#reverbbroads2012

Must haves: Outdoor showers, porches, and patios

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June 8
What are your favorite decorative items/pieces of furniture/household features?
Kristen

As I mentioned before, I grew up going “to the shore” for our annual summer vacation. Two glorious weeks in Sea Isle City, NJ. It really was the most innocent time in my life. During the day, my siblings and I would swim in the salty goodness of the ocean, feed (or get attacked by) seagulls, build drip castles (mine were best!), and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which always managed to have sand in them, too.When we tired of the beach, we would attach playing cards to the spokes of our bikes with clothespins and ride all over the island in search of penny candy or soft-serve. At night, our family would go out to dinner or drive up the island to the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ.

Part of the getting ready ritual always involved an outdoor shower. I looked for pictures of some on-line. This one is the closest I could get. All of the houses we rented had an outdoor shower. None of them were this nice! Picture more rickety wood, chipping white paint, and pure vacation perfection. Blue sky above you, salt air, the roar of the waves in the background, and your favorite shampoo all mingling together.

The best part of the outdoor shower was taking one at night. Replace the blue sky with stars…ahhhhh! Now that I am older, I think all future outdoor showers will involve cold beer or red wine to complete the sensory experience.

I live in Michigan now. While there is no ocean here, we do have a pretty big lake that has just as much to offer, minus the salt. My new favorite place is Pentwater, MI. It is a small, lake town with a quaint main street, no chain restaurants, lots of bikes, and places to make memories with your family. Through the very generous help of some family friends, my husband and I recently purchased a rental cottage business in Pentwater. Check out Hilltop Cottage here!

When our son was in treatment, we could not go anywhere or do anything. Ever. The summer of 2010 marked the beginning of us reclaiming our new life. We did everything that summer that we couldn’t do during treatment, including swimming in that gorgeous Lake! That summer, we discovered Pentwater. The goal in purchasing this home is to give families who are just coming off childhood cancer treatment a week’s vacation at the lake.

The best parts of Hilltop Cottage are the front porch and screened in patio on the side of the house. There are comfortable chairs for rocking, speakers for the tunes, and hopefully, lots of family and friends for conversation and laughs.

I will always be within driving distance of water! It is good for my soul.

Self-preservation!

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#ReverbBroads2012 prompt from June 7
List 8 reasons it’s okay to lie.
Katrina

1. If it preserves my personal parenting sanity. Example: Oldest is playing with whistle that sounds like a high-pitched train horn AND it lights up. I say, “that is an outside toy.” What I really mean is, “for the love of all that is good and holy get that thing away from me or I am going to lose it!” BTW, still trying to find the person who decided that said whistle was a good idea.

2. If it buys me decision-making time. Example: Boys are fighting. I only heard half the story. Child one approaches me and whines (we all know how I feel about whining!). I re-direct him to sibling. “Talk to him about it!” Truth: I have no idea what happened, or what to do about it.

3. If it keeps my children from worrying. Example: one Christmas, our little family of 4 was almost stranded in a flash blizzard on the Ohio turnpike. We were driving along just fine. The snow falling was actually quite pretty. We had to slow down, but nothing too drastic. Then, bam! Wind whipping, snow swirling everywhere, no cell phone signal, can’t see the car in front of you, white-knuckle driving. We pulled off at the next exit, which thankfully had some motels, one of which had a room and all you can eat breakfast! Boys half sleeping/half awake, in jammies and winter coats in the backseat asking, “Why are we pulling over, Daddy?” Answer: “We’re really tired and it is dark, so we are going to sleep here tonight.” Truth? “I am absolutely terrified that we are going to end up in a snow bank, so we’re getting out of here!” See? Why make them worry?

4. If it keeps my children safe from strangers, danger, or fear. Nuff said.

5. If it prolongs my children’s innocence. Our oldest is 6.5 years old. He turned 6.5  yesterday. When you are that little, that extra half is a big deal! Pretty soon he will no longer believe in Santa, the tooth fairy, etc. etc. The day of discovery is coming like a freight train and it makes me sad. As soon as he figures it out, little brother (now 4) will inevitably learn the truth,too. That’s what older brothers do, right? I remember my older brother showing me the stash in my mother’s shower. Why rob them of the innocence? Why steal the mystery, the anticipation? They will figure it out soon enough.

6. If my answer (the lie) saves me from entering into the Mommy Wars, again. In my experience, when other mothers ask questions about breastfeeding, naps, sleep training, solid foods, school, summer vacations, sports, blah blah…..they don’t really want my real opinion. I know I don’t when I ask. They want my support. So I give it. “Yes! Totally normal!” “Oooh, great idea!” They want to be reassured that they are not totally crazy (not totally, just partially like the rest of us) and that they are doing right by their children (They are. We all are.) Lying? Yep. Deceitful with intention to harm? Never.

7. If my answer helps me save face with colleagues and supervisors. Example: “Yes, I read that message. My response is in my email draft folder!” Truth: make short-hand note to self on meeting agenda, scurry back to office, find said note, decipher it’s meaning, read aforementioned email message, reply all with smiley face at end. Wipe sweat from brow. This answer is very un-professional and very un-student affairs-like. But I don’t care (lie).

8. I can’t possibly think of another reason. Actually, this is true. I am drawing a complete blank. I am sure that I will come up with more after I publish this post and read all of the other witty, insightful, and honest Broads’ stuff!

Summer “recipes”

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#ReverbBroads prompt from June 6
Share a recipe or meal that is a summertime favorite. (Bonus: Pick someone else’s recipe or meal and make it, then blog about your results later on this month).
Amy

I don’t cook. I can. I know how. I kept myself alive for quite some time! Go me! I just don’t enjoy it. I am the baker in our house. Need a special occasion plate of brownies, chocolate chip cookie bars, or pineapple stuffing? I’m your girl. In our house, my husband is the chef. He plans all meals, does all the grocery shopping, and then executes. I clean up after. And, we both think that we got the best part of the deal!

I am sharing three of our family’s favorite snacks. Caveat: We have virtually no white flour, sugar, or processed foods in our house. We eat very simple things (organic and local wherever possible and affordable) and have one sugary treat a week. Happy “cooking!”

Real popcorn– Buy jar of whole kernels and some popcorn cooking oil. We use generic equivalent of Redenbacher’s. Heat 1/4 cup oil in saucepan & place one kernel inside. Cover partially. When kernel pops, put more kernels in pan, covering bottom. Cover pan. Move pan vigorously over heat to avoid burning kernels and to make sure all of them pop.We use a pan that has a clear lid so you can see the popcorn going. When done popping, coat popcorn with coarse sea salt. Sea salt tastes way better than regular table salt. Best enjoyed with beer! Our summer favorite is Oberon by Bells’ Brewery. (Pre-packaged microwave popcorn is full of chemicals.)

Fire-pit roasted apples– We have no grass in our backyard, so it’s the perfect spot for a home-made fire-pit! Need 4 large apples. We use organic Granny Smith or Gala apples. Core the apple. Stuff core with butter, cinnamon, and organic agave nectar (low glycemic index sugar substitute). Wrap tightly with non-stick aluminum foil. Place directly in fire-pit. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, turning often. Note: Granny Smiths take longer & need to be turned frequently. Remove from fire. Let sit for a few minutes. Unwrap apple and then place in bowl. It’s apple pie without the sugar and the crust! For real foodies: Serve with vanilla ice cream!

This is the agave nectar that we use. This bottle lasts our family of 4 about 4 weeks. A little goes a LONG way.

Yogurt Parfaits– Plain, non-fat yogurt, Smucker’s spreadable fruit (way less sugar than regular jelly and tastes better!), fresh fruit slices, and granola. Mix the yogurt with a little agave nectar. You can also add vanilla and/or cinnamon to taste. Layer a glass with yogurt, then about 2 tablespoons of spreadable fruit, sliced fruit (strawberries, bananas, and raspberries work great), and granola. Layer until glass is about 3/4 full. End with granola. Garnish with a strawberry and sprig of mint. (Yogurt, while it has some good calcium, is also full of processed sugar. Read the label. Some yogurt has as many grams of sugar as a candy bar! Yikes!)

Happy snacking!