Hurricane Sandy with a "Y"

So this week was pretty crazy.  And I don't mean crazy in the way normal, regular people mean crazy.  That's my normal day.  I mean crazy for even me  - woman running a Small Village.  The color coded poster size calendar that hangs in my kitchen was my idea to "keep things straight" once the kids were in 3 separate first grade classrooms participating in 3 different after school activities with a husband who travels.  It is now a "keep me on the edge of sanity" tool so that I know what month it is and what day of the week.  I actually have three calendars - yes THREE.  One is my filofax that goes with me mostly everywhere.  I'm old school.  My former boss, may he rest in peace, taught me how to be a scheduler from the days before computers, iPhones, touch tone dialing, and intercom systems.  This is a man who did not know how to dial a phone because for over 20 years some fresh faced, idealistic young girl (with big boobs too knowing Guy) would place all his calls for him.  So, I WROTE his appointments down in a calendar.  Every day and every afternoon I would "reconcile" the calendars.   I may be living in a technologically advanced world, but in my little corner of said world, old school still works best.  Thus, the filofax.  Then I use my iPhone iCal app.  Handy little thing, but sometimes it's just easier to write it.  And lastly is the color coded wet erase poster sized calendar in my kitchen.  Each family member has a color.  School and synagogue events have colors too.  And each holiday has a goofy little drawing that most people thankfully think my children did. And every night I "reconcile" all three of them.  And you thought all I did was bake!  Bahhhaaaaahaaaahaaaaa.

Back to this week, ok?  The calendar was loaded - Monday grocery shopping, yoga, and prep for MLRT's Sisterhood kick off event.  Tuesday - Yoga, Ryan goes to DC, run lots of errands including the library, Rite Aid, get jewelry fixed, find yoga shorts for less than $65, lots of housekeeping stuff, boys have soccer practice, work with Liz at night to finalize some items for Ultimate Shopping Night (Are you going?  You cannot miss this amazing debut of a shopping extravaganza!).  Wednesday - Yoga, run lots of errands including the library, clean the house, do the laundry, finish writing thank you notes for nice things done (GASP 7 weeks ago) when mom died, Charlotte - Hip Hop class.  Thursday - Mikvah at 9:30 for my immersion to recommit to Judaism (such a whole other post!),  finish prepping the craft for Charlotte's Halloween party (pay attention to this one, ladies, it will come up again with a quiz to follow!) Let's not forget the Family Therapist at 3:30.  Friday was yoga, more errands, secret Reader in Jakes class at 11:30, more errands, meet someone at the house to show them how to do the craft for Charlotte's Halloween party, Jake IQ test at 4 (student practice to help a friend), Charlotte soccer at 5:30.  And let's not forget I wake up at 5:15 Mon/Wed/Fri to call Eileen.  *NOTE - this is not to make you jealous of my full, enriching life dedicated to the care and love for my family.  This is also not to make you shake your head and say, "Tsk, I don't know how she does it all." Really.  I know a lot of people are busier, have more kids, work out of the house, don't have a husband or at least one that actually helps.  It's just to put it all in perspective.  That's a pretty normal week for me.  Add a few, take a few, it's all pretty much just busy morning noon and night and how it will be for the next 12 years.  But I know I'm not special.  Actually, I'm pretty average and enjoying having more to do all day than knit, bake, eat and watch TV.  Although I really do miss my shows.  I have no idea what's going on on Parenthood, Private Practice, Greys Anatomy, Scandal, The Good Wife.  SIGH.  Thank God for Netflix, On Demand and ABC for iPad!!!

So Monday started off with yoga and grocery shopping.  While I was in the grocery store, the school nurse called.  I had forgotten to send a note that Charlotte needed her rescue Albuterol inhaler at noon because her illness induced asthma was being aggravated by an upper respiratory thing going on.  Bless my 6 year old daughter, who in the time it takes to walk upstairs to the bathroom forgets that she is going to the bathroom to brush her teeth actually remembered that she was to take her inhaler.  Ten minutes later the school nurse calls again.  Apparently Sam has been to the nurse twice today because his knee was really bothering him.  They weren't concerned as they didn't see any swelling or bruising but they wanted me "to know."  In other words, my kid was bugging them and they wanted me to intervene.  So I run home, throw all the cold/freezer items where they should go and - might I add STILL in my wet, sweaty and smelly yoga clothes - straight to school with a bottle of Tylenol.  (YES I realize it should have been Motrin, hindsight 20/20 yadda yadda whatever).  Sam limps pathetically into the nurse's office and my heart jumps in my throat a bit.  But the medically trained professionals are not fazed.  So I reign in my Mommy-is-a-sucker feelings and tell him maybe he just needs to walk it off.  I walk him back to his classroom and seriously, this child CANNOT walk.  But, the nurses said it was fine and since I dropped out of Harvard Med school in my 2nd year (HA!) I deferred to them.  I did however, call the knee injury expert - my darling husband.  We decided to wait until the end of the day.

I proceeded to prepare for my "Big Event" that night at synagogue.  My first public vendor show attempting to peddle my wares from Thirty One.  I had BIG expectations.  I had a lot to prepare.  And as usual, my time management was way off.  The printer wasn't cooperating and was very cranky that I was actually making it WORK.  I couldn't find things.  I had no idea what to wear!!!!!!  Husband comes home, meets Sam at the bus and has to carry him home.  Off to the ER they go, my dad comes to watch the remaining kids and off I go to MLRT to sell a whole lot of NOTHING.

Sam is home, in an immobilizer, on crutches and the ER tossed out words like "Lymes Disease" and I'm supposed to be CALM.  Ryan is leaving for DC.  He throws some information at me typical man style and off he goes.  I follow the ER sheet and call our pediatrician's office who tells me they want to see him.  The pediatrician dismisses Sam and my explanations of pain and discomfort and tosses aside the orthopedic recommendations and sends us on our way telling us he doesn't need an immobilizer or crutches and he will be begging to play soccer by Saturday.  (Um, yes we are SO getting a new pediatrician Monday!).  In all this hullabaloo I keep the immobilizer off him all day and night Tuesday.  By Wednesday morning he is in such pain I load him in the car to go to CHOP's ER.  Call above noted husband who proceeds to ask me why I would take him to another ER to be told the same thing and to just let him rest in bed with the immobilizer on.  EXCUSE ME?  ON? HOLY CRAP.  Two hours later my sweet, sweet boy is back and on the mend.  Only now it's Wednesday, I've missed yoga, I haven't run any errands and have you tried to be productive around the house with a bored 6 year old?  By Thursday I was practically throwing him in his classroom running to the car to enjoy every.single.minute. of my 3 hours of freedom.  And I made the most of them for sure.  Thursday night I was sound asleep by 9 and didn't wake up Friday until 6:30 - which is 1 1/2 hours later than my alarm is scheduled for.

Let me throw in that I am also taking care of two other 6 year olds.  Count it people - 1-2-3 SIX YEAR OLDS.  Tuesday Jake has soccer.  Wednesday Charlotte has dance.  Thursday we have family therapy (wouldn't you if you had me as a mom and our crazy life?!?!?).  And I STILL have not been to the Mikvah (but I am technically Jewish never fear!) and yoga is a distant memory of striving for an ongoing quest for Zen.

Friday I take Sam to school, go to meet one of my favorite people to sell my fantabulous bags and Among Mother Things items I've received ($1000 MaxMara boots for only $100, $500 necklaces for $50, $300 leather gloves for $40 - exactly!  So what are you waiting for?!?).  $120 later I walk out the door and continue checking everything off my list as I drive tire mark paths around Ardmore.  I drive back to the school to be the Secret Reader for Jake's class.  That was sweet, and blessedly short. Finally I am going to meet some of my favorite people for lunch but I wait for 20 minutes at the WRONG RESTAURANT.  Technology isn't all that it is cracked up to be all the time.  I meet them at the correct one, but only have 45 minutes because I have to go home to meet a mom from Charlotte's class.

I rush home to meet this never met before mom because she has requested a tutorial on a craft for the Halloween party in 1D.  (Please read that carefully.  There WILL be a quiz on this shortly).  After three days of trying to accommodate our schedules we are still on for this one.  I get home and hide the dirty dishes and the doorbell rings.  And here she is....  THE FREAKING AU PAIR.  Apparently Mom was "too busy" so she sent the au pair.(Yeah, I'm pretty speechless also).  Now for your test - I hope you paid attention earlier:

If a Mom contacts YOU to suggest a tutorial on a craft (for SIX YEAR OLDS) since you can't actually attend the party to facilitate the craft you are donating to the class (a craft for SIX YEAR OLDS) and asks you to juggle your schedule around and you do, at the proposed time of meeting what do you expect:

A. meeting the mom

B. meeting the au pair

C. none of the above.

If I were a drinking kind of gal - oh, wait, I am a drinking kind of gal which is why I don't drink anymore - there are not enough cigarettes and coffee to get me back to a place of zen anytime soon.  And on November 3 the smokes are no longer an option either.

I did manage to get two crafts done with the kids - pictures to come soon and they are easy, fun and make cute gifts.  I'm already figuring out how to turn them into Christmas/Hanukkah presents!  I did manage to download the software to make my own logo for Among Mother Things.  I did get the laundry folded.  I never made it to Rite Aid.  I only made it to the library once and left $16 poorer due to overdue fees.  I did SCORE at City Sports and found yoga shorts for $25 YIPPEEEEEEE but their clearance sale promotion of buy one get one 50% was over for now so the armful of clothing I had went back to the rack which I'm sure will make you-know-who happy if he were to ever find out.  And Sam and I are now world class WAR players and have pretty much started an ongoing tournament.  Game on kid!

To top it all of, the icing on the cake, the Hurricane headed our way is named Sandy.  Sandy with a Y unlike my mom Sandi with an I.  But let me tell you, typo's abound, my dearly departed mother is definitely letting me know she is gone but NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN.  And I'm pretty sure it's because she doesn't approve of my choice of Halloween decorations this year.  You think I'm kidding? Then you never met Sandi with an I.  

An Apple, a Pumpkin and a Banana Walk Into a Bar

Enough of shopping - how about a great way to not waste those apples the kids come home with from the orchard?  I have three times the amount as some of you and I've been watching these poor, unwanted apples sit and long to be a part of something bigger.  Curious as to why these are uneaten?  "Because they are dirty" is what my precious little daughter said to me.  Ah, MomMom would be so proud.  I, however, am now faced with explaining to my children where food actually comes from before it reaches their greedy little hands.  But FEAR NOT!  With my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (can you truly love an inanimate object?) and the amazing food blogs I'm following I am game to try almost anything and these apples will not go without serving a greater good.  So here is what we are going to do today with them:

First - MAKE APPLESAUCE!  I'm going to take all but two and peel them, cut them and steam them until they are soft.  Then I'll add cinnamon and some sugar to give them a little extra sweetness.  Then I'll divide the applesauce - one batch to eat and one batch to bake with.  

I have two recipes that use applesauce.  One is a recipe for Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins.  This recipe is from a PVE parent who sent out the recipe "because so many people asked about them" at the Morning Muffin Mingle.   As an aside, I am a bit bitter that no one "asked about" my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.  I mean, really?  Chocolate got passed over for oatmeal?  I find THAT very hard to believe!  Also, I didn't ask for them so why did she send them to EVERYONE?  SIGH.  Food bully!  But at least I now have a use for some of these apples!  The other one is a quickie that will impress everyone and never let them know you took shortcuts.  My MIL, Roberta Straff told me this today and I tweaked it a bit - use crescent roll dough pre made in the refrigerated section.  Lay out all the triangles of the dough on a baking tray (I usually put tinfoil down first but don't grease it) and put a dollop of applesauce in the middle and a couple of pieces of chopped apple.  Close up the corners like a popover and bake. Follow the degrees on the dough can, but be prepared to add a little time.  

While the apples steam, I'm going to multi-task big time.  First I'll soak the oats in milk for the muffin recipe.  Then I'm taking pumpkin pie filling left over from our Pumpkin Waffle Breakfast for Dinner Night and making pumpkin bread.  I'm also making Banana Bread.  Why, you ask, would you make all those breads?  Let me tell you why.  My children love bananas but are only 6 so the likelihood of a banana actually being finished completely is truly a crapshoot that is worse than Vegas odds.  My husband doesn't believe in throwing out food no matter what.  That combination leaves me with a bizarre refrigerator.  I won't even begin to tell you some of the things I've found in there.  However, one of them was half eaten bananas.  My darling other half doesn't know what happens to bananas when you put them in the fridge and the kids didn't eat all the bananas before they went "too ripe".  So here I am with all these bananas, my beautiful persimmon mixer and a mission.  Thus, banana bread.  

For my banana bread and pumpkin bread recipes I went to some of my go to food blogs and found their versions a little too frou frou for the palates at my house (clearly these are the blogs of people who cook for ADULTS).  So I google searched and found on Smitten Kitchen a great one for banana bread:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/speckled-for-the-freckled/

PLEASE NOTE I DID NOT USE THE BOURBON!!!!!! (As tempting as it was to double the amount and watch my children slip into dream land and give me a Sunday off!!!)

and on Brown Eyed Baker I found this pumpkin bread recipe and excluded the nuts:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/09/16/pumpkin-bread-recipe/

Happy Eating!

Win Win Baby!

Most of you who are reading my blog - for now - are already members of my FB group also called Among Mother Things.  Today I posted a shipment I just received of MaxMara boots, gloves, and accessories at huge price cuts just for my Among Mother Things friends.  That would include you, my dear, faithful, loyal and supportive blog readers.  So check it out and indulge with Neiman's items at Marshall's prices! 

I haven't posted anything since last week for entertainment purposes and for that I do apologize.  I have been completely overdoing it.  At first, it was the re-entry into "normal" life after the sudden loss of my mom, which happened the second day of school.  And not just any second day of school, the second day of the first year my kids were in Penn Valley Elementary and separated into three classes!  So not only did their mom basically disappear the day before school started, but the second day of what was already a huge transition (but not nearly as traumatic for them as it was for me embarking into the world of separate classrooms!) they lost their MomMom who they were very close to.  I spent two weeks playing catch up - while trying to navigate our new schedule and take care of myself and my profound grief.  Just when I thought *maybe* I might be doing ok, I would do something so scattered - like going to the bus at 8:45 convinced it came at 8:47 only to be told by a mom who took pity on me that it was 8:36 - and I was put back in my proper place of destroyed and barely maintaining for the sake of my kids.  

THEN I decided I needed to GET.INVOLVED.  YUUUUUUUP.  I started signing up for all sorts of activities and events.  Not just at school, but in the community, for myself and for my family.  I signed up for school events to bake AND volunteer at.  I organized a neighborhood meeting at my house with our commissioner and a traffic control representative to discuss the speeding cars endangering our kids. I became instantly addicted to Bikram Yoga - an hour and 30 minute commitment 3 x's a week minimum.  I became a Thirty One consultant and within 5 days signed up for two BIG vendor events - Main Line Reform Temple's Sisterhood Fall Kickoff event "Ladies Shopping Night and Bingo" and the Lower Merion Fall Fair benefiting the LMHS class of 2014.  And within a week had started the ball rolling on my own vendor show November 8 with 10 and counting vendors kicking off holiday shopping - remember, Hanukkah is early this year!!!!!  Let's also not forget the kids soccer - 2 nights of practice a week, 2 soccer games each Saturday.  Sunday school on Sundays from 9-11 - and a whole LOT of holiday services that we all went to participate in.  

Last week I realized I was losing my mind slowly (and I really don't have a lot left to lose to begin with!).  So I started to slow down.  Then Ryan complained that I was doing too much and instead of me thinking, "Seriously? What does he expect me to cut out?  One of the kids?!?!?!" I realized "Damn, even HE is concerned."  So I stopped signing up for things.  I said NO to things.  And I also didn't let anyone GUILT me into giving them more time than I have.  Yes, two people in my life have actually given me grief over things I don't have any control over like the kids soccer schedule, their school schedule and other extra curricular events - did I mention Charlotte started Hip Hop last week?  Every Wednesday from 4-5 pm.  It was presented in the "I'm concerned you're not taking care of yourself you're so busy" way, but was in response to "I'm sorry I don't have time to cater to your thoughtlessly scheduled visit/request for time with the kids/invitation to participate in some event that is not even on my list of priorities in my NEXT life" and these unnamed people not appreciating that I am no longer free to spend time with them at their convenience.

After a weekend in DC spent with my nearest and dearest friends and getting hugs and love that I didn't even realize how much I needed - and some serious binging on sugar and carbs! - I am home and trying to make things more manageable.  HA.  But really.  For now I have to cut out going into the city twice a week during the school day.  There is just way too much to do between 9 & 3:45 and 3 hours in the city smack in the middle of the day is just not going to help.  I'm juggling that commitment to Wednesday evenings for now while Ryan is in town.  I only signed up to be Lunch Parent once or twice a week here and there - although after my first lunch today I'm scheduling an appointment with the HSA person in charge of this and the principal because it is out of control!  No self respecting mom with or without the rigid structure needs of a triplet mom should be ok with this - and thank God I was approached by just that mom who can't believe the insanity of it all!

And now I'm posting my F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S new items so you can support my new enterprise and indulge yourself without feeling one iota guilty!  WIN WIN!  And I'm all about the WIN WIN baby!

Mind, Body, Spirit and Pumpkin Spice

Mind, Body, Spirit and Pumpkin Spice

Anyone who knows me knows that I have the athletic inclination of a slug.  I'm all about minimum effort for maximum results.  That being said, I discovered that I no longer have the metabolism I did at 16, 26 or even 36 and I had to do SOMETHING.  I tried working out with a trainer which was great because I had to be accountable to show up, but way too pricey for my allotted workout budget of $0 (directly correlated to my desire to do it!).  I tried walking, exercise videos at home, Zumba and Body Pump.  None of them did it for me.  I really wanted to try yoga.  Mostly because a few people who know me and do yoga thought it would not only benefit my body, but perhaps my stress level and hyperness that one person related to watching a Chihuahua yip around.  

I am absolutely NOT the "mind, body and spirit" kind of gal.  I'm the "looking good trumps feeling good" kind of gal.  Again, minimum effort, maximum return.  Unless it's about food, and then I'm all about feeling good!  Comfort food is my absolute downfall.  But after about a year of saying I wanted to try yoga, my friend finally convinced me to try Bikram Yoga with her.  

Oh.My.God.  It is amazing.  Seriously.  It's the feeling I chased for years achieved naturally! And it has the bonus of soothing my mind, body and spirit.  It is an intense work out, and cleansing too.  And it makes me WANT to treat my body better.  Yes, me, the "I'll starve before I eat a salad or vegetable" poster girl.  Now, I'm not saying I'm going vegan and quitting coffee, sugar or processed foods.  BUT - I'm interested in learning more about making little changes here and there to help be a little healthier.  Like using canola oil instead of the hydrogenated clog your arteries oil.  Or quinoa instead of rice.  Maybe just a little moderation applied to my life like I'm trying to teach my kids.  Instead of a Pumpkin Spice Latte and a Tastykake, maybe the Latte and some fruit.  

So this morning I'm off to a great yoga studio I absolutely recommend and want to share with the world.  www.gladwyneyoga.com  Owned by a FCS graduate class of '87 Emily Kaplan, who as a bonus, did not make me feel like the dorky, loser, social retard I was in high school.  

Straight From Homemaker 101

Straight from Homemaker 101

I couldn't not share this.  Just received it from one of my favorite triplet moms, who is NOT on FB and sends things to groups of people in the antiquated form of communication known as "email."  But I love her anyway.  And some of these are actually on my list now to do ASAP!  Especially the one with the old lotion bottle for cell phones and cords.  Those cords hanging in the kitchen outlets drive me CRAZY!!!!!! 

Leap of Faith

A Leap Of Faith

Well here it goes.  My leap of faith.

It started innocently enough - I wanted to help a friend who needed people to host an online party for one of her consultant lines.  All I had to do was send out an invite to my friends, and if no one showed up and no sales were made no big deal because only Cathy would know and she already knows I'm a closet dork so I had nothing to lose.  Two days after my invite was sent out on FB - and no sales on my party yet either - I became a consultant.  For Thirty-One.  EXACTLY WHAT I SAID PEOPLE! - "What is Thirty One?"  I've never heard of them.  Except for through my Triplet Mom uber secret FB groups where we bash all you singleton mom's and laugh about how hard you think we have it while we eat bonbons and watch GH.  And every time I saw a post about a "party" I became a little twitchy.  I told myself it was because I would NEVER do something like that.  It was so, um, well, I don't know what, but it was SOMETHING and I wanted nothing to do with it.  I wasn't going to tarnish my pristine reputation as "not one of those people".

Really, it was because I had absolutely no confidence in myself, my selling ability and I had no freaking local friends I felt connected well enough with to actually invite them to a party and have them actually show up without a lot of guilt, begging, pleading, bribing and then sitting around my living room while the three of us awkwardly look at the lovely merchandise waiting for more people to arrive.

But the weird thing was, as the saying goes, the timing was perfect.  First of all, I am a total bag whore. Designer, knock-off (only because I can't afford the real thing but want people to think I can!), color, cuteness factor - but most importantly, functionality as in What Am I Doing Today?  Do I need a tote? unstructured? cross body? small? big? clutch? Whatever the day may bring, I probably have a bag for it or am on the look out for one! (and of course, it must coordinate nicely with my outfit and my shoes.)

But really it wasn't until I became a mom to a small village that bags really took on a whole new meaning for me.  What was the best way for me to carry everything I need to provide what these little creatures depending on me for life are expecting me to carry every single solitary place we go?  In the beginning I was too damn tired to care.  By the time I cared, we were too damn broke to look.  Then I started getting creative.  Who says just because I'm going to McDonald's for a rainy day get out of the house lunch I can't carry the Burberry tote my parents gave me B.T.? If I'm carrying broken Target toys that occupy my kids well with their second hand sippy cups, at least I'm going to do it in style.  Of course, in my previous neighborhood Burberry was not nearly as recognizable as it is here in my new 'hood, but then again, everyone in my new 'hood knows it's 10 years old.  (OOOH almost vintage!!!)

And all of a sudden I had all these ideas on how to market the bags.  Starting, of course, with "WOW.  If I buy a bunch and carry them around they'll sell themselves!!!!"  Of course, you-know-who wouldn't let that go too long and I knew I really had to use my noggin to expand my creative financing and holy shit - a week later it's exploded.

I don't know if I'll sell a damn thing.  And if I do sell, I don't know if it will be enough to cover the deficit I've created buying all the supplies, incentives, prizes, etc to entice people to buy.  And it may not be quite enough to fund my personal shopping habit - because those of you who know me well know that my habit is really never about that one item, it's just about MORE.  And MORE.  And MORE.  And I will justify and rationalize just about ANY purchase over $20.  $20 is just a steal.  And everyone must know about it!  The kids may still need to bust their asses in sports and school to get scholarships so they can actually go to college, but heck, they will have some GREAT STORAGE and UTILITY accessories for the dorm!

Now, you're probably asking how this all is tying into a blog.  Who wants to follow a blog about Michelle selling Thirty One?  No one.  Not even me!  Fortunately, that isn't what this blog is about!  It will be a tool to promote my parties and weekly and monthly specials, yes - come on, I'm not STUPID. But really, after a few years of hearing other mom's share their tips, tricks, favorites, worst evers, and having other mom's say to me after hearing about one of my escapades, "I don't know how you do it" I decided to finally have a response - "Check out my blog.  That's how I do it."  And it's not all flowers and roses and sunshine and rainbows.  I'm going to tell you the truth - the good, the bad, the ugly and the really, super, OMG, no she DIDN'T truth.

And hopefully once in a while someone will buy something too.