CityMama™

The California DMV or O the humanity!

Update below!

Well, I guess it's time to get a California driver's license (again) since we have been back from Portland for almost two years now. I had just gotten an Oregon license (which expires in 2013) when we decided to move back down I-5 so I haven't been in any hurry to brave the California DMV. What?  I have a perfectly good license that doesn't expire until Bunny is 12. It's just that it happens to be for another state. Whatever.

Getting the Oregon license took all of 45 minutes: a computerized test, a photo, some friendly banter with the guy who makes sure the license is printed properly, and that's it. And there was barely anyone in the Portland DMV out on 82nd when I went on a Monday afternoon.

Going to a California DMV is a whole 'nother story. Even with an appointment you brave lines and forms and unhelpful employees and "the humanity" as J. likes to say. The humanity is, in general, very pissy and extremely confused.  Without an appointment? Forgetaboutit. Seriously, you will never get those 8 hours of your life back, so please. Do yourself a favor. Make an appointment.

I thought I'd be able to sneak by with the Or-ee-gone license until it expires, but no. In order to drive the field trips at my kid's school, I need a valid California license. (Dang, yo!) So tomorrow I'm off bright an early to the DMV to (hopefully) get my driver's license. I still remember the questions I got wrong when I took the test on my sixteenth birthday (and barely got my license).

I just hope I make it out of there by nightfall. If I don't, I promise to stay put so the search party can find me.

Update!: The appointment thing kicks ass. Twenty minutes start to finish and I had my (temporary) license. Hooray!  Why they can't just get a card printer and do it there is beyond me. Even our Park and Rec does that with photo and everything. Best part is they treated me like a renewal and gave me  a shorter written test AND my old driver's license number back! Which is the only one I remember anyway. So, almost 22 years to the day that I received my first California driver's license, I am licensed to drive in this state again.

MOMocrats: Are you one?

Now is probably a good a time as any to talk about one of my new "for fun" side projects. (Well as much fun as helping to foment political change can be.) It's called MOMocrats, and it's a political blog from a mom's point of view. For now, our top priority is helping to elect John Edwards President. (We'll tackle other issues as they come up—our tag line can change, but the blog name stays the same.)

I don't want to get all political on CityMama though I understand the argument that mothering is political. It's just that I'd rather keep the bulk of my political ranting off this blog, and so, when a bunch of us mom bloggers realized that we shared the same interest in supporting John Edwards, MOMocrats was born.

IMG00086.jpg

Meeting Elizabeth Edwards again! Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Project: Life Change: Now it's your turn!

Cross-posted on Sassafrass.

Calling all "mama friends," especially those of you who do the work-life juggle every day like we do.

Are you tired? Stressed out? Grouchy? Feeling like you are working too much? Missing out on watching your kids grow up? Too busy to participate in the fun parts of family life? Avoiding the pile of laundry in the corner of your bedroom?  Neglecting yourself? Not making time or money for the little luxuries? Feeling isolated from your partner? Overwhelmed with school calendars, activities, and homework? Longing for more time in your day? Feeling out of control and powerless to make a change?

We're Jessica of Sassafrass and Stefania of CityMama and we're right there with you. As much as we love to bitch about how frustrated we are with our current life sitches to anyone who will listen (and you know we can bitch like it's our JOB), we've decided to do something about it.

Black Bean Soup (make this and dinner's ready by lunchtime)

This morning at breakfast, since I was in the kitchen preparing food for breakfast and lunches anyway, I started a pot of black bean soup for dinner.  After simmering all morning, it was done by noon and now I don't have to worry about dinner for the rest of the day.  I snuck a taste at lunch time and, after adjusting the seasonings, I'm going to give it a little more time to mellow. It'll be just right by dinner time, and even better the next day.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Saute the following together in a big soup pot until onions are lightly browned:

• a couple of glugs of olive oil
• a 1/4 pound hunk of nitrite-free salt pork, leave whole (Avail at Whole Foods)*
• 1 red or yellow onion chopped
• 1 clove of garlic chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped finely
• 1 4 ounce can of fire-roasted diced green chilies
• 1 stalk of celery, halved lengthwise and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig (2-4 small leaves) of fresh sage
• a palmful of ground cumin

Then add:

• 8 cups of cold water
• about 2 cups of dried black beans, picked over and rinsed

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with tasty recipes

I have a special place in my heart for PR people who send me recipes. Check out the recipes below if you need some culinary inspiration via Latina Magazine. (Hispanic Heritage Month runs September 15 until October 15.)

Or you can try some of my "faux-spanic" recipes as well!

Did you hear? Blogher08 will be in San Francisco!

San Francisco! Hooray!

I don't know 'bout you, but I'm thinking that good ole CityMama here might need to have herseff a house party complete with red Solo party cups full of Kool-Aid and 151 and special appearance by Kid N Play.

If you already know that you are coming to BlogHer08 (I know, it's like 429 months away) lemme know! Let's kick this conference off "correct!"

The Kindergarten Way

Bunny has decided that, in kindergarten, girls and boys just can't get along. Oh sure, boys can maybe sit next to girls at lunch (like one particular boy she talks about regularly who seems to have a reprieve), but only if they are "silly."  Other than that, girls just "don't like boys." It's just better to keep the two groups separate.

Which is a shame, because there are some adorable and sweet boys in her class, and I so would like to invite them for playdates and things. As it stands, in Bunny's world at the moment, playdates are strictly girl-on-girl action. (hee!) And that's alright.

I'm starting to realize (thanks to kindergarten) that playdates with their anticipation and excitement of sharing your world with a new friend—and then even with the conflicts that may arise and the resulting problem-solving—are the earliest and purest forms of community-building.

Who's the boss? Me.

Overheard this weekend.

Bunny: Can I ride my scooter to the park?
Me: Yes... I mean...wait... I don't know. What did your father say?
Bunny: Did you say yes?
Me: No, I said, "What did your father say?"
Bunny: He said "no."
Me: Then no.
Bunny: But why?
Me: Because Papa said no, and if he said no, then it's no.
Bunny: No, but I'm asking you. You decide. You're in charge of this family, not Papa.

Smart as a whip, that one.

Chicken Drumsticks Two Ways

I can't resist a good five pound pack of chicken drumsticks. I prefer dark meat anyway, so scooping up a pile of chicken for around five bucks is no big whoop to me (and easy on my wallet).

Drumsticks (and thighs) are the best for shoyu chicken anyway, and once cooked they make great additions to a lunch box or are yummy to munch on at midnight while standing over the sink. Because they are so versatile, I like to cook them all different ways, some fancier and more time consuming, some completely the opposite.  If I'm going to cook a whole package and I am short on time, I will often do two super-easy preparations at once. Like this.

You'll need:

•five pounds of chicken drumsticks, thighs or wings

•1 bottle each of any of the following *two* sauces (I used barbecue and garlic black bean sauce):

• barbecue sauce (my preference is Noh's Hawaiian because it doesn't have that fake smoky taste)
• teriyaki sauce
• chipotle-raspberry sauce
• Jamaican jerk sauce
• oyster sauce*
• hoisin sauce
• garlic black bean sauce* (super yum!)
• chili-garlic-black bean sauce* (delicious mixed with equal parts honey and spooned over chicken)

*These are salty and very flavorful. A little goes a long way, so use sparingly.

Make a couple of shallow slashes through the meaty part of each leg or thigh (not too deep, do not cut all the way to the bone). This helps to speed cooking and allows the sauce to work down into the meat.

Place half the chicken in to a pan and slosh some of your chosen sauce onto it. You could shake it up all together in a bag, but I don't even bother.  This is a very forgiving technique and great if you are in a hurry. The chicken still tastes great, even when the sauce doesn't evenly coat the chicken.

Place the rest of the chicken into another pan. Slosh some of the second sauce onto that. For the saltier sauces like the garlic-black bean,  I spoon 2-3 tablespoons of of the sauce into a bowl. Then I spoon/shmear the sauce onto each chicken leg, applying sparingly. (Put the sauce into a bowl so you don't dip our raw chicken spoon back into the jar.)

Bake at 325º for 50 minutes to an hour.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves four with plenty of leftovers for lunches, or 6 without leftovers.