Russian Tea Fix & Mayflower Sinks In

It’s a snowy day, which is very beautiful when you are inside. Inside and feeling well. It’s still okay when you are sick. But you KNOW, when you’re sick you cannot quite give everything that same bit of enthusiasm.

It was Elizabeth who exclaimed this morning when she looked out the window: “Wow. Isn’t it wonderful? Everything looks beautiful when it snows.”

Maybe I should pack a snowball and eat it and see if that helps my sore throat. My cold - which I thought was getting better - has returned. It’s even keeping hubby from traveling to Oakland today to cover the Chiefs game. (He’ll probably recuperate better here at home, anyway.)

My only task for today - besides keeping the girls from fighting — is to make up some Russian Tea. Click here for images from flickr of Russia.

(Shoot, forgot, today is also Amish Bread Baking Day. Grrrrrrr. That will be an afternoon project.) Here is the link for tea.

The girls are starting to fight, so it is time to put on “Pocahontas II” in the VCR again. (We still watch a few videocassettes at our house! How unhip are we?) But Elizabeth saw the British flag on the pilgrims ship and it all hit home for her after her week’s school adventures.

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“I just figured it out!” she exclaimed yesterday. “There are the settlers and on the other hand there are the Native Americans. They came together for the feast. They were on the Mayflower….” And she continued to explain the travel conditions and specifications and capabilities of the Mayflower. She seemed to really grasp the idea that there really was a big feast with pilgrims and Native Americans, included a Disney princess in the mix named Pocahontas. Though Surfing the Net with Kids reports that Pocahontas was NOT at the first Thanksgiving. But I’m fine with the girls watching Pocahontas if it gives them a little sense of what life was like for the early colonists and their neighbors.

November 30th, 2008 | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »

Oh, so Regal

We are feeling oh, so regal with our designer purses from Kathy Van Zeeland. These are just the first, but not the last of her designs we will be purchasing, I’m sure.

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Elizabeth received the black “princess” purse for a birthday gift last year, but it’s the three-year-old who’s been carrying this purse around. It’s got this great crown on it and these great regal baubbles on the silver chain. I’m mean, I’ve even thought about carrying it around town. 

While shopping at Zappos.com for black leather “biker” books for Elizabeth (not the really trendy “Norwegian fur-accented ones that are all the rage this season), I found this brown Kathy Van Zeeland purse on sale. I’ve been sort of carrying it just a big higher and more prominently than I normal would for any previous purses. I really like this purse, and it fit my budget. I refuse to pay more than $100 for ANY purse. 

It’s the smallest purse I’ve had in a long while, but I’m doing okay with that concept of less is more. It’s cut down on the time to find my keys, a huge plus in this chilly weather. There is a great silver, glitzy key chain that I could attach to the side and have it hold my keys – when I find where my daughters have placed it.

other_boleyn_girlThe girls new obsession came about when I was watching “The Other Boleyn Girl” movie (skip the movie, read the book) and I let the girls see a few of the calmer scenes. (I think we know this movie does NOT end well.) Elizabeth was fascinated with the idea that she was named after a queen. I tell her that right now there is a Queen Elizabeth in England. This excites her, so much so, she draws a picture with a note: “We have the same name.” It’s very cute. I think I must send this on to her Majesty. I just wish it wasn’t on notebook paper.

Maybe I’ll just keep this first note in my regal purse and get some 100 percent cotton paper for Elizabeth (the untitled) to correspond with the queen. I wonder if Queen Elizabeth would write back? Hmmm. I think we have our next writing project….

November 19th, 2008 | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »

Flourless! & Half-Hour Art Project

Despite the fact I’m attempting to have a Zenlike day, it’s not working. I’m starting to feel more confident with my yoga, courtesy of Wii fit. Part of my personal time most evenings. (Not every evening, but I’m working on it.) I had my T Salon “Sunrise in Tibet” black tea this morning. (Their Web site is beautiful. Check it out here. If you’re near New York City, check out the salon in Chelsea.)

But my crisis at the moment is the fact that there is no flour in my kitchen. No flour in either our garage or downstairs freezers (I freeze it first to kill any of the bugs that might be in it. It’s an old baker’s secret!), no flour anywhere in the house. While this is fine for the start of Pesach, I need to bake. You cannot bake without flour! I mean I COULD make a flourless chocolate torte, but chances are I’d end up eating it all and that’s not necessarily going to help me with yoga or cutting back on caffeine. (I’ve already had the caffeinated black tea today, remember.)

And I realized I was indeed OUT OF FLOUR as I started my Amish Friendship Bread. I dumped out this 10-day fermented bag of secret Amish ingredients. I couldn’t run to the store because:

A. Katie is dressed as if she’s going on a summer stroll in sleeveless fuschia shirt, pink skirt (at least it’s a winter wool skirt) and no leggings, nor shoes.

B. A handyman is finishing shelves for my unfinished part of my basement and ready to start another project, of which I have many. (As you read my husband’s blog posts, think of all those jobs around the house he is reglecting!)

C. Joe is, naturally, on deadline for his Sports Illustrated Web column. The doors to his office are closed. To enter would be risking something.

D. I call a neighbor to get a cup and a half of flour, but there is no answer.

So, I put the drippy, yellow, yeast-smelling batter BACK into the bag. It drips on the floor, I have a non-metal bowl to wash out, and I’m no closer to making bread. But I do have nice shelves! Though it’s baking day (you need to bake the bread every 10 days to keep cycle going for this Amish twist on chain letters or really, driving yourself and your neighbors batty) I will have to let the bread baking wait. It’s hard to raise bread, barns, or anything really, when you’ve got no flour.

So for this week’s half-hour art project, thankfully Katie didn’t want homemade Play-Doh (which takes flour!) She found long-lost finger paint bottles. So here are the results of her artist endeavors. I think I may make butterflies out of her artwork for future cards, on a Zen-like day.

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Link for homemade Play-Doh.

Here is the flourless cake I’d make if I were in a more Zen mood.

Amish Friendship Bread recipes

November 12th, 2008 | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Can you be cute and big?

So while driving to one of our many activities this weekend, Katie announces:

“I am NOT cute because I’m big now.”

I would like to veto the new house rule if she wasn’t so clearly SURE that she is TOO BIG now to be considered ANYTHING but a BIG GIRL. It is amazing the things she likes: High School Musical and Bratz and Barbies. All things that have been influenced by her 7-year-old sister. She is already growing up way too fast. But with her new found ability to label herself, I must submit to her ability to think she’s big enough to be anything she wants to be. 

She did look big standing up with her sister’s junior choir this weekend in front of an entire crowd. She smiled and didn’t fidget and seemed to know exactly what to do, even singing the correct words, if not a millisecond late. Both girls looked sweet, but seeing a three-year-old completely at ease with children twice as tall and triple her age was impressive. I was so very proud of her. She was big, and she was damn cute, too.

November 10th, 2008 | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

Images from Halloween 08

Did I mention I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new iMac computer. My sister asked me what kind of Mac it was and the question threw me. “Um, it’s not the laptop type. It’s a MAC, what more do you need to know? It’s not a P.C.,” I told her on the phone.

Which had another friend and me thinking, how did PCs get to be the only computers that were “personal computers.” Why were Macs excluded from being “personal computers?” I think I may know, now. Macs aren’t good as “general labels” because they are more than “personal acquaintances” like those PCs. Macs are intuitive and know what you want and need without really asking. I think my MAC can read my mind. 

I was scanning the Internet looking for a driver for my little Canon Powershot camera to download pics from Halloween. A bit more googling showed me that my MAC did not need drivers, I could hook the USB cord right into the back of the MAC and let iPhoto do the rest. Hi-tech indeed!

So here are images from Halloween. I couldn’t say I maintained a true mom’s blog without picturing the duo in action.

Here is our “crafting/eating project, that Willy Wonka would appreciate.

 

Note the black icing on Kate’s face. It really is a wonder that ANY candy got on the house in the first place. We “built” this homestead after Halloween so we could use more of our Friday night booty on it. I think I may need to buy a village of gingerbread house kits next year so we can just use up all the candy as building materials rather than raw food resources.

Here, of course, is the trick-or-treaters in action, heading out for their big night. (Joe and I think we are too big to dress up for Halloween. I would have worn my red Chinese dress that Joe brought back for me as well, but even at size “XL” it is WAY too small for me.)

And here is the aftermath. What a holiday!

November 5th, 2008 | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

Is it really, finally voting day?

Just got back from volunteering at my daughter’s school with their Kids Voting USA project. The elementary school’s computer lab is set up with each computer connected to an online survey. Third-graders through Kindergarten could select their presidential candidate and state governor. Older students could fill out more of the online ballot, similar to the official election ballot.

While I had a few issues with the design of the ballot. When selecting a candidate, the “select” button was smaller but the same color as the other options, making it confusing. There were small pictures of the presidential and governor candidates next to their names. While the pictures were flattering, they needed to be cropped better. A few candidates had flags in the background, one had a black background, another a white background. Some were looking far off, others straight on.  I think the pictures were not to sway kid voters, only to help with name recognition. I’m just a stickler for uniformity, especially on ballots.

Most students had no problem choosing a president. The state governor was more of a crap shoot. One child looked like he was playing the lottery as he quickly went through and selected a choice under every decision, even the wordy city propositions.

Another student seemed to be stumped on governor, pointing to each of the four candidate’s names as if she were saying “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe.” One voter was very honest and told me she didn’t watch the news so she didn’t know who to vote for. Another child was puzzled that her family was registered for one party, but had explained they were voting for the other party. “How can you do that?” the voter mused.

Many were shocked to see not just two, but FIVE candidates running for president. But overall, the kids were very eager and conscientitious when filling out their ballots. They seemed to know what was going on.

Here’s our candidates for best children’s election books. (Feel free to write-in picks we’ve missed.)

Duck for President by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. Classic!

 

 

We also like LaRue for Mayor: Letters from the Campaign Trail by Teague, Mark

Ike is a dog who finds that he must take politics into his own hands, er, paws.

While it’s not necessarily for children who don’t already have a good grasp of American Government, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction is a must-have home library book. (In true fun, they made it to look like a school textbook.)

Here’s what I do want to show my daughter tonight, an excellent historical perspective of the campaign. The interviews are good, the photos are awesome. It makes me proud to be a voting American today. Is that too redundant to say voting American? New York Times media has this great overview of the campaign.

Here’s one of many maps tracking elections tonight. Elizabeth may be tired at school tomorrow, but we’ll let her stay up and watch some of the early returns. It’s not every day she gets to see history in the making.

November 4th, 2008 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »