Mama Cooks: So much kale!

I really like our CSA.  We are eating seasonally and enjoying a good variety of flavorful organics.  Nevertheless, the amount of kale in our house seems overwhelming at times.  There is only so much kale a person can consume. 

I've had luck adding it to curried dishes and to stir fries.  I've also baked it into "kale chips" but none of us actually like these chips very much.  Tonight I needed to use up a bunch of kale and I decided to cook it with wheat-free tamari sauce and a little olive oil.  I didn't let the leaves wilt completely, in order to maintain some of the bitter taste of the raw leaves.  I think it turned out fairly well.  

Deprivation is the Root of Creativity

Ever since reading a book in which Angelina Ballerina goes backpacking into the mountains, Evelyn has been obsessed with backpacks.  She does not, however, own an actual backpack.  This is no problem for Evelyn.  She dumps our recyclable papers out of Whole Foods paper bags and swings the paper bag by the handles, up over her head and onto each arm.  Presto-- it's an instant backpack!  I was considering getting a little backpack for her this Easter, but it's been such fun to see her use paper bags, baskets, and whatever else is laying around.  I think a little benign deprivation is a good thing!

Music time!

Mum's the Word?

Mothering two children has been a daily, sometimes hourly, exercise in humility.  Babies (and toddlers, for that matter) don't care what kind of education or non parenting-specific skills you have (unless said skills can be used to make them laugh and/ or create something they will enjoy).  If my children were to list my qualifications, I am pretty sure that they would look like this:

Evelyn:  Mom can sing, dance, "Mamanurse," and build great obstacle courses.  She seems pretty good at makeup and hair since she spends forever (15-20 minutes, easily!) doing this in the morning.  She knows how to reach things and she is strong enough to drag a chair over to the counter so that I can cook.  She can also work the stove and oven all by herself.  She reads to me and can play dollhouse like nobody's business! 

Henry:  Milk!  Smiles, tickles, and cuddles.  This lady rescues me all the time when I start to cry or get hurt on the floor.  She seems to have an anti-exploratory agenda-- Mama comes to get me every single time I find something interesting like dryer lint or chalk or a muddy boot to suck on.  Still, she's pretty great!

Now, my oldest child is still under three years old.  Essentially, I am a not-quite three- years-old mother.  This fact has been weighing on my mind lately when I consider writing about something.  I sometimes wonder, who am I to encourage co-sleeping or child-led weaning?  I am one woman.  I can share only my experiences and hope that they might prove interesting, amusing, or-- just maybe-- helpful to others.  I have not written expressly about "AP" ideas lately, but I think that the next time the mood strikes me, I'll just go for it and hope for the best.

Henry Wears a Hat. . .

for a few minutes.

I know that some children are agreeable enough when it comes to accessories, but neither of mine have been lovers of hats during their infancy.  Still, babies look so cute in hats!  And, on a practical note, hats are sometimes necessary in our climate. 

Useful Engines Need Rest

I thought this engine shed would be a fun addition to the kids' train table and I was partially right-- it is tons of fun for Evelyn.  Henry, on the other hand, has noticed a drastic increase in train theft and they keep showing up in the shed!

These Precious Days

As winter sings its swan song, we have been enjoying milder and-- dare I say-- sunnier days here in the Pacific Northwest.  Today was just lovely and we decided to take full advantage of it and head to a new park.  We learned some heartwrenching news about a friend of the family and I was overcome by the urge to just love my babies today and enjoy their cuddles and laughter.  Children are so precious.  Here are a few moments that have already become beloved memories:

Digging up some woodchips.

Evelyn is strong enough to hang from the monkey bars now.

Henry's first slide.

Let's slide together!

Evelyn learns to climb the bricks.

Love.

Peek-a-boo

Trinkets

Evelyn had a very successful third dentist appointment this afternoon.  We have a really great pediatric dentist practice in town and they're super patient and kid-friendly.  Naturally then, Evelyn was all smiles when she returned home with Daddy.  She emerged from the van triumphantly, purple pencil case in hand. 

When Evelyn came inside the house, she promptly dumped the contents of the case onto the dining room carpet so that I could marvel at the treasures:  a gold coin, a teeny-tiny turtle that expands slowly in water, stickers, two tooth brushes, flossers, and a toothbrush cap.  Henry was beside himself trying to get his hands on the choking hazards.

Evelyn brought her goods to higher ground-- the dining room table-- and decided to submerge the turtle in water.  Fun water play ensued and, before we knew it, the table had transformed into a puddle.  We pulled a chair up to the kitchen sink so that Evelyn could keep playing.  Unfortunately, this is where our tale took a turn for the worse.  The turtle disappeared.  It was not in Henry's mouth-- he was safely in his highchair and munching on avocado pieces.  We asked Evelyn what happened and she wailed dramatically, "The turtle is gone!  We'll never get it back!"  I asked again, and she revealed that the little guy had gone down the sink.  Splendid.  Chris turned off the water, opened up a pipe under the sink and rescued the turtle. Phew!

Daddy looks for signs of Evelyn's treasure

Safe, at last! 

Snapshot: Siblings in the Sun

Henry is not happy that Evelyn took his book.

Evelyn busies herself with "big girl" work.

Henry:  on the prowl.

Henry tasted about four pine cones and nibbled on some contraband leaves until I scooped him up into my arms.  Evelyn enjoyed gardening:  weeding, digging random holes, and flinging dirt into a bucket.  It really was lovely to be outdoors.  We even managed to plant some snapdragon seeds in the front bed.  Hopefully, they will bloom in July-- in time for Evelyn's third birthday.

New Foods

Henry got his first taste of whole fat Greek yogurt today.  He seemed to like it, though it obviously didn't satisfy his need to put things into his mouth.  Ten minutes after I set him down, I discovered that Henry had crawled under the art easel and had swiped a piece of green chalk.  About 25% of it was missing and his tongue and teeth were green.  Lovely!  It's a good thing that chalk is non-toxic. 

I'm Nine Months Old Today!

Hi, I'm the big boy on campus.  I still sleep with my Mom because it's the coziest place around.  Also, she is Milk.  I can say "Dada" but when I need Mom, I just sign "milk" with my little hand.  It's like magic.  Enough about milk; I've been eating shredded chicken for almost three days now and I can feed myself.  It's just as exciting as it sounds.  I do have six teeth, afterall.   

Also, my sister's hair?  I love it!  She's swings her pigtails my way and starts talking about something and telling me "No, no. . . " and I just can't help myself:  one fistful of that hair and the afternoon really gets interesting!   

Memories and Keepsakes

I just ordered a photo book for Henry.  It took me fourteen months to create a comprehensive collection of special pictures for Evelyn, but I realized that this time around, I probably won't have blocks of two hours at a time to work on something like that.  I had some time this morning while the kids played (mostly together) and then again while Henry nursed and napped, so I decided to seize the moment.  This book is about twenty pages, but covers birth, professional newborn shots, and the few baptism pictures that remained after my laptop's harddrive crashed (for the second time!  Back up those precious memories, folks!).  I think it will be beautiful.

Keepsakes and mementos are important to me.  I keep handwritten baby books for each child in addition to the bound photo books.  Right now, my plan is to create one photo book (and order two or three copies, so that each child can have a copy to keep) with memories every year or two as a way to document their development and whatever fun things we do as a family: travels, vacations, holidays, and the like.  Digital cameras and online photosharing make it so simple to snap an adorable shot and send it to dozens (or hundreds) of friends, but I am not convinced that this is the best method to preserve photos for the next generation.  I'll have to keep thinking about that.  

baby Evelyn Spring 2009

Rubik's Cube Chew Toy

What is more fun than hanging out in your big sister's bedroom?  Slobbering on all of her toys, of course!  Evelyn is usually not very happy to see Henry gnawing on her things, but she actually offered the Rubik's cube.  Henry was more than willing to give it a go.  

On the Mend

I think (I hope, I pray. . . ) that Henry is finally feeling better.  He's had the croup since last Thursday when his breathing and coughing sent us to the Emergency Room at 2:00 AM.  Poor Henry has needed almost all of my waking (and sleeping) attention and it's been difficult for Evelyn to wait at times.  While Henry slept in the Ergo carrier on Daddy, Evelyn and I spent some much-needed time together in the gorgeous afternoon sunlight. 

Snapshot: Playmates

After a lot of "Nooooo, Henry!  Mom, Henry is knocking over my door!" from Evelyn, I convinced her to let Henry visit her in the new house.  After all, I helped build it so I thought I should have a vote when it comes to visitors.

It was everything Henry thought it could be. . . he was thrilled!