April 2014 – beauty girls mom

April 25, 2014

Q is for Quare Things – a-to-z blog challenge

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There’s a song I used to hear a lot, growing up with my Dad. The song, from a band called the Wolfe Tones, is called Quare Things in Dublin, and on the surface is about a clock in the city that has four separate faces. If you look at it from one side of the street, you’re running well ahead of time, but on another corner, you’re already late.

If you get through the song without being lulled into the lilting music, you’ll hear the real meaning behind the song. It comes in the lyrics at the very end.

“There’s a lesson in life to adopt and interpret.
It applies to all people regardless of race.
Don’t put your trust or your faith in a person
If sometimes they seem to have more than one face.”

I have a friend who was recently thought to be a shoe in for a job. He had all but been told there wasn’t even another candidate close in the running, and he could almost rest assured he had this gig in the bag.

They lied.

This message is for him, as he licks his wounds and tries to regroup and come up with a “what’s next” plan. He’s young enough to put the lesson to good use.

April 25, 2014

P is for Perfect – a-to-z blog challenge

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A child walked into a house today and made the declaration, “Oh my gosh, whatever you’re cooking smells amazing!”

It was my house. This was one of my children. And she wasn’t fishing for concert tickets, car keys, or a puppy.

My house is cluttered. Currently, my railing is sporting two weeks worth of clean laundry that somehow made it through the washer and dryer, but failed to hook up with the hangers from whence they once came. I have unsorted socks on a chair in my bedroom, and while part of me thinks I really need to get them done, my cat has declared herself king of that mountain and I haven’t the heart to dethrone her.

The dresser in my bedroom has three stacks of books on it. And I have a Kindle. There may also be a package of unopened Valentine pretzels among those stacks. Don’t judge.

More often than not (and especially this week), dinner is supplied from a local takeaway restaurant. My kids are as familiar with the menus of the local Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and pizza restaurants as they are their times tables (and these are some times table smart girls).

Having a kid walk in this well loved, well worn, well lived in home and claim that anything was amazing? That’s what perfect is all about.

April 25, 2014

O is for Only in America – a-to-z blog challenge

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I may have expressed a fondness for the Mo Rocca show on the Cooking Channel “My Grandmother’s Ravioli”. I love it – beyond love. It is a look at the grandparents who came to this country from foreign lands, bringing with them the recipes from generations of Irish grandmoms, Italian grandmoms, Jewish and Russian grandmoms.

I am always touched by this show. I am smiling, thinking of my own grandmothers and their recipes. Both of them were Irish, and while there weren’t elaborate meals, there was stick to your ribs soups and stews, Irish soda bread, pudding cakes – everything made with the love of generations.

This past weekend, the grandmom came from Thailand. She grew up in poverty, but came to this country filled with hope, optimism, and a determination for a better life.

And when Mo asked her, all these many years and American experiences later, what she thought when she came to this country, her face lightened and brightened. A smile poured across her face like maple syrup over pancakes – slow and sweet. And with the joy of a thousand Christmases, she exclaimed, “It was WONDERFUL here!”

And you know she still believes it; it IS wonderful here – you could read it in her happy eyes and joyous face. Most of us will never know or never experience the things that some of our grandparents knew and lived through. We will never know hunger so great or poverty so desperate or intolerance for beliefs so oppressive. But we can know how much it meant for our grandparents to get here, find a better life, and hold onto the traditions and the foods that will help us remember where our lives – our histories – began.

I love this show – one that could only have been made here in America.

April 24, 2014

N is for Nephrology – a-to-z blog challenge

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Nephrology is the study of diseases of the kidney. There are lots of diseases of the kidney. I happen to be the recipient of one chronic kidney condition that truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

I have chronic kidney stones. Some people are great at many things. It turns out, I am great at one – making really awesome, amazingly sized, freaks of nature kidney stones.

This, as you may imagine, is not fun. Believe it or not, I can tolerate the pain for the most part. It’s the messing with my ability to pee that irks me.

I don’t have time to go at whim, so it’s important that I maintain an ability to “hold it”. Kidney stones impede that ability. Most of the time, I am timing a potty break before a kitchen timer beeps, a school bell rings, or I have to be out the door to go somewhere. When I sit, I expect the few seconds of inconvenience on my way to where I am destined to be. Kidney stones have made it so that I’m not quite sure I’m finished when I think I’m finished.

Believe me, I know, with the possibilities of other medical conditions I could be afflicted with, this is minor among them. And I am grateful this is what I have to put up with compared with others.

During the treatment with Tramadol, it is always necessary to choose the minimum effective dose of the drug https://rx3pharmacy.com/tramadol/. When treating chronic pain syndrome, you should adhere to a specific intake schedule.

But allow an old broad a few minutes to moan.

April 15, 2014

M is for Must Do at the Magic Kingdom – a-to-z blog challenge

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I get asked, a lot, about vacationing at Walt Disney World. Go figure. Most people are pretty familiar with the Magic Kingdom, and many have a good idea of the things they want to do and see when they arrive. But I have my own list of the things that make the Magic Kingdom just that much more magical to me!

Rope Drop – Arrive about 15 minutes before the scheduled opening time. You’ll be treated to your first taste of old fashioned Disney. Singing, dancing, and a train full of characters will greet you, as the Mayor of Main Street opens the theme park to welcome guests. This is where the fun begins!

Dapper Dans – I’m a sucker for a Barbershop Quartet. My dad, believe it or not, used to make us go see Barbershop Quartet concerts, but they weren’t nearly as fun as standing on Main Street, USA listening to the Dapper Dans. It’s a must do for me!

Haunted Mansion – Check out some of the really cool features OUTSIDE this awesome attraction. Take the short detour to get a full tour of the cemetery just prior to going inside. Don’t be afraid to touch – nothing will come out and grab you 😉 Also, look for the wedding ring embedded in the ground – tossed from the window by Master Gracey’s betrothed. Don’t forget to pay your respects at the pet cemetery as you leave.

Kiss Goodnight – Who doesn’t like the warm fuzzy feeling of being tucked in at the end of a wonderful day, and getting that last kiss goodnight? As the Magic Kingdom closes, take one last glance back at Cinderella Castle on your way out of the park. The castle will be lit with lights and changing colors – a soft, warm kiss goodnight as you head back to your resort room to snuggle down to a good night’s sleep.

April 15, 2014April 15, 2014

L is for Last – a-to-z Blog Challenge

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It was the LAST thing I would have ever expected. Days before my 40th birthday, having battled infertility much of my childbearing years, the sheer exhaustion I was feeling was dismissed as an impending bug.

Seeing the two happy pink lines on the home pregnancy test? Yep, the LAST thing I would have guessed. It was Labor Day weekend, ironically, and I called my doctor in a panic. Having had so many miscarriages, I wanted to get right on a regiment IMMEDIATELY. He hesitated, but told me to come in on Labor Day and we would talk. I did. We did. And he agreed to try the protocol that I know helped bring me Eilis.

And after spending 7 months hoping for the best, and another month in the hospital on complete bed rest, at 36 weeks, my LAST baby was born.

I’ve heard that they save the best for last. I will never say that about my children – I love them all so much. But this was the best last I have ever experienced.

Happy Birthday, Granuaile!

April 14, 2014

K is for Knight in Shining Armor – a-to-z blog challenge

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Knights come in all shapes and sizes, and believe it or not, they don’t all wear those big, gaudy, tacky suits.

My sister is facing one of the most difficult experiences of her life in the next 24 hours. But she is an amazing woman. She is strong, she is brave, and she faces things head on. And that’s why this excruciatingly painful day is coming now instead of months ago. My sister is a true knight in shining armor, and she battled against a death sentence for her best buddy, Marlee, her 12 year old yellow Lab.

She may not think at this moment that she won, but she did. When vets were telling her it might be time to say goodbye, she Googled and web searched and found something that might help Marlee battle the cancer diagnosis she had been given. She took Mar for laser treatments, fed her a healthy diet, and gave her every opportunity to live well beyond the number of days the vets thought would be possible – with a quality of life they could not have imagined.

Marlee played, she got to enjoy another beach season and another snow season, she visited Dram’s house, where those bad for you foods get passed under the table as freely for granddogs as for grandchildren, and got cuddled by my kids, who love her almost as much as Meg does. She got to go to sleep in her own bed and wake up to her favorite people, smells, and activities. She got to wake up – way more mornings than she might have had she not been Megan’s dog.

No, not all knights sit at round tables, carry battleaxes, and rust if they play out in the rain. Some carry a wine glass, sit on the floor so they can cuddle better, and even the flow of tears that I know is falling tonight at Meg’s house will not cause her to rust.

She’s a true knight in shining armor – Marlee’s knight. And I think, if I’m honest, Marlee might have been Megan’s a time or two, too.

April 12, 2014April 12, 2014

The Best Things I’ve Ever Eaten – Disney World Version

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I periodically pour over the Disney World restaurant menus, always searching for new things I’d like to try, but I always have a list of my favorite things. I’m sure you have a list of things you love, like Lou Mongello’s carrot cake cookie obsession from the Writer’s Stop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (I really try to love it, Lou, but it hurts my teeth to even think about it’s sweetness!) – and I want you to share it with me! Here are some of my favorite things to eat at Walt Disney World:

Smokey Portobello Soup – Artist Point

At Christmas time last year, our waiter accidentally brought a bowl of this smokey, rich, delicious soup to my mother-in-law, who doesn’t eat it. The waiter offered to leave it on the table, but my MIL told him to take it back, as we all already had our appetizers (most of which were the soup). I thought my middle child would burst into tears, as she watched the creamy bowl of mushroom goodness being walked back to the kitchen. It embodies the taste of a rustic home in the heart of winter, and the flavor will keep you warm your whole trip.

Bobotie – Boma

Minced meat, spices, flavors of sweet and savory, all baked into an egg mixture – oh my goodness. This very traditional South African dish is an explosion of flavors that leaves my mouth very happy. It’s comfort food at its finest.

Kakigori – EPCOT

It’s August. In Florida. Where there is only one way to describe the heat. Hell-like. I’ve always thought I could survive the depths of Hades, having done the “EPCOT death march” at the peak of summer. The big difference? There is no Kakigori in hell. This absolutely heavenly refresher is shaved ice, with your choice of a variety of sweet syrup, much like a traditional snow cone. There are two big differences between the Kakigori and the snow cone you might get at your local fair or carnival. The ice in Kakigori is shaved so finely, you don’t get any of the big, chunky, brain freeze pieces you always get in a snow cone, and it doesn’t glue itself all together as it melts, as a snow cone sometimes does. The other difference is the syrups. These seem not as cloyingly sweet as some you might find for a snow cone, and the flavors are brighter – tangerine, melon, and strawberry – much closer to fresh fruit than the snow cone flavors. I like to taste the rainbow – and dream of cooler days!

Braised Pork – Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom

Let me tell you, my little Mouseketeers, this is one of the best bargains on Disney property. Served only during lunch, the pork is cooked like a Coq Au Vin, which is a traditionally French dish made with chicken and red wine, simmered in a pot until tender and delicious. This dish hits the tender and delicious part spot on, and the serving is a full and generous portion – especially since this is lunch! You’ll get the wonderfully flavored pork, a healthy portion of mashed potatoes, a gravy filled with carrots, onions and mushrooms, and another side dish of green beans. Easily a $30 entree at a sit down restaurant with fancy napkins and French waiters, go for a late lunch (no reservations required!!) and make this your dinner. You’ll have room for a late night Dole Whip snack!

So what are some of your Disney favorites?

April 12, 2014

Magic Bands, FastPass+, ADRs, OH MY!

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Remember, back in the day, when you could just show up at Walt Disney World, ride the rides, eat nice meals, have a great time, and go home? Yeah, me neither.

For as long as I’ve been planning Walt Disney World vacations (approximately 7, 459 years), I’ve had to get up at the crack of dawn at some distant light year from the actual vacation to book a dining reservation at a restaurant for which I personally have no fondness, but I have deemed it an experience my children MUST have to prevent them from ending up in years of therapy for the mental cruelty they suffered at the hands of a negligent mother.

But as if that fun and excitement wasn’t enough to give you hives, there’s more!

You have, no doubt, heard of the latest technology rolled out at the Disney theme parks. The aptly named “Magic Bands” have debuted, and boy oh boy are they fun! They come in pretty colors, you can add little charms to them, a cutie patootie frame around your Mickey head – what’s not to love? They even have your name on them! Adorable!

But the responsibility that comes as a Magic Band owner! While planning for a recent vacation, I spent the better part of my days trying to make sure everything for our upcoming vacation is going to be magical for my family. I spent hours on the phone with Disney IT, when somethings weren’t working out right, and I went back into My Disney Experience dozens upon dozens of times, trying to make sure I wasn’t overlooking things.

And as the vacation date loomed, I didn’t feel ready. For the first time, I was afraid our ability to navigate the park without stress was going to be impeded. I worried that the FastPass+ selections I made were not really the ones my kids want. I feared the kid who could easily ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster a half dozen times would be disappointed when I had to drag her away after one ride, not having the ability to snag FastPasses throughout the day. It’s like the old fashioned ticket books!

Well, I can say that the vacation wasn’t a total disaster, but it was super stressful. My husband declared it “not fun” to have my head buried in my cell phone as we tried to make adjustments to our FastPass+ selections, made 60 days in advance, to accommodate our schedule. My kids were disappointed I couldn’t snag extra FastPasses to come back to things like Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster or Toy Story. And we did race through a meal or two in order to make sure we were able to run to our FastPass+ attractions before our time was up.

I am confident that in time, this will be an awesome system. I loved, for example, not carrying a bag with me, because I didn’t have to store keys or passes or FastPasses. I breezed right through the “No Bags” line like I’d done it a hundred times before.

But I did need a vacation from that vacation. The stress of making sure we were where we needed to be so we could enjoy things killed some of the enjoyment.

Or maybe I’m not so good with the winds of change?

April 12, 2014

K is for Killer Bees – and Other Scary Things a-to-z blog challenge

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I cannot remember when I first heard of killer bees, but I know I was young – a little kid – and I was terrified. I remember hearing that they were coming to the United States from wherever killer bees lived at the time, and I had visions of armies of bees, rowing tiny bee boats across great oceans to get to the shores of the US, where they would turn us all into zombies. Scared spitless.

But killer bees are not the only thing that terrified me. I sat through the movie The Exorcist and felt nothing. The movie Carrie? I couldn’t go to bed. My bed and Bean’s bed were in the same room, and at the time, they were pushed together to make one giant bed. I was convinced in my sleep that Carrie’s cold, dead hand would come up between the crack where my bed and Bean’s bed connected and kill me in my sleep.

I’m lucky after seeing the movie Jaws that I could even sit on a toilet. I was never a huge fan of swimming in the ocean, but once I saw Jaws (which I did see, in the theater, six times), I was much more content to watch the waves roll from afar. I still am.

As a grown up, the things I’m most afraid of involve my kids. Terrified of bad things happening to them. It’s an enormous fear when they start driving, when they go out on a bike ride, when they go into a school where someone else’s child may have a violent agenda. Mom fears are the worst.

But, I’m still afraid of Killer Bees.