“Patience is one of the harder lessons we have to learn, especially in the younger years, but life unfolds in fascinating ways so my message is to try enjoy that which surrounds you today, for tomorrow will bring a whole new set of surprises and challenges. Keep the strength, you are doing fine.”
From a Well Traveled Woman
I’ve started having my daughter “help” me in kitchen. Our new kitchen helper was a wonderful gift from my dad and is making it easier. In exploring other ways to have my daughter “work” with me, I came across this great post on Sew Liberated. It lead me to this post on Parenting Passageway.
So here’s a modified version of the list for us to start working on! I’m copying it here so I remember but please go read her post instead!
Load/unload the dishwasher with supervision
Wash silverware (in a little basin)
Learn to use a sharp knife; grating
Practice pouring into a glass
Stir, pour, play with flour/dough, etc.
Spread butter on toast
Pick the leaves of kale, tear lettuce, spin in dryer
Shell peas
Scramble eggs
Unload groceries
Spray and wipe windows and bathroom walls
Wash tub with sponge and baking soda
Polish wooden toys/furniture
Hand me items from the laundry basket as I fold
Get napkins and silverware for table
Water plants
Learning to iron
Polishing silver
Help make bed
For me, writing it down often seems to have a way of making it happen. There is something in the mix over at our house.
To make a long story short, I’ve been coupon-ing in an effort to save money. That is what you do – right? As it turns out, I’ve started to feel silly. The endless printing ($) and sorting (time), plus the tolls to get to the store and I get the feeling I’m ending out where I started. Plus, we always seem to bring home things we were’t planning on buying.
Then I came across this post. I don’t think I’d EVER be able to get us down to $250 a month and even she normally is $450. How does she propose do it? Instead of couponing, she is cooking from whole foods! That resonates! During the summer, my daughter and I eat mostly from our CSA. All that goes out the window during the winter – even though I’m splitting a winter share for the first time this year. Here’s another whole foods blog a family of four for $500 a month.
There seems to be quite a bit of interest in a buying club for the community. Let’s make it happen! Get me out of the grocery store.
Sites like this local lady are SO inspirational. Check out their diet! So starting today, I’m taking little steps to cut out the processed food from our diet. Another round of yogurt is in the making, pizza dough is in the freezer, granola is in the oven, soup in the crockpot and pasta for dinner in the fridge. Not bad for nap time!
I just cannot get enough of this image and had to save it. (via Joslyn on Pinterest, Leslie Williamson from Handcrafted Modern).
Inspired by the Ted talk above this is my 2012 wish for us all.
“let ourselves be truly seen, love with our whole hearts, practice gratitude & joy and believe that we are enough.”
Thank you Julia.
Just a note to myself to remember that a simple and relaxed party works great! Ask people to help & potluck is wonderful. Oh and folks like the dip (which rocks since it was easy).
spinach artichoke dip
2 cups parmesan cheese
10oz box frozen spinach, thawed
14oz can artichoke hearts, drained
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp garlic, minced
1. Thaw the spinach in the microwave and mix with the drained artichoke hearts in a casserole dish. mix in the cheese.
2. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave and combine with the sour cream, mayo and garlic. stir the cream mixture into the spinach and artichokes until everything is coated.
3. bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes.
Thanks to Pete Bakes via pinterest
Instead of the planned running amuck, our holidays have become quite simple… trip to santa clause, a party with friends, a bit of family, a pile of clementines and a few decorations. I think we have time for one last hurrah & I am planning a drive through of the holiday lights in Brooklyn this weekend! Happy Holidays!
I want to set up “traditions” now that will take us through my little ones childhood. I really want to find ways to make the holidays magical. Recently, I’ve come across several holiday bucket lists and decided I should start my own. Anticipation is half the fun!
1. Visit Santaland at Macy’s
2. Drive through the decorated houses in Bayside, Queens (33-20 205th St, Bayside)
3. Watch the balloons inflate the day before Thanksgiving at 3PM. (decided too young)
4. Go window shopping at the department stores. (decided too young)
5. Buy an elf and have him do surprises.
6. Wrap books as an advent calendar.
7. Go caroling! (oops scheduled our holiday party at the same time!)
8. Watch It’s a Wonderful Life. (She’s too young but I’ll enjoy it)
9. Tree lighting daily at Met Museum 4.30PM
10. Make gifts for my daughter’s friends (homemade play dough!)
11. Drink cocoa at Serendipity (225 East 60th Street) or have a hot cocoa crawl!
12. Visit FAO Swartz.
13. Holiday Train Show at NYBG
14. Make the house smell like Christmas
15. Celebrate Winter Solstice December 22
16. Decorate!
17. Bring cookies to neighbours. (amended to make cookies for homeless shelter)
18. New Christmas Jammies!
Now I just have to put it all on the calendar!
After many months of complaining from my husband (our previous isp was unreliable) we’ve moved over to afatcow. Perhaps I’m rusty but it is taking me a while to get wordpress up and running again. Email was immediately working fine and thankfully that’s all my other cares about.
It has been strange to not have this running journal to keep track of thoughts. Meanwhile, pinterest has tried to fill. I need to keep working on it but I’m pleased with the infrastructure of this new template.
I love this recent post by our neighbor. I need to think about what the priorities are for me & am copying it here so I remember.
“Parenting can be rather like that. You head out with an idea of where you want to end up, but with no detailed map, no well-marked trail. You figure out the details as you come across them. The essentials are good observational skills, common sense, resourcefulness, the ability to stay calm when you find yourself in a bad situation, and a willingness to either re-route or muddle through when the landscape becomes difficult.
Where I think people get lost — and I could be wrong but I’ve seen it happen a lot — is in failing to define clearly enough where they want to end up. Saying you want a happy kid is like saying you want to head east. It’s too vague. If you say you want your child to be thoughtful of others, have good coping skills, know the difference between joy and pleasure, be strong enough to withstand a goodly amount of peer pressure, and have a rich spiritual life, your odds of having him arrive at 3pm at the large pine tree next to the stream in the cleft between those two hills five miles to the southeast are much better.”
