Well, last night I did indeed make the Indian curry (recipe will be emailed to those who asked for it). And it would have been rather good, if my new crockpot had in fact functioned appropriately. I popped the food in at 9 am, headed off to start our day fully expecting that I would come home to the smell of dinner wafting through the house. Instead, I returned home to the smell of burning potatoes. Apparently, the new “high-tech” crockpot I asked for for my birthday last year doesn’t actually operate like a “normal” crockpot, or so customer service told me. It heats food really, really quickly, and then reduces the temperature. But sometimes the thermostat is “a little temperamental” so I really need to check on it every so often. Umm, correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t the point of the crockpot that I don’t actually have to be paying attention while my food cooks? Needless to say, I’ll be returning to the “turn the dial to low and forget it” model for future culinary adventures.

M was a great sport and ate it, but the leftovers were not saved for lunch. But I did have all the ingredients! I did! And dinner was on the table at the right time, even if it wasn’t quite edible. That has to count for something, right? Right?

C; (Emerging from his room for the 700th gazillionth time) “Mommy, I just want to have a happy talk.”

Mommy: “You have one minute for a happy talk.”

C: “OK, when does the one minute start?”

Mommy:”Right now.”

C:”I just wanted to say that I love you and I am happy when you are happy. That makes this a happy talk. Because I am talking about being happy. How much longer do I have?”

Mommy: “About 30 seconds.”

C: “Well, I don’t think the time we spent talking about how much time I had left should count because it wasn’t actually happy talk.”

Mommy: “Your one minute is up. I love you, now go to bed.”

C: “Oh, OK. But we are going to talk about this in the morning. I don’t think it was very fair.”

I am challenging myself publicly to put together a weekly meal plan, buy groceries ahead of time and then actually make the meals that I planned. As part of my problem with meal planning seems to be finding the plan once it is made, I decided that if I post it up here I’ll at least be able to find it. And perhaps if I can find it, and I know I have to report back about the recipes selected, I’ll really make them.

For my first week, I wasn’t actually able to figure out a whole week worth of menus before I had to do the shopping, so I figured I would ease myself in a bit. Plus, I’ve already lost the menu and had to recreate on the fly at the grocery store. Hopefully I remembered correctly or else I’ll be scratching my head on Friday wondering why on earth there is a bunch of cilantro and a head of broccoli in the fridge. Anywhoo, here it goes.

Monday: Leftovers, M is working late

Tuesday: Indian Curry with Chicken in the crockpot (side of brown rice)

Wednesday: Cod Poached in a Spicy Tomato Broth (side of salad and roll)

Thursday: Turkey Empanadas (side of black bean and corn salad)

Friday: Grilled Chicken in a Cranberry Marinade (side of grilled veggies and some rice to be named later from the pantry)

Saturday and Sunday: TBD.

OK, now it is out there. I have to do this right?

I have apparently been failing in my wifely duties. While Groomzilla, Ridiculous Chick, and Rebecca appear in my blogroll, M’s new blog does not. For which I greatly apologize. But in my defense, he was having some issues with identification (i.e. his first and last name were appearing on posts) in the beginning, so I was rather underwhelmed by the prospect of linking to him. But now that the technical issues have been fixed, I am happy to direct you to M’s blog, and take complete control of mine back.

Happy blogging M…

I think we need to reevaluate the whole pushing of bedtime to 8pm thing, don’t you?

This is what happens when you try to push a non-napping toddler’s bedtime an hour later to try and get her to start sleeping past 5am.

She is still asleep on the dining room floor. I’m unclear on how to proceed. If she sleeps, she’ll never go to bed. But despite both C’s and my best attempts, she refuses to open her eyes and move.

• Today I got the November issue of a cooking magazine tooting the joys of roast turkey. I also received a reminder from my dentist of an appointment in November. I’m sorry, am I missing a month or two here? Last I checked it was early verging on mid-September. If the dentist thinks his reminder will do me any good, he will be unpleasantly surprised when I don’t show up on November 14th. In fact, I bet none of you will remember to remind my on November 13th of my appointment on the 14th.
• To prove my utter inadequacy in the remembering things department, I dragged C to the pool today for his second swimming lesson of the fall. I sent him in, the swimming teacher gave me an odd look and sent him back out again. “Uh, Chichimama? You missed his lesson. It was half an hour ago.” See? If I can’t remember the one activity I have my children signed up for in a week there is clearly no way I will remember an appointment seven weeks from now.

• I went to the grocery store twice today and both times managed to forget honey, the one item we really needed because my children will only eat things dipped in honey right now. Chicken in honey, grilled cheese in honey and, get this, Cherrios in honey. Do y’all think I should just break down and buy the sugar cereal? Cause it would probably be a lot cheaper.

• I can’t seem to remember the name of one of C’s teachers and C refuses to tell me. I know it begins with an F, but is it Flynn? Fowler? Fluffer-Nutter? Who knows? Apparently not me. And, in my defense, she was a last minute switch in for another teacher whose name began with an F so I spent the whole summer thinking her name was something else.

• While I am on the topic of names, do you know how many women I know in this town and can’t for the life of me remember their names? They tell me, I forget, then they know my name and I am too embarrassed to ask theirs again. Please tell me I am not the only one. I generally remember their child’s name, does that count for something?

While Rebecca and I had planned on saying a last goodbye this afternoon, life got in the way and instead of a tearful in-person farewell, our last conversation for a while was a flurry of “I need Joyce’s phone number” and “Don’t forget to get the brisket out of the freezer after we leave” via cell phone. I actually think it was better that way. After our last take-out sushi binge last night I cried enough tears to send their “by boat” container halfway across the Atlantic, and probably would have sent it the rest of the way this afternoon had we had our last exchange of hand-me-downs and hugs.

So in lieu of a tearful farewell, I hope your flight was safe, I hope Evan didn’t fly the Business Class coop, and good luck on the school interviews next week. You know where to find me if you need me.