Carnival And a Skunk

Tonight we attended a May Day carnival in the park near Abram's office. After dinner, we enjoyed a nice walk over, and Owen had a good time on the "engine" (a little train), ATVs that went around in a circle, the fun house, and some spinner bears (think tea cups at Disneyworld).

We have a few tickets left from our marvelous deal (20 for $20), so we'll go back tomorrow evening.
The real excitement (for me at least) was not until we turned into the yard at our apartments and saw a skunk ambling along in the grass. I'm not sure what came over me, but I NEEDED a picture of this critter. So, I ran off in pursuit of a skunk while Abram yelled after me not to get too close.
I got close enough to get this picture and a few others where s/he was hidden behind ivy and stuff. But I didn't get close enough to make it spray!

Getting Ready For The Big Trip

It's just two weeks until we leave for Italy. Owen keeps talking about Italy: All planes and helicopters are headed there. He wants to go NOW. He wants to pack; he even has certain things that need to go.
We have all our reservations made (have for over a month now), rechecked, and infomation printed. I have stocked up on things we'll need for the trip. We have ordered another baby carrier for Abram (an Ergo) since the one he uses is just not supportive enough to haul a 33-34 pound boy around all day for weeks.
Abram has done a bit of studying Italian with Rosetta Stone.
We are set to be gone May 13 - June 1.

Now we just have two very busy weeks ahead of us. Here's what's on the calendar:

• figure out more about avoiding gluten and casein in Italy
• pack
• Abram's exams
• Abram's conference at Kalamazoo - he's giving a paper which is ready
• Abram has papers and exams to grade, grade, grade
• third Birth Circle
• get bills in order
• other things I hope I remember before the last minute!
  

Roasted Chicken

I love to get things ready ahead of time. I start Christmas crafting before it gets hot each year, and am a sucker for a good crock pot recipe. This one isn't for the slow cooker, but it can be prepared ahead of time, left in the oven while you are out, and be ready to eat when you get home.
I used a local chicken from the grassfed place at the Central Market, local new red potatoes, local onions, local Brussels sprouts, and local celery in this, and it turned out wonderful. I have also used beets, turnips, sweet potatoes, and eggplant (and probably other things I can't remember) with good success. I would encourage you to use whatever is fresh and local in your future roasts!

Roasted Chicken With Vegetables
whole chicken (about 5 lbs.)
1 lb. carrots
1 lb. potatoes
1 lb. Brussels sprouts
3 stalks celery
2 large onions
salt and pepper

Wash chicken (remove any "parts" from inside), and place in a roasting pan. Wash and chop veggies coarsely. Arrange them around the chicken. Salt and pepper chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook at 275 F for about 2 1/2 hours. (- or until you get back home. Really, anywhere from 2 to 4 hours has worked for me. At low heat, it is less risky to leave it for a long time.) Serve chicken and veggies dressed with pan juices and olive oil.

Earth Day Recipe

Owen and I cleaned the bathroom this morning - exciting news, I know! You are most likely feeling a bit apprehensive since the title of the post promised a recipe and now I'm telling you about cleaning bathroom; it must be a gastronomic disaster, right?
No.
We try to use the least toxic cleaners we can, and whenever possible, I make my own. My favorite all purpose cleaner, the one Owen sprayed all over the bathroom for me :o), is from Carolyn, and in honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd pass it along. It is really quick to make and works really well. I haven't done any math, but it is quite inexpensive too! I actually double the recipe and keep it in a reused Febreeze bottle (which must be ancient since I haven't used Febreeze in probably 5 years).

Carolyn's All Purpose Cleaner
2T. vinegar
1t. borax
hot water (about 1 3/4c.)
1/4 c. liquid soap (Dr. Bronner's or the like)
essential oils (if desired or use scented Dr. B's soap - I agree with Carolyn and like peppermint for cleaning; she also recommends citrus or lavender)

Mix vinegar, borax, and hot water in a 16 oz spray bottle. Add soap and essential oils last. Use as a spray on cleaner.

Okay, I just noticed that the copy of the recipe I have has no units for the soap - just 1/4. I have been using 1/4 cup for a few years now. Is that right? Hmmm? Well, at any rate, it works quite well. I do usually use it on things that get a second water-only wipe or a rinse.

Happy Earth Day!

Birth Circle - April

Last Tuesday we had our second Birth Circle Lancaster County meeting. Seven ladies came out, and we had a great discussion on "Pregnancy, Birth, and Breastfeeding In the Media." We had several doulas and other local birth professionals including a prenatal yoga instructor, one returning mom, and one new mom. We had two adorable babies too!

We hope to continue to grow and provide a place for women to share their experiences and to learn about local resources. Our next meeting, in May, will be on "Preparing For the Big Day (Or Night): Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why," and June's meeting will focus on "Connecting the Dots: Finding Local Resources."

And, speaking of birth, Ellie Ring arrived Tuesday morning. We still haven't seen any pictures or heard any stats, but we are sure she is beautiful and healthy from the reports. Congratulations, Caleb and Kirsten!

Soil

The weather has been so warm and wonderful the last few days that I just had to plant something. Owen and I took a trip to Lowe's this morning and found rosemary, lavendar, Thai basil, oregano, cilantro, Italian parsley, mesclun mix seeds, verbena, ivy, and (10 cent) pansies. We also got some pots and dirt, or as Owen corrected me, "soil."
On the way home, we found a new park, and after nap time, we went out on the deck and made a huge mess and planted all our new things. Owen really liked dumping the dirt (in the pots and all over the porch) and spreading the lettuce seeds. Afterwards, the porch got a good sweeping, and Owen helped water all the plants.

Tea Party

Owen has been enjoying his tea set from Grandma. Because it's "breakable" (one of Owen's favorite words) we keep it up on the shelf with the crystal, so he has to ask for one piece at a time. So far, he has been careful with it.
Saturday morning, Owen and Daddy took one of their outings while I did a bit of sewing (see forthcoming post for more details). While they were out, they used the money Grandma sent to buy a few special items for a tea party. Owen picked out smoked Coho salmon, water melon (which he insists on calling cantaloupe), and mango. After nap time, we had the grand event.
In attendance were Owen, Abram, and me.

Along with Owen's special purchases, we served tepid ginger tea with honey. Owen seemed to enjoy himself and ate 1/2 a small watermelon and most of the 4 oz of salmon by himself.

Heavenly Deviled Eggs

Owen has been requesting boiled eggs since Easter. Today, I cooked up a bunch so I'd have some on hand. I decided to make deviled eggs to see if he'd like them. They aren't exactly a thing of beauty:

but Owen didn't mind:

He at 2 1/2 halves. (How's that for complicated?) Abram and I each at 4 halves (much simpler math!).

Deviled Eggs
6 eggs
~1/4 cup homemade mayonnaise (see recipe below)
small pickle, chopped finely
~1T. chives or green onion, chopped

Hard boil eggs. (For smallish, pullet eggs: Cover eggs with water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, and boil 2 minutes. Turn off heat, and wait 5 minutes then cool with cold water.)
Peel eggs, slice in 1/2, and remove yolk.
Mash yolks with mayonnaise. Stir in pickle and onion. Fill egg whites with yolk mixture, and serve.

Home Made Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks at room temperature
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground mustard
1 cup olive oil

Add all ingredients to blender. Blend until it is thick. (~30 seconds-2 minutes - It will take longer if the eggs are not warm.)

This Little Piggy Went To the Park

We have Thursday morning meet-ups with our playgroup, and today was lovely. After a few mucky days, it was clear and warm, so we met at nearby Long's Park. We played in a really great wooden fort and looked at the animals in the petting farm. (They are locked away until the end of May :-(.) The boys ran along in the grass, and had a really good time. Owen found a great mud puddle in a baseball field. He made a pig of himself.


Then Gabriel took a turn, and Devon tried it out too! Finley was just not sure about the whole thing, and he opted out. Owen got several double takes from people at the park, and one little boy about his age came up and touched Owen's tummy, looked at his mom, and said, "got dirty." Her eyes got big as she said, "Yeh, he got dirty." I could tell neither of them approved. I GRINNED and said, "Yep, he had a lot of fun getting dirty!" I'm sure she thought I was a lunatic. That's okay; I probably am. Of course I didn't have a spare set of clothes with us, so Owen got to ride home in a diaper; and he got a warm, relaxing bath before nap time.

Sushi For Lunch

Owen loves sushi, and now that we are eating rice again (occasionally), he can have it! Monday, he woke up from his nap and requested sushi for his lunch. Fortunately, we had some salmon and leftover rice in the 'fridge' and nori in the cabinet.

I rolled up some salmon and avocado rolls for him and was feeling pretty self congratulatory when Owen reminded me he needed "like horse-rice" (translation: like horse radish, meaning wasabi, or Japanese horseradish.) So I mixed a TINY little bit, and Owen needed it "shaped like a heart" because that's the way we did it on Daddy's birthday. (Owen did not really eat the wasabi; it just needed to be there to make things complete.) He ate an entire roll by himself plus extra salmon and another half sheet of nori.
He also had some "loghurt" (yoghurt). We have been eating homemade, raw goat yoghurt for a week now, and (knock on wood) Owen seems to be doing well. Yay! He asks for it frequently.

Easter

Yesterday, we dyed 6 Easter eggs.

We (accidentally) took the brown outside of the shell off with too much vinegar, then we redid them to them. They turned out really neat, I think, with darker spots on lighter backgrounds of red, yellow, and blue.Owen was really keen to eat them! This morning, we made boiled eggs for breakfast so that he could keep the dyed eggs for hunting later (but not much later).
It was sunny but pretty cool this morning, so when we were ready to go outside to hide and hunt eggs, we add donned jackets, and Owen donned a hat:

While I hid eggs, he and Daddy rounded the apartment building and collected flowers from the pink tree. He enjoyed hunting eggs. Six was a good number.
When we came back in, he at the yolks from the two blue eggs. At lunch he had a yellow one.
After nap time, we met Abram at the park and played. Owen is really enjoying sliding these days.

Still Nursing After All These Years - And Other Stuff

Yes, Owen is *still* nursing. Here he is on his second birthday nursing to sleep.

He rarely nurses outside our home these days because he's just too busy while we are out and about, but he always nurses to sleep as well as some throughout the day and usually once or twice at night at least.
While this may not be the norm in your neighborhood - or ours, worldwide the average age of weaning is said to be 4.2 years. Kathy Dettwyler suggests that a natural weaning age for humans would fall somewhere between 2.5 and 7 years old based on comparisons with other animals and biological factors. Regardless of the actual average - or median, or the outlying highs and lows, breastfeeding is a very important part of my parenting and provides many, many benefits for Owen. It is a way to soothe Owen to sleep, nourish him, provide increased immunity for him as he encounters new "bugs," to comfort the hurts and insults - both physical and emotional - that Owen endures throughout the day, and help him develop good jaw structure. It is my trump card when nothing is going well in his world.
It is also good for me:
I enjoyed lactational amenorrhea for 23 months after Owen was born; while this is certainly longer than many moms experience, it is certainly not outside the norm.
It was easy for me to lose my pregnancy weight. The physiologic changes during pregnancy encourage our bodies to store up fat for the lean months ahead; just as bears pack on weight in the summer and fall, women gain "extra" weight during pregnancy. This weight - much of it added fat - provides for proper hormonal levels and responses, and is gradually used up as we feed our babies who require hundreds more calories daily above a normal diet and which may be hard to get as new mothers busy with taking care of our children. Breastfeeding is the natural next step after pregnancy, and "takes care" of the "problem" of "unwanted" pregnancy pounds.
After breastfeeding, I could have increased bone density and will be at less risk for hip fractures after menopause.
I am decreasing my risks for ovarian, uterine, and breast cancers.
It is still soothing to me. Sitting down during the day or at bed time to quietly nurse is a welcomed bit of respite from a busy day.
(See this helpful LLL article for more info.)


I am *still* wearing Owen.
He is now 33 pounds, and long ago, I gave up my home-made sling. For carrying a heavy toddler, I think you need a really sturdy and supportive carrier. The woven German wraps are the best, most supportive carriers around (IMO), and I have gotten so much use from my Katja Didymos wrap that I bought another German wrap with Christmas money. The Amsterdam Hoppediz is also an excellent carrier. Both were purchased used and are still in great shape after lots of use from us. It is really nice to have a back up one for the wash or to leave in the car.

Owen is *still* sleeping with us. We have put a small pallet next to our bed. It does give us a bit more room to stretch out when Owen is sleeping there, but he stays warmer and seems to sleep equally well (or not) right in our bed. Either way, he's still close to the rest of the family at night.

Owen is still wearing the same cloth diapers I put on him from day one. I've had to make several sets of increasingly larger diaper covers. Recently, I even had to re-elastic the ones I made last January, but the diapers are still going strong. They were a great gift and a fabulous investment.

As Owen grows and changes so quickly, it is a comfort to us all to have some things we *still* do just like we did when he was new. He is a little fella yet, and there is certainly no need to age him prematurely.

Birthday

Owen is two!
When Owen woke up yesterday morning, he knew it was his birthday and that he could open his presents. He got beads for stringing, a dollar bill, puzzles, a tea set, a books (one of them was an Aesop's fable translated and adapted by Daddy), a wooden plane, play food, and play silks.

It was a lovely, sunny day, and we took a drive over to Longwood Gardens where we soaked up some more sun and walked through the gardens and conservatory.

Owen enjoyed looking at the flowers and really enjoyed playing in the children's garden area where there were lots of fountains to stick your hands (and head) in.

Owen took a nap for a while on my back, and woke up HUNGRY. We had sushi for a birthday late lunch/early dinner, and made carob coconut milk ice cream for a dessert at home.

We had a busy day, and we all slept well (if not quite long enough) last night.

(No) Lions, and (No) Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!

Saturday we headed to the Smithsonian National Zoo with Tracy.
Before lunch, we saw a sloth bear, pandas, and lots of birds including flamingos, storks, a peacock, (wild) herons, toucans, and . . .
After lunch Owen napped a bit on my back, and we meandered through the mammals looking at the gorillas, an orangutan eating a giant popsicle, Mexican wolves, beaver, seals, sea lions, and prairie dogs. When Owen woke up, the sun was so bright he wouldn't take his face out of the wrap, so we headed into an indoor Amazon exhibit where we saw up close (but did not touch) a monkey.
We saw efalents - one large bull who was scratching his rear on a door for all the folks and a nearly-grown baby with a mother who was exploring the locks on her pen with her trunk. We also saw a baby hippo who was quite active. We visited the kids farm area to see the billy goats gruff,
cows, and alpacas; and Owen got some free play on a large pizza - sort of an odd play area concept for a zoo, but the kids seemed to like stacking giant mushrooms and crawling through a large olive quite a bit.
We went back to see the gorillas and orangutan with Owen and got a glimpse of the baby gorilla (well, her tiny hands and arms reaching up from her mother's lap was all we could really see from our angle). Owen was sure she was nursing :o). By the time we went by the tigers' and lions' enclosures, they were already inside so we missed them, but on the way out we saw zebras and a standoff between a cheetah and keeper.
Apparently she wasn't hungry enough to come inside, so she'd look at him as he showed her the food and knocked on the door of her enclosure to signal her to come. She rolled, and stretched, and feigned a bit of interest, but we finally left with that poor guy still trying to convince that cheetah to go indoors for the night. I hope he didn't have Saturday evening plans because she looked pretty ready to wait it out.
After a yummy dinner of venison roast and a bath, we left Tracy's to pick up Abram at the airport.

Cherry Blossoms and Dinosaur Bones

Abram went to the CAMWS conference this weekend. After we dropped him off at the airport, we killed time roaming around Ikea (where Owen wanted to look for forks), played at a local park, and headed to Tracy's.
Friday, we took the train ("engine") into D.C. and visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Owen and I enjoyed wandering (and running) through the Sant Ocean Hall where we saw a model of a whale and a shark's jaws taller than me with teeth larger than Owen's hands. Our favorite part was seeing the dinosaur bones. Owen got sleepy and needed to nurse amongst the fossiles. After he was sound asleep, I got him on my back (still asleep!) and walked around the National Mall making a bit of vitamin D in the sun.
Owen woke up as we headed past the Washington Monument,

and we continued a very nice walk around the Tidal Basin under the cherry trees toward the Jefferson Memorial
Owen enjoyed the music and the Indian dancers there for the National Cherry Blossom Festival and also liked sniffing the fallen flowers.

We were really tired and glad to head back to Tracy's after a long day.
Now I'd just like to know if those trees will produce edible fruit or are these sort just ornamental?