Sunday Citar ~ Kids

Welcome to Sunday Citar!! Here's where we all share a quote... a favorite, a new find, a laugh inducing or tear inducing quote you love this week. (Citar = to quote in Spanish)



"They know me in a way no one else ever has. They open me to things I never knew existed. They drive me to insanity and push me to my depths. They are the beat of my heart, the pulse in my veins, and the energy in my soul. They are my kids."

I'm sitting at the end of my kitchen counter surrounded by a pile of football paraphernalia and printouts of cliche field terms fused with food like Cream Cheese Kickers and Sideline Salsa while I'm munching on leftover pad thai and sipping the last drops from a can of Dr. Pepper. Naughty, naughty.

At the end of a day my mind plays back the highlights of the day, like it's being announced on SportsCenter and there are clips flashing across the screen of when the kids ran off in either direction while mama stood in the middle of the swings and tried to call them back, or when big sis walked through my bedroom door in the morning like the pied piper with little brother hot on her heels dragging behind him his new Lightning Mcqueen blanket that he scored from Nana during our visit to Michigan. Sometimes it's the moments where Aliyah proudly announces she's dressed Brayden all by herself, and other times it's those times I let out a long sigh and laugh because it's much preferred to crying even though that would be my first reaction... but then it would just mean three of us crying at the same time anyway. On days like today, where there's much to do and I'm gulping down the thoughts of there isn't time to instead let my girl rest on my lap while we look for fake puppy shampoo on her Leapster for her fake pet, I realize that I'm doing just what I should be.



As I lift my almost empty can to toast this last sip, I feel lucky. Lucky to experience the beautiful change, this paradigm shift that happens when you welcome a little one into your life. Lucky that my heart shifted to match the beat of theirs. Lucky to know when days end without needing a shower it means that there wasn't enough kid in it. Lucky to feel what seems to be insurmountable insecurity with the challenge of their responsibility and yet, a pride I've never felt before, knowing that I can.

They are my kids, my babies. They are the small things that make life beautiful, and make me far more than lucky, blessed even.

I would love to have you join the Sunday Citar inspiration and have all of us come to your blog to read what quotes inspire you! Simply link within your post to my blog, and sign up with the linky below, leaving the link directly to your Sunday Citar post. Just click here if any of that sounds confusing, and please take a moment a visit at least three of the participants around you... you'll be glad you did!

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Right Now... Quickly

A sneak peek at our V-day shoot.

We find ourselves in the car again, out on a morning mission to find adventure. Two little ones strapped in the backseat squealing in excitement for what's to come, one clutching a stuffed baby giraffe while a mix of Rio soundtrack songs and Sleeping at Last take turns through our speakers. Breakfast this morning was a quick and easy cop-out for me, Starbucks smoothies, so at least I can try and convince myself that it's better than McDonalds. Either way, the road is opening as a blank page before us, and our car is weaving a storyline across it.

Just a little scene setting to try and knock a case of writers block out of the way. We're getting closer to our destination and I keep turning around to hand out fresh wipes and collect sticky ones, so today will be quick, though it doesn't mean filled with any less love.

Because right now, we've been loving...

~Planning our Valentine's Shoot with the culmination of a big collaboration of efforts yesterday. I can't wait to share more with you.

~Finding new places to explore around us. My mom sent me an email with the top 50 things to do with kids in our city, and I feel like a kid on a scavenger hunt, excitedly trekking my way through the list. We crossed off a big one this week with our families first trip to Busch Garden.

~My girl's independence. We scheduled a recording for KitchenWise this week, and when the time came and I wasn't feeling that great, Aliyah stepped in, "I can do it mommy." And she did, she rocked it. I told her I'd stand aside and coach her, but baby girl hardly even needed that. It is one episode you won't want to miss!

~Looking forward to a weekend of celebrations. Parties to celebrate birth, football and a warming pool await (Aliyah is calling our party on Sunday a Super Pool party). Maybe somewhere in between we can dabble a little bit in the art of nothing, of celebrating the quite moments as well. We'll see...

Okay, pulling in. Gotta run. Enjoy your weekend loves! See you here for Sunday Citar.

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Hump Day Dump

We've made up for time away from home this week, and my phone photos? Well, I've been focusing on being fully present... and don't have too many to show for it. So I'll remedy that this week while I enjoy the memory of beach frolics and playing in our yard, afternoon sunlight and French food, morning giggles and learning curves. Happy hump day!

Welcome to our tradition here on Fresh Mommy Blog... on Wednesdays, when I try to be wordless, I'm just going to dump the previous week's photos from my phone. A little piece of where we've been and what we've been up to. And the resulting collage? Well, I think it speaks so much more than I could. Welcome to Hump Day Dump. Link up with us... whether wordless or word-full, one photo or many, taken with your phone or not, you're all welcome here!


All of my photos were taken on an iPhone with the instagr.am app and were put together using Big Huge Labs mosaic maker... super simple and free. I'm on instagram as TabithaBlue. For more fabulous Wordless Wednesday memes, check out Project Alicia, Better in Bulk and Wordless Wednesday

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Open Faced Croque Monsieur

Dear Lord, was this good. The nuttiness of the Gruyère cheese paired with the crunch of toasted bread and the creaminess of the sauce, was all almost too much for me to handle. I smiled, and then I cried, and then I smiled again.

While this might not be the spicy, crowd pleasing favorite for football crazed fans at your Superbowl party this weekend, it is perfect for sending those guys out to watch the game somewhere else and curling up on the couch with the girls and a handful of rom coms, like It's Complicated where Meryl Streep makes a dish just like this for Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Oh and magazines and chocolate.

Side note: Guys will totally love this too, they just might have a hard time getting past the thought of "French food" on game day. Also, it goes perfectly paired with a simple salad of mixed baby greens and your favorite vinaigrette.



To start, slice a loaf of French bread into thick pieces and grate up some Gruyère cheese. Then melt the butter in a sauce pan and whisk in the flour. Next, whisk in hot milk until the sauce becomes smooth, bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until it thickens. At this point, I grabbed a couple of handfuls of the Gruyère cheese that I had already grated and whisked that in to the sauce. Another small handful of the cheese may or may not have made it's way into my mouth as well.



Then, after lining a baking sheet with parchment paper, I laid out the sliced bread, covered with thin sliced ham and topped evenly with the remaining cheese. Oh, mama.



By the way, this is not a low-calorie food. It's a creamy slice of heaven is what it is. After spreading the cheese, I added generous spoonfuls of the béchamel sauce. If I were to do this again, I'd add the sauce first and then the cheese... because once it's cooked, the sauce tends to slide right off of the bread if tipped. But no matter the order, it was delicious!



Cheese is my boyfriend right now. Hot and steamy.

I would be devastated if we were ever forced to separate.



Once cooked, slather on a bit of dijon mustard and enjoy. You'll really, really like this. And that's an understatement.


Open Faced Croque Monsieur

Ingredients:
For the béchamel sauce:
3 Tbs. butter
6 Tbs. flour
2 cups hot milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
A handful of the grated Gruyère cheese you've prepped for the sandwiches

For the sandwiches:
French loaf of bread, sliced
1/2 lb. sliced ham
1/2 lb. grated Gruyère cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.

To make the béchamel, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook about 1 minute. Slowly add the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat to medium, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Add in a handful or two of the grated Gruyère cheese and stir. Off the heat add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

To assemble the sandwiches, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the bread slices on the sheet and layer the ham evenly on the bread. Slather the tops with the béchamel. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère and bake the sandwiches on a low rack for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

Bon appetit!

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