Archives for 2011

Atlanta: Photos in Review

June 29, 2011 · Narrative

On the way to the airport for my recent trip to Atlanta, I admired the driver’s prayer beads and asked if I could take a picture of them. He obliged. When we arrived at the airport, he gave them to me. Such a sweet gesture, but being a horrible flyer, I, of course, wondered if he knew something I didn’t. Thankfully he didn’t.

My favorite notebook ever.

New Jersey below.

My sister mentioned ages ago that she reads trashy magazines on her flights. With three flights over the last three months, I have since adopted the practice. And got completely caught up on all my gossip.

Atlanta below.

The driver had no idea what this monument was for. Anyone?

…

Recipe: Dutch Baby

June 28, 2011 · Narrative

When I meet someone new and they find out I like to cook, invariably the conversation usually leads to the million dollar question. “What is your specialty?” And that’s when I get stumped. When it comes to food, I can be counted on for a few things. Rainbow cake to mark the beginning and end of the school year. A bountiful seafood Feast for New Years’ Eve. The Feast of the Seven Fishes to celebrate Christmas Eve. A pitcher of Mom Juice at an adult-attended party. Having way more food than I actually need or will be consumed. And a Dutch Baby appearing on the breakfast table when we’re down the shore with my family.

I make it because I know my sister and brother-in-law are fans. My kids are recent coverts. The Dutch Baby’s appearance on a shore-driven weekend is one of those random food traditions that have crept in over the last few years. As for the answer to the million dollar question? I don’t think I have a specialty. Friends and family might have a favorite dish or two that I make (and that was actually a conversation that came up at our Rainbow Cake party this weekend), but I don’t think I make anything consistently enough to have a “specialty.”

Beyond being one of our family traditions, the Dutch Baby (sometimes also called an Oven Pancake) is also perfect for a summer breakfast with your kids. Or just you and a friend over coffee. The key? Make sure you have someone to share it with lest you scarf it all down yourself. It’s something that literally takes five minutes to whip together and throw in the oven. Even better, I bet you have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. Once baked, it’s perfect with a little dusting of confectioners’ sugar, topped with sauteed apples or just as is. You know, with that scrumptious pool of melted butter right smack dab in the middle. Just begging for your spoon.

…

Read More

Coca-Cola’s Wendy Clark: Balance is a False Goal

June 27, 2011 · Narrative

People seem to come into your life at just the right moment. Exactly when you need them. Or their message. Such is the case with Wendy Clark. I had the pleasure of meeting Wendy last week, while at the Conversations with Coca-Cola conference. One of the segments of the conference featured a panel of women leaders at Coca-Cola. The company has a women’s leadership group of sixteen, and we were lucky enough to hear from four of them. The leadership program was born from a need to have women represented in key leadership positions at Coca-Cola, and each of the women we met were down-to-earth, congenial, crazy smart, empowering and inspiring. Wendy was one of them.

One of the things I struggle with most is balance. To have enough of ME to give to my work, my kids, my home, and still manage to have a little bit left over to give back to myself. I feel like I am constantly juggling balls and not giving myself completely, enough, to anything. It’s a matter of keeping the balls all up in the air, letting nothing crash to the ground. It’s an impossible feat. And the process can make you crazy. As part of our morning program at the conference, we had to create a vision board that briefly highlighted where we were in our lives, what we were trying to achieve and how we were going to get there. Our morning quickly turned into something that resembled a Kindergarten craft time session, as the invited bloggers clipped photos from magazines, and taped and colored our way to our own personal masterpieces. The left part of my board depicted a frazzled mom and the words “fed up.” The right side of the board featured pictures of a serene, simple and content life. As I got up to speak in front of everyone, I talked about how I felt like I was always juggling and that I felt like I wasn’t devoting enough attention to any one thing at the right time. You know, the classic being pulled in all directions scenario that most women struggle with. After all the bloggers presented their boards and accompanying thoughts,we heard from the women’s leadership panel. And Wendy’s words were the most important that I would hear during that conference.

Wendy Clark, Senior VP, Integrated Marketing and Communications at Coca-Cola, might have possibly changed my life on Monday. At the very least, how I operate within it. She said “Balance is a false goal. I will not let the family I love be in a tug of war with the job I love. I won’t pit them against each other. You need to divide your life into little slices … work, family, home, spouse … and give yourself completely to that slice at that moment. If you’re at work, you give it 100% when you’re there. When you’re with your family, they get 100% of you.” Of course, she went on to say that there will be the occasional interruption or fire that needs to be taken care of. That’s life. But the idea of giving up on trying to balance everything, trying to juggle everything at the same time … that was exactly what I needed to hear. Right then.

The Coca-Cola conference was designed to talk to us about what they’re doing as a company (did you know they voluntarily pulled all their vending machines out of elementary and middle schools?), how they’re giving back (like their Sprite Sparks Parks initiative), and some of their partnerships (McDonald’s anyone?), but they gave me, and the rest of the bloggers, so much more. Everything is suddenly much more clear. Of course, life is still not without its challenges. What life would it be otherwise? But I learned that the biggest and best way for me to be committed to anyone, to anything, is to give of them fully and completely in that moment. If I’m with my kids, I’m with my kids. If I’m working, I’m working. There will surely be overlap here and there; it’s unavoidable sometimes. I will continue to go in ten different directions. That’s my life. But I will focus on one direction at a time.

…

End-of-Year Rainbow Cake Party – 2011

June 26, 2011 · Photos

You’ve Got Questions, I’ve Got Answers

June 24, 2011 · Narrative

Or at least some of the time I do.

Amy asked where my shoes come from in the photo of Madeline above. They are made by Naturalizer and I bought them at Famous Footwear. Love them. Took me forever to find the exact pair of wedges that I liked.

Sarah asked where this shirt of Madeline’s comes from… TJ Maxx. I can’t get her to wear it often, but it’s totally her wild child personality.

Someone asked a few months back where I shop for jeans. I discovered True Jean Company and Arizona Jean Company, both at JC Penney, awhile back and love them. Good for girls with a bit ‘o hip but without making you look wide. In my humble opinion, of course. I also love Old Navy for pants and jeans. A lot of my pants for the office come from there actually, and my favorite pair of (now) deceased jeans are from there. Last year, they had a line that was called Boyfriend/Weekender jeans that were awesome. Relaxed fit in the hips and broken in with a few holes here and there. Unfortunately they discontinued them, so if you see them on a clearance rack or eBay, grab them. I bought them in a few smaller sizes ’cause I loved them so much. Best fit ever.

My newest favorite shoes are pictured below. Can you guess which ones are mine? The fuschia sparkly ones. I bought them the day before I went to Atlanta for the Coca-Cola conference. Mystic calls them my ruby slippers. I think everyone needs a pair of ruby slippers. After all, they worked for Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, right? Those are from Payless, $14.99! They had a grey pair as well, and I couldn’t decide whether or not to get them too. Even with their Buy One, Get One Half Off sale. I ended up going back the next day, an hour before my car service came, to get them. I wear both of them a lot, so for fifteen bucks, a wise investment. While we were waiting for our second morning at Coke to begin, we started discussing shoes and it turned out we all wore a 10, 11 or 12, which is pretty unusual. Usually I’m the only one with big feet! Hence the picture.

…

Nick: What I Learned in Third Grade

June 23, 2011 · Narrative

Nick and Payton on both the first day of school (September 2010) and the last (today).

Today was Nick’s last day of third grade – hurrah! It was a transition year for him in many ways. He switched schools, going from a school with 121 kids to a school with 723 kids. He had moved the year before and his parents spent the Spring getting divorced. I am glad that Nick and I managed to make it through the school year pretty unscathed. I rode him pretty hard about his grades, but absolutely recognize the fact that he had a lot on his plate. New classmates. New curriculum. New expectations. Some of the things he covered in second grade were things that his third grade classmates hadn’t worked on. And prior to him coming, his new school had worked on stuff the previous year that was completely foreign to him.

He struggled with some subjects. A lot. Subjects that were a breeze the previous year now frustrated the heck out of him. After we talked about his final report card yesterday, I told him, again, that I felt it was a transition year and it was ok. We were done. But he better kill fourth grade. No excuses. He didn’t do terribly, I just know he could have perhaps done a little bit better. That being said, one of his solid grades was Math, ending the year with a B. It started with a C in the first semester. As someone who repeated Algebra during summer school my high school Freshmen year, I couldn’t be more proud. Nor could his engineer grandfather. Exceptionally, exceptionally proud.

Last year, I interviewed Nick about his year in second grade, and loved that new tradition, so last night over dinner, I quizzed both kids on their takes for this year. Since Madeline’s last day is officially tomorrow, her interview will come next week.

What was your favorite part of third grade?
Meeting Dan and recess. Oh, and art class too.

What was your least favorite part of third grade?
Doing the endangered species project.

What will you miss about school over the summer?
Playing at recess (um, right, because there is absolutely no playing during the summertime!).

What do you want to be when you grow up?
An artist or a famous cook (I could not possibly have loved this child more than when he said “cook”).

What are some things you learned in third grade?
Division, multiplication and practicing my cursive writing more….

Patsy’s Tavern & Pizza: The Best Pizza in New Jersey?

June 22, 2011 · Narrative, Pizza

On Twitter a few weeks back, someone linked to my pizza reviews while they were on a Pizza Tasting Tour in New Jersey. At the time, they were at Patsy’s in Paterson, a place that we haven’t been to yet. They also mentioned another place in Montclair, and I asked the head chief reviewer which he would recommend first. He said to go to Patsy’s if you love idiosyncracies. And so it was.

So if you’re from New Jersey, you’ll likely know that Paterson isn’t really where you want to hang out. A non-descript building in a not-so-good area of town, I could see how Patsy’s wouldn’t get more than a passing mention, if that. But Mystic and I were out sans kids, so considered it a safe bet. Or generally speaking anyway.

The outside brick facade is at complete juxtaposition with the interior of the restaurant. Once inside and seated, it felt like we were at our Italian grandmother’s kitchen table. Cute booths boasting 1950s Formica tabletops and food arriving on mismatched old-fashioned plates. Love it. I didn’t go around the room and query the other dinner guests, but I would have bet most of them were Italian and either grew up in the neighborhood way back when, or moved away and were coming “home.” It felt like home. Like Sunday dinner any night of the week.

I’ve noticed a few things when Mystic and I have gone out to eat lately. 1) He always orders an appetizer. 2) He is into food the way I am. 3) He understands the need for the perfect food photo before we dig in. Relationships have been built on far less. He gets #3 to the point that we now bring home some of our food so I can take more pictures at home, where I have the opportunity to play with lighting and take my time. I love that about him.

When it comes to ordering pizza in our ongoing quest to find the best, I have one hard and fast rule. You have to taste the restaurant’s cheese pizza. They need to be able to conquer the standard pie before mucking around with toppings. And so our pizza was half cheese, and half black olive and mushroom.

…

Recipe: Gwyneth Paltrow’s Roasted Tomato and Anchovy Oreganata Pasta

June 21, 2011 · Narrative

She’s an award-winning actress.

She’s a singer.

She’s a movie star.

She’s married to Chris Martin from Coldplay.

She has two beautiful kids.

She has her own popular newsletter, GOOP.

She’s gorgeous.

She counts Mario Batali amongst her BFF circle.

And now she’s a cook too?!

With her own cookbook?

You want to hate her. But you just can’t.

Gwyneth Paltrow is gracing the cover of the June issue of Bon Appetit magazine, featuring a few recipes from her new cookbook. Her Roasted Tomato and Anchovy Oreganata Pasta hit the dinner table tonight. You have to plan ahead for this one, folks. The tomatoes are cooked two different ways. One of which takes 3-8 hours. Then there is the oreganata that you have to make. Then cooking the pasta. Then adding it all together. It is a little time consuming. Although the end result is really simple fare, I didn’t want to like it. But I did. And then some. The roasted tomatoes are so to-die-for good that I want to tell you to roast twice the amount the recipe calls for. Because if you’re like me, and I’m hoping you are, you might sneak far too many during the rest of the recipe’s prep time. And you’ll want more for the recipe. And later. Or in between. So yeah, roast more than you need. And plan ahead to make this recipe. You’ll thank me, and Gwyneth later.

PS – For more of her recipe, check out this link from Bon Appetit’s article.

June 21, 2011 – Bonus Photo

I wish I could do something to make her happy. She always looks so darn miserable, no? And I wish she’d stop stealing my (new!) sunglasses!

…

Read More

On Dating, Figurative Fires and S’mores

June 20, 2011 · Narrative

Apparently I have a thing for firefighters. It doesn’t have anything to do with the uniform. Really. Although that certainly doesn’t hurt. Hello Backdraft anyone? Though The Ex was not a firefighter when we met and dated, he joined the department after we got engaged. It turns out that Mystic was a firefighter too. Of course, I didn’t know that when we first met a few months ago, but judging by our time together so far, it seems his background could come in handy. Figuratively, of course.

We (and by we, I mean I) like to call it the O’Malley Trial by Fire. You know, like the initiation process when you date me. It’s like freshmen hazing rituals. Only way more fun. At least that’s what I tell him. In the short time since we started dating, he has dealt with the after affects of the Great Power Outage of ’11. You know, when a surge went through the house and torched my computer, printer, fax, house phones, microwave, tv, a portion of the hot water heater and goodness knows what else in its wake. He actually started hanging out with me just in time to deal with the aftermath. Like when I got all new stuff and had to figure it all out. I don’t do manuals. Or technology. Thank goodness he does.

And then there was the ankle sprain. My left ankle is still a good bit bigger than the size of my right. And I’m still hobbling around on it.

And the diagnosis of our beloved Eli.

And a cat missing for two days.

And my trip to Seattle.

And Atlanta.

And oh yes, there was this water incident the week before last. As I tried to run through all the people who I thought could help me at the time, when two buckets of water was steadily pouring through my living room ceiling, and who might be home, and who were boys, Mystic was the second person I called. I tried to hold the phone to my ear, as I was holding the buckets, attempting to catch the water and keep it from going into the tv on the way down.

” Are you ok? “

No, are you nearby?

“No, what’s the matter?”

Ok, gotta go. I didn’t mean to hang up on him, but the water that was pouring down my head slipped the phone from my grasp. There’s only so much multi-tasking a girl can do. He was there within half an hour. Just slightly behind The Neighbor Wife who had the misfortune of calling me during the whole event. Both were total troopers. Who were repaid with spaghetti and garlic bread. That’s how I roll.

There was, ahem, another minor incident two weeks ago that I proudly handled myself. Well, ok, it might have involved the boys in blue, but I didn’t call anyone else for help. Swear.

Later that week when I told Mystic that I thought it had been a bit of an action-packed few months, he asked how he was doing.

“Well, you haven’t run from the burning building yet, so I think that’s good.”

So far.

“Oh I see. I’m on PROBATION?”

He wisely didn’t answer.

“I’d like to think I’m bringing happy chaos to the table. I’m just trying to keep things interesting.”

You’re doing an excellent job. Maybe I should try harder from my side?

“Try harder for what?”

To keep things interesting too.

I then politely explained that perhaps he could just balance out my crazy and not bring his own. You know, ying to my yang or something. Thank God he was ok with that.

Speaking of fire… nothing like summertime and camp fires to make me think of s’mores. How ya like that segueway?…

Happy Father’s Day

June 19, 2011 · Photos

Review: Two Urban Licks, Atlanta, GA

June 16, 2011 · Narrative

One of the great things about being a blogger is that I can land in virtually any city and easily find a dining parter. Such was the case when I arrived in Atlanta on Sunday night, with a free evening ahead of me. I e-mailed Chris from Melecotte and asked if she was free for dinner. Luckily, she was, otherwise I might never have discovered Two Urban Licks in Atlanta.

Chris and I have worked together online over the years, but this was our first time meeting in person. As she took me to a very non-descript industrial section of town, replete with rows and rows of warehouses, I briefly wondered what I had gotten myself into. Pulling into the parking lot, you never would have guessed that a restaurant waited behind those huge garage bay doors.

Inside, the restaurant has such a cool vibe. Darkly lit. Red lights. Urban. As soon as we walked through the threshold, it instantly smelled like smoke and fire. Which is a very good thing.

The wait staff is engaging, attentive and super friendly. We didn’t want for anything. Our waitress walked that perfect balance between meeting our needs and not being overbearing Since Chris had been there before, I went with her recommendations when ordering. We started with the Smoked Salmon Chips, which turned out to be my favorite food item during my Atlanta trip, bar none. Love the presentation. Fried chip. Short smoked salmon with chipotle cream cheese. Capers. Red onions. Chives. A-ma-zing. I mean, really, just look at that picture.

A little Googling turned up the recipe. I could swear the smoked salmon was served on wonton chips, but from the looks of the recipe, it appears not. I’ll definitely be making it, but I am going to try the fried wonton chip route first. The Smoked Salmon Chips are such a popular recipe item that the restaurant has a dedicated kitchen staffer just for making them.

The restaurant features an open kitchen, which I adore, and the food could not have come out quicker.

…

Live Out Loud

June 15, 2011 · Narrative

I was going to write a review on a restaurant I visited while in Atlanta this week, but I decided to shelve that for another day (coming soon though, promise!). I wanted to get some more important words down here first. Now. For you. For me. I wanted to capture the energy I felt from the conference I just came back from. To give you some of what was given to me.

The conference had 12 attendees. All women. Strong personalities. Confident. Passionate. Joyful. There were many other executives from BlogHer, Coca-Cola and the PR firm in addition to the twelve of us, maybe thirty or so at any given time. 99% women. All with a common thread. Everyone lived out loud.

When it comes to assembling a group of women, it’s anybody’s guess as to how well everyone will gel together. Big personalities can quickly overshadow wallflowers. Divas can rule the room. Sarcasm can turn into meanness. But this group? Amazing. Purely and simply amazing. Somehow the personalities all worked magically together. Camraderie was born. Friendships were formed. Inspiration was plentiful. Quite possibly magical.

I consider myself a reasonably confident and outgoing person. But I’ve changed a lot over the past few years. I say yes. To a lot. A lot more than I used to. Particularly to that which scares me. After The Ex left, I made one very quick decision. Quite possibly the most important one. I wasn’t going to let his decision dominate the rest of my life. Nor my kids. Let me explain.

There are a lot of challenges when it comes to being a single mom. Challenges regular moms have, but exacerbated ten-fold. I’ve talked about this before. It was ultimately most important to me that my kids (and I) not miss out on anything because of the new shift in our family dynamic. Certain tasks and adventures will be harder, but I will not say no. We will not miss out. We will live out loud.

I will say yes. To journeys that make me squirm. To things that may be hard. To the path less traveled. Because we all deserve more yesses. Going down the shore for the weekend with the kids and Eli in the car presents many challenges. The biggest one of which is what happens when we need to make a pit stop? I can’t leave the dog in the car with the temps soaring past 100 degrees. I can’t leave him outside. It might seem like a tiny thing, but these are examples that we sometimes take for granted when we have partners. But I didn’t want to miss out on our weekends down the shore. So we figure it out. I say yes.

…

← Previous
1
…
11
12
13
14
15
…
23
Next →