The Antique Accident: Beware of the Elderly!

Only a few people know my biggest fears: frogs and old people. While I think frogs are scarier, I had a recent run-in (literally) with an old woman, that really rocked my world.

I was driving down the Grand Parkway feeder road, and I stopped at Fry Road to turn right. As I was looking to the left so I could safely turn right-on-red, I felt a bump at the back of my car. Luckily, my mother-in-law was with me and she noticed it, too. I looked in my rearview mirror to see who the culprit was, and I couldn't see a thing because her car was so close to mine! Finally, with my back arched and my neck elongated, I got a glimpse of the person who hit me, or should I say I got a glimpse of the blue-gray perfectly set hair of the elderly woman that hit me!

Since there was no way for me to get out of my car in that instant, I pulled into the first available parking lot. The old lady drove right past me! I shouted kid appropriate obscenities (Thanks, Mara!) as I got out of my car to assess the damage.

Nothing. Not a scratch or dent.

My mother-in-law and I continued on our afternoon, conversing about how old people shouldn't be driving. Seriously! If she didn't think she hit me, then she shouldn't be driving! If she knew that she hit me, but forgot by the time she turned right, she shouldn't be driving!

About four miles into our drive, we heard the most awful clanking noise. I pulled over to see what it was, and that's when I realized that I had taken it up the tailpipe. My double exhaust pipes on the left side of my car were nearly dragging the ground. I was freaking out. This is my new car that I just got in November! I just knew that it was doomed for the junk yard.

I drove home at five miles per hour, hoping that we would make it there with out the muffler falling off altogether. In the next ten minutes I called Greg, the dealership and every muffler shop in a 15 mile radius.

Greg just knew that he could fix it himself, but I made a back up appointment with a local muffler shop just in case. This ended up being a great opportunity for Greg to use his non-existent yet coveted automotive skills. He snapped the tailpipes back in place within five mintues of being home from work! Hallelujah!

Remeber this... you have to watch out for those old people... it might just be you that gets it up the tailpipe next time! Yeah, whatever!

WWSD: What Would Sarah Do???

I think Izzy has an imaginary friend. Just the other day when we were leaving the house, Izzy said her usual round of goodbyes, with an extra one added to the end:

"Goodbye, Lucy! Goodbye, Icey! (my class pet from school, a beta fish), Bye, Sarah!"

"What, Izzy? Who is Sarah?" I said.

She looked at me like I was a crazy person and continued out to the car.

The next day, she asked me if I could see Sarah.

"Um, no... where is she?" I said, looking around. She looked at me, again, like I was a weirdo.

Since then we've heard, "Hurry up, Sarah!", "Let's go, Sarah!", and my personal favorite, "Sarah did it."

Here's a recipe I hope Izzy and Sarah will both enjoy! Ha ha!

Sweet Potato Chips
1 large sweet potato
extra virgin olive oil
salt

Peel and cut the sweet potato in to thin discs. Lay slices flat on a baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt (I used Real Salt).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Flip chips over, sprinkle with salt and return to oven for 20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

I've got a batch of sweet potato chips in the oven right now. Now let's just hope Sarah doesn't get to them before Izzy and I do! Yeah, whatever!

Oh My,Oh My, Oh Vitamins!

Izzy is taking some new vitamins, and my, oh my, have I tried every trick in the book to get her to take them.

First, I asked her to chew them up. She spit them out.

Next, I crushed them up and put it in her water. Of course, she wouldn't willingly drink think "vitamin" water. So I resorted to doing a "cheers", clinking my cup with hers. What do ya know? She chugged the whole thing! Great, I thought. I'll just have to "cheers" Izzy every morning and evening when it's vitamin time.

Oh no. The next time Izzy took her vitamins, the "cheers" method didn't work. So I shoved one of her vitamins inside her favorite fruit: a blueberry. I thought this was pretty inventive, but Izzy totally knew that the vitamin was in the blueberry. Geez!

Then, I crushed the vitamin, put it on a spoon and put a glob of almond butter on top of it. I got behind Izzy and strategically shoved the almond butter/vitamin mixture in her mouth. Izzy proceeded to keep her mouth open for the next five minutes, as if to say, "I'm not going to swallow it!" Finally, she swallowed it, and now we have our vitamin-taking procedure.

That leads me to share our new favorite snack with you: almond butter! It really is a delicious, healthy treat that Izzy and I are loving. We like to dip bananas and celery in it. Oh, and Izzy likes to take her vitamins with it... yeah, whatever!

My Little Chicken-Airplane-Solider

Izzy's first week of swim lessons is over! As the youngest three-year-old in her class, I have to say she did a pretty good job... of distracting the other three students! Izzy has enjoyed splashing her friends, talking to them with really exaggerated hand motions (I wonder where she gets that from?!), and doing the opposite of whatever her teacher says. The lifeguards know Izzy by name... maybe that's because one of them had to jump in after her when she wouldn't stay up against the wall of the pool! All in all, it's been a fun week, and Izzy has improved her swimming skills. She did perfect "chicken-airplane-soldier" motions with her backstroke for her teacher today!In honor of my little fishy, I'm going to share the recipe we had for dinner last night.

Fish Patty Cakes

2 cans of wild-caught salmon or mackerel (I used three bags of the Chicken of the Sea salmon), drained and flaked

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup finely minced onion or scallions, raw or lightly cooked

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or dill

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Approximately 1/4 cup coconut flour (more if the mixture is too wet, less if the mixture is too dry)

High quality cooking fat (the recipe says not to use evoo, but that's all I had, so I used it!)

Place drained fish in a large bowl and flake with a fork. Add eggs, onions, herbs, mustard, salt and black pepper and stir to mix well. Add coconut flour a little at a time, mixing well and stopping when the mixture will hold together in a patty shape.

Heat a wide skillet with some fat over medium heat.

Shape mixture into 3-inch patties (don't make them larger or they will be too hard to turn over in one piece.) Keep the patties the same diameter and thickness for even cooking.

Place patties into hot pan and cook until golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn and cook the other side.

Delicious! Greg and I loved them. Izzy took one bite and very dramatically gagged and spit it out. I'll get her to eat and maybe even love fish... yeah, whatever!

I'm back and better than whatever!

Wow! It has almost been two years since I've blogged. While it makes me sad that I haven't taken the time to write (one of my most favorite things to do), life has been super busy! In the past two years, Greg celebrated his 30th birthday - Vegas style!

Izzy finished her second year at daycare and her first semester in the PPCD program at Alexander Elementary. She is excited for a fun summer filled with swimming and friends!

As for me, I've enjoyed my first two years teaching. It's undoubtedly the most challenging job I've ever had. I wouldn't trade my fifth graders for the world. I can't wait to see what next year has in store for me!

Almost a year ago, I got a full set of braces on my teeth. While I'm excited to have perfect, straight teeth, I'm so ready to be out of these braces! I have to say that the braces have given me some great opportunities...

I am looking very, very young these days!

I have something to talk to my students about other than fifth grade reading!

I even showed one of my students how to apply wax to his braces when they were hurting.

When I want to celebrate a holiday, I can get cool colored bands on my teeth... ok, that's just pushing it. But I am trying to stay positive about my not-so-cool adult braces!

At my last appointment, my orthodontist told me that I'm well over the "one year" mark on my braces, even though I haven't had them on for that long yet. Woo hoo! All of that flossing, weaving in and out of the wires, is paying off!

Another big change in our lives in the past six months or so, is our diet. First, we changed Izzy's diet to a gluten-free diet, and now, per the nutritionist, we're all trying a gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free diet. Paleo, if you will. Boy, has this been a challenge! I do have to say that we are seeing some great changes in Izzy's interfering behaviors. She is much more calm and compliant. I am seeing her be successful in normal everyday activities that just weeks ago seemed impossible. While the diet is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do, it's the best thing for Izzy. (And I have to admit, it's been pretty good for Greg and I, too. We both have tons of energy and are really slimming up!)

My goal this summer is to blog more often. I want to start writing and sharing recipes that I come up with through this crazy journey. And I'll be sure to include silly stories along the way. After all, that's how this blog was started... yeah, whatever!

Turkey Burgers with Avacado Mayo

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup salsa verde

1 ripe avacado

1/2 cup dairy-free, gluten free mayo

1 clove of garlic, chopped finely

Combine ground turkey with salsa verde. Shape into patties, and cook over medium-high heat for four minutes on each side. While patties are cooking, scoop avacado out of the shell into a bowl. Add mayo and garlic. Mix. Top turkey patties with avacado mayo. Enjoy!