First Day of Preschool: Mommy Fail

Today was my son's first day of preschool!  *tear* It's hard to believe that he is that big already.  It was also a bit of a comedy of errors today.  The route I used to take to drop him off at Parent's Day Out (same building) was closed, unbeknownst to me.  So our decent time frame was killed by the detour.  We got a couple of great pictures and proceeded to his classroom, where the teacher was so intent on getting me to sign the pickup/dropoff form that I didn't get to hug him goodbye.  Well, he's used to the "school" building already, so he was ready to get going and didn't seem too upset.  I was probably more upset that I didn't get to give a hug on his very first day.

My daughter and I headed off to a nearby mall to kill time until pickup.  The school is far enough away that I don't feel like I can head home and have time to accomplish anything.  After spending some time together, I decided to look up the website to double check on pick up times.  I had two times stuck in my head and could not figure out which one was correct.  I check the website, and although it said Preschool-4s, I assumed times would be similar.  Big mistake!  Never assume...you know the rest.  So, the website said 11:25 and while 11:15 was also in my head, I just assumed that I had it right.  I pick up some cupcakes as a first day treat for his teachers and head to pick him up.

"Huh!  The parking lot looks kind of sparse! Surely more parents should be picking up!?!"  I unload my daughter, head in, and turning the corner, walk smack into my son and his teacher.  Uh, yeah.  Pickup was 11:15.  He looks concerned but runs past me because they had been headed to look at the fish tank.  After a quick apologetic talk with my teacher, I head back to see my son.  He is staring at the fish tank, but looks seriously deflated.  MOMMY FAIL!  I know it isnt' the end of the world, I just don't want his first day of school, ever to have such a negative memory.  I had all kinds of great ideas to make it special.  I'd gotten him a treat of a cookie at the bakery, and also some watercolor pencils to use at home. I was in a great mood and planning to take him out to lunch.  But, for quite awhile, a big fat cloud hung over us.  I tried talking to him but he was just upset.  He didn't want to tell me about his day.

We did lunch anyway, and slowly I was able to pry out a few different details.  Mostly, he didn't want to share.  It was not how I'd imagined: Showing up and giving him a huge hug, letting him give his teachers their treats, taking him to lunch while he bubbled over with stories for me.  Well, I do have big plans for dinner.  I'm making his favorite: spaghetti, and then he will get his special treat to celebrate.  Hopefully, it will make up for it all, and if not, I guess there is always next Tuesday.  I will be on time on both sides of the school day this time.  I've learned my lesson!

Thank you, Lord, for guardian angels! (Bonus post!)

This weekend, my family and I decided to do our weekly shop at Trader Joe's with hopes of getting some good deals on organic foods.  While there, my son took off with his kiddie cart going a little too fast, and I started chasing him so that he wouldn't run into anyone.  The store was packed and I was very concerned that he might crash into a fellow customer. My husband stayed back with the large cart and the baby.  So, I'm chasing him and he decides to leave his cart (which had some of our food in it) in the middle of an aisle because he "wanted Daddy".  Now I'm chasing him with the kiddie cart and he is, humiliatingly, running in circles around the store. I probably should have just left the cart somewhere, but I also knew it would cause a backlog.  Finally, I see him at the end of an aisle in the milk section, I head down that aisle to the end....and he's. Not. There.  I immediately started walking a couple laps in hopes that I would see him or my now missing husband.  No dice.

Two laps later, I find my husband and still no son.  By then, I'm getting panicked.  My husband hadn't seen him, and I knew that I had just barely missed him.  Visions of a stranger walking out of the store with him started dancing in my head.  I decide to walk one more lap while my husband immediately heads to the front of the store to keep an eye on the door and the store.  I find an employee and explain my situation, what my son was wearing and when I last saw him.  After checking outside, Trader Joe's seals the doors to the store, makes an announcement on the intercom for a "three-year-old wearing a white polo responding to the name of E".  Around this time, I'm starting to think the worst.  "This really might be happening," runs through my head.  Ten minutes later (five?  It felt like an eternity, I really don't know.), there is an announcement that he has been found.  After going back to the front of the store, I find out that he was outside of the restrooms on a bench because he "had to go potty."  I shiver to think of the many outcomes that could have occurred with this incident, and I'm seriously thinking of instituting a child-leash in our house. (Just joking!  Sort of.) 

Trader Joe's has earned my full respect and I plan, when I have the chance, to write a thank you note to their store for their quick action with their version of "Code Adam".  The kind employee that I contacted at the beginning of the whole mess, even hugged me, and gave me a free bouquet of flowers to help brighten my day. It kind of worked.  I only wish I remembered her name.  I may not win a "Mother of the Year" award any time soon, but I'm so thankful for the kindness of strangers, and the apparently diligent work of my son's guardian angel.  (I'm hoping his angel has a great therapist, because I think that holy being works overtime for our family! *wink*)  

My grandmother had this picture, as a painting or tapestry, hanging in her house
when I was growing up, and I truly loved it!

Glad to hear it!

Kansas Secretary of Administration Dennis Taylor, left, and Secretary of State Kris Kobach, right, attend Kansas court proceedings, regarding state regulations for abortion clinics, on June 30, 2011.
John Hanna/AP

As you can see on my sidebar, I enjoy The Pioneer Woman blog. Her blog is part of the BlogHer network.  Today out of boredom, I decided to surf on over there to see what else was posted.  To my great surprise, I found this article posted there : How Hard Is It to Obtain an Abortion? Try Really Hard! by Mona Gable. (Warning- her article will link you to another more extensive one, but I wanted to give you the info!  You get a two-fer! ha.)  It gave me great hope.  I'm Catholic and pro-life, and yes, I think those two are unequivocally linked.  To see someone from the other side lamenting the difficulty that exists in finding an abortion, makes me just want to say many great prayers of thanksgiving!  Hopefully, this means that the efforts to shutdown this travesty are starting to take effect.  It pains me to know how many countless children have never come into this world due to the legalization of abortion. As a mom who has mourned the loss of children (albeit in utero), I am saddened that at some time in their life, many women who have been through an abortion will experience those same feelings, even though the political machine says that they won't and shouldn't have feelings for their unborn children!  They must feel like they've blindsided to suddenly have these feelings start to come forth when they've been told all along that the "product of abortion" was not even human.  How can one mourn the loss of meaningless cells?  How indeed.

Sometimes I think that our culture can make it hard for moms like us to truly grieve b/c they want so desperately to deny the humanity of the babies that we lose. If society acknowledges those little lives, they'd have to admit that there are other parts of our society that are gravely wrong. (*cough* abortion *cough*)  It's such a disservice! I think the culture has made it much harder for us to grieve and feel entitled to that grief.  And, it allows us to, in effect, "double down" on those thoughts and deny the dignity of persons that we feel are in the way or difficult to include.

I am ever hopeful that through prayer and education, we can slowly turn the tide.  Al Gore may compare those who deny global warming to racists,  but I think the real comparison lies between the pro-abortion camp, who denies the humanity of our most innocent victims, and those who deny humanity based on race.  To me there is no difference.  I hope someday that history will show that we corrected this great wrong!  (And further, I hope that this occurs in the near future rather than some time way off.)

**For those who are suffering after an abortion, please seek help at your local Project Rachel chapter, or go to the national Project Rachel website.**

Christ in front of me, Christ behind me

Beautiful picture from Lostseed.com.  Regardless of the tear, I felt that it was such a great picture of Our Lord watching over us always...maybe even feeling our struggles?

The above title comes from the popular prayer:

Christ Be With Me

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks to me,Christ in every eye that sees me,Christ in every ear that hears me.Salvation is of the Lord.Salvation is of the Christ.

May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.

Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Catholic/Comfort/Christ-Be-With-Me.aspx#ixzz1WMOR9N6e


I felt that it most accurately portrayed my feelings today at mass. I had the most overwhelming sense of Christ's presence in the mass.  While I know we recognize Christ in the Eucharist by means of transubstantiation, I was struck by so much more.  Christ is the Word incarnate, so He is in the Gospel. I found it very thought provoking to consider Christ as the Word being on the same altar as the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist within the Tabernacle.  It was an overwhelming sense of Him being on our altar in many forms at one time. He is present in each of us, so we are one body in Christ.  Once when I was a Eucharistic Minister, I had the thought that I was handing out the Body of Christ TO the Body of Christ- the congregation.  We are literally surrounded during mass by His presence from the beginning to the very end.  "Go forth with to love and serve the Lord."  We the Body of Christ receive the admonishment to remember Our Lord's presence in daily life.  It feels so amazing to remember that even when you are having a bad day, you can go to the church and experience the love of Christ personally.  Or that you can look within, through prayer, and find Him there with you again.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."

-Matthew 28:20

"The Sky is Falling!" and Other Catastrophes

(Photo: REUTERS/Jason Reed)

(Sorry, we had a wedding yesterday, this was my intention for yesterday morning.)

1 Kings 19: 9, 11 - 13
9	And there he came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Eli'jah?"
11	And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
12	and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13	And when Eli'jah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Eli'jah?"

Given the current natural disasters that have or will hit our country recently, I've been thinking quite a bit about the role of God in all of this. My heart breaks for those who were adversely effected by the earthquake and I pray that those in the upcoming Hurricane Irene will be as safe as possible.  I loved this reading because I felt that it totally captured the presence of God during tragic events.  Our Lord is not in the earthquake, or the fire, or the act of terrorism.  He helps us through these awful events, but He is not IN them.  It would be wise to be careful to avoid ascribing those situations TO Him because it directly impacts our faith.  It grieves me to hear, "If bad things happen to good people, then there must not be a God!" Or, at least not a merciful God in their thinking.  I'll admit that I also had these thoughts throughout my life.  When we had our second miscarriage, I was absolutely certain that God either "hated me", was "punishing me", or "didn't care".  Each of those statements came out of my mouth at different times as I raged against the grief and unfairness of it all.  In retrospect, I can now see God's hand carrying me through, and I feel as if I've developed a deeper understanding of suffering in the scheme of life.  

 Also, with regard to the crap (excuse me, but the best word for it...) that happens in life, it just happens! God gave us all free will. So, sometimes the choices other people make can have negative ramifications on our life, even if we are perfect. It's part of life and living. But, God can make great beauty out of those moments. We can look back and see His hand guiding us and know that He really did keep us with Him. (ie. my friend who was raped at 13, had a drug problem for her teen and young adult years, and then after conceiving her son, managed to get straight again and turn her life around. She's now in school to get a degree and is the best mother. She stayed alive in many bleak moments and managed to come out with a strong faith. Her story inspires others that we know.) And, even if something terrible happens that we never recover from, those moments can serve to bring others closer to God, even total strangers can be affected by a story enough to make changes in their lives. God didn't cause the suffering, it happens, but it can profoundly impact those around us. Just my humble opinion. :) You don't have to agree, but these things help me to keep on believing.

That is basically redemptive suffering in a nutshell, minus the whole saving souls in purgatory aspect.  If we look on our suffering as an experience to not only find God in the small things, in the whispers, then we will stop letting the big catastrophes shake our faith.  We will try to make moments of solitude to hear our Lord speak.  I'm still struggling with this one.  With two kids under the age of three, it's a little more difficult to find quiet moments or to put them to use listening to God, instead of doing an extra load of laundry or dishes or using it to veg with the television.  It is helpful to remember that in my worst moments the Lord is still there, whether in the form of helpful friends and family, or in some spectacular miracle.

My favorite take away from the whole Christ Renews His Parish experience has been the encouragement to look for God moments in daily life.  To look onto what we would have framed as "coincidences" before, as being the hand of God.  It give me great joy to see these moments in this fashion.  It deeply improves my faith to "feel" Christ there with me in my daily life.

Peanut-free meal ideas (part deux)

Might as well make it cute!

Alright, back to my peanut free meal ideas.  This time I, hopefully (Lord willing, if naptime works out), will have the time to devote to the ideas that I have.  And....as I type this, I hear my dear daughter starting to fuss. Probably related to accidentally leaving my son's monitor on in my bedroom.  Whoops!  I'll start and pick up later, if need be.

• Bento Boxes!  My son loves when I do something similar to a Lunchable but with our regular items from home.  Too tell you the truth, I find Lunchables a little gastly.  But then, I don't like processed cheese.  Give me the real stuff any day!  So, I will either cut my son little cubes or slices of cheese and send those with rolled slices of ham or turkey.  I'll add some whole wheat crackers on the side and then include a couple of items like Annie's prebagged bunny grahams or (one of my favorites) Brother's freeze-dried fruit slices. You can find both at Costco, and I find  they make lunch packing a breeze!  Shelled, hard-boiled eggs are great, too.  Lots of protein and easy to make ahead at the beginning of the week.  I've also included a vegetable of some sort: carrots, steamed broccoli or steamed cauliflower.  Children LOVE dips, so I try to include something along those lines, too.  My son adores hummus- he will eat it with a spoon!  That is a common staple in our house, but if that's not the case for you, there are many options, depending on what you are serving:

• vinaigrette/ranch dressing
• applesauce
• alfredo
• pesto
• soy sauce
• mustard
• ketchup
• yogurt (With herbs, spices or honey)
• oils and herbs
• marinara
• curry sauces
• salsa
• guacamole
• sour cream (plain or with herbs mixed in)
• cream cheese (with honey and milk to thin it out a bit)

Baby calls!  I'll try to get back....

Other ideas:

• Obvious option: leftovers!  I just pack some in a Thermos and send him on his way.  His favorites tend to be pasta related. The nice thing about Thermos is that it regulates the temperature so I don't have to worry about food safety issues, since his school can't heat the meals.  
• Skewers would be a safety issue, but you can use a few pretzel sticks to "skewer" some meat and cheese.  
• Tuna salad made with olive oil, lemon juice and thawed frozen peas.  You can have them put it on crackers or cucumber slices, depending on whether your child likes tuna or cucumbers.  I think this sounds delicious, and I may have to make it for myself one of these days.  (Especially the cucumber option!)
• I like to send at least a veggie or a fruit with the meal, if not both.  I have been known to send plain black beans as a side.  I also like sliced apples, segmented oranges, melon chunks, halved grapes and strawberries.  For veggies, it's hard b/c he really only likes a few things that are easy to send, however, I have been known to mix them in with part of the meal.  I always try to add carrots and peas to rice, couscous, or quinoa.  I've found that rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken makes a great addition to the rice to turn it into a meal.  (Any other cooked meat works well, too.)
• Wraps: two ways, savory or sweet.  The nice thing about this option is that you have many options for wrappers as you do for fillings.  You can use tortillas, flatbread, lettuce, wonton wrappers or naan bread.  (Whole Foods has a fantastic whole wheat naan.  Makes my mouth water!)  I like to make it on top of waxed paper and then wrap it up so that you can slowly peel it down as you eat.  It keep everything from exploding out of the bottom of your wrap.  
• Savory- I love the usual sandwiches, made into a wrap.  There are as many options for this as there are for sandwiches.  You can go the veggie route, with sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, hummus and cheese.  I like to use pesto as a spread with turkey or salami and fresh mozzarella cheese, and some veggies and fresh basil.  Mmm!  You could drizzle that with balsamic, too!  (Now, granted, some kids won't be that adventurous, so mayo, turkey/ham, cheese.  The end.)  Include pasta sauce or taco meat and make burritos or "sloppy wraps."  I did the "Sloppy Wrap" one day when desperate for a meal while we were all sick.  It's just leftover meat sauce, shredded mozz, rolled in flatbread, and then heated.  The cheese will melt and make it seem like pizza in a wrap.  Taco meat is obvious for fillings.  Just add your usual taco toppings and make it into a burrito....or just make a burrito!  haha  By that, I mean, people don't usually add rice and beans to tacos, so you can go either way.  
• Sweet:  At home, when I don't have to worry about nut allergies, I like to do my riff on a crepe. I take a whole wheat tortilla, smear it with nutella and peanut butter, then top it with banana slices and small chunks of chocolate.  Microwave.  Yum!  Now, I know this won't work at school, but I believe that you can transform it into a fun dessert (and maybe get in some more fruit) by using sunbutter, bananas and possibly chocolate sauce or chunks.  I'd microwave it at home, then send it to school.  Then you don't have to worry about burn injuries, and they get the fun of a "crepe".  I've also done something similar with butter, nectarine slices and a small amount of sugar.  You need to microwave this longer, or microwave the fruit first so that it becomes pretty soft.  Either way that you go, just fold the tortilla into quarters so that it resembles a triangle.  Then they can nibble away, while keep the mess to a (slight) minimum.  Other ideas: sweetened cream cheese with strawberries, cherries, kiwi, mango and/or chocolate.  Fruit salad mixed with some cream cheese or yogurt, then wrapped in a tortilla, burrito-style.  
• Baked potatoes: This sounds complicated, but it's almost the easiest.  It's kind of extends from the leftovers above. If you make baked potatoes for dinner, throw in a couple extra.  Then, you can send your child with the potato, and possibly leftover chili, soup or taco toppings.  Then there is the ubiquitous broccoli and cheese.  Just send all of the leftover toppings in a Thermos.  Your child can dump it on the potato (whole or half depending on appetites) when lunchtime arrives. They'll have hot toppings for their food, and a well-rounded meal!
• Pizza: Again, leftovers.  Or, make your own using naan or flatbread, jarred sauce and cheese.  Include your child's favorite toppings, if they extend beyond cheese pizza.  Cook the night before, slice, then pack and refrigerate.  Who doesn't like cold pizza?
• Breakfast!:  Who says that breakfast needs to be first thing in the morning?  Remember those hard boiled-eggs?  Include them whole, but shelled.  Add in french toast strips, pancakes, or waffle strips.  In our house, we dip more often with applesauce than syrup.  Include either (though I imagine that the lunch staff would appreciate applesauce over icky, sticky syrup.  Then again, send it on the same day the school lunch has syrup and then it won't be just your child that is the "troublemaker!"  Just kidding.  Or am I? *sly smile*)  You may also be able to manage breakfast meats in a thermos, but I admit that I haven't tried that one yet.  
• Sides for lunch:
• crackers
• pretzels
• cut fruit
• cut veggies
• Desserts:
• chocolate- esp. a few small pieces of dark...if they'll eat dark choc.  It's worth it for the antioxidants, though!
• graham crackers or bunnies
• freeze-dried fruit 
• tortilla "crepes" (mentioned above)
• pudding cups 
• jello 
• fruit mashups/smoothies
• "fruit crisp" 
• candy 
• cookies  
• A word on the "fruit crisp".  I figured this one out when I was living on my own after graduating from college.  I've always loved fruit and granola.  One day I heated the fruit in the microwave.  You need to do this until it bubbles and starts to soften the fruit.  Then I just top it with granola.  It comes out very similar to a fruit crisp, with less fat and sugar.  When you heat frozen fruit to this extent, the sugar in the juice seems to reduce into a syrup.  The granola has a similar texture to a crisp, minus the flour.  It's already somewhat sweetened, enough to add some sweetness to the fruit, and you don't have to add butter.  This seems to work best with peaches and raspberries.  
• The fruit "mashups" are those awesome little packets that come with a lid/straw combo.  The child unscrews the top, sucks it out of the straw, and then if there is any left, they pop the lid back on to save it.  Usually, we don't have any leftover, but I still think they are nice because they don't take up much space but add some fruit.  (Albeit, less fiber than a whole piece of fruit.)

I hope this helps you out!  If I come up with some other ideas, I'll try to add them in later.  Good luck and God bless in this new school year!  May it be safe and fun for everyone!

Peanut-free meal ideas (in two parts)

I have little time to focus on this today but I did not want to skip a post.  Ironically, today was my son's preschool orientation and they covered something similar.  His school is peanut free and I learned a few things that I had not known before about peanut-free foods.

Dunkin Donuts is the only donut shop that has peanut free facilities.  So, while not my favorite, yay for knowing who is peanut-free!  "Mmm...gotta make the donuts..."  (Does that date me?)

Sunbutter is a safe peanut butter alternative, according to our preschool director, who took a class on peanut allergies before the year started.  It is a butter made from sunflower seeds, apparently it tastes pretty good and is not a risk for allergic students.  (If I get a chance to try some, I'll let you know what I think!)

Also, Hershey's milk chocolates, including Kisses, chips, and bars, are all from peanut-free facilities.  Good to know, if you are planning to bake cookies for the class.  I have not looked into their Special Dark or other blends, but can tell you that the milk is definitely fine.  When in doubt, read the label.

Cheez-its, Goldfish, Ritz, Rice Krispie Treats, Nilla Wafers and certain marked fruit snacks are also safe for kids with peanut allergies.  Most products will list any possible contamination in the labeling, usually with bold print.

Also, on of my family favorites are Annie's products: the Graham Bunnies, Whole Wheat Bunnies, and fruit snacks.  From their website, I am assuming that they are safe if the label does not include a warning.  Here is the wording, make your own decision:

• While there has been no product reformulation or change in manufacturing facilities, Annie's  has recently decided to go above and beyond FDA requirements and include an allergen statement on all of our products that are manufactured on shared equipment with any of the top eight allergens. Our manufacturing facilities meet with the highest standards of cleanliness, and we maintain all allergen cleaning, and Quality Control protocol on file. We recognize the needs of our customers who have allergies or sensitivities to nuts, gluten, certain spices, etc. Annie's always fully discloses all ingredients on the ingredient statement and will answer any questions that will help consumers decide what products they can safely consume. At Annie's, we take every precaution to ensure that cross contamination of ingredients does not occur in our production facility. We run the products in a particular order to reduce the risk of cross contamination, take the equipment apart and thoroughly clean it in between runs of product. However, we want you to know that some products are produced in a plant that processes foods containing wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, crustaceans/shellfish, and egg. This is why we voluntarily chose to update our packaging to include this allergen information.

Now, I'm not saying that you have to avoid products that were manufactured in a peanut facility, but if you were planning to do so, or needed to worry about doing that for a class party or play date, at least here are a few suggestions for you.   :)

Tomorrow, I will try to follow up with some actual meal ideas.  I've pulled some together, but have not had the time to format it for your viewing pleasure!  ;)

[And by the way, I have in no way been paid to endorse any of the above products, I just felt it was worthwhile to share the suggestions that the school made for us, in the hopes of helping you with future ideas.]