Slice of Life Challenge #23: Day 23/31 Where's Your Shoe?

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life Challenge #23: Day 23/31

Where's Your Shoe?

Did you pack yet? This was a question that I had been asking nagging my seventeen-year-old for the past week. 

Did you check that you have all the clothes you need?

Do you have money for meals?

Did you check in with your teachers for missing work?

Did you pack yet?

Did you pack yet?

Did you pack yet?

For each request, my son replied in an annoyed tone, "I got this, Mom." I was skeptical, but I let him be in charge of his own packing. 

****************************

 

Fast forward to Wednesday morning, the morning he left for his school- sponsored robotics competition. He was running around the house, looking for his team competition shirt and clean underwear. It was all a little chaotic.

"Are you ready to go?" I yelled up the stairs. 7:10 AM. We needed to leave by 7:15 so I could drop him off AND be on time to be prepared for my first hour class.

"Coming!" He yelled. 

"I'll be in the car."

Five minutes pass. He's still not there. I am getting more and more impatient. 

"What is he doing?" I thought out loud and concluded with a sigh. My daughter rolled her eyes.

I dashed back inside the house, leaving my daughter in the car.

I opened the door to see my son balanced on one stocking foot.

"What is going on?"

"I can't find my shoe!"

"What do you mean? You had your shoes yesterday. They couldn't have gone very far."  

"Someone took my shoes!"

"No one wants your stinky shoes," I offer. I looked around the entry way and immediately spotted his shoe.

"Is this it?"

"Yes! Where did you find it?"

"Right in front of you."

We both giggled. In the end, my son left the house with both shoes and packed. His idea of packing ahead is radically different from my own.

Slice of Life #22: Day 31 : Hello/Goodbye

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #22: Day 31/31

Hello/Goodbye

When my kids were little, each time we crossed a border from one state to another, we would yell goodbye to the state we were leaving and hello to the state we were visiting. 

Although my children are now teenagers, I cannot resist our hello/goodbye tradition. As we arrived at the bridge connecting Wisconsin to Minnesota on Monday, I yelled, "Good bye Wisconsin, hello Minnesota!" My son, who was sitting with me in the front seat, briefly looked up from the Nintendo Switch, but my daughter did not look up from her book. 

"Come on! Join me!" I pleaded with my kids.

"Don't you remember when we used to do this?" I inquired.

"Yeah," Isaac said, "It was kind of fun. But we were like five."

"Do it with me? Please?" I again pleaded with my kids. It's a good thing that I was concentrating on the road so I could not see my daughter roll her eyes.

"Let's do it once we get to the middle of the bridge. Like old times." Isaac replied and then added, "You have to do it too, Alaina!"

"Fine," said my sulky teenage daughter. 

"On the count of three!" I yelled.

"One. Two. Three!"

"Hello Minnesota! Goodbye Wisconsin!" The three of us chanted before we officially entered Minnesota. 

Once again, this little tradition made my heart happy. 

Slice of Life #22: Day 24: Making Pierogi

 For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #22: Day 24: 

Making Pierogi

"Want to make pierogi?" I asked Isaac, my teenage son. 

He eagerly nodded a yes. 

"Pierogi are sooooo good." 

I smiled. Until that day, he had only had pierogi, also known as Polish Dumplings, from the frozen food aisle. In my opinion, frozen food is never a close comparison to the real thing.  

"I bet you will love pierogi that isn't frozen and processed, Isaac." 

Our cooking day was a frigid Saturday afternoon back in January. It was a quiet and rare day, just the two of us - the perfect day to try a new recipe.

"I'm a little nervous as I have never made it from scratch before. I guess we order pizza if it's a flop." I offered. 

I handed him my tattered copy of Leanne Brown's Good and Cheap and instructed him to search for the pierogi recipe. Next I reminded Isaac that the biggest cooking mistakes have been made when I have not taken the time to read the entire recipe before getting started.

Isaac read the recipe and slyly remarked, "we can handle this, Mom." 

In the next few moments I placed the flour, yogurt, salt, and eggs on the counter. I handed my son five Russet potatoes to peel and cube. 

As he boiled the potato pieces, I made the dough. 

Throughout the process, we continued to return to the recipe, occasionally reading aloud the instructions, "What does it mean to have a floured surface?"  

"It's like when we make cut out cookies," I explained. "That way, the dough doesn't stick so much to the surface." 

That Saturday I taught him how to flatten out the dough with the rolling pin. We used the top of a water glass to make dozens of circle shapes. Inevitably, flour was everywhere. 

He spooned in a teaspoon of the potato mixture inside each dough circle. From there, I folded the dough over the filling, sealed and pinched the sides together with a fork. We created an assembly line. 

Plop. Fold. Seal. Fork.  

Plop. Fold. Seal. Fork.

Plop. Fold. Seal. Fork.

We continued the process until all of the ingredients were used up. Isaac and I counted up the pierogi. We made over seventy! 

The final step was to boil the pierogi. By the way, pierogi are done when they float to the top of the lightly salted water! 

Although you can eat pierogi after they are boiled, I like to sauté pierogi with a bit of butter. They tasted amazing with a little bit of sour cream.   

"You were right, Mom. Homemade pierogi taste SO much better than the frozen stuff! It was fun to make, too." 

That night we both went to bed with full bellies. Most importantly, I was so grateful for this experience of cooking pierogi with my son.

Slice of Life #22: Day 20: Cinnamon Rolls and Chili

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #33: Day 20/31

Cinnamon Rolls and Chili

When my children were much younger, we used to get together often with another family, who were native Nebraskans. Throughout the year, our kids played together and the adults all enjoyed each other's company. I especially loved it when we were invited over to their house in the winter months. They always made chili and served it with cinnamon rolls. Apparently, chili and cinnamon rolls are a Nebraska thing. A quick search on Google revealed that our family friends weren't the only ones who loved the combination of chili and cinnamon rolls. Maybe Nebraska is on to something. The sweet taste of cinnamon rolls definitely compliments chili. I would have never thought of combining the two foods together.

Yesterday morning we woke up to snow on the ground. It wasn't just the kind of snow that melted as soon as it hit the ground. In fact, to my dismay, there was enough that I had to shovel. All day this put me in the mood for chili. Having the awful sweet tooth that I have, I thought that it would be fun to try to make cinnamon rolls from scratch instead of buying rolls from a can (and it would fulfill a small goal of mine).

For years, I have been so intimidated to make cinnamon rolls from scratch. It's something about using yeast and dough rising that makes me feel so nervous. There are also a lot of steps to follow. 

I found a recipe online and discovered that I had all of the ingredients. I enlisted my teenager daughter, Alaina, to help. We carefully studied the recipe, returning to it again and again while we baked. 

To our delight, our cinnamon rolls turned out just fine. Each of my kids had two of them with their bowl of chili. Not bad for our first try. 

Here's a few shots of our first attempt:

Do you ever eat cinnamon rolls and chili?

Slice of Life #22 Day 15: Mother and Daughter Walk

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #22: Day 15/31:

Mother and Daughter Walk

"Mom, can we go on a walk?" My thirteen-year-old peeks her head through the doorway. I am just finishing up my nightly FaceTime chat with Steve. My pajamas are already on. I am nestled under my quilt ready to snuggle into my book. The last thing that I want to do is get dressed and take a walk so close to bedtime, yet it is rare that my teenager requests to do anything with me. 

Of course I oblige. 

I pick up my jeans off the edge of my chair, grab my sweatshirt from the edge of my bed, and I quickly dress. My daughter is already waiting outside for me. It's still a bit chilly, so I layer on my jacket and snatch my hat and mittens. 

We walk for nearly 30 minutes around our neighborhood, chatting about all kinds of topics, such as friends, school, our pets, and an upcoming trip to see relatives. We talk about what I remember eighth grade being like and how self-conscious I was in high school. She tells me about a recent book she read. I tell her about what I have been reading. As we return to the house, she thanks me for taking an evening walk with her. 

It's has been a rare, uninterrupted time without any kind of technology - just talk. It is the kind of mother-daughter time I crave the most.  

When I turn in for bed that night, my heart is so full. 

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 31: Easter Preparations

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 31: 

Easter Preparations

Mother, son, daughter,/

decorate, dye hard-boiled eggs-/

Easter traditions.  

Of course there is always at least one egg casualty (see cracked egg above). 

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 30: My Reader

 For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 30: 

My Reader

 Alaina scans the titles on my bookshelf. Her fingers run along the book spines. 

“You have A LOT of books, Mom.”  She's right. Buying books is my downfall. I have more titles than someone could probably read in a lifetime. 

“I know. Too many. I’m trying not to buy so many and using the library instead.”

“What’s this one about?” She holds Kim Liggett’s The Grace Year.

“Oh, that’s a dystopian YA novel. I started reading it last year, but I must have gotten distracted. I remember liking it, but it is dark.”

“I’ll try it, Mom.”

Alaina dives into The Grace Year. She reads it in the car as we are running errands. She reads it at the kitchen table while she eats a snack. She reads me snippets of the book periodically. 

“This book is SO disturbing, but I cannot stop reading it!” 

“The ones you can't put down - those are the best kind! Just remember-it’s not a real story.” 

She nods and returns to the book. 

For the next few days, instead of her usual iPhone/iPad fixation, she’s immersed in this book. I overhear her tell her big brother about The Grace Year. (The even get in a bit of a debate about all of the disturbing books they have read and which one is the most disturbing.) 

It's Spring Break, and my daughter is buried in a book. This mamma couldn’t be happier. 

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 28: Rollerblade Driveway Delight

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 28: 

Rollerblade Driveway Delight

My daughter has been begging for rollerblades for the last few months. She has been rollerskating a few times before, but not rollerblading. It's also been a while since we went roller skating, and we haven't had many opportunities to skate. 

On Friday I had the good fortune to borrow several pairs of rollerblades from a friend - a fellow parent who knows that it's wise to try out something before you invest in purchasing it. 

I have a flat and wide driveway, perfect for rollerblading. With knee pads, helmets, and wrist guards, the three of us put on our gear. 

We all began a bit shakey, especially my daughter, who has had the least amount of experience on wheels. She fell several times and clutched onto my arm before she was able to achieve balance on her own. Soon, although a bit shaken, she was skating back and forth between the width of our driveway. 

“I’m awful at this, but it’s SO fun!” She exclaimed. 

“You are doing just fine. It takes practice.” I reassured her. 

We spent at least an hour roller blading before we headed inside.

"Can we do this again, Mom?" 

I nodded, thrilled that we could enjoy something outside together.  

Lace skates. Find balance./

Rollerblade driveway delight./

Outside spring pleasure.

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 17: Rummikub Win

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 17:

Rummikub Win

In the middle of trying to write a slice for Tuesday, Alaina runs into my bedroom, flings our family's Rummikub game on my bed.

 

 "Mom, can we play a round?" 

"Yes, let me just finish typing this sentence, and I'll be right there," I close my Chromebook and head into the kitchen. Alaina already has the game set up. 

Sitting across from each other, we each select fourteen tiles and begin playing. 

Alaina is intense when it comes to Rummikub. It's an hour without Netflix or Youtube. It's an hour without texting. It's an hour of just me and my daughter. 

We talk. We laugh. We tease. 

She wins a game. I win a game. 

She breaks the tie to win for a second time and yells, "And that's how it's done!" 

She delights in beating her mother.

"Aren't you glad you taught me how to play so well?" She teases. 

Little does she know that I cherish any opportunity that I can get to spend time with her. 

 

Slice of Life Challenge #21 Day 14: Pandemic Picnic

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life Challeng #21 Day 14:

Pandemic Picnic

I gathered a loaf of bread, some lettuce, and mayo. I sliced some ham and cut several pieces of colby cheese. I placed the peanut butter, Sunbutter, and jelly on the counter and set out some butter knives. This spread should satisfy everyone.

"Is everyone up?" I yelled up the stairs at my children. "You have thirty minutes to finish getting ready, including that you each need to make a sandwich for your lunch. Get going!" 

It was nearly 9:30; my fifteen-year-old and nearly thirteen-year-old emerged from their respective bedrooms. 

"Okay Mom," I heard my son respond. My daughter trudged down the stairs, bed hair and all.  

Ten minutes later the three of us were crowded around my small kitchen, reaching for items and assembling sandwiches on our kitchen table. We placed them in the small red Igloo cooler. I added several apples, sliced raw veggies and placed them in small Ziploc bags. I threw in napkins and handwipes. I closed the cooler and set it by the back door. I realized that we even had a bag of chips that we could bring, so I placed the snack beside the cooler.

"Do you each have a water bottle?" 

There was more activity in our kitchen. My son filled his bottle. My daughter rummaged through the cupboard until she found her favorite water bottle. 

Once we were set to go, we piled into my sedan, ready for the day's adventures. It was a forecasted to be a beautiful day. My children, my boyfriend, and I were meeting my parents at a park and spending the afternoon together. 

Prior to the pandemic, when we were out and about during the lunch hour, we always ate at a fast food restaurant or a local diner. I didn't bother to plan ahead and pack a lunch, However, when COVID hit, we searched for safe ways to gather and have adventures. My parents live over three hours in driving distance from me, so we found parks and parking lots half-way where we could meet up, picnic, and be safe. 

Packing simple picnic lunches and eating at parks reminds me so much of my childhood. As a kid, we never traveled anywhere without have a cooler full of food. A gingham tablecloth could always be found in the station wagon, complete with silver tablecloth clips. I remember having so much fun playing in the park or playing frisbee or tag when we were done eating. I loved exploring. 

I forgot how much I loved picnics. As a single parent, I soon realized that picnics were better for my budget. In addition, I found that it was less stressful to just find a spot to eat instead of waiting for a table or arguing about which place to stop. Picnics can be easy to prep and easy for clean up. We can decide what time we want to eat, how long we want to linger, and when it is nice out, we can enjoy the weather. 

Of course I have missed going out to restaurants. However, planning ahead and packing a picnic lunch and eating in parks is something I want to hold onto when this pandemic ends.

What new habits do you want to keep?

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 4: A Walk to Remember

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 4: A Walk To Remember

"Want to take a walk with me? We don't have to go far. Maybe just around the block."

"Okay." I was surprised that she agreed. 

My twelve-year-old daughter and I laced up our sneakers, zipped up our coats, and put on our hats and mittens. We headed out the back door to take an early evening neighborhood walk. 

As we walked, we chatted a bit about school, about friendships, about what it was like when I was in seventh grade, and we even talked about our pets. 

"Oh, look at the sunset, Mom!" 

"So pretty. I love how the colors are so vivid. I should take a photo of that."

"You are going to blog about that, aren't you?" My daughter teased. 

"You know that I am obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. If I can weave it into a blog post, I might as well!" 

We continued to walk, this time for a bit in silence. Our walk ended up lasting about thirty minutes, much longer than a walk around our city block. 

As we approached our house, my daughter quietly said, "I want to start taking more walks with you, Mom. I like the fresh air. I like our talks. It helps."  

Although I have a good relationship with my tween, moments like these are not always common with my daughter. This walk I want to remember.  

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 27/31: Outside Play

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 27/31: 

Outside Play

Perhaps one silver lining of social distancing/Covid-19 is the gift of play. Recently, I have spent a lot of time with my kids outside. My daughter loves to play frisbee. My son loves to kick around the soccer ball. As the mother of a tween and teenager, I am giddy when I get the opportunity to spend time with them, especially when it does not involve any kind of technology. 

Tonight we chased each other. 

Tonight we giggled.
Tonight we stayed outside until it was too dark to see. 

I cannot remember the last time we played so hard we got sweaty. I cannot remember the last time we spent so much time outside. I cannot remember the last time the three of us had so much fun.

All because of social distancing.  

Playing with my kids makes this mama's heart full.   Looking to connect with a positive, supportive online community?  Consider sharing a slice of yourlife with Two Writing Teachers.  All writers are welcome!

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 10/31: Bike Ride

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 10/31:

Bike Ride

"Mom! "Canwegoforabikerideplease?" 

My daughter had just arrived. She threw down her tote bag and violin in the middle of my kitchen floor. Her dad barely had the change to give her a goodbye hug.

The request for taking a bike ride together caught me off guard a bit. Typically, upon arriving to my house, my tween daughter immediately heads to holding her guinea pigs, hanging out with a neighbor friend, or I quickly lose her to You Tube videos. She rarely wants to be outside with me anymore. Lately, I have had to work for her attention. 

"Yes, we can go for a ride. It's a beautiful evening! But I think that we only have one helmet, so maybe just you can ride." I responded.

She dug into her tote bag and produced a black helmet with neon markings, "Nope! I brought my helmet from Dad's house! We can both ride! Can we go now?"

"Let's go!" I said and laced up my sneakers. 

We headed out to the garage. I put on my helmet and sat on my neglected Schwinn. 

My bike immediately flattened when I put my weight on it. Darn it! I could feel the rims on the garage floor. I wasn't riding this bike anywhere. 

"Uh oh, Alaina. I think that my bike has a flat tire." 

Her face fell.

"Don't you have a bike pump?" She asked.

"No, unfortunately not. It's another thing to add to my list to get the next time I get paid. Sorry, kiddo."

"Perhaps I can walk beside you as I ride?" I suggested.

"Yeah.. I guess."

She started out on her bike. She was smooth, fast, and looked so carefree. We got about a block. She had already circled me twice. Alaina was still way ahead of me; it would be a constant ride of her doubling back to stick with me. 

"Alaina, how about if I ran with you? Then I could keep up with you easier." 

"YES!" 

I returned to my house and dug out my running clothes and shoes from the Rubbermaid bin in my basement. I couldn't remember the last time I went running. It was at least since I had moved into my new place - nearly six months ago. 

By the time I had changed and returned outside, Alaina was decorating our driveway with chalk. Again, I was amazed that she still wanted to bike with me. She hadn't lost interest in taking the bike ride. 

I did a quick set of stretches in the driveway. We set off. Since I haven't run in a really long time, I alternated between running and walking. 

One block running. One block walking. Repeat.

As we moved throughout our neighborhood, she and I chatted about school, the weekend she had with her dad, and what she wanted to do this summer. Although I felt a bit winded at times, I loved every bit of this conversation. 

"I just LOVE riding my bike, Mom. Can we do this again soon?"

"Of course," I answered, knowing that a few sore muscles and the reminder of being out-of-shape was a small price to pay for this engaged time with my almost twelve-year-old daughter. 

6 years ago - Alaina riding her bike.
Per my daughter's request,
I am not allowed to post public photos of her very often anymore.
Although she's nearly 12 years old now, I still see my daughter as this five-year-old with training wheels... 

Looking to connect with a positive, supportive online community? 

Consider sharing a slice of yourlife with Two Writing Teachers. All writers are welcome! 

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 2/31: Heckrodt Musings

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 2/31: 

Heckrodt Musings

When my children were small, we used to spent a large amount of time at a nearby nature wetland reserve, Heckrodt. Following yesterday's church service, I drove my kids to Heckrodt, where we would spend part of the afternoon hiking on the trails.

"Mom, I remember Heckrodt being a lot bigger," my fourteen-year-old remarked as we entered the edge of the reserve. 

"Well, you are a lot bigger than you used to be." Now my son is close to my height, if not taller than me. He continued, "My favorite part was always visiting the turtles and snakes in the nature center. Remember that time we got to hold all of those snakes?"

"I remember searching for animal tracks in the snow," My daughter shared.

I smiled, listening to them share their cache of Heckrodt memories.

As we walked along the snow covered trails, we noticed that there were several people looking up at a tall tree, binoculars in hand. One man even had a huge telephoto lens. 

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"There's a nest of owlets. Well, no one is sure that any owls actually hatched yet, but you can see the great horned owl at the top of the nest. It's quite amazing."

The tree that included the nest with the great horned owl

Sure enough. Even without binoculars or a telephoto lens, we could see the head of a great horned owl. We stood and watched the tree for a few moments.  

We continued to explore. 

"I forgot how pretty it is here, Mom," My eleven-year-old daughter shared, "you can hear the woodpeckers pecking the trees and the cardinals singing. I like how the small herd of deer hang out here. It's so beautiful here." 

I nodded in agreement.  

These observations, especially coming from my iPhone/iPad/Nintendo Switch obsessed offspring, remind me that it's important for me to get my kids outside.

Being outside helped my busy weekend end on such a peaceful note. I need to get us all outside more. 

Looking to connect with a positive, supportive online community? Consider sharing a slice of your life with Two Writing Teachers. All writers are welcome! 

Haiku-A-Day Challenge #14: Weekend of Busy

For the last three years, I've intentionally spent time writing and sharing a Haiku-A-Day for the month of December. The first two years I exchanged a daily Haiku privately with willing friends, mostly through text and email. Last year I wrote and shared each Haiku on my blog. Throughout this process, I've discovered that the practice of noticing and reflecting through writing a Haiku grounds me, provides with with a certain kind of peace, assists me with better practicing gratitude, and helps me better navigate this "hurry up" world. This year my goal is the same as last year: to pen and publish a daily Haiku on my blog throughout December. 

Haiku-A-Day December Challenge #14: 
Weekend of Busy 

It's been a weekend. Holiday parties. Girl Scout event. Dance clinic. Ski trip. Transporting a tween and teen to and from each activity. Dog sitting. Plus the ordinary weekend responsibilities, such as cleaning, laundry, meal planning, and grocery shopping. It has not been a quiet weekend, which happen to be my favorite kinds of weekends.

Weekend of busy./

Late evening pick-up. Early/

morning departure.

Rest? Rejuvenate?/

Not these days. Children keep my/

schedule so lively.