Dominic discovers the finger cymbals.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Happy Birthday, Nora!
Guess how old Nora is today!!
She seems rather disapproving. "What ARE you doing to my cupcake, woman?" Or maybe that's intense concentration. "Ooooo, cannnndles..."
She did manage to blow one of them out.
And we all managed to consume our cupcakes...
without
any difficulty
whatsoever!
NOM!
NOM!
Happy Birthday, Nora!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Industry
I have three industrial-strength garbage bags in my drive. I've had them there since the work was done on our basement this winter. Since I have a use in mind for that portion of the driveway, I had thought I would just haul them to the rear of the drive, until such time as I could arrange pick-up for them.
Ha. I knew they'd be heavy, so I braced legs and back, got a firm grip, and heaved upward. And...
nothing happened.
Ye gods.
That thing did not shift one single millimetre. I figure each of those bags much weigh a couple hundred pounds. (Millimetres and pounds. Yes, indeed. I weigh myself in pounds, but temperature is only Celcius. Short distances are millimetres and centimetres, long distances are miles. Kitchen measurements are completely interchangeable. I am the product of my pan-conversion education. Started school in Imperial, graduated in metric, I am a truly Canadian mish-mosh of measurement.)
What to do? I checked out a couple of those outfits that move stuff like that. I can get it moved, all right... for about $200.
Huh.
But you know what they say! A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So, I figured, the shifting of a few hundred pounds of dirt and rock begins with a single bucket.
A single bucket, three little plastic shovels and three willing toddlers. I didn't really think they'd accomplish anything significant, but at least it would be a Project, a toddler-friendly activity that would move me a little to my end goal of a junk-free driveway. I didn't really think we'd get very far, but it's Something Interesting for a spring morning.
I was wrong.
Really. These kids filled that bucket over and over again, and each bucket was dumped under the back porch. My driveway was simply buzzing with industry. Their interest never flagged, their focus never wavered. After a while, they'd shifted enough that I could lift the remainder of the bag easily, and pour the contents out under the porch.
One down, two to go!
They were totally into this, immersed in the project for a solid 40 minutes. I thought it was a matter of loving "shubbles" and digging, and for Dominic and Nora that's probably what it was, but when Milan greeted Eliana as she hopped off the school bus, I discovered that for him, it went far beyond merely grubbing about in the dirt.
"Hey, Ellie!" he crowed, excited and proud. "Guess what? This morning I did REAL work!"
He knew it wasn't merely busy-work (though in all honesty, that's pretty much what I thought it would be when we started out). It wasn't just mucking about in the dirt. He was Accomplishing Something. "I did REAL work!"
And you know what? He really did!
Ha. I knew they'd be heavy, so I braced legs and back, got a firm grip, and heaved upward. And...
nothing happened.
Ye gods.
That thing did not shift one single millimetre. I figure each of those bags much weigh a couple hundred pounds. (Millimetres and pounds. Yes, indeed. I weigh myself in pounds, but temperature is only Celcius. Short distances are millimetres and centimetres, long distances are miles. Kitchen measurements are completely interchangeable. I am the product of my pan-conversion education. Started school in Imperial, graduated in metric, I am a truly Canadian mish-mosh of measurement.)
What to do? I checked out a couple of those outfits that move stuff like that. I can get it moved, all right... for about $200.
Huh.
But you know what they say! A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So, I figured, the shifting of a few hundred pounds of dirt and rock begins with a single bucket.
A single bucket, three little plastic shovels and three willing toddlers. I didn't really think they'd accomplish anything significant, but at least it would be a Project, a toddler-friendly activity that would move me a little to my end goal of a junk-free driveway. I didn't really think we'd get very far, but it's Something Interesting for a spring morning.I was wrong.
Really. These kids filled that bucket over and over again, and each bucket was dumped under the back porch. My driveway was simply buzzing with industry. Their interest never flagged, their focus never wavered. After a while, they'd shifted enough that I could lift the remainder of the bag easily, and pour the contents out under the porch.One down, two to go!
They were totally into this, immersed in the project for a solid 40 minutes. I thought it was a matter of loving "shubbles" and digging, and for Dominic and Nora that's probably what it was, but when Milan greeted Eliana as she hopped off the school bus, I discovered that for him, it went far beyond merely grubbing about in the dirt."Hey, Ellie!" he crowed, excited and proud. "Guess what? This morning I did REAL work!"
He knew it wasn't merely busy-work (though in all honesty, that's pretty much what I thought it would be when we started out). It wasn't just mucking about in the dirt. He was Accomplishing Something. "I did REAL work!"
And you know what? He really did!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Caged!
No, they're not allowed to do this, but of course they all try at least once. And of course, I have to take pictures...
Me, I think it's the appeal of all those soft toys. Or maybe the idea of a teeny house? Or maybe just the appeal of the forbidden?
Whatever it is, Addie's now had her turn in the cage. Another baby milestone!
Me, I think it's the appeal of all those soft toys. Or maybe the idea of a teeny house? Or maybe just the appeal of the forbidden?
Whatever it is, Addie's now had her turn in the cage. Another baby milestone!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Dancing Girls
Eliana leads Addie in a dance. (I think we were listening to Haydn at the time. Not your standard toddler dance-music, but it seemed to suffice!)
Eliana's very tolerant of the foibles of her dance partner, even when she wants to chow down on her navel...
Eliana's very tolerant of the foibles of her dance partner, even when she wants to chow down on her navel...
Peek!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Menu Monday
Monday: Lentil-beet salad
Why does this appear so regularly in the rotation? Because they LOVE. IT.
Tuesday: Couscous black bean salad
Another hit. They're good with the legumes, these kids.
Wednesday: Broccoli-cheese quiche
They are not, however, so good with the eggs. Nora seemed to enjoy hers (she ate three helpings), but the others were non-committal.
Thursday: Chicken, dahl and rice
The dahl was the favourite part, though Eliana and Milan also enjoyed the chicken.
Friday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, cucumber
Everyone loved it. Of course.
Why does this appear so regularly in the rotation? Because they LOVE. IT.
Tuesday: Couscous black bean salad
Another hit. They're good with the legumes, these kids.
Wednesday: Broccoli-cheese quiche
They are not, however, so good with the eggs. Nora seemed to enjoy hers (she ate three helpings), but the others were non-committal.
Thursday: Chicken, dahl and rice
The dahl was the favourite part, though Eliana and Milan also enjoyed the chicken.
Friday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, cucumber
Everyone loved it. Of course.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Introducing Addie
I think you've all met Addie now; certainly you've all heard of her. Addie has been visiting with us for the past couple of weeks, getting used to this busy new place, and on Monday, Addie will start full-time.
This was taken on her first or second visit. She was really not sure at all if this was a good place to be... though the other kids were very kind, all making sure she was not left out...
and they do have some interesting toys here...
She kind of likes that camera, for sure.
If only I would ever let her touch it!
The park's not a bad place, either.
And those other kids? They sure are friendly...
Yes, this seems to be a pretty nice place, all in all!
This was taken on her first or second visit. She was really not sure at all if this was a good place to be... though the other kids were very kind, all making sure she was not left out...
and they do have some interesting toys here...
She kind of likes that camera, for sure.If only I would ever let her touch it!
The park's not a bad place, either.
And those other kids? They sure are friendly...
Yes, this seems to be a pretty nice place, all in all!Thursday, April 14, 2011
Happy Birthday, Dominic!
(Oooooooooo, caaaaaandlessssss...)And to help us celebrate,
Dominic's lovely mummy and daddy sent in
CUPCAKES!!!
With lots of BLUE ICING!!!
We were all very happy to
to wish Dominic a
Very Happy Birthday!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Slide Buddies
Except that only Milan made it down...
Ella required a little moral support,
which Milan was happy to provide!
"Come on, Ella! I'll catch you!"
(He did, too!)
At daycare...
It takes mutual cooperation, and a lot of concentration...
Ta-dah!
PERFECT!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Menu Monday
Monday: Soy felafels in pita pockets
Tuesday: Black bean soup and cornbread, stir-fried vegetables
Wednesday: Eggplant stuffed with cream-cheese vegetable mixture
Thursday: Lentil-beet salad
Friday: Spaghetti and veggie 'meat'balls
Tuesday: Black bean soup and cornbread, stir-fried vegetables
Wednesday: Eggplant stuffed with cream-cheese vegetable mixture
Thursday: Lentil-beet salad
Friday: Spaghetti and veggie 'meat'balls
Teamwork
three shovels,
a cone on top of a spring,
and you have a Project that kept them busy for the better part of 15 minutes. Doing... um... SOMETHING IMPORTANT!
Yeah.
Friday, April 8, 2011
We Love Ottawa in the Springtime...
Because spring is the beginning of construction season!
And construction means BIG MACHINES!!!
And construction means BIG MACHINES!!!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Recipe: Broccoli-Cheese Soup
This recipe warrants posting because Ella, our resident Very Light Eater, ate an entire bowl -- and asked for more! (She didn't eat the 'more', but we will not quibble. An entire 1/2 cup bowl of a fairly hearty soup was devoured in very short order.
Now, I tend to assist with soup. Even nice, thick soup like this is hard for toddlers to manage. It could be that the sound effects I employed -- and the riotous glee with which Dominic responded to the sound effects -- had a largish impact in her willingness to "Ooooopennnnn... GLOM!"
And many thanks to Nora for teaching Dominic, by her most excellent example, to open WIDE. Nora does the baby-bird-mouth, you know, the one where their face about splits in two, very well indeed. Whereas, prior to this morning, Dominic tended more to a teeny sliver of open mouth, which sliver, moreover, tended to close on the spoon before it was entirely in there.
Not today! WIDE open mouth, held open for long enough to get the ENTIRE spoonful in there. Woot!
Okay... the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 T butter or margarine
1 kg broccoli (two largish bunches), cut into smallish chunks, including the stems. (Peel the larger stems; the small ones can go in as is.)
1 onion, chopped rough
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
pinch cayenne
salt to taste
3 - 4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups vegetable broth
2 loosely packed cups of spinach
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar
3/4 cup Parmesan
Black pepper
Method:
1. Saute, stirring often, first group of ingredients in large pot or dutch oven until fragrant, about 6 minutes.
2. Mix baking soda into a cup of water and add to pot. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring once.
3. Add broth and 2 cups of water. When simmering again, add spinach and cook till well wilted.
4. Remove from heat. Puree with immersion blender. Add cheeses, and stir till melted. Serve hot.
Season with fresh ground pepper and Parmesan to taste.
Now, I tend to assist with soup. Even nice, thick soup like this is hard for toddlers to manage. It could be that the sound effects I employed -- and the riotous glee with which Dominic responded to the sound effects -- had a largish impact in her willingness to "Ooooopennnnn... GLOM!"
And many thanks to Nora for teaching Dominic, by her most excellent example, to open WIDE. Nora does the baby-bird-mouth, you know, the one where their face about splits in two, very well indeed. Whereas, prior to this morning, Dominic tended more to a teeny sliver of open mouth, which sliver, moreover, tended to close on the spoon before it was entirely in there.
Not today! WIDE open mouth, held open for long enough to get the ENTIRE spoonful in there. Woot!
Okay... the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 T butter or margarine
1 kg broccoli (two largish bunches), cut into smallish chunks, including the stems. (Peel the larger stems; the small ones can go in as is.)
1 onion, chopped rough
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
pinch cayenne
salt to taste
3 - 4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups vegetable broth
2 loosely packed cups of spinach
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar
3/4 cup Parmesan
Black pepper
Method:
1. Saute, stirring often, first group of ingredients in large pot or dutch oven until fragrant, about 6 minutes.
2. Mix baking soda into a cup of water and add to pot. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring once.
3. Add broth and 2 cups of water. When simmering again, add spinach and cook till well wilted.
4. Remove from heat. Puree with immersion blender. Add cheeses, and stir till melted. Serve hot.
Season with fresh ground pepper and Parmesan to taste.
