Indiana Jones

I finally saw the new Indiana Jones movie on Thursday night. I put Justin down to bed & was able to sneak out to the 10 pm showing while Matt stayed home with the bambinos (he had seen it on opening day). It was good. Definitely not Raiders good, but good, and worth seeing. I think Harrison Ford seemed a little rusty in the part, and it showed. I also think that Shia LaBeouf was decent as Mutt Williams, but a little stilted. I found myself analyzing the whole time - looking at the sets, thinking about the acting, comparing and contrasting with the previous films. It took away some of the enjoyment of the film, but I couldn't help myself. I was fixated on Shia. I had read a review of the film that called Shia a good actor, but "with absolutely no charisma"... and I have to agree. Harrison Ford - charisma. Will Smith - charisma. Edward Norton, Kevin Spacey, Tom Selleck, Tom Hanks, Nicholson, Pacino, DeNiro - Charisma (with a capital C). But I digress. I thought the plot was underdone, and the sets were terrible. You could tell that most of the locations were sets (I mean seriously, when they went to the catacombs/ underground burial chamber that was an AWFUL set), and I was so surprised that Spielberg would allow that, and that they wouldn't have maxed out the budget to make it look authentic. For those who haven't seen it yet, I don't want to reveal too much. Like I said, it was good, but I'm really not sure we'll be adding it to our DVD collection.

Down with Dixie

We've seriously cut back on TV time in our house, as Malaina was getting a little too caught up in her cartoon shows - sometimes watching for hours on end while I was distracted with work or Justin (don't judge - you know you've been there, too). We've all been enjoying the positive changes from less TV, but every once in a while the influence of TV still creeps in and takes me by surprise.

Malaina, Justin, and I were home last night while Matt was studying. We were getting ready for "movie night" (Little Mermaid), and had the TV on for few minutes while I got everyone ready to start to the show. Malaina turned to me and this is how the conversation went:

"Mom, can we have a Dixie day?"

"A what?"

"A Dixie day."

"I'm not sure what that is, sweetie."

"It's when you make dinner and then we eat it and then you throw away the plates."

"Well, no, we don't usually use paper plates, we eat off our nice dishes."

"How come? If we have a Dixie day, we can play more."

"Well, I prefer to use our regular dishes because I think using paper plates is bad for the environment. I think it's bad for the earth, and it kills trees when we use paper plates."

"Oh. But wouldn't it be fun to eat off those plates and then throw them out?"

"Well, I think it's nicer to eat off our real dishes. We still have plenty of time to play without having to use paper plates."

"Oh. Well, I think paper plates are fun".

I personally don't care for paper plates. We don't use paper plates or cups unless we are camping, or possibly when it's someones birthday. I think paper dishware creates more junk for the garbage dump, and as a home which uses disposable diapers, I believe we are already contributing more than our share to America's landfills. I realize I may not be the norm here, and I have been surprised more often than not to enter into someones home & realize that it's common for their families to eat 90% of their meals off paper plates, and use paper cups for all their beverages (for those homes with kids, I am not judging). Sure, I hate doing dishes, but there's something to be said for sitting down to a meal on nice plates, with substantial silverware and sparkling glasses. I feel it also teaches children that meals are meant to be appreciated - from the time and care that went into the cooking, to the company that you share the meal with. Not every meal at our house is an "event", but it's important to me to show my children that nice things are meant to be used. What's the point of registering for china when you get married if you keep it boxed up for 20 years? So down with Dixie and their insidious marketing campaign designed to make your children feel like they are being shoved aside in favor of doing the dishes.

On another note: Today was Matt's last day of school. 1 year down, 3 more to go! The end may not be in sight, but as long as we're making forward progress it's all good.

Bloggity blog blog blog

I love finding new blogs to read, especially when they concern one or more of my favorite things (food, shopping, reading, etc.). I finally tracked down the blog of the genius who is partly responsible for my awesome cinnamon roll recipe. Orangette is the name of this brilliant blog, and the woman who authors this delicious bit of food writing is Molly Wizenberg. I love her because she has a wonderful writing style - very sparse but eloquent, her pictures are so crisp that I want to reach through the computer and scoop up whatever bit of deliciousness is on her plate, and I also love her because she's in Seattle (I'm feeling a little nostalgic for the Pacific Northwest - it's the Iowa humidity that's making me yearn for grey skies and pine trees. It will pass). I eagerly read her monthly article in Bon Appetit called Cooking Life, and I always enjoy it. She isn't as snobby as some food writers can be - focusing on French cuisine, or exorbitantly expensive ingredients, or some other nonsense which only appeals to a total of 3 readers - and she expresses a true appreciation for the simple joys of uncomplicated, well prepared food. Reading her article on jam made me want to can my own and although I have a hankering for peach jam (smells like feet but tastes like summer), I understand that Iowa is not exactly a haven for peach trees. While I figure out if I will divert my jammy dreams or slog through it with substandard imported peaches, I will enjoy her outstanding blog and maybe sample a recipe or two from her extensive archive. I'm also looking forward to her book, which comes out in March of '09. Again with the buying of books. What is becoming of me in my advanced years??

Happy Memorial Day

I just want to offer a brief "thank you" to those men and women who have served, or currently are serving in the Armed Forces. I appreciate your commitment to serving your country, and am grateful to live in a country which offers so many opportunities to its citizens - including the opportunity to live in a place which does not currently experience daily conflict, civil unrest, or violence. I am also grateful to my uncles and husband for their personal involvement in the Navy, and for the experiences and benefits garnered from their time in the military. If Matt had not had the experience of being a Corpsman for 5 years (and the benefits of the GI Bill) I am not sure our family would be on the road to graduating from DO school.

Stuff I Am Loving Right Now

1. Space Bags! I changed out our Winter down comforter for our Spring quilt, and wasn't sure what to do with the comforter. I thought I'd give Space Bags a try, and they totally work! I jammed my comforter in one, and 10 sweaters in another, sucked the air out with the vacuum, and voila! Flat bags I can stuff under the bed! Love it!
2. Method cleaning spray in Pink Grapefruit. I was a little behind on joining the Method bandwagon, but I LOVE the stuff now. I use the cleaning spray, the handwash (also Pink Grapefruit), the Go Naked laundry detergent and the Baby laundry detergent. Everything they make is non-toxic, and smells delicious. I'm sad that Target doesn't carry the entire line of Method, but excited to try the new Baby care line (mmmm... fuzzy peach).
3. Iced Tea. It's that time of year again! Nothing says warm weather like a tall, cool glass of iced tea. It hasn't been hot enough for sun tea, so I've been making it with boiled water and Lipton's Decaf Iced Tea bags. I add a little honey while it's still warm. Tastes like summer. Diet Squirt is also tops on my summertime beverage list.
4. That it's summer vacation time. No, we're not really going anywhere, but I got Malaina all psyched for her "summer bay-cation" from pre-school, and now that Matt only has 1 more day of school left, it's hard not to get excited about summer. I'm hoping for low-stress days with a mixture of pool time, naps, movies, the Play Place (at the Jordan Creek Mall) and lots of AC to combat the Iowa humidity.

Party Time

Malaina went to a Birthday Party today. It was so much fun! Robyn is so creative, and I was incredibly impressed that everything was in her chosen Garden theme, all activities were perfectly suited to the 3 and 4 year old crowd (planting flowers in pots decorated with stickers, bug hunting for foam bugs, pin-the-butterfly-on-the-flower, and bug parachute), and that she didn't spend a fortune to throw a super-fun party. I'll keep all this in mind when I plan Malaina's next birthday party - and I may be giving Robyn a call to pick her super-creative brain. You're an inspiration, Robyn! And Happy Birthday to Mariah!

YUM

It's another Friday, and I am so glad that not only is the weekend almost here, but that there is an extra day off on Monday (thank you Memorial Day!). After a really nice weekend, it's been a struggle to get through each day this week. Wednesday was especially bad. I was extremely high strung all day, and EVERYTHING was getting on my nerves. Much of this goes back to my messy house, but it built to a head over Malaina's room. She has been refusing to clean it, so she's been losing toys & spending an unusually high amount of time in Time Out.... but it's still been a disaster zone. I finally started tackling it yesterday, and Matt and I agreed to put some of her toys away for a while, and do a purge of all the little junk that accumulates (McDonald's toys, random coloring sheets, dolls with no heads, etc.). I'm not done yet (seriously, I had to take it in stages or I would have just had a breakdown in the middle of the job), but it's already about 1000 times better. I hope to finish it today or tomorrow, and then move on to the rest of the house. My Dad is coming to visit in a few weeks, so I need to make sure the house is especially spic & span.

On a slightly kooky note: Matt and I spent 3 years in Louisiana, and enjoyed very little of our time there. One thing we did develop a fondness for is Red Beans & Rice. We ate this at least once a week when I was pregnant with Malaina, as it was low in fat and high in protein. Mixed with Turkey Polska Kielbasa and served with brown rice, it was one of our favorite meals. We were talking about it a few weeks ago, and I was toying with the idea of finding a good recipe to recreate. Instead, I did a google search, and was thrilled to find the brand of red beans we used to buy while in Lafayette. Based in Gonzales, Louisiana (outside of Baton Rouge), the Blue Runner company makes the BEST canned red beans I've ever had. And guess what? THEY DELIVER.



I am so excited to receive my shipment of 12 cans of Creole Cream Style Red Beans. Sadly, the shipping was as much as the beans themselves, so this will be a once-a-year treat. I hope the reality lives up to our memory of this delicious meal. I also miss Jamba Juice from Oregon, Alberto's Mexican Food from Phoenix, and In-n-Out Burger & Palermo's Italian Restaurant in L.A. Do you have any regional foods or restaurants you miss?