I Love My Kids . . .

. . . because they are absolutely hysterical. Right now as I type I hear them on the monitor talking about how one is older than the other and that she should listen to him because of it. I love when age trumps everything.

. . . because they know just the right things to say. Like at dinner Alex told me this was by far the best dish ever and could I make it again and could he have a piece of chocolate.

. . . because they know when they misbehave what the consequence is. Alex will even send himself to his room sometimes.

. . . because they are SO good about bedtime! Enough said.

. . . because they're so lovable and cuddly when I ask nicely for 'huggles and cuddles.'

. . . because they are so smart and can outsmart me.

. . . because they continue to teach me so much everyday about love, life and even myself.

It's not until you experience motherhood that I think you really learn to appreciate your own mom. I love you mom! Happy Mother's Day to everyone.

Dinner Party Success

So the party was a success. The weather managed to clear up just in time. The food was amazing. The winners for the evening were the chicken, the pesto/tomato torta, and the truffles. I have to thank Andrea for her help with the menu because I actually had everything ready to go right as the first guest arrived and really didn't have to do anything other than refill my serving platters. Lots of people showed up. I had time to sit and talk and chat . . . here was the only problem.

In the past few years of having babies, not entertaining and working from home, I seemed to have lost all ability to talk about things besides kids. I stand their shyly in a small group, laughing and contributing now and then to the banter, but somehow I feel my kids may have taken away my ability to integrate into normal society. I read the paper every day and keep up with the events in the world. But somehow launching into a conversation about a child's sleep patterns or preschool woes is easier than talking about the election, global warming or national security. And I have opinions on all of this! But somehow it's harder to share than my kids' potty habits. Why is that?

Anyway, party success on most fronts. Not sure I'm ready for another one anytime soon. I took me all day to recover from this one.

Planning a Dinner Party With Kids, Tiny Kitchen

Back before children, my husband and I loved to entertain. We'd spend time working on a menu and be super meticulous about the food. We had fun shopping together and he had fun making the drinks. We anticipated it and then loved to talk about it later. The last party we had before kids, I was six months pregnant. It was madness. I couldn't drink. I stood up doing so much preparations and didn't even enjoy myself. It was three years before we ever attempted a no kid party again.

This weekend will be our fourth dinner party in this house. Most of the time it is a mix of my husband's work colleagues, which is fun because they love to talk all the no-no topics of politics and religion. That's what happens when you invite people from The Hill. But as of late, dinner parties have become less fun in the preparation phase due to a few things:

1. The size/layout of our house
2. The size/layout of our kitchen
3. The kids
4. Did I mention my kitchen?

The past three parties, I have made my standard fare. The problem is anything which needs an oven heats means our entire main level of the house is painfully hot. Our kitchen only comfortably fits one maybe two people.

What I needed for this party is a complete menu that could be prepared ahead of time and in the final hours before the party, I could just plate things without using an oven and without being in the kitchen. It's no fun to be at the party if you're in the kitchen and no one can fit in there with you. Yes, it's seriously that small!

I was at a loss for a menu of tastefully done hearty appetizers to feed my 15 or guests. We're hopeful that the weather will hold out so that will help push everyone outside onto the deck.

I am super grateful to my fellow DC Metro Mom blogger Andrea of Andrea's Recipes who managed to arrange an entire menu for me free of oven! She is truly the small home dweller's dinner-party dream. I'm sure you're all curious of the menu, right? Well, I won't give you her entire list, but this is what I've chosen to serve in case anyone really cares.

So here is the menu for the small-house-no-oven-make-ahead-kids-in-the-way-spring-dinner-soire.

Fruit + Cheese
Fruit skewers (mix 2 or 3 types--strawberries, melon, grapes, apples, Swiss cheese, ham pieces, cocktail shrimp; cut the fruit 1 day before, prepare skewers the morning of and cover tightly in plastic so they don't dry out)

Chevre coated in minced parsley and finely chopped pistachios (chop the parsley and nuts and roll the log in it)

Wheel of brie, top removed for those who don't like the skin (I might wrap phyllo around it, but that would involve the oven.)

Dips and Toppings (all served with bread, crackers, pita, etc.)
Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade (I'm cheating and using the Trader Joe's one)

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Hummus (Cheating and using Whole Food's Garlic Hummus--the BEST store-bought hummus by far.)

Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Torta

Salads
Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese minus the chicken for my vegetarian guests

Meats
Thai Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Dipping Sauce (Cook the chicken and make the dipping sauce the day before and chill, then rewarm slightly and cut into chunks before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro at the last minute.)

Sushi (get at Wegman's made fresh and arrange on platter)

Beef and Gorgonzola Toasts with Herb-Garlic Cream

Dessert
Florentines Turns out Trader Joe's also has almond meal already so looks like I won't have to process the almonds! Bonus.

Oreo truffle balls Of course no Oreos since they have partially hydrogenated oils...I had to get the ones from Trader Joe's.

So there's the menu. I can't wait. Now for the kids. I finally decided to use my babysitting co-op to get a few hours of prep on Friday, and then I got smart this time and arranged for the babysitter on Saturday night to come early this time. We may be well on our way to learning to entertain with kids. We'll just have to see how it all plays out. Now I'm on to preparations in my teeny tiny kitchen. That's a whole other issue!

Good Old Fashioned Play

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. We've been outside almost all day everyday. I am loving the fabulous weather lately--warmer temps blooming trees and flowers. It's making afternoons fun and easy for everyone. No need to try to find things for us to do. I open up the door and we're out until at least dinner. Our townhouse neighborhood is completely set up for this as the kids are able to roam from yard to yard and then play in the common areas with everyone's toys. Neighorbors are generous about watching kids while someone sprints inside or grabs some snacks or drinks.

My kids come home every evening completely filthy and legs covered in scrapes from climbing trees or going on "adventures" with their friends. It's the good old fashioned play I remember as a kid when we played outside everyday after school. Who wants to be inside when you can enjoy spring in Virginia?

What I Would Do Differently the Next Time

Catch me over at DC Metro Moms blogging about what I'd do differently the next time around....with babies. No, I'm not pregnant. But it sparked an interesting discussion among some members in our mom's group.

Margarita Mama: Mocktails for Moms-to-Be

When I first received this book in the mail for me to review, I must admit I laughed. Someone came up with a book just for 'mommy- to-be' safe drinks? Seriously!

But I was pleasantly surprised at how clever Margarita Mama turned out to be. To be honest, I used to make my own mocktails (aka the Mama-rita) during my first prengancy. A few of them are actually in here like the Sparkling Cosmopolitan, Pregnant Punch and Hot Mama. Do you see how cute this is? By my second pregnancy, I was mixing sparkling water with a bit of real wine (no, not everyday!) for my own sanity of having to deal with being pregnant and having a not-yet-one-year old.

This is a great little gift book for a new mom-to-be. Not only do the drink names include things like Car Seat, Baby Shower Shake, Cranberry Crib, but each drink comes with a little humor before about being pregnant. Some even come with tips, like when to install the car seat or why blueberries are so good for you.

Today is: No Yelling Day

Last night before the kids went to bed, Alex said to me "Mommy, I don't like it when you yell. It makes you mean." (Knife in heart.) So he and I made a promise that our house would have no yelling today. We declared it "No Yelling Day."

I asked him what I should do instead of yelling. Here was his response (he's so mature): Mommy, when I do something bad. Please just say to me, "Alex, no, don't do that." And I will just stop doing it.

My response: "Hmmmm.....Really, you'll just stop doing it. And what about when I ask you 20 times to put on your shoes? You'll do it without me yelling."

He smiled and said he would be good if I wouldn't yell. It's 1:30 p.m. and so far, we've managed a very, very nice morning of playing outside, hitting the farmer's market, running two difficult errands and so far, we've had no yelling. Even from the kids.

As Alex got into the car after our final errand he says to me, "I love no yelling day. Could we make this everyday?"

Indeed!