Week 30: The Sweet and The Sour

What's new?

Good Morning, all! Posting a day early this week, as we are headed up to the great Pacific Northwest, where our hearts are rooted deep in the moss-covered forests and where the smells of smoking salmon and never-quite-dried-out soil permeate your entire identity. A welcome getaway, after Week 30 hit us like a ton of bricks with the Praxis for Middle Grade Science. I am pretty sure I will have to retake that test, having guessed on 70/93 questions that decided to be all graduate-level chemistry and one biology question. Most of the content was not what the study guide eluded to, so really, I have no idea what my plan will be for the retake. I will know my score in 10-30 days, but I really am not being humble when I say that I don't even want to look. You know it is bad when you are praying for physics questions. Just please let there be a physics question. Or an earthquake. Or please let this be just a bad dream that I get to wake up from so I can start over. Yep. So that's that. And guess what? There are no start-overs in big kid world. You just have to keep moving forward. Breathe. Eat jars of salsa. Catch bugs with son. Lay in the grass. Sigh heavily. Watch the sun set. It won't look so bad in the morning, right? :) 

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us."
Henry David Thoreau

Thankfully, aside from that experience, Week 30 brought to Kansas, for the first time ever, my Mom (and Henry's Amma). Henry and I were so happy that she could spend some quality time here, and her presence was such a comfort to me. 

Speaking of comfort, here is a deliciously-sweet comfort food recipe that we tried and loved this week, straight from my Goosberry Patch 101 Homestyle Favorites cookbook. The original recipe was submitted by Sandie Pfeiffer, but I made a couple of slight modifications that made my Mom and I want to eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
1 head of cauliflower
2 small bunches of broccoli
1 cup mayo
2 tbs sherry cooking wine
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple-cayenne pecans (my own recipe, but you could use any candied nut)
1/2 cup finely chopped raisins
6 slices crisp bacon, chopped

Mix mayo, sherry, and sugar together. Set aside. Combine everything else into a large bowl. Add dressing mixture; mix well, and chill before serving. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of chopped red onion and plain pecans (not candied). It also had you use 1/2 the quantity of broccoli/cauliflower and 10 slices of bacon, rather than 6. I love mayonnaise and see absolutely nothing wrong with egg, canola oil, and vinegar, which comprise mayonnaise. You could use Vegannaise instead, or omit, entirely, and this would still be tasty. Also, the original recipe called for red wine vinegar, rather than cooking sherry.   

Other Week 30 newness:

• New children's fiction. Mom brought a new Jane Yolen book for Henry, which he loves. The artist is Kelly Murphy, and her little monsters are adorable and fun! Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters is a sweet addition to our library.

• New art. Mom also brought some new art, and it is quirky and beautiful; cheery and complicated. It is by a Swedish artist done with a mixture of watercolor and pen and ink. Just what I needed! I am getting it framed right now but will include a photo as soon as I have it back.

• New wine. One of my girlfriends here on Post left a sweet and very thoughtful goodie bag on my doorstep on test day, and inside was a wine I had not previously tried: a Sweet Red (Woodbridge 2011). Has anyone had this? It was extremely sweet! Even more so than a Gewurztraminer. I would classify this as a light dessert wine, for sure. Mom thought it would be good with spicy barbeque or Thai food, and I concur.   

Week 29: Tomorrow is Test Day!

What's new?

Week 29!  AAAH! <---(real live action shot of my brain)

:)

Mom came in last night, and for this, I am truly grateful. There is something very calming and steady in the knowledge that she is here, and I can honestly, completely relax because I will not worry about Henry (or a babysitter flaking out at the last minute). If anything, he'll be in better hands than my own. Maybe I will come back tomorrow afternoon, and my Mom will have Henry potty-trained and eating his vegetables? She's kind of like the preschooler-whisperer, so who knows? And as for me, I may be 36, but I still need my mommy during the times I am a total spaz, like now!

I know that at this point, what will be will be, and there is no use worrying. I am not sure that I am worried...I am more excited; like that feeling the night before a marathon. You know you trained well. You know you did your best. You know, realistically, that you are probably not going to PR, but that you'll do well and finish strong. You know things can go wrong, but you also know that even if they do, it is going to be okay. I've run an entire marathon with Plantar fasciitis. This will be a lot easier, I am pretty sure :) Ohm's Law and divergent plate boundaries and refraction vs. diffraction!!!! You are so my bitch. I own you! :)

Week 29 was kind of pathetic in terms of trying new things, but here is some cool newness:

• We got a stonefly (Plecoptera) for our collection. I love them! Brings back memories of playing in the creek at our family's cabin in Northern Idaho...

• New bird book! Eastern Birds (Peterson Field Guide)...I have been surrounded by them for over a year now, and about to be for at least 4 more, so I was pretty excited about finding this used one on Amazon.

• Henry got a new set of John Deere farm toys. I never buy him actual toys. Books, yes, but not so much just for fun toys without any educational purpose. Daddy is much better than I am at getting those for fun things :) So for the first time ever, Henry said "thank you" to something other than juice or new library books. He also, for the first time ever, told me he "likes his new toys". Big Momma win :)

• Discovered a new Bible App (Tecarta). Do any of you Bible thumpers out there use a Bible App? I am not that techie, and I rarely get excited about things like Apps, but this one is neat because you can highlight and email scripture, make notes, "fold" pages, cross-reference stuff, etc. I really like having it on my iPhone and being able to send what I am reading to my Husband, across the World. It's the little things, sometimes...most times :)

Week 28: Climb Aboard, Explorers!

What's new? Photo cred for the hop tree, giant swallowtail, and milk snake go to Wikipedia, all others are my own.

This year has been so much fun, as my 2.5 year-old has become quite the little wilderness explorer and will actually stay near me/stay on the trail. It took quite a bit of training and hiking practice to get him to be able to do that, as he is a definite runner/anti-hand-holder :) Yesterday, as we were out walking, he pointed to a vine of poison ivy and said, "That's ivy. Dooooon't touch it; it'll bite ya!" I've had various people look at me strangely for pointing out things like poison ivy, stinging nettle, and wasps to my preschooler, I guess the thinking being that it is better to not bring these things to their attention at all. I couldn't disagree more, as bringing awareness and the ability to describe your surroundings is probably one of the most important things that you could teach a child this age. Compassion and respect are learned by observing nature. Don't even get me started on the nature deficit disorder hypothesis described by Richard Louv. For the record, we steer clear of most snake habitat. The milk snake (above) was one I saw out on a trail run, and other than that, all we have seen are garter snakes and brown snakes. Momma is good with that :) 

In Week 28, we began our KS/MO bug collection and compiled a species list of new things we have seen in KS/MO this year. I also discovered that I have a new favorite Scentsy, Apple Press (and you know how I am about favorites!). Also tried and loved a new gadget. Many of my British crochet buddies use ergonomic crochet hooks. I am not sure why I never have, considering the fact that I crushed my thumb joint years ago. It kind of took a bit of getting used to, as my "form" had to change (kind of like anytime you switch to an ergonomic version of anything)...Totally worth it though!

Eastern-tailed blue (most common butterfly that we see)
giant swallowtail
great spangled fritillary
gypsy moth
plume moth
milksnake
brown snake (Storeria dekayi)
plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix)
hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata): smells DELICIOUS, FYI!!!

Week 27: Sources of Energy and Motivation

What's new?

We hope you all enjoyed a safe and relaxing 4th of July in Week 27! This week, we tried a new yummy, easy quinoa recipe PACKED with pre AND post-running goodness. These muffins are amazing! Two muffins for breakfast provide me with enough energy to last until lunch without snacking. Normally, only a hard-boiled egg holds that kind of hunger power :) Quinoa is cheap, easy to prepare, and 1/4 cup of quinoa has 7g of protein, 30g of carbs, 3g of fiber, and 10% of your daily Iron. We call this nutrient-dense awesomeness. Why must we eat nutrient-dense awesomeness? Currently, life is much different than it was one year ago. I am solo-parenting a very energetic 2.5-year old. I am studying for a very hard exam in a couple of weeks and gearing up to become a student and eventually, go back to work as a middle grade science teacher (and/or maaaybe a high school biology teacher). I am also getting mentally prepped (maybe) for the Great Wall of China Marathon (May 2014)! I need foods that provide energy, motivation, and sleep. Do such foods exist? You bet they do! Do these foods include leftover bratwurst, beer and flag cakes from our 4th of July celebration? Noooot so much :) 

Bob's Red Mill Golden Quinoa Muffins

1 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Quinoa

1 1/4 cups boiling water

1 cup fine ground cornmeal

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 Tbsp orange zest (I didn't have any oranges, so used lemon)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used King Arther white whole wheat flour)

2 tsp baking powder

package instructions, per Bob himself: "In a large bowl, pour the boiling water over the quinoa grain, cornmeal, and raisins. Stir to moisten, cover and let stand refrigerated for 1 hour. Can be refrigerated up to 8 hours. Preheat oven to 375 F. Oil muffin tins and set aside. Sit into the quinoa mixture the honey, oil, egg, orange zest, salt, whole wheat pastry flour and baking powder. Mix quickly, being careful not to overmix. Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 12 muffins."

What else?

Lots of other newness in Week 27:

• St Joseph, MO Remington Nature Center. An easy, 45-minute drive north from Fort Leavenworth (and well-worth it!), this is a beautiful building containing a plethora of phenomenal displays of native wildlife and ecological processes. The displays are both living and taxidermic, and both interactive and audio/visual. I HIGHLY recommend this place for kids and adults of any age, and the Riverwalk pathway is open at dusk, if you want to go for a great nature walk an hour or so prior to the center opening (at 10:00am). $3 admission for the general public and listed as one of the Blue Star facilities if you are a military family. 5/5 stars! :)

• Some new children's fiction worth mentioning: We are big Sandra Boynton fans around here, and I was looking for a book I knew Henry would respond to about feelings. I have seen other things that claim to be for his age-group that are either way too over-the-top serious, emotional, or just not enough to keep him coming back to read it. Boyton's Happy Hippo, Angry Duck is just our speed :) And you know what? I can think of plenty of adults of whom this would also be their speed...I am putting this under our "deployment resources" for sure. 5/5 stars. Dr Seuss always gets 5/5 stars. Biscuit books...Henry is obsessed with them. I honestly would rather read a lot of other things, but because he loves these so much, and we have already read all of the ones at the library, I figured it was time to own a few. Our new bugs book is actually non-fiction, and it has beautiful artwork and explanations of spiders, so it gets 5/5 as well. 

• Wine in a box (Bota Box Reisling). The same neighbor who told me about Green Smoothie Revolution also advised me to try wine in a box. This woman has some good advice! Why not? And white wine, too! I think the last time I drank this much white wine, I was 21...In all seriousness, this is nice for single wine servings, when you really only want one glass, and Ted and I had tried Bota individual boxes camping many times, so I knew it would be okay. Good for exhausted moms and girl's nights :) We'll just call this a momma deployment resource. 

• New neighbors...yeah, yeah, what is new, right? This is pretty much a constant. They seem very sweet, and their little girl is exactly Henry's age. He already let her give him a hug and liked it :) 

• New running shorts! It's gross how long it has been since I purchased new running shorts. Think about it: Running shorts are like underwear, but grosser. Okay, don't think about it. A message to the 15-25 year old girls who have decided to make the ONLY good fitting running shorts their latest fashion statement: "Keep your paws off of my running gear! I am flattered that you want to stick your twiggy, non-running legs in my running shorts and wear them with tall socks and a messy bun and this is considered fashion, but please. $30 for a cheap piece of nylon gives me ulcers, and thanks to you, this is how much I now have to pay. Go find something else!!"

:)

Week 26: Climbing Mountains and the BEST Foodie Penpal, Ever

What's new?

Week 26 was full of mostly deliciousness and a smidgeon of growing pain. In addition, I have had the worst bout of insomnia for the last few days (who knows), so please bare with me as I typo my way through this post and regale you all with the Newness.

• My Foodie Penpal package arrived!! Oh my goodness - A huge, cyber-hug and a thank-you to the beautiful and thoughtful Laura (and please check out her website, Urban Starlings!). As I opened her package, I LOVED how each item was individually wrapped. Each totally non-fat item :) Yum. First of all, the Sahalie Tuscan almonds were devoured within 2 days of opening. Second, dry Italian salame. The end. But not really...Sonoma Jacks soft cheese wedges and coffee candies. Cheese straws. SWEET note. What it was, was a celebration in a package. 

• La Croix sparkling water. The grapefruit is my favorite, but I also gave the cran-raspberry a try this week. Not only does this beverage seem like such a splurge (is it because it comes in a can???), but it has no sodium, artificial color, flavor, or sweetener. When it is 88 degrees out, and you just finish a 5 mile run pushing your 35-pound son in the jogging stroller up a hill, those little, mini (but HEALTHY) splurges in life sure are welcome! And they will not give you a beer belly or digestive disorders (diet soda) :)

• My little Love is going to preschool. We toured the facility and signed him up, and boy has that experience elicited some major growing pains in this momma. On one hand, I have never been more excited for him to begin this (what I think will be a) wonderful experience. His teacher seems so amazing in all of the ways that I need his first teacher to be. He loved her (in fact, he keeps asking to go back and see her!). She reminds me of my Sister-in Law, Whitney's mom. Not super gushy or emotional, but sweet and caring. I think maybe a little bit of a control freak, which I liked. I think Henry will challenge her, but I think she can challenge him right back, in a loving but firm way. I am so happy that he will get structured, quality time with other kids learning about things like following directions, manners, trusting and (hopefully) bonding with other adults, and working as a group. On the other hand, I feel nervous. Since birth, the most we have ever been apart with him in someones care other than my husband is 4 hours, and that maybe happens once every 3-4 months. And usually it is no more than 2 hours :) I am extremely picky about who cares for him. For example, I would never in a million years do something like Sitter City. I would have all of the teeth rot out of my head and bleed to death before I ever, ever, ever did that. I know it is time to climb this mountain, and I sincerely believe that there will be a happy little boy at the top. Ted has been such an amazing husband listening to me freak out about all of this, even on deployment. I sure do miss his cool, calm and collected physical presence during times like this. I'm pretty sure Henry does too :)    

• A new recipe, which I super-modified from this month's issue of Southern Living, from a recipe called Chicken Salad Exotique. This is SO yummy and easy to make! I am completely, 100% obsessed with this kind of old-school chicken salad recipe:

1 baked chicken breast, cut up into small squares

1/2 cup of organic red grapes, halved

1/2 cup unsalted, roasted almonds, chopped

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup mayo

1 tsp oregano

a dash of salt and pepper

Week 26: The Halfway Mark!

image source

We are about to be 50% of the way through the year, people! How are you doing with your 2013 goals, up to this point? Are you where you envisioned you would be? Or have you become a little lost (either by accident or on purpose) and you are now brushwacking a new pathway somewhere? Perhaps you have found a really great view somewhere, and you aren't moving at all - You are just sitting, enjoying the spray of the waterfall. Maybe you didn't even make it up the mountain because you became so distracted by that amazing new pub near the trailhead, and you got to talkin' to some other distracted person, and the sun started to set...

:) 

We have tried may new things this year, and in honor of our halfway mark for Allbrandnewin52, here are 50 more new things Henry and I would like to do/try for the remaining 26 weeks:

1. squaw creek national wildlife refuge
2. potty training completion
3. KS/MO bug collection (pins only, nothing in vials, which means no spiders)
4. ditch the sippy cup/switch to full big-boy cups only
5. begin regular Pilates routine
6. begin training for The Great Wall of China Marathon (May 2014). This is kind of a big one since I have only run 3 previous full marathons, the last one being in 2008, when I developed bad Plantar Fasciitis. I really don't want to run TGWC half marathon. C'mon.
7. Oh, I don't know...maybe PASS the PRAXIS??! EEEEK!
8. finish current crochet project and complete about 5 more 
9. finish current book
10. finish the rest of current book pile...about 8-9 of them, not counting the teacher resources now on my list
11. finish writing current short work of fiction
12. finish writing current children's folktale series
13. start preschool
14. not sit in the parking lot and cry for 3 hours on the first day of preschool like a total loser
15. seriously. get a life
16. learn all of the species on the ceiling at T-Rex
17. say "please" and "thank you" consistently
18. make it through a playgroup session without trying to leave the building
19. Wonderscope
20. call my grandparents more regularly
21. learn new tree identification (list)
22. try one new beer per month
23. try one new smoothie week per week
24. try about 40 new recipes
25. teach my son to catch and throw a football
26. teach my son to hit a ball off of the T
27. teach my son to ride his bike
28. actually take my son to the pool, even though I am not a fan of pools
29. find a place to live in VA
30. successfully find a preschool in VA before we move there
31. apply to Educate VA (after hopefully passing Praxis)
32. meet new nephew/cousin
33. get my child to willingly eat a vegetable/food in general :)
34. complete a half marathon on Post before we leave
35. convince my neighbor that she likes running and is going to be a total badass at it. I am really good at this (convincing people of their secret badassness). It's like my secret talent.  
36. learn the second verse to "America the Beautiful"
37. learn the real words to "This Land is My Land/This Land is Your Land"
38. pick peaches from local orchard and freeze enough pie fillings for peach pie until the end of the year. Peach pie is one of my favorites!!!! And last year the peaches didn't do well due to the drought.
39. get a good juicer and begin juicing for preschooler
40. get rid of TVs
41. take Henry to an outdoor jazz festival
42. take Henry to the Renaissance festival
43. take Henry to Branson, MO
44. take Henry owling and to a local owl lecture at a nearby nature center while he is still obsessed with owls
45. Kansas City zoo! We've been to Omaha a few times now, but have yet to visit our own KC zoo!
46. get a cute grow chart for Henry's room
47. crochet pennant for H's room
48. make sure he can recognize his name (written) before he gets to his first day of preschool
49. visit Foucakes in town (local fancy bakery)
50. visit the Atchison farmer's market...

Week 25: Look with your Eyes, See with your Heart.

What's new?

"Look with your eyes," is something that I say to my son quite often these days :) Though I mainly say it as a command synonymous to "don't touch that!" - it is something that he understands on a deeper level than most 2.5-year olds. He genuinely seems to enjoy looking "with his eyes", and we have the most fun together reading our Eye Spy books and looking for birds and bugs. In Week 25, I was much inspired to take Henry to his first art museum. We had a blast. He surprises and impresses me with his little brain, and more and more, I love hearing what he is thinking about, as he starts to verbally express himself (though not much...I think he might take after his Daddy just a bit in that department), I find that I just want to show him the World in the way that you want to show off for someone. I want to grab his hand and present him with all of this amazing beauty and life. 

Of course, my expectations were that we were, realistically, going to probably last all of 6 minutes before we were done (because he had to be in the stroller). Not so! He really seemed to enjoy looking at all of the paintings. We tried to play a larger version of "Eye Spy" books, and it worked. He also got a kick out of the sculptures and the sound of his voice as it echoed in each room :) Some of the docents came over and commented on how well he was doing and pointed out some more cool stuff to see. We ended our hour-long visit with a trip outside, which was just an extraordinary terraced lawn/landscape with even more sculptures. I highly recommend the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, should you find yourself in the area. It is free admission, and parking is only $5.

Other Week 25 Newness:

• I received the most beautiful book of watercolors of local landscapes called, Return to Kansas. The artist is J.R. Hamil, a local who worked for Hallmark Cards for 15 years before deciding to open his own studio in 1973. His wife, Sharon Hamil, was a teacher and writer of curriculum materials in Kansas. She wrote the accompanying historical text in the book, a really wonderful gift from my peeps that just moved away. I will treasure it, always.

• We are now hamster-sitting for 5 weeks for some neighbors who are on vacation. Henry is obsessed with this mangy little thing, and I will admit, it has grown on me. She follows me around in her little ball and just mostly wants to be held. She rolls in her poo and pee, and I try not to think about it too much because she really is pretty cute. Messy little creatures...

• Henry and I are learning our owl calls. He memorized all of the species of owls in my bird book and then kept asking me what they sounded like...uh...I knew 3? So, we have spent some time on YouTube and in the Ornithology Institute's library :) 

• I learned that milk thistle greens are edible.

• Tried a new green smoothie for the week: Kale, cucumber, granny smith apple, and banana (just a little bit to sweeten, otherwise it is very "green").   

• Conducted my first interviews of preschool potentials for Henry and found one whose director I think I may have a small woman crush on who JUST SO HAPPENS to be the teacher for the 2.5-year old class! I am so excited to have found a preschool that has a 2.5-year old class that is a perfect fit for us, and we meet next week for the tour! I think Henry is going to have the best time.