We've added to our Christmas decorations. Blue and yellow are the Sandy Hook colors.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
A Difficult Conversation
We told the kids this morning, wanting to talk to them first before they heard it from others. Bud's first question: Does that mean 20 moms were waiting at home and their kids didn't come?
Sob.
But we hugged and reassured and said they could ask us anything and it was okay to be sad. Because, I said, all the adults in the whole country are sad this morning.
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Resources for talking to children about the shooting in Newtown, CT:
Sob.
But we hugged and reassured and said they could ask us anything and it was okay to be sad. Because, I said, all the adults in the whole country are sad this morning.
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Resources for talking to children about the shooting in Newtown, CT:
- Tips for Talking to Children about the Shooting and Resources: Talking and Teaching about the Shootings in Newtown, CT, NYTimes--good solid intro, the latter with several resources culled from numerous tragic events
- How Not to Talk with Children about the Sandy Hook Shooting, NYTimes Motherlode--I especially liked the worried thought/brave thought
- Talking with Children about News, PBS.org--this has great age-related suggestions
- Helping Children Cope after a Shooting, National Children's Medical Center--a helpful pdf
- Coping with a Traumatic Event, Center for Disease Control--practical tips for routine and normalcy
- A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope, National Association of School Psychologists--great, long lists of suggestions
- Helping Children Cope with Tragedy-Related Anxiety, Mental Health America--tips broken down by age
- How to Talk to Your Children about the Shootings, MSNBC--shares National Mental Health Association's suggestions
- After the Tragedy: Helping Young Children Heal--Early Trauma Treatment Network
- Parent-Teacher Tips for Helping Preschool Age and School Age Children, National Traumatic Child Traumatic Stress Nework
Friday, December 14, 2012
Prayers for a School in Connecticut
UPDATE: Oh, there are so many dead. It is just devastating.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the children and their families, the teachers and staff, and emergency response teams at a school shooting in Newtown, CT.
Especially with the family of the one student confirmed dead.
I weep for them, not twenty miles or so from here, in an elementary school like ours.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the children and their families, the teachers and staff, and emergency response teams at a school shooting in Newtown, CT.
Especially with the family of the one student confirmed dead.
I weep for them, not twenty miles or so from here, in an elementary school like ours.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Twinkle, Twinkle Shooting Star
It's auspicious for us, perhaps, that tonight's meteor shower came from Gemini, the twins. We went out around 8:30 pm and it was clear (and chilly) and pretty dark, with no moon. We spotted Orion immediately and knew this one bright spot was something special; Mama later identified it with her phone app as Jupiter!
And then the meteors fell, about one every three or four minutes, which was just long enough to get cold and a bit discouraged in between, especially as they were falling across a wide swath of the sky. I don't think we all saw the same one at any given time. But we did count to 16 in all, with everyone spotting a few. Sis and I saw the first ones and Bud wasn't sure how to tell a meteor from a plane. It'll be a line in the sky, I said. And after he saw his first, squealing with glee, he said, "It's like someone drew a line on a black chalkboard and erased it really quickly."
Do they even have chalkboards at school?
Well, we do have a green one on one whole kitchen wall.
We talked about meteors, as opposed to meteorites, one of which you can touch at AMNH, I believe. Sis remembered that a huge meteorite killed the dinosaurs. Bud worried that we might get hit by one, but I managed to dispel that fear.
I think we watched for about 45 minutes, migrating into the darkest bit of the backyard where we could spot the biggest patch of sky. The meteors were pretty falling through the silhouetted branches of the leafless winter trees. Beautiful. Sis also kept finding "Hidden Mickeys" in the stars.
It all reminded me of the most spectacular meteor shower Mama and I have ever seen, on the winter beach of the Rockaways in 2001, I think, the Leonids. In early morning hours, wrapped in coats and carrying hot chocolate, Mama, Goo, and I (joined for a bit, if I recall, by Ma and Gong) counted over 400 meteors falling constantly across the sky into the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes they came so fast and from some many directions that we couldn't even keep count; eventually we did just stop. It's one of the most amazing natural sights I've ever seen and the most memorable stargazing.
Tonight, I think we started the kids on their own love of stargazing. I hope they get a night like our Leonids sometime in their lives. But tonight was a great first start!
(And it sure beats getting up during the peak hours around 3 a.m.!)
And then the meteors fell, about one every three or four minutes, which was just long enough to get cold and a bit discouraged in between, especially as they were falling across a wide swath of the sky. I don't think we all saw the same one at any given time. But we did count to 16 in all, with everyone spotting a few. Sis and I saw the first ones and Bud wasn't sure how to tell a meteor from a plane. It'll be a line in the sky, I said. And after he saw his first, squealing with glee, he said, "It's like someone drew a line on a black chalkboard and erased it really quickly."
Do they even have chalkboards at school?
Well, we do have a green one on one whole kitchen wall.
We talked about meteors, as opposed to meteorites, one of which you can touch at AMNH, I believe. Sis remembered that a huge meteorite killed the dinosaurs. Bud worried that we might get hit by one, but I managed to dispel that fear.
I think we watched for about 45 minutes, migrating into the darkest bit of the backyard where we could spot the biggest patch of sky. The meteors were pretty falling through the silhouetted branches of the leafless winter trees. Beautiful. Sis also kept finding "Hidden Mickeys" in the stars.
It all reminded me of the most spectacular meteor shower Mama and I have ever seen, on the winter beach of the Rockaways in 2001, I think, the Leonids. In early morning hours, wrapped in coats and carrying hot chocolate, Mama, Goo, and I (joined for a bit, if I recall, by Ma and Gong) counted over 400 meteors falling constantly across the sky into the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes they came so fast and from some many directions that we couldn't even keep count; eventually we did just stop. It's one of the most amazing natural sights I've ever seen and the most memorable stargazing.
Tonight, I think we started the kids on their own love of stargazing. I hope they get a night like our Leonids sometime in their lives. But tonight was a great first start!
(And it sure beats getting up during the peak hours around 3 a.m.!)
Advent Activities: The Tally
Okay, with just ten days to go, I made my list, checking it twice. Some things just won't happen, but that's okay, especially because the kids particularly like their Lego Star Wars and Playmobil Advent calendars this year.
- Make gingerbread houses--12/22
Bake sugar cookies--12/11- Make teacher gifts/cards--12/15
- Deliver treats to doctor/vet/etc--12/14
- Do "Would you rather?" checklist--12/22
Play Christmas bingoBuy and affix holiday stocking pin- Gifts for others (via church)/Toys for Tots--12/16
Donate savings jar to an organizationMake natural wreathWrite letters to SantaHave friends over for cookie decorating party after school--12/13Make latkes for Hanukkah- Stay-up-late Solstice party/camp out under tree-12/21
- Snowflake tortillas--12/24
- Make "my favorite things" ornament--12/19
- Make bird feeders--12/20
Have a fondue party--12/12Field Trip: NYC or OSVMake origami ornaments- Go caroling to relatives via phone--12/18
- Decorate windows/chalkboard--12/17
- Make snowman fridge--12/10--oops, missed this; see if we can squeeze it in.
- Make jar snow globes--12/23
Laid Up
I'm back in bed with this seemingly never-ending cold, having been up stuffing and coughing half the night. At least it gives me a chance to watch "Doctor Who" season 7 to be ready for "Whomas" in about two weeks.
12/12/12
What a wonderful day!
Though, after years of imagining it, I didn't even notice 12:12 go by (I preset my birthday post)! I think I was having too much fun to notice and I don't mind at all.
Though, after years of imagining it, I didn't even notice 12:12 go by (I preset my birthday post)! I think I was having too much fun to notice and I don't mind at all.
- my very own Pokemon "It's my birthday!" badge, which I wore all day--and everyone wished me happy birthday and the man at the Tibetan restaurant wished me "Many happy returns of the day!"
- more "Happy Birthday" on the piano
- calls from Aunt Banana, Gommie, Pop, Goo, and Lambeth!
- lots of emails and FB posts wishing me a happy day
- a pot of rose tea with my second-to-last teabag from Lady Mendl's
- a trip to the British Shop for Christmas goodies and a new teapot
- lunch at Tibetan Kitchen, with the best chai (I think it's just black tea, cardamom, and cream!); mango dhara, kinda like a lassi; Himalayan Ne-zom with tofu, peas, potatoes, and cauliflower in tomato sauce; Tingmo (steamed bread) and Bhaklep (pan fried bread); Shogo-ngopa, a potato with spinach curry-like dish; Shaptak, a beef dish with onions, bell peppers, and hot peppers; and drey-sil, essentially sweet rice with raisins served with sweet yogurt.
- a visit across the street to It's Only Natural, a delightful natural market with lots of interesting food products and gift items--we even saw a friend from church who works there!
- a stop at my new yarn store to pick up some pretty yarn I ordered last week
- listening to Code Name Verity on audiobook during our whole drive; it's a WWII YA (young adult) novel about a Scottish (!) spy taken prisoner by Germans and her friendship with a female pilot (no, this is YA not Sarah Waters; there's no lesbianism. But you can imagine. . . . ). It's on the notable children's books/young adult of 2012 in the NYTimes.
- just hanging out.
- a dinnertime fondue party, with yummy melted cheese and bread, celery, carrots, and Triscuits, and then chocolate and poundcake, brownies, sugar cookies, and pretzels. Delicious! And such fun!
- an early bedtime for me, exhausted from all the activities (I'm still in the grips of my cold).
- while this is not officially part of the day, I woke up coughing around 3:30 and had a great discussion with Mama about her heart-wrenching book (I'd read the spoilers between sniffles a bit earlier). I'm not sure I'll finish listening to it, but oddly, I would recommend it. If you can handle the oft-mentioned tears.
Thanks so much to everyone who helped make the day extra-special, particularly my family!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Surprise!
I had to go to the store this evening to fetch a few forgotten ingredients for dinner.
And when I got home, "Surprise!" There was a party waiting for me. There was a Disney Fairies "Happy Birthday" banner in the entryway and everyone was wearing mouse ears party hats, with one for me. And there were about a dozen presents under the tree.
Now, sure, we could have, maybe should have, waited for tomorrow, but if you know me you know that's not how I roll. Besides, the kids were practically already opening the presents for me! There were new pages for my "I love you as much" book ("I love you as long as a car trip around the world!"); lots of little toys to play with the kids, mainly from my two favorite Disney movies Beauty and the Beast and Brave; a book Time for a Hug because I love hugs and the characters are bunnies; a bar of orange chocolate; three bags of beans (!); some Schleich fairy figurines; a Hobbit Lego; and an origami manatee by Mama to represent the manatee they adopted for me! And Bud played "Happy Birthday" to me twice on the piano. Then Sis gave me a coupon for "a). A hug every day. b.) A peace of candy. c). [for her to try] a sweet bean." Needless to say I was very touched and shed a few tears of joy.
And I never got to cooking dinner so we ordered out pizza and chicken fingers!
I hear there is fondue on Star Wars plates and Perry the Platypus napkins tomorrow.
And when I got home, "Surprise!" There was a party waiting for me. There was a Disney Fairies "Happy Birthday" banner in the entryway and everyone was wearing mouse ears party hats, with one for me. And there were about a dozen presents under the tree.
Now, sure, we could have, maybe should have, waited for tomorrow, but if you know me you know that's not how I roll. Besides, the kids were practically already opening the presents for me! There were new pages for my "I love you as much" book ("I love you as long as a car trip around the world!"); lots of little toys to play with the kids, mainly from my two favorite Disney movies Beauty and the Beast and Brave; a book Time for a Hug because I love hugs and the characters are bunnies; a bar of orange chocolate; three bags of beans (!); some Schleich fairy figurines; a Hobbit Lego; and an origami manatee by Mama to represent the manatee they adopted for me! And Bud played "Happy Birthday" to me twice on the piano. Then Sis gave me a coupon for "a). A hug every day. b.) A peace of candy. c). [for her to try] a sweet bean." Needless to say I was very touched and shed a few tears of joy.
And I never got to cooking dinner so we ordered out pizza and chicken fingers!
I hear there is fondue on Star Wars plates and Perry the Platypus napkins tomorrow.
Advent Activities: Sugar Cookie Crazy!
 |
| Here they are, in progress. |
As always when I make sugar cookies, I think about Tania, of Love Big Bake Often, a friend with whom I lost touch years ago. She was a devoted mom, excellent baker, good teacher, and generous friend. I miss her most when I bake, especially when I bake her signature cut-out cookies which she brought to some many playgroups.
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No-Fail Sugar Cookies
Miss T loves and swears by this recipe. She usually cuts it in half. I made it all and froze half--the kids ate so much dough, we needed the whole batch for the party.
6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I like
almond myself)
1 tsp. salt
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.
Chill for 1 to 2 hours (or see Hint below)
Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350
degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe
can make up to 5-dozen 3” cookies.
HINT: Rolling Out Dough Without the Mess – Rather than wait for your cookie dough to chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to the desired thickness (about 1/4") then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the
refrigerator. Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all. By the time you are finished, the first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut. Reroll leftover dough and repeat the process! An added bonus is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies.
**my note: this dough can be frozen in disks and thawed later.
http://kitchengifts.com/
T's Royal Icing
4 tablespoons merengue powder
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon shortening (to make it soft and shiny, optional)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
5 cups powdered sugar
colos
Mix ingredients. Add water if too thick. It should be the consistency of glue. Separate into bowls. Add colors with toothpicks. Stir with little spatulas.
T outlines with a #3 tip and then floods the inside when the outline dries (to make flooding consistency, add more water--really just a few drops). You can use a bag with tip or a spoon to flood, and toothpicks or decorating brushes to spread it into the cracks.
She recommends the following schedule:
Day 1--baking
Day 2--icing
Day 4--packaging (too soon and the icing will be damaged)
Because of the icing, the cookies will stay fresh for about a week.
6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I like
almond myself)
1 tsp. salt
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.
Chill for 1 to 2 hours (or see Hint below)
Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350
degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe
can make up to 5-dozen 3” cookies.
HINT: Rolling Out Dough Without the Mess – Rather than wait for your cookie dough to chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to the desired thickness (about 1/4") then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the
refrigerator. Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all. By the time you are finished, the first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut. Reroll leftover dough and repeat the process! An added bonus is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies.
**my note: this dough can be frozen in disks and thawed later.
http://kitchengifts.com/
T's Royal Icing
4 tablespoons merengue powder
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon shortening (to make it soft and shiny, optional)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
5 cups powdered sugar
colos
Mix ingredients. Add water if too thick. It should be the consistency of glue. Separate into bowls. Add colors with toothpicks. Stir with little spatulas.
T outlines with a #3 tip and then floods the inside when the outline dries (to make flooding consistency, add more water--really just a few drops). You can use a bag with tip or a spoon to flood, and toothpicks or decorating brushes to spread it into the cracks.
She recommends the following schedule:
Day 1--baking
Day 2--icing
Day 4--packaging (too soon and the icing will be damaged)
Because of the icing, the cookies will stay fresh for about a week.
Cats and Yarn Don't Mix
Having finished the crocheted Christmas stockings, minus the names, yesterday, I've started on a simple knitted scarf today. Fluids and rest have really helped my head cold, but I'm still pretty tired so knitting while watching "Doctor Who" is the perfect activity. But Albus, our cat, wants love. And yarn. So he's curled up right next to me, alternately sleeping and swatting needles. This isn't helpful. And Christmas is only two weeks away!
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Mommy Hungry's Simple Scarf
Using 10 1/2 needles and worsted weight yard (mine is red variegated Merino), cast on 24 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit all stitches) until scarf is desired length. Bind off, weave in ends; add fringe if desired.
Inspired by a pattern at Blue Blog Patterns
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Mommy Hungry's Simple Scarf
Using 10 1/2 needles and worsted weight yard (mine is red variegated Merino), cast on 24 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit all stitches) until scarf is desired length. Bind off, weave in ends; add fringe if desired.
Inspired by a pattern at Blue Blog Patterns
This Year's Christmas Cookies?
I can't decide which cookies to make for the Christmas season. Here are the current front runners, though I doubt I'll make them all. I'm leaning towards the snowballs or Irish Cream cookies.
Mini-Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
Powdered sugar
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
BEAT butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour; stir in morsels and nuts. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired. Store in airtight containers.
Chocolate Orange Dreams
These taste just like those Pepperidge Farm Orange Milano cookies.
4 dozen cookies
Cookies:
1cup Butter flavor Crisco
1 cup sugar
1-3 oz. pkg cream cheese softened
2 eggs
2 t. grated orange peel
2 t. orange juice
½ t. salt
2 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips
Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
2 ½ t. orange juice
1 ½ t. orange liqueur (Grand Marnier)
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheet.
Combine crisco, sugar, and cream cheese. Beat on medium. Beat in eggs, orange peel, orange juice, and salt. Add flour. Mix well. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown.
While baking, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and liqueur. Stir. Brush on cookies immediately upon removing from oven.
American Cookie Celebration II
Penzey's Irish Cream Delights
1/4 Cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)
1/4 Cup shortening
1 Cup sugar
1 TB. Irish cream liqueur (more if you like)*
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. CREAM OF TARTAR
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
13/4 Cups flour
Frosting:
3 TB. butter, softened
2 TB. Irish cream liqueur*
3 Cups powdered sugar
3 TB. half & half
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl combine the butter and shortening and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, liqueur, baking soda, CREAM OF TARTAR and salt and beat until combined, scraping often. Add the egg and VANILLA and mix well. Stir in the flour. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Frosting: Mix the butter and liqueur until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat in the half & half until smooth. Frost the cooled cookies.
* Feel free to use whatever coffee-based liqueur you like. We mixed our own with 2 TB. strong coffee, 1 TB. cream, 1 TB. whiskey and 2 tsp. VANILLA SUGAR. You can also leave out the whiskey, if desired.
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 8-10 minutes
Yield: 4 dozen
Mini-Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
Powdered sugar
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
BEAT butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour; stir in morsels and nuts. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired. Store in airtight containers.
Chocolate Orange Dreams
These taste just like those Pepperidge Farm Orange Milano cookies.
4 dozen cookies
Cookies:
1cup Butter flavor Crisco
1 cup sugar
1-3 oz. pkg cream cheese softened
2 eggs
2 t. grated orange peel
2 t. orange juice
½ t. salt
2 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips
Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
2 ½ t. orange juice
1 ½ t. orange liqueur (Grand Marnier)
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheet.
Combine crisco, sugar, and cream cheese. Beat on medium. Beat in eggs, orange peel, orange juice, and salt. Add flour. Mix well. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown.
While baking, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and liqueur. Stir. Brush on cookies immediately upon removing from oven.
American Cookie Celebration II
Penzey's Irish Cream Delights
1/4 Cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)
1/4 Cup shortening
1 Cup sugar
1 TB. Irish cream liqueur (more if you like)*
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. CREAM OF TARTAR
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
13/4 Cups flour
Frosting:
3 TB. butter, softened
2 TB. Irish cream liqueur*
3 Cups powdered sugar
3 TB. half & half
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl combine the butter and shortening and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, liqueur, baking soda, CREAM OF TARTAR and salt and beat until combined, scraping often. Add the egg and VANILLA and mix well. Stir in the flour. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Frosting: Mix the butter and liqueur until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat in the half & half until smooth. Frost the cooled cookies.
* Feel free to use whatever coffee-based liqueur you like. We mixed our own with 2 TB. strong coffee, 1 TB. cream, 1 TB. whiskey and 2 tsp. VANILLA SUGAR. You can also leave out the whiskey, if desired.
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 8-10 minutes
Yield: 4 dozen
Monday, December 10, 2012
Christmas Cards
I have started to receive the annual influx of happy holiday greetings.
And I realize that I probably won't be sending any out this December.
I am just not feeling it this year, especially with a 100-person list.
Maybe I'll pare that down.
Or do an eco-friendly e-card.
Or just wait until I can send along a cheerful family photo from our spring trip to Disney World and Hogwarts!
And I realize that I probably won't be sending any out this December.
I am just not feeling it this year, especially with a 100-person list.
Maybe I'll pare that down.
Or do an eco-friendly e-card.
Or just wait until I can send along a cheerful family photo from our spring trip to Disney World and Hogwarts!
At-Home Day
I have a head cold and stayed in bed all day, first watching the last of "Upstairs, Downstairs" (with Alex Kingston as a lesbian Egyptologist) and then "Doctor Who" (with Alex Kingston as River Song). I crocheted all the while on Mama's and my Christmas stockings. They're all done now, except for the names--but do we use our given names or Mommy and Mama?!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Advent Activities: Catching Up
We had a very Christmas-y weekend:
- Play Christmas bingo--at school on Friday night!
- Donate savings jar to an organization--bought a share of "women's empowerment" in education and business from Heifer International today at church.
- Write letters to Santa--emailed (!) Santa at special visit with Mrs. Claus today, as well as made crafts (see reindeer puppets) and ate cookies
- Make latkes for Hanukkah--ate potato, cauliflower, and beet latkes at Bloodroot last night.
- Field Trip: NYC--did the museums in the city yesterday.
- Make origami ornaments--inspired by AMNH's origami tree, we made a creche of penguins today!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Advent Activities: O Christmas Trees!
With rain in the forecast, we decided to ditch our plans to go to candlelight at Sturbridge Village tonight. So we headed into NYC instead. Not for the usual 5th Avenue promenade and visit to the Rockefeller Tree, but uptown on both the East and West sides to visit the Met and the American Museum of Natural History.
The kids didn't get into either of the audiobooks we had so we played car games--the ABC game (J and Q are hard), counting the cars (1 pt for cars, 5 for buses, 10 for trucks, -5 for police!), count the Christmas trees (more of that on the way home), then once we hit the city, we looked for iconic NYC things--taxis, food carts, police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, bodegas, fire escapes.
Our first stop was the Met, where we went straight to the medieval hall to see the creche. All the while, Bud kept telling us that a group of Adelie penguins is called a creche. We were a bit doubtful, having heard of colonies of penguins, even rafts of penguins. But guess what? I just looked it up and he's right. A creche of Adelie penguins.
Well, there are not penguins in this creche. Instead, we saw an elephant, a camel, numerous sheep, a donkey, an ox, some dogs, plus, of course, the Holy Family, angels, Wise Men, the shepherds, and all the Neapolitan peasants surrounding them. It was a delightful I-spy.
Before we left the Met, we took a detour to the newly-installed (relatively) American galleries specifically to see Emmanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware. We looked long and hard at the huge painting, talking about art vs. history--the sunrise halo around Washington, the stable triangle-shape of the figures in the boat, the pinnacle at the flag, the diversity of figures in the boat (Scottish, frontiersmen, African, etc), as well as how and when the actual crossing took place. Plus the original circumstances of the creation and exhibition of the work about 100 years later. It really is a fun painting to explore.
The kids probably could have stayed all day, but we were off across the park to AMNH. I have long wanted to see the Origami Tree and so we headed straight to it. And we loved it! If I-spy was fun with the creche, it was doubly fun with all the origami animals: koalas, owls, penguins, bunnies, pandas, hedgehogs (perhaps--they were high up!), dolphin, ducks, swan, jellyfish, foxes, lemurs, peacocks, bears, horeshoe crabs, oh so many different critters. Just look at the pictures. There are over 500 figures, made by members of Origami USA, who start in July to finish in time. Very intriguing and inspiring.
We visited the dioramas--both in North American mammals (bunnies!) and the hall of the Blue Whale (penguins and manatee). Did you know that the Blue Whale hall might be the best place to stretch your back in NYC? (Well, I bet Central Park would be good, too, but not in December.) I spent awhile on the floor, horizontal like those around me, admiring the whale from below. Very good for the spine!
Then we headed to the special exhibition, Global Kitchen, which is all about "food, farm to fork." The first bit of the exhibition was perhaps too science-y for me and even too preachy (and I'm the choir! Maybe that's why!)--gallons of water, pounds of waste, etc etc etc. Though, as the NYTimes reviewer notes, this is an exhibition about how people have intersected with nature for sustenance and how that has totally gone awry recently with agribusiness. But then, I prefer anthropology and social history. There were a few history of science facts I found intriguing--kohlrabi, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and all cauliflower actually originate from the same wild cabbage weedy-thing that has been cultivated for thousands of years; apples are 7 times less bitter than their crabapple forebears; bananas might be extinct in our lifetime because they only use one genetic family which is susceptible to a blight right now. We had fun tasting cornbread in the Whole Foods-sponsored kitchen (mine is better! They change the topic every two weeks). And we liked sniffing all the different scent interactives (yeah, lavender; ugh, garlic). We especially liked the Aztec market with its basket and bags and pots full of fish, beans, corn, tortillas, agave, iguana, turkey, tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, squash blossoms, etc etc. It was a great display. And without wheat, cheese, chicken, or beef--several of the items we associate with modern-day Mexican food. Or plastic or styrofoam or even glass containers! We also loved situating ourselves at meals through the ages--a feast with Kublai Khan, ice cream with Jane Austen, reclining with Roman empress Livia Drusilla. And cooking our own meals on an interactive computer "stove" making groundnut soup, poached eggs, grilled salmon (see here for more recipes and info). And seeing what Ghandi usually ate (vegetarian), what Michael Phelps downs during intense training (Bud wanted to try to eat that--3 breakfast sandwiches, omelets, oatmeal, French toast, coffee, what Otzi (the 5,000 year old Iceman found in the Alps) had for breakfast the day he died (dried Ibex and some fruit, I think), and what Nobel Peace prize winner and sustainable food activist Wangari Matthai would eat. There were also displays on cookbooks, the history of utensils, and the specific traditions of China, Morocco, France, and Korea. The only part that fell very very short was food as ritual--two small cases cramming diverse celebrations such as Chinese New Year and Day of the Dead together, accompanied by a too-short film about different traditions. This could have been an exhibition itself and was not properly addressed. But the gift shop made up for the slightly rushed end--we chose several different kinds of chocolate and candies to sample on the ride home! And so we drove home up Broadway, munching on black raspberries, peach chewies, chocolate marzipan, and "milk bottles" of condensed milk candy.
But that wasn't the end of our day! After a two-hour rest at home (including several holiday specials I slept right through), we headed for dinner at Bloodroot--because it's Latke night for Hanukkah, where a lovely clay menorah was lit in the center of the dining room! The kids even played the dreidl game with another little kid and his dad while we all waited for our food to come. Then we happily gorged on porcini soup (Bud's favorite), Cambodian kanji, oatmeal bread, three kinds of latkes (potato, cauliflower, and beets, with sour cream, applesauce, and a great beet spread from the NYTimes, Selma said. Sis loved the cauliflower latkes), halushkin (noodles and cabbage), solianka (tomato-y mushroom-cabbage dish), Jamaican jerk "chicken" with this spicy green chile spread, marinated tofu salad, and then cranberry kissl, kombucha squash roll with cream cheese (think pumpkin roll), and hot fudge sundaes!
A wonderful day of family, food, and fun. And trees!
The kids didn't get into either of the audiobooks we had so we played car games--the ABC game (J and Q are hard), counting the cars (1 pt for cars, 5 for buses, 10 for trucks, -5 for police!), count the Christmas trees (more of that on the way home), then once we hit the city, we looked for iconic NYC things--taxis, food carts, police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, bodegas, fire escapes.
Our first stop was the Met, where we went straight to the medieval hall to see the creche. All the while, Bud kept telling us that a group of Adelie penguins is called a creche. We were a bit doubtful, having heard of colonies of penguins, even rafts of penguins. But guess what? I just looked it up and he's right. A creche of Adelie penguins.
Well, there are not penguins in this creche. Instead, we saw an elephant, a camel, numerous sheep, a donkey, an ox, some dogs, plus, of course, the Holy Family, angels, Wise Men, the shepherds, and all the Neapolitan peasants surrounding them. It was a delightful I-spy.
Before we left the Met, we took a detour to the newly-installed (relatively) American galleries specifically to see Emmanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware. We looked long and hard at the huge painting, talking about art vs. history--the sunrise halo around Washington, the stable triangle-shape of the figures in the boat, the pinnacle at the flag, the diversity of figures in the boat (Scottish, frontiersmen, African, etc), as well as how and when the actual crossing took place. Plus the original circumstances of the creation and exhibition of the work about 100 years later. It really is a fun painting to explore.
The kids probably could have stayed all day, but we were off across the park to AMNH. I have long wanted to see the Origami Tree and so we headed straight to it. And we loved it! If I-spy was fun with the creche, it was doubly fun with all the origami animals: koalas, owls, penguins, bunnies, pandas, hedgehogs (perhaps--they were high up!), dolphin, ducks, swan, jellyfish, foxes, lemurs, peacocks, bears, horeshoe crabs, oh so many different critters. Just look at the pictures. There are over 500 figures, made by members of Origami USA, who start in July to finish in time. Very intriguing and inspiring.
We visited the dioramas--both in North American mammals (bunnies!) and the hall of the Blue Whale (penguins and manatee). Did you know that the Blue Whale hall might be the best place to stretch your back in NYC? (Well, I bet Central Park would be good, too, but not in December.) I spent awhile on the floor, horizontal like those around me, admiring the whale from below. Very good for the spine!
Then we headed to the special exhibition, Global Kitchen, which is all about "food, farm to fork." The first bit of the exhibition was perhaps too science-y for me and even too preachy (and I'm the choir! Maybe that's why!)--gallons of water, pounds of waste, etc etc etc. Though, as the NYTimes reviewer notes, this is an exhibition about how people have intersected with nature for sustenance and how that has totally gone awry recently with agribusiness. But then, I prefer anthropology and social history. There were a few history of science facts I found intriguing--kohlrabi, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and all cauliflower actually originate from the same wild cabbage weedy-thing that has been cultivated for thousands of years; apples are 7 times less bitter than their crabapple forebears; bananas might be extinct in our lifetime because they only use one genetic family which is susceptible to a blight right now. We had fun tasting cornbread in the Whole Foods-sponsored kitchen (mine is better! They change the topic every two weeks). And we liked sniffing all the different scent interactives (yeah, lavender; ugh, garlic). We especially liked the Aztec market with its basket and bags and pots full of fish, beans, corn, tortillas, agave, iguana, turkey, tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, squash blossoms, etc etc. It was a great display. And without wheat, cheese, chicken, or beef--several of the items we associate with modern-day Mexican food. Or plastic or styrofoam or even glass containers! We also loved situating ourselves at meals through the ages--a feast with Kublai Khan, ice cream with Jane Austen, reclining with Roman empress Livia Drusilla. And cooking our own meals on an interactive computer "stove" making groundnut soup, poached eggs, grilled salmon (see here for more recipes and info). And seeing what Ghandi usually ate (vegetarian), what Michael Phelps downs during intense training (Bud wanted to try to eat that--3 breakfast sandwiches, omelets, oatmeal, French toast, coffee, what Otzi (the 5,000 year old Iceman found in the Alps) had for breakfast the day he died (dried Ibex and some fruit, I think), and what Nobel Peace prize winner and sustainable food activist Wangari Matthai would eat. There were also displays on cookbooks, the history of utensils, and the specific traditions of China, Morocco, France, and Korea. The only part that fell very very short was food as ritual--two small cases cramming diverse celebrations such as Chinese New Year and Day of the Dead together, accompanied by a too-short film about different traditions. This could have been an exhibition itself and was not properly addressed. But the gift shop made up for the slightly rushed end--we chose several different kinds of chocolate and candies to sample on the ride home! And so we drove home up Broadway, munching on black raspberries, peach chewies, chocolate marzipan, and "milk bottles" of condensed milk candy.
But that wasn't the end of our day! After a two-hour rest at home (including several holiday specials I slept right through), we headed for dinner at Bloodroot--because it's Latke night for Hanukkah, where a lovely clay menorah was lit in the center of the dining room! The kids even played the dreidl game with another little kid and his dad while we all waited for our food to come. Then we happily gorged on porcini soup (Bud's favorite), Cambodian kanji, oatmeal bread, three kinds of latkes (potato, cauliflower, and beets, with sour cream, applesauce, and a great beet spread from the NYTimes, Selma said. Sis loved the cauliflower latkes), halushkin (noodles and cabbage), solianka (tomato-y mushroom-cabbage dish), Jamaican jerk "chicken" with this spicy green chile spread, marinated tofu salad, and then cranberry kissl, kombucha squash roll with cream cheese (think pumpkin roll), and hot fudge sundaes!
A wonderful day of family, food, and fun. And trees!
 |
| One of Bloodroot's cats curled up on Bud's jacket. |
Friday, December 7, 2012
An Embarrassment of Riches
You may or may not recall that two years ago, we suffered through Bud's serious disappointment at not winning anything at the school's annual holiday Snowflake Bingo night. It was such a struggle of a night that both Mama and I were relieved when we didn't go last year! We even gave them a few pep talks about enjoying the game and not just the winning, finding joy in others' joy (Buddhist mudita), etc. etc.
But tonight made up for the night two years ago. More than made up for it. Almost embarrassingly so.
Mama won the very first game of Bingo but had me shout it out as Bud retrieved the prize, which was a gift certificate for doughnuts.
A few games later, Sis actually won. And got a gift certificate for sandwiches.
This was good. One win for each, even if Bud didn't really win. Besides, in the end, it's all luck and chance, right? Mommy Goose's husband, though, was teasing me about it all being fixed. Double trouble, I said.
After an intermission for baked goods, we returned to bingo. And Bud won, on his own this time, picking up a gift certificate for bowling. Mama was ready for us to go home; we'd had fun and won. We didn't need any more prizes; Mama wondered aloud if we should give some of them back so others could win. I didn't think that would work because it was all quite organized and I didn't want to interrupt or make a fuss. We weren't even sitting with anyone we knew to share with; I would've given doughnuts or sandwiches away to a disappointed kiddo because I know exactly how that feels. Later, when people needed more cards and they passed out more to everyone, we actually just divvied ours up between us so that only the kids were playing, not all four of us.
But, granted,we did keep playing.
Then, during the raffle, Sis's name was called. And she got a little art booklet. We clapped and smiled but were ready to hide. It was just too much.
When Bud and I left the cafeteria just as someone called "Bingo," I heard someone say, "Not them again!"
No, not that time.
But on the second to last game for the grand prizes, this one for four hockey tickets, I leaned over and noticed that Bud just needed one more, "G-50," I think it was. And as I said as much to him, incredulously, the exact number was called. He'd won. Again. A grand prize. Hockey tickets.
We wouldn't even let the kids play the last card! Our gift bags overfloweth.
And we laughed all the way home about buying lottery tickets or heading upstate to the casinos!
With or without the winning (though, I'll be the first to admit that winning makes for a much better evening!), it was a great night, thanks to all of our PTA people and the teachers and staff from school. They're our real win!
But tonight made up for the night two years ago. More than made up for it. Almost embarrassingly so.
Mama won the very first game of Bingo but had me shout it out as Bud retrieved the prize, which was a gift certificate for doughnuts.
A few games later, Sis actually won. And got a gift certificate for sandwiches.
This was good. One win for each, even if Bud didn't really win. Besides, in the end, it's all luck and chance, right? Mommy Goose's husband, though, was teasing me about it all being fixed. Double trouble, I said.
After an intermission for baked goods, we returned to bingo. And Bud won, on his own this time, picking up a gift certificate for bowling. Mama was ready for us to go home; we'd had fun and won. We didn't need any more prizes; Mama wondered aloud if we should give some of them back so others could win. I didn't think that would work because it was all quite organized and I didn't want to interrupt or make a fuss. We weren't even sitting with anyone we knew to share with; I would've given doughnuts or sandwiches away to a disappointed kiddo because I know exactly how that feels. Later, when people needed more cards and they passed out more to everyone, we actually just divvied ours up between us so that only the kids were playing, not all four of us.
But, granted,we did keep playing.
Then, during the raffle, Sis's name was called. And she got a little art booklet. We clapped and smiled but were ready to hide. It was just too much.
When Bud and I left the cafeteria just as someone called "Bingo," I heard someone say, "Not them again!"
No, not that time.
But on the second to last game for the grand prizes, this one for four hockey tickets, I leaned over and noticed that Bud just needed one more, "G-50," I think it was. And as I said as much to him, incredulously, the exact number was called. He'd won. Again. A grand prize. Hockey tickets.
We wouldn't even let the kids play the last card! Our gift bags overfloweth.
And we laughed all the way home about buying lottery tickets or heading upstate to the casinos!
With or without the winning (though, I'll be the first to admit that winning makes for a much better evening!), it was a great night, thanks to all of our PTA people and the teachers and staff from school. They're our real win!
Advent Activities: Falling Behind
We're not keeping up with our Advent activities so well this year. Especially this week. Almost every night has been busy or late--kung fu, holiday office party, Brownies, more kung fu, school holiday party--we don't even remember to check the socks for activities. And wouldn't have time to do them even if we did, especially because most are really involved ones, like "make a snowglobe." So, note to self: more quick activities next year!
Though, with all the rain in the forecast that's affecting our weekend plans, we might be able to double or triple up this weekend!
Though, with all the rain in the forecast that's affecting our weekend plans, we might be able to double or triple up this weekend!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The POD is Gone!
Almost three months to the day after the garage accident which totaled a car and damaged both the garage and its contents, everything is restored. The garage is restored, the remaining contents are back in place, and the POD is gone!
I wouldn't recommend a car accident as the best way to clean a garage, but we certainly have a cleaner, decluttered, brighter, more usable space than we did before--and an electric garage door!
I wouldn't recommend a car accident as the best way to clean a garage, but we certainly have a cleaner, decluttered, brighter, more usable space than we did before--and an electric garage door!
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