Easter Snapshots

Picture this:

Sis was awake at 6 a.m., ready to see if the Easter Bunny had visited our house (this will sound familiar to my parents!). She couldn't contain her excitement and soon had Bud awake too. Then I heard them discussing and debating the egg-hunt rules. A big one was "don't get ahead." They were approaching this egg hunt as a team.

I fetched the kids around 6:30, eager myself to start the day and not wanting them to start fighting before our usual 7 a.m. wake up time. "I'm just too excited," Sis announced as we found socks and long sleeves to go out in the cool, foggy morning air.

Bud spotted the first eggs in the house (which the Easter Bunny had accessed via our very useful "fairy door") and thus knew the Bunny had visited. It's a good thing, too, because I don't think any of our neighbors would relish a noisy egg hunt at 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning! They made quick work of the dozen or so jellybean-filled eggs in the house and then peeked out the porch window to see if their empty baskets had been filled.

"This is the best Easter so far!" Sis joyfully announced as she counted up her small, medium, and large chocolate bunnies (the kids, you see, sorta have two Easter Bunnies and we both bought chocolate!). Bud immediately unpeeled the foil from his caramel Cadbury egg, dripping caramel strings all over himself, the carpet, and me. More than that, though, they marveled at the extremely large "realistic" bunnies they'd spotted at the store weeks earlier on a prescription med run (Sis even seemed to remember that she'd seen the bunny at the store but didn't figure out how the Easter Bunny knew she wanted it; same with Bud and his chocolate football goalpost treat). They even rode around the porch on the bunnies for a bit. They wondered at the half-eaten carrots and strawberries--"I guess the bunny was here!" (that was the clue?? Not the filled baskets and eggs?? Or was it proof that it was a bunny?)--and praised the beautiful eggs that the Bunny had made and left for them (guess which colors?!). Then they seemed to suddenly remember that there were eggs to hunt--luckily it was just 7 a.m., what I deemed acceptable egg-hunt time. And so we headed outside.

(BTW, the Easter Bunny visits everyone in our house--Mama got 5 hot sauces of varying types and intensities; I got chocolate and a cookbook. Thank you, Easter Bunny!)

Once outside, they did indeed stick to their "rules"--"we have rules, Mom," Sis had informed me (I had my own rules--no taking an egg if someone is reaching for--or has "called it" first)--and ran and walked near each other the whole time. Which was apparently necessary because Sis was being choosy about the kind of eggs she wanted to pick up. She mainly wanted pink eggs and thus would direct Bud to an egg she didn't want, "Here, Bud, is an egg for you. It's blue." At least she had a plan.

There was one egg neither wanted: the slug egg. Overnight, a slug had attached itself to one of the dyed hardboiled eggs. Something I'd never seen before. Until we saw it again 3 more times. Do slugs smell? How did they find the eggs? And only the real ones? Curiouser and curiouser.

They actually found just about the same number of eggs (but perhaps only because Sis gave away the ones she didn't want). And only missed 4 on their first full pass around the yard (including the requisite two in the mailbox). Of course, Mama and I gave lots of hints and were probably a tad too helpful. They exclaimed over all the eggs, both plastic and dyed, and were excited by how full their baskets got.

Soon, we were all back on the porch opening the plastic ones, filled with quarters, jellybeans, and mini chocolate eggs. As they sorted through the treats, Sis and Bud talked about Easter. "Easter is the holiday of new life," Sis explained. "And maple leafs." Huh? She never did explain.

They played with the new bunnies and ate an exorbitant amount of candy before we headed to church. When warned about eating in the living room, Bud devised a new tactic--he would run into the kitchen and "chipmunk" jellybeans (his favorites were red, her least favorite, which worked perfectly). Hilarious, but we had to put an end to that.

Church found them spotting the "hidden" eggs strewn across the yard and stuffed into the branches of bushes even before service began. Thank heavens for those large, very distracting and entertaining bunnies, for we'd never have gotten through service. Finally, it was egg-hunting time and the kids headed out with their egg-carton bunny baskets, which they could each fill with 12 plastic eggs. Bud was off, but Sis progressed more slowly. Again, she was only picking up pink eggs. Even though we explained that we wouldn't keep the actual eggs but only the goodies inside. No matter. Pink. Which we then had to explain to all the helpful teens and other parents who tried to help Sis find other eggs. But she triumphed and soon had 12 pink eggs of varying hues in her egg carton. Time to eat the goodies! We learned from last year and had brought a container for emptying out the treats.

We headed home soon after and just hung out the rest of the very relaxed day, the culmination of a great Easter weekend.

In the Papers

• Good food on a cheap budget.
• A palliative-care doctor struggles with her own death
• Confusing post on weight and exercise--if you are normal weight you can stay that weight by getting 7 hours of exercise a week but if you are overweight exercise won't help you from getting bigger!
• Cooking with Dexter series on Little House on the Prairie in Brooklyn (remember the pig's bladder as ball to play with?)
• Can animals be gay? Haven't read this particular article yet but love the book about Tango the penguin.
• Great article on Irish cook and champion Darina Allen.
• Tahini soup??
• It's the Museum special--and I'm slowly reading my way through it (and feeling much older than the young curators).

Happy Easter, Everyone!

In Greek and Orthodox churches all across our time zone, they are celebrating the Resurrection right now with red eggs and (as I understand it) sometimes fireworks, with cries of "Christ is Risen" and "Indeed, He is Risen" called back and forth. Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter align this year (and next), a rarity and so everyone is celebrating at approximately the same time. Sunrise services will be held tomorrow morning in Catholic and other Christian churches.

Of course, in our house the star of the holiday is the Easter Bunny, a kindly female bunny who usually resides in a lovely garden in England (perhaps our very own Lambeth's garden??!!) but spends this one night a year delivering eggs and chocolate bunnies to girls and boys who await her. Adults, too, at least in our house, where Easter is a holiday for everyone, young and old, Buddhist and UU, anyone who embraces spring and renewal and new life and hope.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Eggstravaganza

Our three dozen eggs (a dozen each for the kids and for the bunny):

• Bud's Tie-Dye Eggs (Paas kit)--Bud loved making these eggs, which were complicated because you had to place them in a plastic shell covered with wet cloth, insert a pipette filled with dye (all vinegar, no water), and color the egg. He even dipped some and then tie-dyed on top of them, making these great, subtle swirled designs.
• Sis's Glitter Eggs (Dudley's kit)--even though this involved paint and glitter and Sis carefully created two beautiful multi-colored eggs, she soon went back to a more traditional method.
• Sis's Traditional Dyed Eggs (Paas kit)--dye tablets, water, vinegar, metal dipper=beautiful, strong-colored solid eggs, which she arranged in color groups in her egg carton.
• My Marble Magic Eggs (Paas kit)--trying to replicate the glorious swirled and marbled eggs of my childhood, which I have discovered were probably made with the now unavailable bunny-topped oil-based egg paints of Ruby's Easter Egg kits which had you dropping pink, yellow, and blue dye on the surface of the water and slowly and carefully swirling the egg through the dye and into the water (and once it was in, that egg was done)--the new marble method from Paas involved first dipping the eggs a pale color and then adding oil to the dyes and swirling the eggs back through a different color (or more than one color). Very messy but a pretty enough result. Nothing like those rich, saturated eggs of my childhood though (and the bunny's were always prettier than mine). I'll try again with something else next year (maybe Wilton gel food coloring?)

(Our own pictures later!)

Easter Saturday: Our Day, in Food

7:01 a.m. The kids are awake, excited that Ma and Gong are coming, forgetful of the fact that the Easter Bunny comes tomorrow.

7:10 a.m. After reviewing our day's plan, we decide to watch "Easter Snoopy," which part about the way Marcy messes up the eggs really amuses the kids; the birdhouse difficulties with Woodstock confuse them.

7:43 a.m. We are downstairs, dressed and ready to start all the cooking for the day's meals, including Orange Monkey Bread, plain ol' strawberry jello, Chocolate Chess Pie, Mushroom Quiche, and Split Pea Soup. Sis says, "Mom, wants the name of the chef that helps the real chef?" "Sous chef," I answer. "You're the sous chef, Mom." Later Mama takes the kids to the bakery.

9:16 a.m. Ma, Gong, and Goo arrive! Let the fun begin . . . they go tricycle riding, play ball in the backyard, draw in the living room, build worlds in the basement. In between activities we nibble on the monkey bread plus store-bought hot cross buns, pink sugared bunny cookies, and little fruit tarts (the latter that Sis and Bud chose at the bakery when they picked up the former with Mama).

10:24 a.m. Goo is a saint and helps make the soup. Mama is busy with the quiche. I realize I'm out of flour and can't start the rolls, so Gong and I make a run to the store (and get an extra bag of KA Flour for Goo!), where we run into two friends and buy lots of ice cream (what is it about grandads and ice cream? Both of the kiddos' grandads always seem to be buying ice cream!).

11:50 a.m. Lunch isn't ready but we're all hungry. So we have a "fruit plate" snack with yummy mangoes, oranges, cantaloupe (which Ma cut into pretty scalloped shape and then Goo decorated with toothpicks and strawberries as an alien!), strawberries, papaya, and grapefruit. Bud wanted to keep a seed from everything to plant in the backyard.

1:02 p.m. Instead of having lunch at 1 p.m., we opt for rest time. Mama, Ma, and Gong head to the store for a few things, including Port for the soup. I set the table, roast the asparagus, and start the carrots. I forget the macaroni and cheese until we are ready to eat, but luckily it is fast.

1:49 p.m. The kids finish rest time early and so Goo and I hide plastic eggs outside for a practice run. Bud finds 5. Sis finds more than 20. He thinks that isn't fair. I bet Aunt Banana would agree. But I was there, Sis found them all fair and square.

2:57 p.m. We're sitting down to eat. Mama brings out a chilled bottle of Prosecco to toast her departed college friend, whose favorite drink it was. We raise our glasses to friends, family, and spring! There is Ham, Red-Eyed Gravy, Virginia Light Rolls, salad, Roasted Asparagus, Glazed Carrots, macaroni and cheese, quiche, and soup. It was all delicious. Though, the adults are now sorry that rest time was before lunch!

4:30 p.m. The kitchen is clean. There have been games and puzzles. Now we have dessert--jello, chocolate pie, two ice creams from the store, some mini Cadbury eggs--accidentally dark chocolate but extremely good--plus coffee and tea with the left over evaporated milk (it's a Thai thing. And a good one).

5:12 p.m. We get ready for the Easter Bunny by putting our empty baskets on the front porch (no real flowers or grass up here to continue my family's tradition of building Easter nests outside), along with the dyed eggs and empty plastic ones, and a plate full of carrots (from Sis) and strawberries (from Bud). Time for Easter!

7:20 p.m. With the kids bathed and in bed, the house back in order, and all the leftovers and such packed up, Ma, Gong, and Goo head home while Mama and I start our second shift, as the Easter Bunny!

7:58 p.m. I dye more eggs, since our family's bunny always made special marbled eggs to add to the ones we colored. We also fill plastic eggs with quarters, chocolate eggs, and jelly beans.

9:14 p.m. We fill the family's baskets with goodies, having to search high and low for a few things we'd hidden too well.

9:30 p.m. We're outside in the darkness, with Mama in her handy miner's lantern contraption, hiding 3 dozen painted eggs (one dozen for each of the kids plus the bunny) and probably 3 more dozen plastic eggs (some of which we also hide inside). I had already scoped out possible spots during our afternoon trial run and so know exactly where things go. Mama becomes "sous bunny" and just follows along with the basket! Mailbox, car bumpers, upturned toys, swingset, gutter drains--all the places my childhood bunny would hide eggs!

10:40 p.m. We have a little snack, finish cleaning up, and head upstairs to get ready for bed.

12:06 a.m. Not quite ready for bed, but very, very ready for Easter tomorrow!

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Orange Monkey Bread

2 can refrigerator biscuits

½ stick oleo

2/3 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup orange juice

Open containers of biscuits and quarter each circle. Coat in 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar (in bowl or zipper bag). Layer biscuits in Bundt pan coated in cooking spray. Melt oleo and remaining sugar; add juice and pour over biscuits. Bake at 350°F til brown (15-25 minutes).

*Note: I didn't think there was enough orange "sauce" and would consider doubling the oj, sugar, and butter next time but worry that it won't cook--maybe add some sauce halfway through cooking?

Mommy Hungry, via Gommie Hungry

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Chocolate Chess Pie

¼ butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9” pie shell

Melt the margarine in a small saucepan. Stir in the sugar and cocoa. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs; do not beat. Stir in the vanilla and evaporated milk. Pour into unbaked pie shell; cover edges with foil until last 5 minutes. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Let stand until cool. Chill, covered, until serving time.

Meet Me at the Loveless cookbook

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Mushroom Quiche

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare pie crust (we had store-bought) and line a 10" quiche pan with it. Prick intersection of rim and bottom with a fork and line pie crust with foil and weight with dried beans, corn, or lentils. Bake 5-10 minutes or until edges of the crust are a very light brown. Remove foil and beans and turn oven down to 375F. Remove pie crust from oven.

Meanwhile, wip clean (do not wash) and slice 1 pound mushrooms. You may use button mushrooms (we did); these days we use oyster mushrooms. Finely chop 3 tablespoons onions and saute onions for about a minute in a large frying pan in 2 tablespoons butter. Add mushrooms; turn heat up high until liquid evaporates and they begin to brown. Stir occasionally. Add 1 teaspoons salt and 1/4 cup tawny port (we used sherry). Set aside.

Beat 3 eggs together in a mixer or a bowl. Add a grating of nutmeg, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, and some fresh ground pepper.

Add mushrooms to pie crust (note: without any liquid they've dropped meanwhile). Sprinkle 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese (we used a little more) over them and return pie to oven. Carefully add custard to the quiche. Bake until puffed and browned, 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Individual pieces of quiche may be wrapped, frozen, and later reheated in a toasted oven (our note: it won't last that long!)

Best of Bloodroot: Vol 1, Vegetarian Recipes

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Split Pea Soup

In a large soup pot, simmer 1 pound split peas in ample water to cover until just done. Do not add salt.

Chop 3 medium onions (we had 2) and 1/2 bunch celery (including leaves) and saute in 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (we had vegetable) in a frying pan. When medium brown, add 2 large cloves garlic, crushed, 3/4 teaspoon marjoram (we used herbes de provence), and 2 bay leaves. Stir until well browned.

Turn vegetables into kettle of cooked split peas. Deglaze frying pan by adding 1/2 cup red wine. Bring to a simmer, scrape up brown bits, and add to soup kettle.

Simmer soup at least 1/2 hour or until it seems done. Season with about 1 tablespoon salt and lots of fresh ground pepper. Any lentil or dried bean soup must be salted after hte beans are cooked to avoid toughness.

When soup is about done, peel, quarter, and dice 1 bunch carrots. Add to soup and continue cooking until carrots are just done.

Serve soup with a splash of port wine in each bowl.

The Best of Bloodroot: Vol 2, Vegan Recipes

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Ham

butt portion

Bake uncovered at 325°F for 1 1/2-2 hours.

Gommie Hungry

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Red-Eye Gravy

ham drippings

1 cup coffee

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon white sugar

Remove ham from roasting pan (which had been coated in oil and then got an extra cup or so of water later on, to minimize mess and maximize drippings).

Place roasting pan on stove set to medium. Scrape drippings but remove any obvious solid fats or other tissues. Add cup of coffee and continue heating; add 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon white sugar, to taste. Boil and serve.

Mama Hungry (with Ma Hungry)

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Roasted Asparagus

2 bunches (1 ½ lbs) asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse salt and ground pepper

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450°F. Trim tough ends from asparagus. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer. Sprinkle with cheese. Roast until asparagus is tender and cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Everyday Food

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A-to-Z Zoo Day

"Anacondi" is the stuffed green snake Bud bought in the shop.

Butterfly garden is my favorite place.

Carousel of Bugs, which we rode twice because Sis was so happy.

Den of bears, both Grizzly and Polar, neither of whom were awake.

Eating lunch of pizza, chicken fingers, salad, fruit, and lots of french fries.

Flamingos are pink because of the food they eat--they were the first animal we saw.

Gorillas were eating forsythia (or as Sis calls it, "porsippia") like candy.

House Mouse--the kids were fascinated watching them crawl around a facsimile of a house. Ew!

Ice cream, our departing treat: strawberry, chocolate, moose tracks, and a root beer float.

J gets two butterfly magnets for the fridge.

Kookabura--but they weren't laughing or sitting in an old gum tree!

Leopard, snow, stretched once and then resumed its nap

Marmosets, which Sis photographed with Mama's old camera (Mama has a new digital SLR!).

Nests being built by 5 Magellanic penguins.

Okapi, with the striped bum, which the kids always recognize from Diego.

Panda, red, comfortable in its nest looking at us, Ma's favorite.

Questions about why they closed the "World of Darkness," Bud's favorite exhibit last time.

Red-eyed tree frog clinging to the glass--Sis wondered, "is it real?"

Spotted skunk doing a handstand as its defensive pose scared Sis.

Tram, a midday ride saved us a huge hike (and probably saved the afternoon!)

Up and down, back and forth go the swimming sea lions.

Volume of people increased rapidly as the beautiful day progressed.

White bunny--another stuffed critter--that Sis bought in the shop.

X marked the spots on the map as we searched for the animals to see next.

Young bears and skunks and mandrill monkeys unexpectedly not on view.

Zoological exhibits and events are captured in Bud's drawings (well, really, Ma's).

Quickie

Not live blogging this Easter weekend, which found us reveling in the warm weather at the Bronx Zoo yesterday and now includes having extended family Easter Saturday with a big lunch today and then our own visit from the Easter Bunny tomorrow and our church celebration. Fun, fun, fun. And just the perfect weather . . . .

April Fools

The kiddos loved April Fool's Day today and ended up calling most of the family to tease them. We had a few rules--whatever the trick, it could not be mean or make them sad or upset (i.e. "the cats got out" or "the house is on fire"). They came up with most of the ideas by themselves.

For Mama, we called to say that there was no work today and that she should come home. Sis and Bud started laughing and saying it was April Fool's before they had even finished the joke. We all thought that was funny.

For Gommie, we told her over the phone that it was snowing. And it worked! And it worked again on Pop! She tried to tell us that there was a bird in her house, but we didn't fall for it.

For Babysitter, we said we had a new kitten upstairs. And she believed us!

Then, when she came home, Mama told us that she had seen a moose on the way home from work--and Sis believed her, though Bud sceptically asked if it were true.

For Ma and Gong, we called to say that Mama had seen a moose on the way home from work. They laughed. At least they pretended to believe us . . . .

Fun foolishness . . . . .

A Spring Bouquet for You

It's magic! Change white carnations (or daisies) to any color you choose, while learning about how flowers "work," by

1. cutting the stems at an angle;
2. immersing the stems in glasses of water colored with your chosen dyes (I've read you can split the stem and put each half in a different color for a funky two-tone effect);
3. our florist said to add hot water to the glasses once the tints appear on the petals to color them faster (this did not work);
4. wait 24 hours and you'll have lightly-tinted, colored carnations.

Happy Spring!

My Backyardigans

Reveling in the first day of sun in what seems like almost a week (during which time we've heard about more basements flooding than you can imagine--hope yours dries out, Neighbor K!--and welcome to the blog!), the kids were outside most of the day, renewing much of the play they'd been engaged with all last week. They dug as archaeologists, baked pies in their restaurant, threw their flying discs in a made up game of catch (Bud was the Sand City Sharks and Sis was the Red Blossoms) during which they ran around not one but two sets of baseball bases, and then ran marathons all around the yard. They spotted cardinals, mourning dove, the omnipresent-herald-of-spring robin, and lots of squirrels.

Squirrels are of particular interest these days because Sis spotted their nest last week during dinner.

"Mom," she said with a mouthful of meatloaf, "there's a squirrel in the tree."

"I'm sure, honey. There are lots of squirrels out these days."

"No, Mom," she said indignantly, "in the tree. In the tree."

I couldn't see from my spot and so, at her impatient insistence, moved around to look out the patio doors. And there, in the tree, was a squirrel, coming in and out of a hole in a knot in our large silver maple. It was apparently cleaning out its nest, seemingly removing old debris and bringing up new. Maybe for some babies? Honestly, I'm not sure I've ever seen an animal or bird actually nest inside a tree, though I've seen pictures and learned in school that they do. But they do. They really do.

Amazing the things you can see and do in the backyard.

On Easter and Passover

Sure, I teach Sunday School, but it's at a UU church which means my theological credentials would probably not pass muster at more traditional or dogmatic institutions. Which is why it felt funny to be explaining the roots of both Easter and Passover to my kiddos this week.

Of course, we'd already broken the news about Jesus--his Crucifixion and Resurrection--to Sis and Bud a few weeks ago, leaving it at "Jesus comes back to life as the Easter Bunny." Surely that alone would get me removed from most church education programs! But we were reviewing the facts again because Sis was pretending her bunny Amy was Jesus reincarnate. And Bud said he doubted the whole story because "normal people don't do that (i.e. come back to life)." So, I had to do my "some people believe this, I believe that" spiel. Which in this case goes "Some people believe Jesus was very special because he died and came back to life. I don't believe that. I think he was an important teacher and he died but didn't come back to life." At which point, Bud repeated, "normal people don't do that."

So, having recounted the Passion, I asked the kids if I'd mentioned anything about bunnies or eggs? Nope, clearly not. At which point, being a good pagan-leaning UU, I needed to explain that many of the symbols of Easter come from pagan Europe and the worship of Ostara (and other similar goddesses), to whom bunnies are sacred and eggs and spring and fertility and seeds are key. The two merged when Christianity was spread into Europe. TMI for a preschooler? I'm embarrassed to say I then needed to mention other European and non-Christian gods, many of whom are the basis of the names for the days of the weeks and months. Nothing like Mars and Freya over a pizza lunch! Then Sis decided she wanted to be Goddess of the Bunnies. And Bud wants to be God of the Penguins.

But that doesn't top explaining the Exodus and Passover last night. Our friend Miss B, who is culturally Jewish but otherwise spiritually diverse, had come over yesterday bearing matzoh candy with cashews and coconut in chocolate (and was a good sport when I used her as my Jewish poster child!). And so after she left, I was explaining matzoh, which led to the Exodus and to Passover, and to Moses, the promised land, the parting of the Red Sea, the plagues, and the wicker basket on the Nile--thank heavens for Charlton Heston and The Ten Commandments (really, besides Ben Hur, the only nice thing I can say about him)! And all the kids could say was "why?" Too bad we won't be able to go to the church's Seder tomorrow night--I know our minister has more theological groundings than I do to field that and many other questions about these holidays.

All of which is to say that I think Buddhist Mama and UU me are doing a great job raising at least one Christian, however accidentally and unintentionally!

Pot O' Gold at the End of My Rainbow

I love my olla de barros and have now cooked two pots of beans it in. There is something so satisfying and wonderful about stirring it, watching it simmer, even smelling the clay and the beans inside. It is absolutely satisfying on all levels. My first pot of beans, following the directions learned at my cooking class, was Good Mother Stallards. What a revelation! And so yummy . . . . today, I made "drunken beans"--plain old red beans, Goya brand, with garlic and onion and half a bottle of Tsingtao beer (yeah, I know, Mexican pot, North American beans, Chinese beer) and they were very good--and none of the beans broke their skins as they normally do. And you can really taste the bean. Which was okay, but plain old reds just aren't as good plain as the Stallards or other heirlooms I've tried (btw, Cousin S, I can't find heirloom beans at WF either, except pre-cooked in the salad bar, where they've had a great Heirloom Bean salad, marinated Gigante beans, and a wonderful Ancient Grains salad. I'm going to try to make those myself, when I find the ingredients). I'll be eating the reds with something else for dinner (Pace picante sauce does wonders for beans). And I got a new bean cookbook at the store today, Andrea Chesman's 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains. Can't wait to try some of her ideas. Or the beans advertised in my new Iowa Seed Saver's catalog!

Catching Up

Knowing I won't be blogging too much over the next few days because we'll be busy with family and Easter, I'm breaking my Thursday silence to post a few things.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Let There Be Light

We woke up to yet more rain today--and a rain gauge topped to overfilling at 5".

But now the rain has stop and there is light in a still overcast sky, the brightest its been for days and days.

Just in time for Easter . . .

The Joy of a Scale Victory!

Yay! Losing almost 3 lbs this week, I totaled a loss of more than 5% of my original body weight!!!! (and yes, I left the kids in bed and rushed there early to weigh in this morning before school because of appointments and holidays on my other meeting days). I am so excited . . . and definitely need this as we head into yet another feasting holiday.

Start Your Wheat Berries!

I don't know where I first saw the project of growing your own Easter grass--I know it involved wheat berries and a bucket and that it was easy to do quickly. So I just bought the wheat berries and now can't find the magazine with the project instructions. So, thank heavens for the internet because I have found numerous sites with the instructions, which are, basically:

1. Get a container, potting soil (or just plain dirt), plastic wrap, and wheat berries (which are at our local health food store).
2. Fill the container with potting soil and completely cover with wheat berries.
3. Water.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and keep warm.
5. Check moisture each morning; water if necessary.
6. Remove plastic wrap when grass begins to grow and place in sunny spot.
7. Trim grass with scissors if necessary.
8. Decorate container for Easter.

I'll let you know how it goes. We'll start tomorrow and hopefully have something by the weekend. Maybe.

Our Gang

Just as an op ed appeared about "recess coaches" and the loss of childhood not only in the U.S. but in many industrialized nations, our kids have been rediscovering, with the thawing of the weather, the neighborhood kids down the block. These kids are mostly older--mostly late elementary but with one kindergartener and one preschooler--and have grown up together, gone to the same school, carpooled, shared meals, had sleepovers. It's a wonderful group of about 12 boys and girls. And it reminds me a lot of the group of kids I ran with, playing ball in the street or "Little House on the Prairie" and Star Wars in the yard, putting on plays, sharing carpooling or later bike rides to and from school, our families having weekend parties; I even think we vacationed with a few of the families at the beach once or twice. It was one of those idyllic childhoods, the kind we wanted for our kids.

But my kids are mostly on the outside fringe of this gang, not only because we live around the corner but also because the they don't have older siblings as an entre or go to the same schools as the younger ones. Not that they've ever been excluded: these are the kids who took Sis and Bud snow sledding this winter. And everytime Sis and Bud appear down the street, they are welcomed and included. Last week, it was an invitation to join the other boys and girls climbing around the rocks of the nearby creek. Then there was a game of basketball, some rides on a scooter, and always lots of jumping on the trampoline. Sis and Bud are always a bit hesitant but the older kids always help them out, by holding their hands as they traversed the rocks of the creek, by giving them a turn with the basketball or scooter. Sis and Bud, in turn, have shared their tricycles, which intrigued the older kids one afternoon because the trikes are so small (nostalgia in elementary school?) and also brought over their flying discs for a game of toss.

You can tell, though, that Sis and Bud aren't perfectly comfortable yet. First, I'm the only parent hanging around, the others inside trusting their kids to both behave and watch their younger siblings (besides, these are parents with older kids, much more experienced in this, not as "helicoptering"). Though, I try not to get involved unless it's a safety question (like when the older kids wanted to climb through the storm drain tunnel last week). Second, my kids just don't know these kids as well, and vice versa, so that my kiddos are a bit reserved and shy, unsure, despite the encouragement from all sides. In the end, Sis and Bud need to learn to navigate the gang by themselves. As Elkind writes in that article,

For children in past eras, participating in the culture of childhood was a socializing process. They learned to settle their own quarrels, to make and break their own rules, and to respect the rights of others. They learned that friends could be mean as well as kind, and that life was not always fair.

Now that most children no longer participate in this free-form experience — play dates arranged by parents are no substitute — their peer socialization has suffered. One tangible result of this lack of socialization is the increase in bullying, teasing and discrimination that we see in all too many of our schools.

And so, we keep an eye on when the older kids are in their yard, an ear to their laughs and squeals, now that it's warm enough to play outside for extended periods, and we head down the street to play. Once I get them to the group, I sit on the steps and try to disappear, not quite ready to join the other parents inside--the kids aren't the only ones getting used to this.

Just think of this idyllic (and idealized) childhood as the human version of "Franklin" or "Little Bear": the friends have great adventures together, learning about themselves, each other, and the world around them; no parents appear unless there is a crisis, which is then always easily fixed; and they don't watch television! Because you can't have a childhood through tv. And with schools dropping recess for academics and kids spending 7 hours or whatever a day by themselves in front of various electronic media, having even some traditional childhood is more important than ever.

(For the parents, too!)

It's Still Raining

And not just a soft spring pitter pat but this amazing torrential downpour of sheeting rain. While our basement isn't in need of a sump pump yet, there is water soaking in through the side basement door because the (sad excuse for a) driveway pools right there. The kids are handling, what is it now, full day 2 indoors with aplomb, playing Brother Bear earlier this morning and then switching to knights.

At least we're not trying to look for eggs in this mess.

And, again, at least you don't have to shovel rain!

Tidbits

Yesterday at school, the teachers explained to the kids that they will be gathering gently used books to give away to kids who don't have any books. One girl said they had a lot of old books at home that they could give away. But my kids said, "We have a lot of books. But we read them ALL!" Surely amid the hundreds and hundreds of books, we can find a few to part with. Or, we'll just go to the store . . .

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Another book tidbit: apparently, they were reading Madeline in school and ours were the only kids who identified the Eiffel Tower. I wonder what kindergarten goal that meets?

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And today, we have been watching it rain and rain and rain. Just now, when a flood warning beeped across the tv, if it was flooding here. Or in Venice. Well, Sis, it is starting to look like Venice outside.

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And I didn't want to raise precocious children. . . .

(Though, the preschool teacher calls them "worldly!")

Rain, Rain

We're expecting 4.5 inches today.

At least you don't have to shovel rain, a preschool parent noted about our March weather optimistically.

True enough.

Busy weekend--Mama at her college friend's memorial service Saturday, our visit to Babysitter's restaurant, church, our first whole family visit to my favorite vegetarian restaurant, a trip to the bookstore, lots of drawing and reading--leading up to an even busier holiday week, with Mama off on Friday. I ran errands during preschool instead of making all phone calls, sending all the emails, and writing all the posts I have in mind. Got the oil changed, found out the battery was dying, and so had that replaced as well (and was inspired by reading the current Shambhala Sun while I waited) and ran more errands. Made soup lunch and reheated homemade rolls on this dark and stormy Monday. Meanwhile, thinking of all the steps in the various recipes for Saturday's family Easter dinner, and when I need to get started, from quiche crust to jello, etc etc etc.

Now, it's time for me to go draw some dragons and Easter Bunnies.

More on it all later.