Write in the Water

I learned about this great product because a friend retweeted someone's tweet on twitter.  (Thanks, Naomi, for retweeting!)  Who knew social networking could be so rewarding?

It's called Aqua Notes.  I don't know about you, but I get some seriously good ideas when I'm in the shower.  Something about the hot water gently massaging my brain that brings thoughts to the surface.  The only problem is, once I turn the water off and get blasted with that initial chill, my brilliant ideas go down the drain, leaving me with mere droplets of thoughts.

So here it is.  The paper is water proof.  It really works.  You can literally write under water.  I bought the 5 pack so I wouldn't run out any time soon.  The pad adheres to the tiles with suction cups, so you can stick it wherever you want.

http://www.myaquanotes.com/

Starting Anew

We are back in the city.  School started late this year so we really stretched out our summer.  Even the pool closed before it was time to go back.  Which meant it was time to go back.

We returned to our apartment to find that the scaffolding was finally taken down after two years of living behind a curtain. No more ugly planks of wood and ripped muslin swaying dangerously in the wind.  No more thinking that every day is overcast.  Sunlight was swimming through our loft.  It was so bright that turning on all the lights barely made a difference.

Then we came home from a party on Saturday night and I realized what I'd forgotten.  I can see into all the apartments across the street.  And they can see into mine.  Ahhh, city life.

After being out in the country for three months, there's something about waking up on a Sunday morning to the sound of jack hammers ripping into the asphalt, taxi drivers leaning on their horns and motorcycles revving their engines that creates an inner sense of tranquility and peace in my mind.  No wait, it creates a new migraine.

Oh well, like anything else, I'll get used to it.  Again.

New (School) Year's Resolutions

I took the summer off.  Not from writing.  From blogging.  I continued working on my manuscript, sent out some queries to agents, received two rejections and two willing to take another look if I make some a lot of changes.

My new school year resolutions are to...

1.  Write more.  Starting with this post.

I cut out 30,000 words.  Now it's time to add some back.

2.  Exercise more.  Tennis doubles just doesn't burn that many calories.  Must be all the in-between-game chatter.

Found this article while getting a pedicure.  

3.  Eat better.  I never got to that summer juicing I'd planned on.

Finally, the first red tomato in my vegetable garden.

Wrote more already.  Goal #1, check.

A Melvin Inspired Smoothie

I do have a few things in my cooking repertoire that the whole family will eat. Like smoothies. Okay, drink. Well, not Ella, except for occasionally. Depends on her mood. It's about as close as I'm going to get to a family meal, so I'm going with it.

Recently I went to a juicing party at this amazing place called Miss Lily's. It's a hip restaurant on Houston St. in the village offering many things, including Jamaican food, a bake shop and great coffee. But I was there to learn about juicing by the juice legend, Melvin Major Jr. He's entertaining. He's fun. He knows how to make a good juice. He made a spicy beet juice with ginger and cayenne and I drank so much I spent the entire afternoon peeing. Sorry, TMI. And I don't even like beet juice.

He also showed us how to make smoothies. I learned a thing or two about my Vitamix. Like I've been using it all wrong. Before Melvin, I threw in all my ingredients, blasted it up to high for a minute, and, well, that was it. Wrong, said Melvin. You're cooking your smoothie. Uh, that's kind of gross. Seven. Turn it to level Seven. He drew out the word Seven, sort of like in Spinal Tap when they turned the volume up to Eleven. I should stop, I'm showing my age.

I went home, played around with ingredients, found something for the whole family. Here's what I came up with. All credit to Melvin for showing me the way.

Ingredients
4 apples, juiced
1/2 - 1 inch cube of fresh ginger (we love ginger, so I go for the inch)
1/4 - 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup blueberries (I use frozen)
few handfuls of kale (I loosely fill the blender)
1 banana
scoop of protein powder (optional)

makes about 18 oz, so adjust accordingly.

I juice the apples ahead of time, like the night before. Our mornings are crazy enough without adding a whole juice project to it. Or I juice a bag of apples and use them during the week. Even if we don't make smoothies, the girls love fresh apple juice.

Peel the banana and toss it into the blender.

I love my Vitamix, no need to slice the banana.

Take a nice bunch of kale, wash it, and stuff that in.

Peel the ginger (or just cut away the skin), slice it, and throw it in.

Pour in the protein powder if you're using it.

Throw in the blueberries. I use frozen. It's so easy, they're always in the freezer when I need them and they keep the smoothie cold.

My mouth is watering. Hello, gorgeous!

Squeeze the lemon half over everything.

Pour in the fresh delicious sweet apple juice.

Blend. If you're using a Vitamix, blend on Seven. Are you stretching out the word Seven? For about 45 seconds to a minute. Or until everything is completely blended.

See that beautiful color? Don't get used to it.

Okay, so the color is not the pretty pink you get when you use strawberries or raspberries with peaches and mangos. Which sounds really good. Another time. But trust me, this is so delicious you'll soon go color blind to it.

Drink up. Your body and taste buds will thank you.

You could even throw in some grapes (a Melvin inspiration) if you want more sweetness. Just a thought.

I'm Bored

"Only boring people get bored."

I just saw this Cole Hahn poster in the subway. It is brilliant. I can't wait to say it to the girls, who never miss an opportunity to tell me they're bored. Usually right after I've banned the iPad, iTouch, iPhone or other device. Let's see how they respond to this!

Subway lighting, not the best.  Keeping the flash on didn't help.

Halibut Ceviche

I haven't made ceviche in ages. I know this because Oliver keeps reminding me. So today we're having the family over for dinner, and it just happens to be Friday. Some family members (you know who you are) don't eat meat today, others only eat meat. I'm used to making multiple meals, so I'm including ceviche on the menu. It should pair well with the chicken schnitzel that Oliver's going to make.

Ceviche isn't really raw fish, but it isn't exactly cooked either. The lime juice causes a reaction that changes the protein so that it has similar properties to being cooked. But you should still always use fish that is safe to be eaten raw. For some people it doesn't make a difference. We tell my dad it is cooked fish, but he's not about to taste it. Oh well.

It is so easy to make ceviche. Just make sure the halibut you use (or whatever fish) can be eaten raw. I got mine at the fish market down the road. He let me taste a sliver of raw halibut.  It was a little slice of heaven. I was tempted to scrap the ceviche idea and have sushi instead, but then I'd never hear the end of it from Oliver. So here goes...


Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds halibut (or other white fish)
juice of  6 limes
cilantro
2 tomatoes
1/2 onion
jalapeno pepper (optional)
capers (optional, I put them on the side)
orange slices (I use clementines, easier to peel)
red onion
red leaf lettuce

With a very sharp knife, cut the fish into 1 inch cubes. Throw them into a non reactive bowl (glass or ceramic is good).

Seed and dice tomatoes. Throw them over the halibut.

Dice the onion. Throw that in too.

If you are using the jalapeno pepper, finely dice it and remove the seeds. I usually use about half the jalapeno. Throw that in the bowl.

Take a bunch of cilantro and chop it. If I'm in a rush, I use my scissors. Quick and easy. You know what to do with it.

Throw in a few teaspoons of capers if you're using those. Oliver doesn't like capers. Ella can't get enough of them. So I put them in a little bowl on the side. Works for everyone.

Using a citrus juicer, squeeze out as much of that lime juice as you can. Pour the lime juice into the bowl and give it a good mix.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to overnight. You can mix it once or twice during that time if you want.

When you're ready to serve, use a slotted spoon and spoon it onto a platter covered with red leaf lettuce. Garnish with orange slices (or clementines) and red onion slices. It looks gorgeous with all the colors and textures and tastes fresh and delicious.

Spa Party Extraordinaire

I'm a do-it-yourselfer. Which is a good thing, because my daughters like to have big birthday parties. At home. No bowling, skating, gymnastics party for us. I resist. I attempt bribes. I try (unsuccessfully) to convince them to do something else. I procrastinate. What, your birthday was last month, you don't need a party. And then eventually I accept defeat. That's when I jump in head first and really get into party mode. It's a lot of work. I swear I'll never do it again next year. And then I do.

Spritz hanging paper bubbles from Target

comes 3 in a package

For her seventh birthday party, Amelia wanted a spa party. For fifteen of her closest friends. No problem. Here's what I did...

White waffle spa robes for all the girls to wear at the party and take home. Got them at bycase.com.  $7.99 each and they got here fast.

I hired some wonderful middle schoolers to be my spa ladies. Plus Ella and Sophia, my two older daughters, got in on the action. First we had all the girls lie down and we gave them homemade facial masks while listening to a relaxing meditation. There was a lot of giggling, not too much meditating. I forgot to take the cucumber slices out of the fridge. But, it wouldn't be a party if I didn't forget something. Here's where I found a great recipe for a safe, kid friendly homemade (and edible) facial.

www.discoverygirls.com

Then we made a body scrub. I planned on buying a case of those Ball jars, but I didn't order them in time, so I made an emergency run to the Container Store and bought these really cute jars. Here's the recipe for our body scrub:

3 cups brown sugar (better for sensitive skin than regular sugar)
1/2 cup olive oil
4 T honey
15-20 drops lavender essential oil
1/2 t vitamin E oil (as a preservative)

The girls made it (with a little supervision) and scooped it into their jars (after decorating them with stickers and sharpies).

Then... on to the pampering. Manis, pedis and foot massages for everyone!

Melamine bowls from Target. The leaf place mats were a gift (thanks, Janice!)

Here's a before picture of the mani/pedi room

It was a busy day at the spa

These acrylic cups will be great come summer

From Crate & Barrel.  Love the color!

What a pretty spring table

I may keep these up for awhile, they match my pendant from DWR

Some dried fruit to nibble on during their pedicures

Fresh lemonade, made by Ella.  Pitcher from Target.

When the moms arrived for pick-up, they inhaled the beautiful aromas of lavender, honey and vanilla. One mom said I was giving the girls a glimpse of their future. Absolutely. Although after today I'm thinking their future may already be here.

Jello wedges in an orange cup. So easy.  Make them here

The feedback was music to my ears. One mom called later for the facial and body scrub recipes. Her girls were creating their own at-home spa. Another told me her daughter used the body scrub in the bath and then wanted a foot massage. Amelia told me it was the best party ever. Maybe this party was worth it.

All this spa conversation puts me in the mood... just in time for spa week. I think I may have to get myself a facial. And a massage...

Urban Nightmare

I had a terrible morning. I woke up, went into the kitchen and out of the corner of my eye I saw it. A cockroach. In the playroom. We live in downtown NYC, so when we see a cockroach, it's not your run of the mill bug. It's one of those huge, slimy, black, monstrous, crawl into your nightmares kind of water bug cockroach. I become paralyzed every time I see one.

(this is our playroom)

My seven year old, who does not share my phobia, tried to trap it under a plastic container but the sucker was too fast for her and escaped around the corner of our bookshelves. Now what?

(it ran around that white bookcase, behind all those boxes)

"Girls, get dressed, we're going out for breakfast."

I walked into my room to find that my sixteen-year-old cat threw up on my rug. Did I mention it is a silk weave? I threw a towel over it (I'll deal with it later), made sure every last light was turned on and we were off. That's when my eleven-year-old started in.

(the cat vomit is under that towel)

"I'm going to be late for school, we don't have enough time to go out for breakfast. I can't be late."

So I did what any mom of a tween would do. I stooped to the level of a small child and started mimicking her. She didn't think it was funny. But my seven-year-old did. (I kind of did too).

I drop off the kids, stretch my meeting as long as I can, but eventually I have to head home. And what am I supposed to do about my visitor? Not a problem. My wonderful brave doorman will take care of it for me.

Except he's out sick today.

Sigh. I knew this was going to turn into a terrible day.

Biscotti Dreams

I had the weirdest dream. I was taking a nap on Saturday afternoon. I don't normally nap during the day time. I swear! But the girls were outside playing and Oliver was doing some work somewhere in the house. I had a migraine so I took some pills and the next thing you know, I'm napping. I went into a really deep sleep, which is unusual for an afternoon nap (not that I would know), and for a migraine sleep.

In my dream I was outside and these two large dogs were bothering me. They may have been black labs, not sure. All I know is I was holding onto a chocolate biscotti and they wanted it. I knew I could throw it and they would chase it and leave me alone. But I didn't want to give up that biscotti. It was really good and it was mine. I tried to break off a piece the size of a crumb to give to one of them and I guess the dog got mad and started biting my arm. I was wearing a big winter coat, so it didn't hurt. Throughout the entire dream, I wasn't worried about the dogs. I just wanted them to leave me alone so I could eat my biscotti.

And then my 7 year old woke me up because she needed someone to plug in her bouncy castle. Sigh. Nothing like being woken from a deep sleep. Before I got to eat my biscotti.

At least my migraine went away.

What's the Next Big Thing Blog Hop

My author friend, Naomi Gruer invited me to take part in What’s The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. It's a traveling blog that asks writers whom they consider the Next Big Thing. Writers answer questions about their work in progress, then pass the questions on to other writers.
Many thanks to Naomi for tagging me. Read Naomi's blog, Bmore Energy to hear her hilarious stories about life with triplets plus one, and learn about her latest children's book Cora Gets Carried Away.

Okay, sounds like fun!  For the first part, here are my answers to the questions...  

What is the working title of your book?

The Interpreters

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I love the subway. I have a bit of a taxi phobia, so I really rely on the subway when it's too far to walk. Or when it's raining. I hate the rain.  

Living in NYC, I ride the subway almost every day. Depending on the time of day (or night), there can be some pretty strange (and creepy) passengers riding along with me. I make up stories in my head, like the whole car is filled with vampires or aliens. Sometimes I wonder if they can read my mind. Then I started thinking, what if the police that ride the subway could read minds? And what if it rained in the city every day and the rain was poison? After that, the ideas just sort of piled on top of themselves.

What genre does your book fall under?

Upper middle grade dystopia.  

What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I don’t really have specific actors in mind. Lily, thirteen years old, is tough, urban and a little grungy. Sergio, also a teen, has deep, soulful eyes but a shallow personality. Any ideas?

What is a one sentence synopsis of the book?

A thirteen-year-old girl must decide whether to help a convicted murderer prove his innocence, and if she doesn't make the right choice, the fate of the planet is at stake. One sentence doesn't tell you much.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I would love for my book to be represented by an agency. I am in the process of drafting my query and researching agents.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Three months. But then I worked on it for another nine before I was willing to call it a completed first draft.

What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?

Well, Hunger Games, Divergent and Delirium because of the underlying themes of separate cities (or districts or factions). My intended audience is upper middle grade, so I’ve toned down the violence and focused more on young teens making tough decisions during a time of significant personal change. I don't think my 11-year old is ready to read the Hunger Games (although it is one of my favorite books ever) but she loved reading The Giver and Matched.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

One of the biggest controversies that exists today is privacy vs. security. I wanted to explore the ultimate invasion of privacy: the ability of someone with power and influence to read minds and how that would change a culture. 

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

I love imagining what New York City, or the planet will look like in the future. And what future generations will think of the choices we are making today.  

Here's the first chapter of The Interpreters.  I hope you enjoy it! 

Thanks for reading my post.  Coming soon, the next part... tagging writers that I think are The Next Big Thing...

Grass Fed Beef Short Ribs

Ah, the dilemma. Grass fed or grain fed? Organic or local? Free range or caged? Does it really matter? If you ask my dad, he's say if it hasn't killed him after all these years, it's okay to keep eating it. And my husband just wants to know how much it costs.

So as I was pondering these life changing questions, Easter was coming up and I decided to make short ribs. We love short ribs. Well, Oliver and I do. But if I serve them with pasta, then the girls will eat some. Well, two of them will. The third gets chicken nuggets. I can only do so much.

Here's my recipe. They are so amazing, but the best part is, they're incredibly easy, but taste like a lot of work went into them. I bought my ribs at Whole Foods, and the grass fed ones were the same price as the regular kind. Bonus.

I use one pound per person. There's always leftovers, but that's okay. They're even better the next day.  In fact, I made these the night before.

Ingredients:

4 pounds grass fed short ribs, bone in

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 carrots, diced or sliced

3 celery stalks, roughly chopped

3 shallots, diced

2 large bay leaves

bunch of fresh parsley

fresh thyme

3 cups chicken stock

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups hearty red wine (I use a cabernet)

Place the ribs on a big broiler pan. Lightly season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven at 450 for 45 minutes, turning once after 20 minutes. 

Take them out, turn the oven down to 375. Transfer to a dutch oven and throw in the garlic, carrots, celery, shallots, bay leaves and a bunch of the parsley and thyme.  

By now the roasting pan should have cooled enough to throw those juices in. Add the wine, diced tomatoes, and chicken stock.  

Maybe some more wine. 

Put it back in the oven, uncovered, and let it cook for 2 1/2 hours.

By now they will be falling off the bone delicious. Like I said, I made them the night before and then let them simmer on the stove for a few hours before serving. Serve over pappardelle or polenta. With some freshly grated pecorino romano cheese on top. And a glass of cabernet.

A Typical Day

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a writer. Duh. What I mean is, I'm writing books. Fiction, mostly young adult. Which I hope to one day publish. I've written three manuscripts so far, but the first two were just practice.

Writing a novel is hard work. It takes a lot of discipline and self motivation. And a constant war with my inner censor, but that's for another post.

Being a stay at home, it's easy to get distracted by the little things. Food shopping, cleaning, scheduling doctor appointments, planning birthday parties, field trips, volunteer stuff. You get the picture. So, I try working off a schedule.

It goes something like this...

8:30:      Take kids to school
9-11:      Work on rewrite of The Interpreters (make Sergio a more likable character, try a different POV)
11-1:      Work on blog (post entry about lemon water, take some pictures)
1-2:45:   Work on query letters (research fabulous literary agent, revise my hook)
3:00:       Pick up kids

It's a nice, concise, manageable schedule. I would consider this a fulfilling, worthwhile day. A big accomplishment. Working towards my goals.

Unfortunately, you know how it goes with the best laid plans...

8:30:          Take kids to school
9-9:30:       Eat granola and drink (more) coffee
9:30-10:     Phone call (my sister in Tallahassee, haven't talked to her in weeks, I had to pick up the phone)
10-10:30:   Book ski trip (if I don't do it, who will?)

10:30-11:   Confirm tennis (and get in a little gossip)
11:15-12:   Pilates class (because I can't sit on my ass all day staring at a computer screen)
12-1:          Make and eat lunch (something involving way too much cheese)
1:15-2:       Send a few emails, mostly complaining about stuff and people (OMG, I am SO high school)
2:2:30:       Have a(nother) snack
2:45:          Pick up kids (leave a little early so I have time to chat with moms)

Sigh. There's always tomorrow.

To read the first chapter of The Interpreters, click here.

Lemon water

Drink more water. Even more. Not that much. Don't drink it cold. Don't drink after 7pm (because it's time to move on to a glass of wine. Or two...).

I know I don't drink enough water. If I drank more, my skin would look younger and I'd probably get fewer headaches. The thing is, unless I'm really thirsty, I don't love the taste of water. It's okay, better than soda but not as good as coffee. But it's not good enough on its own for me to consume sixty four ounces a day. And, to be honest, it doesn't completely quench my thirst anyway.

Still, I know I need to drink more water. My solution? A squeeze of fresh lemon juice. What a difference! It tastes so good, I can easily drink a lot during the day and it totally quenches my thirst. Really. So, what's behind this miraculous fruit? Here's what I've found out...

Raw lemons are great for you. Unless you're allergic to citrus fruits, like my Aunt Kathy. In that case, skip this post.

Apparently everyone knows that lemons have antioxidant properties. I didn't. Here are some other benefits:

• good for digestion (without getting too specific, it's made me quite regular)
• high in vitamin C, which is good for the skin
• can help you lose weight
• good for fighting stress
• cleanses the liver and kidneys
• contains calcium, magnesium and potassium
• a glass of lemon water first thing in the morning kick starts your metabolism
• helps fight a nauseous stomach 

Just writing down all this stuff makes me want to get a big tall glass of water with lemon.

I go to this incredible massage therapist who's been helping me with my migraines. One afternoon she asked me if I'd been drinking a lot (of wine) lately. Uh, yes. She suggested I try drinking water with lemon because of the alkaline content. I had no idea what she was talking about, but if she recommends something, I do it.  Even though the lemon itself is acidic, when it's in your body it becomes alkaline. Um, ok.

Of course, if it's not easy, I won't do it. So to simplify, every morning after dropping the kids at school, I fill a Tiffany pitcher with water (I'm finally using something from my wedding registry) and squeeze 2 or 3 lemon wedges into it. The pitcher holds about 56 ounces of water, so my goal is to drink it all over the course of the day.

I'm thinking of buying one of those meyer lemon trees. I hear they are easy to grow indoors.

source: brighterblooms.com

How much should you drink?

Well, according to Lyn-Genet Recitas book, The Plan, you should drink half your body weight in ounces. So, let's say I weigh 100 pounds. Just say it. Then I should drink 50 ounces of water per day. She also recommends that you don't drink more than that, and drink it all before 7:30pm.
 

source:  lyngenet.com

Btw, the other reason why I like Lyn-Genet Recitas is because she believes that too much exercise is bad for you. Can't argue with that.

p.s. sorry Aunt Kathy, I promise the next post won't be about citrus fruit.  Or strawberries.  Or carrots...


For more detailed information on the health benefits of lemons and lemon water:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4769/Why-You-Should-Drink-Warm-Water-Lemon.html
http://www.beliefnet.com/Health/Physical-Health/Hidden-Health-Secrets-of-Lemons.aspx
http://www.energiseforlife.com/wordpress/2006/02/10/lemon-water-alkalising-superstar/
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/16-health-benefits-of-lemons.html