How comfort food got its name

Week 3 in the Me before Mom series, hosted by Carla at All of Me Now, asks the question:

What was your favorite home cooked meal as a kid? Did you help make it? How did it make you feel? Share the scents, sights, and flavors.

My mom found out she had MS when I was 8 years old. She had to go on disability when it got too difficult for her to work. I think she felt guilty about her illness and how it affected my brother and I. She was the most loving parent and, though we had very little money, she always made sure we had home cooked meals. When we celebrated, we got home baked sweet treats. When we were sad or had a particularly rough day, she would make us our favorite meal. This is probably why I associate food with comfort. It was the one thing she could control when her body would not always cooperate.

My mom put a big focus on us eating dinner as a family. Even though our family was just me, my mother, and my brother, we ate together almost every night. No eating in front of the TV, no distractions, just dinner together where we would talk about our day and things that were going on in our lives. As an adult I look back on our dinners together and am glad she didn't let us chomp mindlessly to some show. I now make that a priority in our house and the only food eaten in front of a TV is on football days!

My mom was originally from Indiana. She grew up with all-American meals and we had much of the same. I can pretty much recite our menu staples: Fried Chicken, Spaghetti with Ragu and garlic bread, Polish sausage (always dipped in a combo of ketchup and mustard) and fried potatoes, Americanized ground beef tacos, and my favorite, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and canned corn. While I try to make healthier, more diverse meals for my family, I still make that meatloaf meal. it is not some fancy multi ingredient meatloaf. It is the recipe on the back of the Lipton onion soup mix and I love it...and so do my kids. The only thing I hated about that meal was the "combo". My brother, like all little brothers, lived to torture me. I was a weirdo special and didn't like my food to touch. My brother knew this and would purposely try to gross me out by making his combos. On meatloaf night a combo would be taking his piece of wheat bread, buttering it, layering on meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, and ketchup and making sure I knew how much he was enjoying it as he ate. Bleh. Thankfully, I have moved past my food issues because my kids make combo bites of that meal now, minus the wheat bread.

While times have changed and I have grown up, certain meals can always bring me back to my childhood. I cherish these memories and hope I am building some for my own kids.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! rocked Boston!

We had the chance to go see Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! Get the Sillies out!  at the Orpheum Theater in Boston on Saturday. Both of my kids love the TV show and I knew they would have a blast.

My kids couldn't even wait until the show started to sing and dance in their seats. As soon as the lights dimmed they were cheering for their favorite characters, Plex and Foofa.The set is partly digital with a huge screen at the back of the stage. The screen images changed along with each song which I thought was pretty cool.

 

 

Of course they played a bunch of my kid's favorite songs like "Hold Still" which had them both wiggling and dancing in the aisle and "Hugs are Fun" which resulted in a rare snuggle moment between the kidlets. My husband, who is not a huge fan of most kid shows, actually said he loved the show. I am pretty sure the presence of Biz Markie helped with that.

 

I really liked that there were a bunch of kids dancing in the aisles and in their seats and as they performed the songs they encouraged them along. Nate had a chance to show off his sweet dance moves and managed to get a dancing buddy out of it in the form of my friend Joanna's (Baby Gator's Den) son. I definitely see a dance party play date in their future.

 

Over-all, the show was a perfect length, 80 minutes including a 20 minute intermission. I think it is just the right amount of time to hold my kids' attention. It was truly fun for the whole family, even though that sounds lame and cliche! There are still plenty of stops left on the tour, so don't miss out on this show!

Disclaimer: I received compensation for my posts in the form of 4 tickets to the show. All opinions and dance moves are my own!

Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! : Get the Sillies Out!

 

 

My kids love Yo Gabba Gabba! As parents, we are all subjected to kid shows on T.V. There are a small number of them that I actually enjoy watching with the kids and Yo Gabba Gabba! is one of them. I love that they teach kids important lessons, without them realizing it. They teach diversity, art appreciation, the importance of not biting our friends, and I can't count the number of times I have convinced one of my kids to eat something good for them by singing, "There's a Party in my Tummy". What is even better is they incorporate musicians that I like to listen to. My son is 5 1/2 and still loves to watch the show, so when I got the chance to take the kidlets to the live performance I jumped at it! I know we will love it and will tell you all about it after we go on Saturday! If you don't live in Boston, they have tour stops all over the country too.

"The sillies are crazy little creatures that live inside of us and need to be shaken out! DJ Lance Rock and everyone’s favorite cast of colorful characters are calling all fans in Boston to get ready to jump, shake and shimmy them out at the new live tour Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out!. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get The Sillies Out! tour will visit more than 50 cities across the U.S. in 2013. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! is touring in support of their first national beverage launch, a new line of toys, a new line of kids sportswear and a DVD/ CD collectors' edition."

 

 

Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! will have two performances at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston on Saturday, Jan. 26th (2pm and 5pm). CLICK HERE for ticket information for the shows. Tickets start at $23.50. VIP Party packages are available as well which include a ticket in the first 15 Rows, a pass to "Get the Sillies Out" in the private VIP room featuring a super fun party with the Gabba Gang (costumed characters) and more. Children under 1 year old do not require a paid ticket to sit on a parent's lap.

 

For a complete list of tour dates, cities and show times, and a preview of the show, visit www.yogabbagabbalive.com 

 

A room of my own

This week's installment in the "Me before Mom" series asks the question, "What did your childhood bedroom look like? Give a tour. How did it change as you matured?”

I would love to say I had the same room, in the same house, for all of my childhood, but my reality was quite different. My parents divorced when I was 3 years old, so I always had 2 rooms no matter where we lived. The earliest room I can recall was the one I shared with my brother in our 2 bedroom, light pink house, with the giant stone front porch. We moved in when I was 6 and it was the first house I remember calling home. Our room had light brown, not-long-enough-to-be-called-shag-but-close-enough carpet, a bunk bed in the far left corner, a dresser on the right wall, and a window that looked out to the street, but my favorite space in the room was the closet. The closet was fairly large and all white. When you walked in, it had two rods on the left side for hanging clothes, and a built in dresser with 3 large drawers on the right. There was a small rectangular window high up toward the ceiling and a light with a pull chain. On top of the built-in was the space I would go to dream. It was a little higher than I was tall at the time and I would climb up there every day. I had pillows set up and I would sit in the closet and read or listen to "A Very Merry Unbirthday" on my fisher price record player. That spot is where I memorized my first poem for recitation (The Village Blacksmith, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which I still remember) and where I cried when, at 8 years old, my mom found out that she had Multiple Sclerosis.
 

Some other snap shots that I have in my memory of that room were: my mom singing to me and playing with my hair as I fell asleep, sleeping on the bottom bunk because I somehow managed to fall out of the top bunk...and not even wake up, and meeting my maternal grandfather for the first and last time. While I didn't exactly enjoy sharing a room with my brother, I loved our room in that house and was sad to move.

I would have to say that my favorite bedroom growing up was my room throughout high school. My mom let me have the master bedroom in our house after she got tired of my brother and me almost killing each other every day fighting over the bathroom. I had my own bathroom, mirrored closet doors, a pop-out bay window seat, and more crap under my bed than should have been humanly possible. I had moved on from my middle school obsession with The New Kids on the Block, so my posters were removed and the ridiculous neon NKOTB bedspread, that adorned my bed for 3 years, was replaced with a hunter green one with a southwest theme. I had a dream catcher hanging from my ceiling and a framed picture of a Native American girl on one wall and a wolf on the other. My favorite thing about that room was the bay window seat. We lived in the dessert and had frequent electrical storms. I could watch the lightning for hours. I guess when I reflect on my favorite rooms, the thing I liked the best was that both had a special spot to think, read, and just be me.

I had 9 bedrooms from birth to high school graduation. The first (that I can remember) and last were my favorites, and in homes I lived in the longest. I hope my children have fond memories of their bedrooms...and far fewer of them than I did.

How did I get my name?

My friend Carla over at All of Me...now has a wonderful idea. She wants to tell her story to her children. Not just one snapshot in time, but a series of stories to show them who she was before they knew her as "Mom". I love the idea and will be participating in the weekly series. It is important to me that I retain my identity and not just be seen as a mom. I had a full life before I had kids and that didn't disappear once I had my first child. So with out further ado, the first installment of "Me before Mom".

How did you get your name? Did you always love it? Have you ever wanted to change it?

Kameron Louise

From what I've been told, my first name had 2 major influences. My mom's best friend Dean's middle name was Cameron, and then there was a dancer on American Bandstand named Kami. My mom said she always loved the name and that is why she decided to spell it with a K. The ironic thing is she never called me Kami and I hated it so much when people would call me that, that I wouldn't allow it! The only one who ever got away with it was my uncle. He called me Kami-Lou until I was an adult. I think he did it just to get a rise out of me! 

My middle name is my grandma's middle name. While I thought it sounded slightly "Little House on the Prairie" when I was younger, I have always like the fact that my Gram and I shared a middle name. We were really close when I was growing up and it felt like our own secret club.

I have a pretty unique name, but I didn't always like it. People couldn't pronounce it right. I got called Carmen, Candace and Kam-or-on a lot. I would just politely correct them and watch their puzzled face as they tried to say it right the next time.  I don't think I met another girl with my name until I was out of high school, and even then it was spelled with a C. My mom was adamant that people spell my name correctly. She always introduced me as "Kameron with a K".  It was humiliating back then, but I find myself doing it now. People often thought I was a boy by my name. I even got a notice from the U.S. government after I turned 18 saying it was a felony not to register for the draft. I think, just like everything in life, the grass is always greener on the other side. I wished I had a more normal name. I wished I didn't have to pronounce it for everyone or spell it all the time. Having a unique name made me a target for teasing too, but I think kids will always find something to tease about anyway.

It wasn't until I got into high school that I started liking my name. I started appreciating the fact that I wasn't one of 3 Heathers in my class that had to go by Heather followed by their last initial. When someone said my name, there was only one of me. I liked it even more as I got into college. It was a conversation starter. I started to really own it. I think it fits me. I sort of don't like the fact that if you Google my name I am the only one that shows up, but I guess it is cool that there is only one me. 

Dear Kate: Function meets Fashion

So, I can't say I ever thought I would blog about undies, aside from how many I have to wash during potty training, but here I am! As you might know I have become somewhat of a runner. I have taken a tiny break in the past, cough, 2 months, but I am back at it again!  Can I just tell you how awful it is to run in the wrong undergarments?? I usually know after the first 2 minutes of a run if I have selected the wrong ones for the task. They bunch, pinch, go places no underwear should ever go, etc. To add insult to injury, there is the lovely chafing that can occur after you have been running for over an hour. I find that it is due to a mix of sweat, the wrong undies, and the fact that my thighs really like to stay close together, damn thighs.

 

Enough about my problem, let's talk about the solution! Dear Kate to the rescue. They have a line of fashionable, yet super functional undergarments, that are awesome. I got the Leading Lady bikini (pictured below on a model...not me...no one wants to see that). From the photo I thought they would be a little tight, but they fit perfectly. If you are worried about that go a size up. They were the most comfortable undies to run in. They stayed put and absorbed moisture so I had no chafing at all.

 



 

They are designed with a three breathable layers, to wick away moisture and then absorb it. They were originally designed to provide backup during menstrual cycles, but have so many more benefits! Many women have problems when they are pregnant or after the baby is born that I like to call the "Achoo, oops I peed a little" or "Bwahahaha, that is hilarious. Ugh, not again!". These undies are the solution to those problems! They also have a maternity line and their basic line is so comfy but doesn't look at all like the granny undies I wore after my kids were born! I like the bikini so much that I am going to try the thong they make as well. They also have a fancier line that looks like Betty Page might have modeled them. Note to self...get skinny enough to be able to wear them in a boudoir shoot!  If you'd like to get your own Dear Kates, visit their site and use the coupon code below to save $10. 

Disclosure: I was provided a pair of Dear Kate underwear to test out in exchange for posting my honest opinion.