In His Own Way Telling Brook To Leave Him Alone

Here is a great one of the whole family…well not me, someone had to take the picture…

Cute Newmans

And finally, here is Brook trying on Daddy’s hat while Daddy is telling her he’s gonna teach her how to be the best woman poker player ever!  Let’s hope so, she could make a lot of money that way…

Could She Be The Next Big Poker Player?

So, these are some of the most current pictures of the most important people in my life!

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Well, a couple of weeks ago we were at the movies when I saw a poster for a Jon Troast concert.  I promptly made plans to attend and was really excited to see and hear his music again.  I didn’t know that this show marked the end of a fantastic journey for him.  He just accomplished 100 concerts in 100 days and the concert that we attended was his 100th one.  It was really fun to hear about his adventures and to see someone trying so hard to get his music and his message out there.

What message you ask?  Well, I guess you are asking the wrong person, seeing that I am not him, but if I had to guess, his message is of living life, enjoying the small stuff, learn from love and remember that you and everyone around you are special.  He just has this great gift of songwriting and some of his songs remind me how special my life and the people that are in it are.  Let’s just put it this way, if I knew about his music when Travis and I got married, I would have definitely had You’re That Way as my wedding song.  It is just so beautiful and heartfelt.

So, I confess that although I enjoy his music, I didn’t know much about him and his concerts till last night.  I feel bummed out because if I would have known, I would have made sure that our living room was one of his stops on his concert tour.  Maybe he’ll have a round two and we will be lucky enough to have his music fill our home and we’ll be able to share his voice and talent with our family and friends.  It will also give me the chance to ask him why red shoes?  I know there is a story behind that, but I don’t know it and I’m a curious person .

He said he was going to be recording soon, and I hope he does because he has a new song about each moment in one’s life should be their favorite.  It really opened up my eyes and made me realize that each moment with my children and my husband is a great one and to stop and be in that moment, in that minute with those people.  Oh how my heart is smiling.

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