EZ Peas-Z: Gimme a break

Flick is on break from school right now. After each quarter, he gets about 3 weeks off before the next round of classes ensue. This period of down time is really great on a number of levels. First of all, I love that he has the freedom to spend his nights doing what he wants (for the most part, dishes probably wouldn't fall into that category), second - I like to pretend that I am also on break (well, actually I guess I am) and can therefore slow my roll from Mach 3 down to the speed of sound.

In my mind, 'our' breaks are my chance to get caught up on all of the things that have been put to the back burner while Flick is in class and studying every night. I like to disillusion myself into thinking that I am going to weed the entire front lawn, iron all 54 shirts in the ironing pile, clean things that have been gathering dust, hang some photos on the walls, and have dinner ready at a reasonable hour (all on the first day). The problem with this line of thinking is that it makes my 'break' anything but a chance to reset and gear up for the next quarter. So, this time around I am testing out this whole, enjoy-a-break-for-what-it-is thing. It's hard! As someone who relishes in getting things done, going to bed without feeling as though I have made a major dent in my to-do list stresses me out. Something I clearly need to work on because that list is not going anywhere.

Along these same lines, I think it is important to take a break from cooking every now and again. I know that I lay the whole 'home cooked meal' thing on pretty thick but we like going out to eat or ordering a pizza just as much as the next busy family. For me, it is so much more enjoyable when it is a treat rather than the norm. Flick and I had an AMAZING dinner last night out on the town in Boulder (thank you SO much to the VR crew for all your love and support and especially to Charles for babysitting Ellie!). We went all out and felt great about it because it is something that we really never do. It is important to take care of yourself, whether it be a random day off from work or a much needed date night with your partner. Burnout and staleness can happen in any aspect of your life and it is up to you to be self-aware enough to know when it is coming. Spice it up to keep it fresh.

Starting next week we will be back to working in the new recipes. I am FINALLY at the end of my conversion over to the new site (woohooo). There are a few loose ends (mostly in the dessert category) to tie up but the major players are all prettied up and ready to go. Thanks for hanging in there through the whole process...

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin