I'm A Goofy Goober, Yeah.

Spongebob Squarepants. You either love him, or you hate him. Personally, I love him, not only because of his childlike mannerism or naiveté, or even the fact that we both have a split between our teeth, but because I can relate to him on a deeper level. You see, I too, like Spongebob Sqaurepants, am a goofy goober.

So what makes me a goofy goober? It comes down to little things, those seemingly insignificant things that I find myself doing on a daily basis. Things like going 'weeeeee!' out loud on the swings, running around like a child, blowing bubbles. You may be thinking, yeah sure, you do those things because you're a mom and your kids expect it of you. But the thing is, I have enjoyed goofy activities like this before I became a mom - doing them around my kids just makes me seem less like a wacko in the eyes of society today.

But why does society frown on acting goofy as an adult? Why does society dictate that, once we hit the age of 30, or maybe even 20, that blowing bubbles is no longer acceptable? It's like those signs by the cash register that say 'No alcohol under 16' (this is Europe) - if it was up to society, they'd also have signs saying: 'No blowing bubbles over 25'!

I have accepted the fact that I am a goofy goober. So has my husband, thank God. My husband, who had lost all contact with his inner-goofy goober years before we met, has been known to let his guard down and be a goofy goober again, every now and then. I have been a major influence on him as far as goofy gooberness goes - he knew that I was a goofy goober (a trait that goes far back in the Hennessey gene pool, incidentally) when he married me (even the third time). He accepted that life with me would involve regular amounts of goofy gooberness. Now that we have kids, that amount has increased tenfold, which helps him to rediscover his inner-goofy goober every day anew. For someone who is not born with natural goofy gooberness like me, it's a challenge for him. But it's a challenge we face together.

Being a goofy goober makes me a better parent, I'm convinced of that. You have to be a goofy goober at times just to cope with the challenges of parenthood. I mean, how else can you come up with songs about doing a pee-pee on the potty? You can't. Not with a straight face in any case. It takes a degree of goofy gooberism to accomplish a task like that.

I believe everyone has a goofy goober within them, it's simply a matter of letting it out. Ask yourself this: when is the last time you giggled inanely, ate ice-cream that had a face on it, or played with your food? When is the last time you flew a kite, sang along to a Disney movie or ran after an ice-cream truck? When is the last time you made a daisy chain, finger-painted or did the puzzle on the back of the cereal box? Yesterday? Last week? Last year? Too long ago to remember? Then you might just need a new mantra. Memorize these few lines and by doing so, you can create a portal through which the goofy goober in you can emerge:
I'm a goofy goober, yeah.
You're a goofy goober, yeah.
We're all goofy goobers, yeah.
Goofy goofy goober goobers yeah.

We're all goofy goobers. Yeah. You, me, the mailman, the pope. Your mom, your neighbor, even that guy who picks his nose behind his newspaper on the subway in the morning. When you're chewing a piece of gum, can you remember how to blow a bubble? When you're going out to get the mail, why not try whistling a tune? If you feel like making pancakes, why not make them in animal shapes? Add some food coloring to your glass of milk! Draw mustaches and missing teeth on the photos of people in the newspaper! Fold a paper airplane out of that jury duty notice! Be a goofy goober! Yeah! Do it today! (It'll be the best day ever.)

Neglected Responsibilities...

I have suddenly realized, in one of those rare moments of clarity I sometimes experience, that I have been receiving awards left and right, but have been neglecting my duties to pass them on! What kind of selfish self-loving blogger am I?!

My very first award was the 'I Love Your Blog' award, bestowed upon me by the hilariously illustrious Naked Writer, whom I adore to bits and pieces and recently bestowed the prestigious 'Your Blog Makes Me Lose My Boldily Fluids From Every Single Orifice' award. I thank you.
(*note: I removed the picture of the award since it looked as though that was the award I was awarding others, which it is not.)

Then I received the 'I Love Your Blog' award again, this time from the quick-witted and charming Jacob, who e-louminates me and inspires me to think outside the box - which can mean anything from reminiscing about old romances to visualizing Fred Flinstone with his pants down. I thank you.

Then out of nowhere, perhaps simply for posting a recipe for meatballs in which I managed to incorporate a picture of myself playing the kazzoo, I received the Versatile Blogger Award from the hysterical, down-to-earth (and quite possibly my new mom role model): Midwestern Mama Holly. I thank you too.

I thank these three from the very bottom of my soul and give them the biggest, most virtually soggy kisses possible!

Now the responsibility part.

7 things about myself:
- My husband and I got married three times and in three different places over the past 11 years: once in Connecticut, once in New York City and once in Terneuzen (in the Netherlands).

- I was threatened with deportation almost 10 years ago and had to give up my U.S. citizenship in order to stay in this country; it was not my choice, but it remains a decision I regret to this day.

- I have two kids, which I still can't believe I actually made myself. From scratch. All by myself!!! (Okay, I had a little help.)

- I (still) smoke and I drink coffee as if it were the elixir of life.

- When I was a kid, I wanted to be a playwright.

- I spend hours working on completely useless research that will in no way whatsoever aide anyone in understanding the world any better. Right now I am trying to unravel the uncanny parallels between the mid-to--late 70's detective series ''Columbo' and one of my favorite parody shows of all time, 'Police Squad (in color)'.

- I officially have no pets, however, there is a very fat stray cat who frequents here and regularly leaves dead mice on the doormat.

And now, the 15 bloggers I've discovered and think are fantastic. Since I don't want to burden the bloggers who gave me my awards in the first place with the same award and the same obligations, and therefore creating a vicious cycle of re-giving, so I will secretly add them to my list, since I do think they're fantastic:

e-loumination

The Writing Womb

Are You Kidding?

Okay, now the list:

1: Crap I've Made
2: The Muffins Blog
3: Darth Mommy
4: Discovering Love in 365 Days
5: I Shoulda Been A Stripper
6: Handmade By Mother
7: Quiet Girl Gallery
8: Yes, His Name is Gary!
9: Dating Atlanta
10: What Max J Has to Say
11: Keesha-Fashionista
12: teeksplace
13: left of average, south of normal
14: In  the Middle of the Puddle
15: Intuitive Gardening

15 1/2: At the risk of being a total narcissist, I am including my own recently re-birthed blog, Today's Rant. My last post was in 2008, and so much has happened to me since then, that I read it now as if someone else wrote it.

So there you have it. I am honored to have been given these awards from such awesome bloggers, it makes me feel appreciated, loved and just all fuzzy on the inside.

Not So Swedish Meatballs

Okay, everybody has to eat. Today, I am sharing with you an illustrated version of one of my favorite meals, 'Not So Swedish Meatballs'.

This recipe is enough to feed four people (or six, if two of them are toddlers). Delicious with potatoes or pasta and some fresh veggies. Mama tip of the day: the more color in your meal, the healthier it is! *wink*

Ingredients:
500 gr. ground beef
one red onion
one egg
yoghurt
one cube of beef boullion
sweet soy sauce (I swear by Indonesian Ketjap Ajam)

Put all the mince meat into a mixing bowl. Add pulverized bread crumbs and one egg and mix together. (If you're queasy about mixing by hand, you can use a spoon...sissy.)

Roll balls out of the mix - you should be able to make about 30-40 balls, depending on the diameter.

Don't fortget to wash your hands before doing anything else, like playing the kazzoo...







Pour some olive oil in a deep frying pan and add one chopped red onion. Drop the meatballs in one by one so they stay intact. (No one likes mushy balls, now do they.)

Pour some sweet soy sauce (I use Indonesian Ketjap Ajam) over the balls as soon as you drop them into the pan. This is what I like to refer to as my patented instant marinade.

Add a swig of wine to the balls to intensify the flavor







(and take a swig yourself!)


Add your favorite spices (I love Mrs. Dash so much, I would adopt her if I didn't already have two kids) Let the balls simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Add some perky tomatoes for color and flavor.


Add the cube of beef boullion by crumbling it by hand over the meatballs. Do not add any water! You'll be diluting the sauce later with yoghurt.

About five minutes before serving, pour a generous amount of yoghurt* into the pan.

Stir in well and serve with veggies and pasta!




Yum yum!


 

 * If you have a little bit of yoghhurt left and don't feel like putting it back in the fridge, pour it into the sink! It's a super eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner!