Stomach bug BE GONE!

The saddest part of our Christmas holiday this year was John. He came down with a 24-hour stomach bug the day before Christmas and was out of commission for 2 days. The girls missed him terribly and talked his ear off a mile-a-minute when we got home that night, filling him in on everything and more. Speaking of Christmas, enjoy this gem of a quote:

Elise: "Mom, on Christmas morning, Abby and I are going to run to the tree and yell 'Santa Claus was here!" and you and Dad just stay in bed and play along". 

We don't "do" Santa and, for the most part, the girls have done a wonderful job keeping our beliefs/traditions among those who share the same thoughts. Abby did request this for the first time:

Abby: "Mom, can we go get our picture taken with somebody dressed up like Santa Claus this year?"

And, while picking up some items at Target, a woman leaned over and asked Elise if she was excited for Santa to come. Elise politely said "Yes" and then turned to me, smirked, and winked. I'm so in love with their awareness of behavior and interactions with others...

Back to the bug. John was sick on Christmas; Elise woke up sick 2 days later. Luckily it ran it's course quickly and Abby and I appear to have dodged the bullet. The girls have had the stomach flu one other time - about a year ago - and nothing sends me into "high alert" like puking. My vinegar spray bottle gets overtime, sheets and pillow cases washed STAT, and dairy as well as any dark-colored foods are eliminated. Popsicles become a meal-time staple and, while there are some good store bought options, we are still madly in love with our Zoku popsicle maker from Grandma. Enjoy our sick-day popsicle recipe from this week - may the new year bring all of us happiness and health!

Pear-Mango Popsicles

• 1/2 C organic pear nectar
• 1/2 C water
• Handful of organic frozen mango
• 1 organic frozen banana
• Toss all into Vitamix; freeze in Zoku
• This made 4 popsicles 

Mindful parenting

As a parent, I feel one of my most important jobs is mindfully choosing what our children are exposed to. This comes in the form of food/diet... media/screen time... social experiences and peer interactions... books.. play and toys... language... The list goes on endlessly. But the process of thinking through each of these avenues of exposure has allowed us to create a home where nothing is off limits. It doesn't feel restricting to the adults - rather it feels freeing as our girls can "free range" their entire natural environment. And it is that very environment that I believe should be the foundation for a A and E's perspective on what is right/wrong, good/bad, happy/sad, boring/entertaining. 

No screen time has virtually eliminated unnecessary desires - without the bombardment of commercials and disney characters and animated action figures, the girls do not see those objects as necessary to play. By being a "maker" and taking so much pride in the things I personally create, the girls already take tremendous pleasure in giving and receiving homemade gifts (I couldn't have been more proud watching the excitement on Abby and Elise's faces when they gave handmade bracelets to two of their cousins for Christmas). I have to believe that listening to John play the piano is an influence in Abby saying just yesterday "Mom, I really am ready for piano lessons to start again". 

As mentioned previously, we're enthralled with the Little House on the Prairie books right now. I cannot stress enough how wonderful I believe these books are for children. It may seem old-fashioned, but it exemplifies a family unit who works and plays together, respects one another, and finds great happiness in the little things life brings. The girls in the book each receive a piece of candy for Christmas one year and our girls' faces lit up while reading that chapter - A and E recognized how amazing that gift was and never once commented on it being nothing more than a simple piece of candy. The picture below speaks to what we are doing - Christmas morning, our girls received books, a new shirt each, and a candy cane (thank you to The Merc, as usual, for supplying candy canes made with real cane sugar and no artificial dyes!). It was sheer happiness over a simple piece of candy. I don't think our girls are deprived; I think their world is rich with everything a child should have and that which they are deprived of are the things we have mindfully left out.

First snowfall of the season!

December 22, 2013

Foodie Friday!

Confession: my clothes are getting tighter. A little snug here, a little more stretched there. Could it be Bubbe's Christmas caramels? Maybe... after all, we did crank out two batches this year because the first one resembled more of a brick than a square of chewy-goodness. (In our defense, it was a new candy thermometer and the second batch was beyond perfection). I suppose the clothing dilemma could also be a result of the tiny human that I'm growing - 18 weeks along and going strong! I went for a run yesterday, however while reflecting upon the 3-mile outing, I decided I could no longer say I went for a "run". It was a "jog", at best. :)

For the most part, even where holidays are concerned, I try to "health" things up a bit. Here is a non-example of that:

The girls modified Gran's sugar cookie gingerbread people by adding ears. Then they painted them green... because they are obviously Shrek and Fiona cookies (we recently saw "Shrek: The Musical" at the Lawrence theater... the girls have not yet seen the movie). Doesn't everyone celebrate the season with Shrek cookies?

Back to the "health" part... Here are a few of my latest faves. The cookies and creamer were part of my contribution to Christmas brunch; the biscuits are just darn good and easy.

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Cookies

• 3/4 C organic coconut sugar
• 1 stick organic unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs (from the lovely Lavender, right out back!)
• 1/4 C organic molasses
• 3 3/4 C organic stone ground whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Chill dough for at least an hour before rolling
• Bake on parchment paper at 350 degrees for 8 minutes

Coffee Creamer

recipe courtesy of Deliciously Organic

• 2 C organic half and half
• 1/4 C organic maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp organic vanilla extract
• Heat half and half, maple syrup, and cinnamon over medium until steaming
• Remove from heat and add vanilla
• Strain through cheese cloth and enjoy!
• I love this in my naturally decaffeinated green tea (no caffeine for baby!)

Honey Whole Wheat Biscuits

adapted from A Bear in the Kitchen

• 2 1/4 C organic stone ground whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 T cold organic unsalted butter; cut into pieces
• 3/4 C organic plain yogurt kefir (could also use buttermilk)
• 1 1/2 T local honey
• Combine dry ingredients; cut in butter with pastry cutter
• Combine kefir and honey
• Add wet to dry
• Roll out dough to approx 5" x 9" rectangle; fold long sides up/down like a letter and roll again to desired thickness
• Bake on parchment paper at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Eat. More. Kale.

" Deck the plates with piles of kale... falalalalalalalalala

Tis the season for immunity to fail... falalalalalalalalala! "

It truly is the season when everyone gets something - gifts abound, stockings are filled, and germs invade. I don't get a flu shot. I don't give the girls a flu shot. But we do what we can to give our immune systems the fuel they need. Here are my top cold-season must haves:

1. Elderberry juice (local, of course)

• It's not the cheapest little serum, but a little goes a long way. I give the girls each 1/2 tsp per day, usually mixed into their smoothie but they'll down a spoonful if needed. High in vitamin C and touted as a good antioxidant.

2. Kale

• It's green and lovely. We eat it in soups... I loaded lasagna with it... it makes the best fresh salad... and we're pretty much green-smoothie-a-day folk.
• Smoothie:
• 2 C organic fresh kale
• 1 C organic whole milk plain yogurt
• 2-3 organic oranges; peeled
• 1-2 organic frozen bananas
• 1 C organic frozen mango or pineapple
• Kale Salad (which we fondly call "Kay's Kale Salad", as she introduced us to it)
• 1/2 bunch organic fresh kale
• 2 T toasted whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/3 C finely grated parmesan
• Dressing:
• Juice of 1 organic lemon
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1 garlic clove; pressed
• Pinch of kosher salt

3. Vitamin D

• John, the girls, and I all take Vitamin D supplements daily. We're getting less sunshine these days and a little boost can't hurt.

4. Sleep

• Non-negotiable. The girls are in bed by 7:30... usually asleep by 7:33. And if bedtime is bumped back, their daily rest often turns into a nap. If we know we're going to be up later than usual, we take a nap that afternoon as a proactive measure. I don't do tired - not me, not my kids. 

Knock on the Christmas tree, but we are doing good thus far! There has been a lot of coughing and sneezing at family gatherings the past couple of weeks and, while John got taken down for a few days, the rest of us are feeling a-okay, which is good because last Friday was a big deal: first piano recital! The girls are loving lessons and doing fantastic. They showed no signs of nerves or anxiety - marched up and played their two pieces each like pros. Elise, after seeing another student very nervously struggle to get started, turned to Gran and whispered "this must be her first recital". Yes, sweet child, just like it's your first one as well! And the day after, while riding in the car, Abby said "that piano recital was so much fun". 

The eight nights of Hanukkah

This week, the menorah went down and the christmas tree went up. 'Tis the season! 

As I do every year, this month makes me really think about "needs" and "wants" and everything in between. I read recently that one of the critical steps in raising grateful children is to NOT give them everything they want. The holidays are a time of giving, right? But I guess everyone has their own definition of "giving" - for us, it comes in many forms... many small forms... many intangible forms... 

I want the girls to be grateful, not greedy... appreciative, not entitled... content, not needy. Thus far, I feel like we're doing a pretty good job. We continue to keep toys to a minimum, screen time and gadgets practically non-existent, and gifts that are about quality, not size and quantity. If I had to name one of Abby and Elise's greatest 5-year old strengths, it would be their ability to PLAY. They can play anywhere, anytime, with anything. Maybe some people think our children are deprived... I think they've been given the greatest gift of all: the gift of creativity. If they don't have a pretend loaf of bread to put in Dorothy's basket, they don't ask us to buy one - they used a paper towel roll. When Mary Poppins needed an umbrella, they didn't ask us to replace the broken one - they draped a doll blanket over the top of a drumstick, creating a perfectly-shaped closed umbrella. Poor, poor deprived children. 

Here's the Hanukkah gift rundown:
- Night one: 2 new Berenstain bear books each
- Night two: Sketch pad and set of colored pencils each
- Night three: Handmade nightgowns with a matching nightgown for their favorite bears (made by Gran with love)
- Night four: Lego building set each
- Night five: Sleeping bags from Gran and Grandpa
- Night six: Animal legos to go with the houses from night four
- Night seven: Dinner on the Plaza to see the lights
- Night eight: 1 Little House on the Prairie book each and a DVD of a Disney Little House on the Prairie mini-series

Our house doesn't look like a truckload of new toys was dumped inside of it. I'm not scrambling to find places to store all of the plastic. But I am enjoying watching them build, listening to them read, and snuggling on the living room floor for rest time in new sleeping bags. They have both asked if we can go to the Plaza again next year for Hanukkah, all of the new books have been read over and over and over again, and the coordinating bedtime attire is really damn cute. It was a great eight nights and I get the feeling the girls are grateful for each and every gift. 

We've been busy...

Busy making pictures...

Busy making covered wagons to go with our Little House on the Prairie books...

Busy making music...

Busy making craft show goods...

Busy making... A BABY! Introducing Baby Lawrence... due to join the family in May. We are OVER THE MOON with excitement!

October recap

Well hello, ol' friend. So... October happened. Let's share a few highlights from the month...

We road-tripped to Indianapolis. We made this trip when the girls were 3 and we thought it was a piece of cake then! At 5, it was a walk in the park. We got up and left around 5:00 in the morning - I had the car stocked with a basket of new library books, which single-handedly ruined any chance of Abby falling back asleep. "When will the sun come up?"... "Can we turn a light on?"... "I should have brought my book light..." ... "I just can't wait to read these books!". What's not to love about that? And read she did, with her sister joining after the sun came up. There was not a single negative peep out of either mouth - they traveled great, they slept awesome, they ate like champs (as usual), and they were charming guests in someone else's home. John's cousin and wife, Mark and Lisa, treated us to yet another wonderful weekend getaway, which included:

Children's Museum:

Neighborhood horses and fingernail painting:

After John recovered from the beer and tamale consumption that took place in Indy, life settled in as usual...

Lots of reading took place (as it does everyday):

A couple of teeth fell out... is anyone surprised that the girls lost their first tooth one day apart and it was the same tooth??? Oh, and at their 5-year check-up (which we just had done), their height was the same and their weight differed by only .4 pounds. Not FOUR pounds, but POINT FOUR pounds....

I know other great things happened between the teeth and Halloween but you get what you get. Toward the end of the month, we had our 28th annual pumpkin carving party, followed by Halloween. Abby dressed up this year as "an angel named Winter" and Elise danced her way through the holiday as "Liesl, from the Sound of Music". Homemade costumes rock - Abby picked her fabric and jewel for the shirt... Elise selected her shiny pink material for the poofy sleeves. Simple, inexpensive, and well-loved. Abby started coming down with a cold on Halloween and trick-or-treating was questionable... until the scolding began: Elise, finger pointed in my direction, "Mom, you cannot make Abby stay home. She gets to wear her costume and go and you can't tell her no." Typically, I wouldn't condone that type of tone directed toward an adult. But when your kids stick up for one another, regardless of the circumstances, it's worth supporting. Abby, you have your sister to thank for Winter, the angel, making an appearance at Halloween 2013.

Let's get CRAFTY!

Making "stuff" keeps me going. Really, it does. Big, small, success or failure - the start-to-finish process of DIY keeps my wheels turning. I've pondered the possibility of doing a craft show here and there and, with no further adieu, I took the plunge. I will participating in the Lawrence Craft Collective's first show. This particular show has appeal on a number of levels - one of the organizers is a good friend of mine (Jill, with Stitchouse Designs) ... it will be taking place downtown at Liberty Hall (awesome!)... and there will be Free State beer served. Win...win...win! Keep an eye on the website for info and get your DIY-lovin' derrière down to Liberty on Sunday, November 24th. Here's what I have in the works right now... more to come, with buttons and flowers, oh my!

Bam! Now it's October.

Here's how I feel about waking up and realizing that it's already October:

It seems like September gave us our last summer hurrah that was much needed. We played in the sprinkler... watered the flowers and made chalk drawings... hatched our monarch butterflies for the third year (this year was our butterfly garden's best one yet!)...

And now we welcome the beginning of Fall with open arms, campfires, and hoodies. Yes, please.

Suddenly September

Wowsers. It's September! I bailed on the photo-a-day in August.. never started September... and abandoned the blog for two weeks. I guess that's what happens when school starts, right? It is back to the grind in mid-to-late August and we are deep in our studies about:

Insects...

Farm animals...

Reading and writing...

Music:

Physical Education:

Snack time...

And social skills...

Kindergarten is off to a pretty good start. I guess being back to the grind isn't so bad after all, huh?

Photo-A-Day Challenge: Day #23: Yellow

Bright, yellow egg yolks. Egg yolks from our backyard... from Lavender... two-at-a-time. It seems quite fitting that the first egg we cracked open from our feathered friends was a twin egg. Not the one pictured - this is her second twin egg. What a beautiful sight! Maybe she was born that way... maybe our organic chicken feed rocks... maybe it's the quinoa they eat? Or the peaches, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, kale, KITCHEN SINK???? Hearty chickens, hearty eggs. 

Can you spot the twin-yolker in this picture? Yes, that would be the one that prevents the top of the egg carton from even closing. Kudos, chickens, kudos.