Mod Apron

Modern homemaking for the frugal urban mama.

Posts tagged weekend

Jun 29
Heavens to Betsy. I left the house holding one of the kids’ maracas today and it wasn’t until I was already 2 blocks away that I realized. I can’t actually say how it happened; all I know is that the kids were playing with the bucket of instruments after breakfast and at some point I was cleaning up, getting shoes on, grabbing Maya’s lunchbox and ushering us all out the door to get to Maya’s summer day camp. It was a blur of activity as we were leaving the house. You can just imagine my puzzlement when I realized I was still holding that thing, and with no pockets or anywhere to put it down. There were more than a couple of sideways glances from people passing by on the sidewalk. But you know me, I’m always looking at the glass half-full. I decided to use that maraca for emphasis and excitement when talking to other adults at summer camp drop off.  “Would we like to have a playdate next Thursday? That sounds GREAT! (shake shake shake)” “Oh! They’re baking bread in class today! How EXCITING! (shake shake shake)” “Sure, I’ll empty out Maya’s cubby for the weekend. Yay WEEKEND! (shake shake shake)” Ya gotta make the best of it, that’s my motto.  And speaking of making the best of it, I did my best to remedy my meal plan and grocery shopping drama by popping by Cal-Mart on the way home for some goodies to tide us over. I bought mostly veggies and I think it was money well spent. Tonight, we’ll have a vegetable and tofu stir-fry with brown rice for dinner. And at some point this afternoon, I’ll make some veggie stock from my two overflowing bags of veggie scraps in the freezer, of which some of that stock will become a simple vegetable soup for dinner tomorrow. Sunday is still a question mark, but chances are it will be soup leftovers.

Heavens to Betsy. I left the house holding one of the kids’ maracas today and it wasn’t until I was already 2 blocks away that I realized.

I can’t actually say how it happened; all I know is that the kids were playing with the bucket of instruments after breakfast and at some point I was cleaning up, getting shoes on, grabbing Maya’s lunchbox and ushering us all out the door to get to Maya’s summer day camp. It was a blur of activity as we were leaving the house.

You can just imagine my puzzlement when I realized I was still holding that thing, and with no pockets or anywhere to put it down. There were more than a couple of sideways glances from people passing by on the sidewalk.

But you know me, I’m always looking at the glass half-full. I decided to use that maraca for emphasis and excitement when talking to other adults at summer camp drop off. 

“Would we like to have a playdate next Thursday? That sounds GREAT! (shake shake shake)”

“Oh! They’re baking bread in class today! How EXCITING! (shake shake shake)”

“Sure, I’ll empty out Maya’s cubby for the weekend. Yay WEEKEND! (shake shake shake)”

Ya gotta make the best of it, that’s my motto. 

And speaking of making the best of it, I did my best to remedy my meal plan and grocery shopping drama by popping by Cal-Mart on the way home for some goodies to tide us over. I bought mostly veggies and I think it was money well spent. Tonight, we’ll have a vegetable and tofu stir-fry with brown rice for dinner. And at some point this afternoon, I’ll make some veggie stock from my two overflowing bags of veggie scraps in the freezer, of which some of that stock will become a simple vegetable soup for dinner tomorrow. Sunday is still a question mark, but chances are it will be soup leftovers.
Posted at 10:53 AM Tagged: kidsmotherhoodtoysfailmeal plangroceriesweekend

Jun 10

Ah, Date Night.

After a long day of dealing with a sick, cranky baby and a little girl who is going through a stage where she loves to repeat everything about a hundred times, we were feeling very ready to get out for a while. Dennis and I got a little bit dressed up, nothing too crazy, but it sure was fun to feel so fancy. The minute my friend Kendall and her husband Thomas arrived to babysit, we were out the door so fast, it would have made your head spin.

We went to a sweet little restaurant about half a block from our home. It all felt very European; this place is tucked between buildings, way down at the end of a cobblestone alley, vines and foliage cascading down the brick walls that envelope the candlelit path.

We were early for our reservation (as I said, we practically ran out the door the minute Kendall and Thomas showed up), so we sat at the bar for a few minutes and enjoyed drinks and appys.

As soon as our table was ready, we sat down and ordered another appy, and then dinner. And after it was all finished, we had dessert and coffee. The food was excellent, and the service impeccable. Den and I took our time, we chatted about life and laughed about the kids, and we enjoyed our evening like civilized adults. We soaked up this rare luxury and savored every single minute.

I’d love to write a more detailed description and share more photos of our night, but I’m gonna keep this one to myself. A decadent little memory to save in my back pocket, like every good Date Night should be!
Posted at 11:16 AM Tagged: date nightweekendrestaurantneighborhoodromantichappygratefullove

Jun 9

Baby seal

I’ve been MIA for the past couple of days, if you haven’t noticed. Sweet Henry came down with the croup and it’s been a barking good time around here. It all started Wednesday night; he was coughing and miserable and couldn’t sleep so I was up all night with him. We moved his Pack N Play into our room on Thursday night so we could keep him near. But, he had another rough night, crying and coughing and wheezing. 

People always say that kids with the croup sound like barking seals. This could not be further from the truth. With every dry cough, poor Hen would literally let out a deep, guttural bark; we jokingly considered dropping him off at Pier 39 so he could hang out with his seal buddies!

I think I had a combined total of about an hour’s sleep over the last 2 nights. 

Friday morning I took Hen to see our pediatrician because he wasn’t improving. It was the right thing to do. Dr. Goodman gave Henry some medication that has worked wonders; his breathing has eased, his coughing is lessened and he’s actually sleeping soundly. We are so relieved.

I went to bed last night around 9pm because I was so exhausted after the whole ordeal. I guess my body isn’t used to getting much sleep because these days, because it’s just past 3:30am and I’m wide awake with insomnia. How odd.

Anyway, Henry seems to be on the mend now and we are all returning to our regularly scheduled programming. Thank goodness for the weekend.

Posted at 3:47 AM Tagged: kidscroupsleepinsomniaweekendhappygratefullove

Jun 3

Apron unplugged

So I sorta disappeared over these last two days. It was, as I like to refer to it, “a spontaneous unplugging”. It wasn’t planned or anything, I’ve just subconsciously kept all online activities to a minimum for the past 48 hours. I was feeling so good after the first day of unplugging, I just kept rolling with it. It was a lovely little internet vacation and I’m ready to get back in the saddle today.

And what I’ve lacked in inter webs lately, I made up for in groovy weekend fun. Here’s what I’ve been up to, lo these past 2 days:

  • The street we live on is having a sidewalk fair all weekend. Yesterday we walked for blocks and blocks in both directions, enjoying the activities. So much fun stuff to see and do!
  • We bought a cabinet for the living room! At the aforementioned sidewalk fair. We found it at this great antique store and snapped it up for a song (and needless to say, we paid cash). I’ll post some pics at some point in the future, but I want to surprise my mom with it when my parents come to visit us in a couple of weeks. And since she reads this blog (Hi, mom!), I’ll wait until after she sees it to put it on the blog. But hey - spoiler alert - it’s antique, hand-painted and GORGEOUS! Yeah, I’m pretty much in love with my new cabinet.
  • I sold a few things on Craigslist. That’s me, always trying to declutter and simplify. Feels so good.
  • Lots of tea drinking and book reading has been going on this weekend. I’d like to say the tea is because I’ve quit coffee completely but no, that hasn’t exactly happened. But I’ve certainly cut back. Baby steps, right? As for the books, I’m currently reading this and this.
  • We had tuna sandwiches for dinner last night. Ha! Sufficed to say, my trusty meal plan got a bit jumbled this weekend. It happens sometimes. Not often, but sometimes. But when it comes to meal planning, I truly believe that rigidity is a recipe for failure. Sometimes ya just gotta roll with it. The good news is that now I’ve got some unexpected meals in my arsenal for next week. And funnily enough, Dennis said the tuna sandwiches were one of the best dinners he’s had in awhile. (I’m not sure how to take that… Compliment or insult?)
  • I think I’m going to make some cherry jam today. I think it’s a touch early in the season for local cherries because some of those pretty babies I bought at the farmers’ market last week turned out to be a bit tart. But we don’t waste food around here, no sir! So I shall repurpose them.

That’s about it for now! Hope you’re having a delicious Sunday.

Posted at 9:32 AM Tagged: weekendsimpledeclutterfamilyfuncityneighborhoodteabooksdecorfurniturehomehappylifemeal planmimimizerepurposesan franciscowe paid cashlucky

May 25

This little minute

This minute.

This little minute. Right here, right now. It’s pretty much the best.

It’s late afternoon on the Friday before a long weekend. We’ve got 3 days of nothing but sun in the forecast and not a single plan, social engagement or deadline ahead, and absolutely no place to be. I’ve got a kitchen stocked with yummy food, a sparkling clean house, all my chores done, a good book going, and nothing else to do except relax and hang out with my precious family.

Right now, this minute, Maya is reading a book to Henry. I’ve got some bread baking in the oven, dinner on the stove, and Dennis will be on his way home soon.

These are the little minutes in life that make my heart smile!

Posted at 4:36 PM Tagged: Memorial Dayweekendfamilyhappygratefullove

May 11

Supreme Queen Dictator

Hooray for Friday!

I do believe the entire west coast is expecting a lovely, warm and sunny weekend, and San Francisco is no exception. I’ve got a lot planned for the next couple of days and I hope I get it all accomplished.

Saturday is going to be a work-around-the-house day. Here’s my to-do list:

  • general cleaning
  • finish laundry
  • vacuum bedrooms
  • clean bathrooms
  • mop floors (desperately needed)
  • repair bathroom light fixture (I bought the screws I needed last weekend, now to fix it!)
  • sort through and file miscellaneous paperwork
  • clean off Dennis’ desk (Although truth be told, I’ve kind of taken over his desk so I’m just cleaning up my own mess. Ha!)
  • clean out the aquarium (Algae, you are my mortal enemy!)
  • wash everyone’s bedsheets
  • polish stainless steel in kitchen
  • BABYPROOF EVERYTHING and box up Maya’s tiny toys (Baby boy’s newly honed mobility is totally cramping my style!)
  • make brownies for Monday’s HOA meeting
  • make a large batch of granola
  • bake some bread

Well now that I’ve got it all down in writing, it’s like looking at Mount Everest! Oh man, I hope I can get it all done! Wonder Twin powers ACTIVATE!

Wonder Twins

Form of a Swiffer! Shape of a tornado!

Sunday is Mother’s Day, y’all! (Sorry about the “ya’ll”. I’ve never used that expression in my life and I don’t know where it came from, but there it is, already typed out, so I’m going with it.) And for Mother’s Day, I’m declaring myself Supreme Queen Dictator and I totally get to pull rank and decide what we do. DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME.

The California Academy Sciences hosts “Neighborhood Free Days” where each zip code in the city gets to attend for free once a year (this is a pretty big deal as admission is usually $29.95 per adult!). And our neighborhood’s Free Day just happens to fall on Sunday. So this is what we shall do for Mother’s Day. HEED MY DECREE.

The Academy is located in Golden Gate Park, which in and of itself is a fabulous San Francisco destination. And it’s only about a 25 minute walk from our townhouse! I’ll pack some goodies and we can spend the day enjoying the park and the Academy and a nice picnic lunch. Fun, free and frugal. Sounds like a great Mother’s Day to me!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Posted at 1:34 PM Tagged: weekendMother's Dayproductivityhomeprojectfamilyfunloveto-do list