Workin' Hard

I worked my rear-end off this weekend and was in bed before 9pm last night. Amazingly enough, I was actually able to move this morning (it was an even money bet that I would be as stiff as a board in the A.M.)

I weeded, mulched, shoveled for about four hours and then collapsed.

In between the work, we spent a few hours at a neighboring town's annual Spring festival. The small independent businesses on the little main drag spilled out into the street, as did a variety of food vendors. There was a stage with bands playing and at the end of the strip was an X-Games style bike and skateboard show (which was awesome). Our girl loved watching the guys fly off the ramps on their bikes - some 25ft into the air. It was rad.

In the nearby park, there was a bunch for kids to do in the shade. A moonbounce and an ad-hoc mini-Mini Golf course for toddlers, which was pretty cute. Free face painting, $1 DIY-Sand Art and some assorted games. Mostly though, there was a lot of food. Free soft pretzels, cookies, brownies, and more. It was awesome. We must have walked a couple miles up and back and our girl walked all of it herself, no stroller or carrying (although she asked once).

Hope your weekend was as delightful.

Posts may be sparse this week. I have my final for school due, so much of my energy will be devoted to that scholastic endeavor.

What Me, Think?

Both MindFlakes and A Family Runs Through It recently deemed me as a Thinking Blogger. I am flattered.

Here are a few folks who do some thinkin' and often make me stop and think (this is hard, since I cannot throw it back at Phil and Greg and I do not read that many blogs, but here it goes)

IzzyMom - this might be best blog post I have ever read. She articulates her point, one about the sexualization of young women, so well. I have touched on this but never fully attacked it here (my shortcoming as an organized writer - as this is topic number 1 that guies most everything I say, do and feel as a parent). Thanks Izzy.

Shannon at McBlog - she does not write often, but her last post hit me hard and reminded me that I need to push forward with my entrepreneurial endeavors sooner rather than later (despite the needed family sacrifices that will come with the effort to become self-employed).

Holy Buck, Fatman! - great post about abortion and, more specifically, about adoption. Why is it so freakin' hard for American families to become parents to kids who desperately need love and shelter?

Finally switched to Maple

For my entire life I have used Aunt Jemima Lite Syrup. When our daughter started to eat waffles and pancakes we had her using a real maple syrup, so she would not become addicted to the sugar sweetness of "syrup". We bought several varieties for us to try but we could not handle the earthy flavor after years of the sugary sweet, processed fake stuff. Our girl didn't care, so we kept giving her the real syrup, you know the kind that actually comes from trees. Eventually, we just stopped buying the expensive maple all together and we three have been using the Aunt Jemima Lite syrup ever since (I could not justify giving her one thing and us using something else entirely - just too hypocritical for my tastes).

Well, we gave Maple one more shot a month or so ago. We picked up a bottle of Shady Maple Farms "Thick-n-Rich" Syrup (all organic, pure Maple) and it is awesome. With the fake stuff, I needed it warmed in the microwave and smothering my pancakes. Now, I like it room temperature and just drizzled on top. It is not cheap, about $6 a bottle I believe (at Whole Foods), but worth every penny to finally do away with that high fructose corn syrup and cellulose gum (two of the first three ingredients, along with water) concoction that is Aunt Jemima syrup.

Luckily, our girl switched right back to the real maple stuff without batting an eye. The sugary hooks had not sunken too deep in her, plus the Shady Maple stuff is that good.

At the stroke of Midnight - a Cinderella I can handle

It is no great secret that I have no love for the Disney Corporation. I stay as far away as possible from much of what Disney has to offer young kids. As a result, my girl has no experience with the Disney Princess franchise (yes, it is possible to raise a girl without Princess merchandise...really).

Recently, Scholastic Video sent me a copy of their new DVD collection titled "Cinderella and more beloved fairy tales" (officially released today, April 24 2007). It was the first time the poor-housecleaning-Princess-to-be had entered my home. In a move that surprised my wife and even myself, I decided to just pop the DVD in one night as we at down with our daughter, without previewing it. I was hopeful that this Scholastic adaptation (by James Marshall) would not be like Disney's Cinderella. I had a gut feeling that Scholastic was going to distribute something a little less, um, glamorous (the cover image helped my gut come to that determination). I was right. This story, using simple illustration and voice overs by Kathy Bates, shows us a much different Cinderella. She is not stunningly pretty and her self-image and vanity play no role in the story at all. I was delighted. She eventually won the affection of the prince, of course, but it is an affection she did not actively seek out (Cinderella just wanted to get dressed up and go to the ball, simple as that). There is absolutely no overtone of a girl needing to validate her self worth by winning the love or attention of a man.

If you have serious trepidation about indoctrinating your young girls into the cult of Disney Princesses, but would still like them to know of the Cinderella tale, this modestly priced video collection is perfect for you. Also included on the DVD is The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm. This is beautifully illustrated tale of kindness, selflessness and charity that we have loved in book form since Christmas and were super excited to watch for the first time. This version presents a delightful romp through the Shoemaker's workshop as we watch the two giddy Elves help the older craftsman and his wife re-establish their family business. The DVD features three more tales as well, The Fisherman and His Wife, Three Billy Goats Gruff and Hansel & Gretel. The first is a stark and slightly apocalyptic tale of greed with very antique, linear and gray scale drawings. We had never heard of, read or seen this story before yet all three of us sat silently as we watched, in a slightly mesmerized state, the Fisherman trek back and forth between his wanton bride and the sea where he repeatedly calls on an over-accommodating fish. The other two short films, Three Billy Goats Gruff and Hansel & Gretel, may be a little rough and/or violent for your very young and/or timid children. Our girl did not enjoy either very much, she watched the goats and the troll through her hands.

Overall, this is a very solid offering from Scholastic and again, worth the price if only to store a more pleasant adaptation of Cinderella in your home.

Earth Day Laptop Doula

We did nothing to celebrate Earth Day yesterday, save for spending much of the day outside, soaking up the rays and cooking on the grill. I do feel a bit odd about our lack of involvement in a structured and official celebratory event but I guess, at the essence of what the days is supposed to mean, spending an entire day out of doors, appreciating nature, enjoying each others company and the warm weather, and not driving around burning fuel isn't such a bad way to mark the occasion.

Regarding my computer-free weekend: I did not make it through the whole two days without flipping up the laptop and checking email and sending a couple notes out to people. Computer usage was definitely at a minimum though... baby steps.

We met with our Doula on Friday night. To re-introduce ourselves and go over the birth plan once again (nothing has changed from the first time). We wound up spending almost 2 hours talking about parenting (she has 4 kids), society, decision making and the struggle to raise good and interesting little ones in an increasingly complex, divided and scary world. We really liked her three years ago, which is why we are employing her again, and now that we have a child we were able to spend time talking about raising one instead of preparing for one, we discovered that we share a deep routed connection when it comes to lifestyle choices and parenting strategies. It was refreshing and wonderful to have such a conversation - one of the best I have had in a while. I wish I could have recorded the whole thing and transcribed it here. In those two hours we encapsulated pretty much everything I have been struggling to say on this blog for the past 11 months. I am a much more efficient speaker than I am writer, always have beem. Maybe I should be doing a podcast instead.

Floor Hockey in a Tutu

My girl got sick in the middle of the night, two nights ago. As a result, she stayed home from school - with Mom in the A.M. I covered the P.M. shift. I arrived home just before lunch to find her playing hockey on the living room floor dressed in a leotard, tutu, tights and ballet slippers. Pretty hilarious sight. I bought her a cheap little plastic hockey stick/ball combo at the supermarket over the weekend, in honor of the NHL Playoffs and the Red Wings being on National TV on Saturday afternoon. She puts a laundry basket on it's side, places Elmo in front as the (stationary) goalie and works on her wrist shot. I am sure that teaching her a slapshot in the house will come to be known as a bad decision, once she perfects it.

She had one of those odd illnesses. Feverish and cold at 1am, throwing up (more like spitting up Flem that was in her thought) at 2am, out of PJs-cause she was too warm at 3am and then wakes up like nothing happened at all at 7am. Weird.

I am planning on making this coming weekend and computer-free affair. I am spending far too much time staring at this thing, at work and then at home. Considering I have had no motivation to write for Families.com (the stuff going up this week has been done for awhile), design anything new for my CafePress shop or do my schoolwork - I am not even sure what I have been doing on the computer. That general malaise, combined with what looks to be (finally) a lovely couple of days weather-wise, means more time out of doors and less time on the laptop. So this should be my last post for a few.

Enjoy the Spring weather!

My A to Z Recipe Box

We have been loving the new My A to Z Recipe Box lately. This past weekend washout saw the three of us whip up four of the 26 recipes. We tried the Cheese Fondue (used XXX Sharp Cheddar and needed to cook it in the loaf of bead for over an hour to properly melt it) with apple slices and bread, Pinapple upsidedown cupcakes (delicious!), Yogurt Parfait (with blueberries and homemade granola), and Blueberry Buckle.

This collection of kid-friendy, yet interesting and fairly healthy, recipes is awesome - as is the packaging. The young ones can really lend a hand with preparing (and eating!) each of these recipes. Just an awesome idea for young chefs.

Read my "review" of the My A to Z Recipe Box here (without pictures since the Families.com photo server is down).

I Can't See, C or Sea

I had an eye doctor appointment last night and when I arrived it was brought to my attention that I have no vision coverage with Aetna. Hmm. I went out to my car, called Aetna and sure enough - I do not. I have Davis Vision. So I called them. Now, calling service providers ranks pretty darn low on the big list of things I enjoy doing, so the fact that I needed to call another place and, probably, sit on hold some more annoyed me greatly. Luckily enough, the young lady who answered the phone (and did so quickly), Danielle, was maybe the best customer service representative I have ever spoken to - in my life. Seriously. She was great. I have no idea where she is located, but I contemplated inviting her over for dinner.

Turns out that my usual eye doctor (I have seen him once, for my first and only pair of glasses - so I am not married to his office at all) does not take Davis Vision. I have to make another appointment, with a new doctor,and who knows when I will do that - I have a nasty habit of putting such tasks off indefinitely (as my mother and wife know far too well).

So I have been reminded that not all telephone operators are terrible people, serving no purpose in the world, save to aggravate the consumer. I will be awash in the warm glow of surprisingly great service, at least until the next time I am forced to call Comcast or Cingular.

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy

We braved the cold, the wind and the rain only once yesterday - to pick up Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy. We three loved the original Fancy Nancy book and when a friend sent me this link, I immediately placed a hold on a copy at my local library. It is as good, if not better, than the first book and how rare is that? (Just read all the post- If you give a Pig a Pancake books for that answer)

Big Plans, No Plans

We had big plans for this weekend. On Saturday, the idea was to see the kids' play Ferdinand the Bull at the Arden Theater in Philadelphia, then have a late lunch, play at the wonderful new(ish) Franklin Square Park and cap off the afternoon at the Smoosh show, 4pm at World Cafe Live. Sunday we were going to head back to Philly for the Phillies game and experience, for the 1st time, 'Kids run the bases' day...and, probably, a Phillies loss.

We will be doing none of this. The weather in town this weekend is set to be pretty annoyingly terrible, effectively ruining any strolling about, playing outdoors at the park and basically all "city life" types of activities. Add to that our lack of interest in spending the oodles of money all of these things will cost after needing new brakes on our car during inspection last week, and you end up with what may be a fairly dull two days. We will instead, hit the library, grocery store (always a treat, honestly) and play around the house. I have some writing to do and some great new videos to watch and review (Noisy Nora and Cinerdella from Scholastic and a Hanna-Barbera Storybook Favorites 3 DVD set).

We had a great time tonight, watching the Phillies on TV and acting out the action on the floor with pillows as the bases, a cat toy for a ball and Chauncey Bear (the blue wash-cloth, tub time bear) as the catcher's mitt. My girl likes to play the catcher and call the pitches; she relies a little too much on the fastball, low and outside - but she is learning. Watching her try to slide into second base was worth the price of admission alone - it was sort of a hopsctoch-hop mixed with dipping your big toe into a cold pool with a climactic praising-the-lord-in-a-revivalist-tent-church crashing to her knees. Needless to say, that will need some work before tee-ball begins (whatever age she becomes draft eligible for that).

Have a great weekend y'all!

Veggie fried rice in our toughtful spot (or Guess who is coming for dinner?)

Before I even get into the Dinner with Pooh, I am going to throw out my first ever OMG! (I have never put those three letters together before in my life, ALL CAPS or lowercase). When we first saw the Pooh evening advertised last week and talked to our girl about it she said she wanted to attend, of course, but immediately said that maybe next time Strawberry Shortcake will come for dinner. We thought that was sweet, but improbable. We promised her that if we ever saw or got word of a Dinner with Strawberry, we would be there. Well, the first thing we saw as we entered the supermarket's cafe entrance was this glass case display:




Ms. Shortcake is comin' to dinner - in two weeks! How awesome. Granted, it will be the modern version and we only know and love the old vhs tapes (we own them all) - but so what, it will be cool either way. My wife may even get a picture taken with her, she of red hair remains a huge fan of custard, pupcake, sugarwoofer and the rest of the original gang.




Shrek is coming in May. Seems this place has character dinners all the time, and it shows. It runs a like pretty well oiled machine. Each family is given a deli-style numbered ticket. We were 37 (and we were early). They call folks up to the character area in groups of 5. It took about 35 minutes (they said it would be about 1 minute per family and were right on) for our turn. While we waited, I modestly filled a tray with shrimp bisque, clam and corn chowder (I was in a soup mood - it was 45, cold and rainy tonight), veggie fried rice, chicken with broccoli and cauliflower and some mini egg rolls. We all had a bit of everything. It was pretty good stuff and a pretty nice time.

Brilliant idea for the supermarket. The place was packed, they gave away some Winnie the Pooh coloring sheets and had Pooh merchandise (balloons and such) for sale all around the food area). Someone deserves a raise for thinking of these characters dinners.

Dinner with Pooh Bear

We are having dinner with The Grand Pooh-bah tonight in the hundred acre wood...make that a local supermarket. We stopped into this store, one that we pretty much never frequent, last week, only to pick up some bananas for an Easter party at our girl's school and what to our wondering eyes should appear but a poster with a picture of Winnie the Pooh. Seems the jolly ol' Bear is popping into town for a bit of honey. The event is free (save for the cost of the food in the market's food court cafe) and our gal is quite excited to see him even though her fascination with the bear stuffed with fluff has wained a bit in recent months. I hope to have a few pictures to share later on this evening.

Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience

I will get to the recap of last night's New Sibling Class at the hospital, but first a quick question:

Anyone ever heard of, or experienced, a live show called Walking with Dinosaurs?

In yesterdays mail, there was a postcard from the Comcast Spectrum, a big sports venue in Philadelphia, announcing Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience. Oddly enough, there was no website address provided. A quick search of Comcast Spectacor's site yielded no info and a Google search only came up with results in Australia - but I found this Flickr page with a lot of pretty cool pictures of the show. Seems like an awesome experience for Dino Lovers.

How to be a big sister

Tonight we head to our baby-delivering hospital for a tour and a talk. It is not for us though, but for our daughter. It is a great-sounding program designed to get a child (age three or older) comfortable with the hospital, the baby nursery and their pending big sister-dom. I am curious to see at what level they talk to the kids about the birth, having a little tyke around the house and how their life is going to change from that moment on.

Anyone been through a class like this with their kids? How was it?

Thoughts on storing baby clothes and spending a night in New York City

We used Space Bags to seal up and store away our gal's baby clothes as she rapidly out-grew them. Made sense, really. We washed them, folded them and squeezed them into the clever clear bags and then rolled 'em up - effectively sucking the life out of the things. Well, we unzipped those baggies tonight to find the clothes rather stinky - a combination of baby vomit, spit up and old musky plastic. In general, very unappealing. So, we have to wash them all again now. Maybe we would have wanted to wash them anyway (I was hoping to not have to do so, since the W/D is my domain, but so be it), but we have no choice now - unless we want #2 smelling like #1's puke (which we don't...of course).

__________

We were in NYC last night, a night without the kid. Saw Phillip Seymour Hoffman (my favorite actor) in Jack Goes Boating at the Public Theater. Great show. Had a terrific dinner at The Harrison. I went with the pork belly enchilada and the pan roasted pollack with Savoy cabbage, Serrano ham and celery root puree (with a side of potato puree - I love mashed potatoes with fish). Great place, meal and service. I filled out the comment card to rave about our experience and got an email from the manager less than 24 hours later thanking me for dining with them and taking the time to leave behind remarks. Nice touch. Something so simple really goes a long way in securing a loyal customer base and building word of mouth promotion (see it is working right now).

I finally got to Other Music, the sorta famous indie record shop on 4th St. I bought the new Ted Leo and Kaiser Chiefs records along with a Folkways collection of Woody Guthrie tunes. I really had a hard time picking only a few records. I wanted the new Andrew Bird, Menomena, Maria Taylor, the Decemberists DVD, and a couple more. I think I should have gone with the Bird disc instead of Ted Leo. I like Leo and his music but it is not what I am in the mood for right now. I rushed through before the play started and came out of there less than gleeful with my selections. I hate when that happens.

Happy Egg Day, y'all.

My Monkey, Blanket and Pillow

Ok, I am starting a meme. A couple weeks ago, I had no idea what that word even meant, but after Bumblebee Sweet Potato tagged me recently, I hit Wikipedia to find out what the heck I was pulled into. So, in response to this hilarious and charming story from NPR's Weekend Edition, about childhood blankee's and stuffed animals, I am listing my three favorite critters or "things" that I could not walk around the house without as a child.

1) My baby blanket. Green, Yellow and White. Made by someone in my family. It is so soft, still, and matched the wallpaper in my room as a very youngster. I still have it and love it (the blanket not the wallpaper). My arms lay underneath it every night as they rest peacefully above the heavy blanket. Occasionally, I will lose my baby blanket to my little girl who loves sleeping with it, presumably because it was (and still is, darnit!) her daddy's - but probably more because it is so comfortable.

2) Alphie. My monkey. He still lives with my parents, spending his retirement sitting in silence on my old bed - just waiting for one of the grandkids (or me) to come by and play for a spell. He is really not very snuggly at all, in retrospect, but I loved the guy.

3). My Yellow Pillow. It is a square of about 10 inches, with a Matchbox and Star Wars patches sewn in. It was also homemade, by my Nan I believe, and has been sewed and patched up so many times. It rests in a box in the closet.

Oh the times I spent with my blanket, pillow and monkey.

Ok, now it is your turn:

landismom @ Bumbleebee SP
Zak @ A Better Offer
Greg @ Mind Flakes
Phil @ A Family Runs Through It

A Seed is Sleepy - A Contest

Chronicle Books is currently having A Seed Is Sleepy giveaway contest. They are offering autographed First Edition copies of this lovely new book, seen here to the left (and its award-winning companion An Egg is Quiet), plus an assortment of organic sunflower seeds as prizes.

There will be five winners selected on May 1st 2007.

Contest details here: http://www.chroniclebooks.com/kidscontests/

Old Bike/New Bike

Out with the old...









And in with the new!


We went to Bike Line, a local mini-chain bike store, and picked up this awesome Trek Mystic 16" bike with training wheels. It is a unique shade of blue with tassels and a basket. The bike is decorated with flowers and dragonflies.

She was zooming around the store within minutes and couldn't wait to get back home!


...and here she is, with Quakers the duck, in our front yard during the Civic Association Egg Hunt last weekend.




Baseball Opening Day was fun for us. We cooked burgers and dogs on the grill and watched the first couple innings of the Phillies game together on the couch. Predictably, and wonderfully, she fell asleep on my lap in the 4th inning. The day was made perfect when she woke up extremely happy and ready to head outside to play. We spent a couple hours on the swing, slide and rolling around barefoot in the grass. I love this weather! (too bad it is gone tonight, when the 40 degree days and rain move in for the rest of the week).

Random thoughts on Opening Day

• Lunch date with my girl today. The plan is, since it will be a picture perfect 74 and sunny this afternoon, to be home by 12:30, fire up the grill for some cheeseburgers (with a great Spanish cheese, from the Island of Menorca, that I just bought at Whole Foods this weekend, called Mahon - it is incredible!). Oh, I wrote about Opening Day here.
• My hope is to play outside a bunch while listening to the Phillies on the radio. I love baseball on the radio - the long stretches of "dead-air" where you can hear the muddled voices of 40,000 people and the occasional call from a hot dog vendor. Unlike most radio programs, baseball announcers have the freedom to stop talking from time to time, allowing the white noise of our National pastime to fill the space. It is awesome and I cannot possibly be more excited!
• ESPN and ESPN2 are showing a handful of games today, so I will be inside while she naps soaking up the action from Kansas City, Cincinnati and New York.
• Speaking of being outside - we had not one, but two Easter Egg Hunts this weekend. Our home played host to our Civic Association Hunt and then we had the family event over at my parent's house (since they will be away on Easter).
• My girl was in the street riding her little Radio Flyer bike on Saturday (I have pictures and will try to post them this afternoon) and we realized that she is already too tall for it. We need to get a 12" or 16" bike with training wheels. Hitting a bike store this week to pick that up (seems like the only place a bike can be purchased without a character on it - or some stereotypical design or saying, like "Sugar and Spice" or something. ugh)
• The new Bright Eyes record, "Cassadaga", is excellent. I got mine last week from my Saddle Creek pre-order. Early favorite tracks: "Make a plan to love me", "If the brakeman turns my way" and "Classic Cars".

PLAY BALL!