A birthday blog...

Well, in honor of the 7th anniversary of my 25th birthday... I thought I'd share a few of the things that I'm currently just. plain. loving. Hmmmm... what ever might I start with???

Yes, this day-o-celebration started just right. It continued beautifully. And it ended with great food, family, friends, and happiness. I look forward to many more days like today, birthday or not.

Ergo, anyone? (Rainy day project!)

Anyone who encountered me out and about when the girls were roughly 6 months to 30 months probably witnessed the Ergo in action. I loved the Ergo. Abby is my babywearing lovechild. Just last week, she sat in my lap in tears, pleading with me: "No, Momma! I not too big for the Ergo!". The tears on my shirt did not all belong to Abby after that line. (For those of you wondering... while we were die-hard Moby wrap lovers during the first 6 months, the Ergo was the ultimate next step... click on the links if you're interested.).

You may remember A & E in their early ergo contraptions:

Don't get me wrong: I applaud their creativity and I LOVE their compassion and desire to be in such close contact with others. But I am pleased to share with you the all-new, momma-made ergos:

Yes, if you are a babywearing-guru, these are "sling" type carriers. But who is really going to correct an almost-3-year-old when she uses the term "ergo"?? :) We have some steadfast rules about toys in our house: they do not belong at the kitchen table, they do not go into stores or leave the car when running errands, and they do not go to other people's houses when we are on a playdate. These rules have made it so simple for the girls to part with their belongings when we ask as well as teach them that they do not always require entertainment. I broke the grocery-store rule for the first time today... ever. Abby and Elise desperately wanted to wear their babies in the ergos into The Merc. And even I couldn't say no to this cuteness. 

If you're interested, I basically used this pattern, with minor tweaking. Super simple - took about 20 minutes total. Let me know if you want one - I'd be happy to crank out a few more!

No Bake Sesame Bars

Our local (and favorite) grocery store, The Merc, offers cooking classes regularly. I've taken two classes, the most recent was last week that I took with my mom as her mother's day gift. The class was "Whole Grain Desserts and Snacks" and I found a new ingredient: Sweet Sorghum. I really try to limit sugar, and I'm currently working to cut back even more, so sweeteners like honey and maple syrup pop up almost daily here. Sweet Sorghum is a thick, molasses-like syrup that I had never even heard of! I picked some up and made one of the recipes that was presented in the class, No Bake Sesame Bars, and not only do we all like the bars but the sorghum is officially on my sugar-substitute list! These bars are another perfect toddler cooking activity, as they contain only ingredients that are safe for tasting along the way!

No Bake Sesame Bars
courtesy of Hilary Kass at The Merc

• 1/3 C organic sorghum syrup (or honey)
• 1/3 C organic peanut butter
• 1/2 C nonfat dry milk
• 3/4 C organic sesame seeds
• 1/4 C organic raisins
• 1/4 C organic unsweetened shredded coconut
• Mix together all ingredients
• Spread in an 8-inch square pan
• Wet hands and press down firmly
• Refrigerate for 4 hours

Wordless Wednesday: Sentimental Laundry

It's Popsicle Time!

Popsicles. The girls have loved popsicles since they were roly-poly, diaper-wearing, doodles. And nothing says "Summer is here!" like a fruity, cold treat running down their cheeks. :)  I found this recipe for homemade Strawberry-Ricotta popsicles from one of my favorite blogs and it is a must. We made them yesterday - definite success!

Strawberry-Ricotta Popsicles

courtesy of My Baking Addiction

• 1/2 pint organic strawberries; stems cut off
• 1 C whole milk organic ricotta
• 1/8th C organic pure cane sugar
• 2 T organic local honey
• Puree strawberries in blender
• Add ricotta, sugar, honey
• Freeze - We don't have a popsicle mold, so we went the dixie cup route and instead of big long popsicle sticks, I bought wooden spoons at Michaels (they sell them with the popsicle sticks, but they are shorter and wider); Make sure you use the plastic dixie cups or the wax-coated ones, fill 2/3 full, cover with foil, and insert stick.

The girls have been in a rather high-energy state lately. They are here, there, and everywhere. Which, while it can lend itself to a total depletion of parental patience, it also lends itself to some very funny moments. Here are two worth sharing:

• While looking outside the window bird-watching:
• Elise:  "Momma, those mourning doves?
• Me: "They sure are mourning doves."
• Elise: "Why there no night-night doves?"
• To Gran, after seeing the cat, Sam, drinking water out of the running bathroom faucet:
• Abby, looking somewhat perplexed: "Gran, how Sam turn the water on?"

Tomorrow at 3:00 pm marks the start of summer vacation. Can you say "WAHOOOOOOO!"

PB&J? No thank you, Momma.

Last Saturday, we were busy. A little shoe-buying. A little cleaning. Some playing here and there. Lunch time rolled around and it seemed like a perfect PB & J kind of day. We eat peanut butter. A lot. We buy it in bulk at The Merc - organic, just peanuts - and it's delicious. The girls love PB & J on locally made organic whole wheat tortillas. But not today.

• Me: "Girls, do you want peanut butter and jelly on bread or tortillas?"
• Elise: "No thank you, Momma."
• Me: "You don't want PB & J?"
• Elise: "Momma, you make me some couscous? With olive oil and vinegar?"
• Me: "Yes, dear. I will happily make you couscous."

And just like that, with a smile, I threw together some couscous. It is easy. It's a great texture. And it does indeed go perfectly with olive oil and vinegar.

Couscous salad

• 1 C Israeli couscous
• 1/2 organic avocado
• Organic strawberries
• Fresh mozzarella
• Canned tuna
• Fresh basil
• Olive oil and vinegar
• Toast couscous in dry pan over medium heat until fragrant and starting to brown
• Add 1 C water and cover; Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed (can add more water if needed)
• Fluff couscous with a fork
• Toss with avocado, strawberries, tuna,mozzarella, basil, and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar

Wordless Wednesday: Go Fly A Kite

Sweet Baby Stink

Damn blogger...

Blogger deleted my post from earlier in the week. Damn. It had something to do with a lady at the grocery store and her unhealthy, processed, boxed foods. Clearly I was on some kind of a soap box but I can't recall all the details. I do know this picture was included, so I'm reposting the pic. 

Eat-o Burrito...and an orange julius.

Yes, I said "eat-o, burrito!" (we'll get to the orange julius part in a minute...)! I just had one for lunch. I had one for dinner last night, too. Homemade burritos are a cinch and they can even be made ahead of time and tossed in the freezer. So how d'ya like that? Want one tonight? No problem. Interested in making a batch to eat later in the week? Piece of cake. Here's what you need:

• Organic whole wheat tortillas
• Organic refried beans (we love refried black beans)
• Organic onion - diced
• Local, free range chicken - cooked and diced
• Shredded cheese
• Shmear refried beans on tortilla
• Add onions, chicken, cheese
• Wrap tightly
• Place on foil-lined baking sheet and brush top side with olive oil
• Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes
• Top with organic sour cream, local salsa, organic avocado
• If you want to freeze, assemble burritos, wrap in foil, and place in freezer bag. Add 10-15 minutes on baking time if frozen.

Okay, as for the orange julius. Sara Suzanne - if you're reading this, you're probably wondering why I didn't pair the orange julius with homemade pizzas, right????? Well, if it makes you feel any better, Elise has been calling this drink an "orange Julia".  Anywho... for a refreshing afternoon snack, I did this:

• 2 organic carrots - juiced
• 2 organic tangelos - peeled
• 1/2 organic banana
• 1/2 C. organic milk
• 1 T. local honey
• handful of ice cubes
• Toss in blender
• Drink

Happy Friday! Now go eat-o your burrito and sip an orange Julia for dessert!

Spring = Blog slacking

It's raining right now. Thundering and lighting, too. My babies are sleeping soundly and I've been looking through oodles and oodles of pictures from the past couple of weeks. And I promise that the faces looking back at me are. not. starving. :)  But the pictures of food are. definitely. lacking. I found one set of food pics, though, that I want to share. It shows the ease of making a "kids meal" out of a "grown up" meal.

I wandered around the grocery store alone a few days ago and as I meandered to the check-out, I took notice of a mom beside me. More accurately, I took notice of her shopping cart. There were lunchables. And those frozen PB&J sandwiches, with no crusts and what appeared to be white bread. And fruit cups - the kind with canned fruit: peaches, pears, and an occasional cherry. I saw juice boxes and kool-aid. Frozen pizzas and frozen chicken fingers. Pop-tarts. In theory, that shopping cart hit many of the food groups: meat, grains, fruit. Each and every bit of which was contained in a box, with an ingredient label, and a whole lot of unnecessary. 

My point is that cooking for your kids doesn't mean buying food that is made for kids. Does it mean adapting some of your tastes and preferences in order to make sure your littles ones eat a hearty meal? Absolutely. Here's where I'm going with this:

On Mother's Day Eve (I personally view Mother's Day as a 3-day event), John fixed us dinner. We had fresh spinach from the farmer's market, some local chicken, and organic sweet potatoes. John and I were going to have a nice spinach salad; the girls are not really into leafy greens yet. So they got some green beans as their veggie, strawberries, mashed sweet potatoes, and chicken. Couldn't be simpler... or tastier.

And how about a few reasons why, on this Mother's Day, I continue to be the luckiest momma around:

• At the dinner table, after telling a story about a little boy who had a bee in his shorts, stinging him:
• Abby: "What you talking about?"
• Me: "A little boy who got stung by a bee."
• Abby: "Oh. What color?"
• Me: "The bee?"
• Abby: "No, the little boy's shorts."
• While heading out to run errands with just Elise, after dropping Abby off at Gran and Grandpa's for a playdate:
• Elise (on the pretend phone): "Hi Gran. This Elise. I running errands with Momma. Abby stay with you but if I don't go running errands, Momma be too lonely."
• At the library. I was down one of the aisles looking at books, when I heard a familiar little voice talking to the librarian, Ms Jane:
• Abby: "Ms. Jane who wrote Mary?"
• Ms Jane: "Excuse me?"
• Elise: "Who the author that wrote Mary?"
• As I came around the corner, there are my two little ladies, behind the circulation desk, at the librarian's computer, inquiring about who wrote Mary Wore Her Red Dress. Ms Jane kindly told them the author's last name and took them to find the book. Sweet Ms Jane - thank you for sending a book home with us... AGAIN... to be read 14 million times. Oh, how we love Mary and her red dress. :)