Mama Bear and her Cub in the Cave; and a Recap of the Inaugural Island Ilfrey Juice Playdate

Sage and I have been to exactly one official playdate, and that was Goat Playdate, which you will read about in a moment.  We used to go to Stroller Strides, and hang around after class with the other moms and kiddos on the playground.  Sage was so much younger and pretty much uninterested in other kids.  She really liked climbing stairs and sliding on slides, though.  Alone.  Since we stopped going to SS, we have spent a lot of time together and travelling.  We go to the Butterfly House at the Botanical Gardens, mostly.  Have I mentioned she wants to be a lepidopterist when she grows up?  Seriously, the kid really knows butterflies.  And she enunciates it clearly...A couple of times we have also gone to the aquarium or the science museum, but mostly we do art projects at home, play outside on the playset, go to the beach, read.  A number of wonderfully fun, enriching and educational activities.

But we do not socialize.  I have to admit, I need interaction with people.  Positive, insightful, mutually beneficial interaction.  Sadly, I think I've had a run of bad luck with old friends and new friends alike, so I have a tendency to shrink from the dramatic, the negative, the trivial and hibernate with my cub in my cave.  This has been going on a long time, long before she came along.

So a few weeks ago I was in a fashion show as part of LUNAfest.  (No, I'm not a supermodel, in case you are wondering.  But I played one that night.)  A woman I met one time at Stroller Strides was also in the show, along with two of her playdate mommy-friends.  Instantly, I hit it off with all of them, and their other friend who came along to watch them in the show.  We talked throughout the show, really got each other's humor.  It was awesome...so after the show I joined them for a night of mild debauchery.  Since then, we have done two playdates, one at our house.

Now, I tell you all this to underscore how remarkable it was that a) I invited anybody to our house for a playdate and b) that I felt completely comfortable with the preparations for the date.  I think I've mentioned how much I "love" cleaning...heheheheh.  The house looked fine, the play area was easy to set up, and when everybody arrived, I felt like I was just hanging out with friends I'd known for a very long time.  Crazy, but in a good way.

I had told them at the last playdate (affectionately known as Goat Playdate) that I juice a lot of fruits and vegetables.  Daily.  Yesterday's date became known as Juice Playdate, because I offered to introduce them to the liquid portion of my regular diet.  Juice Playdate began with Cafe du Monde coffee -- of course.  Then we moved on to my skin juice: 4 cucumbers, 1 carrot, 1/2 red bell pepper and 1 gala apple.  Next we tried carrot, apple and ginger.  (Even the babies loved this one!)  The third juice was SUPPOSED to be celery, red cabbage, apple and ginger, but I was talking (shocker!) and forgot to include the apple.  Good thing Anna had to leave and Courtney was full, because it was AWFUL.  David and I drank it all, though, anyway.  I had also made a spinach quiche which was COMPLETELY DEVOURED.  Yay, one of my 5 recipes was a hit!

Next time, I'll make green smoothies, too.  Maybe another juice or two.  Dare I introduce them to my meatless meatloaf?  Hell no, says David.  Anna reads this blog so I'm posting reading recommendations related to juicing, smoothies, raw food, etc.

Green For Life by Victoria Boutenko
Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen
Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose
Recipe books that accompany Blendtec blenders, Breville juicers, or similar appliances