Feb 08 2010
Super Bowl Weekend
Jane and Marley snoozing on my lap
Marley and Cat snoozing on my bed
Jane didn't feel well yesterday, so she was very snuggly
John cooking for Super Bowl, Michele having cereal
Kjarsti and Dallen
Tag Archive 'evil offspring'
Feb 02 2010
Aye! Aye! A Root Canal!
Feel free to click on the above link…. it’s worth the quick listen.
So, I’m back from the Mexican Dental Adventure. Actually, the whole trip to San Diego was marvelous. 72 degrees, sunny, time with Julia and Ben, time with Michele, time with good buddies… and traveling with 3 Studly Men (Ron, Jordy, and Poodle Boy John).
We walked across the border, and had a taxi driver pick us up and take us to the dentista (yes, she is a woman dentist and very awesome). OK, it really wasn’t as easy as that sounded, but we did eventually get where we needed to go.
Michele, on the right, brings people across the border every Friday to get 1st Class dental work done at 1/3 the price. My root canal, crown prep, and the crown was $600. In the states: $2500. I guess that is less than 1/3 the price.
We hang out at a restaurant around the corner until it is your turn for the Dentista. Had the best margarita I’ve ever had, but then had to chug it so I could get to my appointment.
I love San Diego. I can live without ever going to Tijuana again, but it was an adventure. Interestingly enough, it was nothing as I had expected.
I’m glad I’m home, but I love San Diego!!!!!
Jan 20 2010
Cooking with the Kids
Cooking has always been a part of my life. I had grandmothers who were wonderful cooks, albeit rather traditional and goodness knows we wouldn’t eat some of those casseroles to save our lives. But they cooked. My mother was a good cook too, tending more to the adventurous and wildly exotic fare.
Of course everyone knows that my sister is an amazing cook. I mean, she likes all the intricate recipes that take hours to prepare. Her mole is amazing, let’s not even start with the Mexican Night, and frankly, everything else she makes is just incredible.
So, cooking is part of our life. Do I cook? Yeah, I’m not bad. I’m not as patient as Carolyn, but when given a task or when I get a wild hair, I can cook with the best of them. My current bomb.com is my Lo Mein, which as John says, “tastes like a real Chinese person made it.”
Michael, the kids’ dad is also a pretty good cook. He’s a baker, which is something I cannot wrap my head around. But he’s been known to make some amazing creations… some scary ones too.
John was the first of my kids to really get into cooking. He has been sous chef to Carolyn many times, and he follows me around the kitchen. In fact, I do believe his goal is to learn to cook the family tradition foods (mac and cheese, enchiladas, Swedish meatballs, etc) and master them and IMPROVE them. Frankly, he has mastered the mac and cheese.
Julia is really getting creative with the cooking. She and Ben are vegetarians, so she has fun experimenting with traditional foods in a vegetarian mode. She gets lots of tips from Carolyn, and of course they both live in SoCal where they can get amazing produce.
Robbie can cook, but he does “survival cooking”. I think if he were home more, he’d get into it also. He also sews, with dental floss, but that is a different topic.
Kjarsti is getting into the cooking too. In fact, she made dinner for us the other night all by herself, and it was awesome! We talked about cooking last night, and she said it just feels natural to her, like she “understands what goes together”. Is that a genetic thing?
I’m delighted to share this part of my family’s traditions with my kids.
I especially like the part about THEM cooking.