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seabird chronicles

Life in Miami, twins,
art/design, food,
homeschooling... perhaps
a bit of securities trading

in which I write re:
my creations

  

  

  

  

tastiness

  

  

green things growing

 

street art

Tuesday
14Apr

Preschoolers + Hard-Boiled Eggs = Curried Egg Salad

As previously described, many of our hard boiled eggs were terribly abused. But since the boys were going to paint them – and since “painting” involved slushing all the colors together then applying – small cracks wouldn’t show much under a sea of muddy browns and blues. So most of the deformed eggs were used...

 

 

but we had several left over and had curried egg salad for lunch. Even though I’ve been feeling much better the past few weeks, I’m not doing the grocery shopping and so we have little on hand except the staples. But curried egg salad is just hard-boiled eggs, and relish/salt/curry powder/mayonnaise to taste!

 

The boys spooned theirs from a bowl and I put mine atop toasted whole gain bread. Easy and delicious!

 

More egg recipes from American Egg Board and other ideas for what to do with leftover hard-boiled eggs at Parent Bloggers! 

DateTuesday, April 14, 2009 at 09:00AM | Comments Off
Monday
15Dec

In a word, yes.

Parent Bloggers just told me about FDA, an organization whose purpose is to unite families and help them heal in coping with depression.  We're trying to get the word out about this organization and the support they provide to families and individuals affected by depression.

Parent Bloggers wants to know how I'm dealing with the never-ending holiday to-do list.  Am I adapting my holiday preparations this year to keep from being completely overwhelmed?

In a word, yes. 

I did a few things this Christmas to decrease the stress and increase the meaningfulness of the Christmas season.  In keeping with my "stuff-reduction" theme of 2008, the day after Thanksgiving I pulled out my five Holiday Decorations boxes and reduced them to four.  A boxful went to GoodWill and most of the rest is displayed in my house.

The boys and I did make homemade Christmas cards - which admittedly temporarily increased the stress - but I had backup regular cards and felt no obligation to actually complete all 35.

I made several lists:  gifts bought/to buy, to do before certain dates, to do if there happens to be time, etc.

And finally, over the year-end holiday, I plan to lay out at least the first several months of 2009 on my calendar.  Instead of letting a lot of busy-ness crowd our days at the last minute, I want to prioritize our goals for next year and intentionally move toward them each week.  It's likely we will deviat significantly from these well-laid plans, but the exercise and thought-process behind it will go a long way in (I'll be writing more on this later...).

This holiday season is definitely the calmest (or least hectic) since the boys came along and they are old enough to delight in the lights/treats/traditions, which makes it more fun for me, too!

DateMonday, December 15, 2008 at 12:51PM | Comments Off | in
Friday
17Oct

Review: Autism’s False Prophets

I read and reviewed Paul Offit's book Vaccinated in June of 2007 right before the boys were due for their MMR vaccine. Essentially, it tells the history of vaccines and some of the people behind them. Though we had been considering giving the boys separate measles, mumps, and rubella shots, the chapter dedicated to the autism-vaccine link convinced me of the safety of the single MMR shot. 

I did ask our pediatrician his opinion (he concurred) and if he had given his own sons the MMR shots (yes). I asked not so much for his actual answer, but to see his language - both verbal and body - which told me much more about his comfort level with the vaccine. He said he could give three separate shots (and make more money doing it that way), and it was ultimately our decision. 

And now, over a year later, Offit has written an entire book on the subject: Autism's False Prophets. When Parent Bloggers once again provided me a review copy, I read it less than a week (with two toddlers, that's no mean feat).

On the writing and flow of the book: it's readable and understandable by the layman, although I did have trouble keeping all the acronyms straight sometimes. It's not quite as user-friendly as Vaccinated, but that's to be expected - it's delving deep into a specific medical issue and all of the science behind it, whereas the former is more character driven.

On the subject matter: the autism-vaccine link... it's one of those amazingly controversial topics - like abortion, religion, and the current election - that can shut a friendly conversation down fast. You can tell where I stand on the issue, but that's not really the point. Offit lays out the history, the studies, and the people involved in this debate... including an unnecessary snarky remark here and there.

I found the book very enlightening - about this specific issue and the scientific method in general - and would recommend it to people on both sides of the debate. If you don't agree with the book's premise, well, keep your friends close and your enemies closer ... read it as an atheist would read the Bible. 

DateFriday, October 17, 2008 at 08:59AM | Comments Off | in ,
Friday
03Oct

A ditty for each boy

What songs do we sing around here?  Besides the ubiquitous and dreadful "Clean up, clean up," you mean?  When the boys were just a few weeks old, I composed a ditty featuring each of them. 

Despite the risk of a GERD-induced puke, I danced Jonah around in a lively Jonah-jig - which he found hilarious - to the tune of Animal's "Mahna Mahna."  Benjamin's song is a more meloncholy reflection of different suffixes for his name, such as "Benjaree" and "Benjaroo."

Both boys still enjoy their songs today ( and will immediately correct me if I switch their songs)....  I'm glad something postive came out of those challenging first few months!

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as an entry for a contest sponsored by Bush's Beans, who is sponsoring the Magical Beans Challenge!

DateFriday, October 3, 2008 at 08:00AM | Comments Off
Monday
29Sep

Review: Busy Mom’s Guide

The subtitle of Kathy Peel’s latest book -- Busy Mom’s Guide To A Happy, Organized Home – is “fast solutions to hundreds of everyday dilemmas.” And that’s exactly what it delivers. Toward the beginning is a quote that sums up much of this book’s value: “When you are more efficient at performing the tasks you must do, you have more time for the things that matter most to you.”

You can find much of the book’s information elsewhere, but it’s convenient to have the necessities distilled into one all-encompassing resource. In the “Managing the Food Department” chapter I found numerous ideas for packing bag lunches that I’ve implemented already. My boys aren’t going to school yet, but it’s always good to bring kid-friendly food when we’re on the go.

Peel’s tip of developing a repertoire of several favorite meals you can prepare in 20 minutes is one I’ve been working on for a few months now…. four down and a few more to go (more blogging on that topic later).

I like the lists of chores that kids can do as they grow and the “Who’s Responsible For What?” worksheet is a wonderful idea. Other helpful lists include “Before You Buy” and “The [Ten] Most Important Things to Remember.” Peel’s ideas are very effective in helping families function as a team, while keeping boundaries and roles intact.

There are also practical and creative ideas in the margins throughout the book, including:

  • Fun foil pack dinners for grilling out
  • Store a stain-removal spray near each hamper and teach your family to use it before putting clothes inside

Busy Mom’s Guide would make a great gift to a new mother – or even a Mom expecting baby number two or three – ‘cause that’s when you really have to get organized! Check out Kathy Peel's and Tyndale's sites for more info!

DateMonday, September 29, 2008 at 04:52PM | Comments Off | in , ,
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