text conversations between busy parents

It was one of those days where both the boys had two different activities and Jason and I had to divide and conquer.  We did text each other to keep the other informed how well the kiddos were doing in their respective sport -- Jake was playing baseball, and Isaac was at a swim meet, I was with Isaac.

Here's what our text-conversation looked like:

Jason:  Top of the first our team three points
Me: Isaac did well in the butterfly, not quite sure if he placed 2nd or 3rd.
Jason: Bottom of the 1st, Jake is in right field.
Jason: they got 3, we're now 4 to 3
Jason: Jake up to bat, he struck out
Me: ugh
Jason: that was quick we're up again, Jake in R field again.
Me: Isaac just finished a relay they were behind and Isaac got them to second doing free stroke (okay, I might be exaggerating here, he helped get them into second place, but probably not the sole reason they got there)
Jason: up to bat again, Jake got a double and two RBI's (run batter in)
Jason: Tell Isaac good job.
Jason: Our kids are awesome
Me: They are
Jason: We must be great parents
Me: We so are, we should write parenting books and get awards and stuff
Jason: LOL, Jake up to bat again, got a single and two more RBI's.
Me: Oh crap, we need to hold off on that parenting book, I lost Isaac.
Jason: Well find him, you're making me look bad.
Me: Found him, he was practicing.  Whew, we're good parents again.
Jason: We're at 20 now they only have 4
Me: Yay, this is one of the better teams on the league, they won both games this season (we're in the playoffs right now)
Jason: cool isn't it.
Me: damn it I lost Isaac again
Me: found him.
Jason: Jake's up to pitch
Me: I hate it when he pitches,  I hope he does well
Jason: Not so much
Me: So glad I'm not there, I'd be going nuts pacing.
Jason: oooh, 4th walk, not doing well
Me: Isaac about to do the IM.
Jason: One of the batters hit, they've gotten a couple over home.
Me: Hey, we'll be finished around same time, want to meet at Tokyo Joes?
Jason: Yeah sounds great.
Jason: He struck out the last batter they're done, 27-7 us...whoo hoo
Me: oh, phew I'll forgive him the four walks then.
Me: Isaac didn't do that great on IM but his stamina so much better then last year and HE'S EIGHT.
Jason: All parents should be like us
Me: no kidding, and humble like us too.

update:

Isaac three second place and one first place

Jake, they won the game, went on to when another on Sunday and now are in the championship game in a couple of weeks (he struck out 10 in 5 innings, walked one and hit one of the boys with a ball so he walked too -- but hey he's eleven)

I so hate the night shift!

I've been working the night shift, 5p.m. to 430 a.m. for the last three weeks.  IT'S.BEEN.HELL.  But tonight is my last night -- whoo hoo.  Anyhow, I don't know if I'm coming or going, the days I am working I don't have a full day to do anything because I have to take a nap and then the next day I come home in the mornings and crash until 10 or so a.m. and then pretty much act like a Zombie for the rest of the day (is Zombie a proper noun?).   Jake was in tears the other night because he missed me (don't tell anyone, he is almost 12 after all! And wears Axe so therefore thinks he's a man) and Isaac was excited that I had a stomach ache because he thought I'd get to stay home, when I said that wasn't sick enough to stay home he asked if I could stay home if I had cancer (before you think he sounds horrible, he doesn't actually know what that really means -- he's 8 -- he just wants me home and misses me).  This past gig hasn't just been hard on me, but the whole family.  So glad it is over after tonight, and if that masochistic maggot that lives in my brain decides to volunteer for the night shift again, I will be calling a hit-man.

Because I have mastered the art of procrastination (uh, yes it is an art!), I've decided to blog instead of working on my paper.  Oh yeah, that masochistic maggot ALSO signed me back up for the master's program (damn noisy pushy maggot).  Mostly I wanted to fill you in on what happened with my mother-in-law.  Remember when I told you about wanting to meet her birth family.  She was going back East (isn't it interesting that it's either Back East or Out West -- now that could be a fun history paper or linguistic paper-- ooops, will turn off my inner geek again for the rest of this post) for a reunion and decided to look up her birth family while she was there.  This could go so MANY different and potentially horrible ways.  It didn't though!

She knocked on her half-brother's door.  He answered and knew immediately who she was.  She looks just like their mother. There were lots of tears and she met all of her brothers and sisters and a lot of their kids (although her older sister had died the year before).  Her brother from her adopted family was supportive about this too.  The birth family was so happy to meet her, so sad they knew nothing of her (their father, her mother's husband after Sher was born 'fessed up after he was presented the letter and the family got confirmation that there was another sister that no one knew about).  They all assured her that they want her.

Makes me want to cry a bit --- but then I cry at animal rescue commercials (so does Jake, but again, shhh, he's almost 12 and wears Axe).

Can you imagine, living your life wondering why you were not wanted and then find out an entire family wants you -- not based on who you are or what you've done but because you are family -- family.

Family can drive us crazy (have you met my mother?) and some of us, well me...tried to convince my parents and all my siblings that I was adopted or at least switched at birth because in no way was I as crazy as they were.  But no one bought it, I look too much like them.  Sher was loved by her adopted family, but not sure if she ever felt like she belonged.  Just meeting her birth family gave her a bit of that.

It's really quite lovely.

I kinda want to cry again.

Oh, geeze I'm more like my family then I realized.

chicken and dumplings with rotisserie chicken

So this recipe is pure and simple comfort food so if you're looking for something healthy, this ain't it. This is an adaptation to my brother-in-law's recipe. I'm not a big fan of dumplings, but he assured me this was great and his picky daughter, my niece, liked it, so I was hoping my picky son, Isaac would too as well as the picky me. Isaac loves his Uncle Glenn's cooking, if I'm making something new, all I have to say is, "It's uncle Glenn's recipe" and Isaac will try it.

Chicken and Dumplings:
Gravy:
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
1 cup of all purpose flour
7 cups of chicken stock
dash of sea salt
dash of black pepper
5 ribs of celery, diced
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced
couple dashes of dried parsley

Dumplings:
2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
dash of salt
dash of parsley
3 tbsp cold butter
2/3 c of 1/2 and 1/2

Finishing:
chicken from one rotisserie chicken
can of mixed veggies

In heavy soup pot over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour.  Cook about three minutes, slowly add broth, whisking while adding.  Add salt, pepper, celery, onions, and parsley.  Bring mixture to boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes

While gravy is cooking place all the ingredients for the dumplings in a food processor and pulse until mixture crumbly.  Take small handful of mixture and mold into balls.  When gravy has simmered for 20 minutes add dumplings, cover and cook on simmer for 20 minutes.  Check if dumplings done by inserting knife, if done knife will be clear.

Add chicken and canned mixed veggies - drained, stir in and simmer until warmed through.
Serve.

I served this with some artichokes, I put them on to boil before starting so that they would be all done at the same time.  Kids weren't so happy about the artichokes, but they loved the chicken and dumplings.

This is how the dumpling mixture should look, if it's processed too much the dumplings will be chewy.

the rolled dumplings

This is how it looks in the pot after adding the chicken and veggies.  The kitchen smelled so good!

This is one of those meals where you don't actually need bread, the dumplings in the soup were enough to soak up the yummy gravy-broth.  It was super filling.

Enjoy.

my funny husband.....again

Jason's got the doors to the fridge open, peering in, moving stuff around looking for something and asking if I bought some 1/2 &1/2 for the coffee.  I asked when I was supposed to have done that since I worked 5pm last night until 4am this morning.

He says, "Fi--iiinnne, I guess I'll just do it myself later"
I say, "can you think of something for dinner and cook it too?"
He says, "No problem,  some people can organize their time more efficiently"
I say, "because you're Superman?"
He says, without missing a beat (how does he do that!?) "no, I just look like superman"

oh, he's wearing dorky engineer jeans, leather belt, Merril sandles and a t-shirt.

On the floor laughing
the look on his face pretty much said, I shouldn't have been laughing THAT hard.