Helmets and TV

Who knew that it's better to watch morning tv cartoons with bike helmets on? Well apparently my kids knew this tidbit. They are both currently watching "Little Einsteins" and are wearing bike helmets! Kara started it, but John thought it was a good idea as well and immediately put his one helmet on too. It's too funny.

We have been outside enjoying the wonderful spring weather the last few days and that has also meant several opportunities to ride bikes. They definitely need the practice, so it's been good for them. And thus the helmets didn't quite get put away last night when we came in from outside. So upon seeing the chance to wear the helmets again, they insisted on putting them back on. You never can be too safe! Hee hee.

Happy Spring!

Fishing

So one of the favorite activities John was able to do with my Dad last week was to go fishing. They went twice and caught one fish the first day and two the second time. John's very excited about being able to keep the fish, instead of having to catch and release them. So Dad made sure they went someplace where they'd be able to keep the fish. I'm not quite sure why John's so insistent on keeping the fish, since he's not all that interested in eating them. But like any good grandfather, Dad kept the fish, per John's wishes, and brought them home.

Instead of eating them, John was apparently interested in dissecting them. I was not much into biology as a child, so this intrigues me. But John was very excited to relate to me upon our return how they had taken apart the fish's eyes, head, and body. For example, the fish eyes have black "gooey" stuff inside them - yuck! Anyway, John was very scientific about the exploration of the fish insides and was thrilled to find that one of the fish had egg sacks inside its belly, and that the egg sacks had "thousands" of eggs in them.

It was one of those stories that as a parent you think it's a great experience for your child to have, clearly he's interested in science-type things, but you're SO glad you didn't have to be the one to experience it with him! Thanks Grandpa!!!

Chili dinner

As I was making my Mom's basic family chili recipe today for two preschool families who recently had babies and also for our family dinner tonight, it occurred to me that this would be a great recipe to share. I've given it out to many friends over the years and it is a favorite of ours. It's a basic chili recipe that uses ground beef. Of course since we don't eat meat, I use the vegetarian fake ground beef crumbles (sold by Morningstar Farms or Boca - both good and easy to use). So I thought it'd be a good recipe to share with others. It's easy and very yummy. Enjoy!

Mom's Chili

1 lb. ground beef
2 small onions, chopped
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 t. salt
1 T. chili powder
2 t. oregano
1 beef (or veggie) bouillon cube
1 T. cumin seed
1/4 t. cayenne

Brown the beef and onions. Add the other ingredients and simmer over low heat for one hour.

How much easier can it be?

Can we have more Spring Break?

We are back to things as normal around here, well, we will be tomorrow when classes, playgroups, and preschool resume for us. Last week was Spring Break for us. The kids had a FABULOUS week with the grandparents (and the grandparents are still speaking to us, claiming they had a great time too, so that's good). And Matt and I had a GREAT week in Kitty Hawk, NC without the kids! It was a very fast four-night trip, but we had a lot of fun. We ate dinner out every night, eating lots of yummy fresh seafood and enjoying the relaxed pace of child-free meals. Our days were very relaxed and pretty much schedule-free (since life at home is definitely NOT schedule-free). We shopped, walked on the beach, ate a lot, and played games. The highlight of the trip was probably the hang gliding (well, that and not waking up to yells of "MOMMY!!" each morning). The day we went hang gliding, the wind was pretty strong, making it a lot easier for everyone in the class to take flight, but also a little hard to tolerate standing on the top of a huge sand dune for 3 hours. We had a blast, but were very exhausted by the end. All in all the trip was big success and reminded us that the kids will be fine without us and we definitely need to do more small adult-only trips in the future.

In the days since we've been home we've had Easter, the joys of unpacking and getting resettled all while Kara's been sick. She came down with a fever and the blah's at the end of the week (I'm suspecting a light case of the flu) and has continued to be on the tired and cranky side since we've been home. Nothing like a clingy toddler to make you wish you were back at the beach! Easter was good, just us, just at home, not too exciting, but good family time together. The kids hunted their eggs, we had a yummy breakfast, then hung out most of the day. John helped me to make fresh noodles for a lasagna dinner (the best with fresh noodles) and we got out for a walk around the neighborhood before a nice early bedtime.

It's been a good start to our spring, but of course as it always does the list of chores has grown while we've been having fun. The yard is in desperate need of a spring cleaning (things are starting to grow and bud, and I haven't cleaned up the old stuff yet!), the house needs to be cleaned inside, the kids' closets need organizing, we have a few items that need to get cleared out (a.k.a. purged!), and the list goes on and on. For now, I'm looking toward getting through tomorrow - we start back to swimming class for John, playgroup for Kara, back to preschool for John, and then YOGA for me tomorrow night!

My motto right now - take each day as it comes - enjoy and cherish. It goes by so fast, even though it doesn't always feel that way. Three families in our neighborhood have newborns now and it has really reminded me how far we've come in such a short time. Sometimes I miss that newborn stage...and then I'm just glad for where we are today.

Fondue - Yummmmm!

This week was Matt's birthday and in order to celebrate last weekend we had a family fondue night. Fondue is one of our favorite special meals. We've never done it often exactly, but before the kids we did have it for special occasions, birthdays and anniversaries. This was only the second time we've had it with the kids. And John absolutely loved it! I was expecting them both to just eat the bread pieces without dipping it into the cheese, which is what Kara did. But John actually really got into the dipping process and ate a ton of the cheese fondue. It was a great family birthday dinner!

So I thought I'd share the recipes for the fondue I made last week and the one we will make next week on our beach trip. The first will be a pizza fondue recipe, which I know sounds odd, but it really is yummy. The second is for a basic swiss cheese fondue and is very simple and is our favorite. I hope you enjoy!


Pizza Fondue
14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 c. tomato salsa
4 c. grated cheese (cheddar/jack)
Fresh ground pepper to taste1 large loaf crusty bread - cut into 1" cubes
Assorted veggies - cut into bite sized pieces

In the fondue pot, use a pair of knives to chop the stewed tomatoes into bite sized pieces or smaller. Add salsa and bring to simmer. Adjust heat to prevent boiling. Slowly add cheese by the handful, stirring regularly to melt evenly. Reduce flame and grind pepper over the top. Makes 6-8 servings.

Often for the pizza fondue I will do the cooking part in a pot on the stove and then once it's all melted, then pour it into the fondue pot. Melting 4C. of cheese takes awhile and doing it on the stove saves the fondue burner. Just a tip.

Fondue Chablis (our favorite!)

1/2 lb. swiss cheese
1 1/2 t. flour
1 clove garlic, sliced in half
1/2 c. chablis (or other dry white wine)
1/4 t. salt
pinch pepper
pinch nutmeg

Grate cheese coarsely and toss with flour. Rub fondue pot and wooden spoon with garlic and then discard garlic. Pour in wine, heat. Add cheese and flour. Stir until melted, then add seasonings. Serves 3.

We often have this one with a big salad and the rest of the bottle of wine. How yummy!!!

Silly Putty

Yesterday we had a first around here. There was a silly putty in the hair experience! Yes, I know, it's hard to believe, but it did happen. Late in the day, as I was about to start making dinner, the kids were playing nicely together and I was puttering on the computer. Then all of a sudden they come running over to where I am and tell me that there is silly putty in Kara's hair. I looked and it was a big chunk of silly putty now nicely wrapped up in a sizable section of hair. Lovely.

Her hair is finally long enough (and occasionally she's willing) to put it up into pigtails or headbands. Cutting it now would likely take off her beautiful curls and make it short enough to not be able to pull it back. I was about to cry when I saw how much hair was being affected by the silly putty.

After a few declarations of amazement and frustration directed at John (who truly felt very badly for what had happened), I then got Kara to sit down and I gently pulled out as many strands of hair as I could in order to avoid having to resort to the scissors. I was actually able to get out most of it, but it took 15-20 minutes and was very challenging to do. Kara was a super champ through the whole process and John pretty much sat quietly and watched me. He went and got everything I asked him for and was very cooperative for the rest of the day. Anyway, I was able to whittle it down to just a small section of hair that was thoroughly entangled in the silly putty and then the scissors did have to come out. I was VERY thankful I only ended up having to cut a tiny bit of her hair. It really could have been much much worse than it was.

In the end no one will be able to tell it ever happened, except for me. But it was quite the surprise that I really was not in the mood for yesterday afternoon after what has been a very long week. I hope today is a quieter, less eventful, day!

A Walk for Sunshine

I am about to finish reading a fabulous book written by a man who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1998. The book is titled "A Walk for Sunshine." He used the hike as an opportunity to do a fundraiser for Sunshine Home, a collection of group homes and services for individuals with mental retardation and other disabilities located in Ohio. The cover of the book says he's raised over $100,000. His original fundraising goal was $10,000.

It's a well-written account of his experiences on the Trail and provides insight into what a person must conquer during such a trek. Weather, animals, gear, other hikers, motivation and other obstacles must all be overcome to reach the final destination. It's quite an impressive task.

There was a time in my life when I thought I might section-hike the AT. I've never aspired to do a thru-hike, but section-hiking appealed to me. Who knows, someday that might still happen. It's a nice option to be able to say you completed the AT, without the intensity and grit required for a thru-hike. We'll see.

The AT is something that has always been around during my youth. I spent a lot of time camping and hiking when I was growing up. And have done many day hikes on the Trail. It's a beautiful place and I always find hiking a very peaceful and serene experience, not to mention the fabulous exercise it provides! Reading this book has reminded me of how valuable a resource the Trail is and how close it is to us. I am now inspired to get out and get on the Trail sometime soon! Anyone want to join us??