a slice of insanity pie...

Sort of how I am feeling right now. 

As if I ate a large portion of that pie.

Do you know that mixed feeling after consuming a large, sweet, rich dessert? A little satisfied, a little bit on a sugar-high, a little grateful such delicious things exist, a little bit of, "Uh-oh, I can't believe I just ate the WHOLE thing."

That's where I am today.

One day ago we booked three plane tickets to fly to Greece for a two week vacation.  We have no passports.  We have made no advanced preparations to fly internationally with our toddler.  The ground transportation is far from sewn up.  And, we leave in...

10 days.

TEN DAYS!

Color me crazy.

How did this madness come about?  We have been talking about this trip since last summer.  About the timing with both of our work schedules, when the right time would be for George, planning for the rising costs of airfare.  I arranged my entire May work schedule to accommodate a vacation.  Mr. Boom figured out his project schedule and figured mid-May to be the ideal time, right before his busy season begins.  We had the dates ready.  We were looking at airfares. 

And then we opened the mailbox. 

Inside, the Federal Jury Duty notice addressed to Mr. Boom with a notice to appear in mid-April. Not exactly stellar timing for civic duty.  Postpone, you say?  Not an option.  He had already needed  to postpone twice and a third postponement would have called him back in the late summer, at the height of his busy work season when he absolutely, no way, cannot leave his job site.  Nothing left to do but put off buying tickets, report to the call and hope for a dismissal.  Which would leave us mere days to know would we or wouldn't we be going on this trip.  Just days to buy international airfare and figure out logistics.  Days to pack and prepare while still maintaining our normal work and home schedules. 

And that brings me to crazy-town.  He was not, thankfully, selected for a jury and his job cleared the vacation time.  Our appointment to get three expedited passports is tomorrow morning.  So, here were are with TEN DAYS to prepare for our big, fat Greek vacation. 

Oh, and just a little bit of a (fantastically cool) wrench in the already short timeline.  Mr. Boom and I are leaving George, to spend his very first night away from us, just two days before our trip for a Bon Jovi concert!  Friday night concert, stay over and return home on Saturday, fly out of the country on Sunday.

Grateful and excited? YES.

Crazy as a loon?  Check!

Wish us luck...

wordless wednesday: peek-a-boo, take 2...

Becoming an annual tradition, HERE are his peek-a-boo shots from last year in the same spot.

it was a happy easter indeed...

We had a wonderful Easter weekend full of family, playtime and food. My parents were in town to celebrate with us and to get some much needed George time. Though the weather wasn't ideal, we were able to take advantage of a brief clearing on Saturday for a park trip and Sunday morning was warm and full of beautiful sun for Easter mass. Here is the re-cap, in photos...

My dad, book reader extraordinaire. Just look at the adoration!

Sliding is fun!

Fun at the park with Pop and YiaYia...

Thanks Easter Bunny!

With the traditional Greek Easter lamb. My oh so handsome guys in their finest... 

A reluctant bunny...

 Thanks to my dad for this new favorite family photo...

crying over spilled coffee: tale from a true klutz...

I am a klutz.  I drop things, stub my toes and trip over things occasionally constantly.  It is an annoying, messy and sometimes painful part of who I am.  Despite trying very hard to avoid spills they just happen and happen regularly.

This is the mug that my mom gave to me when I became a mom myself.  The mug that has held the coffee that has carried me through countless mornings after sleep deprived nights.  The mug I have sipped from every single day since arriving home with our tiny little bundle of George. A large mug for copious amounts of caffeine, fitting perfectly in my hand and the caricature bearing a striking resemblance to my morning self.

Today, I put my coffee mug on the counter and set about the task of washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast. Deciding that I had enough coffee for the day, I picked up my mug to spill the last of the liquid and wash it out.  Maybe there was too much soap on my hands or maybe it was just my klutzy moment of the day but CRASH! in an instant it was out of my hands, coffee splashing a mess everywhere, and broken.

Now, sadly, this is my poor mug:

The klutz strikes again, leaving me mugless and not a happy camper. *sigh*

dinner tonight: 2 recipes = 1 delicious meal...

Followers of my blog for any time might have noticed a lack of recipe posts lately.  The truth is that in the late winter, early spring doldrums I just haven't been inspired to try anything new.  Nothing was peaking my interest and we were getting in a bit of a slow cooker dinner rut. Even some of the favorites in our meal rotation feel stale when eaten over and over again. 

Then, last week, a side dish popped up in my Google Reader that sounded and looked good enough to pull me out of my recipe funk: Herbed Potatoes and Green Beans.  I grocery shopped for the few ingredients I didn't have on hand Monday and took boneless pork chops out of the freezer to defrost.  Tuesday night's dinner was on it's way to being planned.  But, what to do with the pork?  I needed to find a skillet recipe - the oven would take too long and the grill? Buried in the back of the garage. Somewhere.  So, I turned to the girls on a message board I frequent and came away with what turned out to be a delicious suggestion for Rosemary Garlic Pork Chops. I cooked both dishes at the same time, taking about 30 minutes total.  Here are the adapted recipes:

Herbed Potatoes and Green Beans
Adapted from Stephanie Cooks

1 lb. red potatoes, diced evenly
3/4 lb green beans, end trimmed
Chicken broth, at least 2 cups
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1 tsp garlic powder
Paprika
Salt & Pepper

1. Spray cooking spray in a large skillet with lid.
2. Turn heat to med-high, add potatoes
3. Flip after 5 minutes, or when golden brown. Brown other side.
4. Pour in chicken broth until potatoes are halfway covered, about one cup. Cover and allow to steam over med-low heat 5-10 min until liquid is almost absorbed.
5. Add more broth, again covering potatoes halfway.  Add green beans, onion, garlic and sprinkle with paprika. Stir well. Replace lid, steam 5-10 min, checking often (may need to add more liquid).
6. Once veggies are cooked through, raise heat to reduce broth.  Stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Oregano Garlic Pork Chops
Adapted Redbook

4 boneless center-cut pork chops (1"thick)
3/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced (I used 1 tsp Tastefully Simple, Garlic Garlic)

1. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper, seasoning both sides.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil on med-high, add pork chops when hot and cook 4 minutes per side.
3. Reduce heat to medium; add butter, oregano and garlic. Cook, turning pork every 2-3 min until finished.  Remove from heat, cover with foil and let stand 5 min. Spoon drippings over pork when serving.

wordless wednesday: being groomed...

Fierce, yet still cute, look to wither competitors? Check!

on music: the good and the very, very bad...

As pop culture is subjective to taste and personal preference, I don't comment on it too often.  Sure, I love Bon Jovi, Billy Joel and Adele but you may not and we can still be friends, right? (well, maybe...) But, I'm feeling compelled to say something now. 

For years, though I had a relatively short commute to work, I listened to audio books in the car rather than the radio.  I wasn't a big fan of the endless corny commercials and they were all that seemed to play for the 15 minute ride to and from work each day.  Audio books were a great solution and our library was well stocked with interesting titles.  I find that audio books require a certain amount of attention, however.  Now that my commutes are significantly longer (35+ min to Bronx and 90+ min to Brooklyn) and fraught with whizzing cabs, barreling box trucks and crazy commuters, my whole attention needs to be on the task at hand - defensive driving. 

So, I'm back to listening to the radio.

The thing about popular radio is that they play the same Top 25 or so songs, over and over all day long. Having an affinity for memorizing music easily I know most pop songs on the radio now by heart. There are some good ones, in my opinion, such as:

• Pink - "Perfect"...on your worst day, the hope is that everyone has someone in their life to tell them that they are perfect, no matter what
• The Script - "For the First Time"...such a beautiful commentary on life right now.  Times are hard but cling to the ones you love to see you through *sigh*
• Plain White Tees - "Rhythm of Love"...peppy, happy, lovey-dovey sweetness

And then there are the bad ones:

• Ke$ha- "Your Love is My Drug"- where she compares herself to a 'lovesick crackhead.'  Um, okay? She just has this whiny, nasally, awful voice that always makes me wonder who on earth thought it was a good idea to give her a contract. And the dollar sign?  Really?
• Mumford and Sons - "The Cave"...any song that includes lyrics such as 'tie me to a post' or 'noose around your neck' is not my cup of tea.  These guys are just trying way to hard to set themselves apart and the result? Not good
• Katy Perry - "E.T."...good concept for a movie, just ridiculous as a song

The, the worst of the worst (this is where I stand up on my soap box):

• Rihanna- "S&M"...sexually graphic, blatant and, frankly, disgusting lyrics that I won't type out here.  Feel free to Google them yourself if you haven't heard the song yet. But, I warned you...

As a single adult, I might not have thought twice about this last song.  Being a parent gives a completely different perspective. This one song makes me truly concerned about raising a child in our society.  What are we saying to our children when the most popular, mainstream radio station in the New York metro area is playing this trash hourly for any child to tune in?  I am no prude but, this?  Over the top.

While, yes, I do believe it is a parent's responsibility to filter media for children, how much can we shelter them?  Remember when Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" came out and shortly thereafter a number of YouTube videos of little girls imitating the dance popped up, causing all sorts of commentary?  Can you imagine the storm that this will bring if the same happens?  Can't. even, go. there. 

Children are going to hear this song, catch the beat and start memorizing and singing back the words.  They will be asking you, "Mommy, why does she want to be gagged?"  OMG. 

How would you explain that one? 

Why should you have any need to explain (or artfully dodge) that question?

How do you plan on dealing with these issues that come up in a society that is getting more and more permissive and accepting of making the taboo part of the mainstream, accessible to our youngest and most vulnerable?  Discuss...