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A Guest Post About a Whole Lotta Love

This last weekend was filled with old friends, dueling pianos, and even some time onstage. It, unfortunately, was not filled with blogging. Luckily, it’s Monday, and that means I’ve got a guest post for you!
This one is from Rutheah, a fellow blogger with a beautiful family and a kitchen you would skip three months of dessert for. I will warn you, it’s a mushy one…and I’m more than okay with that. One of the symptoms of Mommyhood is an abundance of love…and sometimes you’ve just got to let it all out.
Also, let me say that I’m not pregnant. Having more than one kid, however, is in our plans, and sometimes I wonder how I could possibly love another one as much as I love Charlie. Rutheah did a great job of clearing things up for me.
Also, she doesn’t believe in capitalization; it’s just her style. 🙂

being a mommy is great. you always have something to cuddle with, play with, love on and dress up. you get to take care of something that will love you unconditionally. that’s the best; babies don’t care if you put on make up or if your hair is a frizzy mess and your tummy pooches over your jeans when you sit down, they just love you for being their momma. and there’s nothing like the love connection you make with your first baby. everything is so new and exciting. you giggle over every little burp and fart and hush every whimper. we had a very detailed baby book with our first…we chronicled everything, his growth, his teeth, his firsts. the bond we had was and still is strong and true. it’s kind of magical.

then comes the second baby. 🙂 i was nervous that the love in my heart had already been consumed by my son, i didn’t know if i could possibly love another baby as much as i did him. i remember being so nervous about that when i was pregnant the second time. would we have the same strong and true bond? would she need me like i need her? will my heart nearly burst when i see her? of course i knew that i’d love my daughter regardless…but i was so nervous i used up all my motherly love on my son and that she would just get the leftovers. that was my biggest fear from the moment we found out we were having another baby.

then she was born. and oh, the love flowed. the love flowed deep and pure and strong. as soon as i held her to my chest and we looked into each other’s eyes, i was amazed that i could love both equally. it’s different, but the same. my heart was oozing with love. it wasn’t that i would have to split love between the two of them, or that my daughter would only get the leftovers. the love literally doubles and it overflows into a gooey, delicious love that you get lost inside of…until you fast forward to 7 months later and you get hit with a dose of reality. like when you find out you’re unexpectedly pregnant for a third time when your “new” baby is only 7 months old and your husband is about to deploy to iraq and you’re neck deep into a kitchen remodel. oh yes…that happened.

my set of worries is totally different now. but i know i can handle it. that deep and true love i’ve got in my heart can get me through anything. us mommas are resilient and strong. and i’m so thankful that i will soon have three little munchkins to love on. and we will once again, get lost inside our crazy love bubble.

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The Local Awesome: Greta’s Gourmet

Have you ever walked into an establishment and just known, right then and there, that you were about to get really happy?

Sometimes it’s the smell of the place that gets you…sometimes it’s the décor…sometimes it’s this intangible something that just emanates the promise of Awesome.

In this particular instance, it was the bratwurst. It had me at Guten Tag. It wasn’t loud or fancy. It wasn’t screaming, “Heyo! I’m a bratwurst!” It simply whispered quietly to me, “Oh, hello. I was made right here, in this very building. And I’m awesome.”

What kind of sausage heaven had I stepped into? Could it be true? Had I really just set foot in a restaurant that butchers, smokes, and prepares all of its meat right on the premises? And…no…in that display case…could it be…

Gourmet CHOCOLATE!?

Why, yes. Yes, it’s all true. This miraculous place is Greta’s Gourmet, and it’s right here in Lincoln, NE. Built and run by Kevin Mandigo and Shalla Powell-Mandigo, Greta’s Gourmet is a butcher shop, deli, and catering service all rolled into one.

Now, I know you’re all starting to salivate…I know you want to know about the food, but there’s even more Awesome to address first.

Many families have been built on love, loyalty, and understanding. The Mandigo family was built on love, loyalty, understanding…and meat. Kevin’s father, Dr. Roger Mandigo, has been a professor of Meat Science at UNL for 45 years. He pioneered the meat-binding process that allowed for the birth of the legendary McRib. No, for real. He’s been inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame. And he’s retiring this June…June 30th, to be exact. This means you’ll be seeing him around Greta’s, lending an (expert) helping hand, so you should probably come in and compliment him on being completely Awesome.

Okay. Food. Finally. When I asked Kevin what it is he loved about the food they make, he replied:
“We use the word ‘handcrafted’ a lot around here. All of our meat products are made from scratch, and they’re made here in the shop. We take the ingredients that we have in front of us, and we use them to create the food that we offer.”

And let me tell you, this food is great. Has a chicken salad sandwich ever made you close your eyes and made you sing a little happy-song in your head? My dad had the chicken salad, and then I decided to have it the next day.

That’s right, my family got Greta’s for lunch two days in a row.
Imagine. In-house-smoked chicken…golden raisins…red onion…sharp cheddar…a light, flavorful mayo…complete with a buttery, flaky croissant. Trust me, this is not your typical community-picnic chicken salad. This stuff might even make you cry just a little bit.
Paul got the smoked salmon salad. Delicious, apparently. (I hate fish, so…you know…) I also got the BBQ pork. Totally yummy. Mom got the smoked turkey and bacon sandwich two days in a row. What did we get for sides? Marinated veggie salad and caprese salad. Fresh, crisp veggies, giant hunks of fresh mozzarella, and delicious vinaigrettes.

Oh, and also, they sell Christopher Elbow chocolates. If you’re familiar with Christopher Elbow, you understand. If you’re not, go here after you’re done reading this. Kevin is friends with the talented Christoper, and this chocolate is mind-blowing. You should probably get a few of these for dessert.

Next, I asked Kevin why he chose Lincoln as the setting for the business:
“Lincoln is a tough market for this concept, but the reason that it’s perfect, is that we fill a completely untapped niche. Lincoln doesn’t have any full-service delis or butchers, and very few gourmet grocery options. We wanted to create a place to which we would want to go. If I were just a random customer on the street, my wife and I would be here every chance we got.”

Now that’s not arrogance, folks, that’s somebody simply loving what they do…and I don’t know about you, but that’s a quality I look for in a business. Especially a restaurant.

Be sure to come in for their $4.00 lunch, Friday burger meal, and their hot dinner special. That’s right, you can call in, reserve a dinner special, and have it ready for you as you walk in the door.

Here are a few things coming up at Greta’s that you should definitely be aware of:

Official Ribbon Cutting
Today, June 16th, at 10:45

Cappy’s Annual Outdoor Bike Show
Sunday, June 26th, 12-6 pm. Greta’s will be serving ribs, beans, and some other yummies.

Wurstmacher 101
Friends, this is TOTALLY AWESOME. For $50.00, you can learn how to (and help) make sausage with a couple of experts. And then you get to eat sausage. And then you get to take some of said sausage home. They only have a few slots left for their upcoming session, but will be making this a regular institution. Can you say, “Most perfect Bachelor (or Bachelorette!) party EVER!?”

Okay, class. Raise your hand if you had heard of Greta’s Gourmet before. Hopefully, now that you’ve learned of this glorious meat-heaven, you will flock to it in droves, gleefully squealing and grabbing passersby by the shirt collars, dragging them all the way to Greta’s…and after you experience the deliciousness, you should write them a Yelp review. I hear through the Meatvine that Kevin rewards people who bring in their reviews…rewards them in a gourmet chocolate kind of way. I’m not saying that he does or doesn’t… I’m just saying he might. 🙂

Finally, after all of this meat discussion, I still haven’t gotten to the sweetest part.

Who, you might be asking, is Greta?

If you come in, you’ll see some gorgeous pictures of a beautiful, smiling, little girl playing with kitchen utensils. This is Kevin and Shalla’s daughter, Greta. And she is CUTE…and obviously adored by her parents…and probably adored by anyone who gets the chance to meet her.

Their meat may be amazing, and the chocolate may be sweet, but the most important ingredient used at Greta’s is family…and nothing, my friends, is sweeter than that.

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A Guest Post on Park Ettiquette

Variety is the spice of life, right? Well in the spirit of spicey variety, I’m introducing the ‘Monday Guest Post Blogger Explosion,’ in which I feature a post every Monday from one of my rock-your-face-off co-bloggers. We’re kicking off this explosion with a post from Meghann Chapman, a dandelion-wishing, hair-styling sorceress, who blogs whimsically and rules benevolently over the Land of Little Girls in the mystical land of Kentucky. Playing with other kids is becoming increasingly more prevalent in our lives, and this kind of stresses me out. I asked Meghann to share her experiences with her beautiful daughter (yes, that’s her in the picture) Lillie, and how she handled them.

Raising a child that loves the outdoors is wonderful. Lilie has absolutely no problem staying outside from the moment her breakfast bowl is empty ‘til the fireflies start to dance (minus a nap).

We mostly just hang out in the backyard and the garage, but several times a week, we venture over to a near by park. I’ve never really been crazy about the big city parks that stay full of kids. So, this quiet, little neighborhood park is perfect.

Our park stays mostly calm. The kids seem to be friendly—most of the time. The parents seem to be attentive, instead of letting their creatures run wild. And it just never gets very crowded.

One thing I’ve noticed, about small parks and crowded parks, is that there is always a general etiquette to follow.

I’ve read a few magazine articles over the years and have done a little research on the matter. There is a lot of advice out there. So, instead of trying to pick out all the “important stuff” and put it all together in one big repeated mess, I’m just going to share my personal experience. I figured if you want the info that’s already out there, you’d already have searched and read it, right?

There’s too much advice out there for me to remember it all. I haven’t followed a lot of advice but I have tried to observe how other parents handle situations and then just do what seems right when its my turn.

Here are a few situations and how I did/would handle them:

-I’m pushing Lilie on the swing and another child comes and asks me to push him/her on the one next to Lilie. Is it rude to say ‘no?’ Would the parent want me to push their child? How familiar am I with the child? Is their parent nearby? Ok, I’m one of those people that over analyzes things. Generally, if its another small child Lilie’s age (three or four-years-old), I push them. Probably not anyone any older.

-Lilie is trying to go down the slide but a kid keeps blocking the way by climbing up the slide backwards. Well, I don’t let Lilie do that, first of all. What do I do? I might let it go the first time. But if its persistent, I go over to the the child (while in action) and firmly, but politely, ask him to take turns and let the others slide down.

-If other children bring a toy or a ball, Lilie doesn’t pass it up on her radar. I try to put myself on the other side. We are supposed to teach our children to share, right? I allow Lilie to play with the toy, as long as no one else is, she treats it with care and the child isn’t in need of it at the time. I don’t think it would be fair for a parent to allow a child to bring a toy to a place full of children and then not allow the toy to be shared. I think this very situation should be more of a lesson in sharing.

-When Lilie is eating something and another child asks if they can have some, I always say ‘no’ and I always feel bad. Now, I know I just raved about sharing, but if you ask me, food is different. There are too many reasons not to share: food allergies, diet issues, digestion problems, routines. I know if I just have problems making Lilie eat her meals, I sure don’t want anyone giving her snacks. I don’t want to take a chance on causing any problems, and I think this one could be serious.

Ok, so I’ve shared four scenarios and how I, personally, have/would handle them. But like I said in a previous post about dealing with other children, it’s really a judgment call. It’s hard to draw out a black and white line for right and wrong because there are so many different parenting styles.

So, here’s my advice when it comes to playground etiquette: just stay calm, and try to make your best decision. Put yourself in the other parent’s shoes. What would you want someone to do when dealing with your child?

To sum everything up, I want to leave you with a great quote I found. This woman seems to word it best:

“The Mommy Code. If I’m standing near the slide and a little guy gets scared and needs help down, I’ll help him. You’d help him, too. If I see some big kids being rough or wild near a little kid, I’ll say: “Hey dudes! Remember there are little guys around, OK?” So why is it there are some people who will see a kid fall off a swing and just stand there, dispassionately observing, like “Hmmm… Interesting… It fell down and now it cries…” Seriously? You’re a mom. Do the right thing, woman.”
-Lydia B.
Rants from Mommy

What about you and your neck of the woods? How would you describe the playground etiquette you’ve observed in your area? What are some do’s and don’ts you abide by?