Word of the Day

I used to get a kick out of the "Word on the Street" on "Sesame Street."  It was always a good word, fun to say, and I'd remember it the rest of the day.

Well, we're now doing something similar:  a daily family word-of-the-day.  Except we choose our word at the end of the day, during dinner, and write it on the calendar.  Ours is not a vocabulary word.  Part journaling, part gratitude practice, the word of the day allows us to encapsulate our day.

Swimming.  Tooth.  School.  Cold.

These are the first four words of the year, all unanimously agreed upon.  I'm sure there will be days when there is more than one word.  And that's fine too.

I wonder what the word will be today?

Right Now

13 degrees, with 1 degree wind chill, waiting outside for the bus.  Reminds me of our years in Chicago.

Thinking of Them

• our little friend, Driver's daughter, who has pneumonia
• the father of my co-Daisy leader, who is having surgery tomorrow
• the brother of my friend, Mrs. S, who had surgery over the holidays
• the daughter-in-law of Lambeth, who is undergoing chemotherapy
• the mother-in-law of a friend, who has congestive heart failure

Our best wishes and prayers are with you.

Our Holidays

As you could gather from my infrequent posts and short "Right Nows," we had a very busy winter break.  But while busy, it was also one of the most relaxing, satisfying, and enjoyable holidays I've had as an adult.  I'm not exactly sure how we managed that, though we did 1). shorten our to-do list and manage our expectations of what we could accomplish (which meant fewer outings/activities, some untidiness (or actual downright mess and dirt!), and only very modest wrapping of packages), 2). remind each other that our goal was to enjoy our family in the moment, nothing more or less, and 3). eliminated complicated holiday meals in favor of still-tasty but less labor-intensive Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, second Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day dinners (soup and dessert, beans and cornbread, anitpasti, leftovers, and take-out), none of which would have been possible without the support of our families.

That said, when we reviewed the holiday, several wonderful moments stood out, in no particular order:

• making gingerbread houses with Ma, Gong, and Goo
• swimming with Gommie and Pop
• the musical Christmas Eve at our (possibly) new church
• eating our favorite foods, including remoulade, gumbo, muffalettas, panettone bread pudding, mincemeat pie, orange biscuits, bacon, corned beef hash, sausage, monkey bread, ham, black-eyed peas, cornbread, all-afternoon stew, chicken with rice and gravy, Peking Duck, shumai, roast pork, mushroom quiche, gingerbread, fresh mozzarella, mortadella, ham, arancini, olives, artichoke salad, dill Mediterranean chickpeas, sushi, pizza, Swedish meatballs, lingonberry sauce, salmon, shrimp, chocolate truffle cake, curried chickpeas, crepes (sweet and savory fillings), pancakes, sourdough biscuits, waffles with speculaas, Teuscher's chocolates, Christmas cookies (this list alone would take a few lines!), gluwhein and glogg, punch, decaf grande Peppermint Mochas, holiday tea, hot chocolate, panettone, pandoro (panettone without the fruit), dolmades, gyro, kebbe, kefta, mujadara, hummus, falafel, pistachio baklava, rosewater cake, cheese enchiladas, beef tacos, chile relleno, refried beans, Mexican rice, chicken fingers, beer beans, curried lentils, pork and apples, and that's not all . . . . (links to available recipes soon) 
• making moving model cars at the Eli Whitney Museum with Gommie and Pop
• coloring Shrinky Dinks with Ma, Gong, and Goo
• Bud losing his first tooth!
• reading Moody Cow Meditates and liking the Angry Mind jar idea
• I sat for 5-10 minutes almost each day!!!
• making a list of family resolutions and fun ideas for 2012 (more on this later)
• playing baseball in the warm 50 degree days with Gommie and Pop
• watching Wizard of Oz with Gommie
• eating at Bloodroot with Gommie and Pop (mushroom stroganoff, spinach noodles with vermouth cream sauce, seitan carbonnades, fresh ricotta salad, endive with avocado and watercress, potato and celery seed soup, escarole and white bean soup, mushroom soup, oatmeal bread, cranberry kissl, brandied fruit, bourbon vanilla ice cream)
• singing Christmas carols (the kiddos prefer the "Phineas and Ferb" versions!)
• playing "Silent Night" on the keyboard Santa brought
• playing with Babysitter
• having pancakes for dinner
• begin reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• building Legos, doing arts and crafts, putting together models, reading new books, and so much more that I can't recall!

I was actually sorry to see it end this morning, though our first flurries were a consolation.

A (Partial) New-Year's How-To List

• How to cook
• How to eat less meat
• How to clean
• How to shop
• How to be inspired (including videos, radio, daily intentions, and more)
• How to be happy
• How to meditate
• How to make gingerbread
• How to go to the hospital and how to die (hopefully not necessary this year)
• How to lose weight (or not)
• How to have hope (well, more why)
• How to talk (or not)
• How to manage pain
• How to . . . the Buddha's way

Right Now

The first flurries of winter are sticking to Mama's car. 

Right Now

Snaggletooth

Bud's first loose tooth is so loose that he can wiggle it at almost a 90-degree angle to his gums!  And yet it still hasn't come out (well, the back roots are out and bled a bit today and you can put your finger inside the tooth cavity.  Ewhhh).  He's both excited and frightened.  We all hope the Tooth Fairy can come soon.  Especially because he left her a letter last week letting her know that he would need her soon.

Our Favorite Questions

Here is our semi-annual blog questionnaire (last year's here), with two bonuses, from Gommie and Pop:


Sis

Book: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

TV show: "Phineas and Ferb"

Movie:  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Song:  Theme song of "Phineas and Ferb"

CD:  Mom's Glee CDs

Musician: 

Color:  pink

Number:  7

Food:  chocolate

Flavor:  chocolate

Animal:  bunny

Day of the Week:  Saturday and Sunday

Ice Cream:  chocolate

Candy: chocolate bar

Restaurant:  Bertucci's.

Toy/Thing:  Legos; Felicity doll; Shirt; Amy the bunny

Thing to do:  swim

Place to go:  I want to go to Hershey Park.

Saying/Words:  "Cat got your tongue?"

Happy thoughts every night: 

What she wants to be when she grows up:  a vet.

Bud
Book:  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

TV show: "Phineas and Ferb"

Movie: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Song:  N/A

CD:  Mom's Glee CDs

Musician: 

Color:  blue

Number:  6

Food:  sushi

Flavor:  strawberry

Animal: penguin

Day of the Week:  I don't have one.

Ice Cream:  strawberry

Candy:  Mike and Ike's

Restaurant:  Bertucci's.

Toy/Thing:  Legos; DS.

Thing to do:  play chess.

Place to go:  Antarctica.

Saying/Words:  N/A

Happy thoughts every night:  N/A

What he wants to be when he grows up:  paleontolgist

Mommy
Book: currently, How to be Sick by Toni Bernhard, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Tova Bradley, and books by Sylvia Boorstein

TV show: "Glee"; "Tudors" season 3 and 4; "Firefly"; PBS special "Buddha"

Movie: Harry Potter series

Song: "Born this Way"

CD: Glee vol 7

Musician:  Indigo Girls;

Color: purple

Number:  12

Food:  PIZZA; homemade bread; beans;

Flavor:  chocolate; orange

Animal:  cats; pandas; groundhogs; otters

Day of the Week:  the weekend

Ice Cream:  I like the plain yogurt at Pinkberry right now

Candy: Teuscher's champagne truffles

Restaurant: Bloodroot

Toy/Thing: smartphone

Thing to do:  read; cook; date night; potholders with the kids;

Place to go:  anywhere out of the house

Saying/Words: It could be worse.  It is what it is.  

Happy thoughts every night:   my family.

What she wants to be when she grows up:  costumed historical interpreter!

Mama:
Book:  currently, Geraldine Brooks's Caleb's Crossing

TV show:  "Glee"

Movie:  N/A

Song: "Able to Sing"

CD: Beauty Queen Sister

Musician: Indigo Girls

Color:  forest green

Number: 13

Food:  sushi

Flavor:  cheddar sour cream and onion

Animal:  cats

Day of the Week:  Saturday

Ice Cream:  mango

Candy:  Gummi Bears

Restaurant:   Bloodroot

Toy/Thing:  Legos; iPad

Thing to do:  date night with Mommy; building Legos with the kids

Place to go:   NYC

Saying/Words:  What's your goal?

Happy thoughts every night: 

What she wants to be when she grows up:   fun and relaxed.

BONUS:

Gommie
Book:  currently The Greater Journey by David McCollough

TV show:  "The Good Wife"

Movie:  Avatar

Song: "Amazing Grace" (Judy Collins) and "Ave Maria"

CD:  N/A

Musician:  N/A 

Color:  light blue (it used to be green)

Number:  7

Food:  spaghetti

Flavor:  chocolate

Animal:  bighorn sheep 

Day of the Week: doesn't really matter

Ice Cream: caramel fudge

Candy: chocolate

Restaurant:  Via Emilia in Houston

Toy/Thing:  sudoku

Thing to do:  hike with Pop, go to movies

Place to go:  mountains

Saying/Words:  the Serenity Prayer

Happy thoughts every night: my happy family

What she wants to be when she grows up:  "I don't want to grow up."

Pop, as told mostly by Gommie
Book:  Empire of the Summer Moon

TV show: "Antiques Roadshow"

Movie:  Robin Hood

Song:  songs from Oklahoma, especially "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" and "Kansas City"

CD: N/A

Musician:  N/A

Color:  yellow

Number:  3

Food:  spaghetti

Flavor:   cinnamon

Animal:   ducks

Day of the Week:  Friday or the one when he's in nature

Ice Cream:  cinnamon or caramel apple

Candy:  Fire ranchers or Snickers

Restaurant:  Via Emilia in Houston

Toy/Thing:  binoculars

Thing to do:   watch wildlife

Place to go:   mountains, woods

Saying/Words:  "They're just loving life."

Happy thoughts every night:  "Tomorrow's another day."  "If some is good, more is better."

What he wants to be when he grows up:  a duck.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful 2012!  

Right Now

Kids (not) doing yoga with Gommie while monkey bread baked.

Right Now

Playing backyard baseball, without costs, on this spring-like day.

Lovingkindness

I have been unable to write about the devastating Christmas Day fire in Stamford that claimed the lives of three young sisters and their grandparents, while their mother and a family friend, as well as the arriving rescue workers, were unable to help.  And so, with my current reading of Happiness is an Inside Job by Sylvia Boorstein, I offer this metta meditation for them.

May the souls of Lily, Grace, and Sarah be at ease.
May the souls of Lomar and Pauline Johnson be at ease.
May Madonna Badger be comforted.
May Michael Borcina be comforted.
May Matthew Badger be comforted.
May their family members and friends be  comforted.
May the firefighters and other rescue workers be  comforted.
May their Stamford neighbors and community be comforted.
May other people who suffered loss, pain,and  illness during these holidays be comforted.
May people who suffer loss, pain, and illness be comforted.
May the people who help and care for them be comforted.
May we all be at ease and come to the end of suffering.

Rest in Peace, Sweet Violet

Violet the Red-Tailed hawk of NYC has died.
May she soar high,  free from pain....
Thanks to those who tried to help her.

Right Now

Just had a wonderful dinner at Bloodroot with Gommie and Pop as well as great conversation with Selma, one of the owners.

Right Now

Watching Wizard of Oz with the kiddos for their first time.

Right Now

While the kiddos swim with Gommie and Pop at their hotel, we're taking down the Christmas tree because the cats have eaten, and now thrown up, a lot if needles.  It is a great tree, changing with the passing days as we added paper chains, school and homemade ornaments, and gifted ornaments.  And we'll do it again next year.

Right Now

Playing chess (Sis and Pop, who just lost to Bud), doing a Christmas puzzle, and reading my new books on Buddhism (thanks, Aunt Banana!  And the shirts are fabulous!).

Right Now

Headed to PT after hamburgers with Gommie and Pop, who stayed home with the excited kids.

Right Now

Playing chess and DS games while waiting to hear what train Gommie and Pop are on to come see us for almost a week.  Very exciting!