Everyday Life for Four Seasons

We have a story called On the Same Day in March by Marilyn Singer, in which the reader is taken around the world to see what is happening on the same day in March. This week we've been reminded of a page that describes the disappearing snow of March.

"in ALBERTA, CANADA
Just when you can't even remember spring,
that wild Chinook blows in like a dragon,
and quicker than you can say Medicine Hat,
the biggest snow fort ever
is nothing but a dragon-shaped patch
in somebody's backyard.

On the same day in March..."

Above is our dragon-shaped patch in the backyard.


I've been cooking and baking, more out of necessity than enjoyment. I do enjoy it, so I'm not going to complain. I regularly make muffins using roasted butternut squash, whole wheat flour, flaxseed and wheat germ because they make excellent breakfast fare at our home, particularly for one of my children who does well with the additional fiber. To make the muffins, I start by roasting, gutting and pureeing a squash, and I go from there.

I also made some bread yesterday. I didn't plan to, but I went to the grocery store and stopped first at the deli to get Jeff some sliced turkey, and then I planned to stop at the bakery to pick up a loaf of bread for sandwiches. The woman at the bakery seems to love to snicker at me for getting the bread in just the paper bag, without the plastic bag too. When I stopped at the deli, I asked the gentleman behind the counter if he could wrap it in paper instead of plastic and he honestly had no idea what I was talking about. By the looks of him, he was 65+ years old, and I cannot believe that he has never seen deli meat wrapped in paper in his lifetime! After that long discussion, I didn't have the stamina to get the bread at the bakery, so I decided to make some. Homemade is always so much better anyway, at least in my home. So, I made some oatmeal-honey-whole wheat bread. The ingredient list was RICH. I would never make is as an everyday bread because it calls for all of the things that are just so extravagant for a standard bread recipe: milk, honey, butter and an egg wash. Good bread can be made from just flour, water and salt! But at the time, I saw this recipe and knew it would be a success, so I went with it. If I were to make it again, which is unlikely except for a special occasion, I would use less yeast and more salt. Salt will bring out the flavor of the bread, but it also makes it tougher, so there's a fine line that you have to walk there. I used rice milk and Smart Balance instead of milk and butter, and I omitted the egg wash because 'A' is allergic to eggs.

Here is the recipe:

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) plus additional for topping
1/2 cup warm water (105-115°F)
2 tablespoons active dry yeast (from 3 packages)
1/2 cup mild honey
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for buttering pans
3 cups stone-ground whole-wheat flour
About 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
Vegetable oil for oiling bowl
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Preparation
Heat milk in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling, then remove pan from heat and stir in oats. Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooled to warm.

Stir together water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir yeast mixture, melted butter, and remaining honey into cooled oatmeal.

Stir together whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add oat mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead with floured hands, adding just enough of remaining unbleached flour to keep from sticking, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes (dough will be slightly sticky). Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel; let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Lightly butter loaf pans. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf, then place 1 loaf in each buttered pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit. Cover loaf pans loosely with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush tops of loaves with some of egg wash and sprinkle with oats, then bake until bread is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. (Remove 1 loaf from pan to test for doneness. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen.)

Remove bread from pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

That's not all. I've been moving toward a meat-free diet without really focusing on it (I never liked meat when I was younger, so all I'm really doing is coming back to my authentic eating preferences). I need to add some protein to our daily diet, so today I decided to use up some things I had in the cupboard and in the fridge by making a batch of quinoa-red bean burgers. Not bad. Our kids didn't like them, even after we renamed them "Princess Patties". But they did like the french fries I made (oh yeah, I made the best, bestest french fries EVER today!).

Click here for the french fry recipe. I used organic Yukon Gold potatoes and they were just unbelievable!

We went to the Pine Bush just west of Albany today to celebrate the first day of spring. It was my first time there and I was surprised by how much it looks and feels like the Cape.

These are the moments that make my heart go all aflutter. 'A' has been working on her "knitting" for two days now. She's taken a bunch of fabric scraps and some paper and made a mobile for 'H'. "She can hang it over her crib and have something to look at."

What makes this so special is that she spent a while yesterday trying to figure out how to connect the fabric and paper pieces before going to her sticker pile and pulling out the big ones. She used those to piece together her mobile. I thought it was a very creative way of handling the issue! The best part was how she kept adjusting it over and over again. She wasn't ready to have it photographed because she wasn't happy with it. Finally it all came together for her and she asked for these photos to be taken.

breakfast today, then we're off to the library and the store to pick up some origami paper for an upcoming project.

Today was a really good day, not only because the weather was nice enough for us to play outside, but because it just flowed so easily.

Some days it seems that my girls are so old, and some days they are so young. Both recently went through growth spurts and they look older than they did even a week ago.

I have been learning that the days when I don't have a set schedule and I let things unfold on their own are the best ones around here. Sometimes we go out and do something, and sometimes we stay home, but no matter what we do, if I don't make any promises to be anywhere at a specific time, it all works quite well. We all enjoy the activity of the moment and enjoy each other's company.

When we have to be somewhere on time, it has the potential to go downhill - fast.

I realize that we can't live in the la la world forever, and that the girls have to learn how to show up on time at some point in their lives. They will. I think when they are old enough to begin to look forward to an activity that's supposed to happen in the near future even more than the activity they're engaged in at the moment, then they will be ready to learn about being somewhere on time. But for now they are just so happy getting from point A to point B that it almost seems pointless to rush to point B when the fun isn't even at point B. The fun is in the entire process. So why rush the process, rush the fun? Does that make sense?


On a separate note, I bought Pears soap today at Ocean State Job Lot for $1 a bar. It's an all natural soap and I thought it was a pretty good price. I know my stepfather loves it, so I called him to tell him about my great find and see if he wanted any. How do you think he responded? He told me that he gets it for $1 a bar at his local OSJL in Chatham (MA). So much for my great deal that I wanted to share! Then I told Jeff about it and he informed me that he doesn't like the smell of it, and did I buy the whole case or just a few bars? I bought 3. Well, I like it.

Have a great day and take some time to enjoy your journey from point A to point B.

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.