i didn't get your name....

i also wanted to thank the sweet girl who sat across the aisle from me on the plane yesterday.
i didn't get her name, but she works for a company called "slumber parties." not sure what that's about, but she was traveling with a gaggle of co-workers and they were all wearing garb with the logo printed all over everything....

the weather was nasty in KC, so the first leg of the flight was pretty bumpy. i'm not a great flyer. i don't mind takeoff and landing, and during flight i am better if i can see the ground or the sun. if we are in/amongst scary looking clouds/storms, i am immediately agitated. this was the case yesterday during the first 20 minutes or so of the flight. she reached across the aisle and grabbed my white-knuckled wrist and said, "don't worry, i've got your back!" i laughed and told her through my tears that i often make a fool of myself on planes and most people would never think a 30+ year-old would get so upset. i had a bad experience when i was younger (7) and ever since then i've not been able to conquer my fear.

but anyway, thank you, friend, for holding my hand. it was so thoughtful of you, especially since you didn't know me. never underestimate the kindness of strangers!

family

i am in new orleans visiting my family.
my mom had knee surgery on tuesday, and my brother mark had an emergency
appendectomy last friday.

i flew in this morning, went straight to whole foods and came to my mom's house with groceries....and started cooking....nothing fancy, but a real meal nonetheless. and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

it is so nice to be here with all of them. but i miss my husband and my girls. still, i know
it will all work out and they will survive without me.

i'm tired. it was hard work getting myself and the girls up and ready and out the door to school. i went straight to the airport after i dropped them off. whew.

i got to see my niece today, too. livy is darling. she gave me a big hug and a kiss. awwwwww!

This photo was taken about 2 weeks ago.

From left to right: Lucy Kramer, Abby Margolin, Izzy Margolin, and Lola Kramer. Lucy and Lola are best friends with my girls, and are only about 2 months younger. Here they are enjoying a thoroughly nutritious lunch (peanut butter sammies, cheetos, and raisins) outside at the Kansas City Nature Center. We'd just finished seeing all the animals---bunnies, birds, owls, fish, turtles, mice, squirrels, and much much more. They all loved it. Well, except when a large python tried to eat Lola (but thankfully was prevented from doing so by the aquarium she was contained in).

I am Lucy & Lola's godmother. Since I'm a Jew, I had to ask a lot of questions when Shelly (Lucy & Lola's mom, and my dear friend) asked me to play this role. I'm still learning, but I feel very honored and hope that our families will always be close.

Recipe du Jour: Sweet Potato Bars

Wash & scrub 5 sweet potatoes. Pierce them with a fork and microwave on high until they're soft, about 8-10 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, preheat your oven to 400.

Cut the potatoes lengthwise, scoop out the flesh, and place in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tbs. cinnamon, 2 tbs. extra-light olive oil (you can substitute canola oil---just don't use regular olive oil because the taste will be too strong), 2/3 cup maple syrup, and 3/4 cup orange juice. Stir in 4 cups quick-cooking oats and mix well.

Lightly grease a 9" x 13" baking pan. Pour mixture evenly into pan. Bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Cut into bars.

Enjoy!

Little People

My girls are officially little people. One of them (Abby) has been regularly using the potty of late, and it truly is one of the most fascinating transformations I've ever seen. It's happening so quickly, I honestly didn't imagine it going like this. A week ago yesterday Abby peed on the potty for the first time. Yesterday she did it three times, and that's been the average for a few days now. Unbelievable. They can seem so young and immature sometimes (i.e. the whining, crying, temper tantrums, etc.) that I find it hard to reconcile that with the sudden ability to control one's bladder. At the tender age of 27 months.

Now I know we'll have setbacks. I know this isn't it, we're a long way off from being completely potty trained and self sufficient. But clearly she's making strides and I'm so impressed.

Wouldn't it be nice if her sister had any interest in using the potty?

I suppose that would be entirely too easy---to get two for the price of one. Oh well, we can't have it all, can we?

In other news...
Favorite things to say/do:
Count in Spanish and English (thank you, Dora the Explorer). say, "Thank you, Mommy," when I serve up some delectable chicken nuggets from Costco. Yell "NO NO, Mons Mons," when Monster (our miniature Poodle) attempts to snag some of said chicken nuggets during meal time. Sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" over and over, but forget the other verses. Come to me every 2 minutes with a "boo boo" and the command for me to "kiss it." Abby routinely comes to me and says, "Mommy, Izzy MEAN." And what do you want me to do about it, exactly? Izzy insists upon wearing a jacket all day every day despite the fact that spring is approaching. She is also quite adept at sneaking off quietly, and I'll find her only too late--after she's closed herself in the bathroom and begins a torrid love affair with her KanDoo foaming hand soap. It's everywhere--in her hair, on her shirt, up her nose. And she proudly proclaims, "Sote (soap), Mommy! Clean! Rub, rub rub!" And to my horror, I hear my own words and instructions coming out of my daughter's mouth, but having been horribly misinterpreted. I try to explain that we only soap up everywhere when we're in the tub, and we just wash hands during the day before meals, after potty, etc.

Ah, the mind of a two-year-old. Oh how I long to comprehend thee!

Life List:

1. Do completely away with plastic and paper grocery/shopping bags and use only my cloth/resuable ones. I am sometimes lazy if I forget mine in the car. The number of plastic grocery bags sitting in landfills is staggering and horrifying. SAVE A BAG!

2. Start a compost pile of some sort. Right now, I think a bin is more realistic for me/us, and I don’t want to attract more critters. So I’m looking on line and trying to educate myself. Would love to be able to put all of our kitchen waste (i.e. coffee grounds, banana peels, apple cores, corn cobs, etc. somewhere where they can break down naturally and become fertilizer instead of sitting in a landfill).

3. Find new uses for old things. Make gifts instead of buying them. Really think about each thing I buy BEFORE I buy it and ask myself, "Do we really need this?"

4. Buy organic and local. Shop at Whole Foods. Go to my local farmer’s market on weekends with the girls and teach them about the importance of these things. Let them taste the fresh fruits and veggies.

5. Go to synagogue more often. Bring the kids when we’re able.

6. When spring is really here, walk to the grocery store with the girls in the stroller and save gas/energy and get myself some excercise and fresh air.

7. Go on-line to catalogchoice.org and stop all the junk mail/catalogs.

8. Switch a lot of my bills to on-line payment to save paper and stamps.

9. Buy some cute cloth napkins for every day use and stop using paper ones.

10. Get more rags or convert old t-shirts to rags and quit using mostly paper towels for cleaning.

11. Use environmentally-friendly cleansers, detergents, and handsoap (I like Method products for cleaning and Wintree for laundry).

12. Bring my own coffee mug when I reward myself with a trip to Starbucks.

13. Start my own really successful business.

14. Own an electric car.

15. Stop eating/craving sweet stuff.

16. Be an amazing mother.

17. Take a Judaism course with my rabbi and learn all the things I wish I'd learned as a child.

18. Stop being afraid of flying.

19. Learn to apply makeup so that it compliments my face.

20. Learn to dress so that clothing flatters my figure.

21. Stop being so critical and enjoy the little things more.