Favorites: Mrs. Mingle Recommends a Couple of Chicken Recipes

Since I've been home I've been cooking more these days and thought I'd take a moment to share a couple of our easy favorite recipes for those who might be looking for a little inspiration to their normal menu.    I'm always going out to the internet to seek out ideas and there have been hits and misses.  These are a couple of hits.

I did not make up these recipes from scratch - Iso to give credit where credit is due, I pulled both of these off of mealplanning101.com.  I found this site over a year ago and thought I found a gold mine because the author would provide a whole week's worth of meals, as well as the shopping list.  We were pleased with most of the recipes we tried.   But, alas, shortly after I found it, the author seemed to stop maintaining it.  I keep going back for my favorites, but it's not constantly being updated with more.

Recipe #1: Chicken Oreganato (Kid-friendly)
Link to Chicken Oreganato Recipe
The hardest part about this recipe is remembering how to spell "Oreganato" so that it comes up in my search efforts.  Yeah, yeah... I could print it out, or I could bookmark it for future use, but that would take all the fun out of my hunt and peck efforts everytime I want to make this.  At least now I can come back to my blog for it.     This is kid-friendly, and simple.   It works with boneless, skinless chicken too, but bone-in, skin-on chicken really is the most flavorful (and cheapest).  We often pick up a pack of rice pilaf or cous cous to accompany it, and make a simple veggie on the side too.  It's one of the few meals that BOTH my kids will eat, as they seem to like the opposite types of foods.

The recipe:

8 bone-in chicken thighs
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Zest of lemon
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the chicken thighs and then pat dry. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a greased 9x13 baking dish. In a resealable glass jar or container [or just mix real well in a small bowl], add the olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice, close tightly and shake well. Pour half the lemon oil over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with 1 tsp of oregano and place in the oven.
Once they have baked for 15 minutes, flip the chicken over, drizzle with the remaining lemon oil and sprinkle on the remaining tsp of oregano. Place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes. To get a nice golden color on the skin, broil for a couple minutes (if it needs it) at the end of the baking time [I've never had to do this - the skin is always golden color by the time it's finished].
Serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze more delicious lemony goodness on them at the table.

Recipe #2: Chicken Tikka Masala (Spicy)
A year or so ago, for a special occasion, I wanted to make Mr. Mingle homemade Chicken Tikka Masala, which is one of our favorite dishes when we go out to eat Indian Food.   I found a recipe that looked tasty online, again with mealplanning101.com, and marinated the meat the night before as suggested.   The next day, I was beginning to realize that I did not have the time nor stamina to make my own tikka masala sauce from scratch so I called up a friend and asked how she usually made it.  She turned me onto "Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Foods" pre-made "Tikka Masala Curry Sauce" which can be found at Whole Foods or Molly Stones near us.  This curry sauce combined with the marinade I got from the website was the perfect EASY combo.   If you are craving Indian, here's a simple recipe.  The kids don't like it as they don't like spicy or Indian curry, but sometimes it's worth the effort of making this for the grown-ups and something else (simple) for the kids so we get our spicy fix.  We often pair it with eggplant cooked really simply, and rice.  The best store-bought naan (per Mingle opinion) is the frozen naan that you can get at Trader Joe's.  Also, some plain greek yogurt on the side is a perfect match to cool this down a little.

The recipe:

Marinade (per MealPlanning101 Chicken Tikka Recipe):

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1/4-1 tsp cayenne (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

6-8 chicken thighs (skin on, bone-in)

Stir all ingredients except chicken into the bottom of a large plastic container. Add the chicken and coat the chicken completely with the marinade, cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.


Then, when you are ready to make dinner, follow the recipe on the Sukhi packet to make the rest of the curry.  

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Makes 5 Servings
1 packet Sukhi’s Tikka Masala Curry Sauce
1¼ lbs. skinless chicken, meat or seafood
¼ cup whipping cream
1 cup water

To make a vegetarian curry, substitute chicken with 1¼ lbs. of boiled and cubed red potatoes, sliced bell peppers, green beans, and firm tofu or Paneer (Indian cheese).


METHOD:
In a saucepan, add chicken, Sukhi’s Tikka Masala Curry Sauce, and water. Mix ingredients together well, and simmer on medium high heat. When chicken is cooked, stir in cream. Bring to boil. Serve with Sukhi’s Naan or over rice with Sukhi’s Chutney.

I don't usually put in all of the leftover marinade when I cook the chicken, but I will keep whatever is stuck to the chicken, meaning I don't rinse the yogurt mixture off when I toss it in the pan.


Eggplant Side-Dish (per Mingle easy steps):
Mince up 1 or 2 garlic cloves (optional)
Slice up the eggplant and lay out the slices on a plate. Sprinkle generously with salt and set aside (the longer the better, but I am a poor planner in the kitchen, so it's usually a half hour at the most).
Using a generous amount of olive oil saute the garlic until it begins to smell wonderful
Add all of the eggplant into the frying pan, stirring occasionally until it is all soft.  Usually takes about 20 minutes.

Don't forget the rice, naan and yogurt!

I hope that you find one or both of these recipes enjoyable!

#tbt: Postcard to Grandma 1986

My son has recently started to read and write, and, he's really into it.  He likes to write whenever he can and will sometimes ask for spelling help.   I enjoy seeing his attempt at words when they are misspelled though, because I can (usually) still tell what he means and his attempts are so clever.  He recently spent three days working on a thank you card for his aunt, not so much for the words in that one, but because he wanted to draw every animal that he possibly could for her.  She joked and said that now she needs to send him a thank you card to thank him for his card. 

And that got me thinking... kids these days won't receive real letters anymore.   Now that their email, twitter, Facebook... what happens to traditional pen pals??  I used to have a couple when I was growing up and loved receiving letters in the mail.  One pen pal in particular was a distant cousin in Scotland who was much older so to receive letters from her was like getting a prize in the mail.   Even into high school and college I was getting real letters from people over the summer times catching each other up on what we were doing.   I dug into my boxes today and found some of these  letters that friends had sent.   I now want to give some of them back to those friends because they are detailed accounts of things that happened and wonderful memories.   It didn't seem right to publish something in this blog that someone else had written (without their consent) but I actually came across a postcard that I sent to my grandma in 1986.  Postcards... that's another thing I don't do anymore... and seeing this one makes me want to try harder.

In 1986 my parents took a friend and me, along with another family to Expo '86 in Vancouver, Canada.  We rented a motorhome and drove up there.   Then, my friend and I took an airplane by ourselves to Idaho where we stayed with her grandparents for a week.  I still remember that vacation very well and it was awesome.  I also remember barfing all over her grandma's front room when I caught a bug while there, and that was not so awesome.  That same night I remember being woken up by a ruckus when some family members realized there was a wasp hive right outside the door of the place we were sleeping in.   I think I may have sent the following postcard before the barf and the bees incident...

6-23-86

"Dear Grandma,

Having a great time up here in Idaho.  We've gone canoeing and horse-back riding.  The Expo was really fun.  You have to see Ontario's pavilion.

Love You, and Miss You,
Meghan"

[Kinda wish I could remember Ontario's pavilion...]

I have this feeling that every single postcard I sent to Grandma likely had an animal on it

Women Like Legos Too

There was a story lately about a little girl who was kicked out of a Christian private school for wearing her hair short, and being a tomboy and it saddened me.  She is 8-years old.  Kids should be left alone to figure out their own opinions about whom they are and what their style is.  We may want them to dress “cute” or “handsome” and, follow the norm, if for their own sake, so they’re not mercilessly teased.  But, if a child has strong opinions about themselves and who they are, I would like to think I’d encourage that.   (Unless they are my own kids and want many piercings or gigantic holes in their earlobes.)

When I was a child I considered myself a tomboy and definitely enjoyed “boy activities” more.  I liked sports a lot, and I did NOT like barbies.  Ever.  I still hate barbies to this day, and I truly hope that my daughter never wants one, but the way things are going so far, they’re bound to enter our house.   Oh, and there I said it….”my daughter”…. What about my son?  Why did I not say “I hope my son doesn’t want one”?  Well, because it just didn’t occur to me.   It’s weird.  We have a son and a daughter, and they are being raised the same, yet Jingle has gravitated towards dinosaurs and cars and Savvy has gravitated toward Minnie Mouse and princesses.  They both like legos and animals.  I think I’m gender neutral when it comes to things they want to play with, but if they want to play with something that I don’t personally like well then.  Too bad.  Please please please let the Princess phase not last long, and Barbies stay AWAY.   Fortunately Jingle is not into guns, because they too would be on my list of hate-toys.

When I was pregnant with Jingle, I did not want to know the sex of the baby.  One reason for this was because I did not want other people to know the sex prior to the baby being born because I didn't want to be inundated with either pink or blue.   When we had a son, I think I was a little relieved when it came to the clothes because boy clothes are easy.    There were no frills and fluffiness and tights to figure out.  There was no pink.  And then, my daughter was born.   And now, I can’t imagine her in anything other than pink.  She just looks so good in it and she LOVES it.  What is with little girls and pink??  And, I will admit, I love it when she wants to wear a dress or skirt.  She is already more of a girlie girl then I ever was, and damn she’s cute.  She’s got us all wrapped around her little pink sparkly fingers.

According to Savvy, this is "Grandpa"

When it comes to their toys, I would rather play legos and sports, then make up imaginary games with animals.  I remember loving that as a child – playing with my own stuffed animals for hours on end – but now I can’t stand that game.  Give me legos or blocks though and I’m good.    Jingle got a Star Wars lego set for Christmas and I’ve been dying to put it together with him.  It just sits in his closet.  When I ask him about it he says that he wants to do it with Grandma and Grandpa (who we see often).  Finally tonight, I practically whined and said “Fine! Then maybe you should get me lego sets for MY birthday!”  At which point he said “They don’t have legos for women.”.  

Oh no he DI’NT just say that...(and might I ask.. what does that say about Grandma who is allowed to do the Star Wars lego set, but not me?).  I think I did a head jerk and finger snap as I said “Excuse me??  Oh no  you didn’t say that...what are women lego sets?!”  He knew that he hit a nerve with Mama, but my son will be my everlasting challenge when it comes to butting heads as he grows up.  He does not back down and our stubborn horns will undoubtedly clash.. “well… they’re pink… [said with a sly grin]”.  At this point I felt it was important to make a point, because we’ve had other conversations recently where it has become apparent that other students talk about this in kindergarten and have clear definitions about what is okay for a boy and what is okay for a girl…I don’t want him to pigeon hole girls or boys into only liking certain things or colors because of their sex.   I told him that I like Star Wars and I’m also a big fan of the Avenger series now too (what? Girls like super heroes??).   He wasn’t ready for this "heavy" discussion however since he knew bedtime was close and he wanted to play with Daddy before the clock turned blue and the children turned to pumpkins.  And, I’ll admit..he’s FIVE…So, I let it go.   But, this won't be the last time we'll discuss this and I will continue to encourage both kids to do whatever they want regardless of if has been previously labeled a "boy activity" or a "girl activity".  And, even if they don't want to do it themselves, they should not criticize others who may, as we are all wonderfully unique and independent individuals.

Favorites: Mrs. Mingle Recommends Orphan Black on BBC America

Okay folks, I can't keep quiet on this any longer...Orphan Black Season 2 starts on April 19th!!!   If you don't know what I'm talking about well... let me PLEASE enlighten you because it is the mostawesomeshowonTVandI'msoexcited!  Orphan Black is a mystery series about a group of clones who do not know each other exist prior to them meeting.  Oh shoot, no.  That's doesn't explain it adequately.   It starts off with this one girl who is kind of a punk, a little down on her luck, seeing her doppelganger at a train station.  (aka her IDENTICAL TWIN).  And just as she sees her, the other woman leaps from the train platform and commits suicide. Awesome right?? no.. wait, that doesn't explain it right either... gah.   So.. this girl assumes the other woman's identity and the only thing she has in common with her is that they are identical.   Next day, she learns that the other woman is a cop, oh, and she lives with her boyfriend (who is pretty hot).  From that point forward, the girl is plunged into a mystery like no other, and along the way, she learns that there are other dopplegangers out there too - all clones.   And all these clones lead significantly different lives.    The most awesome part about the show is that they are all played by the same actress: Tatiana Maslany.  Ms. Tatiana is freakin' aMAZing.   She seamlessly plays all these different characters, you forget that they are all done by the same actress.  And, I have no idea how they film this, but the characters talk and interact with each other.  It blows my mind.  (oh, Parent Trap, you started it all...).  There is conspiracy, mystery, intrigue and brilliant acting and it keeps me consistantly on my toes.   The first season ended months and months ago, and Mr. Mingle and I have been salivating for this show to come back on.

Do yourself a favor and check out this link to figure out where to see all of Season 1 prior to Season 2 starting and set your recorders!  Trust me on this one... you will get hooked fast.  Where to Find Orphan Black Season 1

And, if you already know what I'm talking about and are killing time until Season 2 starts, please check out "The Americans" on FX.  It is another awesome drama about a Soviet spy family living under cover in the USA in the '80s.  They are bad bad people but its hard not to root them on.  The wife is played by my doppelganger (from the crazy Felicity hair days) Keri Russell, and the husband is Matthew Rhys.

And then, when you are done watching both of those, and need a laugh to lighten the mood.. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Community, and Parks and Recreation are wonderful funny gems.

Now - GO WATCH ORPHAN BLACK!

#tbt: Summer 1990 - Mean boys and girls

My son is in kindergarten and he’s already having girl problems.  They’re just so mean sometimes!   Actually, his particular problem isn’t a ‘mean girl’ problem, it’s the fact that they always want to play with him, and he doesn’t always want to play with them.  And they just keep bugging him.    And it’s all I can do not to quip, “they just tease you because they like you…”.    He had a better quote yesterday when he said “I’m not going to call her dumb…(and he really hung on the “mb..” part..) but she..well.. she… just doesn’t understand people’s feelings (emphasizing the eee in 'feeling').”.    He went on to explain that his best guy friends understood him.  They really ‘get’ him.  When I asked him to expand on that he went on to explain that if he tells his buddies that he doesn’t want to play with them, they understand, and they just leave him alone.  But the girls? Oh no.. the girls just keep hounding him.   Oh the life of a 5-year-old.

So, I had this on my mind when I was reviewing old journals and I came across this entry from June 1990.  I was fifteen, almost sixteen, and had my own problems with boys and girls.  During this time of my life I marched with a Drum and Bugle Corp.   For those that may not be familiar, it is primarily a horn line, drum line and percussion, and colorguard.  Usually, the horn line was mostly boys with just a couple of girls (me being one of them) and the colorguard at that time was all girls.   I was stuck in this middle ground where I wanted to be with the girls, but was often ‘just one of the guys’, or, that’s what I gather from this entry:

 “Well we won our first show on tour – Costa Mesa, we also got high brass and visual effect.  I should be happy, buy I’m not. [warning, warning, teenage angst alert]  I’ve been upset all day and different factors [factors?!] contribute to this –
1)   [because of course I list my problems] my back is sooo sore.  (I hurt it in the b-ball game we had last night.)

2)   [The instructor] was picking on me all day

3)   [This colorguard girl] is treating me like shit, she just uses me.  [I never swore when I was this age – NEVER.  So the fact that I wrote “shit” means that I was really really upset]

4)   The guys made up a song about me (and my flat chest).  [Nice huh?]

I’m just so mad! [But only mad enough for one exclamation point.] Right now especially at [that girl], but there's also a lot of other colorguard, that don't recognize me as anything - girl or friend - just "one of the guys", and a horn player - so I'm left out of everything."

[Boo Hoo right??  I read this journal entry now and I laugh because I became quite good friends with many of those girls, and even the boys who made up songs about my flat chest.  And those experiences with Corps were some of the most fun summers and most memorable times of my young life.]

On Demand Kids

-->

On Demand TV and Video at our fingertips is both a blessing and a curse for parents.   Before I had children, I was grateful for my TiVo because it allowed me to record the shows I wanted to see but watch them at a time when I was free to do so.  I also liked that fast-forward-through-commercials function very much.    We have been long time TiVo customers and about three years ago, we upgraded our system so that now we have Amazon Prime (sometimes); Netflix; and Comcast (erm.. sorry, ‘Xfinity’) OnDemand available to us via the same box.   We can (almost) see anything we want, at anytime we want.  Yeah.

And then there’s music…   we have become avid Apple users over the last five years, and now, in our house, we have one Mac, 2 iPhones and 2 iPads.  I’m sure that if you dig through our drawers, you will also find at least one old iPhone, if not two, and a couple of iPods.  (OMG! Those are so YESTERDAY!)  We’ve got all of our music everywhere at anytime.  We can also stream through the likes of Spotify and Pandora anytime we want, including getting children’s stations.

My children are growing up in an age where they believe they can watch whatever they want whenever they want, and listen to whatever they want, whenever they want.  “Mama, what’s ‘radio’?”  As a parent who needed to entertain the children while I got myself ready for work in the mornings, there was a time that I was grateful to have Dora the Explorer ready on TiVo at any given point.  But, then, my husband started asking our two year old son “Which episode do you want?”  Which episode??  Just turn it on already!!   Because once that door was opened, then it was a long process to decide which episode, and then heaven forbid the exact episode we wanted had recently been deleted.   Not to mention Dora is the scourge of the earth and should be burned at the stake.  Dora and Boots -- stop yelling already, and just figure out your own problems! With every sticky situation (possibly brought on by ‘sticky tape’?), luckily she has her freaky friends to come save the day at any given point.  I mean really, what would she do without Tico and all his vehicles??

Now that we have two kids, who fortunately have most of the same interests, but not always at the same time, we have times when one refuses to watch the show on TV, and wants to watch her own show on the iPad  simultaneous to her big brother watching a different show on TV.  And, both of the kids have figured out how not only to use the iPad, but know how to navigate Amazon Prime to find the exact show they need.  Fortunately, they have not yet figured out how to purchase a show. 

This morning, I got out of the shower to find them arguing over the fact that they wanted to watch different episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is the same show.   The son’s show was recorded on TiVo (“Mickey’s Mystery!”) and the daughter’s show had recently been deleted from TiVo (“Minnie’s Pajama Party”) and all  my daughter wanted to see was ‘Minnie’s Jammie Party!!’.  So, helpful big brother got Daddy’s iPad, found the exact pajama party episode listed on Amazon Prime, but could not start the video.  That’s when I came in.  Sure enough, you had to pay for this one, and I just refuse to do that.   There are thousands of TV shows available – I will not pay for a single episode of MM Clubhouse, not to mention one they have already seen at least three times in the last two days.

This started a firestorm trying to explain to Savvy why she could not see the exact episode she wanted, at the exact time she wanted it.   Cry cry… and of course, I did try other places too, but all I found so far had me paying.  Finally we started Mickey’s Mystery!  and she calmed down.

And, then there are commercials… Now, I am happy that we don’t have to sit through them, but when my children are in the other room screaming at one of us to come in to fast forward through commercials it infuriates me.    Can’t you wait two minutes????  Yet, when the show is over, and they are mindlessly watching the commercials that follow, do they bother to tell me that their show is over (so we can turn the TV off)?  Oh no.  

I’m not as patient as Daddy, and I don’t always ask them the exact episode in an effort just to get them going.  This is becoming harder now that my son can read and catches me…   I also find myself begging to watch other kids shows because I get so sick of the ones we’ve got playing over and over again.  “Can we PLEASE watch Sofia??”  omg… did those words just come out of my mouth??

And finally, as much as possible, when in the car, I try to play the radio.  “Mama, why are we listening to this song??”  “Because it’s on.” Deal.  Life will go on, and you might even find a new song you like besides “Slippery Fish, Slippery Fish sliding through the water….”

#tbt: All About Me written by my 8 or 9 year old self

-->

When I was young there were a few people with the same name as me in my classes so I always had to sign my name “Meghan S.”.   For many years, I added that “S”.  Now, I notice that my son always adds both his first and last name and the full date to every single thing he draws, writes or creates.  It makes me smile, because I think that is something he will do for the remainder of his school days.   When I dug into a memory box of my own to find today’s blog entry (I saved EVERYTHING), I wished that I had been trained to add the date to my homework.  I found this “…Poster About Me” and judging by the clues of what I wrote, I put this around 1982 or '83.  There’s a comment of having chickens and only one dog and one cat (I had two of each for most of my life) and only had chickens once (a very traumatic experience for me).  There’s also a note about gymnastics, (which I was pretty horrible at).

The highlights:

3 Wishes:

I wish that we can remodel like we are planning [we eventually did this] and a award for gymnastics [never got this] and a lot of money [still wishing for this in 2014].

When I grow up I want to be:

A person who work at the post office because I like to mail papers.  [I had BIG dreams back then]

My favorite things:

Reading

Tacos

Cookies

Playing

School

Math

Animals

And more [Because really, there is just too much to list]

Things I Don’t Like:

Spelling [I grew to like spelling]

Onions [I grew to like onions]

Hamburgers [I grew to like hamburgers too, but now neither of my kids like hamburgers, I think it’s genetic]

Emptying the Dishwasher [I was a smart kid]

Besides being a horrible gymnast, I was also a pretty terrible soccer player when I was young.  I eventually found I was fairly good defensively but I never once scored a goal, and I played for four years.   That’s why, when this picture surfaced in the local newspaper in 1984 it was hilarious to my family and I.  The caption read “Meghan heads the ball while [a teammate] looks on”.    I recall this game because it was pouring the whole time and I even recall this header as it was the only one I did in that game, and probably rare for my entire soccer career.  It bounced off the back of my head and it hurt.    Fortunately I found my athletic calling in swimming and basketball later in life.

Is This What Summer Is Like?

Today was a great day.  Full of new adventures and fun times.   It was also full of sunshine.  I love the sun.  I don't mean that I'm one of those people that likes to lay out and bask in it for hours at a time.    Sun just makes me happy.   I love my house but it has one serious flaw and that is the fact that it is in fogville when it comes to summertime.  All summer long it is foggy and cold, and for this girl who grew up in high 90 degree summer weather swimming daily, it is a tough pill to swallow.    But when we have days like today, and it's still winter, then I love where I live.

I did two things today that I've never done before.  The first was chaperone a kindergarten field trip, and the second was attend Castro Farmer's Market.   I was nervous about the first, but looking forward to the second.  Also, squashed between those two events was a surprise trip to get frozen yogurt with new friends from Jingle's school and weeding in the garden.  Oh, and did I mention I lined up two interviews for later this month?  A good day indeed.

The field trip was to the Exploratorium and I was nervous about it.   There were three classes of kindergartners going there, and that place is huge and easy to lose kids.   There wasn't enough room on the buses for the parents so we had to get there separately.  I rode BART downtown and got there early because I had to call one job prospect before the kids (and the noise) arrived.  Once they arrived, I was pleasantly surprised, and very relieved, to learn that there were so many parents, so we had a 2 to 1 kid to parent ratio.  So, that meant I was responsible for my son, and one other little girl.   My son always calls this girl by her first and last name (because there are two with the same name in his class), and I do mean ALWAYS.  If he talks about her at home, or if he talks to her.  Also, if he shouts her name across the Exploratorium fifty times, it is always her first and last name.  We'll call her "Ana Steve!"   because he also always says it as if there is an exclamation point at the end.   Ana Steve! was a very sweet girl who never stopped moving.  She had twice the energy as Jingle.  But, she also listened, and would return from her runs when I called out "Ana Steve!" too.  I really tried to just call her Ana, but Ana Steve! was so ingrained in my head, that if I just said Ana, I thought I was calling her by the wrong name.  

Give the kids a screen and lights and they might dance for hours

The three of us had fun.  I quickly realized that if I took them to the biggest exhibits - the ones where they could jump and move around endlessly, then we could kill quite a bit of time.   We went outside for lunch and spent the last half hour out there with some outdoor exhibits.   After that I brought the kids back to meet their classmates for the bus ride back to school.

Kids stirring up a tornado at the Exploratorium

.

I had about a half hour to kill before I had to get back on BART so I headed to a Starbucks and basically collapsed.   Prior to the field trip I had walked both kids to their respective daycare and school, and then walked from school to BART so I'd been on my feet all morning and afternoon.  Sipping coffee by myself was bliss despite the fact that I was so dazed it wasn't until I had my last sip that I realized I was spilling it all over me.  After that, I headed home on the train because I had to get back to pick Jingle up from school.  We had just gotten home together and were trying to figure out a snack when one of his classmates and his mom surprised us by knocking on our door and inviting us to frozen yogurt.  That was so nice!  I can't remember the last time someone randomly invited me somewhere by stopping by AND we were free to go.    On the way back from yogurt we picked up Savvy and the friends went their merry way.   

When we got home the kids refused to come inside and Jingle said he wanted to "sunbathe".   Ok... fine, go lay on the grass.  My daughter refused to lay on the grass, so she laid on the sidewalk.  Yes, that's right.. my daughter sunbathes by lying on a sidewalk in SF....    But, not being able to sit still for more than a minute, Jingle then suggested we weed, so that's what we did for the next half hour before heading out to meet Daddy at the Castro Farmer's Market.

Now, there's nothing special about this market, other then it just opened today for the year, and it was a rare one on Wednesday when I needed veggies.    It turned out special because, once there, my kids were asked to hold the ribbon for the ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome the Market.  Mr. Mingle and I were happy because that was a unique and memorable occasion.  The kids were happy because they got free strawberries and balloons for helping.

It has been so long since I had such a packed day where everything went right, and I also wasn't tied to my cell phone worrying about work.   Such a difference!   While I did set up a couple of interviews, and I am still planning to go back to work - when that time comes, it is going to be difficult.  Let's hope it's foggy when the time comes, so I don't want to stay home.

Holding the ribbon

Cutting the ribbon

Job Hunting Roller Coaster

Roller coasters have such steep climbs and then at the top you think “I got this!!” when you are plunged down again to start all over.  There is anticipation of the ride to come and then the stomach drops along with the free fall.  This is how I feel about my job hunting.  So far, I’ve had a few positive bites and I leave every phone call thinking “I’ve got a real chance!” 

The people I’ve talked to make me feel good about my background and potential, and they say that the next steps are to get in the door to interview face to face.  I’ve now been told a few times – ‘so and so’ will be in touch to set up the interview.  But so far, I have not heard back from ‘so and so’.   This person ‘so and so’ works at three different companies and they must be pretty busy.   Today I had a call with a recruiter who works directly with a company that I’m very interested in.  I was excited for the call but when we spoke I immediately became aware that I didn’t have the background they were looking for with regard to the particular position I applied for.  However, this recruiter was nice and explained when their fiscal year ends, and when they often see more jobs open up and asked that I get back in touch in a month.  Which I will.

Meanwhile today I’ve spent the morning on LinkedIn, and it is far too easy to get lost down that rabbit hole.  From one job posting page, you not only see that job posting, but also all the ways you are ‘connected’ (or not) to the company, as well as many links to other jobs for which you ‘may’ be qualified for.   According to LinkedIn, I am not qualified for anything, since every single job posting that I look at has this information sitting at the top:

Seriously LinkedIn, why should I even bother?  Per your algorithms, my profile is poorly written and therefore does not match EXACTLY to every single posting.  But no, I will not fall for that, and I will keep trying.  I just applied to three jobs via their site, even though I ‘wouldn’t be in the Top 50% of applicants...’  TAKE THAT LINKEDIN. 

Now, off to check the other job sites, but it’s all the same – link after link after link… what was it I was doing again? When can I get off this ride?

Looking Forward

This past Friday I was all set to meet up with a friend at a donut shop that I'd never been before - Donut World.  I hadn't seen my friend Smiley in over a year, and before that it was only the second time I was going to see her for almost 20 years, so I was really looking forward to this visit.  I was not, however, looking forward to the donut.  What? How can this be?! Well... here's a little secret... I don't actually LOVE donuts as much as some may believe.    And frankly, I was getting quite sick of them recently.   But I still love the idea of Donut Friday and wanted to write the review for this blog.   I got to Donut World first and while they had a good selection of classic donuts, the place was pretty divey and not one where I'd want to hang out for an hour catching up with an old friend.  What I wanted more then anything was a good cup of coffee and a decent place to visit.  (By the way, I do LOVE coffee).

Smiley (and I hope she doesn't take offense at her blog nickname...) suggested we walk down the block to Arizmendi Bakery, and that was perfect.  Great coffee, great non-donut pastries, and we lucked out with a seat outside.   We were in an area of the city that is typically foggy but we were blessed with a gorgeous winter day.  Sitting outside in the sun, with no jackets.

We spent the morning catching up on kids and careers.  Her kids are slightly older then mine, and she is further along in her career than me, but recently she's been a full-time mom, so I found it enlightening to talk to someone else who hadn't always been a stay-at-home mom but was trying to figure out how to spend more time with the family, while also doing a job she enjoys.  

I enjoy working.  I like to lead, be with grown-ups and make a difference in a workplace.   I think partly it's because I can see a tangible difference there.   When I'm at home full time, it's wonderful and exhausting at the same time, but at the end of the day it's hard to tell if I've done anything at all.   There is a never ending mountain of laundry and things on the floor.   Just now I was about to launch into how proud I was that my husband and I came home today and did a lot around the house to start the week off right, but I looked up and saw that the table I painstakingly cleared off was already covered again.  So.. I stopped writing.. cleaned up.. and came back...a little inspiration there.

As I was saying, I like to work, but it got to the point with my last job that I didn't like what I was doing.  It seemed like everyone was miserable - employees and customers alike.  Looking back, I probably saw my own miserableness reflected onto everyone else.

So, now I hope to find something I enjoy more.  I may not be in a drastically different function then before, but hopefully a happier place.   Another thing I am finally admitting to myself after all these years of blogging and journal-ling is, I like to write.  And, I like to share what I write.  I have no idea most times what I want to actually write about, but one of the reasons I got the Donut Friday FB posts started, was not so much because I loved donuts, but because it was something I looked forward to.  I wanted to write an update that might give someone a laugh or a smile.   And, if I also inspired you to get a donut, well, that's okay too.

I'm going to keep the name "Donut Fridays" for the blog because, to me, it represents something to look forward to.  I will occasionally still write donut reviews, but I cannot commit to writing them weekly.  I think I may go into Sugar Shock if I do.  But, I will commit to keep writing as long as time will allow, and I hope you will keep following.  I'm not quite sure how this blog will evolve, by my greatest goal will ultimately be to make people smile.   I hope that you have a good week, and find something that you look forward to as well!

#tbt: Climbing Mt. Fuji

-->

I’ve decided to start honoring Throwback Thursday (#tbt) on this blog by publishing things that I’ve written earlier in my life.  I have always been an avid journal writer – but never with the intention of publicly sharing (so this could become interesting).    I will try to keep all original content as is, with the exception of changing names when necessary.  I also may provide some commentary.

For this first Thursday, I’m going to share an email I sent when I was living in Japan in 2000.   When I went to Japan, I had no idea what a “blog” was but I would have had one then in a heartbeat.  I used to write long stories to my friends and family on a regular basis to share my experiences.  Whether they wanted it or not, they got the email!  Fortunately, a couple of good friends printed all of these emails out and gave them back to me in an album when I returned home.  I’m forever grateful that I have these memories to keep.  And, now, without further ado I will share one with you…

Climbing Mt. Fuji

Written on Aug. 23, 2000

Hello!

Well, I did it!  I climbed Mt. Fuji! And how was it? Absolute torture!

So, here’s what happened:

First of all we didn’t start from the bottom.  We started from the middle (as do the majority of climbers).  And I didn’t quite make it to the top, I was about 420 meters short, but by the time I got there, I DID NOT CARE.

Let me tell you why…

We started at the 5^th station which was 7,606 feet (over 1 mile) up and climbed 2350 feet at first.  Geez, I thought…less then 1 mile?  NO biggee…  IT TOOK US 3 and ½ HOURS.  It was very steep and in some places it was very rocky, we literally had to climb rocks up this mountain.  Not to mention the crowds!  I could not believe the amount of people!  They warned us ahead of time that we may not get to the top if we were bottlenecked by the crowds on the trail, and they weren’t kidding!  It was like standing in line for Disneyland!  Climb up one rock…wait…climb..wait… As the night wore on I felt like I was standing in line just to torture myself.  Oh, did you notice I said ‘night’?  Yep – we STARTED the climb at 6:30pm and spent most of it in the dark.  At 10pm we got to a mountain hut to “sleep”. 

Now, I’ve used the phrase “we were packed in like sardines” before, but this time, it is LITERAL.  It was one room with futons laid out end to end.  As soon as we got in it we were to hang up our bags on nails in the beams above and lay down, head to feet next to another person.  We laid on our back, crossed our arms over our stomachs and a Japanese man then PUSHED us into the next person so there was absolutely no gap.  Imagine lying next to the feet of two people who had been climbing for 3 hours.  Lovely thought, isn’t it?  I was next to Maja so at least there was a friend on one side, but still – I’ve smelled her feet on a good day in the apartment and never wanted to sleep with them! [No offense Maja]  Although, she and the other woman at my feet got the raw end of the deal since I’m taller.  My feet were in their faces, theirs were at my shoulders.  It was also really loud at this place, people came and went all through the night.  We slept (LAID) there for 1 and ½ hours and were awaken to continue walking.

I think this break did more harm than good, because I was in the mood to hike when we stopped to sleep but I was cranky when we started again.  So, we began again at 11:30pm.   Climb a rock..wait, climb… after the rocks it became a steep walk upwards on the switchback rail.  Maja and I fell behind the others, who were in better shape than us, and made our way up slowly.  Around 4:30am we were still walking upwards when the sky started to lighten.

Oh, before I continue, let me tell you the one thing I’m grateful for: the weather.  We were so lucky! Fuji is famous for rain and wind year-round, but we had none of that.  There were clear skies, and a bright moon.  It became freezing near the top but I had come prepared. 

Anyway… as it stared to get lighter, we looked up at the top and thought, “NO WAY”.  Afterall, the whole point is to see the sunrise and then were were told to walk down at 5:30am no matter where we were on the mountain.  We would have just made it to the top at 5:30.  So, instead we walked up the next station (about 1380 feet below the summit) and waited for the sun to rise.  It was beautiful to see the sun come up above the blanket of clouds that were below us.  At this point we were 11,550 feet (over 2 miles) up in the air.  But it was freezing, and we were exhausted!  4 hours sleep the night before, 9 hours on a bus, 10 hours hiking straight up (including 90 minutes sleeping next to feet) can do that to a person!  So, as cheerfully as we could, we said “Let’s go home!”  But we had to hike down…

If I thought the way up was bad, the way down killed me.  It was a different trail, no big rocks, just steepish switchbacks all the way down.  It was the kind of loose rock gravel that is so easy to slip on when going downhill.  Somehow, I, the UN-queen of grace, managed not to fall. We must have zigged and zagged 100 times before we saw the last zag go around the mountain towards the destination.  “Hooray!” we thought as we rounded the bend only to see the trail stretch on endlessly.  “Hooray” we though as we rounded a bend again 20 minutes later.  This time we were greeted with the only sign on the trail telling us we had over a mile left to go…

Have you ever done so much exercise your legs shake uncontrollably when you stop?  My legs were doing this at the first zig, by the end they were shaking with every step.

After 4 hours of continuous walking (with brief breaks of course) we made it back.  It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, perhaps THE most difficult since I can’t think of anything more so at the moment.  [I can now – and that is giving birth to children.]  I’m glad I did it, it was an “experience” but I will never, EVER do it again.

And that, in a nutshell, is my hike up Mt. Fuji.

Getting a Job vs. Joining the PTA

The job hunt has been progressing and I’ve had a couple of phone interviews so far, but nothing is really jumping for me yet.   It’s no surprise – I have a very long list of things to do as it relates to applying for more jobs, and figuring out what exactly I want to do with my future.  I’m taking it one day at a time for now.  I’m also trying to figure out how to make best use of my new schedule now that the kids are home with me in the afternoons.

In the meantime, as I mentioned last week, I’ve been able to volunteer a little at Jingle’s school and that has been fun.  Ever since he started I have wanted to get involved but it just seemed so daunting with everything else (aka: ‘work’).   I ended up volunteering three times at the book fair last week and must have impressed them with my money counting skills or something.  (That, and I tend to keep to myself and do what I’m asked without drama.)  Next thing I know I got an email to join a committee meeting last night at one of the lady’s homes.  Why not? I thought.   I liked the people I met, and it was a chance to get out and see some grown-ups after spending the day with kids.   I was even more intrigued when I read on the email chain that “after the meeting we will play cards and drink wine in honor of [someone’s] recent birthday”.  Um... OKAY!  I haven’t been with a card-playing crowd in a while – this sounded great!

So, I went over and joined the meeting.  We talked about upcoming events and I realized that it wasn’t so daunting.  A lot of people like to help, they just need some guidance to do so.  I listened and asked some questions and even brought up some different ideas.  I think kindergarten parents are often left in the dark as the older kids’ parents just seem to know where everything is and assume it’s easy peasy.  People – I’m still tying my kids shoes and helping them buckle seatbelts… you mean  there’s more to figure out?  Like days off, early dismissal days, share days, and costume days … these are all things the parents need to remember and navigate.  And I have had problems readily finding some of this info.  Thank goodness his teacher is patient and great with email questions!  But I digress…

We finished official business, and the hostess announced it was time for pie.  PIE?  Um… OKAY! (Although, deduct some points because the pie was key lime.  “Pie”, in my opinion, should only be berry, apple, or other traditional fruit pie, preferably warm, with a side of ice cream. All the others -- key lime, cream pies, meringues -- call them “pie-shaped dessert” if you must, but they are NOT pie.)

She then brought out the cards (we played a game called Wizard) and we enjoyed some wine while playing the game.   The ladies were nice and funny and I was really enjoying the game which was very much like Spades and another game that I’ve played where you bid how many tricks you think you’ll get.  We were chatting about the kids and school and stuff, and the following years PTA when the hostess turns to me and says “So Mingle – you want to co-chair this committee next year?”. Um… WHAT?

She literally plied me with wine, cards and ‘pie-shaped dessert’ in order to butter me up, and then came in for the kill.  VERY SMART WOMAN.   I told her I’d think about it.  But, it really didn’t take much thought.   I want to get involved, and I like this particular committee, and I like the woman who is to be the co-chair.  So, today I wrote and told them “yes”.

Now, if only job hunting were this easy.  Where you meet someone, you show them you are competent and easy to work with and they hire you on the spot.  I wouldn’t even expect them to give me dessert or wine!