A Fashionable Moment

Congratulate me! For once in my life I am fashionable! A few months ago I happened across a really attractive pair of red pants. While I do love bright colors, I normally save them for the top and leave the bottoms in some neutral shade (black, denim, khaki, more denim, etc.). These pants were so cute (and so cheap!) that I just couldn’t resist. I am not disappointed. They look great with a black or white t-shirt, and I can even dress them up with a cute top and wear them out. I even had sneaking thoughts about using them as the base for a casual holiday outfit with a dressy sweater or blouse. In short, I’m happy with my little purchase.


Then I read on MSN that red pants are one of the major fashion trends this year. Of course they featured a pair that cost roughly the annual budget of a small African nation. I thought they looked a heck of a lot like my inexpensive pair. Then, just today, I was reading Redbook, and what do you think I saw? You guessed it, a piece on the top five trends of the season, and there were red pants. Ahhh yes, I may be the least fashion savvy person on the planet, but even I get it right every once in a while.

Playing Pretend

Imagination is the word of the month at our house.  The little big girl is learning about how you can pretend things that aren't really happening.  This is a pretty significant step for a little brain, and she is taking to it like the proverbial duck to water.  It all started with me pretending to feed her dolls (whom she loves with a passion) and took off from there.  Now her favorite game is called "night night."

For some reason it's a game that can only be played with Daddy in attendance.  She sits in the middle of the living room floor, and pats the carpet while saying our "names" (Dada and Mimi).  We have to sit on the floor until she comes up to each of us and "pushes" us over.  Then we have say "night night" and pretend that we are asleep.  Sometimes babydolls, stuffed animals, or toys join us, and the baby herself goes down to sleep too.  After a minute or two, she sits up again, and we are all allowed to yawn and stretch and say "good morning!"  She will play this game as long as you are willing to continue, and her dad is especially kind about this.  If only bedtimes and naptimes could be so easy!

First Day of Autumn

The official change of seasons always takes me by surprise.  Around our neck of the woods, the "first day of autumn" was sunny and 80 degrees.  That just doesn't make much of an impression on your mood.  I had absolutely no desire to break out the sweaters and go buy some pumpkins.  However, just yesterday things suddenly turned.  In the morning we had my favorite soft blanket of fog, and the temps were down accordingly.  Sure we got some sun in the later afternoon, but we were still wearing our long sleeves in comfort. 

Today it is rainy and cool, and I'm must confess to being relieved to see the sun gone.  I love summer, but the glare and the heat do tend to get to a person after a while.   It was nice to be able to take the baby out for a mid-afternoon walk without worrying about her over-heating.  Then there's the food.

When cool weather arrives I feel like the real cooking can begin.  Sure, summer produce is glorious, but who wants to actually turn on the oven or the stove when it's hot out?  Now we can get stuck into soups and stews, casseroles, pot pies, mashed potatoes and gravy, and the occasional perfect pan of mac and cheese.  Warm, comforting, and homey are the words and feelings of the day.

As if on cue, my mom came over with a collection of beautiful pumpkins and other squash.  She grew these specially for the baby, who adores them, and we were not disappointed.  The first meal of steamed delicata was met with much "oooing" and lip-smacking.  Served with baked beans and sautéed chard, it was the perfect fall meal for a toddler.  It was gone in about five minutes flat.  For dessert we had absolutely perfect pears from the farmers' market.  What more could you ask for on the "real" first day of autumn?

Quotable Pine

"What we do for ourselves dies with us.  What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."

Albert Pine

No-Fail Quiche Recipe

My favorite go-to breakfast or bunch item has to be quiche.  Most everyone seems to like it, it can be served hot or cold, and it can be made using whatever you happen to have on hand.  Did you find great tomatoes and mushrooms at the farmers market?  Perfect!  Did you pick peppers and zucchinni from your garden?  That's wonderful too.  Even if all you have is frozen spinach and onion, a delicious hot meal is close at hand.  There are a million and one ways to prepare this dish, but here's my favorite version:

Spinach, Onion and Cheddar Quiche


-1 pie crust (uncooked and preferably the frozen whole wheat one from Whole Foods)
-1/4 pound cheese that melts well and tastes good (swiss, gruyere, cheddar?)
-About 1 and 1/2 cups filling of your choice (mushrooms, spinach, olives, etc.)
-3 eggs, beaten (add an extra if you have lots of filling)
-1 cup milk
-1/2 tsp. dry mustard
-1/4 tsp. nutmeg
-Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Heat olive oil or butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the veggies and saute until softened, add the mustard, the nutmeg, and some salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Whisk the eggs well and then add the milk. Arrange the cheese evenly on the bottom of the uncooked pie crust. This ensures that the crust stays flaky and crisp, so make it a point to do the cheese first. After the cheese goes the filling you've prepared. Pour over the egg and milk mixture as evenly as you can. Place it in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until nearly firm. Cool on the counter for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Discrimination Against Atheists

Forgive me for being less than housewifely, but this is a matter of great import for many of us.

Harpers Index reports that nearly 60% of the U.S. population claims they would consider a well-qualified homosexual candidate for president. However, only about 25% would consider a well-qualified atheist for the same job. I'm delighted to hear the first number, but dismayed by the second. One would think that a more open-minded populous would try gauge candidates based on their merits rather than some arbitrary moral standard.


There seems to be an assumption that one cannot be an ethical person unless one subscribes to some sort of faith. Thus atheists who wish to participate in politics will need to hide their true feeling behind a facade of religion. Intolerance is intolerance plain and simple, and it is such a same that people who are otherwise liberal and inclusive should still subscribe to this particular brand.

Daycare!

Goodness gracious!  I can hardly stand to write it out there in bold black text, but we are visiting our first school tomorrow!  We have to get on the waiting list a year in advance for some schools, so I thought it best just to visit several in one fell swoop.  Daddy is taking the day off and we're tromping through a whole list of schools nearby. 

The thought of sending her somewhere without me makes me feel dizzy and a little sick.  However, there are so many good reasons to do school next year that I just can't find enough reasons not to.  I want her to be strong and independent, I want her to have the social fun with her peers, and I want her to get the experiences and education she can find at school.  I know all this is true, but it still feels really strange all the same.

Annoying Restaurant Trends 2011

I'm certainly not getting out to new restaurants like I used to before the baby, but we do still get to visit our favorites upon occasion.  Some of the new and notable "trends" in the hipper places are downright irritating.  The communal table is one of my personal pet peeves.  One thing I hate is making small talk with total strangers, and that is exactly what a communal table often forces you into.  Communal tables and nine other bad ideas are listed here by Zagat.

Super Sweet 100 Tomato

As summer comes to a close, I just have to take a moment and sing the praises of my favorite variety of tomato. I know this may seem weird, but we do love our garden, and this tomato plant is our shining glory. Why should we care so much about a stupid plant? Because we're not supposed to be able to grow tomatoes in our yard. I visited a "master" gardener at the farmers market, described our situation to him, and he said that we could not have tomatoes in our yard at all! I could not believe it. "Not enough strong sun!" he declared with great surety. Well I simply could not accept this!


We took a little trip to our favorite nursery, Molbaks (my friend CH once recommended it by saying "it's expensive, but the plants mostly live." where we found several varieties of cherry, beefsteak, and heirloom tomato plants. We bought four different plants, and took them home with our fingers crossed. Even though the year was not overly warm, we got cherry tomatoes within just a few weeks. That season the Supersweet 100 did the best, but a few of the other varieties produced as well.

This year the difference is even more pronounced. The Supersweet started producing first, the fruit are zingy and flavorful, and now, in the middle of September, we're still getting about a pint per day. I cannot say enough about the variety, and we will be planting only these next year. Take that Mr. "Master" gardener!  I should invite him over to sample some of my produce.

Hello My Name is Mimi

For reasons known only to her, the baby has suddenly decided to call me "Mimi".  It's always been "Mama" since before she really knew what she was saying, but for some reason it's changed.  I first started noticing when she looks at my driver's license photo (which she does a lot because it keeps her from fussing when we have to wait for things) but now she says it all the time.  One person suggested it might be her transition from saying "Mama" to the more grown up "Mommy" and she's just a bit stuck.  Whatever her reason, I find it irresistible, and she can keep using the nickname until she leaves for college if she likes.

Bento Lunchboxes

The baby is getting older and acquiring more teeth at an astonishing rate.  As a result, we are doing less and less toddler finger food and more grown up menu choices.  This means that when I pack things up to for an outing, I'm doing something with multiple parts and often several courses.  After all, We're still eating every two hours (either a meal or a snack) so you have to be prepared!  I'm getting so tired of all the little tubs I could scream.  This morning our little meal pack for the morning included six different tubs and a water cup.  This is why I'm excited about bento boxes.

I know, I know it is the trendy yuppie mom thing to do, but they are just so darn practical!  Two, four, or six little compartments for all sorts of tasty tidbits, and the good ones have tight enough lids to keep everything separated and fresh.  Some require an elastic band to hold them together, but many are self-locking.  Hello tasty lunches and goodbye diaper bag filled with peas that escaped their inadequate container. 

Besides the practicality, they're just so darn cute!  This one features dragonflies.  While this one is actually shaped like a frog.  I'm not sure why the band makes the frog look like he's crying, so we'll probably skip that one.  This one features a very strange English phrase on the top that is either meant to be nonsense or a very poor translation.  I think it says "Around the year when we would like to stand on tiptoe."  That's bound get more than a few head scratches.  I know our girl would be tickled by several of these little boxes, but I refuse to pay more than about $15 for mine.  I haven't quite decided on which one we should have, but I'll keep you posted.

NW Trek

Over the weekend, we got the chance to visit a local wildlife park called NW Trek. It's a wonderful place set on 500 acres of forest and meadow land, and it is home to many native Washington animals. The carnivores and smaller animals are kept in more traditional zoo-like enclosures, but the larger herbivores get to roam "free" in one huge area. The people cue for a chance to ride the tram and try to spot the animals. The baby, having recently ridden another little train, was very excited to go.

First we saw huge bison, and then the sweetest little bison baby, which made quite an impression on our girl. She kept making the sign for "baby" after that one. Next were some bighorn sheep. A large group of them were on the trail as the tram came up, and the scatter right along side, so we could get a really clear look at them. Again the baby was excited, but this time she started making a different sign. For some reason she made the sign for elephant over and over. I have no idea why, but at least she was happy.

The Science of Napping

Napping is a topic up for much discussion in our house.  We LOVE naptime (those who actually sleep and those who just enjoy the quiet) but it can be a tough thing to achieve.  It seems like some weeks daytime sleep is not a problem at all, while other weeks it's achingly difficult.  In the short term, it's quite clear what happens when a nap is missed or shortened, but I often wonder about the long range effects.  This article, in the New York Times, gets into the science of toddler sleep.  It doesn't offer many clear answers, but it's quite interesting nevertheless.

Ride Tricycle Awards

I don't think I've ever mentioned the website, Red Tricycle, before, but it is a great resource.  They include all sorts of info for parents about things to do for kids.  They are the first place I look when I want to find out about upcoming events, and you can also look at reviews of classes and services for kids too.  Once a year they have their awards too, and I always enjoy reading the results.  This year I've actually taken the time to vote and you can too.  The results will be announced in October. 

Camano Island Camping

In pursuit of one more dose of summer, we made our way up to Camano Island. It is stunningly beautiful, like most all the islands up here, but it has the added benefit of no ferry ride to contend with. Now don't get me wrong, I love to ride the ferries as much as any Pacific Norwesterner, but during tourist season they can be a bear. We've waited in ferry lines that were four hours long! Especially with a toddler, this is not a happy prospect. Thus we love the "drive on in" quality of Camano.


When you first see Stanwood, your heart sinks a little. At least mine did because it's such the classic depressed agricultural town. I grew up near one in Oregon, and I do not care to revisit that culture. Perhaps I'm being overly judgmental here, but there it is. However, once you pass through Stanwood things change fast. The "island" itself is beautiful, but when you get to one of those viewpoints where you can look out over the water, it beautiful becomes stunning.

The state park is pretty much what you'd expect as far as amenities. The sites are drive-in, they have easy access to water, toilets, and garbage, and they all boast reasonable fire pits. None of the sites are right on the water, but many of them have very impressive views. One downside is that many of the best view sites are also right along the road that leads down to the boat ramp. Still, the traffic is not too bad, and most people are moving very slowly.

The baby did pretty well on this trip. She really enjoyed the company and the novelty of it all. She sat in her own fox-themed camp chair, ate normally forbidden snacks, and went hiking and strollering with the group. One of our favorite parts was going down to the rocky beach and throwing stones in the water. Some of us (not me) are very good at skipping the flat pebbles. The baby was just concentrating on trying to throw them far enough to actually have them land in the water. Her first few dozen "throws" really consisted of her dropping them next to her own feet. The image of her standing next to her daddy, in her little blue fish dress, throwing stones is one I will not soon forget.

In short, Camano Island is glorious, the campground is decent (but not so good if you really want to "get away" from people, noise, and cars), and I would certainly go back. How else can we practice our skipping?

80 Breakfasts Blog

I've discovered the most delectable food blog!  80 Breakfasts is written by a girl in the Philippines who simply loves breakfast.  While she does get on to other food topics and recipes too, breakfast is certainly the closest to her heart.  She makes plain old oatmeal look anything but, and her recipe for eggs and avocado looks tasty too.  Let's break out of the cold cereal rut, and embrace some of these 80 breakfasts!

Pony Rides!

To celebrate the continued existence of summer sun, we made a pilgrimage to a local institution, Remlinger Farms. This is a wonderful place where you can visit with farm animals, ride a choo choo train (with steam and whistle!), and float along in a little canoe (if you weigh less than about thirty pounds). You can also have A PONY RIDE! On A REAL LIVE PONY! Oh yes, and they also have lovely flowers and fruit and veggies and a big trike track and a hay maze, but did I mention THE PONY?!

It was very hot on the day we were there, but that did not dampen our enthusiasm for the task. We waited in the shade of a Conestoga wagon cover as the other children got called back for their rides. The girls doing the leading would pick the next child based on their size so that small ponies would have small riders and so on. Being a very small person, Delphinium got to go to her pony very quickly. Her tiny blond pigtails were bobbing like mad when she first saw the horses.

His name was Spice, and he was brown with a cream mane and tail. Once we got up close to him I asked Delphinium if she was sure she wanted to get on his back. Lots of nodding and happy chirps dispelled my concern, and she was up on his back in no time. Grinning and holding on for dear life, the pony turned, and we headed down the little path. Spice must have been the world's calmest little horse because he did not so much as turn an ear to anything. A few minutes of chattering and waving later, we were back at the "barn" and it was time to get off. Luckily, Grandma was there, so it wasn't too sad to leave the pony. I do believe that's an experience we'll have to have again.

Off Your Desk

One of the things I most hate in regular life is dealing with paperwork and bureaucracy.  Filling out a form is one thing, but when you have to refer to Appendix A for a description of qualifying conditions or divide box 3f by 27r I start to lose my mind.  It's all so ridiculous, but all so important at the same time.  Once a year I can face these things for the purpose of doing taxes, but any more than that and I start to get positively gloomy.  That is why any service that offers to take care of such things is of great interest to me.

Off Your Desk is a website that offers to help manage healthcare claims.  For a flat fee (I think it's $200), they will deal with your paperwork, and get you more money back, on average, then a person working on their own.  When the baby was born I had to argue more than one claim, and in most cases they had simply been miss-processed. Each one was an ugly uphill battle.  Now I've never actually used this site, so this is not a recommendation.  I just think it sounds like an interesting, and possibly great, idea.  Has anyone out there actually used the site?  If so, what did you think?

Reading for Beads

I recently heard the cutest idea for young readers, and I just had to share it here.  A friend's child has a teacher who buys hundreds of beads at the start of the school year (at her own expense if I know teachers).  She also chooses long lengths of cord (satin?) which, when combined with the beads, makes a great bookmark.  Every time a child reads a chapter book, he or she is allowed to choose a bead as a reward.  Some choose beads that represent the book, such as a dog or a rocket ship, while others choose letters for their name.  Over time, the tail on their bookmark gets longer and longer, and the child gets a physical reminder of their reading success.  I would have been SO thrilled by this idea when I was a young child.  I will certainly be trying this lovely little scheme with the baby when she gets to be a few years older. 

Lunchbox Saftey

In all the furor over getting back in the lunch packing groove, many of us forget about the possible dangers lurking in poorly prepared or stored foods.  This New York Times article has a fairly comprehensive set of tips to help protect your child from getting sick.  Some of it seems fairly obvious, don't keep tuna at room temp for hours, but other things are less clear.  Are you in the habit of washing your melons with soap and hot water before cutting them?  I didn't think so.

Potty Business: Update

Ugh!  As I mentioned recently, I have been on the hunt for the perfect potty.  I don't think we need anything fancy, just a simple, uncomplicated, ahem, chair (if you know what I mean).  However, those who design children's products do not agree with me.  No, no they want everything to be super extra special in every way.  Even the potty.

The first one I found on Amazon has a smiley face where the action takes place, and IT SINGS A STUPID SONG!  Yes, when it detects, urm, motion, it plays one of three uber-happy victory songs.  This is supposed to induce your child to go all the time because they will be so enchanted by the lovely music.  Or they will literally have the pee scared out of them when the things suddenly starts to play.

As if that were not bad enough, the second horror potty is actually Disney princess-themed.  No, no it doesn't have a picture of Snow White perched on another kind of throne (though maybe if it did I'd be more inclined to buy it just for the shock value).  It has a grouping of standing princess clustered together on the lid, but that is not it's real draw.  No, this potty's special magic comes from, you guessed it, magic potty sounds!  As if the victory song were not strange enough, this potty will go "bibitty bobbetty boo" for you when you go.  What kinds of freakish associations might these two terrible potties create in some young minds?

Rock Collecting

Yesterday we were playing in the backyard doing our best to enjoy every last rain-free day. Delphinium was enjoying a tub of warm water filled with toys, when her attention was drawn by a pile of rocks in the corner of the yard. She took her little red bucket out of the water, wandered over to the rocks, and then methodically began to sort through them. She put about one out of every five in her bucket, and I could not tell what her logic was for choosing some and rejecting others, but it looked like she was doing the most serious task of all time.


After the bucket was about one quarter full, she took it over to the tub of warm water, and dumped in all her treasures. A few minutes of swishing, and she popped them back in the bucket one by one. Without a second glance at the water and the other toys, she marched her bucket'o'rocks up the steps and into the house. She plunked the bucket down next to her little table and let out a sigh as if she was saying "well that's done at least."
I know this sounds like a boring blow by blow of a kid playing, but I've never seen her do anything so complicated before. She made a plan, worked through the steps, and did not become distracted along the way. I have no idea why, but I suppose that really isn't the point. Does this mean she'll grow up to be brilliant, focused, and dedicated, or just somebody who really likes rocks?