Disco Mom Takes on the World

Triplets Chant

2012-01-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

This month is flying. We are still recovering from Christmas, as we roll uncontrollably into birthday season.

In the meantime. The girls sometimes sit on the stairs and sing a "sisters" song together, looking into the mirror there. The song is different every time; I've recorded a few. More recently, they made up a sisters' chant, and I filmed it on Sunday. It's a 16-second representation of the unity I hope they always maintain. Of course we use the term "triplets" loosely; we gloss over the fact that they were all born a few years apart.

Transcript:
I am Triplet One! I have lots of fun!
I am Triplet Two! I know what to do!
I am Triplet Three! I will say, "YIPEE!"

Santa Done Good

2011-12-31T00:30:00.000-05:00

Well. Guess what Santa brought Disco Mom this year?

Mhm.

Despite hinting, I was still extremely surprised to get a new DSLR camera. Ed did all his own research and got the Nikon D5100. And I do NOT know how to use it. I watched the DVD it came with and followed along for awhile, then just got lost in menus, meters, and options. So for now I'm just playing around, getting to know it. I think it will be a long, steep learning curve. But it is so amazing. Already SO much better than my old one. Here are just a few shots I took this week.

Playing Wii

Poppy ran up close at the last second. And it still focused!

Wide angle of Ed down the stairs. My old one never would have gotten this much in!

Our tree, plus proof Ed changes diapers sometimes.

This one and the next blow me away the most. INDOOR photo taken AT NIGHT in our living room with bad lighting. The photo looks even better than the real thing!

Again, living room at night. Hazel's guitar lesson.

Toaster in a dark kitchen. The old one never could have handled it.

At the mall play area.

Poppy and her friend Jayda. Good candids are surprisingly hard to capture!

The girls playing with the new dollhouse. Which, by the way, they totally love. It's been a huge hit, and not at all trumped by the Wii.

I am loving the wide angle and great auto settings for now. Next up, food for the VGP. Can you believe it actually has a FOOD photography setting? Amazing. Now if the photos suck, I have no one, and nothing, to blame but myself.

Hung with Care, pt 4

2011-12-30T00:30:00.000-05:00

Here's our final installment of the Younce Christmas stockings. I mentioned earlier that my parent's socks were hand-knit by my Mom's grandmother. And that they are large and very stretchy and hard to fill!

Carol

Geary

Here is my oldest brother Jeffy's stocking. He passed away before I was born so I'd actually never seen his stocking until my Mom brought it over with theirs for me to photograph. It's so sweet, isn't it? I love how the bell goes along the heel.

And on Christmas Eve I got pictures of my brother Dave's family's stockings.

Dave's childhood stocking had Rudolph on it. My Mom made him this grown-up one later, and it's covered with Celtic knots and celestial bodies. She also made Michelle's; Michelle is from Seattle so Mom gave it a Mount Ranier theme. She also loves soccer, hence the button that dots her "i".

I believe these three were store-bought, with the names added later. We were having so much fun I actually forgot to ask about them!

But this one I know about. Their fourth child, Freya, was born just this month, on December 1. I think we are all touched by this because she is (probably) the last cousin/grandchild in the Younce clan, and she shares a birthday with the first, Tona's son Thompson (see this post.)

Hazel holding Freya when she was about a week old.

My Mom created her stocking, a yellow and gold sock with appliqued nativity fabric. And the best part is, Mom happened to make a trip recently to see Maren's and Tona's families before Christmas. She took Freya's stocking with her and had each granddaughter (girl cousin) do a part, so they each contributed to it. My girls also helped when she got back. So that's a little special aspect of her stocking that represents how much we welcome her and love her.

So that's it! Another generation of stockings. Thanks, Grandma. Love you.

Angels We Have Heard on High

2011-12-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

Hazel's been taking guitar lessons for about two months. It's her first music instruction of any kind besides the this-and-that they teach in public school. She's learned notes on every string, several chords, basic music terms, and both standard and fret notation. A few weeks before Christmas, her teacher asked her favorite Christmas song, and wrote out the chords for her. We practiced sooo much! Here, at our Christmas Eve family party at my brother's house, is the result of her hard work, her first recital. Go ahead, sing along...(just follow my lead.)

What's for Christmas? (pt 2)

2011-12-24T00:30:00.000-05:00

Again, mostly for my own record-keeping. Here's what everyone's getting in their stockings.

All girls:

Clementine in the toe / candy cane on top
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Band-aids
Zhu Zhu hamsters (I got a 3-pack, yay, more batteries!)
Socks
Matryoshka ornament with each girl's initial painted on the bottom (I'm kinda crazy for matryoshkas)

Poppy:

Dora sippy cup
Small notebooks for writing/drawing
Coloring book
Lots and lots and lots of fruit snacks

Ginger:

Sparkly pipe cleaners
Jewel stickers
Gloves
Tic tacs (her favorite church snack)
Skittles (her favorite candy, newly discovered at Halloween)
Charlie & Lola vol. 11 DVD
Wig Out game

Hazel:

Pink guitar ornament (Hazel has been taking lessons for a few months)
Metallic ponytail holders (which I will be borrowing)

Thermos (for taking warm things for lunch; matches her water bottle)
Pretzel M&M's (new favorite candy)
"Principal-for-a-Day" gift certificate (a genius PTA fundraiser)
Charlie & Lola vol. 4 DVD
Paintbrush pens

Ed (always the hardest!):
Carmex
Tylenol
Single-serving mixed nut packages
Slimfast (he drinks it for breakfast almost every morning - bonus, takes up lots of real estate!)
Gum (big Costco box of Trident)
Travel-size shave gel
Camp soap sheets
The Man from Snowy River soundtrack (we saw the movie on TV a few weeks ago and snuggled and reminisced about how good that movie is, both then and now. And the music remains amazing.)

What's for Christmas? (pt 1)

2011-12-23T15:30:00.001-05:00

This is more for my own record-keeping than anything else, but sometimes it's fun to see what other people are getting their kids for Christmas. I hope this in no way comes off as bragging; that's not at all how it's intended. In fact, Ed and I made a conscious effort to downsize Christmas this year.

I've mentioned before the way our family approaches Santa. We've always told the kids he is not real, just a fun story. In this way we hope to separate his part in Christmas from the Savior's, who is in every way very real. But just because Santa is pretend doesn't mean he isn't fun, so we still do "Santa" gifts and read books about him. In fact, Ginger is finding her own way this year; she told me she decided he IS real. (Digression: the other night Ed and I watched a fabulous documentary called Becoming Santa - totally loved it - catch it if you can.)

So. This year we decided - and told the girls - "Santa" is bringing them each only three presents: 1) something to read, 2) something to wear, 3) something to play with. You've heard of people doing something like this. It appealed to me to keep the budget and present quantity in check, and, most importantly, equal. They will get gifts from each other and relatives, but here is what they're getting from us.

Poppy (20 months)

Read: Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard. We got this from the library a few years ago and it's one of my favorites for the 2 to 3 age range.

Wear: I don't have a picture. I got her a few cute things from the sale rack at Carter's. She's the one kid around here who doesn't really need new clothes.

Play: OK, the "one thing" in each category is a loose guideline. Poppy got two. The purse, she picked out herself at Claire's. Swung it over her shoulder and proclaimed, "MY backpack!" So I bought it. The doll may look like a "whatever" toy, but thought went into it - she wanted a baby doll she could take in the bath since all our others have cloth bodies. Plus it's more her size.

Ginger (4 1/2)

Read: Tag Reading System - Ginger saw a commercial for this and said she really wanted it. I hesitated because I'd rather just have regular books and not more battery-operated STUFF around here. But Ed said let's give it a try so we'll see.

Wear: a purple flower velour dress, pink dotted "twirly" skirt, and some purple cords

Play: this random multi voice changer thing. See, one night in early December I gave Ginger and Hazel a stack of well-chosen toy catalogs and told them to circle things they liked. Then we went over them together, and I created Amazon wishlists for them from the things they circled. Some made sense; others seemed random. But it was a great insight into things they were interested in that I never would have guessed. Of the things Ginger circled, this appealed to me by having no small parts, low injury risk, taking up little space, and hopefully requiring little adult supervision.

Hazel (6 1/2)

Read: Hazel loves non-fiction, and we don't have a lot of it. At a friend's house, we once saw Explore and Learn books, which are full of age-appropriate facts, descriptions and stories about almost everything a 1st grader could be interested in! Unfortunately, they are also hard to find. Southwestern publisher still sells their books by door-to-door salespeople, usually college students in the summer. LAME! I found a few used sellers on ebay and the like, but I had to think about the $80+ price tag for the full set of six. By sheer luck, however, a member on Paperback Swap was trading a full set, and I had enough credits, so voila! A basically free full set of gorgeous color, thick-paged, great-condition, non-fiction books that I expect our family will get a ton of use out of for years. Much better than waiting around for a door-to-door salesman to find us!

Wear: Out of the three, Hazel needs clothes the most. Lots of growing, and no hand-me-downs. Right now she especially needs long-sleeved shirts, so we got her three shirts and a twirly skirt. All my girls just love to twirl. And I'm hoping it may inspire her to come around to tights. (She hates they way they "itch" - very sensitive skin - anyone know of exceptionally soft tights out there?)

Play: a magic set - this fall, Hazel took an afterschool magic class. I have to admit, I think it was a waste of money. She came home with a few lame tricks and even more lame jokes. And a lot of dumb stories about her teacher's life. But I thought a little set of simple tricks would be just the thing for her budding interest in magic.

And...it's kind of tradition to get one big present the kids can all share. Last year it was an inflatable bouncer, which we still get out from time to time; it's a great boredom-buster. This year we got the girls a new dollhouse - I love this chalet model by Plan Toys because you can rearrange the two wings and staircases in several configurations for a different house each time. Also, with minimal walls, it's more accessible and less dark than more traditional houses.

However. Just last week the girls finally earned their Wii they have been working towards for 7 months (see this post.) And they are pretty into it. I'm afraid the dollhouse may be trumped. But it's OK. I can still play with it :)

Next post - stocking stuffers!

Hung with Care, pt 3

2011-12-21T00:30:00.000-05:00

Isn't this fun? Here are my sister Tona's family's stockings. I have to say, I feel especially blessed by this tradition and glad to be writing about it this year. Because between my last stocking post and this one, my dear Grandma Younce, who started it all by making our own felt stockings in the 1970's, passed away peacefully on December 19. Which makes it almost exactly 41 years since she made this:

See, Tona's birthday is December 21 (happy birthday!). Grandma went ahead and made a gender-neutral stocking, not knowing if the baby would be a boy or a girl. As soon as she was born, Grandma added the pink and the name at the top, and sent it along for Christmas. I love that it's a mobile, indicating just how young Tona was when she first received it.

It's a bit of a joke to us, that just as Tona is the smallest Younce, her stocking is also the smallest. You maybe can't tell in the picture, but it's really quite tiny. A single clementine takes up the whole toe!

The rest are descriptions in Tona's own words.

Don: This stocking was made by Carol Younce in 1989 for Don,who didn't have one of his own. His family didn’t have our same traditions, ofcourse! It featured Don (with the sequins carefully matched to his actual eyecolor), skiing downhill into an unsuspecting Santa Claus. The trees are coveredwith batting snow, and there are jingles on the points of the red top. Frontand back are medium-blue felt.

Thompson: Made in 1992 by Mom and myself, this stocking isdark blue front and back (actually darker than this picture suggests, almostnavy blue). It features a Hoffman celestial fabric, adorned with extra beadingand sequins. The name is gold cording, done by Mom.

Forrest: Made in 1994 of dark green felt front and back,this stocking features folk-art quilted pine trees (obviously a pun on hisname) made by my Mom. The top has a plaid fabric, with jingles on the points.The name and hanger are both silk ribbon. Jingle on the toe. Lots ofinteresting sequins, including several sequin kangaroos.

Jacob: Peace/ Lion and lamb themed stocking rendered in redfelt front and back. The lamb is made of shag fake fur and has sequined eyes.They are seated together under a palm tree with gold leaves. Name is written innarrow silk ribbon. Made in 1997 by Tona.

Halle: Made in 2000 by Tona, of dark green felt backing andwhite felt front. Sequined "ornaments" adorn a polar fleece andcorduroy collage of pine boughs. Jingle and tassel toe. Name in burgundycording.

Art Tuesday - Graham Cracker Houses

2011-12-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

Gingerbread and/or graham cracker houses are a must-do holiday tradition for us. We usually buy a gingerbread house kit somewhere and make it, but I think the little graham cracker ones are more fun.

Among other reasons, they're fun because it's a chance to buy fun, colorful candy you would never buy for any other reason. For once, it's about looks, not taste. Threw in a little fine motor work, having the kids cut Twizzlers to size as needed.

Ginger was dying with anticipation as we waited for our friends to arrive. We happened to have some frosting left over from our Wilton gingerbread house kit, so I didn't have to make any for this activity, but if you want to make these, be aware you can't use regular canned or homemade buttercream frosting. You need something with meringue powder/powdered egg whites to make it like glue. You can get meringue powder at Michael's in the cake section, or powdered whites in the baking aisle at the grocery store. When I make it from scratch, I use this recipe.

I made the houses the day before so they would be nice and dry and sturdy for decorating. A tip on making graham cracker triangles for the front & back of the roof - if you try to cut them out of the package, they will crack. Lay crackers in a single layer, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave for about 10 seconds. This gets the crackers just a little soft. Cut crackers diagonally with a serrated or very sharp knife to make triangles. Allow to cool and dry out before using for houses.

Since completing the project, the girls have been using their houses as additions to our Little People nativity set; the characters travel between the stable and the houses. Which reminds me of Mortimer's Christmas Manger - you gotta read it if you love nativity sets and/or gingerbread houses.

And strangely, some of the candy has been mysteriously disappearing from day to day. I wonder where it's gone...

Hung with Care, pt 2

2011-12-19T16:08:00.002-05:00

My sister Maren posted her family's stockings to Flickr for us - you can see them here. Don't forget to read the descriptions. My favorite is Torin's, both because of the Bethlehem design and because she was so frazzled she made it backwards (knowing snicker.)

Hung (and Made) with Care, pt 1

2011-12-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

Some Christmas traditions are so ingrained in families that you don't even think about them. It's not exactly that you assume other families do them, too. It's that you don't even think about whether they do or not.

In my family, hand-made stockings are such a tradition.

My parents' stockings are long and skinny knit ones - like actually knitted by my mother's grandmother. They're red, green and ivory, with their names knit around the top. Great-grandmother Marie made them for everyone in the family, including my Dad when he married in. And those stockings are maddeningly stretchy, making them tough to fill to the top year after year.

My Grandma Younce, my dad's mom, made the stockings for my brothers and sisters and me. And most or all of my cousins on the Younce side. They're all sweet beaded things, each different but along the same lines. My mom told me they were made from kits - she guesses Bucilla - which were very popular at the time.

We loved them and I was always so excited to see mine again each December. I also thought it was so cool that it looked like my name was spelled with an "X." Love you, Grandma.

Then when my oldest sister was 19, she got married. Suddenly we had a new family member. And he needed a stocking. So my mom, queen of clever applique, took the fact that he was a competitive skier, and whipped out a cool skiing stocking. And a multi-generational tradition was born.

As in-laws, and then children, started to join the clan, each got a stocking made for them. By my mid-twenties, though still single, I decided I wanted a "grown-up" stocking, so I asked my mom to make me one. I wanted black velvet and Chinese silk. And this is what I got:

So freaking cool, I love it. I added a little beading to the black and gold nativity fabric she worked in.

Then when I did marry, it was time for Ed to get a "Younce" stocking. We all know he lives for elk hunting, so I wanted a mountain scene, and my mom and I together came up with a red-headed shepherd boy sleeping in the mountains (Ed can fall asleep anywhere, anytime.) We even found an elk button to sew on, at the base of the mountains. My amazingly meticulous friend Kat sewed the name on, bless her, because I just didn't have the skills or patience.

A few years later, Hazel was born. I remember wanting something simple, elegant, and above-all, something I could make myself! Which meant not a lot of sewing. But beading, I could do. We were living in New York, and since Ed was always at work, I had nothing but time on my hands after Hazel went to bed. My sister Tona helped me with the icicle-like beading off the bottom.

When it was Ginger's turn, I was ready for a little more work (and some more help from my mom.) I wrestled with a few ideas, and, because of her name, settled on a plate of cookies and milk by the chimney. My mom made the entire chimney, fire and stockings. I made the milk and cookies. I'm not proud of the iron-on letters, but I've gotten used to them.

Truth be told, I've had an idea for a different stocking for Ginger nagging at me for several years. I even bought some of the stuff for it once. One of these days I'll actually make it, then she can pick one or alternate, whatever she wants.

Last year was Poppy's first Christmas. And I just wasn't up to the weighty creative task of designing or executing a stocking. So she just used my old childhood one. This year, I was more ready. I had a few ideas, and started to hone in on the idea of a bauble ornament. First, I sought inspiration.

2011 US Christmas stamps

Window decals at World Market

A DVD gift box that was tucked in my Christmas wrapping box - this was the final spark I needed!

Getting started was the hardest part, but once I did, I worked really hard for a couple of weeks, and voila!

I traced Ed's for the basic shape (all of ours are slightly different shapes and sizes and I like it that way.) The sock is of heathered green felt and the top is white minky. I shaped the name out of pink tinsel wire, then tacked it on every 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so.

By sheer luck I found these red-and-silver flat bauble ornaments at Michael's - that place is a treasure trove for projects like this! They were the perfect accent to fill in the negative space. I also love the loopy wired mesh ribbon at the top - I wouldn't have thought of that except for the stamps.

The DVD case gave me the idea for an offset center, and I invested in a rotary cutter and self-healing board for cutting it out. I wasn't sure what to put in the center until I found some spray-painted ferns at Michael's and thought they would do the trick.

Mirror sequins hanging off the bottom finished it off.

But I just couldn't stop there and had to bead my heart out on the back. One big pack of mixed sequins makes for serious colorful fun.

So there are our family's stockings. I've solicited a few other family members to photograph and/or write about their stockings...seriously, I'm proud of mine but you've got to see theirs. Individually and collectively, they are amazing works of art. It's one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

Art Tuesday: Paper Bag Turkeys

2011-12-12T14:01:00.001-05:00

Fall and winter, and especially the holidays, just lend themselves to arts & crafts, don't they? I have been working on making Poppy's stocking this year, and for this fiber-arts-challenged Mom, that is a feat. But Art Tuesday continues to be a balm and creative beacon in our otherwise busy, busy weeks.

In November, the week before Thanksgiving, we made these paper-bag turkeys. I will direct you here for the instructions, and just let the pictures and a few comments tell the rest.

We put the "white meat" popcorn in a Ziploc bag so the brown paper wouldn't get greasy, and stuffed some tissue paper in on the sides.

We discovered Poppy loves cashews.

The "stuffing" was made of chocolate chips, craisins, almonds and cashews.

The "dark meat" that went in the legs was caramel corn.

Ta-da!!!

Christmas Books & DVD's

2011-12-06T20:56:00.001-05:00

Well. Christmas is in full swing around here, and if you've been with me for more than one Christmas, you know I'm kinda obsessed with accruing the perfect Christmas book collection. I collect. I review. I purge. I collect. All over again. We're still in picture books this year, mostly, but some are longer than we could sit through in the past. I've put all our best favorites to date in an Amazon list, but it is ever-changing:

Our Favorite Children's Christmas Books

And since DVD's wouldn't fit on the same list (limit of 40 items), I started another list of those. We don't have that many Christmas DVD's, but the collection has been started with these good ones:

Our Favorite Children's DVDs

And kinda sorta speaking of movies, I have surprised myself this year by being very into cheesy made-for-TV Christmas movies. Not usually my thing. But I am longing for sentimentality. And I am definitely finding it. Mostly on Lifetime, some on Hallmark and other channels. Occasionally I even find some quality programming. But mostly it's sappy predictable stuff. And I am lapping it all up like a hungry kitten.

Unrelated pickie of the girls at a friend's Christmas party last weekend.

NYC part 4: Saturday

2011-11-26T21:18:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I'm still not done writing about my New York weekend. I know, you're over it. You read about the Chocolate Show. The rest is just touristy, it's true. But I'm still gonna write it.

Saturday we had every intention of heading downtown to Doughnut Plant for breakfast. Wouldn't you like to start your day with a creme brulee or coconut cream doughnut? This place has been on my list to try since before I lived in New York (that's 7 years ago), ever since I saw them on the Food Network making rose petal glazed doughnuts for Valentine's Day. I lived in Brooklyn for 3 years, and do you think I ever made it there? (It's harder than you'd think.)

So we started walking the block-and-a-half to the 7 train, but the the subway entrance was closed. Which meant we had to walk another block-and-a-half to Grand Central subway station to catch a 6 train. No biggie. But that also meant we had to cross Lexington Avenue, which when we did, we saw this.

"What's going on?" we wondered. We decided to walk north a bit and find out. And would you believe, it was an honest-to-goodness street fair. Two blocks from our hotel. And we almost missed it. But we didn't. Going to a street fair is something else that was always on my list, but never happened when I lived there. They go on from about May to November, a different location in the city each weekend. It's a lot of cheap stuff, but some great stuff too, that you can't really find anywhere else. So we walked and shopped and shopped and walked.

Then we remembered we were hungry. And there was a crepe stand. So Doughnut Plant will have to wait, because we couldn't.

Nice choice, Juli, getting strawberries and Nutella. But I got banana and Nutella, and that's awfullly hard to beat.

So what did we buy? Oh, who can remember it all? I got some hair thingies - a cute lady with gorgeous long hair showed me how to do my hair up in a fancy chopstick. She let me film her on my phone so I could practice at home, but I had to promise not to film her face or put her on YouTube, so I guess I won't put her on here...but it was cool! She did my hair for me nice and tight, so I know it can be done...but strangely I haven't been able to do it like her since I got back. I think the street fair was magic.

We also got gifts for the kids. It was the perfect place for gifts. Juli got her daughter a stinkin' cute tiger winter hat. I got my girls pretty cloth scarves - they love to borrow mine - and were they the HIT when I got home! Ginger has worn hers to school every day. And...some other cool stuff.

So, only a few blocks from the hotel, we were already heavy laden so we made a quick dash back to drop off our stuff. But only after popping into the Gap, which was also on the way, and which had an irresistible window display we had walked past a hundred times by now. Which contained this - did I mention irresistible? - kids' skirt. Which I went ahead and got for Ginger's birthday. And a shirt to match. Who can resist this?!

And here's the Chrysler Building in the daytime. Reminds me of The Fountainhead. Just love it.

Moving on. Shopping is very tiresome, but we pressed on into what turned out to be an amazingly gorgeous day. Since we were sore and blistered from Friday, we figured, let's walk the mile-plus across the Brooklyn Bridge! Despite our ailments, it was a great idea to get some sunshine and views.

So one of our reasons to walk to Brooklyn was for Grimaldi's extremely famous coal-brick oven pizza. When we got there it was about 2pm on a Saturday. And the line outside was down the block, about a 1 1/2 hour wait. So...our official story is that we came that far, and had that good pizza. An alternative possibility is that the line at an inferior pizza place around the corner was much shorter, and we wanted to make the most of our last day in New York, so we didn't and said we did, so to speak. Either way, we had great New York style pizza.

What was next? Central Park of course. Because it's so close to Brooklyn. And because it's so amazing, and it's fall, and Juli wanted to see it. She realized quickly the scope of the park, something that's almost impossible to imagine until you see just how big it is. We got there just at dusk, and walked and talked until it was dark. It reminded me of Time and Again. If you like New York, or history, or time travel books, I highly recommend it.

A sidenote: On Thursday, Juli immediately observed everyone in NY wears black. I hadn't noticed, but it was true, as evidenced in this photo. Didn't stop Juli from wearing her lime green trench, or me from my purple fleece...mostly because those were the only jackets we'd brought.

By now it was about 5pm and we weren't hungry for dinner yet, so we chose to kill some time at the Empire State Building. And here's what I have to say about that. It is incredible, it is beautiful, and I'm so glad to have seen the view at night. It is also one of the worst tourist traps I've ever visited...and, being from D.C., that is saying something. Just know, if you ever go, it is not like in Sleepless in Seattle. Enter, go up an escalator, wait in line to go through security, wait in line to get tickets (and they ain't cheap - and the "laminated" souvenir map ain't laminated), wait in line for the first elevator. Go up to the 80th floor, wait in line for the second elevator. Finally come out at the 86th floor observatory, which has an indoor enclosed area and and outdoor observatory like in Sleepless but much more narrow and crowded. And breezy! It was the first time all trip I was actually cold. Good thing I had my new scarf from the street fair, how do you like it?

But like I said, the views were spectacular.

Then when you're done, you guessed it, you wait in line for the first elevator, get down to the 80th floor, where the only way to get to the next elevator is through the gift shop, wait in line again, then finally get down to ground level and taste your freedom again. Beginning to end it took us almost 3 hours, and the crowd wasn't even that bad.

Time for dinner! This time we did make it to Baluchi's and Juli was kind enough to let me order all my old favorites - samosas, naan, raita, lamb rogan josh and chicken korma. Everything was as good as ever - love that place!

But for dessert, and as punctuation to our entire escapade, we needed something extremely special. No Paris Baguette, definitely no Crumbs. What we needed was the BEST dessert New York had to offer. Luckily, Brian had already told us where that was.

Kyotofu is a cute-but-chic little Japanese dessert bar & bakery in the hoppin' Hell's Kitchen district. And it makes a Chocolate Souffle cupcake that New York Magazine voted the best in the city. Awfully surprising for something made with white miso, Japanese bread flour and tofu...and not even frosted!

But when we got there, the menu had other enticings as well. We actually ordered the fresh ginger crème brûlée with green apple sorbet and vanilla bean tuile (and something purpley-black and crunchy on top, very delicious.) Amazing. Fabulous. And we got a couple cupcakes to go.

Saturday ended with our great feat of hailing a cab...on a very busy taxi night, no less. After having several stolen from us, and the last from some very cute girls in short skirts, we got aggressive, and slunk exhausted into the back seat for a rather harrowing, but, in the end, safe ride back to the Hilton.

We stayed up late packing, a little depressed to be leaving. But even well-fed, chocolate-filled, sites-and-sounds intensive, perfect-weather, seriously-perfect weekends in New York have to come to an end.

Next post: we head home; Disco Mom reflects.

I'm Thankful for Cute Pictures

2011-11-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

NYC part 3: The Rest of Friday

2011-11-21T11:30:00.000-05:00

Oh no, was it already a week ago that we were in New York? Time is weird. I miss it. I'm already forgetting. Gotta write it down! That Chocolate Show post took me a lot longer than you might think. I don't have a lot of big time blocks in my life to write like that. So I think the rest of the posts may be brief. Maybe. At least nothing else will require that much description.

You might think after the Chocolate Show we were chocolated out. In a way, yes. I was done eating it for awhile. But I was hardly sick of it. And there was no way I was going to New York without a stop-in at Jacques Torres. Yeah, he had a booth at the Show, but I wanted to go to his store. It was like coming home.

Here's what I love about Jacques Torres. His chocolate...specifically his 60% house blend dark. But also his dark-chocolate-covered pumpkin seed brittle, seasonal in fall (got some.) His "wicked" pecan brittle (also got some.) His hot chocolate. Serious WHOA. Got some. His chocolate croissants, chocolate covered corn flakes, chocolate pretzels, caramels, marshmallows, grahams, and everything else in the shop. The only thing that stopped us from getting some salt-and-pepper ice cream was that it came in a pint, not by the scoop, and it was too much for us. Love that place.

By now it was about 2:30 and we were hungry for some lunch. I suggested we head to Baluchi's, my favorite Indian restaurant, in Tribeca - a good antidote to all the chocolate.

Now might be a good time to say we did a lot - and I mean A LOT - of this:

And just because we were riding the rails doesn't mean we weren't walking. Luckily NY has an extensive subway system, and you can pretty much get anywhere from anywhere. But there are lines, stairs, platforms, more stairs, and still lots of walking from stations to locations. Friday night, when we called home, Juli mentioned to Brian how much we had ridden the subway. "Why aren't you just walking?" he asked. Really? Trust me, we did a TON of walking. And we had the blisters to prove it.

So. We got to Baluchi's and guess what? They are closed from 3-5pm, after lunch and before opening for dinner. And it was exactly 3 o'clock. And we were really hungry for something savory! So we consulted the map and Brian's list, and headed over to Macbar (in Nolita), a tiny gourmet mac & cheese bar. Just what the doctor ordered.

Despite the bright yellow storefront, we walked right past it and had to consult the address to actually see it - it was so small! But super cute, warm, and also shaped like a macaroni noodle on the inside.

As you can imagine, it was kinda hard to decide what to get. But in the end we got three smalls to share - cheeseburger mac (this AIN'T no Hamburger Helper), margarita mac, and mayan chipotle. SO DELICIOUS! I could seriously go for some of that right now. It was amazing and cheesy and really high quality, descriptions that don't always go together.

And since we were not too far from it, we stopped into Billy's for some cupcakes.

It was near the end of the day so pickings were slim. I got a dreamsicle cupcake. It was OK. I'm pretty nit-picky on cupcakes, though.

It was getting dark now, so we headed back to the hotel to drop off all our heavy chocolate we'd been carrying around. Did I mention we walked past the Chrysler building every time we walked from our hotel to the subway? I think it's my favorite building in New York.

Once we were lightened of our burdens, and had changed our shoes, we skipped off to the Gershwin theater to try for lottery tickets to Wicked. The way it works is, they save 25 (or so) front row (or so) tickets from each show for the lottery. Two and a half hours before the show, they start taking names. Two hours before the show they draw names. Each name drawn has the chance to buy one or two of the tickets for $25-30 cash on the spot. Really awesome opportunity, horrible chances. We guessed there were maybe 150 people there. We still tried. We had really high hopes. I mean, Juli even matched the signs!

Alas, Wicked was not in the cards for us this time. But Godspell next door did their lottery a half hour later, so we tried for that, too. Alas, again, no.

But our disappointment was brief because we had dinner reservations at Artisanal Bistro (just in case we didn't get tickets.) Which was, as you might guess, amazing. Granted, our waiter was a little odd and aloof, and we debated whether his French accent was real or not, but the food spoke for itself. So perfect to end a long day on our feet. We shared a beet salad (with endive, walnuts and goat cheese) and ordered the artisanal blend cheese fondue for dinner, with bread, chicken, fingerling potatoes, and pears for dipping. Exquisite!

But we weren't wowed by the dessert menu, and decided to consult Yelp on my phone for nearby options. (Editorial: My iPhone was THE BEST part of the trip! Between Google map, Yelp, and the NY Subway app, we were girls on a mission, and usually headed in the right direction!) We found Paris Baguette nearby, which you may, as we did, think is a French bakery. I was so in the mood for an eclair. But I had one more chance to sigh, "Alas!" this fateful Friday. As we got nearer, we realized we were in a "Little Korea" area, and when we stopped into Paris Baguette, we found choices like green tea chiffon cake, "glutinous pastry", and milk bread. Huh. Turns out Paris Baguette "ranks as the top brand in the highly competitive Korean bakery market." Hey, I like an Asian bakery as much as...some other people, but I wasn't in the mood. Slightly deflated, and very footsore, we hobbled into a Crumbs bakery on the way back to the subway, where I got a great hot caramel apple cider, and a mediocre cookie, and we made our weary way back to the hotel, where we called our husbands, I took a hot bath, and we crashed.

Next post: A serendipitous morning, round-the-corner pizza, and my toesies finally get cold!

NYC part 2: The Chocolate Show

2011-11-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

We made a bad call Thursday night. Which was to take the subway back to the hotel at 12:30 a.m. instead of a taxi. Mostly because I'd never hailed a cab (pathetic, right?) and we were pinching pennies, wanting to save all our cash for the good stuff. But it put us to bed at 2 a.m., so you know what that means for Friday morning. No kids, quiet hotel, AND late night? We slept in. But we got over it quickly because it was our vacation and we can do what we wanted. I have to say, Juli and I had very compatible travel styles. Either that or she was amazingly accommodating. Either way, it worked for me.

So we pulled out of the hotel between 10 and 11, grabbed a breakfast sandwich at Pret a Manger, and took the subway down to 18th Street. On our way down the block to the Metropolitan Pavilion, we stopped for a few fresh reinforcements. I remember from last time, you need an occasional palate cleanser at the show.

Alrighty, cracking knuckles, stretching shoulders. Here. We. Go.

After checking our coats and getting our programs, here's what greeted us around the first corner. Very clever - the guys from Spices and Tease had little scoops on long sticks and were selling their wares, including flavored salts, sugars, spices and teas (including several chocolate tea blends) by the baggie, tin or 3-tin sets. In the top left corner, that's a hunk of Hawaiian red salt they were chipping away at.

Then we opened our programs, which contained this floor plan - sorry, I scanned it, it's not that legible - descriptions of all the vendors, a schedule of demos and events, and lots of nummy ads. Also a card redeemable at the Lincoln sponsor booth for a chocolate car. Which of course we got.

FYI I am eating a salad for lunch while I write this. The pictures bring it all back for me, and it was - and is - intense. Here are a few more sights along the first aisle - "Bittersweet Chocolate Blvd" on the floor plan:

George Duran was there mc'ing some of the demos. Which, we discovered, were not following the printed schedule very closely.

We did catch a little of what these guys from American Heritage Chocolate were doing, which was making chocolate the way they did in the 1700's - rubbing cocoa nibs on this heated lava rock to make chocolate paste which is then combined with ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and more, and added to milk or water for drinking. I had a sample - totally intense and not like modern chocolate. Amazing. You can watch a video that explains it here.

Here's a shot of the crowds. And keep in mind, this was the Friday crowd. True, it was a holiday but Saturday would be much worse. And some of the booths were already running low or selling out of their goods, so I'm glad we went when we did. At one booth, I got the very last one of what I was getting. Sorry I can't say, it's a Christmas gift for someone. But so glad I got it!

Backing up...on Thursday night the Chocolate Show has a fashion show and charity silent auction to open the show. You can go for $150. Maybe another year. The fashions are haute couture clothes and accessories made of chocolate by fashion designers, so cool. The theme this year was Broadway. They had some of the designs on display in corners of the pavilion. Can you name the shows? I was so busy eating, smelling and being jostled I didn't read the cards.

And then there was the bookstore! An enormous square made of long tables like this, with cash registers in the middle and big bouncer guys watching for shoplifting and keeping the stacks straight. I didn't buy any books (nor did I steal any), but I did get some ideas, and it was thrilling to walk along the piles, and say, "I have that one. I have that one. I have that one." Made me feel like a real insider.

Chocolate kisses, NY Chocolate Show style. They're filled with a cherry caramel; we had a sample.

That's the thing about the Chocolate Show. Everyone has samples. Remembering last time, I brought a package of tiny baggies and two Sharpies - Juli and I took samples and bagged and labeled them. At least at first. Juli kept it up longer than I did, knowing Brian and her kids would want a formal tasting session when she returned. Some tables were too busy to even reach the samples, much less actually inspect the products. But as the afternoon wore on, you could sometimes stop at a table and talk with the staff, or even the chocolatier herself/himself, and learn about their brand and their specialties.

Some booths were bakeries, many getting off the ground hoping to open their own shop. Some did mail order, some sold through stores like Dean & Deluca. Some had a slant, like vegan (sorry, the vegan hot chocolate was bland), truffles, or single origin. Some were industry-related like the spice guys and chocolate fountains. Palmer's cocoa butter lotion makers even had a booth. But most vendors were chocolatiers, and many were French. Since I tasted Jacques Torres chocolate many years ago, it's been my favorite. And he's French, so in my mind French is good. But I hadn't really dabbled in a wide range of French chocolate, so I didn't realize just how superior it is.

One thing at the show that made me so happy was seeing kids there. They had a kids' corner where they made chef hats and chocolate crafts, it was cute. Strollers, not so cute. But what I'm talking about is older kids. One of my favorite moments of the whole show was at a tasting table, there were three middle-school-aged boys, and they weren't scarfing the chocolate and acting like idiots. They were tasting. And comparing. And discussing. And I LOVED it. Just a few more years and I'm bringing all my girls.

So we wandered around most of the show, collecting samples, talking to people, tasting tasting tasting. Then we went back to buy buy buy - Christmas gifts, things for ourselves and our families. In most cases we knew just what we wanted and where. In others, we had to sample some more. Poor us.

At most booths, if you wanted to taste something they didn't have out, why they'd just open one up and cut it up for you. People trying to feed me chocolate! Here, let me get you a piece of this one! Amazing. Heaven.

In the end, Juli and I agreed on the two chocolatiers we liked the best, and not just for their French accents. They were the ones we bought from, and whose chocolate was just better than the rest - one was Francois Pralus (below - too bad that's the only shot I took of that booth!) The man himself was there and he totally looked like a French Paul Newman, ooh la la! At that booth I bought a tube of hazelnut creme (like nutella but thinner and much more hazelnutty) and a box of chocolate pearls, which I can't find on the website - little pea-sized chocolate balls, a mix of dark and milk, with a crunchy wheat center. They are so small but we couldn't believe the gorgeous chocolate flavor they had! You can eat them plain or put them on stuff - last night the girls and I had them on ice cream and then just ate a bunch out of the box. Juli got Brian a stack of single origin squares.

Later, when I read about Pralus, I wasn't surprised to learn he owns his own chocolate plantation and produces his chocolate bean-to-bar. Seriously, you can taste that difference.

Our other favorite was Comptoir du Cacao. At first we were drawn in by their charming packaging, and the ooh's and aah's coming from chocolate tasters at their table. Then we tasted it ourselves and we basically couldn't get enough. Their "flaky pralines" won 1st and 2nd prize at the Paris Chocolate Show (when am I going to that one?) And their white chocolate, not usually my favorite, was out of this world. I bought some presents here, too.

I also want to give honorable mention to a few booths I don't have pictures of, but where I shopped and really liked their stuff:

Jer's Chocolates had some seriously awesome chocolate-peanut butter bars, and Jer himself was so glowing and smiley I could have spent an hour at his booth.
Christophe Roussel had some amazing salted butter caramels - I bought two boxes! He's also the one that made the chocolate kisses above, and he seemed a little stressed out at the show. But he was cute and French and some days it's hard to be fabulous.
Aux Anysetiers du Roy makes these totally clever little fondues in a stoneware cup, that you can warm in the microwave or in hot water to melt, making yourself yummo fondue without a sterno, candle, pot or mess. Just dip what you like. And they have so many flavors! It was hard to choose. They even make egg-shaped ones for Easter, how cute is that?
Salt of the Earth Bakery was there, handing out very generous pieces of brownies and cookies, and they were amazing. We tasted their signature brownie that's in your face on the website and Juli went back and bought two before we left - she said it's the best brownie she's ever eaten. We also tasted their chocolate-filled cookies and they, too, were amazing. My whole goal in life now is to go back and taste their mud pie.

On our way out of the show, about 3 1/2 hours later, I stopped at Spices & Tease again. How could I not get something? So I got a sampling of flavored sugars - pistachio, strawberry and pomegranate. I waffled whether to get some onion bacon salt but decided I'd dropped enough cash. Too bad, now of course I wish I'd gotten it. Can you imagine that on a baked potato?!

But I'm not worried. There's always next year.

Next post: the rest of Friday, including a lot of subway rides, and mac & cheese like you've never had it before!

NYC part 1: Disco Mom Takes Manhattan

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've only been saying for three years, since we moved to Virginia, that I'm going back to New York. "Soon." "This year." Or "next year." But time flies. And money is tight. And then I was pregnant. And then I was nursing. Ed goes on his hunting trip every October. And every year I say I'm going to New York.

The "why" is a no-brainer. New York is awesome. When you're not tied down to an apartment in Brooklyn with two babies and a no-show overworked husband. New York is awesome to visit. And I deserve a vacation. Always. And there is so much I never did there (see above.) And...the New York Chocolate Show is there every November.

I went to the Chocolate Show once before, in 2007. It's as good a reason as any to go to New York. Better, really, because it's, hello, chocolate. So this year I said I'm going. And I actually did.

I understand it can be really, really boring reading other people's travel logs, minute details about people you don't know and places you've never been (and don't care about.) So you don't have to read this (and the 2 or 3 or 4 more posts it takes me to cover the trip.) I just want to write it all down.

First, this is my friend Juli. You're going to be seeing her in a lot of pictures. Just thought I should introduce you. Juli had never been to New York, and she is an accomplished and expressive cook, so when I mentioned the Chocolate Show in a conversation, she perked her ears like a deer to the snap of a twig in the woods. She checked her calendar, and she was IN.

Juli's husband, I should mention, is also the foodiest foodie I've ever met, by a long shot, and an astounding chef as well. (Their family has a cheese budget.) By way of example, here's the menu for the lunch he packed us for the bus ride up last Thursday. (He made the sweet potato spice marshmallows himself.)

We took the Tripper bus up on Thursday afternoon, which was a great ride besides the typical horrific traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel at rush hour. We pulled in just in time to drop our stuff off at the hotel (Hilton Manhattan East, near the UN, booked through Priceline), grab a sandwich, and head to the theater.

Our hotel is the tall brick one in the middle, about 3 blocks east of Grand Central Station.

For we had tickets to War Horse. Do you know about this play? It won a bunch of Tony's and has been made into a movie, coming out on Christmas (it was first a book.) It was astounding.

The horses are puppets, which you forget pretty quickly. The music is gorgeous, the effects and storytelling creative and entrancing.

It's hard to explain about the puppets, so watch this:

Here I am during intermission. It was drizzling and of course I left my umbrella at the hotel. But after the show we were on a high and didn't mind a little rain after going through World War I and reaching Armistice Day, which was the next day (11/11/11.)

I mentioned Juli's husband, Brian. In addition to our lunch, Brian researched and prepared a 2-page list of suggested restaurants and food shops for us to try during our trip. I had like one or two to add, but was happy to follow his recommendations since NY's food scene is overwhelming.

After the show we went to Casellula Cheese & Wine Cafe, where we ordered fancy sodas, a two-cheese sampler - one Irish, one from Vermont, both amazing - white bean crostini with oyster mushrooms and house-cured bacon, and two desserts: zucchini layer cake with lime filling, and maple baked pears with buttermilk ice cream. I. Could. Die. It was our favorite meal of the entire trip, and that's not because anything we ate was bad. On the contrary. It's just that this was truly exquisite, and the perfect finish to our first night in New York.

Next post: Friday, the Chocolate Show, Jacques Torres, Paris Baguette (it's not what you think!), and more!

Fall Photo Shoot

2011-11-14T20:23:00.001-05:00

We did our (dreaded) family Christmas card photo shoot today. Dreaded because it's a little stressful, and I hate how I look pretty much all the time, avoiding mirrors when possible and cameras at all costs. So why would I PAY someone to take my picture?

The only reason is because Ed and I both HATE it when people send pictures of just their kids in Christmas cards, so to avoid hypocrisy, and in the spirit of "4-out-of-5-Hickmans-looking-great-is-a-majority", we did it. We scheduled the fabulous Alia, who did our pics last year. I cannot say enough about how easy and awesome she is to work with. She had the girls, even Poppy, who is a tough age for smiling at strangers, wrapped around her finger. Since we thought it might be chilly in mid-November, we wanted an indoor site. I asked her where this is - love that distressed wood! - and would you believe it?

It's a backdrop.

Is this bad? Should I not be giving this secret away? You totally can't tell in pictures, which is why I find it so amazing I can't keep mum. We just set it up in the family room, mid-afternoon to catch the natural light, and voila!

How do you like our styling - the gray with pink accents? I wore gray and black with silver earrings...and more make-up than I ever wear the other 364 days. And I even blow-dried my hair with product and a round brush. I really went all out.

Hazel is wearing a gray dress with small white dots from Target, Ginger's dress is from Carter's (belt from Wal-Mart) and Poppy is wearing an H&M gray onesie with white dots and Uniqlo gray corduroy jumper (and Old Navy gray & black striped leggings.) All flower clips are from Claire's.

Hazel has really taken Project Runway to heart.

What a coupla lookers, right? Like I said, 4 out of 5. (Ed's wearing a gray sweater over whatever he wore to work - a blue shirt, I think - he breezed in for about 20 minutes between work meetings, and breezed right out again - we're just glad he made it at all! And he always looks good.)

It was such a mild and lovely day we did go outside after these shots, but I didn't take my camera. We took more family pics, individuals, sisters, and a few with the blog header in mind so I'm excited to see how those came out. Alia's going out of town Sunday so she promised them before she left - stay tuned...

Slow-Cooker White Chicken Chili

2011-11-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Well here's the crowning post of a truly amazing Slow-Cooker Week. Maybe I'm just saying that because it's my blog. The truth is, for every recipe I posted this week there were two or more I rejected; so these are all really good.

But that said, this one's the best.

Here's an explanation from Cook's Country on "why this recipe works":

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs added deeper flavor to our Slow-Cooker White Chicken Chili than boneless breasts, especially when we browned them before they went into the cooker. We started with fresh jalapeños to give the chili the extra heat it so desperately needed. Adding pickled jalapeños at the last minute really brought the dish together.

Pureed hominy (dried corn kernels that have been soaked in lye or slaked lime to remove the hull and germ) added body and rich corn flavor to our Slow-Cooker White Chicken Chili that tasters loved. To give the chili extra body, we pureed one can of beans with some broth.

What they said. You will LOVE this chili. And if you've never used hominy, like I hadn't, it looks like this and is found with the canned vegetables and beans. You do NOT want to leave it out of this recipe!

And while I'm being bossy, also do not fail to garnish with fresh avocado and squeezes of lime - the best!

Slow-Cooker White Chicken Chili (print recipe)
(Serves 6 to 8)
3 (16-oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16-oz.) can white hominy, drained and rinsed
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper
6 to 8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), fat trimmed
1 T vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
4 jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 T ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 T drained jarred pickled jalapenos, minced
1 to 2 avacados, diced, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

BLEND BASE - Puree 1 can beans, hominy, broth, and 3/4 tsp salt in blender until completely smooth. Pour into slow cooker.

BROWN CHICKEN - Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook thighs, skin-side down, until skin is well browned and fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard skin, then add thighs to slow cooker.

COOK AROMATICS - Pour off all but 2 T fat from skillet. Cook onions, chiles, and 1/2 tsp salt until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of onion mixture to slow cooker; reserve remaining mixture in refrigerator.

FINISH CHILI - Add remaining beans to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until chicken is tender, about 4 hours. Transfer chicken to bowl. When cool enough to handle, discard bones and shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Stir cilantro, pickled jalapenos, shredded chicken, and reserved onion mixture into slow cooker and let warm. Serve topped with diced avocado and a lime wedge for squeezing.

Recipe from Cook's Country, Oct/Nov 2009

Slow-Cooker Pull-Apart Ribs

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you just got served these ribs, you might never even consider they were done in the slow cooker. That's because after they slow cook to tender perfection, they're slathered with homemade barbecue sauce and grilled to a nice sweet & smoky crust on the outside. Genius, really. Way better than the grilled ribs I tried to make a few years ago that were tough and nearly burnt by the time they cooked through.

But these fell right off the bone and were absolutely perfect. Four adults devoured them and wanted more, so the only amendment I might make to this recipe is, get another crockpot and double it. And sorry, you ain't gonna have leftovers.

Pull-Apart Ribs (print recipe)
Makes 1 rack of ribs (about 14)
Rub and Ribs:
2 T dry mustard
2 T paprika
1 T dried oregano
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 T sugar
2 tsp black pepper
1 full rack pork spare ribs (about 4 pounds)
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer OR 1 1/2 cups beef broth

Sauce:
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
3 T ketchup

1. RUB - In a small bowl, stir together dry mustard, paprika, oregano, seasoned salt, sugar and pepper.

2. RIBS - Remove the ribs from packaging; rinse in cool water. Pat dry with paper towels. Cut rack in thirds. Season ribs with 1/4 cup of the dry rub, pressing on with your hands. Pour beer or broth and 1 1/2 cups water into slow cooker. Stack ribs in cooker and cover. Slow cook on LOW for 9 hours.

3. Heat gas grill to medium-high or coals in charcoal grill to medium hot.

4. SAUCE - Place remaining rub, brown sugar, vinegar and ketchup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. GRILL - Carefully remove ribs from slow cooker. Baste with sauce. Grill ribs 6 minutes, turning after 3 minutes.

Recipe from Family Circle, June 2011

Slow-Cooker Lemony Garlic Chicken Thighs

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Chicken thighs are perfect for slow cooking and absolutely fall off the bone when they're done. An abundance of lemon and garlic mellow in the process to a deeply infused flavor, perfect for serving over pasta. Baby spinach, wilted in at the very end, adds the perfect fresh touch.

Slow-Cooker Lemony Garlic Chicken Thighs (print recipe)

6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds)
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1 T lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup packed baby spinach, chopped
8 ounces angel hair pasta

1. Trim chicken thighs of any excess fat. Place them in the slow cooker bowl and scatter garlic cloves over top.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest, juice and the chicken broth; pour half of it (about 1/3 cup) into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 3 hours on HIGH or 5 hours on LOW.

3. Remove chicken thighs to a platter and keep warm; discard garlic cloves. In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice mixture, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Whisk into slow cooker bowl with chopped spinach and cook another 30 minutes on HIGH or LOW.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, about 4 minutes. Stir in half of sauce from slow cooker bowl into pasta and serve remainder with chicken.

Recipe from Family Circle, August 2010

Slow-Cooker Coconut & Green Curry Pork

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last spring my friend emailed a bunch of us about spring break coming up. She set up a bunch of day-outings for us all to join her on, and included a call for crockpot recipes so we could all have dinner waiting when we got home. One response was this recipe.

I was so excited to try it; I've always loved Indian curries but I'm relatively new to Thai coconut-type curries. But what I've had, I've loved. So I was stoked to try one. And in the slow cooker! So lucky!

I made this a couple Sundays ago, to cook while we were at church, and greet us on our homecoming. It was mouthwateringly fragrant and so satisfying served over hot rice, with a sprinkle of cilantro. I ate more than I should have, devouring faster than I could register that I was full. It was that good.

A word about green curry paste. I'd never used it so I was worried it might be hot; it's not - it's quite mild in this recipe so if you want more heat you'll have to add it. Great for kids. Also, I bought a little fancy jar of it at my grocery store for $4. In the future I'll hit an Asian market - we have so many here! - where I can get it much cheaper, and probably more authentic. Thekitchn recommends Maesri brand, it comes in a can the size of canned tuna.

Slow Cooker Coconut & Green Curry Pork (print recipe)

serves 6 to 8
Between 2 and 3 pounds pork butt or pork shoulder
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into fourths
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can Thai green curry paste (4 ounces)
1 can coconut milk (14-15 ounces)
Chopped cilantro or chives, to serve (optional)
Toasted unsweetened coconut, to serve (optional)

1. Heat the broiler. Cut the pork into four pieces and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place on a large baking sheet and broil, turning once, for 15 to 20 minutes or until well-browned.

2. Spread the cut potatoes in the insert of a slow cooker. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper.
While the pork is browning in the oven, fry the curry paste. In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the curry paste and fry for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the paste smells aromatic and has begun to absorb the oil. Whisk in the coconut milk and cook for another few minutes, or until the coconut milk begins to bubble.

3. Take the browned pork out of the oven and drain away any liquid fat. Arrange the pork in the slow cooker with the potatoes, and pour the hot green curry and coconut milk mixture over it.

4. Cook for 6 to 8 hours on LOW. At the end of cooking shred the pork with two forks; it should be meltingly-tender. (Depending on how much fat is released from the pork, the curry sauce will not look thick and creamy; it will probably be thin.)

5. Taste and season if necessary with salt or soy sauce. Serve with brown rice, and small bowls of chopped cilantro or chives and toasted unsweetened coconut.

Recipe from Faith Durand on thekitchn.com

Slow-Cooker Harvest Chicken & Potatoes

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here's the chicken version of that warm comforting stew we all crave in cold weather. And let me just say, if you have never tasted the sensory symphony of chicken & thyme, you are in for an exquisite treat. And this is just as good, or better, warmed later as leftovers. A sweater, slippers, and a bowl of this is all you need to keep the chill out.

Slow-Cooker Harvest Chicken & Potatoes (print recipe)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 T flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
12 ounces small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
2 cups baby carrots, cut into thirds
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms drained (I left this out)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 T unsalted butter, softened

1. In a medium-size bowl, stir together chicken, 2 T of the flour, 1/4 tsp of the salt and the pepper; add to slow cooker. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, garlic, 1/2 tsp of the thyme, the sage, and broth. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours.

2. In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1 T flour and the butter until a paste forms. Push the chicken and vegetables to one side and whisk paste, remaining 1/4 tsp each salt and thyme into slow cooker bowl. Cook 1 more hour until thickened. Makes 6 servings

Slow-Cooker Chinese-Spiced Brisket

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

I bought a small jar of Chinese Five-Spice a few years ago for some cookies I don't think I ever made. So I was pleased as punch to find a recipe for it, and a slow cooker one at that! In case you're wondering the five spices are: cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves.

This recipe is a great concept, and the meat came out tender and saucy. The juice was a bit mild so I added a dash of this and that to taste - hoisin sauce, sweet chili sauce, a little more vinegar. It's hard to think of something better than hot spicy meat over rice when you're really hungry. Which I always am.

Slow-Cooker Chinese-Spiced Brisket (print recipe)
1 beef brisket, about 3 pounds
1 tsp Chinese Five-Spice
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) beef broth
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 T light soy sauce
1 T hoisin sauce
1 can diced water chestnuts
4 chopped scallions, divided
Hot rice, for serving

1. Coat slow cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Season brisket with Chinese Five-Spice. Place in slow cooker. Scatter onion and garlic over meat. Combine tomatoes, broth, vinegar, soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Pour over brisket.

2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 9 hours. Add water chestnuts and half of the chopped scallions during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

3. Remove meat from slow cooker and cool slightly. Slice or shred and stir into sauce.

4. Remove brisket and sauce and serve over hot rice. Sprinkle more chopped scallions on top.

*If the final flavor isn't strong enough for you, add any of the following to taste: toasted sesame oil, sweet chili sauce, ground ginger, more Chinese Five-Spice, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, onion powder, etc.

Recipe adapted from Family Circle, September 2011

Slow-Cooker Rosemary Chicken with White Beans

2011-11-06T13:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure this picture does it justice, but you have to believe, this dish is gooood. I think the secret is the combination of rosemary and Italian dressing. Normally the dressing would be too strong, but all flavors mellow in the slow cooker. This is usually to a dish's detriment, but in this case it works out, to make a flavorful but not overwhelming sauce for the creamy beans and tender vegetables. I've given you the original recipe here, from the book that came with my Crockpot, but in my book I've made a note to one-and-a-half or even double the sauce and vegetables because the first time we made this, oh, we wanted more!

Slow-Cooker Rosemary Chicken with White Beans (print recipe)
2 T oil
4 to 6 chicken breast halves (or any skinless chicken pieces would work)
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1 (15-oz.) can Great Northern or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp rosemary
1/3 cup Italian dressing

In a large skillet, heat the oil and brown the chicken breast. Remove and drain. Place carrots, celery and beans in the bottom of the slow cooker and add the chicken breasts. In a medium bowl, combine the salt, pepper, rosemary and Italian dressing and pour over the food in the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover; cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Slow-Cooker Week (It's Back)

2011-11-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have I got a treat for you. It's been a few years since I did a Slow-Cooker Week, but I've recommitted to beefing up my slow-cooker repertoire, and I finally - FINALLY! - have seven good ones to share. It takes awhile, you know?

I really think any time of year is perfect for slow cookers. Summer, because they don't overheat your kitchen. Fall and winter, because they often produce warm, meaty, stew-like comfort food. Spring, because the weather is great and we want to spend all our time outside, not slaving over dinner. I just love my slow cooker.

Which is not to say everything it makes is good. There are way too many mediocre and bad crockpot recipes. But I think you'll be really pleased with this week's findings. Sorry vegetarians, this week I've got 4 chicken, 1 beef and 2 pork recipes. (But just sub in some veggies and you're good.) I've got Thai, Chinese, Italian, BBQ, Mexican, and more.

It's a good week for slow cooking. I don't know why. Maybe because I am going OUT OF TOWN, which almost NEVER happens, and I just feel like having posts go up while I'm gone. Whatever, enjoy.

Art Tuesday: Shoebox Painting

2011-11-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

A few years ago Hazel did a project like this in preschool, but I totally forgot about it until Ginger's preschool did it, too. It's fun, easy, not too messy, and definitely a new way of painting.

What you need:

Tempera paints, several colors
Paper or plastic cups
Spoons
Masking tape
Acorns, marbles, or small rocks
White 8x11 paper
A shoebox or other box with lid

What to do:

1. Lay a piece of paper in the shoebox and tape it into place.

2. Pour some paint into a cup. I usually cut it with some water to make it thinner. Place an acorn or small rock in the paint to get it covered. Use a spoon to remove it.

3. Place the acorn in the box on the paper. Close the box tightly.

5. Shake, shake, shake!

6. Open the box and behold your masterpiece! It's also fun to put several acorns with several colors in and shake them up together.

Meanwhile, I gave Poppy a squirt of paint on her highchair tray and a silicone pastry brush to keep her busy.

But she still wanted to do some of the box-shaking. Undoubtedly that is the most fun part.

Check out our work:

Halloween 2011 (part 2)

2011-10-31T23:50:00.000-04:00

Um, it was a little more work than I expected to get a good shot of the kids in their costumes. Everytime I said, "1, 2, 3..." Poppy ran towards me, and my stupid idiot camera was never fast enough.

Finally Knight Hazel laid down the law with her sword and I got a shot. Baseball bat and all. But can we all still please agree I need a new camera? A GOOD camera? You know I'd use it. This is the beginning of my Christmas hinting. I've only done this five Christmases in a row. Maybe one of these years it will stick.

But back to the kids. They were really cute, right?

Trick-or-treating in our neighborhood is awesome. The neighbors really deck out with decorations, scary-but-not-too-scary music, costumes, etc. One house even had a platter of pumpkin muffins for the grown-ups, and another had a full spread on a table in their driveway - hot dogs, cookies, and big thermoses of steaming hot chocolate. So thoughtful because it was kind of a chilly night, and it got us through the last stretch. Several groups had fire pits going in their front yard and were making a fun night of it with friends.

We took Poppy with us to a few houses, then brought her home to stay with Ed while he ate dinner and carved our pumpkin - never too late! After only a few trick-or-treaters at our door, Poppy caught on and took that duty upon herself. First, watching out the window for people:

Then handing them the candy when they came and calling, "Happy Halloween!" Then her favorite part was closing the door and watching out the window again.

Here's the jack-o-lantern Ed carved - not bad, eh? Love those template books! A NICE camera could have taken an amazing shot of it in that low light.

The girls had a good haul - Hazel liked the Tootsie Rolls and Ginger discovered the wonder of Skittles - they are her new favorite treat by far. I still go for the Reese's and Snickers myself.

And just for some final spooky fun, here's a picture of my brother Dave and me, circa 1981? He just loaded a bunch of pics to his Facebook page in an album called, "Look Who Found a Scanner", and this was one of them. Don't you miss the days when you had to make your own C3PO costume? And you know I was working that wig!

Halloween 2011 (part 1)

2011-10-31T16:12:00.003-04:00

This post has it all: photos. Parades. Parties. Cakes. Giant inflatables. Videos. Everything Halloween should be and more. In no particular order.

First of all, thank you to FX for playing "Twilight" several times over the last few nights. It's been real.

Last year I mentioned an enormous, house-sized black cat our neighbor put up. The girls called him "Scary Skip" and were scared to walk by him. This year we were thrilled to see his return, and instead of fear, we greet him heartily each day. (And let me just say - it is SO amazing to be able to send videos straight from my phone to YouTube!)

Last week Ginger's preschool had their annual Halloween sing-along and outdoor parade, always a crowd-pleaser. I have got to get a playlist from their music teacher, some of those songs are super cute. Her class had a small cupcake-decorating party first.

Ginger was Olivia this year.

We got the ears headband from an Etsy seller, the leggings at Target, and a red sailor dress from ebay that my Mom added the collar and tie to to make it look right. She was lacking some girth but not much we could do about that.

Poppy was the same ladybug that both Hazel and Ginger were at her age. Easy peasy.

This month my friend Sheri traveled to England to see, among other things, the Bears play an NFL UK game - see her awesome write-up here. While galavanting and basking in kidlessness she also managed to remember I LOVE Cadbury creme eggs, and picked me up a bunch of these Halloween versions - "Screme eggs" with green in the center. Oh, yes, they are all the Halloween candy I need. YUM!

In preparation for our church Halloween party, a bunch of chicks-in-aprons got together one night to assemble this cake and this one, which would be prizes for the pumpkin carving and chili cook-off contests. It was a great night of gabbing and frosting.

Last Friday night Hazel's school had a Halloween party, so we all donned our costumes and schlepped over to the school. There was a movie, stories, crafts, a "spookhouse" (= the music room draped and darkened with a few scary things), and DANCING. Yes, a DJ was there, and from the moment we got there to the moment we left, Hazel was cutting the rug. She's got moves and she loves to dance. It's kinda dark to tell, but she was a knight.

Saturday was the church party. But before that, we got the season's first SNOW! The girls were beside themselves and talk of Christmas immediately ensued.

But we did still go to the party. From the decorations to the activities, to the astounding "Thriller" dance performance at the end, the whole event left me speechless. Games, cupcake walk, Pirate's Cove, live music (yes, a BAND). It rocked.

It was also fun that I got to be a chili judge, tasting 19 different concoctions, and realizing there is a very wide berth when to comes to interpreting "chili." Another thing I always love about the church party is that the adults dress up. Ed and I were salt and pepper shakers. Unfortunately my costume snagged on a door and fell apart before we could get a picture together, but here is Ed with Poppy. I looked like him but with black pom-poms and balled up newspaper in my shaker.

Here were some of my other favorite adult costumes -

Alex Trebek and Jeaopardy contestant - nice winnings, Ashley!

Mr. & Mrs. Pacman

Facebook page and National Geographic cover - this NG fellow had the most rocking homemade robot costume last year, he is one to keep an eye on!

I never did get a proper shot of all the girls together, but maybe tonight I can take one. We're all looking forward to trick-or-treating since we skipped last year (Halloween being on a Sunday.) Speaking of candy, both Hazel's school and a local scout troop are collecting leftovers for Treats 4 Our Troops, do you know about this? Genius everyone-wins program. Or there's this feature on candy-filled treats (but like I said here, does anyone really have Reese's left over?!) Let's take Halloween candy and ADD MORE SUGAR! Who's with me? You couldn't pay me enough to make or eat the Taffy Ice Cream Bomb (who gives out taffy for Halloween?) but I could be persuaded to try the Kit Kat Crescents...

Finally, I got this "tasteful" black wreath for door, what do you think? I went out to get the paper one morning, and when I turned around this was what I saw. What on earth could be more welcoming?

So there's our Halloween except for our actual Halloween. What are you doing and being this spookiest day of 2011?

Art Tuesday: Collaborative Outdoor Mural

2011-10-26T12:28:00.000-04:00

We've been waiting, and rescheduling, and waiting some more for a good weather day to do this project. Collaborative art is so amazing because everyone brings their styles and points of view together to make something none of them could make on their own. And October is the best month to be outdoors.

Our art friends have a great four-square cement patio, and had a box of charcoals just waiting to be used up. First we had to sweep the leaves off.

Then we talked about design and patterns and the kids were asked to choose a design from this page to use as a model. (The designs come from Orb Magnetic Color Cubes.)

They chose this one:

So we mapped out a big circle (really an oval), lined it with squares, then filled it in with circles, triangles and other shapes. Once the plan was in place, we went to work filling the shapes with our own art.

Here are some close-ups of some of the kids' favorites -

Jaguar

A person standing on a bridge bouncing a ball

Smiley face with a blue sun nose

Angels, the sun, and two whales

Alphabet (I did it, thank you, thank you)

All our knees, hands, and some of our butts looked like this:

But it was all worth it for this finished masterpiece!

Campy

2011-10-20T15:03:00.002-04:00

When we lived here:

And looked like this:

We had this:

And used to do this:

And this:

With friends like these:

Then we went all corporate and suburban, put the tent in storage, and hunkered down into our 30's. But this year, we said enough is enough. It's time to go camping again.

In September our church had a campout, so it was a perfect opportunity to update our gear - a family tent, a few more sleeping bags, an LED lantern.

We still froze our butts off but it was a good first run.

A few weeks later we went car camping at a regional park about an hour away. Ed scoffed it as not-real-camping but I asked him what he expects when he's a slave to The Man and can't take a day off work to go real camping. We gotta take what we can get and really, the whole point (at least for me) is to give the kids memories. And they don't care if we're in a regional park, not a national one. We got pizza for dinner on the way down.

It had a playground.

Poppy loved the headlamp...

And sleeping in this, in this.

I loved staying cozy in my new sleeping bag and waking up to this canopy:

Ed loved making biscuits in the dutch oven, and hot chocolate on the camping stove:

And the kids, as we'd hoped, just loved it all:

Art Tuesday: Clothespin Dolls

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

This project wasn't with our usual Art Tuesday friends, but I'm categorizing it under that anyway, because it was ADORABLE. We got invited to a Friday afternoon tea party, and as if that wasn't cute enough, they had this craft for us to do after!

If you genuinely want to do this, I will direct you to this tutorial on GoingSewCrazy. And instead of repeating exactly what she says, I will just show you my pictures.

You can get everything you need at a craft store like Michael's. And note: there is absolutely NO SEWING involved. For the dress you just cut a circle out of fabric, cut head and arm holes, and tie it around the middle with ribbon.

My girls played with them the rest of the afternoon and all weekend. Nothing like making your own doll.

Art Tuesday: Monochromatic Collages

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

I had this cool idea to have the kids cut monochromatic pictures out of magazines (all the same color), and have them glue them make a graded collage, ordering the pictures from lightest to darkest. Turned out that concept was a bit advanced, but the cutting and gluing was totally popular. And some of the kids have favorite colors so they stuck with them.

Black & White

Red (Ginger's)

Brown (mine) - I just went through my new King Arthur Flour catalog and cut out all shades of yummy. I tried to grade mine - do you like it?

Monochromatic Collages

What you need:

Kid scissors
Glue or glue stick
Magazines
Posterboard, cardstock, or something sturdy for the background; we used scrapbook paper

What to do:

Have the kids choose one or two favorite colors and find pictures of that color in the magazines. Cut them out. Glue them to the background paper. Optional: Put them in order from light to dark, or big to small.

Variations:

Collages are extremely versatile projects. My girls love making collages of food pictures (since we have a lot of food mags at our house.) If you have the pictures, you can do any theme or color. Older kids love to cut out letters from their name and make their name lots of ways. Or choose a letter or sound and find pictures that start with that letter. Lots of fun to be had when making collages!

Breakfast, Lunch and Other Stuff

2011-10-04T13:52:00.000-04:00

I can't find the email now, but someone asked me to do a post about school lunches, so this is really a year-later follow-up to this post.

Breakfast - The old chart lost its charm toward the spring, and we winged it (wung it?) through the summer. But with fall returned the need to be efficient and predictable in the mornings, so here's our new breakfast chart, taped to the inside of the cupboard. "Mom's Choice" is a nice new addition, so we can have cereal or whatever is kind of left over from the week, no complaining (in my dreamworld.)

Lunch -Towards the end of last year we got Hazel making her own lunch. She and I made this matrix as a guide and put it on the fridge - she packs one item from each category. Sometimes we have other things she can take but this is a pretty good representation of stuff we usually have. This year we went back to the matrix and it works well, but I found she was bringing home one, two, sometimes three items in her lunch uneaten. She said they make the kids hurry so there isn't enough time to eat it all. I suspect it's a combination of timing and chatting, knowing Hazel. So we pared it down to three items - a protein, a veggie, a fruit, and only occasionally something sweet or snacky. Ginger also takes lunch to preschool this year, two days a week, so she is learning to make her lunch as well. By next year she'll be a trained expert.

Morning Routine - Hazel is a monumental dinker-around. Space cadet, la-la land, whatever you call it, that's her. This year we've added showering in the morning a few times a week to her routine, and we found that she takes so long to shower (play) and get dressed (play) that she is frantically rushed once she comes downstairs. I take it back - Ed and I are frantically rushed yelling at her and riding her case to get ready on time. She's too busy playing to feel frantic. "D.Y.J." - Do Your Job - is heard many times each morning at our house. So I finally made her a schedule, which she illustrated, and now instead of bombarding her with directives, "Hazel! Have you brushed your teeth? Where are your shoes? Is your lunch in your backpack?" We just redirect to the checklist and she is moving closer to morning independence. And as with lunches, Ginger is getting trained at the same time.

I like the idea of clean refrigerator facade. But between the lunch matrix, morning checklist, and Wii charts, it is admittedly cluttered. So what's one more item? This is a card Hazel made for me on a...difficult day. It melts my heart and, depending on the day, brings tears to my eyes, whenever I look at it.

And not to leave out Poppy, here is her favorite eating position. The highchair strap isn't that good so sometimes I don't bother. And this is what I get. So I'm getting more diligent at buckling and tightening.

And hey, while I'm posting other pictures, here are the girls playing a game Saturday morning on the very computer I'm typing on right now. I generally hog it, so getting a game is a special treat. As you can see from the zombie expressions.

Art Tuesday: Messy Media

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

Well for this Art Tuesday we definitely wore our old clothes, because it was messy, messy, but messy is so fun! First we talked about "doodling", that it is drawing without a plan, just letting your hands and mind go. We used gorgeous (but messy!) charcoal for this - dust was flying, but so was creativity!

Next up was painting pots. We got out acrylic paints and terra cotta pots and painted them with natural sponges.

We came home with our creations, then after lunch Ginger and Poppy climbed into a big empty box with a case of crayons and happily colored for at least a half hour. I know I've said it before, but Art Tuesdays truly are the BEST.

Cox Farm

2011-09-26T14:10:00.000-04:00

Last month the Younces moved back to Virginia after three years in England. That's my brother Dave, his wife Michelle, and their three (and a half) wonderful kids. This week is Dave's birthday, so we all spent Saturday together at the Cox Farms Fall Festival, then had dinner and a party at their house. Brothers, sisters-in-law and especially cousins are the BEST!

I think Dave probably didn't know I was going to post this picture (below.) But I think it's great he had the confidence to be the only adult in a line of kids for the rope swing. There are several pictures of Dave in this post. He needs to know it's just all part of living close to us. I also hope to take, and post, pics of him in his kilt when we go to the Renaissance Festival in October.

E totally found an injured butterfly at the bottom of the slide and was able to pick it up and hold it for a few seconds before it half-flitted off!

On the hay ride, which Dave's kids loved and my kids were varying degrees of scared. Kind of sums up the differences there. But Dave was great and held Ginger on his lap and got her to laugh at the scary stuff.

Ginger on one of the many huge slides. I was so impressed, she went on all the slides like the other big kids, and some of them are massive (the slides, not the kids.) Last year she was much more timid and afraid, this year she is truly a big kid. And when I say things like that to her, she puffs up proud and says, "I know. I'm like a FIVE-year-old!"

Speaking of being a big kid, she has finally come around to wearing jeans - she never would before. But it's great because we had about 6 pairs of jeans in the fall clothes bin in her size, so her shopping is already done. All day on Saturday I just watched her an marveled at how much she has grown up in the last 6 months.

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-21T14:24:00.001-04:00

OK we are really in full swing around here. Ginger (finally) started preschool last week - here are her first day pics.

(She is all about that belt - I don't get it, shiny pink buckle with rainbow hearts all around, I mean what is there for a 4-year-old to like?)

And in case you were wondering, yes that's a pug on Poppy's shirt, with a pearl necklace and bow - thank you Walmart!!!

Speaking of Poppy, I haven't posted pics in awhile. Here she was on Sunday. A notably "Kari" outfit so I had to take some photos. She is 17 months and quite the bug, extremely astute and following everything her sisters do.

Art Tuesday: Cereal Box Houses

2011-09-18T07:35:00.000-04:00

This project was my baby. I loooved thinking it up, putting it together, and I stayed up late a few nights making my model...because I wanted to. Turns out once in awhile gluing is therapeutic.

This is probably the most "crafty" thing we did all summer, and I'm conflicted because I hate the word "craft." Makes me think of all the ugly useless junk my youth leaders used to try to get me to make. However, the point of art with children, and really any art or craft or hobby, is the process. Finished products are nice, but people build models, or scrapbook, or do crosswords, or sew, or bake, or work on cars because they enjoy doing it. Which is why I hated crafts like puffy fabric-covered photo albums as a girl - they weren't my kind of process. Then I started manipulating my clothes - changing buttons, adding trim, fraying, dying, and who can forget the skirt I made out of ties? (Yes, I wore it. Often.) And I found my thing. I found my process.
These days it's baking. And doing arts, and yes, sometimes crafts, with my kids. And finding out what their processes are.

Another reason I loved this project was that I got to clean out all my craft supplies! As you will see near the end of this post, we used lots and lots and lots of stuff! It was tactile. It was 3-D. There was coloring, sticking, gluing, sprinkling, cutting, stringing, twisting. And I won't deny the fact that I took the opportunity to get a few new things, like Crayola's telescoping towers of crayons and markers:
And a paper crimper (with a 50% off coupon at AC Moore) to make "shutters":
Setting up for the project was almost as much fun as doing it!
Everybody's house was completely different (see pics below). That's how it should be. Then just to drive the point home we read "The Big Orange Splot" by Daniel Pinkwater, which I've had for years and used to use in my speech-language practice. It's about Mr. Plumbean who lives on a "neat" (= cookie cutter) street. When a seagull flies over and dumps some orange paint on his roof, he takes the opportunity to decorate his house to fit his dreams, and one by one his neighbors follow suit. A simple story about individuality, tolerance, being true to yourself, and artistic creativity. And, yes, even about the artistic process. Cereal Box Houses
What you need:
(I love this supply list - it's like those new back-to-school Target commercials, have you seen them? My favs are the kindergarten teacher - "so much glitter!" - and the music teacher "denim, denim, more denim...")

an empty cereal box for each child
crayons
markers
tape
glue/glue gun
stapler
colored/patterned duct tape
pipe cleaners
sequins
lightweight beads
buttons
beans/dry pasta
yarn
popsicle sticks
stickers/foam stickers
patterned scrapbook paper/cardstock
paper crimper (optional, to make shutters)
glitter (if you're up for it)

What to Do:

1. Take your cereal boxes and open the two ends. Then cut up one corner to create a totally flat piece of cardboard. You're basically going to be turning them inside out.

2. Lay out all your awesome supplies and have everyone go to town! We also cut some pre-made windows and glued yarn on them for the panes. And crimped some shutters - see above. We also told everyone to draw a door so we could cut it for them - other than that, whatever!!!3. When everything is done but the roof, cut a piece of packing tape the length of the box and use it to secure the cut corner from the inside:

4. Leave the bottom open to help it stand, and to be the "yard." Angle the top pieces to make a roof and secure with with tape on the inside, or we used patterned duct tape on the outside.

Instead of houses, you could also make a whole town or city - post office, church, library, etc. Or use different kinds of boxes for real variety.

Here are some of our finished products:

"Our houses are us and we are them. Our houses are where we want to be and they look like all our dreams." -from The Big Orange Splot

Vegging Out

2011-09-15T00:20:00.000-04:00

Hazel has decided to be vegetarian. She announced it last night as we were sitting down to a vegetarian meal from the Dinner Swap - roasted veggie panini sandwiches, spinach salad, grapes & raspberries. But she had obviously been thinking about it.

We have a handful of vegetarians in our life, so here and there Hazel has asked questions, which I have answered. How do people become vegetarian? Either they choose it (for a variety of reasons), or their parents are, so their whole family just eats that way. Why don't they eat meat? Some don't like how it tastes, some don't like the thought of killing or eating animals, some think it's healthier. Can vegetarians eat fruit? Yes, they eat everything except meat, and some still eat fish. But they eat everything else, like rice, grapes, cereal, yogurt. Et cetera.

Yesterday at school Hazel bought lunch. When faced with cheese or pepperoni pizza, had chosen cheese, not her usual choice. When she told me this at dinner, and said she was now vegetarian, I decided to take her seriously, not like the amused reaction my parents gave me when I made the same announcement at age 11. True, I said was going to be vegetarian "except for ham", and it obviously didn't stick, but people, even children, like to be shown some respect.

We talked about how this would affect our family. We can work with it, making sure there are enough meatless choices for her. Breakfast and lunch are no big deal, so dinner is the only meal to consider, and with the Dinner Swap there will always be at least two side dishes that are usually meatless. And there is always PBJ. Actually Hazel overdosed on PBJ last year and doesn't like it anymore. Or cheese. But I have encouraged her to try to like them again because they will go a long way in expanding her vegetarian meal options. We talked about protein sources - nuts, beans, dairy - and I even told her about tofu, which I have eaten only a few times and never bought or cooked with - Ed says NO to tofu, but I think we could try it out. In fact, Ed feels overall more amused and less supportive, or maybe less believing, than I do. But when he asked her how she came to the decision, she simply told him, "I just feel done with meat." Then tonight the next Dinner Swap meal came. Really fabulous fixings for southwest chicken/taco salad - chips, lettuce, homemade bean & corn salsa, dressing, cheese and slow cooked chicken. Hazel looked around the table and said, "Mom, being vegetarian and picky is hard work." I said, "Yes it is. I think you should drop being picky." I knew she was hungry. She sat down and filled her plate with chips and lettuce and some bean salsa. Then she got out the ketchup and used it to dip her lettuce in. My girls love ketchup. Then she asked if she could have a hard-boiled egg from the fridge. And that was dinner. I didn't say anything; she seems quietly convicted.

It's interesting. I wasn't going to write about this until I knew if it would "stick", but then I changed my mind. Even if she is vegetarian for only a week, or a month, and then wants some chicken fingers, it's part of her story. It's something she has thought about, a personal decision she has made. And can change whenever she wants, like a favorite color. A chance for us to show her our respect and support, and encourage her taking responsibility and consideration for her own health.

But please oh please don't let her go vegan. Or worse (for us) - gluten-free! Vegetarian we can live with. But stop eating butter and flour...and we have a problem.

Art Tuesday: Different Paints

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Now that we are into fall and all of its inherent busy-ness, Art Tuesday is done...but I am behind on posting them so I have at least three more to show you. And we had so much fun with it this summer we are trying a modified schedule of every other week in the fall. (Even though it won't be on Tuesdays anymore I am still calling it that. It has just taken on a nice sound to me.)

So this time around we showed the kids how two kinds of paints can differ - watercolor and acrylic. Watercolor is thinner, and to vary the shade you add more or less water.
This time the toddlers even took an interest and got to paint with some water.
We painted postcards.

Next up, acrylic paints. Nice ones.Acrylics are much thicker, and to vary shades you add white or black to them, though that also changes the color a bit. We painted canvases this time.

Sometimes it's just nice to say, "Here, here's some paints and brushes - just enjoy how they feel!"

First Talk (featuring Ginger Art!)

2011-09-10T14:43:00.009-04:00

You might remember when Hazel gave her first talk about a year and a half ago. In that post I explained The Gideon Method, which we use for creating and giving talks. Worked great.

So when Ginger was recently asked to give a talk in Primary at church, we decided to try the same route. The topic she was given was "The scriptures teach that the gospel shall be preached in all the world." The theme for the year is "I know the scriptures are true" so all the monthly topics have to do with the scriptures. I figured we could work with that.

So one afternoon while Poppy was sleeping, Ginger and I sat on my bed with our scriptures and a notepad to brainstorm. We talked about the scriptures. We talked about preaching the gospel and missionaries. And we pretty quickly came up with the talk. I pretty much just wrote down exactly what she said, and rearranged it slightly. Then I gave her 5x7 cards and markers and stood back. She wanted to do all the art herself, which is perfect because she knew exactly what each picture meant to her, and it made the memorizing almost effortless. We practiced the heck out of it for about a week, then on Sunday she stood up with confidence and delivered it like a pro. That's my girl.

"The Scriptures Teach that the Gospel Shall be Preached in All the World"
by Ginger Hickman
September 4, 2011

In Matthew 24:14, Jesus says, "This gospel shall be preached in all the world." He's talking about missionaries.
(Jesus is in the middle and the others are "people.")

Missionaries can be a boy or a girl. Girl missionaries are called Sisters and boy missionaries are called Elders. Missionaries work very hard to be obedient and represent Jesus Christ.
(This one is a girl missionary. You can tell from the hair. Apparently.)

This is my Aunt Natalee. Right now she is on a mission in Romania. In a recent letter she said, "Missionary work really keeps you on your toes." That means you have to be prepared for anything because you never know what might happen.
(Ed's youngest sister; you can follow Nat's missionary adventures here.)

This is my cousin Thompson. Next year he'll go on a mission. He wants to go to Russia, but he'll go wherever the Lord says.
(Taken outside the Newseum when Thompson was evacuated from William & Mary for hurricane Irene and stayed with us for the weekend.)

When I grow up and be a missionary I want to go to New York to help teach the gospel.
(The black one is Ginger - "because missionaries wear black" - and the gray one is the Statue of Liberty.)
I know the scriptures are true. I know the gospel is true because the gospel is in the scriptures and the scriptures are true.
(This one is Ginger's scripture case - it's green with pink flowers on it.)

Dinner Swap, Week 1

2011-09-09T17:41:00.003-04:00

OK, Week 1 of the Dinner Swap is done and it was faaaabulous! I feel like a crazy person one day and a queen in the lap of luxury three days. If this week is any indication, worth it. Usually we'll swap Monday through Thursday but since it was Labor Day this week we did Tuesday through Friday. Here's the low-down.

Tuesday (my day)
Thai Steak Salad (prepared components with assembly instructions - recipe here)
Egg rolls (frozen from Costco, cooked, dipping sauce included)
Mixed fresh tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, kiwi)

It was a good day for me to go first because it was the first day of school for everyone else, whereas Hazel has been in school for a month already. I kept my whole day clear, save one small errand, and paced myself on prep throughout the day. But despite doing everything you can ahead of time, there are just some things you have to do in the last hour, so that makes the afternoon a bit hectic. BUT it was much easier this time than the two summer trials, probably because my expectations, and execution, were more realistic. And this time my kitchen was just really messy, and not the grenade explosion it was the last two times. Good thing, because my dishwasher is broken and I am handwashing these days. Ah, takes me back to New York...

I think it helps to make something you're very familiar with - I've made this salad at least six different times - it's a favorite at our house. It helps to know what can be done ahead, and how much work each step is. Overall it was very doable (and delicious, in my opinion!) I left at 5:38 and the three drop-offs took about 20 minutes. Not bad.

Wednesday
Pineapple Meatballs over linguini
Fruit (watermelon & grapes)
Homemade wheat bread

What I did from 4-6pm instead of making dinner: Baked an afterschool banana snack cake, and sat down and ate it with the girls. Then since I wasn't cooking dinner, I made a big batch of breakfast burritos* for the freezer. Then I did some math "homework" with Ginger (counting household things and then graphing them) while Hazel did her homework, and then I read Poppy a book. Then I laid down on the couch and read a magazine until dinner came. Call it a life of luxury.

But poor Shanna! It was her day to cook, and she had meticulously planned out her day to time things right for a 5pm delivery. But her kids' school bus was late. And later. And it kept not coming. For 45 minutes she stood out in the rain waiting for that bus, when she really needed to be in her kitchen getting everything done. Which just goes to show how stressful cooking day, and especially that last hour, can be, no matter how well-planned. And which is why we have a generous 1-hour window for delivery (5 to 6pm). So she meant to bring it at five and it came closer to six. To her it was horrifically stressful. But to me? Well it just meant I got to read a few more pages of my magazine. No big whoop.

Hickman Breakfast Burritos: Cook 1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage, pour into a big bowl. In same pan cook 1 bag Simply Potatoes diced potatoes and onions according to directions (about 15 minutes, turning every few minutes until browned and crispy; their Southwest hash browns are also good in this), I also add some seasoning salt; pour into the bowl with sausage. In same pan scramble about 8 eggs with a splash of milk and some Mrs. Dash; add to bowl. Grate about 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese and add to bowl. Mix it all up. Add scant 1-cupfuls onto large burrito-size tortillas, roll up with ends tucked in, and wrap individually with plastic wrap. Place in large Ziploc freezer bags (about 4-5 per bag) and freeze. To reheat, partially unwrap and microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes. Makes about 9

Thursday
Tender slow-cooked beef au jus
Red-skinned mashed potatoes
Steamed broccoli
Onion-rosemary focaccia

What I did instead: Sat down at the counter next to Hazel - while she did her homework I slowly sifted through the "Thursday Express" weekly folder full of finished work and flyers. Got the girls a snack. Took about 10 minutes "Mommy alone time" in my room - started a new book while I was in there (I got a stack from the local Borders at 70% off.) Came down and sent the girls upstairs to clean and play. Had a nice long talk with Ed on the phone, who's in Phoenix all week. Knocked out a few blog posts. My kitchen counters stayed clean the whole time! AND. Incidentally it was a wicked rainy day, lots of thunder and rain coming down in sheets. Very happy I didn't have to deliver that day. Or cook. Or do anything but wait around for a fabulous dinner to come to me!!!

Friday
Herbed tilapia
Carrots with dill
Zucchini Carpaccio

What I did instead: It was the first sunny day all week so when we got home from picking up Hazel, the girls got in swimsuits and I filled up the baby pool and water table out back for them. Kept an eye on them outside while I caught up on email and worked on some of the many blog posts I have backlogged in my head. Then when the girls came in I gave them all a small handful of M&M's and performed my "I-Don't-Have-to-Make-Dinner" song and dance. Helped them get dried off and dressed, and held Poppy and sang with her and kissed her until dinner came. What a great Friday afternoon.

And here is a direct, unsolicited, unedited quote from Ginger just now - "Mom, you know why I like dinner exchanges?"

"Why?"

"Because I get to talk to you when you're supposed to be making dinner."

If that doesn't sum it up nothing can. Laaaaa for the Dinner Swap!!!

Dinner Swap

2011-09-07T17:16:00.001-04:00

This is definitely the coolest, most functional, positively life-saving idea I have heard in a long time. Some friends and I are doing a Dinner Swap.

Have you heard of this idea? You make dinner, lots of it, one day and deliver it to the others. Then on the other days someone brings you dinner. Genius.

First I will tell you why I need this so badly. Then I will tell you how we put it together. In my next post, I will tell you how it's going so far.

This is perfect for people like me - lots of kids (lots means more than one), late-working husband, and I think this is the kicker - at least one kid in school. Something about that 4pm hour when all the kids have come back together and there is mayhem and homework and dinner prep and usually some kind of crying makes me slightly suicidal. Case in point - a few weeks ago when Hazel had her first night of homework. It was 4:30. Poppy was screaming hungry so I put her in her high chair and filled her tray with kinda-sorta healthy stuff to keep her happy and quiet. I was trying to work with Hazel on her homework - first, to understand what she was to do, then to help her understand, then to help/supervise her doing it. Ginger was climbing all over Hazel because she was both bored and jealous of the homework. So I gave Ginger a new coloring book to keep her busy. Then Hazel was distracted by the coloring book. Then Poppy ran out of snacks and started screaming again. And who was making dinner? That's right, no one. I think we had popcorn and cereal that night. I need someone to bring us dinner. As often as possible.

So a few friends cooked up The Swap. One has a sister in another state that does it so we got her details, and put our own group together. We did two trial runs in the summer with whoever was in town. It was a good experience because I realized cooking for multiple families is a different way of cooking, one I'm not used to, and my efforts were way too ambitious, leaving me exhausted and depleted each time. But having the others bring me dinner was like heaven, so I resolved to stick it out and adjust, pacing myself differently.

Here's how we're doing our group:

It works best if there are four families. We have eight so we are doing two groups of four, and rotating each month. The plan is to do this just during the school year, or at least through December and then reevaluate.
Dinner consists of a main course and two sides. Each family receives four adult portions. We each have 2-4 kids so this works out just right, maybe with occasional leftovers. Also makes it easy to multiply recipes since so many serve 4. So each time you are making 16 servings. There does not have to be meat. Use the suggested budget as your guideline. Dessert is not required (but you know me...)
We pitched in to buy enough 8x8 square pans for each group. Other than that we will bring the food in disposable or otherwise non-returnable packaging (Ziploc bags, Gladware, etc.) Eventually they will all get recycled back into the group and you don't have to worry about getting anyone's Tupperware back to them.
Suggested budget is $45 for each person's four meals. So far I have gone over budget each time. Not sure if it is set too low or I need to change. I am not making gourmet stuff here. For now I am just focusing on being able to plan, make, and deliver the food; once I get that down I will work on reigning in my budget.
You do not need to provide condiments (butter, ketchup, salad dressing, etc.) unless they are specific to your dish. When providing salad dressing, give it separately so it doesn't wilt the veggies plus some kids don't like dressing.
Besides the dressing thing, we do not cater to any pickiness. There are no food allergies in our group so anything goes. It's a great chance to broaden our kids' palates and teach them you eat what you get. You can't ever say, "Please don't give us ____." And you can't ever say "We didn't like ____."
Dinner delivery is between 5-6 pm. Text everyone when you're on your way. If they're not home, leave it on the doorstep. No need to chat at the door - everyone will have a van full of kids waiting. Some things you can bring uncooked, if they are better freshly done, like noodles for example. Or if a dish is best hot from the oven, text everyone to preheat, and deliver it a little early so they can cook it at home.
We have a loose policy about letting everyone know what you're bringing, just so there aren't blatant duplicates like three nights of lasagna. I planned out my first 3-4 weeks and just emailed them to everyone. Some did the same, others just a quick email the week of. Everyone plans differently. I do not even care as long as we're getting dinner and I am not cooking it! Heaven!

We are starting for real this week. I will let you know how it goes.

Summer of Kelly

2011-09-06T12:09:00.000-04:00

Hey, y'all.

That's how Kelly always greets us, and I have developed a surprising fondness for the warm southern saying. All part of what I call "The Kelly Effect."

I've composed this post a few different times, and have always failed to do justice to Kelly or what I really want to say about her. So I'm going to just do my best and keep it short.

Kelly is an enthusiastic soul from a small town in Florida. Her life story is astounding, due in part to her adventurous nature. In June Kelly felt the call of the road and decided to give D.C. a whirl. We didn't know her beforehand, but through a church email I felt a prompting to offer her short-term lodging while she looked for a place to live. A part of me hesitated to let a stranger in, but a larger part knew something good would come of it.

Kelly arrived in her black Buick on July 3 and quickly set herself up neatly in a corner of our office. An air mattress, some clothes, and a generous warmth that quickly filled our whole house. Kelly loves to wash dishes. She admittedly loves fast food but is also a vegetarian ("I'll have a Big Mac but sub tomatoes for the meat.") She loves jewelry and can fix her own car. The girls swarmed to her like bees to honey, and so did I. She has a laid-back way that made her willing, no, happy, to play games with them, watch them do tricks, make art.

Between work and church responsibilities, Ed was gone most of July, so Kelly was like a roommate to me, too. After the girls went to bed, Kelly and I would wash dishes, talk, eat ice cream, and watch chick flicks. Early on we discovered a shared crush on Scott McGillivray, and a Twilight rivalry (she's Team Jacob but she has only seen the movies, not read the books, so she doesn't have the whole picture.) She regaled me with stories of her twin sister Kerry, who went and got married in Vegas during Kelly's time with us. And her "Daddy", who's never been farther than Alabama in his whole life. And her brother "Bubba" who turned 22 during July, and how she wishes he would do something with his life. I learned quickly her signature phrases - "Hey y'all", "What's going on?" and "I'm only a text away!"

And the babysitting! One night I went out to the movies with a friend! On a weeknight! And then we went out for a cupcake after! One Sunday morning I was stricken hard and fast with strep throat. Ed was at a meeting so Kelly stayed with the girls while I went to Urgent Care. One time when Ed was in town we had a date - a DATE! -, and Kelly babysat. Sure, she put on Poppy's diaper backwards but no harm done and we all had a good laugh on it. Several times I ran some night errands, which I never could have done otherwise.

Kelly was with us for five weeks, then she moved into an apartment nearby so we still see each other. But it was terribly sad to let her go. She is like a sister, a friend, an aunt. What I really want to say, and give ode to, is that her month with us was like a balm. I was sick for most of it, and tired the rest of the time. I was lonely without Ed, and her cheery companionship provided distraction and comfort when I would otherwise be spending my time self-medicating with bad TV and cheap chocolate. She helped with the kids when I was stressed out and worn down. And, a few times when I felt so overwhelmed by inadequacy, discouragement and near self-loathing, she kindly piped up with a compliment that there's no way she could have known I needed.

Here's a picture of Kelly with the girls. You can just see how much they love her. I still didn't do it, or her, justice, but I needed to try. Because of Kelly, it was a great summer.

Art Tuesday: Painting Cookies

2011-08-25T11:43:00.004-04:00

You knew it was coming, right? Inevitable. Of course, somehow, someday, there would be baking on Art Tuesday. At first I thought of decorating cookies. King Arthur Flour sells some cool-looking food grade markers I wanted to try. Or, if not, just frosting and sprinkles - who doesn't love that? But then I poked around the internet a bit and found this idea.

You make "paint" out of egg yolks and food coloring, and brush it on raw sugar cookie dough cut-outs, then bake. And you end up with a shiny, slightly crackled, remarkably vibrant painted cookie. Perfect!Painting Cookies
What you need:

Sugar cookie dough (I use this recipe)
Egg yolks (2 for each color you want to make)
Food coloring
New clean paintbrushes
Water
Cookie sheets lined with silpat or parchment

What to do:
1. Prepare: Make sure you use NEW paintbrushes and wash them really well with soap and boiling water. Also make your sugar cookie dough ahead of time (allow for chill time.) Roll out and cut into desired shapes. Stack with waxed paper between them and refrigerate until ready to use. They're much easier to paint when they're cold and stiff.

2. Make the paint: Stir 2 egg yolks with 2 tsp water. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir until you get the color you want. So pretty!3. Paint: Set up each kid with a work station - a plate, brush, bowl of water for rinsing, and a dough shape. Don't forget to preheat your oven for the baking! Now paint, paint, paint and put them on the cookie sheets as they are finished. Bake them when a sheet is full. Of course, as fun as painting cookies is, we could not resist the call of the sprinkles. So I baked some of the cookies plain and dipped them in a white glaze (from this recipe) - sprinkles, sprinkles, sprinkles!

Shaken

2011-08-23T14:34:00.003-04:00

About 20 minutes ago I was standing out on our back deck with Poppy and Ginger, filling the plastic pool from the hose. Both neighbors have been having work done in and out of their houses so when a loud vibration started I thought nothing of it. But when the entire deck, shed and house behind me shook violently, my heart stopped and my mind raced. Drilling? Massive vehicle? Surely not...an earthquake?

In a few seconds it was over and I brought the girls inside, too freaked out to think clearly. In a hurricane, get to a bathroom. In an earthquake...? In or outside? My elderly neighbors came over to see if we were OK and to make sure they weren't going crazy. Things had fallen off their shelves. Pictures had swung on their nails. My friend texted to see if we felt it. I went online to get some news. 5.8 or 5.9 apparently, and felt from NC to MA. Centered near or around Richmond, maybe?

I just talked to the UPS guy and asked if he's seen any damage. He said no, mostly car alarms. He was walking on a driveway and didn't even feel it. Said his fiance in Fredericksburg (halfway to Richmond) had to evacuate the building where she works for stuff falling. I am anxious to get Hazel home from school and gather my chicks under my wings.

Needless to say, we are...shaken.

UPDATE: From the Post. Gotta say, the suggestion this was a foreshock is not comforting.

Art Tuesday: Fill the Canvas

2011-08-06T16:20:00.003-04:00

We had to skip or reschedule a couple Art Tuesdays because of travel and illness - the ups and downs of summer! - but we are back on track for at least a few more weeks.

This week the project was simple, yet one none of the kids had done before. They each received an 11x14 canvas ($2.99 for a 3-pack at Michael's!), and chose a paint brush.
With a paper plate for a palette, they chose four colors from the array of glitter paint offered. A glass of water for rinsing, and a paper towel for dabbing, and they were off to the races.

The objective? Fill the canvas. That's it. Which is harder for some artists than others, depending on style and paintbrush size. But a worthy goal for all.Poppy kept busy running around chasing a tennis ball, yelling, eating Goldfish, etc. The usual.
Fill the Canvas
What you need:

paint brushes (thicker than thin)
paint (tempera, glitter, acrylic, whatever - maybe not watercolor for this)
a canvas for each kid
rinsing water
paper plate palettes
paper towels

What to do:
Give each kid a canvas, paintbrush, water cup, paper towel and choice of paints on the palette. Tell them to fill the canvas, even to the very edges. Hint: Dry by placing them on overturned bowls so they are easier to lift without touching the edges.

First Day, First Grade

2011-08-02T12:12:00.003-04:00

It's pretty anticlimactic to go back to school a scant 5 1/2 weeks after you got out. It was hot then and it's still hot now. But it pays back later when we have off-peak breaks in nice weather. we did our best to pack the summer full of fun, but it was also dappled with disappointments - cancelled swim lessons for rain, cancelled playdates for sickness, etc. Regular life stuff, which unfortunately my girls take pretty hard.

But we checked off over half of the stuff on my lengthy "Summer Fun" lists, so that's pretty good. The rest I'll just have to do with two girls because Hazel is back to school! And now she is a "grader", as the kindergarteners call the older kids. And Ed and I are taking that term to the bank. "Graders can shower without help. Graders can make their own lunch. Graders help more around the house." Et cetera.
This morning we sent her off in style - new jumper from Mini Boden. Backpack and shoes still good from last year. Ginger wore her new backpack (empty) in honor of the occasion. Hazel's missing two teeth currently, and growing her bangs out (hence the bangs-braid - there are also a lot of clips and headbands holding them back these days.) We didn't do a lick of math or reading practice over the summer (I'm defiant that way), but we did learn about art, swimming, space, Amelia Earhart, farm animals, root beer floats, fish, pizza, idioms, music and of course baking. Always baking. It was an awesome summer.
And although Hazel's back in school, summer's not really over for us. In August we have a family reunion, a beach trip, more Art Tuesdays, pool passes, and lots more fun adventures. We'll just have to work around the school schedule.

The Name of the Wind

2011-07-30T10:04:00.001-04:00

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first delve into "fantasy" and I was reluctant. But a friend with trusted taste recommended it so I reserved it through the library, and by the time it came up my turn I had totally forgotten. Why not, I said. I've been on a pleasure-reading hold for a long time. The last few I tried I couldn't get into. I figured this would be the same, and even if I liked it, no way could I finish the almost 700 pages in the 3 weeks I had it from the library. WRONG!

Finished it in 2 weeks and I am a very slow reader. The first 100 pages were especially slow, trying to get my bearings. Trying to figure out what this new world was all about and what would be important for later. But once it gets all set up and takes off it is SO EXCITING. A perfect escape.

It's kind of fun learning about a "new" world, what constitutes magic, what the physical laws are, who can do what, the superstitious/religious traditions, social structure, etc. Similar enough to our own to relate (i.e., money = power), but different enough to tickle the brain and keep me awake. Plus I have come to adore the main character. Excellent, excellent characters, pacing, and just enough twists and turns.

The hold-my-attention-ness of it reminds me of "Outlander" but thankfully without the monumental amounts of graphic sex - take note - it's clean! Good for prudes and youth as well as anyone else. I can't wait in the library queue for the second in this trilogy so I have ordered it and will then trade it on paperbackswap. But the third isn't written yet! I'll just have to savor the second and try to read it extra slowly.

View all my reviews

Art Tuesday: Bubble Prints

2011-07-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Among other things, summer is bubble season. And colorful. And a good time to make messes. So that was Art Tuesday this week.

No clever picture books. No famous artists. Just us. And soap, paint and straws.

Bubble Prints
What you need:

aluminum pie or cake pans
tempera paint
bubble solution (or make your own, see below)
scissors
straws
paper (printer, construction or watercolor)
newspapers

What to do:
1. Cover the work area with newspapers. This is a splattery project!

2. In each pan, combine 1 cup bubble solution and 1/2 cup tempera paint. Stir well. (To make homemade bubble solution, combine 3 cups water, 1 cup dish soap and 1/4 cup corn syrup.)
3. **SUPER HELPFUL TIP: Cut one or two small holes in the straws - this will still allow blowing but help avoid accidental "sipping"!

Stick one end of the straw in the paint solution. Gently blow until pan is just overflowing with bubbles. Some may pop in this step and splatter on the newspaper and kids' arms and faces.
4. Place paper over bubble pile and lower down, allowing the paint bubbles to pop against the paper.
You can do multiple pops and/or colors on each paper for a cool look.
These prints can make nice background "mattes" for photos in frames, or, laminated, cool placemats. I did a few prints on heavy watercolor paper and plan to frame them for more homemade art decor in our family room if I ever get the darn thing painted and rearranged. I've only been planning it for a year.

Backpack Time, Yet Again

2011-07-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Some of you may think it's still summer, but for us, mid-July is practically back-to-school. Hazel goes into FIRST GRADE August 2. Which means school supplies and a detailed wardrobe assessment. Her Land's End backpack from last year is still in good shape, though the mesh water bottle holder is wearing through, what can you do?

Then, come September, Ginger will go back to preschool. And this year, as a 4-year-old, she will stay for lunch two days a week. Which means the girl needs a lunchbox. So I poked around a bit online. Liked what I saw at Garnet Hill, and then when I read closer, I really liked it. This summer (through August 9), if you buy a kids' backpack you get the matching lunchbox free. And free shipping.

GH's backpacks are average in quality I'd say, and their greatest flaw is lack of reinforcement across the bottom where holes are sure to wear. But what I really love about them is the sternum strap. My kids can barely keep a backpack on without one so I did a home-sew job on their packs last year. I can't believe all kids packs don't have them. But Garnet Hill does so that is a double-bonus point in their favor.

Ginger picked the aqua/cherry blossoms set. Pretty cute.

Art Tuesday: Abstract Art Pillowcases

2011-07-14T20:53:00.005-04:00

This week's Art Tuesday was not exactly a start-to-finish project, but rather a combination of a la carte art components. First, we discussed the concept of abstract art - that sculptures, drawings, and paintings do not necessarily have to look like something to be great art. Combinations of lines, shapes, and colors can evoke energy, mood, feelings and images to both artist and audience.
Next, we discussed the idea of planning and sketching. Leaning on last week's Seurat lesson, Seurat made dozens (hundreds?) of sketches and plans before painting La Grande Jatte.

Those both being said, we gave the kids white paper and nice art pencils and encouraged them to do some abstract sketching. Kids are way better at that than adults, at least in my house.

Finally, we handed them their blank canvases (white pillowcases) and medium (fabric markers) and told them to recreate a finished copy of their sketch in color on the pillowcases.

Ginger was especially focused on this project. Her sketch was not abstract; I think this first introduction to abstract art did not sink very deep. She drew our family. But the concept of sketching and planning drove home - she must have done three or four sketches before being satisfied and taking on the pillowcase. Sorry I forgot a picture of the final project - it took her so long the rest of us had moved on by the time she finished.

So this project doesn't really have a supply list and directions. It was abstract! But any one of these components - abstract art, planning, pillowcases - would be a great foundation for any number of art days.

"Chris" & Goo

2011-07-11T15:47:00.007-04:00

Here's how the text thread went with my friend this afternoon -

G: Edward barbies are on clearance at target. $19!! Just thought you should know. :D
Me: Did u buy them out?!
G: No. I'm not the big fan...Still here. Want me to pick one up? 2 left.
Me: Yes just 1 pls.
G: You got it!

So a little while later she showed up with my new distance-impulse-buy. I thought the girls would make good use of a boy doll to play father/brother/husband/son/boy cousin roles with all our girl dolls. And if we're going to have a boy doll, I can think of none better than this extra tall romantic vegetarian vampire with sparkly skin!

I pulled him out of the box and showed him to the girls. I told them his name is Edward. They just laughed, thought it was a joke because their Dad's name is Ed. So they decided to rename him: Chris Edward Contagible. That is what they agreed upon.

Hazel wanted to know about the movie he's in; I told her I'd tell her when she's older. Knowing how it affected me, let's avoid that obsession as long as we can!They immediately got out their green goo they made at camp last week and started making stuff for him. Here is his jumprope. And here is a purse for whoever he marries. (He is currently betrothed to at least two dolls, Ariel and Golda, and is cousin to Mulan, who our girls call Muland.) I love a purse with long straps. And since I've started writing this post they've made scarves for his children, a rug and a fireplace for his house (note to self: fireplaces in real life probably shouldn't be made of "goo.") Oh, my, and Hazel has just gone upstairs to get a bunch of dolls to be his family. And Ginger just told me, "Whew, all this carpenting is making me tired. But I can do it! A carpenter never gives up!" I may have written this post too soon, this may be an hour or more of play.

Yeah, it's a good day at our house.

UPDATE, 11:23 pm - "Chris" joined us at the dinner table. He sat on Ginger's lap and ate part of her food. We checked his legs to see if they are sparkly - no. Hazel begged again to know the story of "Twilight." I resisted. Our friend/houseguest that is staying with us saw the doll and wanted to take me to bat over the Edward/Jacob thing. But it came out she's only seen the movies, not read the books, so she only has half the story. In the movies, yes, Jacob wins. In the books, I don't think so.

UPDATE, 8/7/11 - Poppy has adopted "Chris" as one of her favorite toys and carries him around the house saying his name. She likes to put him to bed in boxes with a small blanket over him, comb his hair, and hold him during diaper changes. Tonight she wanted him for her snuggle lovey when she went to bed. It's safe to say he has been lovingly embraced by our whole family.

Art Tuesday: Pointillism

2011-07-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

You know this painting? If from nothing else, Ferris Bueller, right? It is called Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat, 1884, and it was the inspiration for this week's Art Tuesday. Seurat created this painting by placing tiny, precise dot-like brush strokes of different colors very close together so that from a distance it creates the picture you see. This method became known as pointillism.

You can learn all about it in this book I got from the library, and which we used to discuss the painting before and after our own project:Next we got out this awesome color wheel puzzle and discussed "complimentary colors." I explained they set each other off, and Seurat used this visual trick in his painting.
Now to our own project.

Pointillism
What you need:
Heavy white paper like cardstock or watercolor paper
Tempera paints in complimentary colors
Stencils, optional
Q-tips
Paint brushes
Newspaper for covering the work surface

What to do:
Choose a set of complimentary colors (yellow/purple, orange/blue, red/green) and a stencil; tape it to the paper. Dip a Q-tip in one color of paint and carefully fill in the stencil openings with dots of paint. Careful not to brush or swipe - stick to dots!

Then fill in another stencil with the other color. OR take the stencil off and use a paintbrush to fill in the white space with the complimentary color.At this point we went back to our book and played a little "I Spy" activity with the painting - there is a lot going on if you just look carefully - I totally learned a lot about this painting and artist!

Finally, it was snack time. And would you believe we made Pointillist Smoothies? See all the dots going in?
Blend, blend, blend...and there are still dots, just smaller.
Pointillist Smoothies
1/2 cup grape juice or cran-raspberry juice
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen grapes
3/4 cup frozen blueberries

Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Makes about five child-size cups. Happy Art Tuesday.

Camp Week!

2011-07-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

Phew. This last week the girls went to summer camps. Ginger was in "Vacation Bible School" 9 to 12 every day at the local Presbyterian church - there was a cafe/cooking theme where she learned "God's recipe" for her, including Bible crafts, stories, and verses each day, plus of course songs, cooking and playground time. Her friend Charlotte from our church was in her class, and me and Charlotte's mom seemed to be the only ones daring enough to park in the Mormon church parking lot across the street during pick-up and drop-off. There was a color each day that they dressed in, and lots of other cooking-Bible theme stuff that was hard to get the straight story on, but Ginger loved it. And it was cheap.

Hazel went to lacrosse camp. We've always kind of had lacrosse in mind for her, at least to try, and rising 1st-graders are the youngest that can start, so we decided to jump her in. Rented a stick and mask, bought and molded a mouthguard, and showed up the first day to Marymount campus, where we checked her in and she ran off to the field, immediately starting to toss a ball with another girl. She'd never touched a stick before, never seen the game played. Hazel is just that kind of kid. Camp was every day 9 to 3 - she ate lunch in the cafeteria, mostly root beer floats and the occasional slice of pizza from what I can tell, and a dip in the college pool after lunch for a break from the heat, then back on the field for drills and scrimmages. Campers - about 50 of them - were age 6 to 17, and Hazel was the very youngest. After the first day, the coach told me cheerfully, "She is such a character!" and "Everyone knows her name!" Hmm. Hazel's end-of-day reports were as spotty as Ginger's, but she seemed to love it, especially all the socializing with older girls. Check out this sportsgirl:
And Poppy, well as usual she went to Mommy camp. But on Monday morning she must have felt the buzz of something new happening, because she kept trying on both of the other girls' backpacks, and squawking protest if we took them away. So I hunted down Hazel's old toddler backpack, put Poppy's cup in it, and there. She was ready for her week. She wore that backpack every morning out to the car, and held it on her lap once buckled in. By Wednesday she figured out how to unzip it and to her delight found some fruit snacks in the pocket for her trouble.As for me, I was a busy bee all week. Between the 9 o'clock drop-offs and the 12- and 3 o'clock pick-ups, I tried to get Poppy her naps and also get some serious to-do tasks done, like:

Scheduling our HVAC maintenance
Calling our health insurance to clarify some points of coverage
Setting up a consultation to finally have my mole removed (yes, that mole, the one that frightens children and distracts adults)
Hiring an interior designer to help me finally, once and for all, pick some darn colors to paint the family room and downstairs
Hosting an Art Tuesday
Preparing a four-family meal for a dinner exchange some friends and I are trying
Doing a 4-meal session at Let's Dish (more on that in another post)
Cleaning out and taking inventory of the freezer
Constantly picking up the entire house
Doing everyone's laundry
Catching up on both blogs
Balancing the budget
Getting over a cold
Two trips to the library
Helping the girls sort and count their piggy bank money, run it through the Coinstar machine, and buy food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (an outreach project of Ginger's Bible school)
And of course watching a few shows from Netflix and the DVR - currently obsessed with Firefly and Income Property.

Now that camps are over, we are just realizing it is a holiday weekend. And that it's July. This is our one big summer month since Hazel goes back to school the first week of August. Things on the calendar include but are not limited to - a sleepover at Grandma's, a trip to Pie Gourmet, swimming lessons, a show at the Discovery Theater, several playdates, Art Tuesdays, getting the darn family room painted, and maybe even a date with Ed! But that might be asking too much.

Art Tuesday: Cutting Bouquets

2011-06-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

The great thing about doing art projects with friends is that they come up with things I never would have, and vice versa. I loved this flower-making project because it utilized such a range of visual and motor skills, engaged our preschoolers for a long time, and each unique flower was perfect as it was.

First, we twisted our floral wire bases - even in these, each one was different, yet perfect - there are a lot of ways to make a wire stand!

Then we traced circles on colored paper using cups, and cut them out. Taped one on the wire for a center, and cut slits in the others to make petals. Slide the petals on, tape the base to a paper for greater stability, and voila!

The 3-year-old lost interest after cutting a few circles, but our 4-year-olds held focus and made two flowers each! Here's Ginger's:Here's mine:Then we went outside and cut our own real bouquets from my friend's gorgeous hydrangea bushes and flower garden; we each got to take our bouquet home in a Wendy's cup. Pretty much another perfect Art Tuesday.
Cutting Bouquets
What you need:

18-inch floral wire (comes in a long skinny pack from craft stores)
colored paper
cup, cookie cutter or other round template
scissors
pencil
tape

What to do:
1. Twist wire into a spiral base so it will stand up.

Berries

2011-06-29T13:34:00.002-04:00

14 Months

2011-06-23T09:57:00.004-04:00

I was just going to write a quickie update on Poppy, then I got a call to go pick up Hazel at the school clinic so this will be even shorter than quickie. Just look how beautiful she is:She loves reading books, being held, saying "Mama!" one million times each day, yelling at the top of her lungs, rough housing, climbing, shoes, getting wet, grapes, pasta with red sauce, fruit snacks, playing with food cans, and toothbrushes.

She does not love milk, being scolded, or sitting still.

She is always cute...but cutest when sleeping or laughing. Gotta run!

Art Tuesday: Squeezing Shapes

2011-06-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

This week's art project turned out even better than expected. For "Squeezing Shapes" we squeezed tempera paint onto thick paper, then pressed another piece on top, gently peeled off, and named the gorgeous shapes we made.

Then we read the book It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw. Each page shows a white shape on a blue background, with text following this pattern - "It looked like ________. But it wasn't _________." Then at the end it says that it was just a cloud in the sky. The kids had a great time naming the shapes (squirrel, butterfly, etc.)
Then we went back to the counter and made shapes with white paint on blue paper.
Overall a highly successful Art Tuesday. Some of the prints came out so beautifully I think we will frame them.

Squeezing Shapes
Supplies:

Tempera paint
Squeezy bottles if the paint doesn't come in them
Newspapers for covering work surface
Thick paper like cardstock, posterboard or watercolor paper (construction paper is too thin)

Cover work surface in newspaper. Give each child a thick piece of paper and whatever color(s) paint they choose. Squeeze paint in a design on the paper. Place another piece of paper on top, lining up edges as well as possible. Press with hands. Carefully peel papers apart. Look at the designs and discuss what you see in them - have the child name the shapes.
Parent rating: Easy
Child rating: Fun

Fashion Week, continued

2011-06-20T10:45:00.002-04:00

A few days after that last post, Hazel picked her own outfit, from head to toe. I loved it.(And that blur of white in the background is Poppy trying to make off with Hazel's raincoat while we are distracted!)

Fashion Week

2011-06-14T19:35:00.006-04:00

Hellooo. I've gone and made a new Listmania! list. It gives me the feeling of being organized. I think you'll like it:

Picture Books for the Burgeoning Fashionista

We have a few fashionistas around here. Poppy's got a new shoe fettish and likes to get her hair "done" in the morning with her sisters (though she won't keep any bobs in.)

And. I got the girls Fashion Plates - anyone remember those? Like this but the originals, with all the 70's hair and clothes. Paid an arm and a leg on ebay for a complete set. But I love them and so do the girls. Watch our walls for some new decor...

Art Tuesday: Dipping Colors

2011-06-07T10:56:00.004-04:00

Now that Ginger is out of school for three whole months, and ballet is over (the recital was adorable!), I am trying to add a modicum of structure to our days. Henceforth, every Tuesday we will be doing an art project. A real art project, not just coloring or gluing. I got a pretty good book, Art for the Very Young. Plus Young at Art is great. And there are lots of online sources as well.

So as often as I remember, or feel like it, I'll be sharing our Art Tuesdays. I expect some will be more fun and/or successful than others. I am not an artist myself at all. But I like creating things, working with my hands, and spending time with Ginger (and in a few weeks, Hazel.) And I love shopping for art supplies. So we will just give it a shot.

First up, a project called Dipping Colors. Easy, fun, cheap - all I could want in a project.

Dipping Colors
What you need:

paper coffee filters (or paper towels)
muffin tin (standard or mini)
food coloring
newspaper
water

1. Fill a few muffin cups with water. Color the water with food coloring.

2. Fold the coffee filter/paper towel in quarters. Let the child dip the paper into the colors, watch it spread, turn it, dip another part in another color, etc.
3. Unfold the paper and lay flat on newspaper to dry.Uses: hang the tie-dyed circles from a curtain rod, string or hook for decorations, tape to windows, glue on craft paper to make wrapping paper, or poke a hole through the center and fiddle a pipe cleaner through to make paper flowers.

Child Rating (how much the kid actually liked doing it): ***** (5/5)

Frosting for the Cause: Pistachio-Cardamom Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-06-03T09:58:00.002-04:00

Look at me, I'm a guest blogger. Several months ago I signed up with "Frosting for the Cause" to write a post, donate my cupcakes, and donate $25 to cancer research. June 3 was my day, and now it's here. I'm super impressed with this project, and mastermind Paula's management of it. I hope you'll go over and check it all out. If for nothing else, my Pistachio-Cardamom Cupcakes with the BEST EVER Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Also, I am fascinated by these Chocolate Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes. Can't wait to try them.

Summertime

2011-05-31T15:19:00.004-04:00

I do not care what the calendar says. It got hot last week, so that makes it summer. Then Ginger had her last day of preschool. And today it is NINETY-SIX DEGREES, so that seals the deal. This year we got season passes to the local public pool, but on days we just can't make it that far, this is what we'll be doing.

DM Finds: Stomp Rocket

2011-05-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

OK, folks, here is the hottest summer toy that both you and your kids will love: the Stomp Rocket. This one is actually the Stomp Rocket Jr. with glow-in-the-dark rockets.

I was browsing on Amazon for a birthday gift for Hazel's friend, and was seduced by the rave reviews and perfect price tag ($10.50) this little set offered. So we got one for her friend. And another set for us.

It is the BEST summer toy, and here's why:

Kid-powered (no batteries)
Requires turn-taking but turns are very quick
Fun for all ages (Poppy can put the rocket on by herself and we help her jump or sit on the stomper to send it flying - gratuitous giggles ensue)
Can play alone or with others (it's fun to try to catch the rocket when you're waiting for your turn)
Inherent but unmeasurable competition
Active!

Cons, though I don't think any of them are a big deal:

Babies like to chew on the rockets (so what else is new)
The stand sometimes comes apart if it gets knocked or jumped on - an adult has to put it back together
The rockets sometimes get stuck in nearby trees, but that offers its own fun trying to get it down (Dads love to get involved in this manly challenge)
Babies crawling too close to the stomper may get knocked down by heaven-gazers trying to catch the rockets (whoops)

We were out in our common area/courtyard the other night doing the rocket and a family who recently moved in came out when they heard the giggles. They have a newly adopted 3-year-old son from Eritrea who is shy and speaks little English. It was fun to see him warm up and smile when his Dad, and later he, stomped the rocket into space.

So if you've got a space for stomping, I'd say go get you one. Unless your kid has a summer birthday and will be inviting my kid to the party...because I'm pretty sure this is our new favorite gift.

And here's a cute picture of Ginger climbing the tree the HOA says we're not allowed to climb. I am training them early to defy authority.

DM Tip: Pony Holders

2011-05-26T09:44:00.004-04:00

This is our hair basket:
It contains a brush, water spray bottle, detangling spray, and several zipper cases of elastics, clips and various accessories, all of which are always jumbled, and to which you can never find a match when you need one. When the girls take ponytail holders out of their hair at night, they end up on the floor, in the bathroom, in the laundry - anywhere but back in the hair basket.

But a tip I read recently is helping to reign in the chaos - keeping ponies on carabiners.
It's especially nice for us since we have several sizes of ponies and the little ones are really hard to keep track of.
We ordered a set of six carabiners from Amazon ($6), and when they arrived Ginger helped me load them all up. One empty one stays in the girls' bathroom to receive used ones at night. She thought it was a super fun activity. And I love that everything is a little more contained.

And as a bonus, the case of pony carabiners is Poppy's new favorite toy!