Mod Apron

Aug 26

Me and my fella.

All dressed up and on our way to Sunday brunch. Radio Flyer: The only way to travel on a Sunday.

Maya’s trip to the farm. Some serious goat lovin’ up in here.

It was cold and foggy in Half Moon Bay. Didn’t matter; our hearts were warm and happy that day.

Aug 24

Here are a few highlights from today.

Maya had a great birthday. The very best part was the surprise party we threw after dinner with her friends and neighbors. It was a wild success and she LOVED it. Such a great party.

Unfortunately, I had a poorly tummy all day and I felt too sick to take any photos at the party. Looking back now, I really wished I had. I was just trying so hard not to throw up it was all I could think about at the time.

I hope she had a fantastic day. I think she did.

And tomorrow, the fun continues at the farm!

Aug 23

Just finished assembling and wrapping all of Maya’s birthday pressies. Look at the bounty waiting for her in the morning!

Happy 4th Birthday my darling daughter, my beautiful friend, my silly heart, my heart’s treasure.

No matter how many birthdays you have, you will always be my baby girl forever.

Aug 20

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Oops! Posting this meal plan a day late. Sorry! Better late than never, right?

So the big events this week are:

My parents are visiting! They arrive tomorrow afternoon. They’re here for 10 whole days and I’m all atwitter with excitement! Our meals should be simple, summery and easy to prepare for a crowd. Hopefully the dinners I’ve outlined above will fit the bill.
Friday is Maya’s 4th birthday! She wants to go our family’s favorite Italian restaurant around the corner from our house. And afterwards, we’re throwing her a little surprise party with her friends and neighbors here at home, complete with a triple-decker chocolate cake from Blissful Bites. Oh man, I might be more excited that cake than she is! Actually, probably not; she’s ridiculously excited about her special day. Just like a very-nearly-almost-4-year-old should be!
You might notice that Saturday’s dinner is up in the air. That’s because Maya wants to visit a farm her birthday so we’re taking a road trip about 45 minutes south to Half Moon Bay. We’ll be hobnobbing with goats, chickens, horses and rabbits. And I have no idea how long we’ll be gone so I’m leaving dinner open that day. I’m sure we’ll figure out something yummy.

I was hoping to do a big grocery shop today in preparation for my parents’ arrival and the week ahead. But unfortunately, Dennis’ flight was delayed and he got home just before dinner so the shopping will have to wait until tomorrow. Hopefully mom and dad won’t mind tagging along.

This time 4 years ago, I was hugely pregnant (Maya was a week overdue!) and excitedly counting the minutes until we’d meet our baby girl. I totally expected that being a mama would be hard work, completely rewarding and a wonderful labor of love. What I didn’t anticipate was the fun, the joy, the bliss and all the laughing. Good lord, the laughing. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life as I have since the kids came along. This motherhood thing is hilarious! And every day just gets better and better. I’m pretty sure there’s no better job than the one I’ve got.

Have a great week, folks.

Aug 19

When the cat’s away…

…the mice just kinda keep up the status quo.

Dennis is coming home tomorrow afternoon after 5 long days away. Yes, I’ve been flying solo with the kids over here and as much as I dreaded his trip, it’s not been too bad. Not too bad at all, actually.

I’ve been keeping everyone quite busy. Our days have been filled with playdates, park adventures, visiting friends, cooking, baking, cleaning and playing. Maya and I even had a special mama-daughter movie night last night! We had so much fun. We made a huge bowl of popcorn and ate ginger cookies and painted our toenails to match.

I’ve also been very careful (in general, but especially over the last few days) to keep the kids on a fairly regimented schedule. And I must admit, it’s been great. The kids really seem so much more content and happy when we adhere to a solid routine. It helps me immensely too. When everything runs like a well-oiled machine around here, mama is a happy camper.

Here I thought I’d have all the time in the world to blog while Dennis was traveling. I envisioned lonely nights all by myself with nothing but the click of the keyboard to keep me company. Yet here I am on the eve of his return only to finally make my way to my computer for the first time in days. This single-parenting thing is busy.

But while it seems like I’ve been running around a little more and a little faster than usual while Dennis has been gone, nothing much has changed thanks to the schedule. We miss him madly but life around here just keeps on keepin’ on. I suppose I expected more drama (probably on my part, more than anything). I’m glad it’s been so easy.

And anyway, my fella will be home sweet home tomorrow and I’m so excited to see his handsome face.

Aug 13

The littles play happily at Rigolo Cafe while mama sips a petite espresso.

Blissful Monday morning.

[Photo taken with my iPhone]

Aug 12

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Good morning, friends! And welcome to the first weekly Mod Apron Meal Plan - Sunday Edition!

Why am I posting this on Sundays now? Read all about it here!

So this promises to be a very interesting (read: crazy) week. First off, the husband is away from Wednesday to Monday. And, Maya is off on a 2-week break in between the end of summer camp and the commencement of the preschool year. So it’s just me and the kids at home all day for the better part of the week? Yup, you read that right!

It’s not so bad. I’m actually kinda looking forward to it. Specifically, I’m interested in implementing some new parenting tips and tricks that I’ve recently gleaned from the new book I’m reading. I think this will be easier to do starting with just one parent in the mix, in order to maintain consistency. I’ll debrief Dennis when he gets home.

Also, I’d like to get quite a bit of organizing accomplished while husband is away. I’m hoping his absence will afford me a bit of extra time around the house, as I won’t feel guilty for taking my time away from him. I can also stay up late blogging, which is a one of my favorite things to do. My best writing inspiration tends to strike at night, but Dennis always makes me come to bed. Ha!

In terms of the meal plan, this means that from Wednesday on, our dinners will be nice and simple. I’m not going to slave over a hot stove just for the kids and myself. They enjoy simpler meals much more anyway. So you’ll see some easy stuff - omelets, grilled cheese sandwiches, veggie corn dogs - on the dinner menu this week. (Notably, mama might just skip the kid fare altogether in favor of some more civilized steamed veggies and salads.)

Also, notice that this week’s meal plan features a lunch menu on Saturday. That’s because I have a friend from my old Seattle life coming into town, and I’ll be serving her and her friends a light lunch at my home on Saturday afternoon. It’ll be a very simple, light, “throw together” lunch but with the warm weather and my little kiddos afoot, I think it has to be this way.

Notably, we will be serving my Seattle friend Gâteau au Yaourt for dessert and to give Maya a fun project, I’m going to let her make this cake ALL BY HERSELF, with only my vocal instruction to guide her. She loves to cook (just like her mama!) and she’s really excited about baking this cake.

We’ve got several playdates lined up, as well as a new daily schedule (sans the preschool part) happening this week. Today, I’ll be stocking up on groceries and getting the house in order to prepare for the ~~insanity~~ full week that lies ahead.

Mod Apron

Modern homemaking for the frugal urban mama.

When the cat’s away…