Clockwise from upper left: kale, spinach, rhubarb, radishes, romaine lettuce, green onions, mint and mushrooms (all locally and organically grown!)
May 22, 2008
CSA Box #1
Yippee! Our first CSA box came today! For the spring/summer season we are splitting each week's box with another family. So this picture shows HALF of the contents of the box. We chose to split the box with some friends who are a family of three. This season is 20 weeks long, so it is best we aren't getting too much or else we (I mean I... the food preparer) may feel overwhelmed. During the fall subscription last year (8 weeks) there was SO MUCH food (kale and collard greens coming out my ears!). This picture is for you, Dad!
Clockwise from upper left: kale, spinach, rhubarb, radishes, romaine lettuce, green onions, mint and mushrooms (all locally and organically grown!)
Clockwise from upper left: kale, spinach, rhubarb, radishes, romaine lettuce, green onions, mint and mushrooms (all locally and organically grown!)
May 19, 2008
Luxury Stack
While in Jo-Ann's Fabrics waiting for me to change Annelise's diaper, Danny read that off of the scrapbooking paper packet. Mind you, he didn't know what "luxury" means, but Randy told him it means "fancy stuff" (I LOVE that definition).
Danny began sounding out words about a year ago, but since February he has been going crazy with the reading. He read all of Green Eggs and Ham (at the doctor's office) with help only on the words could and should. He likes to read road signs, billboards, instructions, blog pages (especially titles... over my shoulder), and books. Anything he can get his hands on Danny wants to read.
I imagine he is a lot like Randy was at this age. Randy was reading at age 4 and also was crazy with the questions. Some days (especially in the car) I just have to say, "No more questions for three minutes." The car always goes silent, because if he isn't asking me a question, he isn't talking. Of course looking at the big picture, I am thankful that he is so curious, but it is nice when there is a moment where I can collect my thoughts.
We finally got two very important things for Danny's bedroom: a calendar and a clock. Because it gets light here so early he has been waking up before 6am. We usually set our alarm for 6 so that Randy can get some work done and I can exercise. When Danny wakes up that early, our mornings just aren't as productive. We are hoping to get him to stay in bed until 7. I'll let you know how that goes! The calendar has been really great because we write down only the events that pertain to him... like Bike Day at school, the days he stays at school because I am working, or the birthday parties. He crosses off the days, so by looking at the calendar, he can usually figure out how many days until a certain event. This has lessened some of the questions, and I think he likes feeling grown-up, too.
It is hard to believe he will be 5 in September!
Danny began sounding out words about a year ago, but since February he has been going crazy with the reading. He read all of Green Eggs and Ham (at the doctor's office) with help only on the words could and should. He likes to read road signs, billboards, instructions, blog pages (especially titles... over my shoulder), and books. Anything he can get his hands on Danny wants to read.
I imagine he is a lot like Randy was at this age. Randy was reading at age 4 and also was crazy with the questions. Some days (especially in the car) I just have to say, "No more questions for three minutes." The car always goes silent, because if he isn't asking me a question, he isn't talking. Of course looking at the big picture, I am thankful that he is so curious, but it is nice when there is a moment where I can collect my thoughts.
We finally got two very important things for Danny's bedroom: a calendar and a clock. Because it gets light here so early he has been waking up before 6am. We usually set our alarm for 6 so that Randy can get some work done and I can exercise. When Danny wakes up that early, our mornings just aren't as productive. We are hoping to get him to stay in bed until 7. I'll let you know how that goes! The calendar has been really great because we write down only the events that pertain to him... like Bike Day at school, the days he stays at school because I am working, or the birthday parties. He crosses off the days, so by looking at the calendar, he can usually figure out how many days until a certain event. This has lessened some of the questions, and I think he likes feeling grown-up, too.
It is hard to believe he will be 5 in September!
May 17, 2008
Documenting Mischief
I need to get this on here... otherwise I may forget. Some of you may have guessed that this is Annelise's baby book (that is why I put the heights and weights for each well doctor's appointment). Someday soon I will blurb this blog!
On April 28th (I remember the day vividly), I was cooking lunch and Annelise was playing to my left next to the stove. I noticed that she was playing with a little coin from Danny's Playmobil Skeleton Shipwreck. The coins are tiny little treasure that goes in the mini treasure box. They can't be more than a centimeter in diameter. A minute or so later I look back at her and realize she doesn't have the coin anymore. I expect to see it on the floor, but no... not there. She has her finger in her nose, which had been kind of normal for the two weeks leading up to this. Annelise was finishing off a cold.
But Annelise was really digging in there... hmmm. I thought that it would be good to check to make sure the coin wasn't in her nose, but sure enough, Annelise thought her little nose was a perfect place for one of Danny's toys. It was pretty far up there, but tweezers could get it out. In one of my better judgement mom moments, I decided to look up her other nostril. Another coin!!! Even farther up.
I started to get nervous. I kept thinking... oh this must be one of those moments when you shouldn't use tweezers because you may push it farther up there. I didn't want to make a trip to the ER (and frankly, they probably would have used tweezers, too), so I scooped her up to our upstairs bathroom. She was so calm. I was crying (not hysterical crying... just "please... I can do this" crying), but Annelise was as compliant as ever. I told her to look at the ceiling and I got out both of those coins with a pair of tweezers.
This was all followed by a stern lecture on not putting foreign objects in the body's holes. She said OK and went downstairs to eat lunch. I made a mental note to watch Danny's toys a little more closely (hide some? toss some?) and check Annelise's nose every once in a while. There is a reason they say don't let anyone 3 or under play with it. Danny NEVER did anything like that. I hope I don't have to dig in her nose ever again.
On April 28th (I remember the day vividly), I was cooking lunch and Annelise was playing to my left next to the stove. I noticed that she was playing with a little coin from Danny's Playmobil Skeleton Shipwreck. The coins are tiny little treasure that goes in the mini treasure box. They can't be more than a centimeter in diameter. A minute or so later I look back at her and realize she doesn't have the coin anymore. I expect to see it on the floor, but no... not there. She has her finger in her nose, which had been kind of normal for the two weeks leading up to this. Annelise was finishing off a cold.
But Annelise was really digging in there... hmmm. I thought that it would be good to check to make sure the coin wasn't in her nose, but sure enough, Annelise thought her little nose was a perfect place for one of Danny's toys. It was pretty far up there, but tweezers could get it out. In one of my better judgement mom moments, I decided to look up her other nostril. Another coin!!! Even farther up.
I started to get nervous. I kept thinking... oh this must be one of those moments when you shouldn't use tweezers because you may push it farther up there. I didn't want to make a trip to the ER (and frankly, they probably would have used tweezers, too), so I scooped her up to our upstairs bathroom. She was so calm. I was crying (not hysterical crying... just "please... I can do this" crying), but Annelise was as compliant as ever. I told her to look at the ceiling and I got out both of those coins with a pair of tweezers.
This was all followed by a stern lecture on not putting foreign objects in the body's holes. She said OK and went downstairs to eat lunch. I made a mental note to watch Danny's toys a little more closely (hide some? toss some?) and check Annelise's nose every once in a while. There is a reason they say don't let anyone 3 or under play with it. Danny NEVER did anything like that. I hope I don't have to dig in her nose ever again.
May 16, 2008
For You, Dad!
The three rose bushes in the front of our house are in bloom. We haven't done anything to them this last year (since we moved in) and this is how nice they look, Dad. I think we are supposed to do something with them though (once the blooms start falling off? in the fall? when? I remember you and Mom "pruning the roses", but exactly how do I do that?). Ha... adulthood.
Why Curly-Haired People Wash Their Hair in the Morning...
Annelise's hair is finally growing. After her bath in the evening she has the cutest little curls. Of course when she wakes up in the morning, they are straightened and sticking out. I wonder when she will decide to wash her hair in the morning for the sake of her hair?
May 15, 2008
Outside Play
Since it rained much of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday we finally got out last night to let the kids run around. I snapped some pictures of the bike-riding and bubble-blowing!
Mother's Day
I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Absolutely fantastic! We spent Saturday morning together doing our normal things like swim lessons and house stuff. In the afternoon Randy took the kids to the zoo and I stayed home and wasted a lot of time. I read, napped, watched TV and did NOTHING productive. On Sunday we went to church and then had the most amazing buffet brunch at Grace's Fortune in Bowie (I can't believe they don't have a website). This Chinese restaurant is in a bland newer strip mall, but the inside is absolutely amazing. You would never guess such a beautiful restaurant could be inside, and the food was amazing. That afternoon I took a nap with Annelise, and it was pouring by mid-afternoon so we played around the house. The weekend was a good balance between relaxing me time and quality family time.
I was presented with wonderful gifts, too. Danny made me some puzzle pins to put in the jewelry box he made me last year. He also planted a plant and made a sachet for my closet. Preschool is so fun! Randy and the kids bought me a necklace with the kids' names on it. It was actually made by a Biola graduate who I taught with in Whittier. Lisa Leonard now has quite the business. The mini open circle necklace is the one Randy and the kids got me (with Annelise and Daniel on it, though!). I haven't taken it off since Sunday.
Thank you, Randy, for spoiling me! Thank you Mom and Dad for a great brunch!
I was presented with wonderful gifts, too. Danny made me some puzzle pins to put in the jewelry box he made me last year. He also planted a plant and made a sachet for my closet. Preschool is so fun! Randy and the kids bought me a necklace with the kids' names on it. It was actually made by a Biola graduate who I taught with in Whittier. Lisa Leonard now has quite the business. The mini open circle necklace is the one Randy and the kids got me (with Annelise and Daniel on it, though!). I haven't taken it off since Sunday.
Thank you, Randy, for spoiling me! Thank you Mom and Dad for a great brunch!
May 12, 2008
May 10, 2008
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there! I hope everyone has a wonderful day.
Let me show you what I made my mom for Mother's Day (she has already seen it, so no spoilers here!).
Very easy and fun to make. Of course I made one for our walls, too! Ours is green:
(and being visited by Star Wars characters)
For the directions visit this post on Design*Sponge (one of my all-time favorite blogs).
Let me show you what I made my mom for Mother's Day (she has already seen it, so no spoilers here!).
Very easy and fun to make. Of course I made one for our walls, too! Ours is green:
(and being visited by Star Wars characters)For the directions visit this post on Design*Sponge (one of my all-time favorite blogs).
Things I've Been Loving Lately
I can't help but post about some things that I have been enjoying lately!
Annelise's Crocs: I really can't stand the style of these in general, but they are SOOOO practical for a little kid. She has gone creek walking and out in the puddles in them (it was over 70 degrees). I love that they slip on and they seem really comfortable. She has grape cayman Crocs.
My crockpot: I have this one, but have used others. I've always enjoyed my crockpot, but stumbling on this wonderful blog about a woman and her New Year's Resolution has changed the way I use mine. There are dessert recipes (I haven't tried those yet, because I'm really watching what I eat), pasta recipes, and I have even cooked salmon in my crockpot. I love throwing stuff in and being done (especially because from 4:30 until the kids' bedtime it is pretty much madness around here).
My rice cooker: This is a new purchase. I actually bought it only 6 weeks ago and have never used one before. Whenever we wanted rice, I would cook it on the stove-top (I rarely use the instant stuff). I love brown rice, basmati rice, couscous and quinoa... all of which cook so much better in the rice cooker. I bought the cheapest one available, but someday I may splurge and buy one with a timer. Then I can have the rice cooker and crockpot getting all of my meal ready, without me even being home! Annelise has been on the BRAT diet for two weeks now (a whole other story!), so making white rice for her has been an every other day affair! I'm so glad we have the rice cooker.
Strawberries: The strawberries are now in the markets, although the local ones aren't ripe, yet. We have to hide them from Annelise (because of her issues), but I have been snacking so much on these in the last two weeks. Speaking of local...
Farmer's Markets and CSA subscription: Our close (College Park) farmer's market opened up last Saturday. (Oh, how I long for Irvine's year-round farmer's market!) Our own town's very first farmer's market will open in a couple of weekends. I am so excited. The price is usually good, but the quality is so much better than what can be found in the store. Also our spring/summer CSA subscription starts on May 22nd. Yipee! If you haven't heard about CSAs, you should definitely check them out. It took me my whole first year of being in Maryland to get over my disappointment in the produce available here. Living in California for 30 years did have me so spoiled. But last fall I subscribed to a local farm's vegetable service. My box of local, organic vegetables got delivered every week, and I got to learn how to cook all kinds of new things! I'm looking forward to squash and tomatoes this summer. Yum!
Yael Naim on iTunes: Finally (a couple of months ago) Yael Naim got some songs posted on iTunes! Yippee! You might remember that I loved this video.
Well I could probably think of 30 more things to add to this list, but I don't need to bore you.
Annelise's Crocs: I really can't stand the style of these in general, but they are SOOOO practical for a little kid. She has gone creek walking and out in the puddles in them (it was over 70 degrees). I love that they slip on and they seem really comfortable. She has grape cayman Crocs.
My crockpot: I have this one, but have used others. I've always enjoyed my crockpot, but stumbling on this wonderful blog about a woman and her New Year's Resolution has changed the way I use mine. There are dessert recipes (I haven't tried those yet, because I'm really watching what I eat), pasta recipes, and I have even cooked salmon in my crockpot. I love throwing stuff in and being done (especially because from 4:30 until the kids' bedtime it is pretty much madness around here).
My rice cooker: This is a new purchase. I actually bought it only 6 weeks ago and have never used one before. Whenever we wanted rice, I would cook it on the stove-top (I rarely use the instant stuff). I love brown rice, basmati rice, couscous and quinoa... all of which cook so much better in the rice cooker. I bought the cheapest one available, but someday I may splurge and buy one with a timer. Then I can have the rice cooker and crockpot getting all of my meal ready, without me even being home! Annelise has been on the BRAT diet for two weeks now (a whole other story!), so making white rice for her has been an every other day affair! I'm so glad we have the rice cooker.
Strawberries: The strawberries are now in the markets, although the local ones aren't ripe, yet. We have to hide them from Annelise (because of her issues), but I have been snacking so much on these in the last two weeks. Speaking of local...
Farmer's Markets and CSA subscription: Our close (College Park) farmer's market opened up last Saturday. (Oh, how I long for Irvine's year-round farmer's market!) Our own town's very first farmer's market will open in a couple of weekends. I am so excited. The price is usually good, but the quality is so much better than what can be found in the store. Also our spring/summer CSA subscription starts on May 22nd. Yipee! If you haven't heard about CSAs, you should definitely check them out. It took me my whole first year of being in Maryland to get over my disappointment in the produce available here. Living in California for 30 years did have me so spoiled. But last fall I subscribed to a local farm's vegetable service. My box of local, organic vegetables got delivered every week, and I got to learn how to cook all kinds of new things! I'm looking forward to squash and tomatoes this summer. Yum!
Yael Naim on iTunes: Finally (a couple of months ago) Yael Naim got some songs posted on iTunes! Yippee! You might remember that I loved this video.
Well I could probably think of 30 more things to add to this list, but I don't need to bore you.
May 7, 2008
TWO!
As promised... the pictures of Annelise's birthday.
(I love how she says "Wow" towards the end of the birthday song!)
Annelise turned 2 on March 23rd, which happened to fall on Easter this year. I can't imagine that happening more than a couple of times in her lifetime, so that was pretty cool. Of course my parents were here, and we were pretty much a sick mess. The dress she is wearing is a 70's classic that was mine when I was her age. My mom actually made it! We ended up spreading out the festivities throughout the day, interspersed with naps, and an egg hunt.
Annelise's 2 year doctor appointment was on April 11th. She is 34.5 inches long. She weighs 27 pounds and 5 ounces. This was her first well check-up with a new pediatrician, so it was a long appointment with lots of discussion about her kidneys, her hernia, and the heart murmur that the doctor heard. Everything is good, though! Although I did spend the next 10 days after the appointment going to a couple of specialists.
(I love how she says "Wow" towards the end of the birthday song!)
Annelise turned 2 on March 23rd, which happened to fall on Easter this year. I can't imagine that happening more than a couple of times in her lifetime, so that was pretty cool. Of course my parents were here, and we were pretty much a sick mess. The dress she is wearing is a 70's classic that was mine when I was her age. My mom actually made it! We ended up spreading out the festivities throughout the day, interspersed with naps, and an egg hunt.
Annelise's 2 year doctor appointment was on April 11th. She is 34.5 inches long. She weighs 27 pounds and 5 ounces. This was her first well check-up with a new pediatrician, so it was a long appointment with lots of discussion about her kidneys, her hernia, and the heart murmur that the doctor heard. Everything is good, though! Although I did spend the next 10 days after the appointment going to a couple of specialists.
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