Re-Branding

 Yesterday, Grandma and Grandpa invited us for Sunday dinner.  Everything tastes better at Grandmas house, and our spaghetti dinner was no exception.  Golda and Ruby hadn't been to Grandma's since before their trip, and they missed it.  Coincidentally, everyone had been asking on Saturday night whether we were "going to Grandma's or anything after church."  Nikki and Scott put Jersey and Tziporah on the fridge, carrying on a tradition that started when Nikki was a baby.  Dopps are weird.  ;)

 Except for this one.  He's just perfect, despite being put on the fridge as a baby!

So today, I'm trying to finish my chores (and blogging because it's a compulsion) before the kids get home from school.  We got to have Rolayne and Abe here this morning, while Josh and Emily were shopping at Valentino in Paris, if Coco's text pictures are to be believed.  I'm so glad they're having a great time!  Abe and Ro were so much fun.  Having four kids instead of two forced me to sit down and read stories with them, instead of trying to get things done.  It's a good reminder that they are my primary job.  I forget that at least once every 30 seconds.  It's so hard to slow down to their speed!  I'm so going to miss this stage, though, so I'd better enjoy it.  Who cares about other stuff?  With my thoughts on "re-branding," I tried to make over my expectations this morning and just be with the kids.

Anyway, while I was "sitting down, reading stories to the children," (reports of my nurturing have been greatly exaggerated), I made stew.  Why did I make stew?   Remember how I said that last week's chili made a big batch?  The family ate it for a few days, then they hit the wall.  I managed to sell it as "Crouton Mountain Majesty" for a couple of meals by putting croutons and melted cheese on top, but even the "re-branding" effort got old.  I raided my parents' fridge when they left and found potatoes, carrots, parsnips and an onion.  So I went to the store (yes, with 4 kids) and bought stew meat.  (A rump roast, actually).  Then I did that thing where you put flour and herbs de Provence on the meat, (Blanch?  Parch?  Dredge!)  browned it, sauteed some onion, tomatoes, rosemary and garlic cloves from Borski's, diced all the veggies and put it all in the crock pot.   Also cooked a butternut squash and added it to the stew.

That was a recipe.  Did you catch it?  It's officially called Game Day Stew.  It also calls for mushrooms and red wine, but I don't have a corkscrew to open the non-alcoholic wine that I bought on clearance at Fresh Market long enough ago that it's probably as vinegary as cooking wine by now, and I didn't want to scare the kids by adding fungus to their stew.


One impetus for completing my chores by 3:00 is that tonight is Family Free Time.  We tried Family Home Evening, but it really became another thing on our list that nobody wanted to do, so I re-branded it.  Now, from 6:00 to 7:30, it's Family Free Time, where everyone is allowed to do whatever they want, and I am not allowed to talk about homework, chores or practicing.  It feels luxurious!  We all grab books or play or whatever.  There is no song, there's maybe a scripture, maybe a thought, and definitely a treat.  Everyone looks forward to it.  It feels like we have wrestled back a 90-minute block from the pressures of the week, to call ours.  Who cares what we call it, as long as we can call it ours?