When Thursdays turn into Mondays

I hate Thursdays.  Really.  Most people have it in for Mondays.  With me it's Thursdays.  This is the one day of the week where we just don't have to be anywhere or do anything.  Once LG and I drop E. off at school, it's just us, the house, and the rest of the great, long day.  It's the day that the laundry calls, the clutter beckons, and everything seems to ask Are you going to finally get around to cleaning us?  Games and books with LG help, but they don't consume the whole day.

Other days of the week, we have school, runs, errands, and play dates.  Thursdays are just Thursdays.  The only thing I have to break up the monotony of the day is rowing, which LG resents for some reason.  He doesn't mind if I am moving around the house doing stuff, but parking my behind on the rower irritates him.  I still do it, but it messes with the Zen of the moment to know that I am making him grumpy.

As a cure for the Thursday blues, we have come up with two things to brighten the day.  The first is lunch at my daughter's school.  Unfortunately, we are losing out on that today.  My daughter lost the privilege of lunch when she threw a screaming fit about what to wear this morning.  I admit I lost my temper and told her if she didn't get herself ready on time, LG and I weren't going to lunch.  I thought that would get her moving fast enough to make it to school on time.  It didn't.  The plan backfired.  Now I feel we're all losing out.  Next time, I will think of a better alternative.  I don't want her or us missing out on these special times.  In the meantime, I am left with the feeling that this is just going to be one of those days I will look back on and say I really stepped in it as a parent.

That leaves us with the other thing that brightens our Thursdays - kitchen creativity.  Thursdays are a good day for LG and I to putz around in the kitchen and make stuff.  Today, we have salt and vinegar kale chips slowly dehydrating in the oven.  I have never made this recipe, but hopefully it will be as good as it sounds.  (Yes, truly.  It sounds good to me.)  Next on tap we're going to test out a recipe (roughly followed, half made up) for molasses oatmeal cookies.  It's a bit of a stretch for me, but with the no-chocolate challenge, I am left with stretching.

Hey! Maybe that's what I need.  LG and I actually used to go to a kids-and-parents yoga class a few times on Thursdays, but the schedule has since changed.  Maybe we both just need a little yoga to help us through our Thursdays.  Child's pose, anyone?

Cream of Whatever Soup

So, here's a recipe that even a four-year-old will eat - my four-year-old, that is.  In fact, this is something he'll eat leftovers of, which is miraculous.  The boy is normally offended by the idea of leftovers.  (Disclaimer: while LG gobbles this up, E. doesn't like it.  She'll eat it, but she doesn't like it.)  Anyway, I am not posting a picture, because, frankly, the soup isn't that pretty.  It's good, though, and easily made vegan.  Vegetables can be varied according to taste; that's why I named it what I did.  The following is simply a recipe that works for us at this point in time.  This is also a good candidate for the crock pot.

1 TBSP olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

6-8 medium potatoes, chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cups of vegetable broth
1 heaping TBSP dried basil
1 scant tsp dried oregano
Shredded cheese of choice (we use cheddar jack) - optional

Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and saute until softened.  Add chopped vegetables and saute for five minutes or so.  (Add more oil, if needed.) Add broth (make sure it's enough to cover the vegetables), basil, and oregano.  Cook on the stove until vegetables are cooked through, or throw it into a crock pot to cook.  When vegetables are cooked through, use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Ladle into bowls and add shredded cheese.  Done and delicious.

Happy Running!