Saturday, September 27, 2014

The Ultimate Mushroom Burger Cook Off!


My good buddies over at Life of Dad have been teaming up all month with The Mushroom Council to celebrate #Shroomtember. Throughout the month a bunch of different dad bloggers have been posting their mushroom recipes to their blogs and on Instagram. Well, they saved the best for last, because I invited some family members over for a Mushroom Burger Cook off and we have not just one recipe for you, but three! 

I love mushrooms. I always have. Stevie, on the other hand, took some convincing. And by convincing I mean that I had to hide the mushrooms in any food I wanted to have mushrooms in. I started slow and small, and gradually increased the size and consistency of the mushrooms in our meals. Now we have mushrooms with pretty much everything.

If these three fantastic mushroom burger recipes make you want more, be sure to check out all of the awesome recipes at the Mushroom Info Website.  

And! If you happen to post your own mushroom recipe to Instagram with the hashtag #Shroomtember you could win $500. 

On with the burgers!

Friday, September 26, 2014

What to Expect When You're Done Expecting

Hi gang! Stevie here. 

A few days ago I had what I considered to be a very mild conversation with my currently-pregnant-with-her-first-kid sister. Apparently what I consider mild and not shocking, she considers not mild and incredibly shocking. Which, now that I think about it. It is. When I was pregnant with Duchess, I was so excited for her come out of my body so I could meet her face to face that I completely neglected to consider what would happen to my body once she was out!  Had the information I presented to my sister been presented to me before my first child was born, I suppose I would have been shocked too. Still, I wish I would have known it then, and I am glad she knows it now. I mentioned our conversation to John and in a very John-like fashion he said "You should write it down for the blog! I bet other moms will be able to relate!"

And then I said "I don't know John. Some of it is kind of icky."

And he said "Some of it is kind of icky should be the motto for the whole of parenting."

So here you go: a few tidbits of information about labor and post-partum life that you won’t find on your cutesy little iPhone app that tells you what size fruit your baby currently is:

Disclaimer: I am obviously not a medical professional. This is all based off my experiences. Your results may vary. 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

No, Adrian Peterson. It is Not OK to Beat a Child With a Stick

Last week Adrian Peterson, Running Back for the Minnesota Vikings, was indicted by a Grand Jury in Texas for Child Abuse. While discussing it with various people, I have been absolutely stunned by those putting up a defense. Not just defending Peterson, but actually defending the practice of beating a child with a stick.

“You don’t understand because you don’t live in the South.”

“I don’t understand why it is OK to hit a 4-year-old child with a stick?”

“Yes. It is a cultural thing.”

“A cultural thing? What does that even mean?”

“This is how we were brought up.”

This is an actual conversation I had this weekend. In 2014. Now, I fully admit to not being from the South and lacking a regional and cultural context in which these things happen. And by “these things” I mean a child – a 4-year-old child – being beaten with a stick until his legs are bloody. And from what I have heard, this practice isn't exclusive to the South. But maybe, just maybe, my “lack of perspective” in this case is a good thing. Because instead of seeing context. Instead of seeing tradition. I see this:



And I am angry. I am disgusted. Not just at Adrian Peterson, but at any context in which this becomes acceptable and defendable. It is not. No child should endure this. If we did this to a prisoner it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment. And yet, because it is “tradition” it is OK. In some families it is OK to beat a child with stick.