Valentine's Day 2011

Thinking about Valentine's Day.....

My Mistress's Sparrow Is Dead: Great Love Stories, from Chekhov to Munro (proceeds go to free youth writing programs - bonus!)

Lovebirdies Vase, $44 from Etsy Seller redhotpottery

Tom's shoes (the recipient will love them doubly for knowing that another pair was donated to a needy child), this particular pair is $44.

Nothing is real but dreams and love poster, $18 from Etsy seller fifiduvie

Red Velvet Macaroons from the recipe at Delectable Deliciousness

Keep Your Head Up - Andy Grammer

This is fun for a Friday...

Project 2011, January 27 - Stats

Dinner - Subway (we were short on time)

C's Dinner - Mango, Halibut with corn, tomatoes, edamame, basil, & garlic.

Enrichment - Studied up on statistics.  Here, here, and here.

Project 2011, January 26 - At least dinner was good.

Dinner - Lasagna soup

C's Dinner - chicken and noodles, peas (the kid can't get enough!)

A rough day.

Project 2011, January 25 - The Food Police

Dinner - BBQ chicken pizza (similar to this recipe, but without cilantro and gouda and with green bell pepper), pineapple

C's Dinner - roast pork and potatoes, a tiny bit of pineapple

I mentioned that C moved into the toddler room at day care, right?  Well, apparently that means he can have school lunch now.  Monday that was chili and corn bread.  Tuesday was sweet and sour chicken and rice (both days with a fruit and vegetable).  They offer it to the kids and if they don't eat it, they give them the lunch the parents send from home.  So I guess I was busy reeling from the thought of my baby being a "toddler" on Monday, because I didn't give the lunch a great deal of thought until that night.  Then I pictured him eating canned chili.  Canned, sodium-filled, preservative-laced, questionable meat-stuffed chili.  All going into my breastfed, organic only boy.  So, with Jamie Oliver-esque passion, I called the daycare director.  Expecting conflict.  Scary conflict.  Apparently most parents have this break down when their kids go to the toddler room, though, because the director was totally prepared and knew all the answers to my questions, even if I didn't like some of them.  She acknowledged that the USDA standards aren't high enough, but it's what they have to go on.  SO, I'll be sending his lunches from home and approving any snacks or additional food on a weekly basis.  I feel better, but it begs the question - why don't Americans care enough about their kids' nutrition and all of the implications of the quality of their diets to object to the ickiness that is the standard school lunch?  I'm certainly placing all of the blame on the schools.  It's also our lawmakers that need to understand that this is an important issue.  So, please, educate yourself on what your kids are eating at school, contact your representatives, educate your child on food nutrition, and have a discussion with the dietician/principal/PTA/school board at your child's school.  See if there's any way you can help.

Image from Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole.

Here's more:
http://www.schoolnutrition.org/default.aspx
http://healthyschoolscampaign.org/
http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/ (a blog by Mrs. Q, who ate school lunch every day in 2010 with her students)

The Frontier is Everywhere

via The Red Chair

State of the Union 2011

C has been clapping for awhile now, and what better way to practice than to watch the State of the Union Address and clap along?

(No, he normally doesn't watch television)

Project 2011, January 24 - Leaps and Bounds

Dinner - Tropical Smoothie Cafe, due to a late and prolonged run to various stores to find shoes for C.  They're required in the toddler room at daycare.

C's Dinner - Steamed mixed vegetables, pork/apple/sweet potato puree

Milestone (!) - C moved up to the young toddler room at day care.  On his first day he fed himself lunch (!!!) while sitting in a tiny chair at the table (!), he laid down to nap at nap time (in his old, baby room he could nap whenever he wanted to), and he didn't cry at all.  Big boy.

Celebrate the BOY!

If you've ever shopped for a boy, you've noticed the dearth of cute, non-sports related, non-cartoon character options out there.  Especially in comparison to what is available for girls.  The same holds true for sewing and craft projects.  Thus, the geniuses at Made by Rae and MADE are endeavoring on another month of posts devoted to boys!  So, get over there and bookmark or start following!  Celebrate the boy month will run from February 15 to March 15 this year, but until then you can look into past projects - and a whole lot more - on their respective sites. 

Here's one of my favorite projects from last year's Celebrate the Boy series:

Green Thumb Overalls

Project 2011, January 21-23 - F is for Failure

Dinners - turkey sausage/pasta bake, Lucille's, leftovers 

C's Dinners - Turkey & green beans, salmon & broccoli/cauliflower mix, mango/yogurt puree & beef roast & carrots

Enrichment - Learning from failure.  Okay, so obviously it's not something I set out to do, but I have a very real fear of failure, and it holds me back.  I know that growth emerges from uncomfortable experiences and often failure, but I avoid them both, which means I rarely try new "scary" (to me) things and if I get the slightest whiff of failure I abort the mission and never try again.  This weekend was a series of minor failures, but I'm forcing myself to try again on all fronts.  Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to take bigger risks.
Failure #1 - I chose an awful paint color for the bathroom.  Then I kept using it after my test spot was ugly.  (Behr Winter Lake)
Failure #2 - Clearly cutting the paint in along the ceiling is not my forte.  Strike that.  It is not currently my forte.
Failure #3 - This is pathetic.  I was going to call my aunt and ask her for kolache tips, but I chickened out (we're not close in any way and neither of has ever called the other, but it would be nice to forge a better relationship).  I'm not really sure what scares me about this. 

So, although I don't trust my ability to pick a paint color or edge the ceiling, I'll be painting the rest of the house.  Lucky for me BB is utterly color blind. 

I can't have C growing up thinking that it's okay to let life pass him by and to stop dreaming altogether out of fear.  So, no matter how uncomfortable it is for me, I'll let him see me try and fail and try again.  And hopefully gain confidence.