Sunday, November 11, 2012

......let it slide.....

.....within 9 days, we had a hurricane and a Nor'easter.......crazy weather that has paralyzed routine, devastated families, inconvenienced many and taken our fall season to a temporary screeching halt; leaving us startled and wide eyed at an early taste of winter......


.......school was canceled for a week after the hurricane and we began this past week with delayed start times......somewhere in between, Halloween came and went; being postponed and re-planned so many times that we threw in the flag and stated we were happy with the trunk or treating we were able to squeeze in.....

.....with such a break up in schedule and limited resources in our proximity, since most of southern CT lost power; we bunkered down and tried to make each day special in its own way......the girls love to help me cook, so we made the first batch of *butternut squash soup.......


....it never fails to warm the belly and I don't hesitate reaching for seconds because it's delicious without adding heavy creams or butter......the recipe is at the bottom of this post.....

.....we have crafted, read extra books, stayed up late and I have let all good, healthy habits slip down the tubes......we have eaten breakfast for dinner and had our dessert for breakfast......as the snow blew in, the girls quickly remembered the tradition that we started last year......

......the first snow of the season brings a special morning to kick off the snowy time of year.......

.....ice cream sundaes for breakfast...... 



.....Elsie wasn't in a sundae mood, so she and Brody opted for Italian ices......


.....and clearly, I am not too focused on table manners in this temporary living situation either.....I think my little man spends more time on the top of the table than pulled up properly in his booster seat.....



.....as if snow isn't enough of a high for toddlers and preschool aged children, the addition of dessert for breakfast ignites the same amount of excitement as if we were going to Disney World.....



.....and they could hardly wait to play......


....Elsie didn't care that she was soaking wet when when she was finished playing.....all of her water proof snow gear is still packed up since we are on our last few days of living in limbo.....if she had the chance, she would roll, scoop and stomp in the snow all over again; only after she made a row of floating snow angels, however......gear or no gear, nothing matters when the first snow day arrives.....


.....and not much else matters to me regarding order in the home since we are in countdown mode.....

.....we move again in five days and it will feel so, so good to finally be settled.....we will have endured 10 months of uncertainty......eight months of showing and maintaining a spotless NYC apartment and trucking the kids up to CT to look for homes......challenged mostly by keeping their hands off other people's belongings (the first time I took Elsie with me to a home, she was sitting on the couch eating a banana she found in their fruit bowl within 2 minutes)......the last two months we have spent living in a temporary apartment so we could be in CT by the time school began, only to find the house two days later.....

.....so with that kind of timing, Stefan and I banned all unpacking from the temporary apartment and for the last 8 weeks, we have searched half taped boxes for the raincoat, humidifier, winter clothes, brown fall clogs, coral hand bag or casserole dish that I just have to have at that moment.....it is usually a half frantic search, as I always seem to identify an item I have to have on the way out to school.......my clothes are separated in three different closets, so I make three pitstops to pull on my under garments, my jeans and lastly, my top; ultimately meaning I walk around half naked most of the time.....so in the spirit of finding the silver lining of living like nomads, Stefan will miss the half naked part of this living environment......

.....ultimately though, with all of the messy chaos and disarray for this type A, organized, counter cleaning soul; all I can do is let it go and relish in the last few days of living without order.....and there is something liberating about that, too.....so in our last weekend of temporary living, we are savoring our last moments of our NYC transition.....

....we eat a lot of left over Halloween candy.....


....we have dunkin donuts for breakfast when it isn't even a weekend....


.....I allow Elsie to craft, color and work on her book anywhere in the house.....eventually leading to marker scribble scrabble on the floor, walls or couch when Brody comes in like Swiper the fox and sneaks off alone to assert his territory......we sure do talk about our future playroom a lot, but for the time being; I say sure to whenever and wherever she wants to work......


.....over the last few weeks, I have thought to myself, if I am going to let order and routine slide over for mayhem and disarray, why not do it whole heartedly?......I will enjoy getting the family back on track with healthy habits, having a place for everything, creating better morning and night routines, and assigning new roles for my little helpers to keep the house up.....for now, though, we are enjoying our small moments and basking in the excitement of moving our family of five into our first home.....

.....although, apartments will always be near and dear to our hearts.....


....Brody hides when he has been caught sitting on the glass table, bathing his fully dressed self in the bathroom sink or after he has colored something other than paper......

....I think I may try this trick and cover my eyes for the next 5 days and hope that by the time I open them, all will be done and ready for the movers.....


....no such luck.....

.....and lastly before I go collect my scissors and masking tape, thank you to all of the men and women who gladly serve our great country.....


.....our family will certainly take time today to give thanks for all the service and sacrifice so many others make for our freedom.....

*Butternut Squash Soup
-1 3-5 lb squash
-2-3 Cinnamon sticks
-Nutmeg
-Salt and pepper
-6 garlic cloves diced
-1 medium onion, chopped
-64 oz of chicken broth or stock
-Oil oil

Cut the squash into small pieces and place skin side up/flesh down on a cookie sheet. Pour water onto the cookie sheet so that the water covers the cookie sheet in its entirety. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until squash is soft. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, while squash is roasting, toss garlic and onion in 2-3 T of olive oil. Simmer until translucent.

Once squash is cool, cut the tough skin off the squash. Roasting squash in the cookie sheet will make this very easy. Add squash to the garlic and onion and toss over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 32 oz of chicken broth or stock (I like stock better because I find it to be more binding, but either will work). Add 2-3 cinnamon sticks. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Let all of this simmer for 30 min on low heat. 

Blend ingredients together. (I use a hand blender, but you can also pour into your stationary blender). Add broth or stock as you blend for desired consistency. Remove large chunks of cinnamon sticks. Add more spice based on your personal preference. 

Serve with a warm baguette or a tossed arugula salad with cherry tomatoes.

Dairy free, Vegan and low fat!

Delicious!