Happy Mother's Day

A little project I'm working on.  And oh so appropriate for this week, the midway point of Marc's 2 week stint in Australia.




Motherhood.   Kicks my butt daily.

Before you're actually in the job, you have no i-d-e-a. And even when you are in the job, you still have NO  I-D-E-A. I have never worked so hard and still felt like I was running backward. Felt more flustered. Experienced more of every emotion (and all at the same time!) than I ever though humanly possible.  Failed so OFTEN...like, every five minutes!

And yet, when have I ever been so LOVED.  So USEFUL.  So PROUD and DEVOTED and BLESSED.  When have I ever been so at the center of the universe, than I am for these three little people that call me Mom.

I'm terrible at this job.  Mess it up every day.  Want to rip my hair out and cry every twelve minutes.  Want to curl into the fetal position at least once a day at how impossible it all is.

And I wouldn't change it for the world.

Except maybe if the three-year-old could stop running out into traffic?  That might be helpful.  And if the five year old could stop whining?  That would be awesome.  And if the eight year old could somehow lose the defiance he's worn as a badge off honor since birth.  That would rock my world.

But I swear, that's all.

I'm going to bed now before I think up more that I would change...my to-do list is already long enough!

Hoppy Easter Part 3: Goodies from Nannie!

I've been trying to play with the video feature on my new camera. I hope you enjoy this Deb and Phil! Thanks for the special treats - as you can see, they LOVED them!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Easter broadcast....

To announce that my IDOL came to Naperville!!  And no, I'm not talking about Jon Bon Jovi.  I'm talking about Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman!

Thanks to an email from JUDIE in New Hampsha' and later a phone call from JULIE in Massachusetts about a facebook post from KATE in Maine, about a book signing by REE in Naperville, followed by a text message to ULIA in Aurora...

My awesome sister in law and I got to meet possibly the world's most famous blogger.  She is definitely my most FAVORITE blogger.  Even though I started 'following' her waaay back when she was just a little ole blogger by her lonesome.  And now she's the head of a multimedia blog empire and a published author with a life story that is soon to be made into a movie!

But most importantly, and why she is my idol is that she is the most gracious, sweet, self-depricating, talented person ever.  On top of being an incredible photographer.  A talented chef.  A homeschooling Momma to her four little ranch-hands.  And a romantic wife.  And avid vegetable gardener.  And so SO much more. 

All of this and more, she shares freely and with zero ego to all of her minions (such as myself!)  She's kind of like Martha Stewart, you know, if Martha Stewart was nice.  And had a personality.  And dimples. 

And she signed my books!  And Ulia's too!

And made small talk like we were her special buds.

We'll never wash our cheeks again!

(Oh wait, we never actually made physical contact, a la Davy Jones and Marcia Brady.  I liked her too much to sully her with my snoteriffic Naperville-school-children germs.  So I guess we can wash our cheeks again.  Which is good, because I've been prone to breakouts these days and that would have been murder for my complexion.)

Hoppy Easter Part Two: 1st Annual Kinloch Easter Egg Hunt

My friend and neighbor Nancy was recently elected to the Homeowners Association board.  She was pretty much handpicked by all us neighborhood parents who wanted more stuff for the kids to do!  With four kids of her own and a no-nonsense way of getting things done, she immediately set out to organize a social committee.  And I'm on it!! (yes, I'm doing a happy dance  :) )  I have envied my friends Alex and Dianne for years because of the awesome neighborhoods they live in - where people aren't just 'neighborly' - they genuinely want to be FRIENDS and come up with all sorts of fun things to do together.  

And now...I live in that kind of neighborhood!!!  Yipeee!!!

Our first event was an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids, and it was a smashing success.  The kids had a ball, and the parents did too.

Everyone had their baskets ready and were lined up and ready to go!

We had each child who participated bring 12 pre-stuffed eggs, and laid them out all over the lawn at the end of our cul-de-sac.  We had separate areas for different age groups, and used landscaper's spray paint on the grass to show who went where.  That way the 2 year olds wouldn't get trampled and the 5 year olds had a fighting chance!

There was even a special guest invited!  This was Jack, Molly and Ben's first time EVER seeing the "Easter Bunny".  Jack and Molly figured out pretty quickly that it was just our neighbor's daughter in a bunny costume, but Ben was enthralled! 

We've been deep in discussion as to what we think the REAL Easter Bunny looks like - no consensus yet. 

 This is Molly's group, the 4-6 year olds, just after they crossed the starting line.

It wasn't all that hard, being out in the open and all.  More like a snatch and grab job.

 Ben was with the 3 and under group.  I lobbied for 3 year olds to be with the little kids, and it worked out great.

On your mark, get set, GO!!!

Jack's buddy Brandon with his loot.

Someone really liked his eggs! 

This is our next door neighbor Samir.  He's four.  Going on seventeen.  And cute as a button.

This is our across-the-street neighbor Connor. 

Maybe the nicest kid I've ever met.

Molly asked me why she couldn't hug him in school.  Or kiss him either.

OY VEY!

(she was reminded quite forcefully that she can't hug, kiss or date anyone until she's thirty.  no worries)

The Golden Egg!!! 

Well, really just Toy Story, but to him it was gold!

Somebunny got a pretty bow in the mail!

Nothing like a 6 foot tall bunny to make you feel warm and fuzzy!

(and maybe just a titch wierded out and spooked!)

The fam.  Minus the one who was wierded out and spooked.

Ben got the jellybean motherload, because it was the only candy we could be sure was nut-free.

He didn't protest though...he tried, but his teeth were stuck together.

The Social Committee
Clockwise from the bunny are me, Jackie, Nancy, Kris, Carol, Marybeth and Nicole. 

As an aside, Nicole's daughter Olivia has an uncanny resemblance to Molly.  They have their first play date tomorrow at Nicole's house and I'm kinda hoping it's a love-fest. 
This place is overrun with boys and Molly needs a girfriend!

Counting her chickens before they hatch.

 The assistant to the counting.

Jack and his buds.  See what I mean about the boys?  They are everywhere!

Good for Jack and Ben...not so great for my little blondie. 

There are a bunch of houses in the 'hood up for sale this spring though, so I'm hoping for an influx of girls!

The hunt is over

The hunt is done

Next year, we'll have another one!

From near to far

From far to near

Easter eggs are everywhere!

Hoppy Easter Part One

So many Easter photos, so little time.  I'm going to have to do this in phases, so let's start with the CUTEST, shall we?  I'll start with Team Mallett bedecked in our Easter finery.

Seriously cute! 

I totally bribed them to take this picture - the boys were so not down with sitting on the big pink bed, but hey - the colors coordinated, so it had to be done!

Being our first Easter in Illinois, I went to Von Maur (the fancy schmancy expensive store) to find Molly the perfect Easter dress.  It wasn't there!  So much more my style, I ended up finding her a pink version of her Christmas dress on the 60% off rack at J.C. Penney.  Wahoo! 

If you're going out shopping three days before a holiday, you don't get much of a selection, but you do get the sale...it's the Eileen Simpson shopping Philosophy, and it works for me!

(Eileen is Marc's aunt, and no relation to Bart, that I know of)

But what on EARTH could I stick on the boys to work with this pink confection?? 

I remembered I'd snagged a classic looking striped button-down for Jack back at a sale months ago.  And that I'd found a near match in Ben's size on a $1 rack at Toys 'R' Us last month.  You heard that right, One Dollah!! 

Paired with the snazzy pink bow tie courtesy of Amazon.com two day shipping and we've got
CO-OR-DIN-ATION
(is anybody with me on the Boomerang reference?)
 
Of course there was a pink tie for Jack too.  He declined.  I couldn't blame him
But Ben?  In that tie, with his spikey hairdo?  SWOON!!

Don't his eyes look like Molly's there a wee bit?

My how I do love a well-coordinated family ensemble!

Happy Arbor Day

Spring clearly presents too many photo opportunities because I've been overwhelmed with the pictures I need to edit, upload, and blog.  My bad!  Let's start fresh though, shall we?  And work our way backward.

Today was Arbor Day.  Also known as THERE'S A REAL PRINCESS GETTING MARRIED TODAY day!  Molly was so excited about the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton, but I started the Tivo-ed wedding too late tonight and ended up with a bit of a raucous crowd.  I remembered how magical Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding was to me as a little girl, and just wanted to give the kids the same memory for their lifetime.  Who knows what they'll retain, but sountrack to the wedding at our house sounded something like this

"Why are all those people there?"
"Why can't they all go to the church?"
"Why can't WE go to the church?"
"Someday can we go to the church?"
"And meet them?"
"Molly stop screaming everything!"
"And why do those boys have to sing?"
"What if they don't want to?"
"What if they quit? Can they go back if they change their minds?"
"Why aren't there any girls singing?
"Jack, get your feet out of my face!"
"Why do they sound so funny?
"Why aren't they smiling?"
"Why does that lady have a bird on her head?"  (in reference to a certain hat)
"That can't be the Queen.  She doesn't look very royal."
"Why is she wearing yellow?  Yellow isn't very Queen-ish"
"When will the Princess be the Queen?
"Why can't she be the Queen?"
"That's not very nice. What if she really wants to be Queen?"
"Ben stop kicking me!"
"Why do they call her the Princess of Whales?  Do the whales love her?"
"But why do they call it Wales if it's England?"
"Ben's hitting meeeeeee!!!!!!"
"Molly's hitting meeeeeee!!!"
"Jack, stop picking your nose!"

And on and on it went.  A fine way to watch a royal wedding I say, especially on Arbor Day.  Hey, maybe that explains question number 4,712 - "Mama, why are there trees inside the church?"

But back to Arbor day.  Spring has finally sprung here in Naperville and the trees are bursting with flowers!  Not quite like back in Pembroke, as this place has only had four or five years to grow it's trees (it was farmland and then a construction site before that).  But still, it's magical to go to sleep with no blooms, and wake up to this...



We celebrated by busting out our new Crayola color bubbles from the Easter Bunny.  These unique bubbles are COLORED!  And supposedly wash right out of clothing should they accidentally stain them.

FYI...they LIE!!!  My driveway looks like a human and blue-blooded alien got in a fight to the death.  And Molly's and Ben's fingers are stained all over.  And their shoes.  And clothes.

The offensive bubbles myseriously disappeared shortly after these photos were taken.

We also celebrated the royal nuptuals by welcoming the ice cream man back to the neighborhood.  Remind me to slash his tires next time he rolls through at dinner time.  You can't beat the happiness and excitement that good old ice cream truck music brings out in the kiddos though.

It was certainly a busy day, but a good day too.  Most importantly there was a giant ball of fire in the sky today that we haven't seen in a very long time.  I hope it sticks around!  It is SPRING after all.

Nana Nancy's Gravy

Nana Nancy is Marc's grandmother. 

Marc's ITALIAN grandmother.

And if it's not HER gravy?  Then it's not really gravy at all. 

And for anyone not living in New England, by GRAVY, I mean tomato sauce, of course.

When Marc and I first got married and lived in Boston, a stone's throw from his family in Revere, everyone knew where to find us on Sunday night - at Nana's house, stuffing our faces.  But then we moved away.  And now we've REALLY moved away.  So that Nana's gravy and macaroni (and by MACARONI, I mean ziti, of course) is no longer a staple of our diet.

And boy do we miss it! 

I admit I've had the recipe for a while now, but for an Irish girl who never even knew you could make gravy on your own until I met Marc's family....well, I was a little nervous that I wasn't up to the challenge.  I've even had the ingredients in my pantry - I moved them from MASSACHUSETTS for goodness sakes, that's how long I've had them...but I was still too afraid to try it.  Even though Nana said it was so easy!  Haven't you noticed that's what all the great cooks say?  It's so EASY!   But when you try it you set your house on fire and have to figure out how to get tomatoes off the ceiling.

Anywho. 

There was a particularly nasty day of weather during our Spring Break, so I decided that TODAY WAS THE DAY.  My sous chefs and I scrubbed up, prepped our ingredients and went to work.

Here, we have Sous Chef #1 diligently grating parmesan

She really got into it, asking for more things to grate when the cheese was gone.

"Could I grate some bread?  How about yogurt?"

And Sous Chef #2, who felt some heavy equipment was necessary for his job

Homemade breadcrumbs.

And here he is making his best Michelle Traynham face

(sorry to anyone who doesn't know Michelle, but this was too hilarious a comparison not to share!)

 

Sous Chef #3 took a cue from his big brother when I gave him the job of squishing the meatball ingredients together.  I gave him the bowl, showed him what to do, and he ran away to get 'sum-fing".

When I looked back a minute later, this is what I saw...

Making meatballs is a serious job, apparently.

You could poke your eye out!. 

He was a tentative squisher.

Needed a little help to really get down and dirty with the smooshing. 

(Am I the only one who sees my muffin top trying to escape my pants and attack the food? 

 Or did the flower in my hair do it's job and distract you?)

Enter the cookie scooper Mrs. Claus put in my stocking.  Sous Chef #1 and I used it to scoop and roll the meat into happy little balls of uniformity.

At last, it was time to cook it all!

I can't show you that though, because it required Herculean effort not to just go take a nap after all that work.  Pictures would have put us over the edge.

And then it was done.  The meatballs had been baked (because I am FAR to lazy and messy a cook to pan-fry them), the turkey sausages had been browned.  The gravy ingredients were assembled and simmered for the requisite number of hours.

The table was set, and the taste testers assembled.

 

Spaghetti was the sous chefs' choice for "macaroni".  And two of the chefs didn't care how much work was put into it - tomatoes in any form are not allowed to touch their pasta. Their loss.  Because THIS chef?  Ate an entire plate piled high with so much goodness that even the muffin top cried Uncle!

And Jack, who is a HUGE fan of Nana Nancy's gravy, sat down to a plate as well.  His official taste tester decree went something like this...

 

"Mom, I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but.....this is NOTHING like Nana Nancy's.  It's really, actually - again not to make you feel bad...but it's kinda gross.  Molly!  Do NOT stick your finger in it!  Back AWAY - you will totally hate it.  You might even puke.  DONT' touch it!!  Trust me.  Oh.  So sorry Mom.  But yeah.  Yuck."

So Nana?  Your place as the family gravy queen is clearly not in jeopardy!  And next time we visit, if your freezer somehow goes empty of all that gravy you keep frozen ...you'll know it went to a good home :)