Mom, You're So Mean

Ridiculous before-school conversation with my 8-year-old son this morning that somehow made me the bad guy. You decide:


Mom, I want an X-box.


Ok, I'll get you one after school. (accompanied by major eyeroll)


Mom, I want one for Christmas.


Then put it on your list for Santa.


But Christmas is so far away and Santa never buys me stuff that expensive.


What do you mean, didn't Santa buy you the Wii?


No!


(I now remember that in fact Santa's gift was Band Hero, a Wii game.)


Mom, Can I get an X-box?


Go brush your teeth and get ready for school.


(JJ is sprawled on bedroom floor, with sulky face.)


GO BRUSH YOUR TEETH! NOW!


MOM!!! You are so mean! (accompanied by tears)


Text from husband after he drops him off at school: "JJ said the only thing wrong is that u were yelling at him for no reason."

This Cool Suburb now has a cool Local Butcher

Bellevue is happening, people. Last week I got tagged on FB by my former colleague Gail Gedan Spencer who sent this article from Yahoo Travel that calls Bellevue one of the country's "coolest suburbs". (I know, kind of an oxymoron..how can suburbs be cool?)

Whether it is or not, we definitely seem to be benefiting from Seattle crossover coolness. I was so excited to see the sign for Bill the Butcher recently pop up on a storefront a few blocks from my house, across from Jiffy Lube on Main Street. (Especially loved the opening-day slogan "Come meat us on Saturday!")

(Incidentally, Allison Linn at msnbc.com recently wrote about the Local Butcher trend.)

I dropped in yesterday and picked up a gorgeous pork tenderloin. The company, started by William Von Schneidau (pictured above), now has 5 locations in the greater Seattle area and works with local farmers and ranchers who "raise beef, pork and poultry without hormones, steroids and genetically modified feed." The store also has other great local products, like Ballard Honey and Theo Chocolates.

What with that and my Full Circle Farm delivery, I am wondering when I'll ever need to go to Safeway.

Cupcake Royale Coming to Bellevue!

The other day P and I were driving down Bellevue Way and she squealed so loud I nearly crashed into the car next to me. The object of her excitement: The Cupcake Royale mobile truck outside the former I-Hop.

She said, "Mom - Cupcake Royale is opening!" To which the all-knowing mom/slash journo in me said -- "No, honey, that's just the mobile truck."

Well, I'm wrong. Just read in downtownbellevue.com
that in fact the yummy cupcake shop is indeed opening an Eastside outpost!

Check out CR's blog (with the absolutely wicked name Legalizing Frostitution) for some background on the store, which opens later this month.

What delicious news. There can never be too many cupcake shops in town.

iVillage iVoices Finalist: And the winners are...

Today was the day we were supposed to hear who iVillage picks as its 10 iVoices contributors from around the country. Turns out, the announcement comes next Wed. But today iVillage posted this story on the selection process.

I am interested in this (and you should be too) because: I'm one of the finalists!

Last month, iVillage launched it iVoices contest to find 10 real women voices to add blog and video content to the site. The first part of the contest was a 150 word essay on why you would be a good choice.

I heard about the contest from my friend Laura, who lives in LA and saw a blurb on TV. She emailed me one morning and said, "You'd be great for this. Only problem is the deadline is today."

I did some research and banged out my essay. The next day I got a note saying I had made it to next round. (iVillage chief correspondent Kelly Wallace said they had more than 500 entries; I'm not sure how many of us moved on.) But the next step was to create a 3 minute video of ourselves, and we had a week to do it.

Now, there is a reason I went into print journalism in the first place! In my 20s, I did not like the way I looked or sounded on camera. It's amazing what turning 40 does..sure, I am out of my comfort zone, but now I look at it as a challenge to overcome rather than avoid! And I actually had fun doing it.

In the next week, judges (including Wallace, Natalie Morales (of the Today show) and Contessa Brewer (of msnbc.com) are deciding who the Top Ten are.

Fingers crossed! Will let you know what happens next week.

The New Middle Schooler

This morning when I dropped off P at school, could not help but notice the tall, very-grown-up-looking 8th grader walking behind her. Such a difference in height/looks/maturity!

The headline on this Associated Press story says it all and is so relevant to my own experience right now: From Big 5th Grader to Pip-Squeak Sixth Grader.

So many transitions with homework and time management. As this article suggests, I am looking for ways to empower P to get organized and create good study habits on her own. Any tips out there from middle school parents who have succeeded in that?

Broccoli and Pluots, and Kiwi, Oh My!

Super excited! Just was putting the kids to bed and heard a loud truck in front. Garbage and recycling come on Fri, so what could it be? The truck says Full Circle Farms.. and they are about 9 hours early (supposed to deliver by 6 am Tues morn.)

Last week I signed up for an organic veggie-fruit deliver from www.fullcirclefarms.com. They are based in nearby Carnation, Wa., and deliver a box of in-season veggies and fruit either weekly or every other week.

My problem is that I hate to plan meals each week. So my trips to the grocery store are not efficient. That said, I am a spontaneous cook, great at putting together things on the fly. So I am hoping that having a bunch of random produce deposited at my doorstep will inspire me and get the Fam to eat healthier food.

I picked the family size (larger) box to come once every two weeks for about $44 dollars, and the amazing website made it very easy to order. You are allowed to sub out anything you don't want/like. (My all-time exemption list includes parsnips, kohlrabi and celery root, only because I don't know what to do with them!)

My box (pictured above!) is gorgeous - filled with: spinach, romaine, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, pluots, peaches, apples and kiwi. We'll see how long it lasts.. given that the stuff looks so darn wonderful, might have to switch to once a week.

Oh, added bonus: fullcirclefarm.com has a blog where they include recipes for each week based on what is available.

GOOYCZ- Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

I am on a new kick.

The theme is: Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone.

The reason: For the first time in my life, I feel uncomfortable in my skin (that would be the 5 lbs and the doughy mid-section I've added to my frame since moving here two years ago) and I feel kinda old.

That said, I've decided, 41 is SNO (so not old). And what better time to mix it up.

This summer, I started the challenge. It is well-known that I don't do water sports well. In fact, I am terrified of any water that is not a swimming pool. I can swim well..just don't put me in a lake, river or ocean.

But in the past few months I:

Went tubing down the Wenathcee River. Truth be told, we had a harrowing experience, which I will relate at another time. But it involved me getting trapped under water under a group of tied-up rafts and looking for light (and air). Not fun. Point is, the next day we did the river again. End result: Survived AND had fun.

Went kayaking on Lake Washington. My friend Leslie and I were taking a group of girls and when I hesitated, she insisted that it would be easy and I would not fall in the water. Miss P had the chance to ride with me in a double or her 11-yr-old friend Katie, who had done it before. Suffice it to say she had no confidence in me and picked Katie. So I went by myself. End result: Survived AND had fun.

Went paddle boarding on Lake Washington. A group of girlfriends and I took advantage of the first Friday the kids were back in school and went paddleboarding off the dock at Seattle Tennis Club in Madison Park. Paddleboards are a little wider than surf boards..cute boat house guy instructed us what to do.. it was amazingly easy to balance and we rowed our way up and down the lake for a good 45 mintues. Didn't even get wet. End result: Survived AND had fun.

Did I mention my new mantra? SURVIVE AND HAVE FUN!

Back To Life, Back To Reality

We are in full blown back-to-school mode, with lots of transitions this year. I've survived the first two weeks but there were moments that I just wanted to bottle. (You know those times when something is just so precious, you want to keep the memory forever?)

MOMENT #1

JJ started third grade and is obsessed with Junior Wolverine football (it is a cult here in Bellevue). Now, you know I like my football, having spent my teen years doing the whole Friday Night Lights thing in Chickasha, OK, rooting on the Fightin' Chicks. Everything we did in the fall revolved around the Friday night game. There would be a pep rally at school and we'd spend the weeknights before making purple and gold posters for it. There would be a community bonfire the night before and the whole town would turn out. You could always tell a football player's house by the wooden football-shaped sign, bearing his number, in front of his house. (I just saw one of those signs in Clyde Hill the other day.) Fridays were buzzing and we couldn't wait to get to Memorial Stadium to cheer our "boys" on.

Flash forward many years; I never expected to have a football player of my own, especially since Brian's sport of choice in high school was soccer and, well, JJ is the farthest thing from aggressive. Doesn't like confrontation. Doesn't like to wrestle. Cries at the hint of hurt. But there he is (pictured above, playing center), my baby, #36, ready to rumble. One day I told him to get ready for practice and when he came up for help (for chrissakes, he still needs help putting the cup in his pants, I mean, really, is he ready for tackle football??!) and he gave me a big hug. I hugged him back and he said, "I wish we could hug forever." And then he padded himself up and proceeded to go out and knock the crap out of people. (The part I want to bottle is the hug part, obviously.)





MOMENT #2

Miss P started middle school this year! She has been as cool as a cuke, not worried about a thing and has breezed through the first two weeks. We agreed to drive her to school, because she likes to get there early and if she took the bus, it would be a challenge to get to class on time. But after day three of the dreaded pick up, I told her she needed to ride the bus home. (She's never ridden one to or from school before.) On the first day, she texted me when she got on. It took every bit of restraint I had to not walk to the bus stop to make sure she got off safe. Instead, I sat out on the chairs on my front patio and tried to be non-chalant. When she came walking up, she said "Mom, why are you sitting here?" I lied: "Because it's a nice day." She gave me a knowing look, smiled, and walked into the house. I was able to hold back the tears, but couldn't help but think, wow -- she's all grown up!