Here's to Pretty Nice...

It seems that Terrible two's has by passed our household, knock knock knock on wood.

Yes, we have had one or two terrific meltdowns in the past couple of months, and a few days of low grade all day whine-athons (which I believe them to be much harder on a mother's nervous system than the prospect of a bomb going off nearby), but whether its luck, learning, temperament, or a combination of other blessings, all in all I must say that in the place of terrible, a more fun and rambunctious version of the two's has befallen us.

And yes, our UrbanToddler is in the throes of a sensory overload that comes from noticing all kinds of new and wonderful things at a rate many times faster than her mother's brain can process. Wanting to know everything, touch everything, and do everything herself.

Wanting everything right now and having the words to let you know that by that she really means Right Now!

And the biggest one of all, coming face-to-face with the unfortunate and inevitable concepts of Me and Mine, which no doubt will mean a life time of trying to put them in check, now that the cat's out the bag....

Yesterday was a busy day from start to finish. A long and lazy brunch with friends at 10:00 a.m. which lasted for hours and a dinner party at our home, for eight at 4:00 pm.

Of course my girl did not want to nap from 1 - 3 as planned.

And of course she wanted to be helpful to mommy in the kitchen, cooking, reorganizing the cupboards, taking things out of the hot hot oven with giant oven mitts, and asking mommy to hold her hands so she could do monkey bars right there in the kitchen (an activity that can turn your little 28 pound girl into a 50 to 60 pound object swinging off your arms right in front of your amazed eyes).

With all this excitement do you blame me for somehow forgetting or overdoing one of the ingredients in my zucchini cakes, my main dish for dinner, which rendered them in a state entirely unfit for serving to company?

Homemade Hummus and Baba Ghanoush

Spinach Salad with Sauteed Hazelnuts and Black Cherries

But thank god for balance in our universe, which has the power to average it all out to a "pretty nice" at the end of the day: bad zucchini cakes, cute well behaved Toddler at dinner time, candles, music, good bread and wine to share with friends, and a sweet husband that takes pictures of it all for you...

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