Two Step Tuna Tacos

These Two Step Tuna Tacos are Ryan's new favorite weeknight dinner. If you break it down completely, there are more than two steps but only two main steps.... make the slaw and assemble the tacos!

What you need:

1/2 Bag of Dry Cole Slaw Mix
1 Cup of Asian Sesame Salad Dressing (I use either Kraft or Newman's Own)
1 Large Pouch of Tuna
8 Tortillas

1. Combine cole slaw mix and salad dressing. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes
2. Warm tortillas in the microwave for 40 seconds to soften
3. Season tuna with salt and pepper to taste
4. Divide tuna and slaw evenly among the tortillas and fill

If you read my earlier post on easy menu planning, then you know that I love to re-purpose ingredients from one meal to make another so that nothing goes to waste. The last time I made these I was able to use the leftover slaw and leftover tortillas in other recipes. I used the leftover slaw as a side with baked salmon filets and used the tortillas another night to make refried bean roll ups. This is my favorite time  and money saving trick for family meals.

Memorial Day 2012

Happy Memorial Day. I'm definitely enjoying the three day weekend and time with my family. With a co-worker on maternity leave, projects in the works to sell on Etsy and the continuing search for a new job for Ryan, the three days of R&R were perfectly timed. We celebrated the holiday yesterday with a family cookout. My sister in law, her husband and my husband all had to work yesterday so we did a late evening get together. Hamburgers, hot dogs, red beans and rice and mac and cheese made for an awesome holiday feast. For dessert, I made German Chocolate Cupcakes and Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream while my sister in law made Blueberry Crumble. I wanted to take Aidan to the pool or playground today but with an expected heat index in the high 90's, it's not going to be a good day to take the little one out and about.

My cupcake platter from yesterday's family gathering



Aside from the beer, cookouts and pool parties, Memorial Day is mostly about paying tribute to those who have fought and died for our country. Politically, I am an isolationist when it comes to war but I am an American who loves my country and those in the military who choose to fight for it. War should always be a last resort and only when completely necessary. Ryan and I both had grandfathers who fought in World War II and my great grandfather fought in World War I. We have many close friends who have served in the military and we are so grateful for their service. I may verbally disagree with our political leaders and the decisions they make to send our spouses, parents or children to war but I never disrespect those who choose to answer our country's calling. As a wife and mother, I can't imagine how hard it is to have a husband or child fighting in a far off battlefield. A great worry of mine is that my son might choose the military as a career path. If he does, I will still love him, still be proud of him and respect his decision but it won't be easy. I know millions of moms have lived with that worry. Some get to see their children come home but others do not. On days like to day we should honor their sacrifice as well as those of their children.

This picture is of Ryan's grandfather during his service in World War II. Aidan sees this picture and says his great grandfather was Captain America. We think this is because the most recent film takes place during the war and he wears a similar uniform when not in his superhero costume. I love this picture because Ryan idolizes his grandfather much in the same way I idolize my grandmother and this photo shows such a great resemblance between Ryan and his personal hero.

Easy Red Velvet Brownies

Other than my son and my husband, baking is my great love in life and what I do to relax. I've been absolutely hooked since I was given an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas 1994 and spent much of my childhood watching cooking shows on public television. I've run my own cupcake business since 2009 where I have had the opportunity to make cupcakes for weddings and other special events. I am normally a from scratch baker (everything for my business is handmade) but I do have weeknight dessert cravings that I resolve with a pre-made mix. I would much rather doctor up a mix late on a Tuesday night than spend money on overpriced grocery store desserts that don't reflect my personality.

Like most women, if it's sweet I like it. My husband on the other hand is more of a Doritos guy than a dessert guy. There are, however, a few desserts that always catch his attention... key lime pie, tiramisu and especially red velvet cake. Ryan's love for red velvet cake makes choosing a birthday cake or sweet pick me up for him very easy. Last week I wanted to surprise him with something sweet but didn't have the time to do a full-on from scratch ta-da. I decided to cross two things he loves, brownies and red velvet cake. These red velvet brownies are quick and delicious but there are a couple tricks to getting them just right.

What you need:

1 Box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
1/4 Cup of Water
3 Tablespoons of Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Egg or 1/4 cup of Egg Substitute


1. Grease a 13x9 baking dish with butter, oil or non-stick spray
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Add all ingredients together and mix until well blended using a lightly oiled wooden spoon. The batter will be VERY thick.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Take a plastic sandwich bag, put on your hand like a glove and add a little butter or oil to the outside. Use this to evenly spread the batter out in the pan without it sticking to your hand or the spoon. Make sure the batter is spread evenly or the thinner sections will overcook.
5. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool slightly before cutting

These are great by themselves, with vanilla ice cream or with cream cheese frosting. They only take 30 minutes from start to finish and are a great break from the mundane of weeknight desserts.

A Sensory Memory

One of the things that I love most about being human is just how deeply our five senses are connected to our memories. The taste of a certain food, a familiar smell or an old song can instantly connect us to a time, place or person in our lives. These moments happen to me quite often and really seem to stop me in my tracks. Sometimes I am taken back to something significant in my life and other times, to something very minor but the memory is still a strong one.

This afternoon I was eating my lunch in the break room at work. I had my usual veggie burger and chips. The vending machine was out of the BBQ Fritos that I normally eat so my backup plan was the Harvest Cheddar Sunchips. I hadn't had Sunchips in months but within two bites a powerful memory came over me. Prior to this past September, my husband and I worked together for 4 years. For most of that time we hated our jobs but the highlight of our day was the fact that we go to eat lunch together every day. We usually had two choices of places to eat, Taco Bell and Subway. More often than not, we chose Subway. The ladies who worked there knew us and knew our orders. With our subs, my husband would usually get salt and vinegar chips but I would always get Sunchips. Lunchtime was our time. Our son was at daycare so it was our only time to just be together. We would take an hour out of the day to de-stress and vent about work and other frustrations.

Many couples say that working with their spouse is something they couldn't do because it would damage the relationship but I think that working together was a very positive thing for our relationship. It gave us a very clear understanding of our partner's stresses and the details of their job. Knowing each other this way allows for a level of understanding and empathy that truly connects a couple. So many things about our lives changed when we were forced to change jobs last fall. I often about the loss of pay and the loss of our weekends together but I never realized just how much those lunches meant to me until today.

South by Southwest Casserole

I call this one "South by Southwest Casserole" because it reminds me of a cross between chicken and dumplings (a southern specialty) and chicken enchiladas ( a staple of southwest/Tex Mex cuisine). I've seen various iterations of this recipe online but was dying to try my hand at it because it is an extremely cheap, quick and delicious family dinner. What I love most about it is that you can use any kind of meat you have handy. This recipe would work with ground beef, ground turkey or any type of chicken. On the night that I tried it, I had a leftover baked chicken in the refrigerator and wanted to put it to good use.

2 cups chicken
1 cup of shredded cheese (I use a taco or Mexican blend)
1 can (8-12 ounces) enchilada sauce
3 Tablespoons of taco seasoning 
1/4 cup water
1 can refrigerated biscuit dough (the one I used made 10 biscuits)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet

2. If you are using uncooked chicken, cook the chicken until no longer pink and cooked through. If using cooked chicken then you just want to heat  it through.

3. Add taco seasoning and water. Cook until water is evaporated

4. Add chicken and enchilada sauce to baking dish and stir.

5. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and dot the top of the casserole before placing into a preheated 350 degree oven.

6. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until biscuit tops are just slight browned. At this point sprinkle the cheese on top and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

If you want to make this a one pot full meal without a side dish, you can add corn or black beans when you add the chicken to the baking dish. I love the texture of this dish because the top is slightly crunchy and the bottom is soft and does resemble the flavor and texture of flour tortillas cooked in sauce.


  

Back of the Pantry Chicken Rolls

The name of this recipe says it all. The first time I made it, we were on a very tight budget and couldn't make a shopping trip for several more days. I wanted to make a nice meal with what I had on hand in the fridge and the back of my pantry. Frozen chicken breasts, lasagna noodles and bits and pieces leftover from previous meals were put together into what my husband thinks is a delicious dinner. The measurements for this recipe reflect how I would make it if I wasn't utilizing leftovers so they aren't concrete. Use what you have or buy it all new, whichever you prefer.

Back of the Pantry Chicken Rolls

1 Package lasagna noodles
1 Jar pasta sauce
2 Chicken breasts (A good rule of thumb is one breast per person)
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheese
3 Tablespoons Italian seasoning (I use a blend of basil, oregano, thyme and garlic)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Marinate your chicken in the balsamic dressing in a zip top bag to prevent cross contamination in your refrigerator. Allow between 15 and 20 minutes for the marinade to flavor your chicken.

2. While the chicken is marinating, cook your pasta according to package directions until just the pasta is not quite al dente. You want it to be firm enough to hold up to filling and rolling. The pasta will finish cooking in the oven.

3. Drain your pasta and allow it to cool slightly so it can be handled.

 4. Remove your chicken from the marinade and dice the chicken into small cubes.

5. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add your chicken. I use the same pan I cooked the pasta in so I have one less dish to clean afterwards. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and an additional dash of the dressing if you so desire. Stir and cook the chicken until no longer pink.

6. Remove from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese and 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce until combined.

7. Lay out your pasta pieces and spoon enough filling on each one as to be divided evenly among your pasta.

8. Roll each piece of pasta up over the filling to form a pinwheel shape. If your filling falls out just add it back to the pot.

9. When you've got your rolls made place them into a lightly buttered baking dish. Cover each roll with 2 to 3 tablespoons of sauce and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.

10. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until sauce is bubbly.

I like to serve with a side salad because I always have a head of iceberg or a heart of romaine lettuce in my veggie drawer. You can dress your salad with the leftover balsamic dressing if you want to carry over the flavor from you chicken.

Ryan (my husband) is a VERY hard diner to please but he loves this easy chicken dinner.

Happy noshing :)

Random Act of Sweetness

Ryan, my husband, is an amazing guy. He works on weekends and I am home with our two year old son, Aidan. He has alot of strong suits as a husband but spontaneous romantic gestures are not one of them. It is amazing, however, how he can surprise me every once in a while.

I woke up yesterday morning in allergy hell. I woke up early because Aidan didn't want to sleep any longer and wanted mommy to make him some cereal and watch cartoons with him. Yesterday was also a return to the terrible twos for my little guy who spent the entire day running around, talking non-stop and just being generally defiant. Needless to say, it was not a great Sunday. Ryan calls before he left work to ask if I had started dinner. Normally by that time I have dinner well in hand but just couldn't do it tonight. He said that we would take care of it. Ryan hates cooking. The extent of his culinary prowess is pancakes, which he does make better than I do. So his saying "I'll take care of it" usually means hitting the drive thru or ordering pizza when he gets home.

When he finally hit the door he had grocery bags in hand. As he took of his shoes, I looked in the bag to find pasta, sauce, ground turkey, a loaf of sourdough bread and a bottle of wine. He told me to sit down and as I relaxed on the couch watching an episode of "Sister Wives" that I had missed, he made a beautiful full pasta dinner and poured me a glass of wine. We enjoyed dinner and then went for an evening walk as a family around the neighborhood. The food was great and there was even enough left over for me to take to work for lunch the next day so I wouldn't have to fuss with that.

I normally hate surprises, but these are the kind I can live with :)

A Crazy Story and a Bee Gee

Another day... another celebrity obituary post and they keep getting more personal for me. Today it was Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. My mother's teen idol was Andy Gibb, Robin's younger brother so I grew up with a lot of BeeGee music. In fact, one of my favorite dysfunctional stories about my family involves the Bee Gees. My mother was a die hard Andy Gibb fan and also a pathelogical liar. When I was seven years old and my grandmother was about to pass away, I was cleaning out some of her things with my aunt Cathy, my uncle Billy and my stepfather, David. David was a backwoods country boy who wasn't exposed to too much of the outside world and he didn't know an awful lot about pop culture that didn't involve Dolly Parton or the Oak Ridge Boys. In one of my grandmother's boxes we found some of Mom's Andy Gibb posters. When David saw these he said, without hesitation, "oh that's Cathy's dad". My aunt, my uncle and I all looked around the room at each other without saying a word. David went on to explain that Mom had told him Andy Gibb was my father, which he wasn't. This story was funny for a multitude of reasons. First, the innocent conviction with which Dave believed my mother's lie. Second, the fact that she had never been in the same room with Andy Gibb, let alone in an intimate situation with him. Third, both Mom and Andy Gibb have light blonde hair and light eyes. I have dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and I am practically an exact double of my real father. For years after that moment, my family would refer to the Bee Gees as my "rich uncles" when we saw them on TV or heard them on the radio.

So even though Robin is gone, he will always live on through his amazing music and his unique place in the memories of my dysfunctional childhood.

Easy Dinner Menu Planning

Working a full time job can make dinner time very stressful. The goal is to spend as much time in the evenings relaxing with your family as possible. Here are some of my tips to save you time, money and energy while still putting delicious meals on the table for your family.

Tip #1 - Stick to a grocery shopping schedule

The easiest way to save time is to always do your weekly grocery trip on the same day every week. Doing this allows you to keep your weekly menus organized and allows you to save money by eliminating multiple grocery trips where you may buy more expensive impulse items that you don't need. I hate to admit this because it sounds pathetic, but grocery shopping is one of the highlights of my week! I find cruising the aisles and coming up with creative new menu ideas very relaxing. I really enjoy doing these trips with my husband and son so that I can get their input on breakfasts, lunches and snacks but dinner is completely my territory. Until my husband lost his job last September, we both worked during the week so our weekly grocery trip took place on Sunday mornings. With the job he is currently working, he doesn't have the weekends off so we moved our weekly trip to Friday evenings on the way home from work.

Tip #2 - Plan your menu around your schedule

When writing a weekly menu, one of the most important things to consider is how much time each night you will have to prepare dinner. Do you have a few nights a week where you work later or it takes you longer to get home? Do the kids have activities like soccer, dance or band? If you have kinks in your schedule, you want to choose meals that take the least amount of time to prepare. I stay home with Aidan while Ryan works on Saturday and Sunday. Since I don't have any time constraints on these two days, this is when I make my most time consuming meals of the week. Baked chicken dishes, casseroles or meatloaf are good options for these days. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are our late days. We only have one car and getting anywhere in Northern Virginia after 4pm takes a minimum of 30 extra minutes. On these days, I work until 4:30pm and my husband works until 6pm. My mother in law watches my son and happens to live close to a co-worker of mine. I ride with my co-worker to my in law's house and spend some quality time there with my son. My husband generally gets there about 6:45 and that's when we head home. I'm generally not in my kitchen working on dinner until 7:15 or 7:30 depending on traffic. For me this usually means pasta, sandwiches, baked fish with vegetables steamed in the microwave or crock pot meals that cook all day and are ready when we are. Thursday and Friday are a toss up. My husband has these two days off and watches my son. I can get home between 5:30 and 6:30 depending on traffic and any errands that I might have on these nights so I am not too restricted on what I can make.

Tip #3 - Save money by reusing ingredients

I have always been very budget conscious but given the fact that my husband had to take a significant pay cut to find work after he lost his job, I really had to cut down on the food budget. One easy way to do this is to select a few ingredients that you can use in multiple recipes. Buy it once but use it two or three times. If you want to have tacos one night put quesadillas or Mexican pizzas on the menu for another night so you can buy tortillas once but use them twice. If you are having baked or roasted chicken one night then put pulled chicken sandwiches or chicken and dumplings on the menu another night. This week, I really wanted to make tuna tacos which have a yummy Asian slaw on top. When putting my menu together I decided to add Asian marinaded chicken with slaw on the side as another night's meal. If your repurposed ingredient is a perishable item like a vegetable, a pre-cooked meat or a refrigerated sauce, try to make the meals that use it within a day or two of each other so that you are still using the ingredients at their best.

Here is this week's menu for my family:

Saturday - BBQ Chicken Drumsticks with Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Asian Chicken with Slaw
Monday - Tuna Tacos
Tuesday - Baked Bean Taquitos with Rice
Wednesday - Salmon with Cheesy Broccoli
Thursday - Lemon Pepper Chicken with Creamy Cauliflower

With dinner being one less thing to worry about I can concentrate on spending time with my son or cuddling on the sofa watching TV with the hubby.

The Last Dance

Yesterday I posted about the passing of DC music legend Chuck Brown and my memories of his music. Today, is another post about the passing of a music great who was an even bigger part of the soundtrack to my life. Donna Summer died today at age 63. Donna was the queen of disco and was an idol to the gay community. I was raised in part by my cousin, a gay man, who came of age when Donna's popularity and success were at their peak. It was his taste in music that most influenced mine. Whatever cd or cassette tape he happened to be blasting throughout the house at high decibel levels was what I became interested in. Many times, it was Donna Summer.

I remember singing along to "Bad Girls" when I was too young to realize she was singing about prostitutes.My favorite Donna Summer song is "Heaven Knows" and to this day, whenever it comes on I crank the radio or my Ipod up to its highest level and belt along with her.

I am a true music lover and a fan of ALL genres. Song lyrics touch me in a very special place and the music itself always vividly takes me back to a unique place in time. That is the true beauty of music. When I saw on facebook that Donna had passed, my jaw literally dropped. I know that on the way home from work today, her music will be played on just about every station. I'll roll down the windows, turn the volume up and celebrate her musical legacy.

The Soundtrack to DC Summers

I have lived in the DC suburbs my entire life and could not imagine living anywhere else. The weather here is perfect because we get to experience four distinct seasons. There is so much history right in our backyard and so many cultures to experience. The first 19 years of my life were spent in Maryland until I moved to Northern Virginia to be with my husband. I grew up Caucasian in a largely African American community and loved everything about it. Our neighbors were very close and the atmosphere was friendly and low key.  I am very proud of my Maryland roots and even now, after eight years in Virginia, I still consider myself a Marylander.

New York, Chicago, L.A. and other large cities have so many things that help define their distinct cultures. Washington DC, on the other hand, doesn't have very many of these cultural hallmarks. This is partly because the area is so transient with government employees and politicians cycling in and out every few years and partly because its culture meshes with that of Maryland and Virginia. One of DC's few distinctive stamps on pop culture is Go Go music. Go Go music was invented in DC in the early 1970's and pioneered by Chuck Brown, who became the unofficial king of DC music and helped introduce Go Go music to clubs across the United States. Chuck Brown died today after a long battle with illness. His passing is a loss for native Washingtonians and a great loss for music but makes me reflect on what his creation meant in my own life.

Growing up in my neighborhood in the summertime meant the sound of Go Go music permeating the hot, humid air. People would drive around with windows open blasting the distinctive drum beats that define Go Go or let the music float around the neighborhood from boom boxes as friends and family enjoyed cookouts. My childhood may have been marked with family strife and personal struggles but I wouldn't trade my hometown for anything! I spent my summers barefoot and enjoying the extended family of my unique neighborhood and often reminisce about those long days. The sound of Chuck Brown's special style of funk brings back amazing memories of my formative years in the neighborhood that will always have the biggest place in my heart. He was the soundtrack to DC area summers and a larger than life personality. RIP Chuck, you will be greatly missed...

Coffee is Liquid Happiness

I am a coffee addict. I started drinking coffee when I was a little kid because I wanted to be like my aunt Mimi. She and her sophisticated friends would get together, gossip and drink coffee. After most of my teen years were spent hanging out at my local Starbucks drinking grande skim mochas, I started working there when I was 18. I earned my certified barista cred which only cemented my status as a supreme coffee snob. My kitchen is filled with every possible coffee gadget. I have a 4 cup drip coffee maker, a stainless steel french press, an espresso machine, a coffee grinder and a Tassimo single serve machine.

Iced coffee is something I love in the summer months but I've always had a hard time getting it perfect. Just brewing regular coffee and putting it over ice dilutes the coffee flavor. Brewing a double strength batch to put over ice still has almost a burnt quality that subtracts from the pure coffee goodness a good glass of iced coffee should have. I am a big fan of Ree Drummond, also known as the Pioneer Woman. Her blog and cooking show are a great source of inspiration to me as a regular mom who has a passion for food and for life. One of her most popular posts is one in which she provides instructions for making cold brew iced coffee. I tried it and I believe I have finally found the perfect way to relax with a delicious iced coffee.

On the internet you can find several good ratios for cold brew iced coffee concentrate. The one I used is 1 cup of ground coffee to 2 1/2 cups of cold water but you can tinker with the ratio to find what works for you.

Simply measure out your coffee grounds and put them into a large container. Plastic works best, but I didn't have anything handy so I used one of my large cooking pots. For my first experiment, I used my favorite Starbucks variety, Sumatra.

Then add your cold water, stir, cover and let this yummy sludge sit for 24 hours.

When your brew time is up, simply strain the liquid coffee concentrate to remove the coffee grinds. You can do this using a mesh strainer with cheese cloth inside or if you have one, use a french press. Here's mine.

Once you have your finished liquid concentrate, move it to a more permanent storage vessel, like a plastic drink pitcher, and refrigerate.

This iced coffee is fabulous with milk and served as is over ice, or blended into a "Fakeaccino".

Simply add your desired amounts of ice, coffee concentrate, milk and chocolate or caramel syrup to a blender and give it a whirl. You can add whipped cream and more syrup to the top if you happen to have it on hand. What I prefer to do is go a little light on the ice and allow the milk to froth slightly in the blender. This gives your "fakeaccino" an almost cappuccino like foam on top that is, in my opinion, even better than whipped cream.

Does anyone have a straw?

The Attachment Parenting Controversy

The publication of this week's Time Magazine cover featuring a mom breastfeeding her 3 year old re-ignited the always simmering controversy about how people choose to parent. A trip to almost any message board on Cafemom.com will lead you to a heated debate about which way is the best way to parent your child. In these message boards you will find moms who insult, criticize, belittle and examine every aspect of another person's parenting style. I have been attacked furiously because I work out of the home full time, because I had my son circumcised and because I didn't breastfeed but chose to formula feed. I admit that I am not entirely innocent because I have been extremely critical of moms who choose not to vaccinate their children over unproven links between vaccines and permanent adverse effects such as autism. 

Breastfeeding in particular stirs major passions on all sides of the issue. Moms who swear by it insist it is the best and most natural way to nurture your child. There is an even further division between breastfeeding moms who do it privately and those who do it publicly. Hospitals work hard to push new moms into breastfeeding. When my son was born, I tried but was unable to breastfeed. The pain of trying to nurture him this way was even worse to me than the pain of my 20 hour labor. I was in excruciating pain and my child wasn't getting what he needed. The hospital had baby formula but I was too embarrassed to ask for it because of the frequent visits from lactation consultants and nurses trying to force the breast onto my son. On the way home from the hospital, my husband picked up some formula and at almost 2 days old, my son had his first real meal. Even if I had been physically able to breastfeed, my plan was to formula feed when I went back to work. The stress of pumping was something I knew I couldn't do. Proponents of the breast insist that it far better for your child's physical development than formula. Again, in my experience, this simply isn't true. I was formula fed and so was my son. I was developmentally ahead of my peers and physically very healthy. Thus far my son has been the same.

The crux of the "Time" cover story wasn't breastfeeding, but the style of parenting known as "attachment parenting". Attachment parenting is a style that involves wearing your child in a sling, early toilet training, co-sleeping and breastfeeding well into toddler hood. Attachment parents will not let their children just "cry it out" as they believe this is developmentally detrimental to their children. Aside from the "Time" story, this parenting method has also been in the spotlight due to the publication of a book on the subject by actress Mayim Bialik (known as TVs "Blossom" and Amy Farrah Fowler from "The Big Bang Theory") called "Beyond the Sling".

My husband and I subscribe to aspects of the attachment parenting philosophy. The biggest one is co-sleeping. Our son has slept in our room almost every night for most of his life. He suffers from serious night terrors and he is comforted and able to sleep when he is with us. We believe that forcing him to be scared and alone in a dark room could cause major harm in his emotional development. He will go in his room occasionally, but won't stay there all night. These times are when we are able to have our intimate time as a couple, which seems to be the part most non co-sleeping parents are curious about. When it comes to discipline, my husband usually applies an attachment parenting philosophy of discussing and reasoning with my son when he misbehaves as opposed to punishment. Ryan believes that being too hard on Aidan will cause him to shut down emotionally. Also, he has always refused to let Aidan just "cry it out". I am more traditional when it comes to discipline as I believe in time outs and losing privileges as punishment for behavior that is not acceptable. While this does cause some strife between my husband and I, our goal is the same... a happy and well adjusted son.

There was also a recent controversy when democratic strategist Hillary Rosen said that Ann Romney never worked a day in her life. Yes, Ann Romney was a stay at home mom of 5 boys and this is a very hard job but to be fair, there is a distinction between working inside the home and out of it. When a mother works outside of the home, she essentially works two jobs because at the end of a 9 to 5 she comes home and works her second job as a mom.... preparing meals, cleaning, helping with homework, etc. which I can say is extremely difficult but rewarding. For my family it is also financially necessary. I am the predominant earner in my home and we wouldn't be able to survive if one of us didn't work. Many stay at home moms accuse working moms of being selfish and many working moms accuse stay at home moms of not being self-sufficient. I think these petty arguments are ridiculous. I am a feminist who believes that the point of the feminist movement was the ability to CHOOSE. We can choose to stay home and raise a family, choose to build a career without children or choose to do both without judgement. We need to stop being so sensitive about anything we perceive as an attack on our chosen parenting path.

Parenting is not a black and white concept. There is no absolute right or wrong way to parent as long as you are raising your child with love and the goal of doing what is best for them. Don't hassle the mom breastfeeding her baby in Target and don't look down on the working mom.  It is important that we as parents discuss our views and possibly disagree, but it should be done respectfully. If we want our children to be good people and respectful of others, then we need to model that behavior for them.

2012 Met Gala - Best & Worst

In my real life, I am by no means a fashionista. As an extremely budget conscious working mom, my personal style can only be described as "wash and wear". My hair is usually in a pony tail and I hardly ever wear makeup. I will NEVER pay more than $20 for an outfit and when it comes to shoes, I choose comfort over style EVERY time, BUT, I love fashion! I love fashion as an art form. I can't even trace my hand correctly but I still love to admire the beautiful works of Degas and Monet. That's how I feel about fashion. I watch the award show red carpet arrivals just to admire the brilliant choices and gag over the not so brilliant ones. "Fashion Police" is appointment television for me and not just because I LOVE Joan Rivers and her cutting barbs but for the glitz and glam they examine each week.

The annual gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute in New York City has surpassed the Oscars to become the Super Bowl of high fashion. Celebrities and designers show up dressed to impress or, in some cases, horrify. Here are my choices for the best and worst of the 2012 Met Gala.

THE BEST...

These are my 4 runners up for best dressed.

Allison Williams. Simple, feminine and sleek



Paula Patton. The color is so beautiful and the cut is extremely sexy



Ivanka Trump. I am a sucker for velvet and anything strappy so this dress is right up my alley.



LaLa Anthony. This color is perfect on her skin tone and the cut works so well with her body.



And my winner for best dressed is....

CHELSEA CLINTON.

The dress and the minimal accessories are just plain perfect.



THE WORST...

Here are my four runners up who should have just stayed home

Christina Ricci. We could clothe an entire orphanage with the fabric from that bow




Diane Von Furstenberg. You are a designer... you should know better!



Sarah Jessica Parker & Mary Kate Olsen both went with the grandma look, which doesn't work on anyone under 70.




And the winner for worst dressed is...

FLORENCE WELCH

Do I have to explain this?


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"The Misfits"

I am truly a classic movie buff. I am in love with “old” Hollywood and everything associated with it. When I was very young, I dreamed of being Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford or Marilyn Monroe. In addition to my “American Girls”, “Sweet Valley High” and “Babysitters Club” books, I eagerly read biographies of Hollywood stars either long deceased or old enough to be my grandparents such as Ava Gardner, Judy Garland or Ginger Rodgers. My husband always teases me because I don’t have the patience to sit through most films made during my lifetime but I will sit entranced for an entire 4 hour stretch to watch “Gone with the Wind”.


With that in mind, a frequent topic of my posts will be classic cinema… the stars and the films that stir my passion and my imagination.

This past weekend, my husband was working and my son was napping so I sat down to watch a classic that I hadn’t seen in a very long time, “The Misfits”. The film was made in 1961 and stars Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift. If I were to make a list of my favorite stars of all time, these three would all be in the top 10… great icons and extremely complex people. Marilyn is one of my idols. She was the most beautiful woman in the world but she never thought she was good enough. She was often late for photo shoots and film calls because she would do her hair and makeup over and over again. She was riddled with anxiety and although every woman wanted to be her, she never felt attractive. Although she played the dumb blonde role perfectly, most people who knew her say it really was just an act and she was extremely shrewd and intelligent. When Marilyn was a child, abandoned by her mother and not knowing her father, she idolized Clark Gable and would often tell people that he was her father. My parents walked out on me when I was 5 and I was so embarrassed for years that I too would pretend that I had family that I didn’t. Although I could NEVER be as beautiful as Marilyn, I also wrestle with the anxiety and self-doubt that can drive someone to success, to despair or both (as was the case with Marilyn). Clark Gable to me (and apparently to young Norma Jean Baker) epitomized manhood. The ironic thing is that when Marilyn and Clark worked together on the “Misfits” they didn’t get along because they each thought the other lacked professionalism. Montgomery Clift was talented, handsome and tortured, but that is what made him so appealing and so interesting in his films. After suffering a car accident in 1956 outside the home of longtime friend, Elizabeth Taylor, Clift required major facial reconstruction surgery. Although he still possessed his matinee idol looks, they were slightly altered and he began a battle with painkillers that was evidenced in his performance in "Judgement at Nuremberg". Much of his performance as a mentally challenged victim of Nazi experiments was ad-libbed because he couldn't remember his lines.

“The Misfits” is often regarded as a “cursed” film because it was a difficult film to make (The director, John Huston, and most of his stars were frequently late to set because of drug and alcohol use) and that it was the last completed film for Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, who died just twelve days after filming wrapped. It was also playing on TV the night Montgomery Clift died. When his caretaker asked him if he wanted to watch it, he replied “absolutely not”. These were the last words that he ever spoke to anyone as he died in his sleep later that night.


In "The Misfits" Marilyn Monroe plays a recently divorced former exotic dancer staying in Reno, NV. At a bar she meets an aging cowboy played by Clark Gable and his best friend who instantly falls for Marilyn's character, Rosalyn. However, Rosalyn doesn't fall for him but for Gay, Clark Gable's cowboy character. They move in together and try to begin a life together in the desert. Rosalyn's marriage ended because she wanted to be married to someone who loves her passionately. Her ex-husband wasn't a bad guy, but he was emotionally distant. This is what makes the love story between Rosalyn and Gay so intriguing. Gay's previous marriage ended and his relationship with his children is strained because he prefers the freedom of the west and was not emotionally present for his family. Somehow, he is able to free himself to be emotionally there for Rosalyn. However, personality conflicts arise because Rosalyn loves animals and can't bare to see them hurt. Gay and his friends (including rodeo rider Perce, played by Montgomery Clift) are in the business of catching wild horses and selling them to slaughterhouses to be killed for food. She begins to question if someone who can hurt an animal can really be capable of loving her.

I can relate to Rosalyn's emotional struggles with marriage and relationships because I require a lot of love, affection and emotional attention that most men can't provide. I think this sort of strain affects most marriages and is the most common cause of strife within my own marriage. This film gives me hope that these differences are not as important as the love that two people share for each other.