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Have a great summer!

by Teresa

We talk a great deal about balance on this blog. It’s a recurring them: trying to achieve some sense of balance in our over-committed, crazy lives.

We all give lip service to the knowledge that we can’t do everything. Yet I, for one, try and beat myself up when I fail. I’m constantly finding new and exciting things to add to my already busy life. They’re legitimately good things: new writing opportunities, making raspberry jam, doing more promotion for my books, spending time with friends and family. But I can’t do them all. I’m not twenty any more. I need to sleep. Recently and reluctantly, I’ve realized I need to cut back on some of what I’m doing.

Picking strawberries anywhere other than my own yard didn’t happen this year. We may bail on an long-anticipated summer party next weekend. That one’s due to car trouble, but I confess to some relief at a weekend at home mixed in with my disappointment. Dance class has largely fallen by the way side, though I hope to get back to it when time permits. It’s fun and both the exercise and the socializing are healthy, but when I include the drive, it’s four hours a week I can ill spare.

And I’m stepping down from this blog. I’ll still be reading, and I hope to come back if my schedule ever calms down. The posts only come every ten days or so, but every little bit helps.

Maybe I’ll actually get my house clean. Nah, that’s still unlikely. But I bet I can use the time to write my own stories, or knit, or garden, or cook something fabulous. And maybe I’ll even have time to blog about it.

Cleaning without harming the environment, both my personal and the world at large, is important.  If I can do so cheaply, all the better!  Most have heard of cleaning with baking soda and vinegar; these I use often in the bathroom.  A new fave, and a cheap one, is hydrogen peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide is water with an extra hydrogen molecule.  It breaks down quickly into water and oxygen when exposed to sunlight  and heat thus the dark container.  Dollar general sells the mack-daddy, 3% solution, size for $1 each and, since this is not normally used concentrated, it is a good buy.

This is a new friend and I am still learning the ins and outs of when/where to use and not to use.  Some uses include:

• Dip your toothbrush in undiluted 3% solution to kill cooties after brushing.
• Tbsp of 3% solution in a cup of H2O swished around, spit out, rinse with water is a great mouth wash and helps to whiten teeth
• used as a color safe bleach in the wash
• diluted with water and used to wipe down cutting boards to kill salmonella and other bacteria

There are a slew of additional uses that can be found online, I liked those listed here.  A weekend discovery was that some spray bottle tops will screw into a peroxide bottle – making it easier to premix and then store under the cabinet without allowing the peroxide to break down into its basic components.

On a related tangent, I read where some vinegar makers use petroleum in the production of vinegar so check the manufacturer to be sure that what you are using is not dependent upon petroleum (other than transportation costs).  Details on that can be found at the above site/link.  There was also talk of not combining vinegar with peroxide; this combination creates Peracitic acid.  While not fatal, this is a skin, eye,  & respiratory irritant.

Happy cleaning all!

• We all like to focus on the easy stuff, but we also need to be reminded about community, family and being prepared in tough times.
• Mending happens in everyone’s life from time-to-time, who says mending has to be utilitarian and not artwork?
• Simply Breakfast, a little beauty with the most important meal of the day.
• If your garden happens to have garlic scapes and kale, you’ve got the makings of a yummy sounding pesto.
• For those homemakers who work and work from home with kids, you have special challenges, like working while doing a backbend.

I have all sorts of expectations of myself.

I expect to be able to “hold my own” at work, and be as productive as anyone else, and know as much about the project as anyone on the team. I expect to be able to get things done well and quickly, and keep the customer happy.

I expect to be able to keep a reasonably clean house- not spotless, but not cluttered. I expect to be able to keep up with dishes and laundry for just the two of us, because, on the scale of things, it’s not that much, right? I expect to sweep at least once a week, to stave off the constant bombardment of pet hair. I expect to be able to get at least 4 or 5 dinners made a week, and maybe even entertain a guest.

I expect to pitch in to mow our yard once every week or two, and I want to take pride in the state of our flower beds, not letting them or the lawn get too overgrown. I expect to be able to keep up with the harvest in the vegetable garden and on the berry bushes, so nothing goes to waste, and I can put food away for the rest of the year. I expect the garden to be under control- not nearly weed-free, but the weeds shouldn’t overtake any of the plants I planted on purpose!

I expect to be able to keep up with commitments outside of home & work- the very few that I have. The commitments only take maybe 4 hours a week, so it’s not like I don’t have time.

These expectations aren’t ambitious by any means. Really, they’re just “maintenance”. In a typical week, I can handle them, no problem, and still have time for fun stuff & extra projects. But, lately, I haven’t even met my basic expectations. Over the past month & a half or so, I’ve not felt up to it. I’ve been more tired than I have been in my life, and I keep letting these things slide- all of them.

Am I expecting too much?
No, I’m expecting… a baby!

Recently, I had a thermometer go bad.  It was one of those thermometers that uses a probe in your chicken or roast and connects to a unit that sits outside the oven.  When the meat reaches the desired temperature an alarm goes off.  I used that little unit frequently.  It also had a great timer feature that I carried around with me when I was watering the garden as a reminder to move the sprinkler.   Anyway, it broke.  I remember buying that particular one (Pyrex)because it came with a lifetime warranty.

So I went to my file of owner’s manuals / warranty info and pulled out the correct one.  Admittedy, I could keep that file a little more organized, but it works.  I purchased the thermometer over 3 years ago, however; it did have a lifetime warranty and an address to return the product.  I sent the thermometer back and within a week, I had a brand spanking new one in my mailbox (the replacement was Oneida – but still carried a lifetime warranty).

It’s one of those frugal tips we don’t talk about much in our throwaway society.  Save those receipts and warranties to get a replacement!  Oh, it takes a bit of time to get the items packaged up and run to the post office, but I believe that its better than having to spend time shopping for a replacement.  I also rather like holding companies accountable to making long-lasting, quality products.

Do you save warranties and return things if they break before their time?

I’ve been a pescatarian for over two months now. Two of the toughest challenges about being pescatarian are (a) eating food of real “substance” that will fill me up, and (b) eating enough protein (which also helps to fill me up). So I recently tried a recipe for Stuffed Portobello Mushroom that was both substantial AND had some protein.

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom
adapted from Tasty Kitchen

• 1 whole Portobello Mushroom
• 1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for sauteeing mushroom and oiling baking dish
• 1/4 cups Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 whole large Green Onion, chopped (white and light green parts)
• 1/4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp fresh Thyme, chopped
• 1/4 tsp fresh Oregano, chopped
• 1 slice whole wheat bread, crust removed, torn into small pieces
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 cups jarred Pasta Sauce
• 1/3 cups grated 6 Cheese Italian Blend
• 1 pinch Herbes de Provence

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wipe mushroom clean with a dry paper towel. Carefully scrape out the black part underneath the mushroom cap to reveal the off-white skin below. Lightly oil a small skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Place the top part of the mushroom down first and cook 3-5 minutes until slightly brown and mushroom begins to “sweat”. Turn over and cook for just another minute or two to soften slightly. Remove and set aside.

To make stuffing mixture: In another small skillet, over medium heat, place 1 tsp olive oil and saute red pepper and green onion for 2-3 minutes, just until vegetables begin to soften. Add minced garlic, thyme and oregano. Stir and cook about 30 seconds. Add torn bread pieces. Stir and mix together for an additional 30-45 seconds. You just want to mix the flavors together and warm everything up a bit. Season lightly with a little salt and pepper, stir again.

Place the stuffing mixture in the portobello cap and place in small lightly oiled baking dish. Cover with pasta sauce and grated cheese. Sprinkle with just a pinch of Herbes de Provence (I used Italian Seasoning instead).

Cover with aluminum foil and bake ten minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. You can finish it under the broiler for a minute or two, if you like.

Stuffed Portobello with Linguine and Garlic Bread

I served these stuffed mushrooms over buttered linguine noodles with salt and pepper. Very good! Even my boyfriend loved them, and found the meal filling. Throw in a side of steamed broccoli and some garlic bread, and you’ve got a healthy and substantial meal. It ain’t so bad being vegetarian/pescatarian!

What’s the last thing you think of before you go to sleep? Is it all the things you didn’t do today? Is it all the things you need to do tomorrow? Do you go over a stressful situation or what went wrong?

We’ve touched on the topic before a few times, but I’m hoping to turn it around a little. None of us are superheros. None of us come home from work and get a completely gourmet from-scratch meal on the table for the whole family in a sparkling clean house at 6:00 every night. If you do, please write to us!

So often we are expected to do so much and with a Martha Stewart/Stepford Wife level of perfection (oh, and you went to the gym and look like a model, right?) that just isn’t attainable. When we fail to do any of these things (“I’m a bad person for picking up pizza/skipping the gym/not vacuuming/etc.”) we feel it’s a moral failure.

Photo credit: ianqui

Instead of setting ourselves up for failure trying to meet unreasonable expectations, why don’t we take a few days and focus on the positive? With a shout-out to James O. Pawelski, Ph.D. (his lecture on positive psychology inspired this post), here are a few ideas to get you started thinking positively. Take five minutes to feel good!

Identify Your Strengths: Maybe you’re a terrible cook but a wonderful gardener, listener, singer, or photographer. Focus on what you’re good at, not where you are weak. List a few of your strengths (are you creative, curious, industrious, honest, kind, fair, a good leader, something else?) — write them down! This week, focus on incorporating ways to use your strengths every day. Make a list of ways you can do this.

Express Your Gratitude: Everyone has a person to whom they are grateful but have not expressed it. The best-case scenario for this is to identify a person who has done something for you but has not been properly thanked, write them an honest letter of thanks, then (preferably) deliver it in person and read it to them. I’m giving a quick option (homemakers who work are busy!). Email, call, or write a quick note to someone who has helped you, done you a favor, or just been a good mentor or friend. Have you ever received an email out of the blue that just said, “Thinking of you,” or expressing thanks that made your day? Be the person who sends one. You’ll feel good acknowledging that person’s impact on your life, even in a small way.

Three Blessings: Here is where I started. Before you go to bed, grab a notebook and write down three good things that happened that day and why they happened. Did you enjoy time with your family because you didn’t mop the floor and instead prioritized your loved ones? Write it down! Try this for a week, then review your list to look for patterns. What made you happy?

Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the forest for the dirty dishes. Normally I’m not a “hippy-dippy” self-help kind of person, but after doing some of these exercises last week I had a bright outlook that I wanted to share with all of you!, so I challenge you to think positively this week — starting now.

What are a few things that were good about your day?

• Take advantage of all that rhubarb, by making rhubarb sauce.  An option, I’m toying with is making some, freezing it, & later this fall, mixing it with some homemade applesauce.
• A cute and gentle reminder to get those pets spayed & neutered.
• Often, it’s the smallest steps that have the biggest impact.  The Kitchen Revolution is a great example of this.
• With our the many obligations of a homemaker who works, a mom, etc. etc.  Sometimes its good to remember that we can get groovy at the post office , and hit a little mental reset button at the same time.

Fruits and vegetables taste best when they’re fresh!  Where is the best place to purchase the freshest food?  Your local farmers market!

As homemakers who work, we do not always find it simple to get to the farmers market unless it is held on a weekend. But if it is at all possible, try to support your local farmers market.

You’ll love the exciting energy of the farmers market.  You’ll absolutely love the vibrant colors.  You’ll love the delicious fresh food.

If you buy your fresh fruits and vegetables in the farmers market, you are not only getting the best and freshest food you can imagine, you are helping your own farmers, your own businesses, your own community.

If you absolutely cannot get to the farmers market yourself, you can still receive farm fresh food through a CSA- Community Supported Agriculture - subscription.  When The Professor and I lived in South Los Angeles, we shared a box of organic fruits and vegetables with another family.  Opening the box each time, we found new vegetables to try and the best freshest food we could imagine.  At first, we were concerned that the cost would be prohibitive, but we discovered that the prices were basically competitive. 

Farmers markets and CSAs are popping up evrywhere. Take advantage of this healthy trend in shopping for your vegetable and fruits–where they’re local and fresh.