Our First Holiday at the Beach

We all started off the morning with a long walk on the beach - and actually had a surprise run in with Uncle B and Aunt CC - as they live just blocks away from us. Dad took several fun photos of the day. So, I've uploaded a few.

Thanksgiving Festivities 2009

We have been quite busy the last few weeks. John and Louisa (aka Pop Pop and Lovey) have been here since November 15th; Sister Mary Anne (John's sister) came in the day before Thanksgiving; and Bryan and Corinne (Uncle B and Aunt CC) have spent quite a bit of time with us over the last few weeks. And, of course, we're spending lots of time with Uncle Joey - as he has recently moved to Mount Pleasant, and tons of day visitors have dropped in to say hi to all these out-of-towners.

So, Thanksgiving is over. We're all fat and happy (and sleepy). And, we are relaxing this Saturday afternoon. So, where do I start?

We took Mom and Dad to FIG the first weekend they were here (Food Is Good). It's an all natural, all local food establishment. Michael had sweetbreads for his entree (bold move - but he said they were amazing). I got the fish stew - which was awesome! It had trigger fish as the base - which is a local, firm white fish...YUMMO.

We went to the Farmer's Market the Saturday before Thankgiving - to get 8 dozen farm fresh eggs (which we ran out of the day of Thankgiving because Lovey's dressing took the last dozen), brussel sprouts (which Michael broiled with pancetta), sweet potatoes (which were mixed with naval oranges and scooped into orange peel cups and topped with vanilla marshmallows), homemade cornbread - Lovey's recipe, 2 ten pound turkeys from my CSA (which have been referred to as "special birds" by everyone all week), ricotta cake (Aunt CC's bubby's recipe), chocolate chess pie (Uncle B's specialty), pecan pie (Reynolds, GA recipe), and a pumpkin pie made with a white heritage pumpkin that was the sweetest thing I had all day! Oh, and my favorite - fresh cranberry relish...

And, then we finished up the festivities with an oyster roast on Friday after Thanksgiving, with pickup games of frisbee, football, paddle ball, etc. We had tons of folks stop by - including our Floridian cousins: Scott, Julie, Ansley and Ella. Michael made his "famous" gumbo - well, it's known as his famous gumbo now - as it was perfectly done with chicken thighs and sausage - and everyone took home the left0vers. No one left here hungry Friday night.

Aunt Maryanne, Pop Pop, Uncle Joey, the boys and I are going to the Unitarian Universalist church tomorrow morning. We want to make sure we give a BIG thank you to God - as we have been truly blessed this holiday.

Tazo

The Duke of Tazmania (aka Taz, Tazo, Tazman, Tazalicious) has been diagnosed with lymphoma. He had a tumor (the size of a golf ball) removed from his throat on Friday, November 13th and has been recovering in the comfort of our home at IOP. The pathologist has been very clear that Taz will not survive this cancer. He has had a pretty good 15 1/2 years. At least, that's what everyone says. If you asked him, he may waffle a bit on whether the last 5 years were as joyous as the first 10 (I think the kids may be to blame there). But, somehow I am still filled with grief.

I can't help thinking that there is a lesson in all of this. I can use this to teach my children something about the cycle of life - that in order to have life, you must have death. But, how do you use something so raw to teach a lesson? How much do you let your children in on the reality of death when your parental instinct is to protect them to the end?

Michael and Miguel

As most of you know, I live with a male version of Julia Child. My husband rocks in the kitchen. I must admit I am a pretty good grocery shopper; I go to the farmer's market weekly, belong to a local CSA (community share agriculture), stop by Whole Foods several times each week, etc. And, I do dishes! BUT, I cannot and do not cook.

So last weekend, I was in Whole Foods and saw a "young duckling" in the butchery section. When I found out it was from a local farmer and was raised with Level 5 humane treatment rating, I just HAD to purchase this little guy.

For those of you who know me, I don't do dark meat; I don't do bones; and I definitely don't do duck! However, I am a changed woman! I am trying to not be so detached from where my food comes from and to appreciate the fact that my food looks like an animal. After all, I am an omnivore! Why should I pay someone to put a lot of chemicals on my food to bleach it, disinfect it, mould and shape it, and package it with a pretty little bow? By the time the factory does all of those steps, it really isn't much of anything any longer. And, as you know from my previous blog...Processing plants can wreck your food - you may even find "rat tentacles" in the packaging, according to Bowen.

So, anyway...I broke all of my "old" rules and bought this duck for my man to prepare for me on our Friday Date Night In at Miguel's Bistro. Michael did quite an amazing job preparing this bird. This was one of my favorite meals of all time. And, Michael made a duck bone broth from the carcass (the old Tami would never have been able to say that word). When Michael's parents came into town on Sunday, we served them a duck and exotic mushroom risotto that was my second favorite meal of all time.

So, I had to brag on my man's meal. I am happy to post his recipe if anyone is interested. Bon Appetite!

Finding Time for Exercise

Michael is much better than I am when it comes to finding time for exercise. He goes to Jiu-Jitsu three times every week, he walks on the beach every morning when I take the kids to school, he does squats and dead lifts between phone calls in his office, and he serves as the gym teacher for the kids most evenings.

All four children are tumbling the length of our house, doing mountain climbs, and compete with one another for the maximum output of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats in a given period of time. I am amazed that Wilhelmina has just fallen into this nightly routine.

I have read several books recently on the detachment from nature that today's children suffer from; how the obesity rates in this country are off the charts; and how technology and homework has replaced good ol' outside playtime. So, this is definitely one way Michael has chosen to encourage the kids to maintain a certain level of physical activity. And, I approach this phenomenon with "making good food choices." The school incorporates daily doses of PE, Karate, gardening and playground visits. Hopefully, these steps we are taking now as a family and community will decrease the potential physical challenges for our children that most children will struggle with in the years to come.

Sickness Strikes Even When You Drink Raw Milk and Don't Watch TV

Well, I should have knocked on wood or crossed myself or something, because I just bragged the other day about how none of the kids caught Michael's cold. I attributed their boosted and mighty immune systems to the organic diet and, specifically, the raw milk.

Long story short, Talula got bronchitis last week and it turned into pneumonia. So, that threw the entire family for a loop. She is such a trooper though - even when she was suffering with a 104 fever and a very nasty cough - she was able to keep her sense of humor, as well as undo 6 months worth of efforts around limiting the television. We had pretty much eliminated TV from our daily routine (prompted by our summer in Maine). So, Talula is on the mend, but we are back to square one with the boob-tube.

Note: Photo of Talula watching Dora the Explorer in our room while recovering.

The Joys of Being a SAHM...

Well, today was my first parent-teacher conference at the Montessori school. Bowen's teacher, Ms. Laura, schedules a conference for each child 4 times throughout the year. Most parents would be looking forward to this event; however, I must admit I was a bit nervous. So, I prepared the only way I knew how. I got a babysitter for the morning, got my hair cut and highlighted, treated myself to the facial I have been promising to get for the last 12 months, and finished the first half of my day with a Moe's burrito. I was feeling quite prepared, but needed just a little something else...so, I decided to grab a Starbuck's latte (only a Tall though) and headed for the school.

Needless to say, everything went better than expected. Bowen is writing stories using full sentences about pirates, robots, and (of course) Sponge Bob. He is doing 4 digit addition that requires him to "carry numbers to the next column." And, he has already received and accepted his first proposal for marriage, Stella Fox! So, I think I can lay off worrying about Bowen for a while. I'll just have to accept the fact that it is natural for a 6 year old boy to lose his $20 stainless steel water bottle on a daily basis, forget his jacket at least twice weekly and to leave his homework assignment at school every Friday! The trials and tribulations of a stay at home mom begin in kindergarten...

And, still no Diet Coke for this SAHM. Note: You should buy stock in tea bags though - as I am drinking my body weight in iced tea these days - just as any good Southern Lady should.