Not so adventures of the St. Clair clan...

 This might be a little controversial.  I try to steer clear of such topics in this space, but it needs to be said.  Take it as you will, but know that it comes from a place of love, concern, and respect.  Here it is: there is a right  way to cut an onion. Now, I'm not saying this to try and get anyone's dander up.  I'm just saying it's a subject that needs to be addressed in kitchens across America.  There may be more than one right way to skin a cat (I can't say I've tested that), but the same does not hold true for onions.  Please, you can teach an old dog new tricks - learn how to properly cut an onion.  It will save you time, frustration, onion tears, and possibly a finger.     Now, since I'm still sitting here on blogspot like it's 2003, I'm not going to post any how-to videos, but I'll do the next best thing.  I'll paste a link right here .    Check it out.  Practice it.  Make it a habit.  T...

 We must look like some kind of spectacle rolling down the aisles of the grocery store with four kids sitting in or hanging off of various points of the grocery cart.  I forgot to check before we left the house, but mercifully the boys socks were all the same color this time and neither one was wearing muck boots with his shorts on this 90 degree day.  It didn't stop the stares, however, as we did our early morning grocery run.   It may have been the two-year-old riding the cart like a surf board and yelling "hi" at every shopper and employee we passed.  Or maybe it was her sister riding shotgun with a pair of goggles around her neck staring daggers at every shopper and employee that attempted to make eye contact.  They may be twins, but they aren't very twinsie.  At any rate, I felt like free entertainment for half the city today.  Next time, I'm selling tickets.   The garden isn't quite providing for all the needs and we still don...

      As bittersweet as it is to watch our kids grow older, I'm really enjoying the stage we are in from a literary standpoint.  The boys still want me to read to them every night, and we have graduated from the repetitive quick reads to actual chapter books.  It's the only time I get to read these days, and I'm enjoying revisiting some books I read as a kid and also several that are new to me.   Sawyer was gifted some Hardy Boys  books for his birthday this year.  I was excited to get those...I mean, I was excited he got those because I was an avid Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy  fan in elementary school. Unfortunately, we have discovered that Sawyer doesn't quite have the stomach for the level of suspense in these novels, and we may have to set them aside for a couple of years.  I'll be sneaking them at night to read under my covers with  a flashlight.  Leave me alone.     The books are surprisingly not as...

 I've learned over the years that saying "never" to something typically bites me in the butt - sometimes immediately, sometimes years down the road.  This has been a consistent truth as far back as I can remember.   The first time I can recall being adamant about "never" doing something was in middle school.  I told my PE teacher then that I would never run cross country.  I was a soccer player.  Running without a ball was boring.  Eight years of cross country and twenty-five years of being a runner later, that clearly didn't work out.  Running has been such a foundational part of my life.  It has introduced me to so many people, taken me to amazing places, and given me an outlet that I can't imagine doing life without.    In high school I distinctly recall telling my English teacher that I would never  be a teacher.  When I was done with school, I was going to be done  with school.  And then I became a publ...

  I will be the first to admit, I let some things go after having the twins.  Like personal space, time to myself, and the ability to have my own thoughts.  Sleep, regular meal times, and relaxing showers - also gone.  It's true that my plate has been a little extra full, but I may have also used having four kids at home as an excuse to let my fitness slide.  I mean, who has time or energy to workout.  Carrying around babies counts for something, right?   I've rode that horse for two years.  Then today, I rode Sawyer's bicycle.  I hopped on just to be funny.  It's clearly too small for me, but I can make it work.  I cruised around the yard, standing up on the pedals and the kids got a kick out of seeing their old boring mom on a bike.  I was feeling pretty good about it.  Then I sat down on the seat and something bumped me.  Again and again and again.  At that point, I became shockingly aware that the back w...