Thursday, June 27, 2013

When blogs go wrong

11:54 AM 1 Comments
I had the best idea for getting back into this blogging thing. As mentioned in my previous post, we're getting ready for our annual trip to Montana. I remembered that I had filed away a recipe I found online for homemade breakfast bars, and thought that would be just the thing for our bright and early departure.

It was the perfect recipe. Healthy, full of nuts and oats and good stuff, I could make it in advance and pack it for the car. Oh yes, it was going to be a grand re-entrance to the blogging world.We were going to enjoy those bars all the way through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Once I started assembling the ingredients, it seemed a bit off...sort of like soggy oatmeal baked until it becomes bar-like. But I plunged forward, determined to provide my family with sustenance for the eight hour adventure.

Finn joined me in the kitchen, so I was able to get the obligatory "my kid helps me cook!" photo:

I couldn't find an 8x8 pan, so I thought I'd try something different (this was perhaps my fatal error); instead of throwing the mix into a parchment paper lined pan, I (or rather Finn) spooned it into a greased mini muffin pan. And then we put it into the oven to bake.

Finn and I spent the next 35-40 minutes working on a sewing project. All was feeling right in the world. The buzzer beeped, we went into the kitchen, pried the "breakfast bars" out of the pan, took a bite, and both spit it out. "It takes like burnt oatmeal," Finn says. I couldn't agree more. Epic fail.
 

When Emmett woke up, he and Finn decided to scrape out what they could from the muffin pan. And, well, I let them...they were destined for the trash can anyway. Emmett was the only one who found them bearable, but even he rejected them eventually.

So there you have it. My completely honest disclosure that not every blog-bound effort is wrapped up in sunshine and daisies. Time to go find something new to make for the trip. Or perhaps we'll just bring a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter...



Monday, June 24, 2013

On the Road Again

4:51 PM 0 Comments
I can't believe a year has passed since we were preparing for our epic road trip last June. So much has changed - Finn is getting ready to start Kindergarten, Emmett is a lot less baby and a lot more boy, Sean is a permanent principal, I'm a year into this full time working mom gig - and yet some things feel exactly the same. Despite all the external things that pull us in different directions through the school year, our world remains focused on the four of us, finding our rhythms, sitting down to dinner each night, appreciating the time we are spending together.

We're preparing to head to Montana once again - this time our journey involves a day's drive to visit dear friends in Minnesota then flying from there to Helena. Eight hours in the car + 2.5 hours on an airplane. And the thing is, I'm kind of sad about it. Sure, three days in the car had its ups and downs, but ultimately we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's none the worst for wear and maybe even a little closer. I loved that crazy road trip last summer that took us through nine states and allowed us to see so many friends and family members in so many different places.

There's preparation to be done, regardless of the means of travel. I'm getting the bags packed up once again, and I'm loving that we don't have any diapers or strollers or portable cribs on this trip. Just four people and four suitcases. How did that happen?


This awaits. And we can't wait.