Everyday Life for Four Seasons

I found these photos today - I took them a few weeks ago, back when we still had snow on the roof. They pretty much describe what we're doing right now. Jeff took 'A' for her swimming lesson today while 'H' and I slept in (seriously slept in, it was really nice!). Now it's after lunch and 'H' is napping, I am playing with my photos, and Jeff and 'A' are reading a story about Uncle Willie and the soup kitchen on the couch. We're going to try out some playground time this afternoon and I am really hoping that the girls won't need to wear snowsuits there.

I found out that the maple syrup weekends in upstate NY are next weekend and the one after that. I have never been to watch the trees being tapped or to see the syrup boiled (I am probably the only person on earth who hasn't seen it), so I am excited to go.


An update on our attempt to have less plastic in our lives (starting in the kitchen): it has made me much more aware of what I consume and why. For one thing, avoiding plastic and unnecessary packaging means not stocking up on food, and instead buying things that are fresh or out of packaging as much as possible. Sometimes this is easy to do, like when I want seasonal, local produce and I can head to the farmer's market to get it, or purchase loose vegetables at the grocery store (fruit is tough: grapes, strawberries, blueberries... all in plastic). Other times it's possible, but with a few restrictions, like when I go to the bakery and purchase a fresh loaf of bread and ask for it to be sliced and put in a paper bag instead of plastic. I've gone back for the bread 3 times now and the woman who works there argues with me and snickers at me each time because she is so accustomed to putting it in the plastic bag and then in the paper bag that she can't break free and do something different.

Other times, plastic is impossible to avoid, like when I try to buy soy yogurt (sold in plastic) or cereal (sold in a plastic bag, then boxed in cardboard, or crackers (same packaging as the cereal - although I'm wondering if Ritz are packaged in waxed paper or in plastic) or canned food (the cans are lined with plastic). The simplest thing to do, which I am doing for now, is to avoid all of these products entirely.

So, what am I left with? Well, for one thing, I'm left with a lot of the same options that were available when I was a kid. Packaging was so much different back then. I'm also left with a lot of fresh, healthy, whole food options.

I'm on the hunt for a good stainless steel cup set for 'H' ('A' has been using glasses and "grown up" dishes for a while now, but 'H' would still prefer a non-breakable option), and I need a safe sippy cup so she can take it in her crib and in the car. On a side note, the issue of chemicals in plastic baby bottles is now in the news and people are doing things about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/nyregion/long-island/15cupsli.html?ref=health .

I'm dealing with both the plastic issue and my emotions about it. I tend to get freaked out before I can plunge in and take much action.

Now I am going to move on to another task to help me forget about plastic and instead be freaked out about something else: the size of my filing pile! Yikes!

'A' and I are just about ready to start dinner prep. Dinner tonight is chickpea stew. I usually make it with spinach but tonight I'm using up some turnip greens instead.

We played outside for a while this morning. I was ready to go in long before 'A' and 'H' were. While I waited and tried to keep warm, I lay down on the driveway in the sun and listened to the birds. I'm hearing more variety in the bird calls now.

Candyland this afternoon, followed by card-making and present wrapping for Aunt Michelle and Uncle Howard. Hopefully, if I can get my act together now and do some research, we'll be watching some maple syrup flowing from the trees tomorrow morning!

Chickpea and Spinach Stew

This is a quick and easy dish that tastes great with crusty bread.

1 cup water
10 ounces baby spinach
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
Kosher salt
Pinch of saffron threads
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas with their liquid
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
Crusty bread, for serving

Pour the water into a large deep skillet and bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves and cook over high heat, tossing frequently, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain the spinach in a colander, pressing hard on the leaves to extract the liquid. Coarsely chop the spinach.

Using the flat side of a large knife, mash the garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the saffron. Transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl. Add the paprika, cumin, cloves and black pepper and mash until combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid.

Wipe out the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and tomato and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the spiced garlic sauce to the onion and tomato in the skillet and cook for 1 minute.

Add the chickpeas and the remaining liquid to the skillet. Add the raisins and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Add the spinach, reduce the heat to moderate, and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the chickpea stew to 4 deep bowls, drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top, and serve.
SERVE WITH Crusty bread.

She's two years old now!

This is what the deer did to our arborvitae in the backyard:


I had my Healthy Children, Healthy Planet class last Friday. I learned some new information about the effect of plastic on our bodies. It's actually not new information, and I did know some of it before, but for some reason I'm now in a place where I am open to hearing about more of this stuff and I am able to take some responsibility for the things I know. And taking responsibility means taking action.

Simply put, plastic of all kinds leaches chemicals, particularly when it comes in contact with food. Jeff and I had already known that we shouldn't heat up food in plastic containers, or reuse water bottles, or eat microwave popcorn. But we never really considered until now that all plastic leaches harmful chemicals into food. When I look at my kitchen shelves, I see sliced bread in a plastic bag; margarine in tubs; crackers and cereal in plastic bags, packaged inside cardboard boxes; juice boxes with plastic straws; sippy cups for 'H'; ketchup in a plastic bottle... and the list goes on.

All of this was brought to my attention by a pediatric nurse who is genuinely concerned about both children and the planet. According to her and a number of scientists and researchers, there are different types of chemicals that leach out of different types of plastic containers and packaging, and all of them are harmful to our bodies and our health. Here is a link to a site that lays it out in an easy to read manner (gotta love the people who bridge the scientists with the lay people!) http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/plastichealtheffects.html.

Jeff is a scientist by nature and a chemist by training and it didn't take him long to come to the same conclusion I reached: our family has got to move toward a plastic-free lifestyle. So, we're working on it. It's a lot to think about. I can't say I'm surprised to find us at this point. In fact, I think I'm relieved that we got here before much time had passed.

Did you know that fleece is made from plastic? Oh my, I love fleece!

My computer mouse is made of plastic. And so are a bazillion other things we use on a daily basis!


Our daffodils are coming up! Spring is coming, I promise!

We went to Florida last week for a long weekend/short week to stay with Shelly & Neal (Jeff's parents). It is delightfully warm in south Florida compared to our weather here in NY. It's strawberry season there and we all took a trip to pick some.


Little 'H' is almost 2. She's such a big girl now in so many ways, and still my baby in so many other ways. She follows 'A' around and tries to do everything 'A' tells her to do. Watching them together reminds me of my childhood experiences with my sisters. 'A' is full of imagination and enjoys making up elaborate games, and 'H' is happy to be a part of it all. Kind of like Jennifer and me.

Every now and then I wonder when 'H' will wean. I'm really not producing much milk anymore and I can tell when she nurses that she's having a harder time getting to it. I talk with her about how I'm not making much now, and that someday she won't nurse anymore. I don't know when she'll wean, or why. Right now I'm trying to be honest with her about what's happening, but I don't know how much she really understands.


Today the girls and I got together the materials for 'A's birthday party invitations. She's excited about doing something a little different this year, and I'm excited that she's excited, because I'm excited too. Curious? A few months ago, before Christmas, it occurred to me that there are some things in our family life that don't make sense. Here we are, trying to define our family values and keep in the forefront the things we want to teach our children, and then we do things that go against what we say we want for our family. There are a huge number of things on that list, and one of them is Birthday Parties.

My kids live a life of abundance, and 'A' knows that other kids don't. So last year I told her that it would be nice if she didn't get presents from her friends for her birthday, and instead asked them to bring something for the kids who don't have as much as she does. She let that idea sit for a while, and then a few weeks later, decided that she wanted "the kids who don't have many things" to be able to get ready for bed every night and get tucked in while wearing the pajamas she collected. I thought that was a great idea. A few weeks after that, she informed me that she would be asking her friends to bring a toothbrush and toothpaste to the party too, because the kids who don't have many things need to be able to brush their teeth before they go to bed.

So, I called around, and around, and around some more, trying to find an organization that would take these items and use them. I found out that most places will either take new pajamas only (as opposed to "gently worn") or else they will take worn pajamas but will then sell them in a thrift store. I really don't want these birthday items to be sold, because the whole idea is to give them away to kids, the same way a birthday present would be given to 'A'. So I decided that we'll ask for new pajamas and bring everything to the domestic violence shelter and they will be able to give it away to the children who stay there.


'A' is happy about this and Jeff and I are too. She'll be receiving gifts from her family and she'll also get a present at the library (in our house, you get your own library card when you turn 4). I didn't think of the idea of collecting items for people in need on my own. It's something that has just been woven into my life by my parents, always there in the background, always waiting to be done. My mother always asks for a donation to Women for Women International or to Heifer for Christmas. This year my sisters and I gave to the Jonnycake Center, where my dad volunteers, as part of his Christmas gift. When we were little, we collected for Unicef while we were Trick or Treating on Halloween; we each handed in our own envelope during the weekly collection at church; and we watched my mother stuff stockings for the women at the local women's shelter. It feels right and feels good to give to others. My parents never had very much for themselves, but they always had enough to give to someone who needed it. I'm happy that my girls have the opportunity to experience this too.


I've been giving some thought to what I would like to ask my family to contribute to on my birthday. And now I've found it - solar stoves for the women from Darfur who live in refugee camps in Chad. The women in the camps are currently forced to spend all day outside the safety of the camp if they want to find firewood. They need firewood to boil drinking water and cook food. While they are looking for wood, they run the risk of being captured and raped and possibly killed. The solar stoves allow women to cook without firewood, and when they don't leave the camp and face the possibility of being raped, they are able to do things such as *not get pregnant with a baby they don't want, *spend time with their children and other adults and *do something else all day besides look for wood.

The stove won't solve the bigger issues, like the atrocities that are being committed in Sudan and the violence against the women, and it won't get them out of the camp and back to a place they can call home, but at least it's a step in a helpful direction.


Stay warm! 14 days until spring!

I am done, and I am close to my rope's end this week. I have a very simple formula I need to follow to keep my sanity, comfort level and my perspective, and I haven't followed it this week. Essentially, I need lots of one on one time with Jeff and my girls, and I need to be close to my home, so I can have contact with my cats (as much as I say I don't like to bother with them, I do love them) and I need to see my plants, see my own walls, see my stuff.

Oh, and I need to not eat the boiled vegetables with butter that I get at mom's house, and instead stick to the raw leafy green diet that we try to follow at home.


Last Saturday night my mom and I went to the symphony together to hear the 3 women who all played Christine Daae on Broadway sing (Phantom of the Opera). What a treat! She and Dick were supposed to go together but for some reason he gave his ticket to me and volunteered to put the girls to bed while I went out with mom. I think it has something to do with the fact that she likes to go and listen to the music and appreciate the whole evening and he tends to get grouchy in a crowded venue. I'm not sure whose idea is really was to give me the ticket, but I loved every second of it!

I left the Cape on Tuesday morning and headed to my dad's house in Rhode Island. Neither of the girls napped in the car, which left me disappointed but not surprised. When we got to dad's house, we loaded him into the car and all went to the beach to scoop up some stones for Emily's wedding centerpieces. Gosh, those stones are heavy!

OK, I did take those photos but I'm still wading through so many photos of last week that the RI ones will appear later on, I'm sure.

On a side note, things I did not take photos of today but should have include Julie's enormous cupcake made out of snow, built in her front yard in honor of Cade's birthday, I'm assuming... (my nickname for her is going to have to be "Cupcake") and the photo op 'H' did for us tonight while wearing her high heeled pink shoes (plastic dress-up shoes). She is so cute!


Back to last week, I spent Tuesday night at dad's house and then packed the show up Wednesday morning to head back home to NY. It took me a long time to pack up! Marilyn was home that day and dad was waiting until we left so he could go to his twice-weekly volunteer gig at the local food pantry/thrift store. Just before we left, he got a call from the manager saying that the place had been robbed the night before and they were closing for the day, so he shouldn't bother coming in. Robbed! This is a place that serves the people who don't have anything, and they got robbed. These are bad times we are entering, bad times.

The girls and I stopped to see Grandma Millicent on our way out. She lives in the same town as my dad, in a place that is not quite assisted living, but not quite a nursing home. It's a group home for seniors who are ambulatory but need a lot of physical care. They all have serious dementia, but none are in wheelchairs or carry around a catheter bag or an IV. Ever since I had my girls, I have realized what a hit the kids are at these places! Way back when, no one used to care when I came and went -- now half of the ladies and the few men will light up when they see us coming. A woman was there with her guitar and she sang a number of songs that they all knew and loved... God bless America, Over the rainbow, It had to be you.... you get the gist. It was great, and my girls danced and ran all around.


Part of the reason I'm at ends is because I haven't had time to reconnect with either Jeff or my home since I got back. I have just been on the go for the past few days. Hopefully things will turn around tomorrow.


Last night I went to the class I'm taking at the church - it's a Northwest Earth Institute course called Healthy Children - Healthy Planet. Awesome, awesome, awesome. The idea is to come together and discuss how we can raise children who are not only healthy but respect our planet. Last night's theme was "Cultural Pressures" and we talked about how the American family had changed so much over the past several decades, and asked if the current family structure and the issues families face are positive or negative... or what?

One of the things that is so striking is that we (when I say "we", I mean the average American parent - if you're in that group, you'll know, and if you aren't, you will know that too) try to make sure our children are "taken care of" and often, by taking care of them, we disregard the health of our family and the planet Earth. For example, say you think that feeding your child certain foods or giving them a certain type of toy is going to make them physically or mentally healthier, so you get it for them. But what happens if you step back and see that the health of the planet might not be helped by this plastic toy, or by overfishing, or what have you? Now multiply your one example by ... oh, I don't know, say a few million. What happens then? Can you really say that you're taking care of your children when you know that the one thing that will sustain and nurture them - our planet - is put in peril in part because of your actions? I am certainly not exempt from this kind of behavior, and often it doesn't even have to do with "helping" my children. Today I wrapped a gift in clear cellophane and thought, "This wrapping will never break down in the landfill, but boy do I love how it looks, and this roll was on sale!" Ever have thoughts like that?

Our planet isn't the only thing in peril. Our family unit is, too. When families are busy, busy, all day, every day, without having a significant time to come together and relax, wander and connect, it hurts the family. "Rushing" and "hurrying" are two words used to describe what happens to children in a heavily-scheduled environment, and "stressed out" and "overloaded" describe adults in the same situation. It makes me ask, "What are our specific family values and goals, and how do our activities and our use of time support or undermine them?"

There is a lot to think about and talking about it is a good first step. I think even more about these issues after visiting my parents because they are so earth-friendly in their everyday lives. I grew up watching them talk the talk, and walk the walk, and part of what I need to sort out as I get older is how to reconcile my current reality with my upbringing and values, and how to live a life that is truly authentic for me and my family.


I'm taking small steps that feel "right". Keeping 'A' out of a formal schooling setting feels "right". Eating more locally and reducing my consumption in managable ways feels "right". Spending more time looking at the clouds and less time scooting around in the car, talking on the phone and typing on computer feels "right".

Speaking of "right", I am going to go and wake up my sleeping, exhausted husband (he spent the day driving and skiing and connecting with old friends, and chasing around a 2 and 6 year old in Vermont) and give him a big hug! Or... maybe I'll just let him sleep instead...

It's naptime. No fever, no science experiment, no infection for 'H' today, so life is good! I guess when you drink a million cups of orange juice in 12 hours, you might actually see some results.


This library photo is from yesterday. Today we played outside ('H' had a hard time pulling away from the sand and her shovel. I even put her to bed at naptime with her shovel!) and went stopped by the Audubon Sanctuary where my mom works 4 days a week. Then we came home and 'H' played outside a while longer. She could dig all day, I swear.


This little person was made by 'A'.

I've been trying to think about centerpieces for Emily's wedding and I am having fun doing it! There are a lot of centerpiece ideas that incorporate recycled materials or objects from nature, which is right up her alley. My mom wants me to finish the wedding scrapbook now but *yawn* I am just so-o-o tired and cannot seem to do it.

I'm at the Cape for a few days visiting my mom and Dick, and then I head to my dad's house in Rhode Island to see him and Marilyn and Grandma Millicent.


I've taken so many photos since I got here, and I actually ran out of hard drive space as I was taking them off of my camera card (Don't tell Jeff, he will not approve. I need to spend more time backing up my hard drive!). I have been so busy wiping off little noses. 'H' has had the most interesting green stuff running down for a few days now. Honestly, it's almost like a science experiment erupted in her head.

I'm always hyper-vigilant about ear infections because I have always gotten them and also, although it makes no sense at all, my mother's deafness makes me overly concerned about matters of the ear. In the winter I hydrate, hydrate, hydrate the girls and I put 'H' to bed every night with a cup of water so that she'll get hydrated and flush out all of her germs. I'm crossing my fingers that she'll be okay when she wakes up tomorrow morning. This afternoon, her green science experiment stopped and a fever took its place. If she does get one, it will be infection #2 for her in almost 2 years, (I think) so I guess that's not a bad track record.


Here is Grandpa Dick with the road grader. He keeps the road all nice-nice. You should have seen how bumpy it used to be (years ago) before he started smoothing it all out. He puts a lot of work into keeping the neighborhood looking good.


It's not very warm here, considering there isn't any snow left on the ground. We get out to play every day, but oh boy, the wind goes right through you.


One of my assigned projects this weekend is putting together the scrapbook of our wedding. My mother saved all this stuff and says she can't move on and enjoy Emily's wedding if my scrapbook isn't finished, so she handed it all over and told me to have fun. I hate scrapbooking! I did a few pages and got "too tired" to finish.

Speaking of "too tired" to finish things, I am happy to report that 'A' did indeed finish writing her name on all of her class valentine cards, and just as impressive was my work at writing "Roses are red, violets are blue, candy is sweet, but not as sweet as you" on each one. Try writing that 14 times in a row! As Jeff says, at least next year we won't have to write it so many times.


One of the neat things about coming here with my kids is watching them play with my old toys. We had very few toys growing up, but we had a ton of imagination and that kept us very entertained. Remember these Fisher Price little people?


They don't make this kind anymore. The green man on the left is actually made of wood, as are several others in our collection.


Enjoy your night - I'll tell you about my night at the symphony tomorrow! Yes, I went out and had a Grown-up good time!

I'm a little distracted as I put these photos up because we're catching up on "Lost" episodes and if I don't pay attention to the show, I miss everything. I like and dislike the show at the same time. There's a lot of drama, and it moves along quickly, which is great... and there's a lot of drama - sometimes it's a bit over the top, and it makes me lose interest.


Today it was nice and warm - almost spring-like. It never got above 50 at our house, which is my starting point for spring fever. We played at home in the morning and 'A' and I cut a puzzle out of a Cheerios box - her idea. She got the idea from one of the magazines she gets from her grandparents - I can't remember if it's from National Geographic or Ladybug.


We also kissed 'H' a million times just because...


...and then wrapped up Valentine cookie treats to give away.


We went outside to play for what seemed an eternity today. It was so nice outside! We sat and listened to the birds talk about coming home, we rolled around in the yard a bit, and we threw snowballs at our big oak tree in the front yard. I love throwing at that tree because it's hard for me to miss it, and I've got a pretty crooked throwing arm. We even got to play animal detective when we discovered several sets of deer tracks in both the front and back yards.


The tracks weren't the only evidence of the deer. You should see what they did to our rhododendron! ALL of the leaves are gone. ALL of them. Okay, I'll say it one more time, just because I am amazed by it. ALL are gone. And a pile of deer poop was left right beside it. No worries, I'm not posting that photo. I can't even believe I'm telling you about it. My sensibilities in that department are very easily offended! I have a blanket rule about toilet humor and toilet talk around me: it's not allowed. It's an inherited trait. Okay, enough of that topic!


Our Wednesday morning music class is over! And gymnastics ends soon. I didn't sign 'A' up for another session because we need a break. I might start again in the fall. I like the program because each child does what they can, and there isn't a final performance. They just go to each class and the teacher helps them do new things like roll over, walk a balance beam, jump, or hop, and that's it. Who knows what she gets out of it. Sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn't.


For now I am really looking forward to having a few unstructured weekday mornings with 'A' and 'H'. Tuesdays and Thursdays are preschool days and Friday mornings I have classes at the gym. That now leaves Mondays and Wednesdays for us. As the weather starts to warm up, I think about all of the things I want to do with them, like visit the pine bush and other outdoor places, or stay indoors at the state museum or the Hyde Collection, or stay home and work in the yard or in the kitchen. It is so nice to have a big block of time so we can go about our day in a leisurely way, rather than to try to rush around to show up at scheduled activities. It makes me crazy. I know, I find myself saying that phrase a lot, sorry to repeat myself so much.


I have to go now and finish making the Valentine cards for 'A's class tomorrow. She has to bring in 14 of them and Miss Katy asked that the kids try to write their own name on each one... you can guess how many I have left to finish. They have a party tomorrow too, and I tried to sign up to bring napkins, but Miss Katy saw my name there and said, "I was really hoping you would sign up for the sweet treat instead...!" As Jeff says, "this is what you get for having the allergy kid, you know." So I'll be bringing in a bunch of homemade frosted heart cookies instead of napkins. So much for simplifying.


Have a great night.

For our whole lives, my younger sister Emily and I have seen and thought in color. Words, letters and numbers all have a color associated with them. If you could take a photo of my thoughts, they would show up as an enormous color palette.

I thought everyone thought in color, but just never realized it or talked about it.

Emily and I don't have the same colors for the same words, letters or numbers. But we both share this trait.

On CNN's website today, an article is running about this condition - apparently, it's not something that everyone can see, and those who do see it are often genetically linked.

It's called synesthesia, and it's "a neurological condition in which people experience a mixing of their senses. People with the condition may see colors and movement in numbers, words or sounds."

My colors don't affect my daily life. If anything, they make thinking a fun thing to do sometimes. It probably does slow me down sometimes because I do stop to look at the colors rather than absorb the content of the material, but overall it's not a huge deal. It's just nice to know that one of my little personal mysteries is not such a mystery anymore.

Wait until I tell Emily!