I wore my spring coat today. It was -8 standing out at the bus stop this morning, but I didn't care. It's lime green and it makes me feel happy!
The sun is getting stronger, the days are getting longer. It's already light out when I leave for work, and it's still light out when I leave. The long-range forecast no longer has any minus double digits - in fact, there's more than a few numbers on the plus side. There's still mountains of snow, but you can feel things starting to turn. It's something in the air. When you have a mild spell in January, it's not the same. Now you can smell the spring, smell the earth, smell the green-ness.
We're comin' out the other side, folks.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Fun with long hair
This is a bun with a scarf wrapped around it, and then a coil bracelet wrapped around that. Aside from the shape of the bun being a little wonky, I think I like it!
What do you think?
Monday, February 4, 2013
Budding correspondent
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Muffin tin dinners
Since we're on the topic of food for kids, I just thought I'd share this idea I saw on another blog (sorry, can't remember where) - muffin tin dinners.
They are really handy for enjoying impromptu backyard picnics :o) and they are also great for those nights where you just don't feel like cooking.
The one pictured here features strawberries, cereal, slivers of peanut butter toast, broccoli, raisins, and carrot sticks. You can also use one of the spots for a dip, like salsa or hummus.
Happy summer!
They are really handy for enjoying impromptu backyard picnics :o) and they are also great for those nights where you just don't feel like cooking.
The one pictured here features strawberries, cereal, slivers of peanut butter toast, broccoli, raisins, and carrot sticks. You can also use one of the spots for a dip, like salsa or hummus.
Happy summer!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
How to get kids to eat spinach
OK, so I guess it wasn't just the photo issue that was causing my blog-posting procrastination :o)
Today I just wanted to share one little tip that has been working for us lately.
I have been really trying to "up" my vegetable intake over the past several months. Particularly greens, since science is showing just how important these are for keeping us healthy and preventing major diseases. This effort has included venturing in to the world of green smoothies.
I noticed lots of references to kids enjoying them too, so I thought I would give it a try. Well, Kate was not universally impressed. She would drink them sometimes, but not reliably and certainly not a whole glass. BUT - what she will eat any day of the week is a green popsicle (a green smoothie poured into popsicle molds). Seriously, she eats one of these almost every day. She feels like she is getting a treat and I know she is getting her greens. And I don't have to restrict them in any way like I do for other treats - I would let her eat them multiple times a day if she asked.
There are a TON of green smoothies recipes out there if you care to search, but my go-to formula is simply one whole piece of fruit - usually an apple or pear - blended with two handfuls of spinach and enough water to get the consistency you want. (For freezing it doesn't really matter if it is a bit thick, but if I'm making it for myself to drink I prefer it on the thin side - more like juice.) Sometimes I add other things, if I'm feeling creative, but usually I just keep it simple.
In terms of blenders, I'm no expert, but I'm very happy with my new Magic Bullet. Mostly because it's SO MUCH EASIER TO CLEAN than a regular blender. That was one of the main reasons I rarely used my old one - I couldn't face the thought of hauling it out and then having to clean it. The Magic Bullet has just two pieces that you can quickly rinse under the tap. It also takes up much less counter space than a standard blender. I don't miss the larger size of the standard blender either because if I'm blending a large batch of, say, soup, I have a stick blender to do that right in the pot.
So that's my pearl of mommy wisdom for today - I'd love to hear if green popsicles work in your house!
Sent from my iPod
Today I just wanted to share one little tip that has been working for us lately.
I have been really trying to "up" my vegetable intake over the past several months. Particularly greens, since science is showing just how important these are for keeping us healthy and preventing major diseases. This effort has included venturing in to the world of green smoothies.
I noticed lots of references to kids enjoying them too, so I thought I would give it a try. Well, Kate was not universally impressed. She would drink them sometimes, but not reliably and certainly not a whole glass. BUT - what she will eat any day of the week is a green popsicle (a green smoothie poured into popsicle molds). Seriously, she eats one of these almost every day. She feels like she is getting a treat and I know she is getting her greens. And I don't have to restrict them in any way like I do for other treats - I would let her eat them multiple times a day if she asked.
There are a TON of green smoothies recipes out there if you care to search, but my go-to formula is simply one whole piece of fruit - usually an apple or pear - blended with two handfuls of spinach and enough water to get the consistency you want. (For freezing it doesn't really matter if it is a bit thick, but if I'm making it for myself to drink I prefer it on the thin side - more like juice.) Sometimes I add other things, if I'm feeling creative, but usually I just keep it simple.
In terms of blenders, I'm no expert, but I'm very happy with my new Magic Bullet. Mostly because it's SO MUCH EASIER TO CLEAN than a regular blender. That was one of the main reasons I rarely used my old one - I couldn't face the thought of hauling it out and then having to clean it. The Magic Bullet has just two pieces that you can quickly rinse under the tap. It also takes up much less counter space than a standard blender. I don't miss the larger size of the standard blender either because if I'm blending a large batch of, say, soup, I have a stick blender to do that right in the pot.
So that's my pearl of mommy wisdom for today - I'd love to hear if green popsicles work in your house!
Sent from my iPod
Monday, April 23, 2012
Easter etc
How was everyone's Easter weekend? (OK, I know that was a while ago, but not THAT long...)
We had a nice trip to visit Patrick's family (we're enjoying the innovation of breaking the trip into two parts, leaving after work the day before and staying in a hotel half way). Kate really likes seeing her cousins.
The weather was perfect for a Saturday hike (I recommend the trails at Recré-eau des Quinzes, particularly the Sentier l'explorateur, if you are ever in the area- not that I expect any of you would be!)
Kate also enjoyed the Easter egg hunt at the local library. Her efforts were captured on the local newspaper's website here.
Back at home on the holiday Monday we had my parents over for an Easter lunch. The Easter Bunny decided that Kate had not done enough hunting and so left another stash of treats in our backyard, of course.
Aside from Easter we have been enjoying the early departure of snow (today's unexpected precipitation notwithstanding), spending as much time outside as possible. Dad has kindly constructed my square-foot raised beds - all they need now is some fresh soil and seeds!
Patrick has been accepted to grad school for September - his first step in making a (hopeful!) transition from researcher who uses the Archives to archivist who shows researchers how to use the Archives. So that will be a big but exciting change for us next year.
We are also preparing for Kate to move on from day care to pre-school in September. The waiting lists are long around here, and it is a tough to choose amongst the different options. We have been offered a spot at the local French pre-school (she has had no instruction in French as yet) but are still on the waiting list at the English school. So we'll see what happens there.
We are also starting to look ahead to summer holidays and have plans to return to Washington, this time with Patrick's brother and his family along for the ride. Another great chance for Kate to have some fun with her cousins!
Sent from my iPod
We had a nice trip to visit Patrick's family (we're enjoying the innovation of breaking the trip into two parts, leaving after work the day before and staying in a hotel half way). Kate really likes seeing her cousins.
The weather was perfect for a Saturday hike (I recommend the trails at Recré-eau des Quinzes, particularly the Sentier l'explorateur, if you are ever in the area- not that I expect any of you would be!)
Kate also enjoyed the Easter egg hunt at the local library. Her efforts were captured on the local newspaper's website here.
Back at home on the holiday Monday we had my parents over for an Easter lunch. The Easter Bunny decided that Kate had not done enough hunting and so left another stash of treats in our backyard, of course.
Aside from Easter we have been enjoying the early departure of snow (today's unexpected precipitation notwithstanding), spending as much time outside as possible. Dad has kindly constructed my square-foot raised beds - all they need now is some fresh soil and seeds!
Patrick has been accepted to grad school for September - his first step in making a (hopeful!) transition from researcher who uses the Archives to archivist who shows researchers how to use the Archives. So that will be a big but exciting change for us next year.
We are also preparing for Kate to move on from day care to pre-school in September. The waiting lists are long around here, and it is a tough to choose amongst the different options. We have been offered a spot at the local French pre-school (she has had no instruction in French as yet) but are still on the waiting list at the English school. So we'll see what happens there.
We are also starting to look ahead to summer holidays and have plans to return to Washington, this time with Patrick's brother and his family along for the ride. Another great chance for Kate to have some fun with her cousins!
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, April 1, 2012
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