organic

Spring Sprang Sprung

Since Bub started preschool in the fall, someone in our house is sick every other week. So it seems. First, patient zero goes down, usually Bub. Then, G goes down. Then, Steve succumbs. It’s only a matter of time before my body caves.

However, the last week of April, I was the only one in the family that got sick. And, whatever I got was a doozy. This virus felt like covid. I was feverish (102), congested, had intense brain fog, and lost my sense of taste and smell. My teeth even hurt. Except, it wasn’t covid (confirmed by a negative covid test) and it lasted for much longer than my covid experience a few years ago.

I was down for the count. Ten days of being out-of-commission. It was the longest I recall ever being sick and the sickest I’ve ever felt. Poor Steve had to take care of the kids as I lay motionless on the living room floor, trying to help but being absolutely no use to anyone.

I knew this was par for the course for introducing my first kid to school and school germs. But damn, no one prepared me for how hard it would be to take care of kids and simultaneously recover from an illness. And work. During a week that was already challenging with no nanny and no family support.

Somehow, I got through it with my marriage still intact, my kids alive, and still employed.

As soon as I started feeling more like myself, I was eager to get out of the house. I made plans for us to visit Little Ducky Flower Farm in Barrington, IL. A delightful organic farm where we could pick our own flowers and see some sheep. The weather was beautifully warm and it was wonderful to feel the sun on my skin. We capped our afternoon with dinner at Farmhouse on North, where Bub ate his weight in mac n’ cheese.

This outing was my reminder that life gets better.

I’m alive!

Finding the best blooms

Sitting in grass for the first time

He had to bring Iggy

Giving his sister a tiny tulip he picked for her

Fresh cut flowers bring me such joy

Summertime Meal Planning

Oh, how I love and cherish summertime! As a Chicagoan and lifelong Midwesterner, I grin and bear the harsh winters knowing that one day, I'll be gifted with warm summer days. And like all good things, summers seem to fly by in a blink of an eye!

One of my favorite things to do on Sundays in the summer is visit neighborhood farmers markets. The Wicker Park Farmers Market is the closest to me but occasionally, I enjoy the variety of booths at the Logan Square one.

Meal prepping in the summer can be hard since I first see what's seasonal at the farmers market and then plan my meals around those vegetables. During the winters, I plan my meals during the week and keep a running grocery list.

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of tomatoes, spring onion, and spinach. I'm thinking scrambled eggs with tomatoes and spring onion, spinach for smoothies and if I have anything leftover by the end of the week, I'll throw together some chili.

Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.
— Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty