Russian Soul Sundays

Hot Water Cornbread Recipe

It's taken a while but I think I finally learned how to perfect this. I need the right amount of salt and sugar (and yes, both are required if you like seasoning) while adding the right amount of hot water and cornmeal. Recipe: 1 cup cornmeal1 Tbsp shortening3/4 cups of boiling hot waterPinch of sugarPinch of saltOil for frying, about 1/2 inch. Directions: In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, salt,
Health, home decor, Mommy Commentary

DIY Lavender spray

So, in my homesteading adventures, I've grown a whole-ass lavender and rosemary bush. And for the past couple of years, I've struggled to come up with things to do with that bush. Drying it out and hanging it up as a decoration (something I've planned to do but never did) was an option but I wanted more. Then, my brilliant husband suggested - 'Why don't you come up with
Russian Soul Sundays

You Need to Buy the Mandarin Chicken from Trader Joe’s. Now.

So, Trader Joe's recently released its 10th Annual Customer Choice Award Winners. It's not a list I actively follow and honestly, I just found out about it this year. Some of the stuff on the list I've tried before so it wasn't a surprise. As many times as I've been in Trader Joe's, however, I never really paid too much attention to the Mandarin Chicken. Now we do try
Mommy Commentary

Why Kobe Bryant’s Death Hits Me a Bit Differently.

Now, before I go any further with this and to keep the feminist crowd at bay, I don't believe Kobe is a rapist, sexual assaulter, etcetera and so forth. I didn't believe it back in 2004 and I damn sure don't believe it in 2020. That being said, if those are your beliefs, you probably want to stop here. I'm going to keep it one hundred, I'm a bit
Mommy Commentary

Why Your Kid Sometimes Needs a Sick Day from School

As adults, we all know the unspoken rule that you use sick days for non-sick activities. Yes, I know people use sick days for actual sick days but sometimes you want to play hooky and use those days for fun. (Let's keep it one hundred, fam.) So, I thought about what I wanted to do with Bear. He's a good kid and an excellent student. He's only missed two days
Mommy Commentary

This Is Why Your New Year’s Resolutions Are Trash

Honestly, this post is 7 days into the new year and I'm pretty sure either you're going full-steam ahead with your brand-new gym membership, that Peleton bike your girlfriend swore up and down was the truth, and you went completely vegan or vegetarian at midnight sharp! And I'm pretty sure you might be struggling and wondering what the hell. Maybe a few of you are committed to the cause but
Mommy Commentary

A Year in Review!

It's so easy to get caught up in the now and going to, that sometimes you forget what you already did. So, we had a pretty amazing year. Let's check it out from the beginning, shall we? We went to see the Rose Parade floats since we literally live down the street from the Rose Parade. And seeing the floats up close and personal: Then we had a family
Russian Soul Sundays

Waka Latke Flame

Okay, so I had to come up with a title for my first-ever latkes recipe and I figured this was corny enough, right? Ba dum tsss! Anyway, my best friend, Ricci, is Jewish, and we celebrated Hannukahimas together (I hope I don't have to explain Hannukahimas). I went over to her house to cook the latkes as she explained to us the meaning of Hannukah and why there are 8
Ethan, Mommy Commentary

Celebrating Ethan

Eight years ago, my firstborn, Ethan, was born prematurely at just under 23 weeks. He only lived for two hours on December 13, 2011. This year, celebrating his memory has been rather quiet, almost muted. It's not that we don't care anymore; we'll always care, love, and celebrate our baby. It's more of a quiet reflection. As 2019 is drawing to a close, and a brand new decade is
Mommy Commentary

Our Thanksgiving Vegas Adventures

We did something different this year for Thanksgiving; we went to Vegas! Maks got me a Mariah Carey floor ticket for my 40th birthday. We originally planned to leave Los Angeles around 11 AM, but heavy congestion (along with a 10-car pileup) on the I-15 prevented us from leaving. So, we left later that night and well, that was a disaster, too! It snowed on our way to Vegas.