The Meal

For Mother's Day the girls were all excited to make breakfast in bed for mom. Jessica rumbled out of bed a little after seven and stared at me like a hungry wolf until I put down my breakfast spoon and my Sunday Daily News and agreed to get the morning breakfast going.

We had so much fun that later that day Stef and I decided to make a special Mom's Day dinner. We created a restaurant called Cafe Schramm (this took 4 seconds to name) and developed a menu for the evening. We decided on:

Italian bread with fresh mozzarella, olive oil, and basil (I forgot the tomatoes)
Spinach salad
Lobster bisque (bought, not made)
Steak (with rice and steamed broccoli)
Schramm Surprise (some fruit concoction with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, whipped cream and crumbled angel food cake we found on the Intergoogles)

Stef, Jess and I looked like we were on the set of Iron Chef. Ingredients were furiously chopped, diced, and spiced; pans flew around the kitchen like lies at a Glenn Beck town hall, and several beers were consumed while I ran from kitchen stove to outdoor grill to check on the steaks.

Jessica acted as our server, offering up a hand-designed menu and a glass of red wine to start the meal. We had a great time cooking together, and I realized that the girls know a lot more about cooking than I do. They threw out terms from various cooking shows and seemed to know where everything was in the kitchen (although Jess didn't know by "thingy" I was referring to a small saucepan, not a colander.

In the end, we all had such a blast that we agreed to cook something together at least one more time in 2010.

Pay? I'd Play This Game for Free

Because the girls both play and enjoy soccer, we recently took them to a Red Bulls game. I wanted to show them how many of the skills the girls have and the techniques their coaches talk about translate at the professional level. It was also an excuse to get them to ANY professional sporting event. I've often mentioned going to a baseball game, but it is met with the same response I'd have if someone asked me to go to a Sarah Palin fundraiser. Going to a football game is out ("too violent" and "too much falling down" according to the girls) as is basketball (no interest) and hockey (are adults even interested in hockey at this point?)

The game was great, the girls had a lot of fun, and they were amazed at the players. During the game, we started talking about professional soccer in general. I told them soccer hasn't been as successful as other sports in the U.S., but players can still make a great salary. Stef interjected, "They get paid? I thought they were doing this for our entertainment." I explained that they were doing it for our entertainment and yes they were getting paid; in fact the two are intertwined.

Jess was looking out on the field during this exchange, then leaned into me and asked, "Daddy, I could get PAID to play soccer?" "Yes, you can get paid to play soccer if you work really hard and are very good at it." I think the wheels started turning in her head, processing how to become the first professional artist/soccer player.

Mac & Cheese & A Nice Gesture

Last night we got home after celebrating their cousin's first communion. The girls were hot, tired, and hungry. Stef asked if they could have Stouffer's Mac and Cheese, a default meal that always satisfies. I said yes, unloaded the car, took out the garbage, and came back in the kitchen to see Stef already over by the microwave. I figured I would fix the girls dinner (after all, you only need the microwave) but Stef said "It's okay daddy, I already made Jessica's and now I just need to make mine." Okay, it's just a small gesture but I love that Stef thought of her sister over herself. I'm pretty sure Jessica was oblivious to the whole thing but it was just the latest example that shows me that Stef will always look out for Jess.