Christmas in July

One of my New Year's resolutions was to write more. Or at the very least finish writing about some of the important events that have happened to us in 2011. 

How about I start with my son't 1st birthday, since ya know, that was kind of important and all. And it was 6 months ago. And I don't want to go down as the mom who had  her shit together for the first two kids but somehow couldn't manage to document ANYTHING about her third.

July 16, 2011. Little Chance's 1st Birthday. What an especially memorable day it was. To begin I should mention that Eugene and I started a tradition 5 years ago for all our kids' first birthdays. Rather than throw an elaborate party in which they'd have no recollection of, we instead, throw a party for a group of people in need. For Bella's 1st birthday we threw a Bingo Blowout and Ice Cream Social for a local nursing home, talk about fun! 

For Mia's first birthday we put together a Fun Fair for kids living in a Chicagoland homeless shelter. You can read all about it here, A Party with A Purpose. These events meant more than any birthday party could have ever felt. I'll never forget the feeling of pride I had watching my ENTIRE family working together to help those homeless kids have fun and laugh and smile. 

Eugene and I hope that when our kids look back on their first birthday they'll be reminded that their lives began helping others.

And now it was Chance's turn. When I was researching organizations for Chance's birthday a friend mentioned that I check out the SOS Children's Villages of Illinois. Once I read their mission statement, I knew this was the group we should work with. SOS Children's Villages of Illinois provides a viable alternative to traditional foster care. In our country's foster care system, three in four children are separated from their siblings. Children who come to live at SOS stay with their biological brothers and sisters in a private home. "A full-time, professionally trained foster parent lives with them, and the whole village gives them support, compassion and strength." Their mission to keep the family together is so inspiring. It always broke my heart when I heard about how often siblings were split up from each other--as if they should be punished more? Uggh. It hurts to even think about. 

In fact, these kids arrive at the steps of SOS with little to NOTHING at all. Extra clothes? Nope. A doll to hug at night? Nope. A pack of crayons? Not even. When I heard about this, I knew what we needed to do, a Christmas in July.

On July 16, 2011, Chance's actual birthday, my family and all Eugene's extended family from California arrived at our house and was greeted with Christmas music the moment they walked through the door. Nothing's stranger than singing Let it Snow when it's hot and sweaty and muggy! After a quick informational meeting about the SOS organization we began the festivities.

First, we caravaned over to our local Walmart, all 17 of us. After being saluted by the door greeter, we were split up into 4 teams and given a cash filled envelope. Based on a "wish" list provided by SOS, we were to buy as many gifts from the list as we could, while staying within our alotted budget. We also had additional challenges like the greeting card challenge, where each family member was to purchase an inspirational card to be written out by them and handed out to one the children of the SOS Villages. 

We had exactly 1 hour to buy everything. 

Team 1, consisting of my mom, Fran and Mia, decided to hit up the card challenge first.

My mom was having motherhood flashbacks as she quickly realized how difficult shopping with a 3 year old could sometimes be. They quickly put Mia to work by checking scribbling off the list.

Team 2, my dad, mother-in-law and Matt in a deep discussion between purchasing a football or a soccer ball---or both.

My father-in-law, accountant extraordinaire, was diligently keeping tabs on our running total. It was no fluke why I put him on my team :)

Taking a quick break from the shopping frenzy to remember just how much I love my kids

Surveying the inventory

The unstoppable Team 4, Gabrielle, Christine and Bella, the world's best bargain shoppers put us to shame with all that they were able to purchase. They were smart--they looked in the clearance isle first!

Family chicken fight!

Check out time!

Christine and Gabe's thought process was basically add it to the cart and we'll see if we can afford it when we're at the checkout. They stood nervously in the line and watched as the checker rang up item after item. Making some quick decisions, they decided they needed to remove some things since they were over budget. They explained to the cashier what we were all doing, and who we were doing it for. And what happened next reaffirms my faith in people. A random man with his son in the next aisle overheard them and without missing a beat, told the cashier that he would pay for every item that they set aside.

This random stranger paid over $30 from his own pocket.

And just like that the discarded 10-pack of white t-shirts, pink baby blankets, and thermal socks made its way back into the cart. His last words were "all kids deserve new t-shirts"

People are good.

  

We returned home from Walmart and with the Chrismas carols on full blast, we wrapped up the presents. 

The second part of our day was a celebration at one of the SOS Villages. Deep in the city. In what my "limited suburban ego" would consider the bad part of town.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was apprehensive about going. Of course I was. I knew this wasn't the safest of areas. And despite even some hesitation from my family, we rose above it. Because helping from a distance isn't the same. I want my kids to know the truth about life, the good and the bad.

Only then can we really learn.

And when we arrived there and were welcomed with the most open of arms, I felt ashamed that I had so poorly misjudged people's compassion based on where they lived.

I needed to remind myself that here, we were the strangers.

We all stood in a circle and went around the room introducing each other. Three minutes of uncomfortable get-to-know you's and a few of my dad's goofy jokes and that's all it took. We were  friends.

The kids showed us around their home/facility and challenged us to a few air hockey games. It's still good to know that my bad-ass air hockey skills are still going strong!

When the pizza arrived we all sat together in their dining hall and before we ate one of the 9 year old boys said the blessing. Thanking God that our family had joined them today. Thanking God for the food that we brought. Thanking God for giving him the strength to go on despite the struggles he's endured.

I tell ya, I wanted to take that boy home with me.

I sat with my sweet birthday boy in my lap, grateful for making the choice to come here. Grateful to see my family step out of their comfort zone. Grateful that we have the ability to share with others. I noticed my five year old sitting next to one of the kids talking about Disney--no barrier between them. I watched as my brother-in-law performed magic tricks for everyone's enjoyment.

What a team we make.

After lunch, Bella and Mia passed out the presents.

For security reasons, I cannot show any of the kids faces.

And we all played.

Chance, may you always remember how good it feels to give. 

And how happy we all were on this day, July 16, 2011, your 1st Birthday.

Twas 3 Days Before Christmas

Still drinking your Peppermint Coffeemate creamer? Still sporting a sugar cookie bloat?  I begrudgingly chose all of the above.

We arrived home from our trip to California and I was pissed to find that Dobby the Elf didn't bother to take the decorations with him when he left. That cheeky bastard.

I even made him teeny, tiny sprinkled donuts, see?! 

We'll miss him though.

Our time with Dobby was so precious this year. Every single morning the kids woke with curiosity and excitement to see where he was. He definitely became a regular yuletide fixture. 

This Christmas will forever go down as the "Grinch" Christmas. We introduced the kids to the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey version) and to say they were hooked was an understatement. Both girls fell in love with Cindy Lou Who and would reenact her singing "Where Are You Christmas" every chance they could. No joke. They'd be in the middle of a conversation with someone and suddenly break into song while staring longingly out a fake window. They'd even go so far as to put their hand up to the fake window. Now that's commitment! 

And all Mia wanted for Christmas was a Cindy Lou Who doll, Cindy Lou Who pajamas and a Cindy Lou Who music box. 

Someone please explain to her that Cindy Lou Who was sooooo 2000?

But of course my mom and sister couldn't resist. My sister scored a CLW doll from Ebay and my mom (bless her heart) recreated the pajamas from the movie. Mia was in CLW heaven! See?

She's got my heart, that Mia.

Check it out, when you press a secret button on CLW's back her braids twirl around. THIS BLEW MIA'S LITTLE MIND. Literally, she almost passed out from excitement when my sister showed her. 

Mid twirl.

From our very first Christmas as parents, Eugene and I decided that we wouln't go crazy with gifts for our kids. For one, they really don't need all that much to have fun. In fact I've noticed, the more they have the less they play with. Secondly, we don't want our children to feel a sense of entitlement about Christmas, which so easily happens this time of year. Commericials, catalougues, playground conversations--it's almost unavoidable, almost. For us, Christmas is about SO much more than just gifts. And thirdly, they get a ton of cool stuff from family members anyway.

Like this surprisingly spacious ready to be colored cardboard playhouse. Thanks Nana and Papa!

It was and still is a huge hit!

The night before we left for California we celebrated my mom's birthday and came home to find that Santa left a note and three gifts under the tree for our kids.

It was such an unexpected excitement for them! 

SANTA?

THREE DAYS EARLY?

NOOOOOO WAY!

Bella read us the note.

And one by one, we all watched on as they took turns opening their gifts. 

Now I should mention that all Bella has talked about for the past month has been an American Girl Doll named Kanani. Kanani this and Kanani that. The first night that our elf, Dobby, arrived at our house she IMMEDIATELY began writing him a letter informing him of what she wished for. She made it crystal clear:

"kanani frum water towr mall frum chikago cidy."

 See she didn't want the elves from the North Pole to make the doll, oh no, she wanted Santa to buy it. From that store. In that mall.  

Clever.

So here I was in our living room sitting next to my daughter as she's about to open her present. And I have to admit I'm not quite sure who was more excited, me watching or her opening. 

You see, it's the first Christmas that I really "got it." Ya know, that super awesome mushy parent feeling you get when you know how happy your child is about to be opening their present.

Little did she know that's exactly how I felt right here.

But to my surprise Bella was very matter of fact about it all. Very cautious.

She began feeling the box and switched off between a huge smile and a hesitant grin---all the while turning the wrapped box over and over trying to examine it from the outside. 

I knew what she was thinking. I always do. Her hesitation was because a part of her was afraid that it wouldn't be what she really, really wanted. 

Which tugged a little at my heart strings.

But then her grin turned back to a smile because what if? What if it really was what she's been wishing for? And again with forced restraint she c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y began opening the side of the present.

And for a few milliseconds she tried to identify the box. 

And then it hit her.

And I swear my eyes filled up right then and there. This is the shit I live for as a mom. This! 

And suddenly Bella ripped apart that paper faster than I could even capture it.

She had her Kanani.

Life was great for this little girl.

Next up, my other little girl.

Mia, Mia. From the moment you saw The Grinch you wanted a music box just like Cindy's. One that was pink. One that had a twirling ballerina and one that played sweet little music.

But hidden secret drawers?

MAJOR bonus! 

This smile. This huge precious, dimpled smile only comes out around 1 out of 200 pictures. It melts me. 

This is what happiness looks like. 

 

And then both girls noticed that Chance was having a hard time opening his present. He's in that stage where you hand him a wrapped present and he smiles so big as if to say thank you, thank you for this large red and green striped thing. The girls, impatient as they are, took it as a cue to rip it open for him. And little man got a big truck that talks and chases him. Shabang!!!! 

As a child I loved Christmas. I mean, who doesn't, right? The gifts, the songs, the lights. But I never really knew how special Christmas would become as a parent. Watching age old traditions become our own. Feeling the genuine love that we all have for one another. This is what I want to remember. This is what I'll carry with me, season after season. 

That night, Bella slept hugging her doll and Mia found a perfect spot for her musicbox hidden safely under her bed.

What a merry, Merry Christmas.

~2011~

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks, Dressed in Holiday Style

We bundled up and headed to the city to the see the twinkling lights.

And the beautiful windows.

And oohed and aahhhed at every shimmer.

And sang and danced in the streets.

And gave a little.

And huddled close.

And smiled big.

And wrote a letter.

And made a wish.

And crossed our fingers.

And cherished eachother.

And then Chance chucked a hot chocolate in mid-air and pissed on himself. But other than that, awesome night. 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Around the World, A Six Course Review

Okay, so when I married Eugene I knew that he was smart, ambitious, funny and extremely hard working. But what I didn't know is how amazingly talented he would become in the kitchen. This dude can cook. I mean REALLY cook. And guess what? So can my older brother. The two of them are unstoppable in the kitchen.

As evidenced by our SIX course "Christmas Around the World" dinner this past weekend. My brother's family spent the weekend with us and we all celebrated Christmas a little early. It was such a memorable weekend. I mean, it really felt like Christmas. 

But the meal? OH MY GOD. Yes, the food was impeccable, but the kicker? We had a professional sommelier pair 2 wines with every course. Talk about fancy!

We watched our family's cheeks grow flusher by the course. And the laughs, oh the laughs!  

  So course by course, and drink by drink, here's the menu.

FIRST COURSE

International cheese tray with mixed nuts, salami and fruit. Cheeses include Manchego (Spain), Queso de Cabra (Spain), Iberico (Spain), Wensleydale Aged Cheddar with Cranberries (England), Dorset Smoked Cheddar (England), Cheddar with Port (England), and Traditional Farmhouse Cheddar (England).

Paired with...

Mionetto Prosseco (Italy). The aroma is fruity, reminiscent of pear and citrus with a slightly floral bouquet. The wine is fresh and crisp with apparent apple and peach flavors.

Oyster Bay Pinot Noir (New Zealand). From Marlborough in New Zealand's South island. Fresh cherry flavors burst forth on the palate and on the nose augmented by subtle earthy notes. Duh.

And the winner on the cheese plate, was the Wensleydale Aged English Cheddar with Cranberries, by a unanimous vote. Creamy and delicious and bought from Costco, so get some!

Like the dry erase marker to label the cheeses? Isn't that genius? My brother gets all the cred!

It was the perfect start to our feast.

SECOND COURSE

Shrimp Ceviche (Mexico). Traditional Mexican appetizer featuring shrimp, fresh tomatoes, avocado and citrus hints. Accompanied by a spicy avocado sauce.

Paired with...

Pewsey Vale Riesling (Australia) A pale straw with green hues, the wine shows intense fruit aromas of talcum, crushed stone and lemon lime fruit, with a hint of overlying dried herb, but of course.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand). Deriving from the French word sauvage (wild) and blanc (white) ours is a crisp and powerful, well balanced wine with intense aromas of gooseberry, passion fruit and citrus flavors. 

Guys, this ceviche was SO delicious! And the Kim Crawford wine was awesome on its own but the riesling was a surprisingly great pairing with the ceviche.

At this point we were all feeling a lil' bit loosey-goosey, so 

my brother began to chug the table-top dump bucket.

Just kidding. That was staged. But this adorable picture of my sister-in-law was not.

I wish she was more in focus, but it adds to the artsy value. She is our resident wine expert and was responsible for getting our wine pairings professionally assessed. 

So, right about now you might be thinking, six course meal? Where the heck were the kids? Well for one, they were barracaded out of the dining room. Need proof?

Exhibit A:

We were able to ignore the whiny little voices coming from behind the fence for about 4 courses. I mean it was 10 adults drinking glass after glass of wine--did they think we were going to pick them up or actually listen to them? Hell no. The moment they walked up to the fence they'd get heckled so badly they had no choice but to turn back.

Okay, the truth? We may or may not have left an entire bag of Holiday Oreos just within reach. 

Win-win.

THIRD COURSE

Lobster fra Diavolo with Bruschetta. New England lobster tail sauteed in a garlic white wine sauce, served on bruschetta bread. Accompanied with Linguine alla' Aragosta. Homemade marinara with fresh tomatoes, lobster and pepperoncini.

Paired with...

Mer Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay (California). Cement tank fermentation. Soft and round entry with an acid backbone, ripe fruits such as lemons, gooseberry and grapefruit. Finishes dry.

Clos du Bois Chardonnay (California). As fragrant as a stroll through a summertime farmers' market (this description had us all rolling) our bright and juicy Chardonnay beckons with aromas of apple blossom, ripe pear, peach and sweet lemon drop.

So good. So, so good.

And the unoaked Chardonnay was a hit. And their bottle is awesome. Here it is, a cement bottle just like the tanks it was created in. Talk about keeper.

FOURTH COURSE

Lemon Zest Sorbet (Italy).

FIFTH COURSE

(When you read the description, try to imagine it being said with a hilarious french accent. Which is exactly how Chris read it to us)

Bacon wrapped Roast of Filet Mignon (France). Trimmed, center-cut filet of beef tenderloin lightly seasoned and dressed with a winter coat of gently smoked bacon. Accompanied with reduced burgundy mushroom sauce, crispy hash browns and seasonal roasted crowns of broccoli and cauliflower with sweet baby cherry tomatoes.

Paired with....

Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon (California). Combines a complex mix of firm yet ripe and supple currant, spice, mint and cedary oak with good length, but also tannic muscle. Hubbawhat? Tannic muscle? Um, okay.

Bogle Petite Sirah (California). Voluptuous and full-bodied on the entry, the heady aromas of black currants and plums awaken the senses. Lusciously jammy and inky in appearance with tones of pipe tobacco, leather and cocoa, to mesmerize the palate.

Okay at this point I should not have operated machinery let alone a camera. Which is why I do not have a picture of our steak course. But...I do have a picture of the tenderloin before it was cooked. Check. This. Out!

It was delicious. My brother knocked it out of the park with this one. 

SIXTH COURSE

Inspired by a traditional yule log, this classic holiday cake with layers of rich chocolate. 

Paired with...

Fonseca Porto (Portugal). Blended from reserve wines selected for their superb fruit character and depth of color, it's well-knit structure, rich, velvety full body and luscious blackcurrant and cherry floavors, also dominant in the bouquet, finish on an intense, lingering note.

7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel (California). Sexy and endearing, it offers a deep ruby/purple color, full-bodied, corpulent flavors and abundant berry fruit, pepper and spice notes.

~

A night with all of my family is always something to remember. But this night and this meal was one we'll never forget. Thank you Rich and Eugene for a five star memory. 

"Life is so brief that we should not glance either too far backwards or forwards...therefore study how to fix our happiness in our glass and in our plate."

- Grimod de la Reyniere

Chocolate Chip Cookies to die for!

HOLY MOLY I JUST MADE A BATCH OF THE BEST TASTING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER.

While browsing Pinterest, I noticed this recipe which the New York Times deemed their favorite chocolate chip cookie. And they were oh so right people. Maybe it's the combo of 2 different flours or maybe it's the sea salt. Yes, definitely the sea salt. Either way, AH-MAZING! 

Preheat your oven now. I'll wait.

They're that good. 

The recipe is below. Or you can get it here. C'mon, it's the Holidays, who doesn't want a warm, chewy, chocolatey cookie. You can bet these will be the ones we leave out for Santa! Enjoy!

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

from The New York Times

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Reduce to low speed and add dry ingredients slowly, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 24-36 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Elf Mania!

Personally I think that Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda A. Bell, creators of The Elf on the Shelf deserve a Nobel prize. Seriously guys, the concept is genius and it seems like EVERY parent I know now has one. That's sayin' something. And why wouldn't they? The idea of a non-speaking, shelf sittin' disciplinarian is a parents dream. Or mine at least.

Did I mention he works for free?

We got our Elf as a gift and I was so excited to do it last year that I never even read the book that came with it. Oops. Which meant that we bypassed all the rules and regulations. But not this year. 

I had a grand entrance planned for our Elf's arrival complete with a packaged UPS box from the North Pole. But it ended up neither grand nor an entrance. Why? Because my daughters suck, that's why. I took the box out of storage and moved it under my bed as a temporary holding place before the big show. The box was out of storage for TEN MINUTES. TEN MINUTES PEOPLE. I HAD MY DAMN ELF HIDDEN UNDER THE BED FOR TEN MINUTES AND THEY STILL FOUND IT. 

They should be protecting our country yo. 

But I can't be too bitter because the way they found it was so cute. They were playing "Christmas" in which Bella (the mom) delivers boxes of presents (a remote control, a pony tail holder, pencil top eraser and a plastic tea plate) to Mia (the daughter). As Mia sat on the floor of my room opening presents that her "mom" had given her, she saw another box that she innocently opened. And oh my holy night I think she shit her tights. Not joking. She started screaming and then Bella started screaming then they came running to me barely able to breathe, their eyes bulging wide and mouth open and head shaking and finger pointing before Bella could actually get the words out.

"Our"

stutter. stutter.

"Elf"

stutter. stutter.

"Is here.

 OH MY GOD MOM. YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT. HE'S HERE. HE FLEW THROUGH  THE WINDOW AND UNDER YOUR BED"

Trying not to break a smile, I grabbed my phone and clicked record

They were SO excited!

So here's the rules:

1) no touching the Elf because it will lose it's magical power (oops)

2) Name your elf

3) Be good because the Elf is watching and he reports to Santa every night 

Easy, right? Wrongo. Naming the Elf was SO frustrating. Those girls can't agree for the life of 'em. After spitting out several made up names Bella says "Dobby."

I stopped what I was doing. Did I hear right? Did my daughter who has no knowledge of the Harry Potter world (yet) just name the GREATEST ELF WHO EVER LIVED? You go Bella. You're damn right we're going to name him Dobby. Dobby is a free elf. Dobby is a good elf. Dobby loves Harry Potter. 

But it wasn't done yet because Mia needed to add her two cents, rightfully so. They went to bed and at the breakfast table the next morning, Mia told us that his middle name is Abika. 

Dobby Abika. 

Snazzy and elfish, huh?

So every night we have to move Dobby into different locations and the kids get all kinds of excited to see where the elf will be each morning. 

This morning Dobby was found under the table. With a letter. And a gift.

And the kids unwrapped the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas (their current FAVE movie ever since our Dr. Seuss halloween).

Christmas is so fun.

Why do we have to wait a whole year to feel such excitement? 

Can't we redefine the Fourth of July or something? Groundhog Day, perhaps?