Kaleidoscope: August 2010

out little girl's tooth surprised us all with a little wiggle here and there. we clapped, laughed, celebrated that little wiggle. we calmed fears that it wouldn't hurt and that daddy would NOT under any circumstances pull it.

with giggles of relief and anticipation of a special under-the-pillow treasure, peyton ran into the kitchen and yelled,

"mama, daddy...i think my tooth fell out!"

the celebration began...

with phone calls to family and friends and talk of a morning visit by the tooth fairy who, according to peyton, has some major magical powers because she told me she was going to ask the tooth fairy for some wings so she could be a fairy. then, quickly changed her mind because birds eat fairies and she didn't want to take the risk.

our sweet girl, she keeps on growing!

thinking quickly..."a mermaid! I'm going to ask the tooth fairy to turn me into a mermaid and i want her to give me a magical necklace that will turn me into a mermaid when i want and back into peyton mae when i want!"

"cool, peyton. i'm not sure the tooth fairy works that way, but if you see her when she comes in tonight, you should ask her!"

yes peyton, the tooth fairy will use her magic to lift your head off the pillow.

no, she will not forget where you live. promise.

i'm not sure how she get's into your room, but she will. promise.

i love you, goodnight.

the loot was a nice touch, but fairy dust kept her believing in the magic of it all...

however, i was told that she will be telling the tooth fairy, "No, fairy dust next time because it makes my room a little messy. do you think that will hurt her feelings, mama?"

peyton, we are so proud of you. what a big girl you are. love you, sweetheart.

***

every once in a while, i start to crave my mom's cooking. my mom cooks italian food the most, but also ventured out a little with other dishes that we came to love and find comforting. one of my favorites was stuffed peppers. she always cooked them in a rectangular pyrex and never made enough of the sauce to go on top. the polleti girls like their sauces!

so, with the craving kicked in, and without the metabolism of a 16-year old, i decided to make a healthier version instead of denying myself something i enjoy. they turned out really, really good!

healthy stuffed peppers

preheat oven: 400 degrees

2 red peppers, 2 green peppers, 2 yellow peppers

more than a pound of ground turkey

1 cup cooked whole grain brown rice (cooked in water with half chicken flavored bullion cube)

1 red onion, chopped

1 large can, peeled plum tomatoes, dice tomatoes & save juice.

two cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon light extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons worchester

1/4 cup hand grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

**to add a little sumthin sumthin to the top of each pepper:

1 tablespoon ketchup, a dab of dijon mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, mixed with the remainder of the tomato juice from the plum tomatoes.

i chose to cook the turkey before i stuffed them for this recipe because i think it makes it more simple.

*first, heat oil in pan and soften the onions and garlic in a pan for about 4-5 minutes. add turkey meat and cook until done, make sure the turkey is crumbled up well. add the diced tomatoes and half the juice into the pan. season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and worchester sauce. let simmer over low heat for ten minutes.

meanwhile,

cut and clean your peppers. cut the top off, and use a knife and your fingers to clean the seeds out of the pepper. turn the pepper over and slice an X on the bottom of the pepper. you also may need to shave a bit of the bottom off so that the pepper will sit upright.

taste your meat. does it need more sea salt or cayenne pepper? if so, add it. you can also add fresh herbs such as thyme or oregano as well.

add cooked rice to meat and mix together.

place peppers in a pyrex or baking sheet and scoop the mixture into each of the six peppers. add your salty hand-grated cheese to the top (not much, just a little for depth of flavor and remember that we are trying to keep these healthier than the originals).

**you have a few options for the topping of these peppers...

1. pour the remaining juice from the plum tomatoes on top of each pepper and your done.

2. pour campbells cream of tomato soup over each one (my mom does that).

3. what i did:

in a bowl quickly mix together the remaining tom juice, ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar.

pour some on top of each pepper...pop the dish in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

i served with green salad.

enjoy!

***

a while ago, a couple of friends and i were enjoying a rockin' brunch of bacon, waffles, coffee, and friendship. simple and perfect.

i notice that my friend was wearing a beautifully made necklace that held the finger prints of each of her children. i noticed how her hand would find it's way to the charms that hung from the chain as she spoke of her chldren. she would touch each charm without even knowing she was doing it. finally, i got a closer look...

they are so sweet and meaningful that i knew immediately what i wanted for my next birthday present.

tina steinberg of tina steinberg designs creates simple, classic, and most importantly; truly unique pieces of jewelry that represent the most precious people in our lives.

her pendants and charms are made with sterling silver and your loved one's fingerprint. oh, i love them and i can't wait until i get mine in a few days.

one of my fave pieces is from the love touch collection...

tina also designs a line of lockets...

tina has generously offered to give one of my readers some free lovin': a single love touch pendant valued at $135! holla!!!

what do you have to do to get in on this action?

it's as easy as leaving me a comment...leave me some love and tell me about one thing that inspires you to get motivated in the morning? what helps set you off in the right direction and mindset. what gets your creative juices flowing...

the problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.

~ dee hock

could be a cup of coffee with enough cream and a dash of cinnamon. maybe it's a song that gets you moving.

maybe its a morning conversation with your little innocent one. the purring of the washing machine; the way the sunlight enters your home in the morning; a morning run; a pair of jeans that fit just right...

yes, tooth fairy magic is special, but we are at the mercy of little dangling teeth, so her visits are few and far between so sometimes we need to seek out what inspires us in our lives. if you look around, you are sure to find what that something may be if only for today.

tina was inspired by her children and a dream to begin her line of treasures; the beauty of life and the memories that keep us young. i love that. that girl is a doer, a passionate and creative mama that just does what's in her heart and that is some good inspiration! you can also check her out on her facebook page here.

are you following me? simply comment and inspire the rest of us to a more fabulous day! let's face it, sometimes we need a little pick me up. hell yes, we do!! nothin' wrong with that. ha!

here's to you finding your magic and, making it through these first few weeks of school. holy busy we have been.

goodnight!

xoxo

well, i'm not sure when it really happened, although i guess i really do...my baby girl grew into a beautiful little girl. one who sets out her clothes with me before bed, carries her own backpack, goes to kindergarten, walks without me in the hallways of her new school, makes little friends (even if she did get into an argument with her first ever kindergarten friend yesterday. the convo went something like this:

me: peyton, what was your favorite part of the day at school today?

peyton: LUNCH! (this has been her answer each and everyday thus far!)

me: oh, good peyton! did you sit with sydney again today?

peyton: yeah, i did. we got mad at each other though. we got in a fight, but we are still friends.

me: what?! what happened that you got mad at each other today?

peyton: MOMMY! i said we are still friends though!

annoyed at my questioning because apparently along with all the other changes we went through this last week...she also turned into a teenager so I heard, "back-off lady. it's my own kindergarten business. i'm a big kid now and i need my privacy!"

me: just tell me what it was about and i will stop asking questions. promise.

peyton: purple grapes. she took mine and then she wouldn't share them with me. they were mine.

me: ohhh, peyton mae. i didn't pack you purple grapes today. today i packed you cucumbers.

peyton: ohhhhh, mommy. i wanted PURPLE GRAPES not yucky cucumbers!

***

okay, i fully admit to a minor emotional breakdown last weekend, but i really pulled it together for the big day. yes, i teared a few times leading up to thee moment. the moment i handed her over to someone else. the person that would push her into even more independence than i would be comfortable wanting for her right now...but i knew i needed to let go. with tears of pride streaming down my face, i turned my van into the school parking lot.

i looked in my rearview mirror to see if they were excited...i saw my little ones strapped into their britax car seats and in that moment it became painfully clear that these two little ones sat in these exact seats a couple of years ago while wearing dirty diapers and begging for more cherrios on our way to a play date. it felt a little strange dropping them off somewhere that i wouldn't be and i had to wonder about the woman i was not long ago.

i had two babies i was always juggling with the cleaning of a cluttered up house, while trying to get the groceries, make dinner, and keep them both happy, clean and fed. at the time, that mommy probably wanted a break; sleep; a shower; a moment to herself.

in this moment in the parking lot...i just wanted a few more weeks of them glued to my side with no breaks of school in between.

***

but before we go there, peyton wanted some mama time. just us. we just talked while sitting in the big comfy chairs in the salon. i was so proud of her as she was genuinely excited to meet her new friends at school and maybe even sign up for soccer!

***

jeff captured these the night before school while i braided her hair and talked about her teacher and the new friends she would make the next day.

we set out her outfit...

we tucked her in...

and then i set off to make lunches with little notes i thought they would unknowingly find comforting. ha. go figure, i learned later that she never even saw the sparkly stickered note.

and what happened next is something out of home alone...i slept through my alarm and slept more than an hour longer than i was supposed to. shit.

i ran around like a frazzled chicken all the while trying to remain calm. i just kept saying to myself... seriously, heidi? did you have to stay up half the night bedazzling a piece of paper? really? ...the first day of school!!!

but we made it...

thank you, sito for the outfit!

and our girl walked in with confidence and i think i have never seen her look more beautiful.

i clutched her like a little girl clutching her most precious baby doll. i remember feeling that the moment i let her walk through that door...i would lose a little bit of my baby girl and in it's place i would find a more independent, grown-up version of a big girl that used to be my baby.

jeff said, "heidi, she has to go in now."

and thats when peyton became nervous and decided she didn't want to go inside, but one little peek of her teacher's head out the door, "come on sweetheart! i have chocolate chip cookies for you. come on, mommy, daddy, and bother can come too!"

she quickly made a friend, found her seat, and cautiously looked around at her new digs.

and then it was her turn to wrap her little hands around my arms. she wouldn't let me move an inch and i could hear her quiet requests over and over, "don't go, mommy."

sweetheart, you can do this. you are such a big girl.

that part...SUCKED. i'm not gonna lie to you.

but, we talked it over and it didn't work, so...

we had a few tears, but jeff made me leave. he assured me that she would be fine and i knew he was right. she was perfectly fine and safe and going to rock out her kinder year.

with a surge of sadness i watch her wave goodbye. with her thick tears and quivering mouth, i have to remind myself that we have so much more to do together and that yes, she is coming home at the end of the day. for that, i feel lucky. lucky for all the time we get to share together as a family.

i did sneak a peek in the sliver of glass on the heavy school door, and she caught me like she had supersonic mama radar, and with outstretched hands and a sad face from her, she was my little baby again and i realized that regardless of how i work this up in my over emotional mind, she does still need me and she always will.

i have to say, it went well and i am excited for all that she will do this year. and...she does seem a bit older and more mature this week and i find that i kinda like this new side to her after all.

***

peyton wasn't the only one beginning something exciting. beckham started his first year of pre-school on monday.

surprisingly, it was a smooth transition. he has been begging to go to school with his very own playground to play on. my baby boy. one of the most gentle and kind little people i have ever known. he is an amazing little boy and i wish everyone could know the little guy i know.

we had a meet the teacher night last week and beckham's shy little face was so endearing that i almost couldn't stop hugging on him while we were there. we walked away from us, but kept his distance from the others in the class.

we were surrounded by colorful illustrations, personally inscribed red paper apples, and other little people his size. he was timid at first but big sister helped a brother out and had him playing with the other kids in no time...

and he finally met his teacher!

so when monday rolled around...he was cool as a cucumber sporting the shirt he just HAD to wear...

and then he bid us farewell after he showed me all the toy airplanes.

and that was that.

jeff and i walked out to the parking lot and i kind of couldn't stop the tears again.

dude, i am so hoping i am not that mom when i drop my kids off at college. i can see me now...holding onto beckham's legs and screaming, "NOOOOOO," while he tries desperately to lose the crazy person...lol.

"now what do i do??? i've got no one to look after for 3 hours."

i felt like i was working on only two of my four limbs as i climbed into my truck. i'm pretty sure jeff placed an emergency text to my sister, heather, because 3. 1 seconds later she was on the phone and i was sobbing that i had nothing to do. she was laughing at me which was, well appropriate! she told me to go to bed and sleep it off.

10 seconds after that, kelle called from the airport to ask how it went and then we were cut off. so i hung up the phone and aimlessly drove around the parking lot only wanting to go home and pull myself under the covers until noon. hey, one day of feeling sorry for myself should be allowed, but then...

my phone rang and i was saved by another mama that just dropped off her own kindergartner and pre-schooler and found herself without 'purpose' for the next few hours.

we shed a few tears together, talked about first ultrasounds scans, pregnancy news, and so many baby firsts that we shared together through the years. our kids are cousins and the exact same ages give or take a few weeks.

i can't imagine i needed anything more than time with jenn in that morning. we saved each other from a potentially indulgent dark afternoon of wandering around the city. kindred spirit to kindred spirit...we just knew what the other was feeling.

full circle, baby! i love you. xoxo

we hit starbucks and dillards and we knew the day would end well when we found red, felt ballet flats for $10. we grabbed them and ran and laughed our way through the rest of our free afternoon before we returned to pick up the boys.

loving life is learning to love change. i am learning that as we pass each new milestone. a lot of growing up happens when change occurs and as difficult as it can be, i always feel stronger for it.

i couldn't be more proud of my babies. p & b growing up so fast just makes me want to slow down and enjoy more of them even when i want to pull my hair out after they have been fighting all day.

next up:

a healthy recipe for stuffed peppers.