Happy List: #48
Hurray! You survived another week! On Monday I shared another round of what my kids are reading. I’m really glad my kids still enjoy me reading out loud to them. It’s not a season that will last forever, so I’m soaking it up now. I also shared another round of Would I Make It Again? This time it was a recipe for Korean Beef and adding it into the dinner rotation was a no brainer! Here are a few things that made me smile or feel inspired this week. SWEETEST CHRISTMAS TRADITION Guys. I might be feeling sentimental, but I just read about THE SWEETEST Christmas tradition for daughters. Sorry,…
Would I Make It Again? – Korean Beef Bowl
Sometimes I ask my kids what they want for dinner when I’m not sure what to cook. I don’t know why I ask these things! Their answers are always predictable and not something that counts as “well balanced for a Tuesday night when I’m still making an effort with this dinner thing.” By Thursday Friday night all bets are off though. When I don’t know what to cook, I cook tacos fall back on my staple of go-to recipes. Spoiler Alert! This Korean Beef Bowl recipe by Damn Delicious has become one of my go-to recipes. I’m probably making it twice a month now. (image: Damn Delicious) Now, I’m a…
Books My Kids Are Reading Part 6
Books, books and more books! Welcome back to what has become an on-going series sharing the children’s books my kids and I are reading. Before I get to the list of books we’ve enjoyed recently, I want to show you a neat booklet our local Irish library system publishes. It is a reading guide for different age groups from toddlers up to young adults. It includes both fiction and non-fiction recommendations. The library must have a fairly robust budget to produce this booklet and I have no complaints about that! The reading guide is compiled by a group of ‘book doctors’ who are all children’s book specialists. They have backgrounds…
Happy List: #47
It’s starting – just starting – to feel like winter where I live and basically my response is NOOOOO! But enough about my issues. This week I shared a glimpse into my married life a recipe for Rhubarb Scones. That sentence makes no sense unless you read the post about Rhubarb Scones. Also, all the rhubarb lovers came out of the woodwork. There are so many of you! Who knew? I also shared another story from the train. Several months ago I shared this one, which was pretty deep because we talked about my least favorite 4-letter word – hate. This time the conversation was all about superpowers. Kids have a…
Kid Wisdom: Everyday Superpowers
Here’s some kid wisdom on everyday superpowers. Picture it. The kids and I are on a packed commuter train at 8:27 a.m. We’re standing, of course, because it’s a Monday morning and everyone has to get to work on time on a Monday. By Friday they won’t care as much and the train will be less crowded. I’m wearing my son’s backpack because 2nd grade homework is HEAVY and holding my own backpack with my left hand. With my right hand I’m holding onto one of the vertical bars to keep my balance as the train stops and starts. The kids are clustered next to me attempting whatever movement they…
Would I Make It Again? – Rhubarb Scones
I cook most everyday because it’s socially unacceptable to let my kids eat cereal for every meal the people in my family are always hungry. Okay, fine. I’m always hungry too. The kids definitely take after me in this regard. Sometimes I try a new recipe and think, “This would be fun to share with my blog friends.” I might even snap a picture of it, but then I never go on to share it because I only cooked or baked it once. I didn’t test the recipe. I didn’t make it uniquely mine. I didn’t do any of the things actual food blogs do to make sure a recipe is…
Happy List: #46
Another Halloween is in the books and we are racing toward the end of the year! The days can seem long, but the years short. Why is that? Anyway, this week I spread the word that Talking Statues have arrived in Dublin. I also shared a hard-to-write, personal account of why I sent my kids to Catholic mass. Basically, I got up on my soapbox. So let’s follow that up with some not-so-deep stuff. Here’s this week’s Happy List. WORLD’S BEST MUSEUMS My grandma was the first person to take me to a museum. We went to a lot of museums and I’m sure I did not appreciate them as…
We’re Not Catholic, but I Sent My Kids to Mass
My kids went to Catholic Mass today. We’re not Catholic. We’re American expats living in Ireland where the public school system is run by the Catholic Church with public tax dollars. Even many private schools are Catholic-influenced. Our kids (now 7 and 10) attend a private school that is not Catholic run. As a percentage, there aren’t a lot of these schools in Ireland, but they are growing in number and popularity. Twice a year our school offers the children an opportunity to attend a community-wide Mass during school hours. All the various primary schools in the parish attend. Of course, as parents, we have the right to opt our…
Visiting Ireland: Talking Statues
If you’re visiting Ireland or the Dublin area anytime soon, there’s a cool new feature in town. Statues that talk! And I’m not talking about the ones that ‘talk’ after you’ve spent the night at the pub. I’m talking about ones that can call your phone. With a lot of support, an initiative called ‘Talking Statues’ was commissioned by Sing London, whose projects “set out to connect people to each other and to the public spaces we share.” The statues use humor and drama to tell a story and connect the listener with Dublin’s history. Plus, these stories are written and recorded by some pretty famous folks whose work you might have…
Happy List: #45
Hello again! How was your week? I hope you knocked it out of the ballpark with your awesomeness! This week I shared a really good rule to help keep your home tidy. This tip works best if everyone in your household abides by the rule…which may very well be the rule’s downfall. I also shared a recipe I tried recently for Vanilla Coconut Cashews and Almonds. In other news, I’m out of Vanilla Coconut Cashews and Almonds. Here’s this week’s mash-up of random goodness. SWEET POTATO BROWNIES Speaking of goodness, has anyone made sweet potato brownies? I love sneaking vegetables into food, so I’m super curious about this recipe for…
