Gardening Costs

I love gardening.  One of my favorite times of year is when it's finally warm enough to get outside and plant some vegetables.  There is absolutely nothing like the taste of fresh tender lettuce or truly ripe red tomatoes.  However, some people do gardening just because they want to save money.  This article goes into some detail on which garden items are most worth the cost.  If you have limited space (like I do) it would help to decide which plants make the cut in your garden.

Kid Quotes

"I'm making a zibbit for my museum."

"I'm shutting this door with the greatest of shuts!"

Upon seeing the star next to the "1" on an elevator button, she shouted "Macy's!"

"It's a small world after all. There's so much we all share that it's time we eclaire it's a small world after all!"

Teeth and Food

While all our big life changes are going on around us, Little Sister is doing all sorts of momentous things of her own.  Over the last few days she's cut two, count them, two new teeth!  Given that these are her first ones, it really was not a huge amount of fuss that she made.  This is in keeping with her generally calm demeanor, so I shouldn't be surprised.  Still I am grateful.  I think Older Sister cried for weeks before her first tooth came through.

Speaking of teeth, L.S. is also making huge strides on the food front.  She was never a great fan of purees, and I did wonder if I might have a picky eater on my hands.  It turns out that all she wanted was to be able to feed herself!  We still struggle through a spoon feeding (which I do to ensure that she gets enough iron-fortified cereal) but when it's time to get out the tiny pieces of sweet potato, she gets very enthusiastic.  Her pincer grip is tops, and she quickly shovels tiny bites of carrot, peeled blueberry, peas, and cereal puffs into her mouth.  If her tray should become empty before the meal is over, she yells for more.  I guess the second child has to learn to speak for herself or she might never get fed.

Shaving Cream Fun

In the midst of all the tumult of the last few weeks, it turns out that the kids still need, well, everything.  There's no stopping just because you are booking flights, or trying to find foreign lawyers, or wiring money to the funeral home.  They don't take any time off for meetings with contractors or filling out mortgage documents.  Kids are really not amused by the packing of boxes.  Thus we have been working hard to find activities to keep little brains absorbed, and that is how we found ourselves spraying shaving cream on a dump truck.

The shaving cream is a trick I remember from student teaching in a 5th grade classroom.  It turns out that even sophisticated nine year-olds think that squirting Barbasol on a desk top is a super fun time.  Squishing it around (thereby cleaning the surface) can entertain an entire class for a good 15 or 20 minutes.  When you're finished, everything smells fresh and clean.  Preschoolers are even more enchanted by the idea.  First we tried it out on a table, and it was amusing, but then Daddy had the idea to take it outside.  Mountains of foam on the truck AND a bristle brush made her positively giddy with joy.  Now we have the shiniest truck in the neighborhood, and we managed to get a few things done.

Lunch Menu for Kids

Now that my preschooler is out of school, it will be up to me to provide lunch seven days per week.  Sometimes we stand in the kitchen with me making healthy suggestions and her saying "nope, nope nope" for what seems like hours.  I get frustrated, and sometimes give in to less healthy requests just to get the whole thing to stop!  This year we're doing the lunch menu.  I'm posting five choices on the refrigerator door, and that is all that will be on offer.  Maybe I will rotate the choices to keep things fresh.  Maybe.  Here's a sample menu:

                                         Mom's Cafe
                    all menu items come with fruit and veggie sides


1.  Egg salad on crackers
2.  Cottage cheese with tomatoes
3.  PB & J
4.  Cheese sandwich
5.  Hummus and pita

Pre-Schooler Fun #1

In the midst of all the tumult of the last few weeks, it turns out that the kids still need, well, everything.  There's no stopping just because you are booking flights, or trying to find foreign lawyers, or wiring money to the funeral home.  They don't take any time off for meetings with contractors or filling out mortgage documents.  Kids are really not amused by the packing of boxes.  Thus we have been working hard to find activities to keep little brains absorbed, and that is how we found ourselves spraying shaving cream on a dump truck.

The shaving cream is a trick I remember from student teaching in a 5th grade classroom.  It turns out that even sophisticated nine year-olds think that squirting Barbasol on a desk top is a super fun time.  Squishing it around (thereby cleaning the surface) can entertain an entire class for a good 15 or 20 minutes.  When you're finished, everything smells fresh and clean.  Preschoolers are even more enchanted by the idea.  First we tried it out on a table, and it was amusing, but then Daddy had the idea to take it outside.  Mountains of foam on the truck AND a bristle brush made her positively giddy with joy.  Now we have the shiniest truck in the neighborhood, and we managed to get a few things done.

RIP

My poor mother-in-law passed away over the weekend.  It was a very sudden and unexpected event, and it has everyone, most especially my husband, completely blind-sided.  She was neither old nor frail, and I really did expect her to live a good long time.  I suppose these things just happen sometimes.  The good news is that she died at home in her bed with her animals nearby.  Just the way she would have chosen.  Of course this is only small consolation.

She was a formidable lady with a strong sense justice, a quick mind, and a keen sense of humor.  She spent much of her time caring for those who had no one else; her circle of rescued pets was an ever-changing menagerie.  Her circle of friends was larger still, and I know there will be many people missing her in the years to come.  She loved her family fiercest of all, and there will forever be a gap left by her departure from this world.

New House Activity

Earnest money is away, so I guess we're very, very likely to get this house.  Now come all the logistical challenges associated with moving out of one house, fixing it up, fixing up the new house, and moving into that.  Scheduling is going to be tricky, and it's made all the more interesting because we're talking about the middle of summer and everybody is going on vacation.  At the absolute minimum, we need to find a floorer, painter, foundation experts, and movers who have time to work within our window.  I foresee many hours on the phone in my future.  These are good problems to have.

New House!

We did it oh we did it! Oh we did it oh we did it!  We finally managed to win the offer battle (against seven other players, and one of them was all cash) and now we are under contract.  If all goes well, we will be moving into our new place by the middle of July.  I can't believe the house hunt is finally over.  Once the slog of moving is over, we will actually have our weekends back!  More details to come.

Potty Times

Holy crap (har!) I think we've done it!  Delphinium showed some interest out of the blue and we seized upon it as enthusiastically as we could.  A few times since then she's asked for diapers, but we just keep saying that she's a big girl and only the baby should be wearing diapers.  She seemed quite fine with that idea.

The first few weeks were a bit rough.  Sometimes, by the end of the day, I was washing an entire load of wet things which was quite demoralizing at times.  We did persevere however, and things did get better and better.  It helps that we have a travel potty which allowed us to stop anytime and anywhere to have a quick pee.  It also helps that we were in the the thick of training over Easter, and I broke my less sugar rule by giving her a jellybean every time she sat successfully.  At roughly two jellybeans per hour, I felt it was a worthwhile trade.

About three weeks on, and we're mostly there.  I would say that we now average one accident every three or four days, and even that seems to be tapering off.  I bought some iron-on transfer patches to help her tell front from back on her underwear, so we talk about trying to keep the robot or the butterfly dry.  We have not even attempted to go all night, but sometimes she wakes up dry too, so I have hopes.  Now if we can just avoid regressions, we'll be in great shape.  Fewer diapers!  Squeeee!

Ergo Love

Have you seen Ergo baby carriers?  Every generation of kids seems to have different set of cool, must-have gear, and this era is no exception.  From Baby Legs to Pack'n'Play to Exersaucers and Bob strollers and even Nose Frieda, there are so many items, good and silly, to tempt parents.  The Ergo is one of those items that is really actually worth the hype.  The virtually all cloth baby carrier somehow manages to be hugely more comfortable for parental backs than anything else I've ever tried.  On a recent outing I forgot my Ergo, and had to use my old Bjorn for a 1.5 mile walk.  The difference in my neck and shoulders was instantly apparent.  I think the $80 price tag will be easily met (I like to pay $1 or less per use on baby gear) by the hundreds of uses we'll get our of ours.

Five Month Update

The baby has discovered her feet! And also her voice.  She's now five months old, and the progression of new skills is amazing.  All this new awake time (down to 3-4 naps per day) means she can grab her toes, play with toys, and yell, yell, yell.  She's full of zest and energy and chubby-cheeked smiles, so everybody wants to stop and chat.  She's a wonderful companion, and if she would just let me have a little bit more sleep at night, life would be good.

House Hunting Again

Now that the baby is getting a little older, we've decided to get back into the house hunting game.  We still want a new house for the same reasons as last year, mainly space, but  now it's especially important.  We are feeling the realities of having another person (and all her stuff) in the same area.  We know we could make do with the house we have.  I know that I was raised in a much smaller house than the one we have now.  We know that this is a first world problem.  Nevertheless, if we can afford something that suits us better than our current place, shouldn't we go for it?

Since we're open to a wide range of locations and house types, it seems like we shouldn't have too much trouble finding something.  However, the same problems that plagued us last year are now even worse!  Namely, the low inventory available in our price range, and our allergy to anything needing serious work.  The agent says the number of homes on the market today is 30% less than it was at this time last year.  It is certainly turning out to be a sellers market.  Low, low interest rates are the only thing keeping this a worthwhile prospect.

Therefore, we head out again and again, to see houses that never seem quite right.  We find lots in great locations, but the actual home is awful.  We find lovely homes located on ultra-busy streets (or directly behind the fire station!).  Shared driveways, impossible garages, sharp hills, no sidewalks, and eyesore neighbors all plague us on the outside.  Dark rooms, musty basements, ancient bathrooms, and cracker box kitchens seem to await us on the inside.  One day we hope to find one place, just one place, that doesn't have anything major wrong with it.  But I'm not bitter. Much.

Vaccinate Now!

A few months ago, I wrote about my support for vaccinations especially in regard to the pertussis outbreak in our state.  Washington and Oregon have two of the highest rates of unvaccinated children perhaps due to the large numbers who follow "alternative" lifestyles.  These are people who believe vaccinations cause more problems than they prevent.  Of course there are also simply the lazy people who just can't be bothered to protect their children.  Both groups have always driven me up the wall since they are relying on the immunity of the rest of us.  Now this issue is brought into stark relief for me by a recent experience.

A regular part of our weekly schedule is a visit to a certain shopping area which includes a grocery store and a Starbucks.  We often grab bread or eggs before meeting a friend for coffee.  Imagine my dismay when I read in our local paper that there had been a case of measles reported in our town.  When I went to look at the dates and locations of exposure, I found that our one regular stop was the main focus of concern.  Even the times of day lined up.  The rest of us are fine, but since my baby is too young to be vaccinated, she is at real risk for this illness.  We had three whole weeks to wait before we were in the clear.  I am happy to report that she is fine, but that is a matter of luck and nothing more.

A baby or child who catches measles is in for several weeks of recuperation and a host of unpleasant symptoms.  Most children, however, do recover without permanent harm.  Pregnant women are a whole other issue.  If they are expose to measles their babies risk blindness, deafness, and even occasionally death.  This is not about some vague desire to be "natural" or "have less chemicals" or "avoid autism."  Science, the best information we have available, does not support these concerns.  It is about protecting the lives and health of my baby and yours.

Cooking Fail!

Confession time.  My Valentine menu did not go quite as planned.  I posted my plans, but things went a bit awry.  First of all, I did not even attempt the stuffed peppers.  The night before, the baby did not sleep much so neither did I.  When I went to cook that night, I knew I was too tired to attempt the whole thing.  Instead I opted for beet and asparagus salad, mushroom tart, and dessert from the store.  Trimming things back just seemed the smart thing to do.  It turns out that it wasn't enough.

On my husband's advice (he's a much better cook than me) I added some dried mushrooms to the fresh ones I diced for the tart.  I reconstituted them just like the package directed, but they were still completely rubbery and tough.  We ended up having a not wonderful rubberband tart for our family Valentine dinner.  The only good part was the beets cut with heart cookie cutters which tickled the fancy of our toddler chef.  Next time, I will be grinding the dried mushrooms in the spice mill if I want to add extra flavor.  Live and learn, and don't try new recipes on important nights!

Valentine '13

It's now been ten years since M and I first met, and I still think he's the proverbial cat's pajamas.  Therefore, here is a list of ten reasons to love him (in no particular order):

10. Cool under pressure
9. Smart, smart, smart (alec?)
8. Reads (novels even!)
7. Hilarious
6. Produces beautiful babies
5. Takes care of beautiful babies
4. Endlessly patient with beautiful babies
3. Fabulous cook
2. Perfect travelling companion
1. Puts up with me!

Valentines with Kids

The sweetie and I have always had a pact not to go out to restaurants on really busy holidays.  It's always packed, you never get very good service, and the food is usually over or under done due to the rush.  Thus was born the Valentine's dinner at home followed by a date night at some later time.  Now that we have little kids, this is even more appropriate.  This year Delphinium has done all the decorations and the menu will be as follows:

-Beet and goat cheese salad (we'll use a heart cutter on the beets)
-Puff pastry (heart-shaped of course) filled with creamed mushrooms
-Stuffed red peppers filled with tomatoes and rice
-Chocolate cake (baked in my heart pan of course) with whipped cream (dyed with a tiny drop of beet juice)

Sick Day

Well we are home today sick, so I actually have the chance to make a blog post!  An amazing rarity these days.  When either of us is sick, I allow Delphinium to watch television, and I don't even feel guilty (too much) about it.  It turns the day into a really calm experience.  Every few hours, when things are just starting to get whiny or sad, we have fifteen minutes of Kipper or Thomas, and everything is better again.  Another way we maintain sanity is by doing art projects.  Yesterday she painted half an egg carton with tempera paints, and then today we applied the eyes and face to make a caterpillar.  I remember making these so often with my brothers!  Let's just hope she's over things by Thursday, so she can go give her paper airplane valentines (how cool is that?  you can fold the card into an airplane!) to her classmates.

Four Month Doctor Visit

In celebration of turning four months old, I took Little Bird in to see her pediatrician for a well-child visit.  The biggest news is that she's doubled her birth weight!  For someone who started out so slow (with the tongue-tie) that's pretty impressive.  I do have to say that she has some delightful rolls and dimples, and absolutely the cutest chubby knees I've ever seen (don't tell Delphinium I said that).  She's also grown four inches in four months.  No wonder she cries sometimes!

The doctor declared all to be well with our girl, and said that she is developing and progressing nicely.  She can hold up her chest and head when on her tummy, follow a toy held in front of her, and even reach for the toy (not always successfully) and put it in her mouth.  The days of not worry about what's in arms reach of the baby are certainly over.  Next month she even gets to start out on solid foods!

Baby 2.0 is Four Months Old!

Baby 2.0 is now FOUR MONTH OLD!  On the one hand, it seems like yesterday that we were at the hospital, but on the other I can't really remember what it was like not to have her.  Did I say that already?  It's quite possible I posted the exact same thing when she was one month or three months, and I really wouldn't remember.  Sleep is still a bit of a challenge as she's been waking at night more than she used to.  However, I really cannot complain on the sleep front since she goes down for naps and now nighttime without hardly any complaining.  Seriously, you lay her down where you would like her to sleep, and there is often no crying at all before she conks out.  Amazing if you ask me.

Add to all that a happy, easy personality, and you have a very lovely baby in my humble opinion.  She pretty much just goes along with us and does all the things we do.  We tackled the grocery store the other day with just the three of us (I had mostly been waiting until M or Grandma was around) and it went really well. The Ergo is really becoming our friend.  She's happy riding around on my front, and it gives me use of both hands.  I put the Big Girl in the cart, and we were off!  We also use the Ergo when the weather is on the dry side, and it allows us to get out for walks in our neighborhood.  When we had thirteen days in a row without rain, I think we managed to get out on about ten of them.  At this point, exercise is at least as good for the head as it is for the body.

Over all I would say we are doing a pretty good job of fighting off the winter-with-a-tiny-baby blahs.  It takes serious work to get out of the house and go, but it definitely pays off in the sanity department.  Afternoons are still long (Is 4pm until Dad gets home a killer for all moms?  I suspect so.) but a combination of art projects and puzzles usually gets us through without too many struggles.  When the going gets really hairy (as it occasionally will with a baby and toddler) we break out the pile of books.  It turns out that you can nurse and read at the same time, and peace can be had.

Baby Eyes

There is nothing quite like watching your tiny noodle of a newborn (oh how I love that peanut shape they curl into at that stage) suddenly "wake up" as they turn that three month mark.  That whole argument about the forth trimester of development really rings true at point.  With our Little Bird we notice this most with her vision.  For her first several months she had that vague, unfocused look unless you were about six or eight inches from her face.  Now it seems obvious that she can really see for much greater distances.  We know this because she's started making eyes at us from much farther away.  For instance, when I put her on her play mat and stand above her, she tracks my face, and smiles when she sees me.  (The smiles and giggles just get better and better, and now she is making many more "comments" about life as well.)  She can also sit in her exersaucer on the floor and watch me cook dinner which is really a fabulous development in my book.

Maple Pecan Pie Recipe

Okay I am horribly remiss about this, and you probably no longer care at all, but I still wanted to post this amazing recipe for pecan pie.  It uses maple syrup instead of karo, and the difference in flavor is something of a revelation.  Of course this is still an incredibly sweet and sticky dessert, so it's probably not something you want to contemplate during January, but maybe by Valentine's you'll be ready to explore the world of sugar once again.

The Things Kids Say

I have taken D's half empty box of raisins, dropped in a handful of nuts, and handed it back to her. She says "Nuts in the raisin box!?  That's the craziest thing I've ever seen!"

D, watching me change her sister for the umpteenth time "Well this is a poopy morning."

From the backseat of the car "Zed zed zed!  Zee zee zee! Zed zee zed zeee!"