Columbus Food Adventure

Last night Duane and I celebrated our birthdays by taking a food tour with Columbus Food Adventures (link the company name for the link). It's something we've wanted to try for a long time and our birthdays seemed like the perfect excuse to give it a go.

Since we consider ourselves to be somewhat adventurous eaters, we chose to go on the Alt Eats tour (again, tour name is link.)  It was wonderful and unique and a great way to spend the evening. The group went to five different establishments in the northeast part of town and got to sample delicious and unusual food at all of them.

Yes, I was the person taking pictures of my food - but only so I could share it with you.  Don't you feel special?

Our first stop was Udipi Cafe for Southern Indian food. The restaurant is all vegetarian, but even a die hard carnivore like me didn't miss the meat.

This was an appetizer called a vegetable cutlet. It tasted a great deal like a samosa filling that had been deep fried in a batter. They were really tasty - possibly some of my favorite food of the night. They came with a spicy green sauce and a tamarind sauce.  Of course, I was all about the spice.

This was some kind of dosi. I can't remember exactly which one it was, as the restaurant serves a number of a differnt dosi. It was also quite good. The lighter sauce was coconut based while the other sauce was a bit spicy and can be used as a sauce or eaten as a soup. 

From Udipi, we headed to a Mexican Bakery called Panaderia Guadalupana.  We walked in to the amazing aroma of fresh baked goods and spent several minutes drooling over the pastry case.

The item was got to sample here was not from the case of delicious looking pastries. The pastry chef prepared fresh, hot, filled churros for us. Some of them were filled with vanilla cream and some had a dulce de leche filling. Duane and I lucked out since he got one kind and I got the other, so we each ate half of our own, then switched.

Our next stop was a restaurant owned by a Nigerian couple called the Intercontinental Restaurant. The gentleman that spoke to us said that while the food is African inspired, they cannot use authentic African ingredients all the time and he called it more of a United Nations Cuisine.  We each received a plate that contained small samples of several different dishes.

Clockwise from top: moi moi, stewed spinach (spicy), plantains, black eyed peas and rice, jollof rice (YUM!)

Next we headed just across the street to sample what turned out to be Duane's favorite food of the night.

At this Vietnamese place, Mi Li,  we got to sample the most incredible banh mi!! The bread was made fresh, the pate was made by the owner, the pate was made by the owner. ALL the sandwiches are made by the owner. It was fresh and and delicious and, to be honest, I could go for one right now.

Our final stop of the night was the Haitian & American Restaurant. This was in some ways the furthest from my comfort zone. I have had Indian food and Vietnamese food, I haven't had Nigerian food, but I have had Ethiopian food. Haitian food though? Never tried it.

Here we were treated (and yes, I do mean treated) to a delicious goat stew and mushroom flavored rice. The goat was really quite mild, not gamey at all, and had a richness not unlike lamb or beef. It was stewed on the bone and was so tender! The rice is cooked in water that has been infused with a certain kind of mushroom that imparts the dark color and a nice, earthy taste.

I can honestly say that there was nothing on this tour that I disliked and quite a few dishes I look forward to having again. It was fun and educational evening. I can't wait to try another local tour.

That's What Brothers Are For

This morning Ryan asked me to do something for him, but I was in the midst of doing something else.  Instead of bugging me, he turned to Wesley for help.

A little while later Ryan said to me, "I don't need your help anymore, Mom. Wesley showed me how to do this."

"That's great," I responded. "Wesley's a pretty cool big brother."

"Yep! He taught me to read and everything."

Even better, Wesley applauded Ryan's efforts and told him was a great job he did.  Now that's what big brothers are for.

She Should've Put a Ring on It

We were listening to the radio on the way to soccer tonight when the song, "Single Ladies" came on. I turned the volume up and was bopping along, singing, "If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it," when Ryan spoke up from the back seat.

"Mom, this song reminds me that M. broke up with me today," he confided.

He and M. are very good friends, but sometimes have a bit of a love/hate relationship.  I know that they will be back to climbing trees and trading secrets in no time, but it cracked me up that he could "relate" to a Beyonce song at 6 years old. 

I guess Beyonce, like Cyndi Lauper, is a wise woman.

Missing Summer

We've hit a cold snap here in central Ohio. Normally that wouldn't bother me since I love autumn so much, but I feel like I didn't get enough summer this year. I love my jeans and sweaters, but I'm still craving blazing hot days that send you scurrying for the swimming pool. Despite my love of all things fall-like, I am not looking forward to the shorter days and the upcoming winter. 

Apparently I'm not the only one who is lamenting the hot days of the past. This morning I told the boys to grab jackets on their way out of the house. Ryan put his on right away, but Wesley shoved his in his backpack.

"I don't get cold," he insisted. "And I wish I could have worn shorts instead of long pants today."  Mean ol' mom makes them wear long pants if it isn't going to be at least 75 degrees out.

"It's a bit too cool for shorts today, but you ought to be able to wear them again by Friday or Saturday," I said.

Wesley's face immediately lit up. "Really!? It's like a wish come true!"

I guess that makes Mother Nature the nice mom.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not catch myself humming Christmas songs one day when I have a strict "no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving" policy in my house.

I did not drip melty peanut butter on the front of my royal blue dress while I was eating breakfast. And it certainly didn't happen twice. And even if it did, I know it didn't happen when I didn't have enough time to change clothes, forcing me to go to work with a big stain on the front my clothes.

I know I didn't use the term "sweaty locker room" to describe the scent of my six-year-old's bedroom. 

There Are No Accidents

This morning as we were walking into church Ryan accidentally stepped on the back of Wesley's foot.  Wesley overreacted a bit and was really ticked off at his little brother for the perceived slight. 

"Calm down, Wesley. It was an accident," I said.

Wesley glared at Ryan, shooting invisible daggers at him. "Well, I'm sick of his little 'accidents' " he told me.  And yes, he actually did the air quotes with his fingers. Which sent me into yet another round of "I can't laugh but I'm dying to laugh" parenting.

Oh, children.

Sweet Nothings

I love how sweet and loving my boys are. Last night as I was saying goodnight to Ryan, he pulled me down on the the bed with him. He planted a big kiss on my forehead then said, "I love you so so much, Mommy."

"I love you so so much too," I told him.

"I'm going to love you until I die," he said.

I immediately felt tears spring to my eyes as I answered, "Me too, bud."

And that makes it all worth it. All the temper tantrums and soccer games and PTA meetings. All the late nights and worries. I love these kids more than I ever could have imagined.

Splitting Hairs

Wesley is our pretty boy.  He's a handsome kid, always has been. And no, I'm not the least bit ashamed about my bragging. Of course, his blond hair is his crowning glory. It's thick and, when he was a baby, had a bit of wave to it. I love his hair.

What I have fallen out of love with is doing his hair every morning (read: wetting it down and combing it.)  Even if you comb Wesley's hair after his shower, when he gets up in the morning it looks like he slept with his finger in a light socket. We've had years and years of fixing his hair for him in the morning and, quite frankly, we are done.

As Wesley's ninth birthday approached, we started to warn him that once he turned nine he would be responsible for doing his own hair in the morning. We went over how to wet it down and which way to comb it.  The fateful day came and went, and Wesley took over the morning hair care routine - for the most part.  It's still rough going and there are some temper tantrums that get thrown. In fact, there have been enough temper tantrums that Duane has informed Wesley that if he can't do his own hair without help by the end of the month, he'll have to get a haircut like Ryan's. Wesley HATES that idea, so he usually gives it his best shot.

Some days I just cannot stand to let Wesley out of the house with his hair sticking up in the back. On church days we give a little extra assistance. Some mornings I send Wesley back to the bathroom several times to look in the mirror and try again. Some mornings I bite my tongue and pray no one laughs at the way his hair looks.

And then there are days like the one we had earlier this week. A day when no matter how many times Wesley attempted to tame his hair, it refused to give in. After many trips to the bathroom mirror, Wesley came up to me with frustration shining in his eyes.

"Can I ask you a question, Mom?" he calmly asked.

"Of course you can."

He pointed to his hair and nearly screeched, "How do you put up with this crap!?"

It was one of those parenting moments when I had to fight so hard to keep a straight face because all I wanted to do was burst out laughing.

"First of all, Wesley, I know Mommy and Daddy talk like that sometimes, but we don't like you to. Please try to chose better words. Yes, doing you hair is a pain. Daddy and I did it for almost nine years, that's why it's your turn now. It's called a bad hair day and everyone has them."

Then I decided to try and lighten his mood, "Well, everyone who has hair has them."

He cracked a smile, "So Daddy doesn't have them?"

"Nope. And neither does Ryan."

Somehow I still don't think that will be reason enough for Wesley rock the buzz cut.

Along Came a Spider

The boys and I were in the kitchen making breakfast the other morning when Wesley suddenly cried, "ACK!!! A spider!!"

"Where?" I asked.

"It's on the freezer! A little one!" he yelled as he backed away from the refrigerator.

"A little spider?" I asked, since I'm none too fond of spiders myself.

"Yes! On the freezer!"

I weighed my options for a minute and the desire NOT squish a spider before breakfast won out. "Do you need something out of the freezer?" I asked.

"No, but you should kill it. It's a spider," he insisted.

"Let me get this straight," I said. "There is a little spider on the freezer minding his own business and, even though you don't want anything out of the freezer, you want me to kill it."

Relief spread across Wesley's face. "Yes!"

I shrugged. "I don't want to kill it. If you want it dead - you kill it."

Wesley stopped his freak out, looked around and muttered, "Okay....I just need Ryan's shoes and a catapult."

I don't know what exactly his plan was, but I'm kind of glad the spider ran off and I didn't have to find out.

Slobbery Sou Chef

I recently started signing up to take cookies to church for the refreshment table. I love to bake and we're at church just about every week, so I figured it would be no problem to sign up to bring sweets once a month. 

I decided to make snickerdoodles as one of the kinds of cookies this week. If you've never made snickerdoodles, part of the process is rolling the dough into little balls, then rolling each ball in a cinnamon sugar mixture prior to baking. 

Ryan loves to help with the "rolling in sugar" part. He's actually very good about making sure the whole thing gets coated and spacing the balls out evenly on the cookie sheets. 

However, the other night as we were baking, I caught him as he was about to lick the cinnamon sugar off his hands between batches. I made him go wash his hands (just to be safe) and explained the importance of keeping clean and not spreading germs when cooking. 

And, I may have told him that after we were done, he could lick all the cinnamon sugar he wanted off his hands - provided he wash his hands again after he was done licking. I think I may have inadvertently discovered why Ryan is always willing to help me bake.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not pull into the driveway, see that Duane had opened the garage door for me, and then, purely out of habit, promptly close it (without pulling my car in)

We did not spend several days looking high and low for the title to a car we paid off years ago only to have to throw in the towel and go to the title agency for a copy after all that work.

I did not wear jeans on a day I would normally deem too warm for jeans just because I didn't want to be bothered to shave my legs.

I was not a little bit sad that Duane had to leave his wedding ring and I had to leave my family ring at the jewelers because they both had loose stones.  And even if I was, I know I didn't spend part of the day feeling absolutely naked on my right hand and checking Duane's left hand every few minutes. That would have been silly.

Bedtime Weirdness

Do anyone else's kids get weirder the closer it gets to bedtime? Tonight Ryan spent his entire shower calling "mom" and "mommy" in as many different inflections as he could come up with. He didn't want anything from me. He just wanted to see how weird he could sound.

And then there's Wesley. First he decided to run laps around the couch so he could count it as exercise. Then, when his shower was done, he sat on the couch to watch TV and watched it through a pair of binoculars until Duane told him to cut it out.

Kids are weird.

Can He Letter in That?

Wesley had a birthday party to go to today - without Ryan. I am totally OK (and actually sometimes prefer) when the boys have separate play time with their friends or parties when the other brother isn't invited. It gives them a break from each other, helps establish their own unique friendships, and, perhaps most importantly, I don't have to worry about them fighting with each other and embarrassing me under someone else's watch.

Unfortunately, Ryan does not share my enthusiasm when only one brother is invited somewhere. Especially when that brother is not him.

Duane and I decided to treat Ryan to a little something special while Wesley was off at the party. The three of us went to play mini-golf. As pulled into the mini-golf place, Ryan exclaimed, "I love putt-putt! It's my favorite sport!"

I'm not sure he'll be winning in medals or varsity letters in it, but he did have a pretty good time.

Yes, he needs to work on his form a bit, but he gets a lot more exercise the way he does it

The perfect putter holder

"Hey, Mommy! We should take a selfie!"

"Now a silly one!"

That is definitely what I'd call a hazard on the course

Before you think I am mocking Ryan's skills too much, I should give him full credit and say that he did get a hole in one. "Did you see that, Mom? It went into the little house, then through the tunnel, then bounced off the wall, then I got a goal!"

Hole in one = goal in our book. Of course, that could explain why we don't keep score.

Better Luck Next Time

Duane and I are planning on giving our old car to our "niece" Taryn to use as her college car. My mom and stepdad our giving us their old car, so it's kind of like a game of musical chairs. Duane and I can't find the title to the Hyundai, so we figured we'd just get a copy of it when we went to sign the thing over to Taryn. No problem.

So this morning I picked Taryn up around 9:00. We drove to the title agency and stood in line, patiently waiting our turn. The line moved quickly and the gentlemen that helped us was very kind. However, he had to inform me that there was a lien on the car from the bank that originally had the loan. Let me put this to you another way: there was a lien on the car we paid off more than five years ago, from a bank that no longer exists (they were purchased by another bank) in my name from my previous marriage. WHAT???

"You'll have to contact the bank that bought the old bank and get a letter from them stating that they no longer hold an interest on the car. It's fairly common, but it may take up to two weeks.  You could try to get one from the branch of the bank across the street though."

We went to the bank across the street and waited in line to talk to the teller, only to be told she couldn't help us and we'd need to take a seat and wait to talk to the banker. Did I mention Wesley and Ryan were with us? Joy.

We waited some more and were eventually helped by a very nice banker who assured us it would be no problem to get the letter - in 2-3 buisness days. I guess it's better than two weeks. But guess what I get to spend next Saturday doing instead of watching my kids' first soccer game of the season.? I suppose it serves me right for losing the darn title in the first place.

So Taryn has to wait another week to take possession of her college beater-mobile. The bad part? I asked Duane not to drive it anymore since he already cleaned it inside and out so it looks as good as it can for it's new owner. 

The Words of a Wise Woman

We listen to a lot of 80s and 90s music in the car. Yes, I know that means my kids think we are listening to oldies. Kind of like how the supermarket has suddenly started playing great music. Anyhow, the radio wasn't even on when this story took place, but I felt I had to preface it. And yes, I have had a lot of caffeine today.

We were driving around today when Ryan spoke up. "You know, Mom, I think that song is right. Girl really do just want to have fun."

Spoken by the prophet Cyndi Lauper.

Three Little Monkeys

I can't tell you how much I adore these three! The little sibs unite!

Happy Labor Day

Labor Day means Flea Market Day!!!  We picked up Taryn from school and headed up to Duane's home town for a couple of hours.

Our arrival. As you can see, Ryan was thrilled beyond belief to spend time at the flea market. And Wesley was busy flirting and hanging on Taryn.

Wesley suiting up for the velcro wall

Here he goes!

And he's stuck! I kind of wish a) there was one of these for grown ups near by and b) I had one at home to stick the kids on when they get out of hand.

Ryan's attitude improved after getting a sno-cone as big as his head.

I couldn't believe my luck in finding this lunch box. I had JUST been telling Taryn about my quest for one when we stumbled upon it. She must be my good luck charm.  This one was in great condition inside and out.

AND IT HAD THE THERMOS!!!!!

 I have wanted one of those lunch boxes for ages. I had one just like it as a kid. Duane bought it for me right away and on the way home he told me that he has been searching for one for years on ebay for me. All the ones he found were either WAY too expensive, or rusted, or didn't have the thermos.  I packed my lunch in it for work tomorrow. Can't wait to carry it.

Wesley and his new girlfriend

Taryn gave me a cat that Cheryl made for me - it's a flat Sanders and I love it!

It has a place of honor in the house.

After the flea market, Duane and I cleaned up and out Ryan's room. We got rid of two trash bags full of stuff, and then rearranged the furniture. I'm really happy with the results, but who knows how long it will last. Wesley's room is on the agenda for next weekend!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not have to define "stripper" for my nine year old. And I certainly didn't have to use more than one definition because he questions about the word in more than one context.

I did not have to get after one of my boys about not turning their homework in on only the fifth day of school. It's way too early to fight those battles.

I know I didn't completely overreact to to cookies that didn't turn out right. And there's no way my super hubby made me a brand new batch. 

There is no way that the one time Duane and I overslept in years was the day that we were supposed to be at church early. And there's no way the main road on the way there wound up being closed, forcing us to take a detour through an unfamiliar residential area. 

One More Birthday Celebration

Today we had our "family party" to celebrate Wesley's birthday. It was wonderful and, even though I stress out sometimes, I know I am blessed to have such a fabulous family nearby.

Lots of pictures to capture the day - and as usual, I borrowed a few from Aunt Susan (thanks, Sus!)

Wesley chose "Mixels" to be featured on his cake

Getting ready to light the candles

 

Aunt Paula and Wesley. She even braved her allergy to our cats to come celebrate

I cannot tell you how much I adore this picture!  Five of my favorite guys in the whole world on one couch

Wesley with Grandma and Grandpa P.

Wesley with Aunt Susan

Telling Grandma W. all about the (many) Mixels

Wesley and Grandma H.

Ryan waited patiently while Wesley opened gifts.

Well.....mostly patiently

A very cute meowing card from Aunt Carol

Ryan somehow sprouted a tail

Wesley with his new ukelele

I love this picture because he has his tongue sticking out in concentration. His daddy does the same thing.

Wesley looks like all leg in this one

Smiling with Aunt Cathy

Ryan climbed Uncle Kirk

Aunt Susan playing a round of Uno with all the boys