January 2010 Archives
There are some people who are made for bringing their lunch and, in particular, eating the same thing every day of their working lives. I know moms who pack the same lunch daily for their kids (except on pizza day in the lunchroom) and I'm amazed that the kids don't rebel. It's probably a good habit, though, as I've thought back on some dyed-in-the-wool brown baggers I've known.
Savers - A former coworker amassed a tidy sum on a modest salary, in large part because he had the stamina to bring his lunch for years. This guy brought the same turkey sandwich, apple and chips every single day without fail, and only deviated if there was a special event lunch or - better still - the company was buying. (This guy went on to be self-employed and whenever I see him he reminds me that he doesn't "do" eight a.m. anymore.)
Pragmatists - I know another guy who made it all the way through college, med school, and a fellowship eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, six apple slices, and four lemon creme cookies for lunch every day. No, he didn't particularly like it, he says, but it simplified things. There wasn't time or money to go out, plus he could prepare his lunch the night before and then eat quickly whenever he had a moment during the day. Now he dines in the doctor's lounge for two bucks and is giddy over having real cafeteria food.
Calorie Counters - You know when these folks are starting a diet because they buy a new lunch pack and thermos to get them off to an enthusiastic start. The first test of their commitment is the birthday celebration at the nearby Mexican restaurant. Can't they just skip the cheese dip and still go?
Creatures of Habit - I finally quit calling a friend who could not be pulled away from her daily turkey sandwich for an impromptu lunch. "But I've already made my sandwich," she would say guiltily. This always frustrated me, as if that 4-slice turkey sandwich was waiting expectantly and wouldn't keep in the break room fridge for another 24 hours. Besides, she would have another one just like it the following day, and the next one after that.
On the other hand, if you made lunch plans well ahead (I learned this was the only way she could wrap her mind around anything other than her turkey sandwich), you had better not have anything come up to spoil the plans. A cancellation would throw her completely out of balance, as if she had cheated on her turkey sandwich and had been abandoned lunchless as cheaters deserve.
I've ultimately decided that these folks have the ability to be Zen masters of a sort. They don't care that much about food, so whether it's the same sandwich or a random soup doesn't matter to them. There is an upper limit on the amount of enjoyment they can get out of any meal, so there's really no use in them spending money or effort above the bare minimum. If they were in New Orleans they would still eat at Taco Bell.
I could stand to learn from these people. Maybe I would have a lot more money if I had their discipline (but hey, isn't good food one of the reasons to toil in the first place?)
What drives these types to tolerate sameness every day? Is it the comfort of routine, the promise of an eventual payoff, the ease of not having to think or plan? Because it surely can't be that they can't wait to bite into that cold turkey sandwich. Again.
Good news! The McAlister's Deli franchise operation in the Birmingham area, New Gourmet Deli, LLC, is extending the popular program for the month of February. This means every dark, cold day evening you are running behind or wishing you didn't have to cook, you don't have to. You can take the kids to McAlister's and let them bus the table.
This special is good every day of the month, so that covers lunch with a playdate, dinner before ball practice, or a meal after a game. Kids meals include options like a ham or turkey and cheese sandwich, a pita bread pizza, nachos, a hot dog, or a kids' salad along with a drink. For us moms, there are salads, sandwiches, soups and spuds. A personal favorite is the half and half, a combination two of any half spud, salad, sandwich or soup. And several of these combos are less than 500 calories, so we don't have to fear the dining-out weight gain (look for the "5 Under 500" display on the counter).
The February kids eat free special applies to McAlister's Deli locations in Hoover, Wildwood, UAB, Pelham, and Greystone, as well as the locations in Anniston and Mobile. A restaurant that gives me an excuse to go out with the kids and leave the dishes behind gets my vote as a Top 10.
Shoe tying has been an annoying interruption for me ever since I had kids. From the moment they started walking it seems there have been loose laces flapping and flying and me running behind them. On more than one occasion a lace caused a trip, which caused a fall, which caused the skinned knee that brought whatever we were doing to a dead stop for the requisite kisses before tying the darn things again.
Now I go to ballgames and we watch referees hold up the game for kids to stop and tie shoe laces. In fact, shoe tying is practically a ritual in recreation leagues, hence the refs know to watch for it. No matter how many velco shoes they make for kids, and we have tried them all, the standard for athletic shoes is still lace-ups. In 200 years of shoe making, this is still the best we have.
So when I saw Lace Stick at Bass Pro Shops amongst all the waterproof hunting boots and paraphernalia (no, I have no interest in hunting, but was strangely drawn to the stuffed racoon atop the display), I had to try it. If hunters - the people who look forward to rising before dawn to sit motionless in tree stands for hours in frigid weather - use this stuff, it must be good. It stands to reason that you can't stop to tie a shoe when you're after game and you have a dangerous weapon in your hands.
to apply Lace Stick, you just draw the laces through the hole in the cap, barely coating the lace with a slightly tacky, dry and colorless substance. Tie the shoes as usual and you're good to go.
Many ballgames later, Lace Stick has proven to be effective. In fact, laces don't even cross my mind anymore.
Besides athletic situations, I'm not having to harp about school shoes that are untied or breaking my nails to undo impossible double knots that any 18th century pirate would be proud to claim. I think I am making peace with lace-up shoes.
Lace Stick is around three bucks and I've learned it's sold at most athletic stores in addition to Bass Pro Shops. If I were a daycare instructor, I would keep it in my pocket at all times. After all, it takes a few years before that pincer grasp can move from grabbing Cheerios to tying laces, and I don't need any extra skinned knees to blow.
It's winter and that means I'm with a lot of other BirminghamMoms trying to get our husbands to internalize this message: You are no less a man if you use basic skincare products.
It amazes me that even sensitive, thoughtful men can be so unilaterally opposed to skincare of any sort. Somewhere the John Wayne decision model (If the Duke wouldn't do it, neither would I) has done a disservice to men everywhere. If John were still around, I'd recommend some skincare company get ahold of him as a spokesman to assure our defiant fellows that it is okay to apply a moisturizer. Of course, John would probably have too much residual sun damage to be very convincing.
Although men can bear the signs of aging more distinctively than women (would a women's hair product called "Touch of Gray" ever make it commercially?), there is a point at which the pure discomfort of chapped skin should overrule any misplaced worry about being seen as a sissy. Although men's skincare is evolving, the market is a long way from Gift With Purchase.
Sunscreen on the golf course might pass muster, but the only luck I have had in launching a skincare mission is to bring home products that are almost medicinal in their marketing approach:
A few suggested products that meet these criteria and are reallly good:
Neutrogena's Noreweigan Formula Cream - The package claims the formula began with Norweigan Fishermen who worked in the unforgiving icy sea waters. This is appealing since fishermen are often featured on "Deadliest Catch" risking their very lives just to trap crabs. Also, the Nords have that Viking ancestry, which makes any Norwegian Formla sound stout enough even for today's mighty office man.
No Crack Cream - The product has been around awhile, and maybe it's the straightforward name that makes it so non-threatening to the reluctant male (or is it a Bart Simpson sense of mischief?). Anything that claims relief for farmers, gardeners, and factory workers has to be an earnest, non "beauty" product.
Udder Cream and Bag Balm, available at drug stores, were originally created for dairy cows. Moms need no further explanation.
These fine products that have stood the test of time and work very well. However, I refuse to open a medicine cabinet in my home and see something called "Bag Balm" looking back at me. Call it a regenerating serum, a beauty butter, or an anti aging break through, but not something that suggests an old bag. It turns out I, too, have some skin care hangups.
I get that youth culture is always going to have to distinguish itself from that of its elders. I understand that looking cool is important, and one way to do that is to wear clothing that implies a loose and carefree attitude. But I have never understood wearing pants with the waistband below your rear end. Does no one fear their pants could just fall down and expose their bare behind? Maybe there's no shame nowadays in having your underwear show, but your rear end? Really?
It's not only a hip-hop look, its also been adopted by skater types as well. For all the loose, big jeans that sag around there are also super skinny ones that are worn low along with shaggy hair, a cap and some plaid.
I truly try to understand the appeal of the low-slung pants. Shorter steps? (wouldn't it feel more powerful to be able to take long strides?) Is it a way to camouflage true proportions? A secret wish for the air circulation afforded by a skirt? From a purely practical perspective, it seems like big hassle.
Of course, now we know that our own Larry was in no position to be giving opinions on sartorial matters, since his own fancy pants - not to mention his shirt collection - seem to have been the undoing of his political career.
As Simon Cowell gloomily predicted, "Pants on the Ground" is becoming a viral hit and is now being chanted by kids on the school bus. Maybe a few of them will decide to wear their belts above their behinds.
The school coupoon book practically dictates our dining out options for the following year. With so many restaurants offering deals in these books, I have to insist we at least try to select something from them when we go out. In fact, the thought that one of us can eat free or that we'll get an appetizer thrown in is often my justification for going out in the first place.
That's why it's important that the coupon books be handy. It is hard to fully enjoy a meal knowing you've left a $10 entree sitting in a drawer at home in the form of a perforated slip of paper. A plastic envelope in the car will keep all your discount dining options accessible.
One of these document envelopes will hold a couple of coupon books as well as the Clipper Magazine, assorted Val-Pak slips, and direct mail pieces. It fits nicely in a seat pocket and is much easier to manage since the loose papers are always contained. You may even have space for a few favorite menus.
Despite the recession, Chick-fil-A has continued to prosper, enjoying robust growth in sales and aggressive store expansion. I think I know why. Even without the spokescows asking us to "eat mor chikn," Chick-fil-A has won a the approval of moms for understanding what we appreciate:
* Great service. Although the service is fast, it doesn't feel rushed. Courteous people ask, "How can I serve you today?" Besides appreciating this as a customer, I'm pleased to see the behavior modeled for the kids.
* Indoor play areas that are well maintained and viewable from the dining area
* Healthy options like whole wheat buns (small upcharge) and grilled chicken
* Fruit cups with a variety of fruits, not just apples
* Kids' meals with educational toys - not just movie promo trinkets - and the flexibility to swap the toy for an ice cream cone if your child prefers
* Good condiments: Real honey for your biscuit and the option of light mayo; ditto the real flowers on the tables, unheard of in fast food dining
* Hand-spun milkshakes (get one of these and bliss out while the kids play awhile longer)
* Community involvement, from school fundraiser nights to providing teachers and coaches with coupons they can use to reward their students' academic efforts
* SEC sponsorship, starting off our beloved football season with the free chicken sandwich day
Chick-fil-A has figured out how to get families in the habit of visiting regularly. For example, one local Chick-Fil-A frequently provides coupons - such as a free kids' meal with the purchase of a combo meal - for participants in Upward sports events. So where do you think all the players want to go for lunch after the Saturday morning game?
Chick-fil-A on highway 280 is one of the older freestanding restaurants, and it's still so popular that it actually has police directing traffic during the weekday lunch rush (sounds like a franchisee's dream). A friend of mine shares that she made a new mom friend there one day when she offered to share a table in the crowded dining room.
If all that wasn't impressive enough, Chick-fil-A is scheduled to be debt-free in three years. Isn't that remarkable? They should throw a ticker-tape parade with Dave Ramsey's devotees or, better yet, celebrate by giving away celebratory lemonades...
I'm going to give Mr. Truett Cathy, age 88 and founder of the company, a pass for his casual comment in this article saying he typically looks for "family men" when selecting franchisees. For one thing, I am certain that any "family man" has a wife at home telling him what moms want and he has wisely learned to listen. For another, I will wager that good "family women" franchisees - i.e., moms - can keep his business attuned to his best customers.
Finally, I have adjusted to the fact that Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays. For ages it seemed that this was the one day I was likely to crave a chicken sandwich during a late afternoon run to the mall, and the dim storefront always seemed so forlorn. However, I now conceed it is a brilliant practice, both as a benefit for the employees and as an enticement for the rest of us to look forward to eating mor chickn on the following Monday.
Why I love Chick-fil-A on 119:
Last spring Coldplay had a concert at the Verizon Wireless Music Center, but I couldn't commit to tickets because of my son's potential playoff baseball game that evening. Sure enough, his team was in the playoffs (taking second place). After the game, hubs took the kids home while I raced to hwy 119 in hopes of hearing just a bar or two of Coldplay. I pulled into the Chick-fil-A parking lot on 119 with the restaurant just closing and the owner naturally patrolling to see his employees to their cars safely and making sure there were no loiterers (that would be me) in the parking lot.
As I sat with my window cracked - yes, I'm that much of a Coldplay fan - he drove by and I practically begged, "I couldn't buy tickets because of a ballgame but I just want to hear a few tunes" - and this nice fellow smiled and said to enjoy the music before rolling on through the lot. Then I heard the beginning of "Clocks" echoing against Oak Mountain and I was satisfied I had gotten my fix before heading home. Here's a shoutout and a thankyou to the Chick-fil-A on 119!
I've heard three different moms raving about these when I've been out and about and they clearly rate a find for moms chasing busy feet.
You probably remember versions of these when you were a kid yourself, but apparently Hanna Andersson makes the mom-favored version for kids. Moccasins are the original footwear, and soft suede soles for kids have been standard for a long time, but the "Swedish moccasin" (Hanna Andersson is a Swedish company) is the best hybrid of warm socks and comfortable moccasins. One mom refers to them as "sockasins", which I think is just perfect.
These are great for padding around the house or playing indoors. They have a bit more grip than a sock alone and certainly wear better, plus they're machine washable. One of the best features is that they stay on, even during a restless daytime nap. They're the next best thing to wearing footed pajamas, and on a cold day in a stroller, it's nice to know the feet that keep kicking out from under the blanket are well covered.
I know a mom of three girls who swears by the Hanna Andersson catalog, stating that all three of her girls have been able to wear in turn everything she has purchased from the company. The quality of the fabrics, including their durability and colorfastness, has given each garment several seasons of heavy use. Because of its excellent reputation, the brand does well via consignment sales also.
Time was when you had to enlist a friend headed to New York City to grab the latest fun costume jewelry, sunglasses and accessories for a song on the streets or in Chinatown. If you went to the Big Apple, maybe a buddy gave you a $20 bill and asked you to bring back a hip item for her.
Now there's no need to travel and hassle with street vendors since the same imports are widely available. One of the best sources in Birmingham is Accessory City in Patton Creek at Hoover.
The walls are lined with costume jewelry in trendy styles, but there are also crystal, sterling, and other pieces with semi precious stones. Opera wallets, small luggage and laptop totes, sunglasses and scarves are all around the place, and of course there are bags in all - and I do mean ALL - sorts of colors and patterns. (The bags may be designer inspired but they're not designer knock offs, which always felt too shady for me to worry with, even in NYC.).
Nobody pretends these are investment pieces. They're just for fun and frivolous enough to spice up an outfit for a few bucks. In fact, you may find that a few of the items are made as well as those you'd find at department stores with a higher price. Let's face it, almost all maunfacturing for costume bags and accessories is outsourced now, so most of them are more alike than different, regardless of whether they're a national brand or no brand.
A couple of my out-of-town friends like to check out the store before hopping on the interstate and heading home. Shopping here sure beats buying stuff out of a stall on the street. If you like trying new things or have an occasional wish for something big and bold to wear, this is your store.
*Accessory City's a good source for fun Valentine gifts for a daughter, mother-in-law, etc.
A few years ago I went through the process of Once A Month Cooking, or OAMC, so I could have a month's worth of prepared meals at the ready for hectic evenings. The practice is just like it sounds; you take one day to cook and make entrees for an entire month. It is tremendously nourishing to come home to the best of both home cooking (flavor, control for likes/dislikes) and takeout (heat and eat). Every winter I attempt some version of OAMC (usually less ambitious than a full month's worth of entrees). Winter is always the best season to cook at home because it's dark and cold outside.
I must tell you that my initial experiment was successful but personally unsustainable.
Attempting OAMC is a big undertaking. You go the store and buy a whole month's worth of ingredients, then come home and cook as if your life depended on it. Every burner on the stove is going with chicken, ground beef, pasta or rice, and once you're started there's no stopping the gravy-making train. At the end of the day you have the satisfaction of using every bit of your ingredients in a variety of dishes and employing every casserole dish at your disposal. Unfortunately, you may be so wiped out that you need a week to recover. You would happily eat cold cereal for days just to not have to wrestle another sheet of heavy duty foil and a freezer bag.
I couldn't consistently find a full day each month to dedicate to volume cooking, so I eventuallly gave up the full-scale effort. However, I strongly recommend you try the practice at least once and decide for yourself. I still use many of the lessons I learned and cook ahead as often as I can comfortably manage. With proper planning you can save on your grocery budget, but the time advantages are even greater, particularly if you don't get home until later in the evening when you're wiped out and starving. Our deal was always to put the entree in the fridge the night before so it could begin thawing. Whoever got home first started the oven.
Several cookbooks are available with ingredient lists and recipes for large scale cooking, but don't invest in one until you've tried it out at the library first. (Interesting fact: Cookbooks have been one of the top categories of loaned books during this recession, according to a Hoover librarian.) There are also several websites with tips and ideas.
A few additional notes about OAMC: One month of pre-made meals is likely to last more than four weeks thanks to leftovers. Unless your family will wipe out an entire 9x11 lasagna in one sitting, you'll have a couple of lunches or mis-matched servings leftover each week, helpful on light nights or when everyone is eating in shifts.
Glad ovenware (or similar) is perfect for this type of cooking, because you can reuse the containers or give them away. For example, if you have a friend who is ill or could use a dinner, you can grab one of your frozen entrees and a bag of salad and drop them by. The best part of the favor is that your friend doesn't have to worry about returning a dish.
Also, don't forget to pull out your meal the night before and thaw it in the refrigerator. If you forget, you are almost no better off because the defrosting time added to the reheating time will likely put you behind your schedule. There is nothing more frustrating than realizing you went to all that effort to plan ahead and still don't have a bite ready to eat. A breakdown over a frozen casserole isn't a pretty sight for the kids (thanks heaven again for cereal).
It's post holidays and the house has looked like an abandoned frat party for the better part of a week. BirminghamMoms know the Big Clean Up is the best excuse we'll get to reset our dwellings.
After all the work it takes to coordinate a successful season for the family, aren't we entitled to vegetate a moment in a Snuggie* and a comfy chair? But no, we're supposed to bounce right into archiving all the stuff and snapping it away in neat plastic bins.
It's remarkable that we moms are so resilient that we can even stand the thought of tackling household organizing immediately after Christmas. A display atop a row of bins in Target taunts, "Every Room. Organized."
Of course, Target is only playing into our deepest household fantasies in order to sell plastic ware. It's almost impossible to live in a house with kids and even adults and have every room organized, at least simultaneously. More like, "Every room. Organized...for a moment."
Ah, but the hope of that brief organized moment is so enticing. All the click clacks and snap shuts and roll aways are worth their fully loaded weight when we know there truly is a place for everything, even if, alas, everything is not in its corresponding place. For the latter problem, we can always resort to nagging, which we can at least do from a comfy chair.
* Please let the annoying Snuggie commercials end! Would a group of fans ever sit at a ball field wearing such things? No self-respecting people would debase themselves or their team in this way. What grown man walks around "raising the roof" wearing a Snuggie? And that poor dog, bless its heart.
The Snuggie has to be the brainchild of someone forced to wear a hospital gown and watch infomercials. They might feel good at home, but please don't wear them to the theater.
When the kids were infants and I despaired of ever providing a meal in a semi-controlled environment, I did quite a bit of research on how to manage mealtime. One recommendation that came up repeatedly was to freeze ahead or follow a program of Once a Month Cooking. On this advice, we purchased a freezer for the basement and I have to say it has been one of our best investments. If you don't have one already, it's time to give in to full adulthood and get yourself a freestanding freezer..
Like our grandmas, I've come to depend on the freezer, not just for routine meals but for parties and entertaining. What I didn't realize when we bought it was how much we would come to rely on frozen pizzas, snacks, and even popsicles as the kids got older. When it was just the two of us, all we needed was a space for frozen dinners and a cooler for drinks. Now that we're in full throttle family mode, I laugh to think of the days when the freezer was just a repository for Lean Cuisines.
You've heard it all before, but I can personally vouch for the benefits a freezer can offer your family:
* Buy in bulk, not just to save money, but to have fewer trips to the store.
* Large cuts of meat are no problem to store. Now you can buy a turkey, ham, or pork loin during the best sales and have a big meal whenever you get ready. You can take advantage of buy one/get one offers without displacing a month's worth of frozen dinners.
* Watch for markdowns. One of my usual grocery stores marks down meat on Sundays and I run in just to grab good cuts at half price. Since I'm freezing it right away, it's no problem that the sell-by date is imminent.
* Enjoy freezing leftovers instead of feeling pressured to consume pounds of meat before it spoils. (This pressure is, after all, the reason people develop an aversion to turkey after Thanksgiving.) Better yet, when a hostess insists you "take some of this home," you've got a place for it.
* Double your recipes and freeze the second batch for later. This is by far the easiest way to prepare ahead and make your meals easier. You can store a big casserole or containers of soup without disrupting your hidden stash of ice cream bars.
* Birthday parties - whether you favor individual cups or the big gallons of ice cream, you have the space to hold them, both in preparation before the party or as a surplus afterward.
* Entertaining and family gatherings - you'll have room for the big boxes of hors d' oeuvres from warehouse stores as well as a couple of bags of ice. You know those heavenly loaves of bread at Costa's on Lorna Road in Hoover? Costco sells a similar baguette frozen in boxes of eight (apologies in advance for the easily confused names). With a freezer, you can buy a box and have them ready for a large spaghetti dinner for guests or work your way through a box one at a time - a good fate either way, if you ask me.
A small chest freezer is under $200, but go for a larger model if you can. A mid-size version is adequate for a family of four or five. Freezers can be bought used through estate sales or from empty-nesters and downsizers, but older models may not be as energy efficient. I don't recommend paying more for a frost-free model since it's not much trouble to manually defrost a freezer and, besides, you need a good reason to completely clear it out occasionally.
For less than a month's grocery bill you can have the assurance of being prepared for unexpected guests, impromptu get-togethers and snack attacks. You'll recoup the cost over your years of saving on bulk purchases and markdowns. If you cook ahead or freeze leftovers, you'll thank yourself every time you dig into your freezer to produce a no-sweat home cooked dinner.
