Who Said Moving Can Be Stressful?

After all, I am a pro.

Not only will this be my 10th state to move to, I've probably moved a couple of times in half of those states. So you get rid of the excess, debate with your husband on what is worthy of getting rid of (select precious newborn outfits from when our babies were so new or his 20-year-old microwave from college that has several groovy stickers on it), pack it all up and load it into a truck.  In a way, this is one way to really "spring clean."  Otherwise, I don't think I would've found the energy to sort through all of our closets and drawers in an effort to simplify.

So what does make moving so stressful?  Is it the money?  You have to cancel your cable and electric and while you're waiting 6-8 weeks for those deposits to be returned; we're paying deposits on our new cable and electric.    Then we're trying to eat up all the perishables in the house.  But doesn't that mean when we get there, we'll have to stock our fridge again with our usual salad dressings, ketchup, honey mustard, butter, and pina colada mixer?

And then there are all of the questions.  How quickly do I want to find work?  And where?  How soon will I start the boys in preschool? And where?  When can I get them into swim lessons?  Where will I grocery shop?  Get gas?  Can I start new routines right off the bat?  New bedtime routines?  New expectations? We

Our dog is tweaking out.  With each box packed he's looking at us for reassurance that we are indeed bringing him (and we wouldn't have it any other way!).  Our kids, especially Luke, says things like "I can't wait to move to Florida! Does Batman live in Florida?" one minute; "I don't want to move to Florida, I want Florida to go away" the next.

As I get closer to the move, there is the rush of sadness in realizing I am leaving behind good friends.  Picture this movie-style...as I drive by (rain pouring down my window) the parks we've played at, the beaches we swam at and the libraries we read - I can hear a little Natalie Merchant playing in the background as I hear the echoes of laughter with my friends as we talked about the crazy things our kids are always doing. In the excitement of the big move, the "we'll see you soon" disclaimer always seemed to make me feel better.  At least I go with a great feeling that I have great friends here!  And there have been so many great times here!

No wonder I snapped at the hubster the other night when the DVR forced him into choosing between Intervention and Smash.  Just about to climb into bed for a good night's sleep, excited about catching Smash the very next morning; I saw the DVR message light up the screen asking him the question "Zac, which one will you delete?" - I darted out to the living room, jumping over the couch - well, almost - "what are you doing, which one are you about to delete?!"  He looked at me stunned, most likely thinking this is just TV.  I grabbed the remote and swiftly cancelled Intervention.  And I stormed off to bed.

The next morning we chalked it up to unusual behavior based by stress from our move.  I've seen a few of these moments like these.  And I wondered why I could get so worked up.  How can I possibly be "stressed."  This is a good thing, overall, this move. So I made a list, I'm going to stick by it and enjoy my last week here in Charleston.  Taking time to breathe and just live in the day.  One day at a time.  Nothing crazy.  It's just a move.  No stress here.  And if you believe me, you should try it sometime!   

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement ~Pasta with Prosciutto-Sage Cream Sauce

Delicious, I served with Talapia- but use any white meat of your liking.

• 2 Tablespoons Butter (I use smart balance)
• 6 cups Cooked Short Pasta - Whatever Kind You Like, Or Enough For 4 Servings (wouldn't suggest whole wheat)
• 2 Tablespoons Sliced Fresh Sage
• 6 slices Deli Prosciutto (thinly Sliced), Cut Crosswise Into Thin Strips
• 2 cloves Minced Garlic (fresh garlic preferable)
• ¼ cups Toasted Pine Nuts (you can not use these if you don't like nuts)
• ½ cups Cream (I used light)
• ½ cups Reserved Pasta Cooking Water (remove The Water Right Before You Drain The Pasta When The Water Has The Most Starch)
• Salt And Pepper
• Parmesan Cheese For Serving
• Lemon Wedges For Serving
• Cooked chicken or fish, or any white meat of your liking.  I served with fried talapia fish, in olive oil with lemon pepper seasoning.  If chicken, I would suggest rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper, and a bit of olive oil.

A Preschooler's Birthday Party..Amplified

“Exactly what would you like to do for your fifth birthday?” I asked my nearly 5-year-old daughter.  Of course she replied that she wanted to have a princess party.  I explained that she could have a small family party, and then we could go somewhere fun and take a friend, like to the aquarium or to a museum.  Her look of boredom ruled that out.  “Well we could also do a small party and you could pick out a big present.  You know, if you have a big party, they cost a lot of money and you won’t get a lot of gifts too.”  “I want a party!” She told me, nearly exasperated.  “A big one!”

Okay!  I’ve created myself in my daughter for sure.  What is more fun that lots of attention and bling—all focused on you?!  I mean…who cares about a present really…when you can socialize with a group of friends!  So, here we go again, for the fifth year in a row.  We’ve spent too much money, a lot of time and effort, all for this hour and a half party that is going to exhaust us nearly into another vacation.

Just the invites are daunting enough.  Let’s face it friends, everybody hates attending birthday  parties…well, everyone other than the kids.  We are all so busy anyway, so the minute we get that little white envelope, we are already cringing.  Another few hours out of our weekend…no matter how much we love the child it’s for.  Once we get there, we always have fun—it’s just finding the time in our already packed schedules.  So, in turn, getting anyone to actually come to your kiddo’s party is always a stressful event itself.  You invite a million kids hoping that at least a portion of them come.  Sometimes things get crazy, and everyone RSVPS…and you wonder how you will cage the zoo.

Then buying all the groceries, planning the treats, festivities, the snacks…cleaning your house.  Counting and packing the treat bags.  What do you give in the treat bags anyway?  Remembering candy for the Pinata.   Why do we do all the craziness?

Because we have to.  Because our kids love it, and the smile on their faces are worth every penny and moment.  They bring us enough joy to last a lifetime…we can handle planning a party once a year.  If I have to hover over a cake using patience I don’t have to frost a three tier princess masterpiece (or mess rather)- so be it.  The bottle of wine that ensues after the party is over will be well deserved! 

(PS...Grandma ended up mastering the cake.  Thank you Grandma!!!)

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Classic 70s 7-Layer Dip

Tonight is a big night for America.  Madonna is playing in the halftime show at the Superbowl!!!  I know most of you are just as excited as I am!  And if you happen to be a New England or Giants fan, then it's an even more exciting night for you!  There are a million recipes for a seven layer dip; everyone has different tastes.  And this recipe suits my tastes...and hopefully yours.  :)  (p.s. I left off the olives in my version...you can too!)

Classic 70s 7-Layer Dip

From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish 

1/4 cup of sour cream
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 (10 ounce) can of refried beans
1 package of taco seasoning
2 avocados
Juice of half a lime
Pinch of kosher salt
3 turns of the pepper grinder
1 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium tomato, cleaned, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup of sliced black olives
1 green onion top, sliced

In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and mayonnaise together; set aside. In another small microwave bowl, add the refried beans and warm for 1 minute, stir in the taco seasoning and mix well. Scoop out the avocados into another medium sized bowl, add the lime juice, salt and pepper and mash together using a potato masher.

Layer in a clear, glass pie plate as listed below, but leaving a small border around the edge for each layer, so that each layer shows on the outside. Layer in order as follows:

Layer 1 - Seasoned Refried Beans
Layer 2 - Avocado
Layer 3 - Sour Cream Mixture
Layer 4 - Finely Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Layer 5 - Chopped Fresh Tomatoes
Layer 6 - Sliced Black Olives (no thanks!)
Layer 7 - Sliced Green Onion

Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

The Magical Age of Three

In just the way my jaw would drop if Madonna or Jennifer Aniston walked into a room, I could see it in his face along with the wonder and excitement in his eyes.  Right there in front of him stood his idol.  Batman.  But, it wasn’t just any Batman…this Batman stood eye-to-eye with my three-year-old.  Without even looking up at me, my son grabbed my hand and squeezed.  “Mama, its Batman!  I want to play with him,” he said in a hushed voice.  “Go ahead, sweetheart.  I know he’d love to play with you.” I nudged my outgoing boy toward the little four-year-old.  My son wouldn’t move.  I’d never seen him like this!  This is the same boy that will walk up to anyone in the street and explain to them that he is Batman and he loves cop cars and ambulances and that he plans on having a peanut butter and jelly for dinner.  He still walks up to complete strangers (in my supervision, of course) and asks, “How was your holiday?”  after hearing my husband and I repeat it during the first week of the New Year. But here, in the front room of Charleston’s Children Museum was a 3’ tall superhero that my son was nervous to approach.  I knelt down to him and reminded him that it was just a little boy just like him who just happened to be dressed head to toe in a costume (why didn’t I think of that!). “Just go up to him and introduce yourself,” I suggested.  “No, you go, mom,” he said as he pushed me towards the little guy.  Of course, I’ll do anything for my baby so I walked right up to Batman and said, “Hi Batman, my son Luke loves Batman too and he he’d really like to play with you.” The little blondie looked up at me and looked over at Luke and smiled.  He handed him a ball, “I’m just trying out these golf balls.” For the next twenty minutes, the two boys ran around the room and tried each different golf ball obstacle course.  Luke ran up to me and told me he had to go potty so I grabbed Zealand’s hand and followed Luke to the potty.  When we returned – gasp! – Batman was nowhere to be found.  By the way, while they were playing together I found out Batman’s actual name was Ollie.  And he looked like an Ollie.  “Where’s Batman?!” Luke asked in a panic.   I replied, “I’m not sure honey.  Maybe he went home.” But that was not an acceptable answer to my preschooler.  We spent the next twenty minutes searching each room with no sign of this mysterious boy.  We were running late to meet friends at CiCi’s Pizza so I suggested maybe Batman went there.  The chances were good that Ollie was not at the Mt. Pleasant CiCi’s, but he could’ve been.  This seemed to work for Luke. So we headed out the front doors of the museum.  As we walked to our car, we could see about a block up, Batman climbing into his mom’s minivan.  They drove west on King.  And just like that, he disappeared into the city.  That was a month ago and we have yet to see little Ollie (or a little Batman) again.  Luke still asks about him and wonders why we can’t just go have a playdate with him.  Finally, I told him that when he starts wearing big boy undies to bed; he will get his very own Batman costume and rock everyone else's world!  

I had just read about this magical age of imagination and Luke is modeling it to a tee.  Whether he’s Batman (and he won’t leave the house without one of his three Batman shirts on), or pulling bad guys over in his cop car (our couch), or taking care of that sick patient in his operating room (our couch); he’s imagining all the possibilities of this world we live in. 

I’ve just started to take advantage of this.  At bedtime, after our books have been read, I tell him stories – big and small – about my life and the things I’ve seen.  From cities to the country, from college to a waterfall I swam by.  Even roller skating in a rink could sound interesting to a three-year-old who has yet to actually see one.   Did you take a cross-country drive with a good college friend?  How about that time you sang a solo in front of your entire town?  Utilize this age!  Utilize their minds.  You can paint mesas and mountains in your child’s mind.  

Being Charitable has NEVER Been Easier

Too busy to support your favorite charity?  Life taken you by the horns instead of the other way around and you just don't have the extra time, or even the money to help those desperately in need?  Well, just a reminder...giving has never been easier than it is now.  In December, Leah chose Children's Miracle Network, and I (Trina) chose National Children's Advocacy Center to support.  And for every like we get on facebook, we are each donating $1 to our charities.  However, we need more likes!  When we started, we were at 152 facebook likes.  Now, we are only at 162.  We need to get to at least 202 total likes to really get us rolling....which would equal a $50 check to each of the charities I mentioned.  How easy is this?  Like us!  You will be doing your good deed for the day!  If you already like us, get your friends to like us!  Hey, it's for a great cause!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mommies-Need-Sleep-Too/245052782182520

Thank you friends...and to our followers- we love you guys!  ~ Trina

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Honey-Pecan Chicken Breasts

This recipe will bring fun back to chicken breasts.  The key is in the cayenne...use as much or as little to meet your preference!  We use about 1/4 teaspoon.  My husband would probably love around 3/4 teaspoon!  I leave it off of the kids' chicken breasts because Luke is super picky about "spice". Original Recipe

Honey-Pecan Chicken Breasts


2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne. In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in butter; add garlic. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Drizzle honey over chicken; sprinkle with pecans. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Buon appetito!