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| Madness!! |
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| Yum! |
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| Ella wonders why Maisie is making such a silly face |
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| yee haw! |
crafty painting time
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Picture dump
Some November pictures that haven't made it into their own post...
Opening birthday presents at Grandma Jo's house, with help from Dieter cousins
Cake pops at Jasper's birthday party (so fun!)
A kitty headband she made at the MIA on Target family day
Riding a camel at the Science Museum
Pouty duckface at Jakeeno's
first Girl Scouts troop meeting
first banana split, post-Children's Theater at the Bad Waitress. Ella ended up wearing a lot of it.
mechanical horse at The Egg & I
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thanksgiving
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We had a lovely day with a traditional dinner over at Grandma Liisa's house. The girls especially had a great time - they played and played and played.
This post is about what we did earlier in the day, though!
A few years back, I was trying to tell Maisie about Thanksgiving and the idea of thankfulness. Turns out it's kind of abstract, and was a little difficult for her to grasp. So I stole an idea from some friends - to make the idea of 'thankfulness' more tangible for her, we'd do something to demonstrate it. We made cookies for the firefighters at the station nearest our house!
So now, every year on Thanksgiving morning, that's what we do - make cookies and then bring them to the firefighters at the station house nearest us, to say "thank you for helping to keep us safe." We've had mixed results with this project. Sometimes Maisie will get shy, and doesn't want to talk to anyone; one year the firefighters were out on a call when we got there. But this year it was a home run.
When we showed up with the cookies (oatmeal-M&M, if you were wondering), the firefighters there (yay!), and Maisie and Ella were both in great moods. So when the firefighter who answered the door asked the girls if they wanted to see the trucks, they said YES!
And THEN! The doors to the two engines were open. And when the girls asked if they could go inside, she said yes!
They climbed in and out and all over, asking lots of great questions. What is this hose for? (sucking up exhaust when we turn the trucks on) What's in there? (our tools - we can cut someone out of anything with these) What do these switches do? (controls the pressure for the hose) The firefighter showing us around was incredibly patient and answered all of the girls' questions.
The firefighters were super friendly. They really seemed to appreciate the cookies and were so gracious about showing the girls around. They even gave the girls fire safety coloring books when we were leaving! It was so cool. I thought it was neat, too, that the firefighter who answered the door and showed us around was a woman - often we see "firefighter" as synonymous with "fireman" and that isn't the case!
It was so fun that Maisie wants to make them cookies again on Valentine's Day. :)
And because it bears repeating... thank you, Minneapolis Fire Department and fire departments everywhere, for helping keep us safe!
This post is about what we did earlier in the day, though!
A few years back, I was trying to tell Maisie about Thanksgiving and the idea of thankfulness. Turns out it's kind of abstract, and was a little difficult for her to grasp. So I stole an idea from some friends - to make the idea of 'thankfulness' more tangible for her, we'd do something to demonstrate it. We made cookies for the firefighters at the station nearest our house!
So now, every year on Thanksgiving morning, that's what we do - make cookies and then bring them to the firefighters at the station house nearest us, to say "thank you for helping to keep us safe." We've had mixed results with this project. Sometimes Maisie will get shy, and doesn't want to talk to anyone; one year the firefighters were out on a call when we got there. But this year it was a home run.
When we showed up with the cookies (oatmeal-M&M, if you were wondering), the firefighters there (yay!), and Maisie and Ella were both in great moods. So when the firefighter who answered the door asked the girls if they wanted to see the trucks, they said YES!
And THEN! The doors to the two engines were open. And when the girls asked if they could go inside, she said yes!
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| yeah, that's a sword.... |
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| Listening to explanations of equipment |
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| Looking at how they open the garage doors |
The firefighters were super friendly. They really seemed to appreciate the cookies and were so gracious about showing the girls around. They even gave the girls fire safety coloring books when we were leaving! It was so cool. I thought it was neat, too, that the firefighter who answered the door and showed us around was a woman - often we see "firefighter" as synonymous with "fireman" and that isn't the case!
It was so fun that Maisie wants to make them cookies again on Valentine's Day. :)
And because it bears repeating... thank you, Minneapolis Fire Department and fire departments everywhere, for helping keep us safe!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
First Dentist Visit
Ella had her first dentist appointment today. She did a great job! No complaints while the hygienist cleaned and flossed her teeth, and sat still for the x-rays.
No cavities or decay, and everything is coming in nicely... 20 teeth, all right where they're supposed to be.
She particularly enjoyed seeing x-rays ("they took pictures of my skeleton!!"). She also talked almost nonstop the entire time, and charmed the heck out of everyone she met there.
We love our dentist, Dr. Norrlander. She is super gentle and caring, and her staff really works to make sure that kids have a good experience so they don't develop anxiety around dentist visits. If anyone is looking for a dentist in downtown Minneapolis, we highly recommend Dr. Norrlander!
We love our dentist, Dr. Norrlander. She is super gentle and caring, and her staff really works to make sure that kids have a good experience so they don't develop anxiety around dentist visits. If anyone is looking for a dentist in downtown Minneapolis, we highly recommend Dr. Norrlander!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Minnesota weather
Saturday afternoon:
Then, Monday morning at the bus stop:
Brrr! That was fast...
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween!
With love from a monster-toothed panda and Spidergirl.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Vacation!
The past few weeks have been crazy. Nothing particular to speak of... just the regular day-in, day-out stuff that keeps everyone so busy. So when last week rolled around, I couldn't have been happier. You see, it was MEA week!
MEA is the teachers' union here in Minnesota. (Actually, they renamed themselves Education Minnesota a number of years ago, but everyone still calls it "MEA.") Every year in mid-October, Minnesota public schools close down for a few days. The first conferences are held, and then the teachers' union has its annual convention.
This year, I took those days off work, and made us a reservation at Edgewater, a hotel/waterpark in Duluth. (It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Minneapolis.) On Wednesday morning we met with Maisie's teacher, and then hit the road!
We got to Duluth around lunch time. We went to the Lake Avenue Restaurant, where Aaron & I had delicious whitefish and the girls split a pizza. (The first of many pizzas on this trip, as it turns out! The hotel rooms came with a 16" cheese pizza each night, so that's what we had, both days.) The cafe is located in this cute little mall. The girls and I walked around a bit while waiting for our food to arrive.
We found this cute carousel-looking horse and went for a ride.
After that, we went to the Great Lakes Aquarium, which I really enjoyed. The girls were less impressed.
Finally, FINALLY! It was time to go swimming. The water park is not huge, but it was plenty of fun for all of us. There were slides big and small, a hot tub, activity pools, and a whirlpool that was Ella's favorite - she wore a life jacket and bobbed around like a little cork, swirling around and around.
The water park was open from 8:00 - noon, and then again from 4:00 - 9:00 on the days we were there. We'd get there early and play, and then had a nice break in the middle of the day. On Thursday during the break, we went back down to Canal Park to see the lift bridge go up and a big ship come in.
After that, it was time to eat. Since we were right there, I took them to Grandma's.
After lunch it was back to the hotel for more swimming. Then an early bedtime, followed by an early morning and even MORE SWIMMING. By the time we got home, Aaron & I were both totally waterlogged and didn't think we'd dry out for a week! The girls, on the other hand, want to go back there this weekend. Ha ha!
Even though it was a lot of fun, everyone was glad to get home on Friday.
It was a very fun vacation and one we'll definitely repeat.
MEA is the teachers' union here in Minnesota. (Actually, they renamed themselves Education Minnesota a number of years ago, but everyone still calls it "MEA.") Every year in mid-October, Minnesota public schools close down for a few days. The first conferences are held, and then the teachers' union has its annual convention.
This year, I took those days off work, and made us a reservation at Edgewater, a hotel/waterpark in Duluth. (It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Minneapolis.) On Wednesday morning we met with Maisie's teacher, and then hit the road!
We got to Duluth around lunch time. We went to the Lake Avenue Restaurant, where Aaron & I had delicious whitefish and the girls split a pizza. (The first of many pizzas on this trip, as it turns out! The hotel rooms came with a 16" cheese pizza each night, so that's what we had, both days.) The cafe is located in this cute little mall. The girls and I walked around a bit while waiting for our food to arrive.
After that, we went to the Great Lakes Aquarium, which I really enjoyed. The girls were less impressed.
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| This is what happens when I say "Say cheese!" |
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| Navigating the locks and dams in the Great Lakes. |
The water park was open from 8:00 - noon, and then again from 4:00 - 9:00 on the days we were there. We'd get there early and play, and then had a nice break in the middle of the day. On Thursday during the break, we went back down to Canal Park to see the lift bridge go up and a big ship come in.
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| One-handed attempt at a family picture (with penguin) |
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| Ella has monster teeth! |
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| Maisie hard at work... |
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| Ella can't find whole words yet in the word find, but she likes to find letters. |
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| I was so happy to be inside! It was cold and rainy out there. |
Even though it was a lot of fun, everyone was glad to get home on Friday.
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| Maisie was SO annoyed that Ella kept walking through her leaf piles! |
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Pack a lunch!
For the past three years, we packed Maisie's lunch every school day. This year, with starting kindergarten at a public school, she has the option of hot lunch! So exciting! But she had hot lunch exactly once. And aside from that one day, it's been back to packing her lunch.
For some reason, this packing of lunch chore seems a lot more onerous than it did in years past. I'm not sure why - there's actually fewer restrictions on the food she can bring than before. (Her school is peanut-free, whereas last year they had to keep the classroom free of peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs.) Maybe it's because her school day starts so much earlier? (6:55 a.m. bus pickup, as opposed to Aaron driving her to school for an 8:45 start time.) Maybe she's gotten pickier? Maybe because I know I wouldn't have to do it if she'd just eat hot lunch?!? Whatever the reason, packing her lunch is not fun and exciting, and often led to me and/or Aaron staring at the fridge and cupboards, wondering what on earth we'd send in her lunch. We tried to get her to pack it, but that didn't work either - she'd choose grapes, applesauce, and crackers, and not have a balance. So in an effort to simplify things and pack lunches she'd actually eat, I came up with a chart.
ARGH! I just spent a bunch of time trying to figure out how to upload it here, and I can't. GRR! So I will tell you about it. It has six columns and four rows. The left-most column has the following pictures, all of which I found online by googling for free clip art of food.
So in the evening, Maisie and I will pack her lunch together. She chooses one item from each category, and checks it off as it's completed. I like to think it's helping her learn about a balanced diet, which it may be. I know, though, it's made packing a lunch a LOT easier!
So, what does she eat? The most common lunch combination is grapes, sugar snap peas, cheese and turkey slices, and Ritz crackers. It's not the most exciting lunch in the world, but she likes it and eats everything. Single-category foods are easiest for her to choose: protein is often an egg, string cheese, or turkey slices. The vegetable is either snap peas or baby carrots. (Although she asked for tomato soup once!) Fruit is usually applesauce or grapes. Grain is usually Ritz crackers. Maisie and Ella are both absolutely NUTS about Ritz crackers! Goldfish are good, too, or a little container of cereal - strawberry Life is a favorite.
We do get some combos that allow her to check off more than one category: black bean quesadillas, cut into wedges (grain and protein); spaghetti with marinara (grain and veg); mac & cheese (protein, grain); chicken fried rice (grain and protein); sun butter and jam sandwiches (protein, fruit, grain); cheese pizza (protein, veg, grain); broccoli quiche (protein and veg). As you can probably tell, except for the quesadillas and sandwiches, these are usually leftovers of whatever was for dinner the night before. We will put the portion in her thermos at night, in the fridge, then heat it up in the morning so it's still warm at lunchtime. If we aren't sending something hot then the whole business gets packed the night before, so it's ready to grab & go in the morning.
Anyway, so there you go! It's no super genius idea that'll revolutionize packing a lunch, but it's how we do it. We definitely don't have the beautiful Bento lunch art, but who has time for that anyway? Not this family! So this is our method, and it's made the whole lunch business a lot easier for us. Hopefully others will find it useful too!
For some reason, this packing of lunch chore seems a lot more onerous than it did in years past. I'm not sure why - there's actually fewer restrictions on the food she can bring than before. (Her school is peanut-free, whereas last year they had to keep the classroom free of peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs.) Maybe it's because her school day starts so much earlier? (6:55 a.m. bus pickup, as opposed to Aaron driving her to school for an 8:45 start time.) Maybe she's gotten pickier? Maybe because I know I wouldn't have to do it if she'd just eat hot lunch?!? Whatever the reason, packing her lunch is not fun and exciting, and often led to me and/or Aaron staring at the fridge and cupboards, wondering what on earth we'd send in her lunch. We tried to get her to pack it, but that didn't work either - she'd choose grapes, applesauce, and crackers, and not have a balance. So in an effort to simplify things and pack lunches she'd actually eat, I came up with a chart.
ARGH! I just spent a bunch of time trying to figure out how to upload it here, and I can't. GRR! So I will tell you about it. It has six columns and four rows. The left-most column has the following pictures, all of which I found online by googling for free clip art of food.
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| Vegetables |
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| Fruit |
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| Grains (that's pasta and cereal above the bread) |
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| Protein |
So, what does she eat? The most common lunch combination is grapes, sugar snap peas, cheese and turkey slices, and Ritz crackers. It's not the most exciting lunch in the world, but she likes it and eats everything. Single-category foods are easiest for her to choose: protein is often an egg, string cheese, or turkey slices. The vegetable is either snap peas or baby carrots. (Although she asked for tomato soup once!) Fruit is usually applesauce or grapes. Grain is usually Ritz crackers. Maisie and Ella are both absolutely NUTS about Ritz crackers! Goldfish are good, too, or a little container of cereal - strawberry Life is a favorite.
We do get some combos that allow her to check off more than one category: black bean quesadillas, cut into wedges (grain and protein); spaghetti with marinara (grain and veg); mac & cheese (protein, grain); chicken fried rice (grain and protein); sun butter and jam sandwiches (protein, fruit, grain); cheese pizza (protein, veg, grain); broccoli quiche (protein and veg). As you can probably tell, except for the quesadillas and sandwiches, these are usually leftovers of whatever was for dinner the night before. We will put the portion in her thermos at night, in the fridge, then heat it up in the morning so it's still warm at lunchtime. If we aren't sending something hot then the whole business gets packed the night before, so it's ready to grab & go in the morning.
Anyway, so there you go! It's no super genius idea that'll revolutionize packing a lunch, but it's how we do it. We definitely don't have the beautiful Bento lunch art, but who has time for that anyway? Not this family! So this is our method, and it's made the whole lunch business a lot easier for us. Hopefully others will find it useful too!
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Midtown Global Market
Midtown Global Market is an amazing place. Built in an old Sears that stood abandoned for years and years, it has multiple restaurants and shops, all locally owned. It's really cool and one of our favorite places in Minneapolis.
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| Juusto - Finnish Cheese - at Cafe Finspang |
We especially like going there on Fridays, when they have Family night. I meet Aaron & the girls there after work. We don't have to cook, the girls get to run around and dance - everybody enjoys it.
The girls like to get cream cheese wontons and chicken fried rice from Pham's, a Vietnamese deli. They also have excellent spring rolls, but Maisie and Ella are really cream cheese wonton lovers.
My favorite place to eat these days is the Left Handed Cook, which serves a sort of fusion of Asian food and comfort food. I really like their bop bowls, which are rice, greens, and meat served in a takeout container with a soft fried egg. SO GOOD.
This picture is upside down for some reason! It looks like a cinnamon roll but was actually the Left Handed Cook's special on Friday, porchetta. It came with a fried green tomato, and a side of heirloom tomato-arugula salad. SO GOOD!! The girls also really like Left Handed Cook's edamame so I usually get them a side of edamame to share.
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| Cupcakes at Salty Tart |
Aaron got his dinner from Andy's Garage, a 50's-style diner. He had a wild rice-turkey burger, awesome fries, and then a chocolate shake (which he split with the girls, naturally - even though they'd had cupcakes from Salty Tart!).
After the girls eat, they dance and dance (which usually involves running in circles) to whatever band is playing that night.
I think that the Global Market is a really special place. If you haven't been there, go! There's noplace like it in Minneapolis.
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| Yes, that says "local artisan prosciutto" and "local artisan pancetta" - from Grass Roots Gourmet |
Monday, September 24, 2012
Brief craftiness
Just a quickie today...
I just wanted to promote this awesome crafty project I'm taking part in, along with some people I know through an online forum. Hopefully some of you will be inspired to join us!
We're knitting/crocheting red scarves between now and December 15 for the Red Scarf Project. This is a project of an awesome organization called Foster Care to Success, which helps college students who grew up in foster care. They provide financial assistance, mentoring, and support to these young adults who've already been through so much, to help them land that college degree. They also provide care packages, which is where the Red Scarf Project comes in. Each Valentine's Day care package contains a handmade red scarf. Is that awesome or what??
We thought this seemed like an easy, fun way to support an organization that's doing some really important work. There's no real guidelines other than color (any shade of red, including ombres), size (approx 60" x 5"), and style (unisex). So far I've completed one scarf, and am halfway through another.
I will keep you posted on my progress. And I hope some of you join me in crafting for the Red Scarf Project!
I just wanted to promote this awesome crafty project I'm taking part in, along with some people I know through an online forum. Hopefully some of you will be inspired to join us!
We're knitting/crocheting red scarves between now and December 15 for the Red Scarf Project. This is a project of an awesome organization called Foster Care to Success, which helps college students who grew up in foster care. They provide financial assistance, mentoring, and support to these young adults who've already been through so much, to help them land that college degree. They also provide care packages, which is where the Red Scarf Project comes in. Each Valentine's Day care package contains a handmade red scarf. Is that awesome or what??
We thought this seemed like an easy, fun way to support an organization that's doing some really important work. There's no real guidelines other than color (any shade of red, including ombres), size (approx 60" x 5"), and style (unisex). So far I've completed one scarf, and am halfway through another.
I will keep you posted on my progress. And I hope some of you join me in crafting for the Red Scarf Project!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Blerg!
There's just something about the girls' faces in this pic that really expresses much of how I feel today...
But the upside is, I have a picture that perfectly expresses how I'm feeling today!
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Super Hero Squad
Recently the girls have been really getting in to super heroes. Aaron's introduced them to many of the characters in the Marvel universe, initially through a show he found on Netflix called Super Hero Squad. It's aimed at kids, and is really cute - Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Falcon, Ms. Marvel, and Captain America are the main Squaddies, although they're occasionally joined by other heroes including Wolverine, Dr. Strange, and Spiderman. They all live in Super Hero City and fight Dr. Doom and his Lethal Legion, MODOK and Abomination, who sometimes get help from Dr. Octopus, Mystique, Mole Man, and other rando residents of Villainville.
For whatever reason, the girls have gotten incredibly into this show, and the whole concept of super heroes, so we're going with it. Ella's favorite is Wolverine, and Maisie's is Silver Surfer. We've gotten some super hero Lego sets and Squinkies, checked Super Hero Squad books out of the library, and now... we have costumes!
Thanks to zulily, a daily deal site, I found some adorable superhero costumes that I thought would be perfect for Halloween. Ella's is American Dream, who's Captain America's daughter. Maisie's is Spidergirl, Spiderman's daughter.
But once they arrived, there was clearly no way they were going to wait for Halloween. Why would you wait, when you could wear them out to the pizza restaurant??
So here's Captain Dream (Ella's conflation of American Dream and the Cap):
And a VERY sassy Spidergirl:
They're ready to hero up!
For whatever reason, the girls have gotten incredibly into this show, and the whole concept of super heroes, so we're going with it. Ella's favorite is Wolverine, and Maisie's is Silver Surfer. We've gotten some super hero Lego sets and Squinkies, checked Super Hero Squad books out of the library, and now... we have costumes!
Thanks to zulily, a daily deal site, I found some adorable superhero costumes that I thought would be perfect for Halloween. Ella's is American Dream, who's Captain America's daughter. Maisie's is Spidergirl, Spiderman's daughter.
But once they arrived, there was clearly no way they were going to wait for Halloween. Why would you wait, when you could wear them out to the pizza restaurant??
So here's Captain Dream (Ella's conflation of American Dream and the Cap):
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ladies and gentlemen: we have achieved Kindergarten!
It's true, I can hardly believe it, but yes: Maisie has started Kindergarten.
Yesterday (Wednesday 8/29) was her first day. The night before she said "You know what Mom? I'm scared and excited and nervous. You know why? (whispers) I have school tomorrow!"
But we talked about everything that would happen, Aaron helped her practice making friends and sitting on the bus ("Can I sit with you?"), and she got ready: she packed her lunch (grapes, pretzels, yogurt, a jelly roll-up, and pickles) and laid out her clothes (Hello Kitty shirt, flowered skirt). I was worried that she wouldn't be able to get to sleep, but she was out cold about five minutes after bedtime.
Wednesday morning, she woke up bright and early, before the alarm even went off. Got dressed, brushed teeth and hair, and was Ready! To! Go! by 6:30! Unfortunately her bus isn't until 6:57, so we had a little extra time! When it was time to leave, she was halfway up the block before anyone else was even out the door!
She was happy to see another kid waiting at the bus stop - an older girl, maybe 5th or 6th grade, who was very sweet to Maisie. For all her nervous and scared feelings, excitement had really taken over at this point!
When the bus pulled up, she hesitated for a moment, and looked back at me... I nodded, like "yep, this is your bus" and off she went!
She found a seat near the back and waved and waved as the bus pulled away.
Maisie reported a good day on her first day: her classroom is a little hard to find, and she didn't eat much of her lunch. But she made "four or five" friends, including one girl on her bus, and enjoyed music class and playing red light-green light.
She also came home with a definite opinion - she wants to eat hot lunch at school. I said that maybe we should pack a lunch, just in case she doesn't like what they are serving. But she explained that you don't have a choice; if you bring lunch, you can't choose to eat hot lunch instead. So she's buying lunch, at least occasionally.
This morning was similar - very excited to get up and go! go! go! She wanted to make sure she'd be riding the bus, and we weren't going to drive her (no worries there), and that I didn't pack her lunch, so she could buy it. I can't wait to hear about her day!
I'm so proud of Maisie. She's been at Sunny Hollow for three years, since she was not quite three years old. More than half her life! But she's handled this transition like a champ. There were a few tears shed, but that's to be expected. I know she's going to do great at her new school. I can't wait to see it.
Yesterday (Wednesday 8/29) was her first day. The night before she said "You know what Mom? I'm scared and excited and nervous. You know why? (whispers) I have school tomorrow!"
But we talked about everything that would happen, Aaron helped her practice making friends and sitting on the bus ("Can I sit with you?"), and she got ready: she packed her lunch (grapes, pretzels, yogurt, a jelly roll-up, and pickles) and laid out her clothes (Hello Kitty shirt, flowered skirt). I was worried that she wouldn't be able to get to sleep, but she was out cold about five minutes after bedtime.
Wednesday morning, she woke up bright and early, before the alarm even went off. Got dressed, brushed teeth and hair, and was Ready! To! Go! by 6:30! Unfortunately her bus isn't until 6:57, so we had a little extra time! When it was time to leave, she was halfway up the block before anyone else was even out the door!
When the bus pulled up, she hesitated for a moment, and looked back at me... I nodded, like "yep, this is your bus" and off she went!
Maisie reported a good day on her first day: her classroom is a little hard to find, and she didn't eat much of her lunch. But she made "four or five" friends, including one girl on her bus, and enjoyed music class and playing red light-green light.
She also came home with a definite opinion - she wants to eat hot lunch at school. I said that maybe we should pack a lunch, just in case she doesn't like what they are serving. But she explained that you don't have a choice; if you bring lunch, you can't choose to eat hot lunch instead. So she's buying lunch, at least occasionally.
This morning was similar - very excited to get up and go! go! go! She wanted to make sure she'd be riding the bus, and we weren't going to drive her (no worries there), and that I didn't pack her lunch, so she could buy it. I can't wait to hear about her day!
I'm so proud of Maisie. She's been at Sunny Hollow for three years, since she was not quite three years old. More than half her life! But she's handled this transition like a champ. There were a few tears shed, but that's to be expected. I know she's going to do great at her new school. I can't wait to see it.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Food I made that my kids won't eat.
I made three different dishes this weekend that I thought were really good. The kids disagreed. So I am going to tell you about them, dear reader, and you can tell me what a great cook I am.
1. Cabbage salad: pretty easy and basic. Shredded cabbage, chopped carrot, and chopped green onion (all from the farmer's market), mixed with broken-up ramen noodles, then topped with the Salad Girl's honey-ginger dressing. I thought it was delicious. The kids refused to try it.
2. Red potato and green bean salad: basically this recipe but with a vegetable mix of about 2/3 beans, 1/3 potatoes because that's what I had. Potatoes, beans, garlic, onions, and basil from the farmer's market. Maisie even helped me trim the beans. The dressing (for those who don't want to click through) is a vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. Maisie took one teensy nibble of a potato and started crying; Ella wouldn't go near it. Aaron's not a huge vinegar fan so he isn't in love with it either. I like it a lot, which is fortunate because there's a lot of it for me to eat.
3. Lazy Italian Chicken: a crockpot recipe that's allegedly kid-friendly. In your crockpot you layer the following: Potatoes, 1 tsp Italian spices, 1/2 c Parmesan, 1/2 c low-fat Italian dressing, boneless/skinless chicken, potatoes, 1 tsp spices, 1/2 c Parmesan, 1/2 c dressing. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low, or 3-4 on high. The girls deigned to eat some of the chicken but perhaps due to the above salad, refused to allow a potato onto their plates - even though I showed them that these potatoes had been cooked with (and therefore would taste just like) the chicken they were eating. Aaron & I liked it fine; nothing special but it's easy and hopefully with time, the girls will forget the horrors of the dijon vinaigrette and actually try the potatoes.
So that was my attempt at feeding my family this weekend. (insert eyeroll here) Next weekend, I'm going to stick with PB&J, pancakes, and mac & cheese. Not so exciting but at least I know the kids will eat!
1. Cabbage salad: pretty easy and basic. Shredded cabbage, chopped carrot, and chopped green onion (all from the farmer's market), mixed with broken-up ramen noodles, then topped with the Salad Girl's honey-ginger dressing. I thought it was delicious. The kids refused to try it.
2. Red potato and green bean salad: basically this recipe but with a vegetable mix of about 2/3 beans, 1/3 potatoes because that's what I had. Potatoes, beans, garlic, onions, and basil from the farmer's market. Maisie even helped me trim the beans. The dressing (for those who don't want to click through) is a vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. Maisie took one teensy nibble of a potato and started crying; Ella wouldn't go near it. Aaron's not a huge vinegar fan so he isn't in love with it either. I like it a lot, which is fortunate because there's a lot of it for me to eat.
3. Lazy Italian Chicken: a crockpot recipe that's allegedly kid-friendly. In your crockpot you layer the following: Potatoes, 1 tsp Italian spices, 1/2 c Parmesan, 1/2 c low-fat Italian dressing, boneless/skinless chicken, potatoes, 1 tsp spices, 1/2 c Parmesan, 1/2 c dressing. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low, or 3-4 on high. The girls deigned to eat some of the chicken but perhaps due to the above salad, refused to allow a potato onto their plates - even though I showed them that these potatoes had been cooked with (and therefore would taste just like) the chicken they were eating. Aaron & I liked it fine; nothing special but it's easy and hopefully with time, the girls will forget the horrors of the dijon vinaigrette and actually try the potatoes.
So that was my attempt at feeding my family this weekend. (insert eyeroll here) Next weekend, I'm going to stick with PB&J, pancakes, and mac & cheese. Not so exciting but at least I know the kids will eat!
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Almost over now...
It's hard to believe, but the summer's almost over. Only 3 more weeks until Maisie's first day of Kindergarten! Holy cow, I can hardly believe it.
Since last weekend the weather's gotten a lot better. High temps are more reasonable - mid-80's instead of upper 90's, and not too humid - so Aaron and the girls have actually been able to get outside!
They've been going to a little park near our house to run around. We have a kid's sized soccer ball, and Aaron's teaching the girls basic soccer skills - how to kick, how to pass, how to stop the ball. Ella's still working on it, but Maisie's picking it up really quickly. On Monday after work we went to the park, and I taught her how to throw a frisbee (turn your body so you throw across your body, look where you want the 'bee to go, flick your wrist like this) and she picked that right up, too. By the end of our little outing, she was throwing confidently, and getting the 'bee where she wanted it to go probably 50% of the time. I am super impressed!
Yesterday they went back to the park - here's some of the pics that they sent me...
Ella resting, post running-around:
(It was still in the 80's, hence the very pink cheeks.)
Picnic lunch time:
Aaaah! Apparently Aaron packed a seafood lunch!!
Oh, did you notice Maisie's new short haircut? It's funny because she's such a girly-girl in a lot of ways, but she really loves having short hair. I like it too because it means fewer fights about combing out tangles.
Overall it's been a good summer. I know Maisie's excited about starting K in a few weeks but I'll be sad to see the summer over. I did take the Monday of the last week of August off work so we can all go to the state fair together - it'll be our last hurrah of the summer - school starts that Wednesday. Just 3 weeks away!
Since last weekend the weather's gotten a lot better. High temps are more reasonable - mid-80's instead of upper 90's, and not too humid - so Aaron and the girls have actually been able to get outside!
They've been going to a little park near our house to run around. We have a kid's sized soccer ball, and Aaron's teaching the girls basic soccer skills - how to kick, how to pass, how to stop the ball. Ella's still working on it, but Maisie's picking it up really quickly. On Monday after work we went to the park, and I taught her how to throw a frisbee (turn your body so you throw across your body, look where you want the 'bee to go, flick your wrist like this) and she picked that right up, too. By the end of our little outing, she was throwing confidently, and getting the 'bee where she wanted it to go probably 50% of the time. I am super impressed!
Yesterday they went back to the park - here's some of the pics that they sent me...
Ella resting, post running-around:
(It was still in the 80's, hence the very pink cheeks.)
Picnic lunch time:
Aaaah! Apparently Aaron packed a seafood lunch!!
Oh, did you notice Maisie's new short haircut? It's funny because she's such a girly-girl in a lot of ways, but she really loves having short hair. I like it too because it means fewer fights about combing out tangles.
Overall it's been a good summer. I know Maisie's excited about starting K in a few weeks but I'll be sad to see the summer over. I did take the Monday of the last week of August off work so we can all go to the state fair together - it'll be our last hurrah of the summer - school starts that Wednesday. Just 3 weeks away!
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Star Wars Art
So over the last month or so, Maisie has become a real Star Wars fangirl, at least to the extent that a five-year-old can be. She's watched all 3 of the original movies, and plays Lego Star Wars - both with actual Legos and the Xbox game. She told me the other day that for Halloween she wants to be Jango Fett - I was like, I don't even know who that is.
So I guess I wasn't totally surprised to get home from work yesterday to find that she'd drawn some of her favorite Star Wars characters... can you tell who they are?
If you said 1. Darth Vader (she says "Dark" Vader, which is adorable and also kind of apt), 2. Princess Leia, and 3. Luke, you're right!
Not bad, hey?
So I guess I wasn't totally surprised to get home from work yesterday to find that she'd drawn some of her favorite Star Wars characters... can you tell who they are?
If you said 1. Darth Vader (she says "Dark" Vader, which is adorable and also kind of apt), 2. Princess Leia, and 3. Luke, you're right!
Not bad, hey?
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