What Ana Does

I know what I said in 2013. I was committing to making a nice Sunday dinner for my family every week and getting everyone around the table with me. I wrote it all down here . But things change. And lately I love going out to dinner on a Sunday night as a family. I love that I don't have pressure to create a meal on a Sunday. And I get the family all together after we've been running around all weekend. We dish about the week ahead, what we need and anything else coming up.  And no dishes! Dinner at Our Favorite Taco Place But don't worry, we do get around the kitchen table a few days a week to eat together and talk about how our day. So that study about family traditions around the dinner table is still being observed. Related links: More Cooking posts All my Family Time posts

My brother got married this weekend and I have a lot of things to say about what a special weekend it was and spending time with my family and all that ... but I wanted to write about this one thing I've noticed about wedding receptions. Why isn't everybody dancing? It was the wise Lee Ann Womack who sang " and if you get a chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance ." I and my family can certainly attest to the dance part. Give us some music and a dance floor and we are there. But as I was boogying my booty off this weekend, I noticed a large group of able-bodied wedding guests (presumably close family and friends) sitting at their tables, chatting or looking around awkwardly. And I noticed it at previous weddings, as well. OK, some people have fragile bones and are older. Excused. And others have social anxiety, so I'll give them a pass, as well. And maybe some people don't like music, or dancing, but that's no excuse. It's FUN to be out...

After a week with seven puppies we were sure happy to wave bye-bye to them. They were cute and cuddly but the POOP. And the barking. They were getting loud. I'm proud to say they all got adopted in just a few hours on Saturday. Including this little guy ... he's all ours! We thought he was prefect for us because he seemed the most interested in us, he almost always used the potty pads, and wasn't one of the loud aggressive guys in the pen. He also seemed thoughtful about the house. And he's just so cute! We named him BRUCE WAYNE BANNER SPRINGSTEEN and he's been doing pretty well. We've given him more freedom around the house and he's chewing just about everything. I've got a puppy book and I'm reading as much as I can. It's not easy. But we're all pitching in and hoping we can raise him right. ;) Related links: More about our dogs

While we were in Illinois this summer, Dave and I took a night away from the girls and stayed in a hotel in downtown Chicago. We had tickets to see Pearl Jam at Wrigley and just needed a little break from parenting. It's so important to date your husband, right? Marriage is tough. Anyway, it was a pretty awesome night away, with the concert and a delicious dinner without the banter or small kids, but we had been talking about getting tattoos together. Dave got his first tattoo last year after talking about getting one for years -- maybe a decade -- and had been thinking of expanding or getting another one. So we thought, maybe we should get one together, while in Chicago. We get a little crazy when left unsupervised. I woke up the morning before we drove down to Chicago with an idea. Originally, I thought about putting an inspirational quote or powerful word (such as "breath" or "be present"). But that morning I thought about putting our family initials some...

As a kid, Christmas was full of magic -- gifts and family dinners and games and all those traditions we held to. As an adult in a Jewish family, I still wanted to offer this magic of the season to our girls. And to me, even as an adult, I was still awed by the magic that the Christmas season brings. Mostly, the gift of pulling all my sisters and brother -- with their growing families -- together under one roof to spend time together. There's magic to be found sitting around the dining room table, looking at those beloved faces and sharing stories and a glass of wine. And cookies. The house we bought and the 8-foot dining room table I found was influenced by the promise of these holidays spent together.  My Siblings, the Last Time We Were All Together ... 2013 So this year, we made sure to buy our flight home from Paris so we didn't miss out on that special family time. Unfortunately, the sisters and brother will not be coming together this year. They will be with th...

School year kicked off on the same day as the eclipse. Coincidence? I've now got a third grader and a sixth grader. And since I'm still doing the freelance-from-home thing, I get to see them off and welcome them home every day. Lucky me! Related Posts: All "Back to School" posts

What do 5th graders wear, is the question I got from Leah as we embarked on our back-to-school shopping ritual this year. I winced, as 1) I honestly have no idea. And 2) I envision the worst case scenario: Short shorts, half-shirts and cheap sandals? My worst nightmare. At this point, I initiated a short conversation about personal style. In a nutshell: Who the hell cares what other 5th graders are wearing, what clothes fit your own personal style? Of course, I'm going to GUIDE her decisions on clothes, 1) because I purchase and care for them, so I feel some ownership. And 2) a girl needs some guidance, right?! I made plenty of fashion faux pas. Let's start with Boden , because I LOVE this shop and given an infinite budget, I'd dress my kids in only Boden. Here are four favorites for the Fall. Fun Leggings - Boden Butterfly Logo Jersey Dress - Boden Super Soft Stripped Shirt - Boden Bunny Meadow Raincoat - Boden Then there's the indestru...

I used to make pies in my 20s. Not great pies, but I got almost confident in my skills. Then, I didn't make a pie for a long time. With my father-in-law, a huge cherry pie fan, coming to town, it just felt like the right time to pull out my pie skills and see what I can still do. Not to mention I had a TON of sweet cherries from the CSA in my fridge. First, it was all about pitting. And I used my tried and true technique of popping pits out with a ... paperclip! Fancy gadgets abound. Pitting Cherries Ok, so things got a little dicey with the crust. I made it a few days ahead of time and tossed it into the fridge. But when I attempted to roll it out, it didn't exactly hold together.  Pre-Baked Crust. No, I Didn't Use That Avocado In the Pie.  So, it wasn't going to look beautiful! But how about the taste? Baked to golden-brown-ness, it was sweet and very good. And, best of all, my father-in-law loved it.  Ready to Slice!  So maybe I won...

This summer is going to be bananas! I've been working through calendars and laying out plans for our summer months and it's starting to scare me. Let's review what's on the way: Dave has a week-long conference downtown and a European trip -- back to back. That's two weeks of single-parenting! I have a work conference for four days in Denver  A week later, we're flying out for a week-long camp on the east coast The day after we get back, Dave and I are getting a couples weekend in Las Vegas  A week later my in-laws are visiting, with possibly my sister-in-law and her family And my sister and her adorable daughters may also be coming for a visit around that same time.  Not to mention the mix of day camps I scheduled for the kids. Some weeks they'll be in our town, others they'll be near my office.  All wonderful, exciting events I am looking forward to, but it will make our summer -- our short, wonderful summer -- just fly by. Keeping Coo...

For Christmas/Hanukkah, our dear friends gave us a gift certificate to have our family portraits drawn by an artist through Etsy. It took me three months to finally reach out to the artist but I did and it's been a fun process. I had to send over a bunch of images of the family. Shots of our faces and some information like eye color and clothing preferences. Want to know what I sent?

From Chronicle Books I recently erased this saying from the hallway blackboard after about a year of looking at it. It's one of my favorite inspirational quotes and a good reminder to not take beautiful things for granted. Just a little something to get you through the rest of the week. Related posts: All my favorite quotes

The Peace of Wild Things When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. -By Wendell Berry I found this posted on this beautiful baking blog.  

My Mom lives about an hour away. I'm her closest child (of the five), so I'm lucky that she visits me often. Well, let's be honest, she visits her granddaughters and spoils them, thus her nickname "No Rules Nana." When she leaves, there are certain tell-tale signs that she has been here ... Opened Wine Bottle. Less M&Ms in the Jar ...  A Damp Rag. We Don't Use Rags For Cleanups ...  Plants Have Been Watered and Pruned of Dead Leaves ...  Not that my plants die when she doesn't visit. She just takes extra special care of them. And of all of us, I guess. Related posts: More with Nana

Our first snowy weekend of the season and, lucky us, it fell on a Saturday when we had very few plans. So while the girls met up with the neighbor and headed to the small sledding hill across the street ...  while I got out my sewing projects and made great progress.  Pile of Sewing While listening to the new Adele album and taking breaks to stare at the white winter land that was once my green backyard. Related posts: More winter stories Want to see more sewing projects?

Alice is a bit of drama queen. I think all kindergarteners are, but Alice is especially so. We often catch her in her bedroom alone singing a totally made up narrative in a movie she's creating on the spot. Usually about a mermaid. Or princess. And it's usual very melodramatic and often includes rhyming lyrics. So I signed her up for the park district production of Frozen for 5-6-year-olds, thinking getting her in front of an audience would ignite a love of the theater -- or something like that. This weekend was the final performance. And while it was TOTALLY adorable and she did a fantastic job, she's still on the fence about doing it again for the next season. She's got until this week to let me know. They are doing Pirates and Princesses - the music from Princess Sophia and Jake and the Neverland Pirates . So, it's right up her alley. Meanwhile, Leah (who you can see in the video clip in the white shirt and blue dress) is now begging me to sign her ...

We're all excited to have our first nephew in the family! Baby Harper has his eyes open to the whole world this morning ... and is ready for a family of women to dote on him every single day. Lucky boy. 6th Time An Auntie, But First Nephew

For a family that travels quite a lot, it doesn't escape me now lucky we get sometimes by not getting sick before or on our trips. So it's especially relevant on this trip, our annual journey  back to New Jersey to be with Dave's family, that I'm reminded of our little luck --- by all getting the flu.  All of us, except for Leah, laid out with coughing, fever and runny noses.  For days.  Easily the worst trip ever. We even infected our hosts --- the good friends we stay with each year. Horrible.  So, let's all take a moment to give thanks for not being ill or contagious around your family.  Happy Thanksgiving! Homeward Bound

I suppose I could hire a photographer to take professional photos of the kids -- throw them into a studio or something. But it seems like a waste of money for something I'd rather do myself. So, this weekend I set an "appointment" on Sunday morning to dress up the ladies and get them outside to gather pics for this year's holiday card. The thing I find funny is right now, the girls LOOK FORWARD to picture morning. Which is a complete 180 from my childhood when my Mom forced us into clothes, curled our hair like a mushroom (I have photographic evidence, though I'm sure I'm half to blame for that unfortunate hairstyle) and drove us kicking-and-screaming to a studio. But, then again, there was five of us. Two is a bit more manageable. And my girls are total hams in front of the camera. Here's five things you need to know about taking your own holiday card photo:  Take the photos outside in the early morning. Inside photos are usually too dull or grey. ...

This summer, like we did last summer, I signed the girls up for a week of 2-hour soccer clinics in the middle of the morning. And despite the complete upheaval to our schedules, driving them from one camp to the other -- not to mention gathering and packing up all they supplies they'd need for the day each morning, it was such a fun week. For them, it's a week of playing soccer with some fun coaches and friends. For me, it's sitting on the sidelines, watching and reveling in being outside on a weekday. This week, as usual, I had to do my share of conference calls -- some from the field, others I ran home to take. But totally worth it. Water Break!  Soccer Sisters! CCHEEESSEE!

A few years ago I listened to the Julie Julia audiobook and was really drawn into the story and the idea of cooking French food. But, I didn't have the book (or time or inspiration). I always thought that I'd stumble upon Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a used bookstore -- stained and dog-eared. Well-loved by its last owner. But this is so much better! My birthday gift from my beautiful big sister. LOVE!