You are currently browsing the monthly archive for September 2007.
School.
Tomorrow.
At last.
Real posts resume…next week, maybe? Still have more Jewish festivities to cook for live through celebrate.
Update!
Despite some first-day jitters, which were overcome with a promise that we’d check it out for five minutes and reassess, things at preschool could not be better! There were so many of her favorite things to do in one room (drawing! playdough! play kitchen! sand table! painting!!!!), she couldn’t get rid of me fast enough. I stayed for three minutes, through one anxious look when I gave her a hug at the play kitchen, then waved to her from across the room as she scooted to the playdough.
Is it tragic that I was then so excited to go to the post office with only one squirmy child?
Now said child is napping, so I have one hour and forty minutes to myself. Seriously, what will I do? Read/watch the season premiere of House vs. kid laundry/dishes? Or finish the freelance assignment for my mom.
Or maybe just stare blankly into space, breathing in and out.
After a rip-roaring trip to the library and the park, the sidekicks and I got into our elevator.
It smelled like popcorn.
Not just any popcorn, but movie theater popcorn.
Now, I’ve been to exactly two movies in the past three years. (But you don’t forget.)
Unfortunately, the people I was with have never been to a movie theater. So I couldn’t discuss this odd turn of events with them. Fortunately, I have all of you.
It was a beautiful day, although too warm to be fall, so we ignored all the other stuff on our collective plate and had our annual apple picking trip today.
But we didn’t go here. We went here.
I’m normally pretty loyal to places and products that I like. At least until I’ve been shown the error of my ways.
And now I’m torn. The farm we visited today was lovely. There were large patches of veggies for picking as well, and we came home with super-sweet orange cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, corn, a head of red cabbage, a few handfuls of spinach, and a couple of bell peppers in addition to apples, grapes (Concord and Niagara), and a few pears. If Taxman weren’t going away tomorrow for business and we weren’t spending half of Sukkot with relatives in New Jersey, I would have picked eggplant and broccoli as well for a rockin’ veggie fiesta.*
But–and here I must be honest–the apples in the orchard were “eh.” I did find some pale yellow ones (called “Golden” at the orchard, but they were not Golden Delicious) that were superb, and I picked at least 20 of them. But the Red Delicious were watery and tasteless, the Crispins and Granny Smiths (too early for the Grannys, I think) disappointing, and the Cortlandts did not have the snap that I recall from other years. For the first time in eight years we came home with less than half a bushel of apples.
In my pre-kid days I used to make apple pies and apple crisps for weeks after we went picking, but I just don’t do that any more. I don’t think I’ve made a pie since we moved to our current apartment–when Miss M was an infant. So do I need fabulous apples? Or are a few good ones ok amidst the great vegetables?
Or has our second car completely eliminated the need for this trip entirely because I go to the farmers’ market nearly every week and can find farm fresh apples in a dozen varieties at the drop of a hat?
I know, I know, tradition…it’s good for the soul.
* The green beans were mostly picked over, which was a shame because the two or three that we tasted were SO good.
To avoid this.
It takes a lot of carbs and water to replace what I’ll be drained of tomorrow. I actually felt fine after my fast on Tisha B’Av, but we were traveling to Maine that long afternoon; I had a lot of distraction and so did the kids.
Good news: Miss M’s down to one two-minute nursing.
Bad news: AM just really made the connection between signing “milk” and getting me to nurse him. He uses it often.
On the other hand: Up until now he’s been plopping himself in my lap and trying to unhook my bra, so really no difference.
Remarkably: This was the child I was terrified would wean himself nine months ago because he was so distractable. He didn’t. Which is good.
Yom Kippur, like Rosh Hashana, has been temporarily (I hope) swallowed up by the kids and their (relatively) incessant waking demands. Except tomorrow without the distraction of Laurie Berkner, magic markers, or leisurely family meals.*
If anyone sees my spiritual life lying on the sidewalk somewhere, please feel free to give it a friendly shove in my direction. Thank you.
* I haven’t seriously considered getting a babysitter so I can go to synagogue because the kids are not easily adaptable. AM is finally at the point where I can leave him with my mother-in-law, a regular (minimum 2-3 times a month) visitor, without tears upon departure. But a stranger? No way.
Snack time. (Hey, I delayed until 9:49! That’s pretty awesome!)
Wheat Chex.
Right from the box.
No fuss, no muss! And even whole grains.
Lunchtime update: I redeemed myself, in my own mind, by making grilled cheese. Miss M’s usual lunch request is bread and cheese, so I upped the ante a little.
And I now have a typical three-year-old conversation to report.
Me (while the sandwich is grilling): Do you want your sandwich in triangles or rectangles?
Miss M: It’s a Grilled Cheese Sandwich!
Me: Yes. How do you want it cut?
Miss M: In rectangles!
Two minutes later
Me: Do you want your sandwich in triangles or rectangles?
Miss M: Rectangles!
Me: Ok, I’m going to cut your sandwich into two long rectangles. All right?
Miss M: Yes! (As I’m three-quarters through the cut) Oh! I want triangles!
- To 3daughters, in case my email was spammed: b”H, good. Extraordinary sleeper.
- To NSLS: See here. Debacle still in progress. September 24th? October 8? Um, yeah.
- To everyone:
- Computer was whacked out yesterday. (Taxman seems to have fixed it.)
- Miss M once again thinks that 5:30 is an acceptable time to start the day. Sweetie, just because you have to pee does NOT mean that it’s time for breakfast.
- But AM seems to be ok with going back to his own bed after his middle of the night nursing. Which is good. The fact that I cannot seem to get him to STOP the middle of the night nursing, well, that’s not so good. If it’s only comfort nursing it’s taking an awfully long time (15 minutes). Sigh.
- I am trying to figure out if I am brave enough to take both kids to the zoo by myself. We spent a wonderful day at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk last month–but the aquarium is much more self contained. Plus far enough away that everyone slept on the way home.
- Sleeping. Still, not so much.
I kid, of course.
Plenty of food. So much, in fact, that we did not defrost the meatloaf and split pea soup in the freezer for Shabbat but rather just ate leftovers. We also plowed through two cakes, a pan of brownies, and a pan of coffee blondies. (Confession: I ate about 2/3 of the pan of coffee blondies myself.)
Lest you think that all I did during Rosh Hashana was eat and entertain guests, I also read a novel, went to the backyard playground, and spent a total of about 50 minutes* in synagogue**–but the part I was supposed to be there for (shofar blowing), so, you know, go me!
There are more holidays to come, but for the meantime I’m stuck very much in the moment because Miss M’s school is still not open. So my sanity, it’s really day-to-day.
* over two days
** Taxman was ba’al shacharis in our minyan and I got to hear about, oh, four seconds of it. Like the beginning of Ashrei after tekiah. Remarkably, this was more than I heard last year.
After making about half the food, I don’t think I will have enough of the side dishes (read: the Jewish enough, meaning with leftovers, since that is what we are eating on the second day of Rosh Hashana).
I am not happy with the potato salad. The quinoa looks a little mushy. I know we don’t have enough salad greens to get us through the three days.
Taxman has the van and carseats today. There’s something off about AM (teething? stomach virus?). Miss M will be watching videos for the rest of the day. So I am sort of stuck for the moment.
Worst of all? No real chocolate in the house. I am mainlining butterscotch chips.
Maybe I will make peanut butter brownies.
‘Cause, you know, I really have time for that.
This is the post where I am supposed to have some gravitas, where I have deep thoughts about the upcoming Very Important Jewish holidays.
But, dude. Every time I darken the door of a synagogue, I am immediately thrust into my regular role of Giver of Snack. Except I am wearing pantyhose and shoes that hurt. And have to keep the kids quiet and contained. So the profundity…well. It’s lacking.
I know it’s a few days early to sign off, but I’ve got a lot of cooking to do. I have three pounds of string beans that need to be trimmed. That’s a lot of beans. Eight pounds of chicken. Five pounds of salmon. You get the idea.
I leave you, temporarily, with this thought.
You know you’ve been watching too much Iron Chef America and Top Chef when the following appears on your Rosh Hashana dinner menu:
Gazpacho shooters with guacamole and blue corn chips
To which Taxman said, “Shooters? Are you kidding?”
Nope.
Because part of the Rosh Hashana dinner is the ”course” called “significant omens.” First you dip an apple in honey and offer blessings for a sweet new year. Then there are other foods that have a role in the ceremony, such as pomegranates, carrots, and fish heads. (We skip the fish heads!)
Anyway, by the time everyone has their fruit medley, that’s half an appetizer right there. Hence the small appetizer to follow.
I thought it was creative!
Plus, I make kick-ass guacamole.*
K’tiva v’chatima tovah, y’all.
* Taxman will not eat avocados, so he has not experienced this seriously tasty delight.
First of all, thank you all for the thoughtful comments on my last post. I am not sure why I am so invested in this–it makes it hard to keep my objectivity. But here is good news:
- Baby latched today
- Milk is coming in
- Mommy is recovering
- Mommy has a fancy breastfeeding pillow
- Baby is very cute
- LLL Leader, who lives in the next building over, made a housecall to new mommy and daddy
- Everything will be fine
- Daddy is very involved and wants it to work, but also wants to know if they can put Baby on a schedule (*snarf*). I told him he’s got to wait three months, and then she’ll let them know the plan.
