Ambrosia Creative

Does this make me the best mom, or the worst mom?

(These turned out waaay cute, so I had to post a pic, even at the risk of appearing show-offy. Here, I’ll offset any perceived boasting by declaring that my kitchen is a disaster.)

He was showing his pensive and moody side during our little photo-shoot (look at that pout!), but we all know what he’s really like. Ch-ch-check it!:

I was inspired by the concept of this:

A quilt made by Ryan’s late Grandma Jo.

The patches are so random. So funky (for lack of a better term). Sure I didn’t immediately fall in love with it the first time Ryan brought it out (for obvious reasons), but over the years since we’ve been married, I’ve become endeared to it; as a warm, cozy object, and as a source of inspiration as a designer.

So right now, my design mood is “borderline ugly.” I can’t help it. I’m just drawn to all things such. Maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by beauty (Ryan, Kai, and Dax) 24-7.

=)

I’m guilty. Not of eating two, three, or even four cookies, but probably close to ten. I was doomed to binge on my warm, delicious treats, being

sleep-deprived,
dairy-deprived,
and chocolate-deprived.

We will see what today brings with Dax—I may pay dearly for my overindulgence by having to deal with major colicky behavior and disrupted sleep.

But man those cookies were good!

It was just as messy as I thought it’d be and things got out of hand a couple of times (think: flour flying everywhere, sugar caked to the bottom of my feet, Kai cracking eggs when my back was turned) but a good time was still had. We weren’t making messes—we were making memories! Cheesy, I know, but you gotta love it.

Prepping the pan

Kai’s very first egg-beating experience. *Sniff!*

Bake me!

Eat me!

Yum!
(Though Kai does only tops.)

cilantro, basil, and parsley

Inspired by our rising grocery costs and Ryan’s response when I told him I was going to grow some herbs (“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Ryan-speak for “Yeah right.”), I thought I’d channel my inner Martha, buried deep somewhere between my inner Paris Hilton and inner Nicole Richie, and give container gardening a go.

I’m a survivor!

To put it bluntly, I very much suck at keeping a vase of flowers alive, let alone a garden. I’m really excited (when was the last time you were giddy leaving Lowe’s?), but my domestic skills go only so far. In the meantime, I’ll keep dreaming of this:

The Ultimate. Herb. Garden.

Both boys are asleep and Ryan is off at a friend’s house playing Guitar Hero. As for me, I got big plans for my evening in I tell ya, big plans.

To do:

1) Blog
2) Bake some carrot cupcakes
3) Watch La Vie en Rose. I love Netflix’s ‘Watch Instant’ feature. So cool.
4) Laundry. Don’t you hate it when your pillow gets peed on by a baby boy?
That incident almost got me in the eye!

This morning, Kai unwittingly downed a serving of steamed carrots I blended into his smoothie. I felt so…sneaky. So…smart!

Then at lunchtime, he had a few bites of steamed “trees” topped with…um, ketchup. But hey, he ate something green today (besides the typical cucumber) which is plenty enough to make this mama happy and get her blogging.

When it comes to food, I’m a food-snob purist, so as soon as I heard of the “Deceptively Delicious” concept, I thumbed my nose thinking I’m better than that. And that I’ll teach my children to eat fresh, healthy, delicious food by by offering it outright. None of this pureeing vegetables business! Except, yeah, my plan hasn’t been working. Which brings me to sneaking veggies in food, and dressing peas with barbecue sauce, and offering the sometimes well-received crudité.

So tell me, how do you get your kid(s) to eat veggies? Because I’m in need of fresh ideas and don’t want my child to develop some 19th century disease like rickets or scurvy.