Much Ado About . . .

Snow Day, Day Three

2012-01-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today's activities included cross-country skiing right from the front door, a sled ride to see a giant igloo, and lots and lots of sledding on our nearby Greenlake hill. Oh, and some hot chocolate, a movie, and a nice long soak in the tub!
My helpful girl cleared the steps:
I gave her a ride to see the igloo:
Lifeguard on duty. No swimmers, though (or so we thought):
Lots of people and cameras:
The igloo:
Heading in to check it out:
Nice view!
Nice and toasty inside, too.
Spoke too soon. This dude stripped down and went for a swim. Here he's getting his clothes back on.
Our own private winter sports resort. We saw sledding, skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, snowshoeing, and all kinds of fun.

It must be the Superbowl soon, huh?

2012-01-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

Today's Groupon gifts deals were worth a re-posting. Hurry up and get these awesome products, so you can make sure your ass is wide enough to support you while you watch the big game.
Delivered right to your door, and vacuum packed!
If you prefer to cook at home.
This seems like a really, really good idea. Of course, you might miss a big play if you accidentally change channels while cracking the next brew.
And the winter version of the beer cozy. Yes!

Snow Day!

2012-01-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

Mom, I'm boiling!

Mush, mush!

Busy finding decorations for the snow angel.

The happy sledder. (Video below!)

Adelaide might have had more of a Blair Witch problem with the running with video camera, but she screamed less than me going down the hill, so I think we're even.

Time to Juice

2012-01-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

before:

after:

Ten on the Tenth

2012-01-10T19:07:00.000-08:00

74th

75th

76th

77th

78th

79th

82nd

83rd

84th

85th

Boxing Day Science

2011-12-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

Adelaide received a science kit from her aunt and uncle for Christmas, which sparked a renewed interest in conducting experiments. First, she set up her lab in her room and did several experiments, some from the book in the kit and some with materials we had set aside for her earlier.
Next we set up for a two-part experiment designed to teach about the effect of additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We read about greenhouse gasses, where they come from and what they do to the ozone layer and earth's temperature.
Adelaide logged the temperature in our mini ecosystem under the "sun."
Next, we were ready to make our CO2.
We took the CO2 we created and used a straw to put it into the container. It is heavier than air, so it sank to the bottom where it proceeded to heat up the temperature in the container over the course of several minutes.

Adelaide played with some of the variables to see what else might happen to the temperature.

December Tradition

2011-12-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

Adelaide and I have been doing a nighttime neighborhood walk on cold December nights for several years now. It's a lovely after-dinner stroll to look at our favorite light displays, Christmas trees and fun things in the neighborhood. Tonight I brought along my camera and she brought along her festively dressed stuffed animals.

10 on the 10th (and 11th)

2011-12-11T19:57:00.001-08:00

Got a little busy and forgot about 10 on the 10th this month. But took pictures yesterday and today, so will cheat and use those.

10:00 am

11:00 a.m.

11:15 am

2:00 pm

5:00 pm

6:00 pm

7:00 pm

Evening Conversation in the Car

2011-12-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

A: I can't wait for tomorrow.

C: You're excited to be Superkid?

A: Yeah. Mom, try not to ruin my big day like you always do.

(Hmm. Not sure what is being referred to here, besides "bad cop" parenting like insisting on the wearing of leg coverings in December, and general killjoy mother status, but I will try my best. Something tells me it's not really under my control.)

Jennifer Rose: Babysitter in Love

2011-11-17T18:33:00.001-08:00

So tonight Adelaide got to have a little screen time after dinner while I was doing the dishes. She has spent enough time on the internet to have a few sites she likes, and lately it's been some fun one with math puzzles and games that require some very basic physics. I came in to check on her after a few minutes and discovered that she was on a site claiming to be "Girl Games," and she was on the game Jennifer Rose: Babysitter in Love.

As you can imagine, this immediately looked like a bad idea to me. Here is the written description from the site:

Jennifer Rose: Babysitter in Love - Jenny Rose loves children very much and she works as a babysitter now. Your task is to help Jenny to take care about kids, satisfy their wishes and needs, also you need to give some time to Jennifer's boyfriend who comes to visit her with flowers. But don't forget about the children while flirting with the boyfriend. To start the game you need take the kid from the door, sit the child down on the carpet on free space, wait for the child's wishes and give the kids what they want. Use upgrades to buy new clothes, shoes and toys to increase children patience. And don't forget about the boyfriend. Jenny have to flirt with him when he comes. You've got only 5 lives for the whole game.

Um, not sure I want my child learning she "have to flirt" with the boyfriend when he comes. Nor that she should be buying new clothes, shoes and toys to "increase children patience." But when I asked her where she found out about this site, she got a bit evasive and I decided I'd be better off just sitting with her and watching the game instead of making it all the more appealing by immediately shutting it down. As I watched, I saw that the appeal for her was moving the babysitter around and getting the kids changed, put to bed, and fed, and that she didn't seem to view the boyfriend at the door as anything more than another task to get to in time before she lost points. So I let her play and I assume she will lose interest when there's not more to it. I'm glad that her natural inkling is to play things that hold her interest by challenging her problem-solving skills, but I suspect that as she spends time with other kids who are online without a parent's critical eye there will be more websites she knows about that I would prefer she didn't. It's not too soon to be putting things in place to try to help her navigate through all the crap she is going to encounter out there.

Evening conversation

2011-11-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

A: Mom, next year I'm going to be Pippi Longstocking for Halloween.

C: That's a good idea.

A: And you know that monkey she has?

C: Uh-huh?

A: I'll be Pippi, and you can be the monkey.

So far, it's working

2011-11-13T16:59:00.001-08:00

10 on the 10th

2011-11-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

9:00 am

12:00 pm

12:10 pm

2 pm

5 pm

5:30 pm

7:30 pm

8 pm

8:15 pm

8:30 pm

Found

2011-11-08T19:24:00.001-08:00

Bedtime Story

2011-11-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

Torn between a hot water bottle and snuggling the cat in bed tonight, Adelaide chose both. Miss P was surprisingly attentive as Adelaide read her a bedtime story about penguins. She does love a good cozy snuggle.

Bedtime Conversation

2011-11-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

A: Mom, what does "melodramatic" mean?

C: It means overly dramatic.

A: What does "overly dramatic mean?"

C: Oh, someone who is melodramatic might make a big deal out of a little thing. Like get really emotional, or talk like this (proceeds to use a melodramatic voice to demonstrate).

A: Okay, thanks. It was in one of my books and I was wondering what it meant.

C: You're welcome.

Self-congratulatory parenting moment: I did not use the very handy example of this morning, when Adelaide's blouse was not looking the way she wanted it to, and she spent 45 minutes crying, complaining, declaring it to be a terrible day, and generally making life miserable for both of us. I will leave her to do her own thinking on that one.

10 on the 10th

2011-10-10T18:28:00.001-07:00

Six

Eight

One-Thirty

Four-Ten

Four-Twenty

Four-Thirty

Five-Thirty

Six

Six-Fifteen

Six-Thirty

Science Fun

2011-09-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

Adelaide read a book about crystals and decided she was interested in some of the make your own crystals experiments. Today we did 2 experiments from the book and one of our own.
We decided to keep track of our experiments in a science journal. Adelaide plans to take more photos and keep them in her log.

Biking to school

2011-09-20T09:13:00.001-07:00

Adelaide and I biked home last night and left the car at school. This morning we made it here in about an hour. It's a tough uphill ride on the way to school and I'm very proud that my seven year-old is biking five miles on her own. Way to go, Adelaide!

Annette Lake Hike

2011-09-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Despite it being cool and gray, yesterday was a great day for a hike.
Craig at the point in the trail where it crosses the Iron Horse trail. Lots of different options to check out in this area, but we went ahead with the planned hike up to Annette Lake.

First Day of School

2011-09-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

Adelaide started second grade this morning. She was up and ready to go an hour before we needed to leave, with her hair done, bag packed and accessories in place.
We picked grapes and harvested potatoes from the garden to give to her new teacher, Ms. Ng. (We also included a Starbucks gift card to round out the healthy snacks.)
Adelaide was excited to see her friends and get started with her day!
She was slightly less excited at my desire to document every step of the way.
The kids got right down to business. Second grade's going to be a piece of cake.

Ten on the Tenth

2011-09-10T22:10:00.001-07:00

7:00 am

8:00 am

9:00am

10:00 am

11:00 am

12:00 pm

1:00 pm

2:00 pm

3:00 pm

4:00 pm

5:00 pm

6:00 pm

7:00 pm

All's Love and War in Fair

2011-09-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we rounded out our Mom-Daughter day with an afternoon at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe. It is a nice, traditional, smaller country fair that we have enjoyed together for several years now. We had a nice time walking the fairgrounds, looking at the animals and chatting.
This big guy prompted a review of the facts of life. Apparently there was a sow who was on the brink of having her piglets, but we didn't get to witness the miracle of birth just yet.
This lovely bird won my prize for best hairdo.
Another excellent coif, ala Elvis.
This one and his pen-mate both had some serious dredlocked bangs. Impressive.
I think my favorite animals to watch were the goats. I was unable to get any good shots of the ones head-butting for king of the bency, but this little fellow pretty much summed up the rest of the action (eating and sleeping). He was sound asleep with his head deep in the food bag.
We did our share of eating. Adelaide chose the shaved ice for her treat. I went with the scone.
We managed to avoid some of the nastier items on offer. The general obesity on display was a good deterrent, though I can't say I was tempted by any of these items.

Heybrook Ridge Lookout

2011-09-01T14:59:00.001-07:00

Adelaide and I had a mom and daughter day yesterday. Instead of going to camp, she accompanied me on a nice hike near Index on Highway 2, north and east of Seattle. Adelaide has gotten very good at hiking longer and more difficult trails this summer, and it is delightful to spend time in the woods with her.
The lower portion of the trail has wonderful mossy trees and boulders. As you climb you quickly leave the highway noise behind, fortunately.

Adelaide found a walking stick left by a previous hiker. She used it for the ascent, then left it where she had found it for the next lucky climber.

There were some nice diversions along the trail where she could climb and we could explore boulders and caves.

I imagine that there are great views on a clear day from the lookout. We did go up but for us it was just an exercise in deep breathing as the open stairs and sides of the lookout were pretty scary.

Once we were back on solid ground we enjoyed a snack and explored the open area along the ridge.

We got pretty chilly on our descent but all in all it was a nice cool day to go for a hike.

Little Si Hike

2011-09-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

I have been hiking this week, taking advantage of my last few free weekdays. On Tuesday I had a nice solo hike on Little Si. I love this hike, especially the beautiful lower portion past the rock-climbing cliffs.

The Countdown

2011-08-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

After dinner conversation:

Mom, can I sharpen all of my pencils for school?

Yes.

Tonight?

Yes.

pause

Mom, should I put all my stuff in my pencil box?

Just your pencils.

pause

Mom, how many pencils do I need for school?

Twelve.

Can I sharpen all of them?

Yes.

Ten on the Tenth

2011-08-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

1:00

2:00

3:00

4:00

5:00

6:00

7:00

Post-Camp Conversation

2011-07-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Adelaide has been enjoying her camp this week, which has "animals' for the theme. Yesterday they went to an IMAX movie which she told me was about elephants and orangutans and the people who helped them re-establish themselves in the wild. In her telling of it, the orangutans were endangered and scientists helped them become not endangered any more.

She then told me that she wanted to be one of them, and I felt proud that she would want to do interesting and important work as a biologist or similar role. But as she went on to describe in detail the journey the orangutans made back to the jungle, the boat ride, the swinging from the trees, the food they ate, I realized I had misunderstood. She was, in fact, wishing she were an orangutan.

Water Adventure

2011-07-01T15:52:00.001-07:00

Today was the last day of Adelaide's boating camp and the culminating event was a trip the length of Lake Union to a fish and chip restaurant for lunch. After a week of so-so weather the sun was shining and the arm was warm and lovely today, so I decided to make good on my threat to show up on the water. I headed out from Agua Verde in the general direction of Ivar's in the hopes of connecting with Adelaide somewhere on route. I ended up going all the way to the camp and arriving in time to see the kids getting into the boats.
Despite Adelaide's interest in having me come by the camp, I was discouraged from paddling back with the group, so I had to use the zoom lens on the camera phone while bobbing in the water at a distance to try to sneak some photos of the kayaking girl. Even so, it was fun to see them in action. Adelaide is in the front seat of the blue boat.

I was also similarly welcomed yet not at lunch, so I hung around long enough for a chat and then let her enjoy her time with her friends. It was a wonderful day to be out on the lake.

Summer Camp

2011-06-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Last night and this morning:

Mom, I'm worried about camp.
How big is the pool?
Will there be a lifeguard?
Is there a swim test for the deep end?
Will I be in the same group with my friend?
What if I don't like it?

After arrival at camp (and seeing 4 friends already there):

Oh, Mom (with dismissive shrug and grossed out sound effects, as I attempt to make eye contact and kiss her goodbye).

Field Day

2011-06-16T12:17:00.001-07:00

Today was the second to last day of school. The kids had field day this morning, doing all sort of activities as a class. They did a great job of cheering each other on and had a lot of fun.

10 on the 10th

2011-06-10T16:00:00.001-07:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

1:00

2:00

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

Garden Transformation

2011-06-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

I must admit to having been too embarrassed to take many "before" shots of the garden, given that it was long overdue for some re-vamping. But here are a few more recent additions.

Parking strip before (or midway):

Parking strip after:

Parking strip with path:

Plants added:

Front right, midway:

Path added:

Another view of the path, with the left section:

Ten on the Tenth

2011-05-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

10 a.m.

11 a.m.

12 p.m.

1 p.m. (12:30)

2 p.m.

3 p.m.

4 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T16:38:00.001-07:00

Four daughters, three mothers, two grandmothers and one great-grandmother. Immeasurable amounts of love.

Ten on the Tenth

2011-04-10T19:16:00.001-07:00

8 a.m.

9 a.m.

11 a.m.

12 p.m.

1 p.m.

2 p.m.

3 p.m.

4 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

Makes me feel better about the state of my yard.

2011-03-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

How to Catch a Leprechaun

2011-03-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

My family did not do any traditions for St. Patrick's Day when I was a kid, but Adelaide has taken an interest in setting a leprechaun trap for the second year in a row, so this year I helped out a bit.
She decided that leftover Valentine's candy would tempt the wee fellows, and I helped engineer a door which would seal shut with tape once the trail was followed inside the trap. (not pictured)

After asking around, I learned that the leprechauns are supposed to make a mess. Being less than interested in cleaning up a mess, I kept it contained to some pencils and necklaces that were purchased for the express purpose of being scattered about. As they are gifts, I am guessing they won't cause too much fuss when it's time to pick them up.
She won't get the leprechaun this year, but his hat will have gotten stuck in the trap.
These two will have to tell the tale in the morning.

Ten on the Tenth

2011-03-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

7 a.m.
8 a.m.

9 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
11 a.m.
12 p.m.
1 p.m.
2 p.m.
3 p.m.
4 p.m.
5 p.m.
6 p.m.
7 p.m.

Scallops with Shiitake Mushrooms, Snap Peas and Polenta Rounds

2011-03-07T17:26:00.000-08:00

Marinated in honey/red miso/nutritional yeast/soy sauce. Saturday night at home.

Spring Veggie Chopped Salad

2011-03-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

So fresh and crunchy and yummy. Tofu, tomato, carrot, green onion, cilantro, sweet peppers, cucumber, sugar snap peas and white wine vinegar. Served with pita and hummus.

Sushi!

2011-02-10T15:34:00.001-08:00

Craig and I have been enjoying making sushi together and this past weekend we served it to friends for dinner.

10 on the 10th

2011-02-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

7:00 a.m.

8:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m.

12:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

What have I been doing online to deserve this?

2011-02-02T19:47:00.001-08:00

Tonight's combination of ads on my Facebook sidebar has me chuckling. I guess I can order up gobs of chocolate and still fit into my plus-sized clothes, but then Michael Pollan will be on hand to tell me where I went wrong.

Have a great day and be blessed always!

2011-01-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

This evening I was re-directed to a "live chat" customer service during which I noticed a very odd writing style and varied speed of typing. "Priscilla," as she called herself, seemed to alternate between very friendly not quite standard English at a somewhat slow rate, and very rapid messages which did not seem to apply to my questions. I am including some of my favorites below:

user guest has entered room
analyst Priscilla has entered room

Priscilla>
Hello guest_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Priscilla. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Priscilla>
We, at Comcast, are delighted to deliver excellent service for you today. How are you today? I hope you have not waited long to be assisted.

guest_>
I am trying to login to xfininty tv and my login information is an old email account, so I cannot reset my password.

Priscilla>
I see. I am sorry about that.

Priscilla>
I know that password sometimes confuses us and give us some troubles; we truly apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you.

Priscilla>
No worries, I am the best person who can assist you and help you with this issue. At the end of this chat I will assure you that we can resolve this issue together and that you’ll be satisfied with the service.

Priscilla>
Since we do not have access to the password to your Comcast Email, I need to reset the password here in my end, would that be okay?

guest_>
sure.

Priscilla>
Thankyou.

To ensure the integrity of your account information, can I please have the Full Account Holder's Name, complete service address and your 16 digits account number?

guest_>
yes

Priscilla>
Thank you for giving me the information I need. Please allow me 2-3 minutes to pull up and review your account. I will get back to you after the said time frame for the updates of your issue.

Priscilla>
You also need that to log in to xfinity tv.

Priscilla>
Can I proceed with creating a password?

guest_>
If you can give me the password without sending it to that email, I guess that can work for me.

Priscilla>
I can change the email address for you. However, it should end with @comcast.net

guest_>
okay

Priscilla>
Is that okay?

guest_>
yes, thank you

Priscilla>
Okay. You're welcome.

Priscilla>
Would you mind trying to login to your online account @ www.comcast.net and letting me know if it works?

guest_>
yes, I will. Just a moment.

Priscilla>
Thank you.

Priscilla>
Since you have Comcast Internet service, I do not want to miss the opportunity to inform you that Comcast and Norton have partnered together to provide Norton antivirus, firewall and parental controls security products to Comcast High-Speed Internet customers at no extra charge. Norton may cost you $160.00 anually; Comcast is giving it for FREE through your Comcast High Speed Internet subscription. By using your Comcast.net email login information in downloading the Norton Anti-virus, you are a protected subscriber. You can download Norton through this link: http://security.comcast.net/?cid=NET_33_0. If you are done downloading the said anti-virus prior this information, I am more than happy to know that. It truly pays to be protected.

guest_>
Okay, I logged in.

Priscilla>
Great!

Priscilla>
Also, I strongly encourage you to personalize your password to your preference after you logged. That is made possible by clicking the USERS and SETTINGS tab through this link: https://login.comcast.net/login?forceAuthn=1&continue=/Secure/Users.aspx&s=ccentral-cima&r=comcast.net

Priscilla>
Can you try to log in to xfinity tv site now?

guest_>
yes

Priscilla>
Thankyou.

guest_>
It looks like I am logged in - I just went there from the comcast site.

Priscilla>
Okay great!

guest_>
Thanks so much, you were very helpful.

Priscilla>
You are most welcome.

guest_>
Have a good evening.

Priscilla>
To recap, you chatted in because you need to log in to your Comcast account. I have provided you your Comcast Username and password and now you are able to log in. I also asked you to change or customize your password.

Priscilla>
I greatly appreciate your patience and cooperation, Before we part ways, I want to make sure that we have covered everything. Is there anything else you need to discuss with? I will be more than willing to address them for you.

Priscilla>
Thanks!

Priscilla>
Thank you so much!

Priscilla>
Have a great day and be blessed always!

Priscilla>
Remember that you are always valued. Your role is vital in the improvement of Comcast customer service. Thank you for choosing Comcast as your service provider. Comcast appreciates your business and values you as a customer. Our goal is to provide you with excellent service. If you need further assistance, you can chat with one of our Customer Support Specialists 24 hour a day, 7 days a week at http://www.comcastsupport.com. To close this chat, please click the “end session” button at the top of the chat window.

Thank you, Dr. King

2011-01-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

Today we had another tear-jerker assembly (well, for me, and probably many parents and teachers at my school), honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and celebrating how his efforts play out for us now in our community of learners. The kids were excellent listeners and performers, and as usual were impressive in their support of each other's efforts. The first graders sang and signed "Peace Like a River," as can be viewed in the video below. Adelaide is in the top right hand corner, 2nd in (2nd tallest in her class). Also shown is a brief portion of the 6th graders performing and the audience enjoying their song.

Reading in Bed

2011-01-13T20:32:00.000-08:00

Tonight for the first time Adelaide chose to read by herself in bed. She's been reading to me every night for more than a year, and I read to her afterwards. Tonight we had a special outing to a friend's school for her International night, and since we were getting home late when Adelaide asked if she could read in bed I told her she could but we couldn't do our regular routine too. She debated for a while, but she's really into her current book and feeling proud of herself for reading a chapter book on her own, so she chose to skip our usual.

We'll keep reading together because we both really enjoy it, but it's really fun to watch her begin to change from a reader to a pleasure reader. She can't wait to get up in the morning and open her book.

Ten on the Tenth

2011-01-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my colleague Grace for posting about this idea on FB. I'm taking a picture every hour for 10 hours on the 10th of the month. Here is today.

8 a.m.

9 a.m.

10 a.m.

11 a.m.12 p.m.
1 p.m.
2 p.m.
3 p.m.
4 p.m.
5 p.m.
6 p.m.
7 p.m.
8 p.m.

I know I feel safer

2011-01-06T16:51:00.001-08:00

I have to say, the image of someone quickly strapping on the helmet and zooming out of the store on this vehicle to chase down a shoplifter is very amusing to me. Or maybe this is a tool for shoppers like me, who would be better off without the big cart that always manages to fill itself with a minimum of $100 worth of things I didn't know I needed. Exactly whose assets need protecting here?

Taco Twist

2011-01-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

Roasted red cabbage (with cumin, garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes), sauteed zucchini (with fresh basil and salt and pepper), fried tofu (with cumin, cayenne, and oregano) and cheddar. Flour tortillas.

The Ego is Intact

2011-01-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

Pre-bath conversation:

A: I know they say nobody's perfect all the time, but I know someone who is.

C: (anticipating a potential compliment for her hard work on dinner and the bubble bath, or perhaps a tribute to the wonderful first grade teacher) Oh, yeah? Who is that?

A: Me.

This Brings Back Memories

2011-01-02T15:56:00.000-08:00

One of my Christmas presents to Adelaide (also kind of to myself, I guess!):

New Year's Day Snowshoeing

2011-01-02T13:20:00.001-08:00

Cold and sunny weather kept us moving at a steady pace up the trail, but we managed to pause for a few photos in the sunnier places along the way.

Happy New Year!

This Day Brought to You by the Letters G G R

2010-12-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

My grandma Adelaide sends her great grandchild Adelaide money for her birthdays and for Christmas. Often I will chose something special with part of the money, and save the rest in Adelaide's bank account for her to decide its use at a later date. This time around, however, I cashed the check and took Adelaide for a special day.

First we went to see Lyle the Crocodile at the Children's Theater. It was a good show and fun for both of us.
Adelaide collected autographs after the show and posed for a picture with Lyle.
She was hungry after the show so we went over to the center house for some fish & chips. It was surprisingly good, though it's hard to go wrong with hot, salty and greasy on a cold winter evening.
We spent a little time checking out the huge winter village/train set.
I was reminded that there is usually a carousel and skating for the full-sized people, too, so we went down to check out the scene.
In a fit of overconfidence, I told Adelaide we could skate. They had a height limit on the use of the walkers, however, so after nearly taking Adelaide out we decided she'd be better off out there on her own.
She had fun and after a few times around, was getting a bit faster and more confident. She even did a loop without the walker, but clinging to the wall (and waiting for all the people like me who were inching along) wasn't quite as fun.

We had a lovely outing and enjoyed seeing all of the wonderful lights on our way home. Thank you, grandma, for inspiring me to do some special things with my girl this vacation. I wish you could have been here to see her smiles, but you were with us in spirit.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2010-12-17T15:04:00.001-08:00

Adelaide and I made a little video today for Great Grandma Adelaide, who turns 91 tomorrow. She is great in so many ways, and I hope she has a lovely birthday.

Bedtime Social Planner, Optimist

2010-12-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

From her bed, A calls out: Mom?

C: Yes?

A: Can you arrange a playdate for the day after tomorrow?

C: For Saturday?

A: Yes.

C: Sure hon. Who do you want to play with?

A: With Atticus.

C: Okay, I'll talk to his mom.

A: And Mom?

C: Yes?

A: Can you arrange a playdate with Rebecca for Sunday?

C: Maybe.

A: Does maybe mean yes, or no?

C: I have to see what we have scheduled, honey, I don't know yet.

A: I'm taking that maybe for a yes.

Jesus and the Fishes

2010-12-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

Managed to turn a bedtime question about Jesus (too many uncensored Christmas carols lately, I guess!) into a quick review of evolution, which we have covered several times before.

Went something like this:

A: Mom, is Jesus the son of God?

C: That's what some people believe. But that is made up.

A: Sometimes I ask God questions.

C: It's okay to ask questions.

A: Like I ask, "why aren't turkeys purple?"

C: Well, if people asked questions and did science, they'd get a lot more answers than asking God questions. Because God doesn't ever answer anyone's questions, but science does.

A: Can science answer my question?

C: Sure, it already has. We know turkeys are the color they are because of evolution.

A: What is evolution?

C: Remember when we talked about how life on Earth started in the water, and was really simple, and then creatures got more complicated, and eventually they became land creatures?

A: Oh, yeah.

C: And before there were humans, there were apes that got more complicated and eventually became humans?

A: Yes.

Salt Dough Ornaments

2010-12-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

The first Christmas I remember being old enough to be excited to give presents rather than just receive them, my mom helped me make salt dough ornaments to give to my grandparents and aunts and uncles. I think I was six, and watching the gifts I had made be unwrapped and hung on the tree was very exciting to me.

Today Adelaide and I made salt dough ornaments for her to give to her teachers at school. She worked hard on this project, excitedly counting and re-counting all of the teachers for whom she wanted to make gifts. She is finding it hard to wait until Friday when she will deliver them to her teachers.
The recipe is simple: 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup water, and 1 cup flour. (I made about a recipe and a half's worth, and we had about 20 two-inch ornaments at the end.) You mix the ingredients and then knead the dough until it's easy to work with.
We rolled it out to about 1/4" thickness. Thicker would be fine, but would need to bake longer.
We had to flour the table a bit since the dough is very soft and stretched easily when lifting it.
I baked them for about an hour at 200 degrees. Some recipes I looked called for 4 hours in the oven, some for 2, but they were starting to brown so I pulled them out after one. I probably had the oven a bit too hot (not having any numbers on the temperature dial can cause some issues!).
We used markers to decorate them, which made it very simple. Later on I might dig out some clear spray to make them a little shinier and help them last, but they look pretty good as is.
This was a fun and easy project, and I think they will make a nice gift for her to give.

Order from Chaos

2010-12-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday and this afternoon I tackled the project of pulling the Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers from their hiding places, taking inventory and getting things wrapped and hidden again. I also took this opportunity to consolidate what was an alarming 6 bags, bins and boxes of gift bags, ribbons, wrapping paper and gift boxes in 3 different locations in the basement. Now it's down to one bin and 2 bags of recycling. My gift to myself.

Trimming the Tree

2010-12-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight we put on Bing Crosby and trimmed the tree. Iris was a pretty cute stocking stuffer,

and present under the tree,
but her attack on the tree itself has me worried for tonight, when she will probably decide the ornaments all need to be captured, eviscerated, beheaded, and brought to the master. We did take the most problematic ornaments from last year and put them on the mantel rather than the tree, but I doubt it will be enough to stop her.
Despite Iris's potential to wreak havoc on the finished product, we had fun deciding where to put our favorites. Adelaide chose the tree topper from the collection of stars. She is almost tall enough to put the star on top on her own!
I was glad I still needed to lift her up to put it on (and glad I still can).
Now we are fully in the Christmas spirit around here.

Crustless Mini-Quiches

2010-12-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

Given that we are often a bit rushed in the morning, we are limited in our breakfast choices. Today's kitchen experiment is intended to provide us with some yummy and quick hot breakfasts this week.

I kept it simple and just used things I already had on hand in the frig.
The egg mixture had milk, sweet picante peppers, some red pepper/artichoke tapenade from PCC deli, milk, fresh basil, TJ's grilling seasoning blend and salt and pepper.

I put cheese (cheddar and mozzarella) in a layer in the bottom of the muffin tins to form a base.
Filled them most of the way with the egg mixture (I used 8 eggs for 12 quiches).
They puffed up quite a bit in the oven (about 15 minutes, 425 degrees).

And they tasted great! Had a little sneak preview tonight and we'll try them out as breakfast in the morning.

Tree Farm

2010-12-12T13:39:00.001-08:00

Before the really heavy rain hit yesterday, we headed out to chop down a Christmas tree. Chop being a little heavy-handed, as it seemed like that saw slid right through the trunk like butter. A little easier going getting a small tree from a farm in Redmond than my childhood adventure tromping through waist-deep snow and felling what was the smallest tree on the land but the biggest one we'd ever tried to fit in our house.

The kids had fun (or at least I did) with the obligatory stick-your-face-in-the-hole photo shoot:

Breaking character:
The "chopping:"

Some hands-on help:
Carrying our treasure back to the car:

Happy with our selection:
Time to bake some cookies and dust off the Bing Crosby cd so we can decorate the tree!

Rain

2010-12-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Mini-can (12 gallon) garbage can, approx. 18" by 18" by 24."
Eight days of rainfall.

Taking the Casserole to a new level?

2010-12-10T13:07:00.001-08:00

Feasting

2010-11-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun, and I was too busy enjoying myself to remember to snap a lot of photos. Here are a few highlights:
While we cooked, the kids had fun doing some craft projects.
Craig's pumpkin pie was a big hit.
The overnight rain washed away all but a few remnants of the snow, giving us an opportunity to get out and enjoy a walk to the park.
Despite stuffing ourselves on Thursday, we managed to have an appetite again Friday so Adelaide and I made homemade pizza.
Inspired by the fancy Thanksgiving meal, Adelaide spent a long time creating a fancy table, complete with personalized placemats, fancy straws, and many animal friends.

A New (Snow) Day

2010-11-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

Well, it is Seattle after all, so this little snowfall and freezing temperature combo closed school again today. Adelaide and I headed out on the sled (well, one of us was pulling it) to beef up her winter gear (last year's snow pants are now "snow shorts" as Adelaide dubbed them). We had a nice walk/slide to the department store, and on our return, I decided to get a jump on tomorrow's food prep by baking an apple pie.

Snow Day, Part Two

2010-11-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

Sledding!

Snow Day, Part One

2010-11-23T08:01:00.001-08:00

Given yesterday's snow and today's frigid temperatures, school is closed today. So far we are staying indoors and just talking about all the outdoor activities we want to do if the temperature goes above the current 20 degrees.

Breakfast was round egg sandwiches:
The snow bunny is excited!

First Snow of the Winter

2010-11-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

Lots of excitement before school today as we got ready to get out in the snow. Adelaide and I bundled up and she cleaned off the car for us. It's a fun day to be at school!

Forays into nutritional yeast

2010-11-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

Inspired by some of the excellent vegan blogs out there, I decided that I wanted to try making some food that included nutritional yeast. It seemed like a lot of the vegan recipes that needed a tangy cheese kind of flavor used it in combination with a salty item like miso or soy sauce.

I started with a sauce made with finely diced onion sauteed in olive oil, 4 cloves of pressed garlic, a shake of red pepper flakes and a shake of smoked paprika, a spoonful of red miso paste, some salt, soy milk and fresh basil. For tonight's meal, I reconstituted some dried sun-dried tomatoes (a recent PCC score) and added them to the sauce.
Served it with some whole-wheat gnocci (a recent Trader Joe's score). It was very tasty.
The remaining sauce I mixed with some kidney beans and will probably eat with greens and rice, or perhaps with squash as I tried a new variety this week.
The new squash is a "turban squash." I got a small one to try it out, but most of them at the store are enormous. The shell stayed somewhat hard after baking so it would be a good one to use as a serving bowl for squash soup. On first taste, it was not as sweet as the delicata and also it was a bit wetter which is not my favorite, but mixed in with the delicata and some other flavors I imagine I will enjoy it.
All in all, a successful cooking experiment day. And Adelaide was happy, because she got a couple of hours to play spelling and math games on the iPad.

November says "Pot Pie"

2010-11-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

Chilly gray weather this weekend inspired some comfort food in the form of pot pie. First I cooked an onion, carrots and a diced sweet potato in some olive oil and butter until it the potato was mostly tender. Then I made a little space and melted a bit more butter, added about 1/4 cup of flour for a quick roux, and coated the veggies. Seasoned with nutritional yeast, fresh basil and fresh parsley, then added veggie broth and allowed it to bubble up and thicken a bit.
Meanwhile I rolled out an imperfect but eventually still delicious crust, and browned some Quorn cutlets to add to the veg and gravy.
Mixed in some peas and a little bit of Irish cheddar.
Added some top crust, and baked about 20 minutes at about 375.
The result: yum! Not as popular with Adelaide, but I think she heard "pie" and then was a bit disappointed that it was a meal, not a dessert. She did eat a bit, and if it hadn't had onions she might have eaten it more readily.

Tacos

2010-11-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight's super fast late meal (second night in a row with no time to cook): tofu tacos with avocado and cheese. Used sprouted corn tortillas and had a yummy dinner ready in about 4 minutes.

I wonder if they hired her just for this one task

2010-11-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

I received this email today at work.

Dear Staff:

Just a reminder that I will be changing the Clocks at the District
Schools tonight, Nov. 5th. If there are any activities scheduled for
Saturday in the schools, please note that the clocks have already been
changed in preparation for Standard time. And, don't forget to set
your own clocks back before you go to bed on Saturday night.
Thank you,
J_____ Klock
S_____ Schools
Maintenance

"Real" Food

2010-11-05T17:00:00.001-07:00

Late afternoon conversation.

A: Mom, I'm hungry.

C: Okay, I'll start making your dinner.

A: Can I have something right now?

C: Okay, how about some apple?

A: No, I want something real.

C: An apple is real!

A: No, I mean like a hot dog.

Interest rates inversely proportional to this woman's blood rushing to her head?

2010-11-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

Also, if you owe more than $729,000 on your mortgage, wow, good luck to you.

Tea Party for Hope

2010-11-04T08:59:00.001-07:00

The only way to cope with a post-election depression and a sick child who has missed school all week: an old-fashioned tea party.

Tinkerbell's Trick-Or-Treat

2010-10-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

It was a good Halloween despite Adelaide having a cold. We took it easy yesterday and today and saved our strength for the big night.

Waiting for trick-or-treaters to arrive:
Excited!
Time for a quick picture with her pumpkin before heading out.
Some spooky sights along the way:We saw many kids out tonight, and most of our neighbors had their lights on and welcomed the kids. It felt much more cohesive in the neighborhood this year than in some previous years, and it was a great night for a spooky walk. Happy Halloween!

Halloween Prep

2010-10-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a Halloween costume which involves unbending a wire hanger. Except maybe using two wire hangers and some duct tape. Oh, and fabric paint and a Sharpie. And lots of stuffed animal stuffing foam.

Marge, I need some time alone with the sandwich

2010-10-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

Dinner tonight was open-faced sandwiches: field roast and Irish cheddar on Essential Rosemary bread, with squash and kale for me, and carrots on the side for A. That is, until she saw me adding the veg to mine, and she followed suit. Delicious.

Party On, Excellent

2010-10-15T12:07:00.001-07:00

It's been a most excellent week for the first graders in room 10/13. On Monday it was a SeaHawks Birthday Surprise celebration for a teacher who reached the 50 yard-line, complete with Seahawks hats and football drills in the gym.

Wednesday was "Room 10/13 Day," celebrating blending. Adelaide's class of general ed first graders spend a portion of their day together with special education peers who have a self-contained classroom which adjoins their class. Parents were invited to come and check out the activities the classes do together, including calendar, a group craft project, and blended music and PE. This special day also included headgear.Today, Friday, was a Mad-Hatter tea party for another milestone teacher birthday (names and numbers omitted to protect the innocent). The teachers executed a quick change mid-morning from normal clothes to become Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, and other assorted Mad-Hatters, while the students donned their own Mad-Hatter hats. "Tea" was served in real china cups which went home with the students for party favors, and scones and fruit were enjoyed by all.

In a time where the number of required assessments, the level of academic standards, and student achievement are all increasing rapidly, it is wonderful to have a school where the arts, social connections, and having FUN are so valued. I believe that our students achieve here not only because of the dedication of teachers to expect academic success from everyone and make accommodations for that success, but also because we celebrate and value the kids beyond their reading, writing, and math triumphs. There are many ways kids can succeed and feel good about themselves, and if they have fun at school, they just might find themselves learning along the way.

Hard Pressed to Think of a Single Good Reason Why This Would Be Necessary

2010-10-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Came across this during my lunchtime walk today.

Happy Long-Life Meal

2010-10-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Signing out of Yahoo earlier today I glanced at the headlines, as usual, and was drawn to this one:

McDonald’s Happy Meal resists decomposition for six months

It was fitting given yesterdays post about crap staying crap over time, so I clicked the link and viewed the photos of the Happy Meal, taken daily by the artist Sally Davies to determine if any change would occur in appearance over time. I think it would be curious to determine if there were any change in taste or nutrition content as well, but I supposed they'd be hard-pressed to find anyone willing to take a bite of something that looks the same after sitting around for 6 months.

Here's Day One:

And Day One Hundred Eighty:

I'd like to do a similar series of photographs of real food, to show the contrast. I think I would only have to do 6 weeks or less to have a completely transformed plate, whereas the only difference I could detect in these photos were that the french fries seem to have lost a little moisture, and the back of the bun got a sizeable crack in it.

Crappy Meal

2010-10-11T18:35:00.001-07:00

Saw this walking home today:I was reminded of a bumper sticker I saw on campus when I was in grad school, which had the Gap logo on it. I was always confused as to why there would be Gap stickers all over the columns of Kane hall (I saw it frequently as I sat outside for lunch between classes) until one day I looked more closely and saw that it was a very clever adaptation of their logo. The G had been replaced by a "Cr." In a quick search online just now I didn't find the image for you, but I did find that the new image generated a website whose sole purpose was to create your own crappy Gap logo. I guess no matter the attempt at re-branding, some things are always just crap.

Sunday

2010-10-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

Be Careful What You Wish For

2010-09-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

This afternoon was beautiful and sunny, after a cold gray morning. I decided to run to my yoga class since I wouldn't have time to walk, but didn't want to get back in the car. I ran along the outside path at Greenlake, where there is a little less traffic and a slightly softer running surface. About 1/4 mile into my run, a group of high school boys, presumably track or cross-country team members, came along the path in the opposite direction. The first clump of them were running 3 abreast, and basically didn't budge when our paths crossed, forcing me off the path and onto the grass.

Annoyed, I allowed a few nasty thoughts and unkind words to enter my mind. When the next group approached, I was determined to hold my ground and make clear with eye contact that they needed to share the space. This clump was more like 20 boys, 2 and 3 across, running as a pack. The first few rows moved to the right and we passed without a hitch, but the problem with my plan was that the kids in the middle of the pack were in herd mentality, and were just running along without really looking or thinking. I slowed down and made sure to avoid any collisions, but a couple of them were a little bit startled to see me there.

One of the boys said "oh, sorry ma'am," which I suppose was the polite thing to do. Why then did that feel so much more problematic than the first kid who felt he didn't need to move at all? I guess getting "ma'am'd" was karma for me labeling the first one asshole in my head. Lesson learned.

Get Your Creepy Halloween Spider Movie Here

2010-09-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

The spiders are everywhere this fall and they are huge. Massive webs everywhere we walk, and lots in the yard. Yesterday this guy had a bee wrapped up for later, and was going to town on what might have once been a fly but now was just a pretty nasty-looking snack.

Harvest Day

2010-09-26T16:12:00.001-07:00

Didn't grow much of anything this season, but did manage to get potatoes in the ground. Today we harvested the remaining crop.
Adelaide discovered some creatures living in among the plants.
Not a huge crop, but enough for a lot of yummy meals and some to share. Adelaide selected 4 of the biggest spuds to give to her teacher for a birthday present.
Tonight we'll roast up these. Dinner from the backyard!

Car Conversation

2010-09-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Coming home from school today . . .

A: Mom, is that wet cement?

C: Yes.

A: Mom, can I . . .

C: No.

On the Road Again

2010-09-23T08:11:00.001-07:00

Dear Other Drivers,

Remember Driver's Ed? Remember those rules that you had to take a test on before they let you behind the wheel of a car? Like using a turn signal, checking your blind spot and stopping when the traffic signal turns red? No? Oh, right, silly question, I see evidence every day that you don't remember. But guess what? Those rules actually still apply! Yes, even after you pass the multiple choice test, and forget how many feet from a driveway you can park, there are some basic things that make life on the road more pleasant for everyone.

For example, Mr. Mercedes from yesterday morning on 80th at 7:20 a.m., a double yellow line is a no passing zone. This means that even if the driver in front of you (that would be me) is not riding the bumper of the car in front of her (perhaps due to the fact that there are many, many cars in a long line slowly making their way up the hill, so there really is no point in tailgating), you should not accelerate to 50 miles an hour, zoom into the oncoming traffic's lane, and zoom back in front of her, slamming on the brakes to avoid rear-ending the next car. While I did appreciate that you would be tailgating the person in front of me rather than tailgating me, I felt it was a little bit dangerous to go to such a tremendously dangerous effort to do so.

And how about you, Ms. Volvo station wagon on the same street, coming off the off-ramp from I-5 and heading east on 80th over the freeway at 7:45 this morning? Was it really necessary to occupy both lanes, straddling the dividing line and using no turn signals to let anyone else know your plans? And were they good plans? I think not. Since the other cars ahead of you were waiting for the red light, there really was no need to zoom around the cars in the turn-lane in order that you be next to wait at the light. Because actually, you were next even if you were behind the turning cars. No one was moving, but you managed to find a way to continue driving.

So, drivers, since I am sure you won't be heeding the advice in this informative letter, I suggest that you head over to the Department of Licensing and pick up a handy brochure. Maybe take a practice test and see how you score. And this time, try to remember what it is that you learned.

Sincerely,

Christine

Squash Nachos

2010-09-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

Delicata squash with mustard greens, brown rice, fire-roasted tomato puree, garlic, cumin, zucchini, mushroom and cheddar nachos.

Love Letter

2010-09-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Delicata Squash,

I love you. You are the most delicious food on earth. Please forgive me, for perhaps over the summer I forgot that you are my one and only, my undying love. I may have been so foolish as to say that the blueberry was my favorite, or the peach, but I was a fool. There is no fruit that can compare to you in your sweetness, your creaminess, your explosion of delights in my mouth. I will be faithful to you from here on out, and profess my love only to you, dear squash.

Faithfully yours,

Christine

Only thing missing is Blogger.com

2010-09-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

T-shirt design from a friend's friend's friend on Facebook.

She's Never Been Beaten, You Know

2010-09-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

Adelaide returned home today and discovered the Scrabble game that I had left on the table. She decided she was interested, so we played a round. She didn't want me to help her (though I managed to a little bit) and she really took to it. We're ready for the rainy weather!

Star of the Week

2010-09-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

Adelaide was "Star of the Week" in her classroom at school this week. The event has lots of ceremony, including the creation of a poster, daily presentation of pictures and favorite items, and the bringing home of the much-coveted "Star of the Week" suitcase. I have enjoyed watching my students get their turn to sit on the yellow bench and hold court in front of the class for many years now, so it was especially fun to see Adelaide try it on for size.

Today she got her "shooting star," which the kids in class fill with comments and compliments about the special student. Then at the end of the day she got to select the free choice activities for the class before it was time for the ceremonial passing of the suitcase. Her reign is officially over, but it was a good run.

The Fair

2010-09-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

We had a chance to head to the fair over Labor Day weekend with our friends. We stayed away from most of the fair food (unlike Wisconsin, there was not a great deal of deep-fried foods on a stick), which sounds like it was a good choice based on 2 other families' reports of post-fair illness, but nonetheless a good time was had by all.Getting there was fun, too!
Lots of baby animals were in the petting area. The girls chased them around and made friends.
Scheming how to catch the geese? Not sure.
The ferris wheel was a big hit. Cotton candy was an even bigger hit, but I couldn't bear to photograph the kids eating blue insulation, so it will have to remain undocumented.

I think my favorite part was the pig races. Or maybe just the generally happy kids enjoying a variety of experiences they don't normally get to have.

So Inviting

2010-09-15T19:58:00.001-07:00

Discovered this gem on a walk during my lunch break today. And yes, it is the middle of nowhere. Welcome!

People Ask Why She Is So Tall

2010-09-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

Today's dinner was in two courses - the first being a slab of tofu, cherry tomatoes and a glass of soy milk to calm the hungry beast as the second course was being prepared.

The main course before:
and after:
Requests for more food after this were denied (though carrots and tomatoes were offered and refused).

First Grader!

2010-09-01T10:49:00.001-07:00

Today is the first day of first grade. Adelaide was a bit nervous, but mostly excited to check out her new teacher and classmates. As a first grader, she lines up outside instead of in the hallway.

The kids then walk down to their classrooms and line up to wait for the teacher to welcome them into the room.
Adelaide found her spot and began getting organized while I helped her classmates and other parents with the school supplies.
The kids had a few minutes to work on a paper at their seats before heading down to the welcome to school assembly. Adelaide has a nice group in her class this year.
She is already in the groove. She raised her hand to tell Mrs. Ibach that she knows the students in her blended partner classroom because they are my students.
So much has changed in a year! This was the first day of school last year.
I'm proud to say, no tears for mom this year. I was too busy helping all the new kids and greeting the old ones. It's shaping up to be a great first day!

Afternoon Improv

2010-08-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today's piano lesson had the usual work out of the beginner book, but included a little time for improv at the end.

Dinner Conversation

2010-08-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

A: Mom, wanna know why I laughed?

C: Sure.

A: Well, I was thinking about the neighbor's cat. And then I was thinking about the dance, the tanga.

C: Tango?

A: Yes, tango, and then I was thinking of the neighbor's cat dancing the tango, and that was why I was laughing.

C: That's pretty funny.

A: My mind just thinks like that. (Proceeds to get up and dance the tango with a broccoli stem rose between her teeth.)