Ode To My Subaru

When we lived in Florida, buying a car was never about functionality for us, it was all about how it looked and how it drove. Our reasoning was that as long as we had one SUV (to transport kids and dogs), we were free to have a "fun" second car. Our current fun car is a 6-speed Acura RSX S-Type...and it's been sitting unused in the driveway for the last week. Fun car = no go in the snow.

Which brings me to the subject of this post. Our beloved Subaru Outback. We bought this vehicle last year, about a month before the first snowstorm of the season and let me tell you, it hasn't failed us since. Nine months out of the year, this is a really good car. The other three months of the year, this is an unbelievably great car.

For example, during our drive down the mountainside yesterday (over a solid sheet of frozen snow), the Subaru didn't falter once. No slipping, no skidding, just slow and steady down the mountain. We passed cars parked at the base of their driveways because they couldn't make it up and a couple of cars left on the shoulder that couldn't make it down. It was a scary drive (for us non-experienced Florida folk), but it was safe and more importantly, we made it.

The Irishman and I had the same thought yesterday morning - when our Acura bites the dust, we're definitely getting a second Subaru and most likely, it will be another Outback. It's roomy, has a refined interior (to say nothing of the "sporty" features like hauling bikes and canoes) and gets the same gas mileage as my mom's Corolla. Seriously, as long as we're living in a mountainous area, how on earth could we buy anything else?

Winter Wonderland: Tuesday Edition

Whereas Sunday was blustery and dark in a dreamy kind of way, yesterday dawned sunny and bright...and cold! It had snowed another couple of inches the previous night and the snow this morning was light and powdery. Parker's school was cancelled and the Irishman was unable to drive into work (and I'm done for the semester) so naturally, we got bundled up (it was 13 degrees with a wind chill of 2 degrees) and headed outside to have some fun!

First, Parker made his annual snow angel and it came out great.

Then, the boys tried their hand sledding down the front yard while I played catcher. I should add that this was a very important job since they were sledding towards the ledge, beyond which is a frozen creek. Yup, we're all about extreme sports here.

After the morning sledding adventure, we let the dogs out and decided to walk our 1/2 mile driveway to see whether the road leading to our house had been cleared.

The dogs had a ridiculous amount of fun running with sheer abandon.

And, of course, they were pooped.

Alas, there won't be a Winter Wonderland: Wednesday edition because we (one way or another) need to get into town for school and work. I'm thinking that Parker and I will walk the mile down the mountain and let the Irishman attempt to drive the Subaru down. That way, there's only the potential for one of us to end up in a ditch. I know, I know. My thoughtfulness astounds even me sometimes.

Our Winter Wonderland

Yesterday morning, we woke up to this beautiful sight.

The snow had blanketed the earth for as far as the eye could see and each branch was painted with a light layer of snowflakes. I went outside with my coffee to soak up the eerie muffled silence that only a snowy day can produce.

Since the snow had covered our driveway and the road in the distance, it felt like we were all alone in the world. I loved it.

I'm one of the few people that I know around here that absolutely loves it when it snows. It's probably because I never have anywhere pressing to be and I'm perfectly content to spend days on end in my house, which is a good thing since it's always a risk trying to drive down our steep mountain.

Thankfully, we have a high-powered wood stove and lots of firewood, so if we lose power, it's not an incredibly big deal. I also am pretty good about stocking up on suitable groceries so that we won't be stuck eating Spam for days. Plus, we do have a generator leftover from our Florida hurricane season days, but we've only used it once in the last 18 months. I knew my Girl Scouts days would pay off.

Snow days are perfect for a number of things, one of which is sledding.

If you'll recall, we stuck Parker in a plastic bin last year to brave the slopes. This year we were more prepared and he has an actual plastic saucer meant specifically for this purpose. Aren't you proud?

Plus, he's big enough that he was plunging down the hill behind our house for an hour by himself while I watched him while sipping hot chocolate from inside the house. My fingers and toes are grateful for his newfound self sufficiency. It's cold out there! Of course, the Irishman couldn't resist taking a turn or two.

Later in the day, the snow started coming down in earnest.

We all huddled by the big bay window to watch the flakes fall steadily down.

The forecast is calling for more snow today and since it could be one week or one month between this snowfall and the next, I'll happily soak up the brightness outside and eagerly await the next winter storm. I'm still a Florida girl that way.

Gift Giving: A List of Categories

As I gear up to go Christmas shopping every year, it seems like some people are incredibly easy to shop for and some are near impossible. So, to simplify the process this year, I've decided to devise a list of the different types of Christmas presents so that perhaps I won't get stuck on the one or two that drive me to distraction year after year. While this list is by no means exhaustive, I hope it serves as inspiration to keep all of us from thinking, "I don't know what the heck to buy for _______."

Category One: Something Personal

My family and friends are so incredibly good at buying me presents in this category. Here are a couple of examples. My buddy, Meg, bought me this notepad for my birthday back in September a mere month after my fateful lawnmowing episode:

I use this notepad daily and it gives me a good chuckle when I remember how ridiculous it even was to undertake mowing my new lawn with a push mower. Sometimes, a gift that says, "I saw this and couldn't resist" is the best kind.

Shortly after that gift, my mom send a package and it included this:

This, my dears, is a sheep bell from Greece. As I've mentioned before, the sound of those tinkling bells is one of the things that I miss the most about our house in Greece. Now, I can put it around Nona's neck, chase her around the yard and feel like I'm back home again. Ah, the memories. Whenever I'm feeling homesick or like the next summer will never get here, I see this gift and it gives me hope that, one day, vacation will be here again.

Obviously, the better you know someone, the easier it is to give personal gifts, but in my opinion, these are the best kind.

Category Two: Something Practical

My mother-in-law gives the best stuffed stockings ever. Want to know why? When she visits, she peeks in our bathroom and writes down the brand of every product we use daily - perfume, deodorant, tooth paste, flossing sticks, toothbrushes, Q-tips, chapstick, hand lotion, etc... It's probably the most practical thing that we receive every year and we love it because we don't have to shop (or spend) for those products for months!

Sometimes, giving someone things that they need is far better than giving them something that may be superfluous to their lives. This category would also include things like car chargers for phones, iPods and iPads, gas cards, new windshield wipers, good knives, etc...

Category Three: Something Whimsical

If you have a friend or family member that collects things, it makes buying for them a piece of cake. (Just a word of warning - make sure they actually want to add more pieces to their collection before you go that route.)

The other types of gifts that fall into this category might be a pair of earrings or a purse that can only be worn with one outfit or a vase or a serving platter that only comes out for special occasions. Often times, people don't splurge on these things for themselves, so it's nice when someone else does for them.

Category Four: Something Sentimental

I don't know anyone who doesn't love receiving a picture of loved ones in a beautiful frame. Whether it's just a great picture or a memory of a fun or important day, pictures are what make houses feel like homes and offices feel personal. Of course nowadays, you can get pictures printed on mugs, shirts, blankets, calendars...you name it. This category would also include keepsakes like hand and footprints of children and pets and personalized ornaments.

Category Five: Something Luxurious

This category is reserved for things that make you feel like a million bucks - a cashmere throw, plush slippers, a gift certificate for a manicure, pedicure, massage, facial, etc... If the sentimental gifts are designed to make you feel good from within, these gifts are definitely designed to make you feel good from without. These types of gifts might be a great idea this year since one of the first things to be cut from someone's budget are the luxuries and services.

Category Six: Toys and Gadgets

Ah, yes. We've arrived at probably the most lusted after category of the season. New phones, cameras, game consoles, iPods, iPads, laptops,... Not to stereotype, but the boys in my house generally prefer to receive gifts that fall under this category. They could be down to a single pair of underwear, but if given the choice, they would still prefer a gadget over a necessity.

Well folks, that about exhausts my gift categories. Now that I have them all spelled out, I need to make a list of everyone I'm shopping for and buckle down on their gifts. Wish me luck and happy shopping to you all!

This Holiday Season = No Expectations

It seems like every holiday season, I have this fantasy of what the holidays should look like. I picture my family all snuggled on the couch watching Christmas movies while sipping hot chocolate and counting our blessings. Bells are jingling in the background, the angels are singing...okay, so I'm exaggerating there, but you get the point.

Fast forward to the actual Christmas break and the reality looks something like this: Parker doesn't agree on the Christmas movie that we should be watching , the Irishman isn't into the hot chocolate (which took me an hour to make from scratch) and the barking dogs are drowning out the singing of the angels. Instead of counting my blessings, I feel my heart sinking because my reality isn't matching my expectations. Strangely enough, I don't do the whole "expectation" thing at any other time of the year, but I never fail to be disappointed when things don't turn out "just right" at Christmas.

So this holiday season, I say to hell with the expectations. I'll enjoy the rampant baking (and eating) and allow quality family moments to happen naturally. If we aren't all watching the same thing (or even in the same room), that's alright. We're all relatively happy, healthy, safe and together. This season, I'm thankful that we all made it through one more year and, God willing, will be joined by another blessing before next Christmas.

Now that the pressure is off, let the fun begin!

Public vs. Private vs. Homeschooling...What To Do?

As Parker nears the age when he will enter the school system, I’m overwhelmingly torn about which avenue of education to take. I was the product of the public school system and while I think that I turned out pretty okay, there were definitely ugly aspects to my education that I’d rather have done without: random bullying, ineffective teachers, bureaucratic (and useless) rules. Part of me argues that the reason I’m as prepared for the “real world” as I am is due to these experiences and part of me wonders if they gave me a harder casing than I really needed. So, I’m kind of thinking through a pro/con list of each teaching method and I thought that I would do it “out loud” in case any of you were experiencing the same dilemmas and had input to offer.

MY DILEMMA:

I am more concerned with Parker being a good person and a strong individual than I am that he be a good memorizer. I don’t want him to follow the crowd, I want him to find his own voice and his own conscience. I want him to be a citizen of the world, not of a single school district. I want him to be open-minded and compassionate.

MY OPTIONS:

1. Public Schools

My absolute favorite thing about public schools was the assemblies, pageants, crafts, talent shows and sports. In other words, I loved the creative component to schooling. I loved the close friends that I made and I generally had a positive experience overall. My least favorite thing about public schools was that I would often act out because I was unengaged or bored. As a current teacher myself, I know that you have to teach to the middle and that some students are ahead of the curve and that others need extra help. My problem was that I wanted to move faster and that just wasn’t an option, so I wandered out of my seat, spoke out of turn and generally got in a lot of petty trouble.

2. Private Schools

While I have never attended a private school, the Democrat in me in loathes the idea of having to pay in order for my child to get a decent education. I don’t like the elitism present in them and in my experience, the main difference between public and private schools is that students in private schools simply had access to more expensive drugs. However, there’s the chance for advanced curriculum and less tolerance for some of the bull that happens in public schools (I think). There are definitely some top notch private schools that can prepare students for excelling in college, but I’m not sure how good of a job they do in preparing students to excel as humans.

3. Homeschooling

What draws me to the idea of homeschooling is being able to tailor the curriculum to your child’s needs. The total flexibility in that is very appealing to me. I also have the luxury of having a non-traditional schedule where I have a month off in December and 3.5 months off in the summer. Instead of just reading about the world, we could travel it. I wouldn’t be constrained to a standard school schedule and I’d be able to make sure that Parker (and kiddo #2) were excelling as individuals. I would need to make sure that I was taking advantage of all of the extracurriculars available in the community such as sports and music.

The drawback to homeschooling for me is twofold. (1) Parker is an incredibly social kid. If we drive to the playground and it’s empty, he wants me to drive to another one that has children so that he has company. I need to make sure that I don’t choose an educational option for him simply because it’s what I might have preferred as a kid. (2) I work. While my schedule is currently flexible, that certainly poses some complications for what to do with Parker if I have meetings/conferences to attend. If I was a stay at home mom, this potential issue would be far less problematic. Also, I’m not sure that Parker and I need to spend all that time together. He is in preschool right now for 6 hours a day, 4 days a week and it works for us. He’s happy to have play time at school, I’m happy to get to be a grown up and when we see each other in the afternoons, we both have the energy and patience for a wonderful evening. Truthfully, I’m afraid of parental burn out, but that could just be because he is still very young and requires an incredible amount of interaction.

So, when it comes right down to it, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Do I start him off in public school and remove him at a later date if he isn’t thriving or do I take the chance and (if I decide it’s the best option) start homeschooling him so that he doesn’t feel like he’s missing out. It’s a good thing that I have a couple of years to figure it out I guess, but in the meantime, I’ll continue to research and figure out the journey that is best for us.

CrockPot Baked Potato Soup

My friend, Lori, over at mykindarain.com has been raving about this baked potato soup for years. For whatever reason, it's taken me until this week to actually make it. Man, I didn't even know what I was missing! This is such a simple soup, but it's exactly what the weather calls for: warm, filling and tasty.

The original recipe is as follows:

8 cups coarsely chopped peeled potatoes
1 small onion, chopped (1/3 cup)
1/2 pound bacon, crisped, drained, and crumbled
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 cans (14.5 oz) each reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp. pepper

My vegetarian modifications were to use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth, omit the bacon and to use cream of cheese (or mushroom) soup instead of the cream of chicken soup.

Just throw all of the ingredients together in your CrockPot, mix well to combine and cook either on slow for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. I served this up with a generous helping of cheese, chopped chives and a spoonful of sour cream, but you could also add bacon and butter if that's your thing. Oh and definitely don't forget a crusty baguette for dipping.

Making this soup has rekindled my love of the CrockPot. There is something so wonderful about coming home and finding dinner ready, not to mention having a great smelling house. So the next time that you want something warm and tasty waiting for you at home, give this recipe a whirl.