so this week i have suddenly become motivated to cook. this is actually more of a "forced into it" type of thing. M is in that weird in between stage where he should be eating more grownup versions of food, but can't really chew anything either. so i purchased a baby/toddler cookbook that i'm trying out. and since the purchase, i've now learned what leeks are and what parsnips are. basically leeks are onions and parsnips are carrots. i wonder why i always feared these two vegetables before i knew what they were. i guess i see recipes calling for some unknown thing and freak out. (pep talk:) but, self, it's not so bad. you just go to the store and ask the produce guy. okay *exhale*
even though leeks and parsnips are now familiar to me and no longer scary in recipes, there are still many other ingredients that frighten me. (i'm looking in the cookbook for another example...) how about rutabagas (huh?) or Edam cheese (what?). in my cookbook's defense, i'm sure once i've tried these two things out i'll feel much more comfortable with them. but for now i'll stick with the being frightened and putting them in the category of weird unknown food. i love how the cookbook seems so nonchalant about these things too, as if it's no problem for me to just go and get a rutabaga, and as if i know what it even looks like! it's kind of like Martha Stewart in her various magazines and shows that usually include extravagant recipes. virtually every one (of her recipes, not her various magazines and shows) calls for creme fraiche. what the H is creme fraiche?!! and even if i find out what it is, i'm sure it's not at the grocery store, so what now? huh? pretentious recipes.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Saturday, May 27, 2006
M de Curioso
so this week has a been an eventful one. you'd think the week before would stick out in memory more, since we moved from MI to AZ and undertook many other changes in routine: new job, new apartment, etc. but no, M has seen to it that this week is much more exciting, at least for this particular mother. first of all, i must tell you all that M has achieved a few non-funny and real accomplishments, you know like they list in The Parenting Books. these include saying "hi" (about 5 days ago), waving (yesterday--to his dad!), and standing up without holding on to anything (everyday this week). and there's nothing funny about that.
this week, however, M has managed to give me my very first laugh-out-loud moment as a mother. i feel like a real mom! sure, i've smiled and laughed at him before. but this was the first time i ever looked up, saw what was going on, and then almost peed my pants laughing. here's the scenario: i was in the kitchen and so was M. i had been doing laundry and there was an empty laundry basket on the floor nearby. so i'm surfing the internet, etc., checking the email, and i hear him playing with the basket, scooting it around on the floor and things like that. then i hear frantic crying along with the same playing noises. i look over and see quite a sight. there's nothing but an upside down laundry basket hopping around and two chubby little legs poking out from underneath, kicking like crazy. M was stuck. his chubby arms were not long enough to free him, and so he cried out to his laughing mother and she saved him. the end.
later on the same day, i was sitting at the kitchen table and heard similar ruckus over by the base of the stairs. M had, within a couple of hours, managed to get himself into yet another scrape. he had climbed onto the first step and grabbed onto the baby gate. but stepping up is a lot easier than stepping down. so he was holding on for dear life and looking over his shoulder and yelling. also pretty darn funny if you ask me.
the last funny thing is something he technically started doing before this week. but this was Funny Week, so i'll mention it here. every day we try to read a stack of books at some point during that day. M likes to sit there and listen, and even turn the pages by himself. but then his inner cave-baby sets in and when i say the words "the end" it's time for him to hurl the book to the floor with a very manly throw. every time. it's a sweet story about the littlest duck who grows up and then has an egg of his own sitting in the grass, and we've learned something about the circle of life. turn the page, the end, WHAM!, next book please. pretty entertaining.
the weirdest part about this is that M seems so old because of these things. my admiration of him used to be solely cuteness and sweetness based. but now it's growing into more. now my admiration includes his agility and curiosity. and speaking of curiosity: M makes the Curious George face at least 3-5 times per day. you know the face where one pointer finger comes up to the mouth and George seems to think: "it's time to go see what's going on over there"? well, that's the face that i see on my child. it's pretty great :) especially considering the whole thing from start to finish. make the curious face, try something out, get stuck, mom laughs, baby cries, all is well. being a mom. good times.
this week, however, M has managed to give me my very first laugh-out-loud moment as a mother. i feel like a real mom! sure, i've smiled and laughed at him before. but this was the first time i ever looked up, saw what was going on, and then almost peed my pants laughing. here's the scenario: i was in the kitchen and so was M. i had been doing laundry and there was an empty laundry basket on the floor nearby. so i'm surfing the internet, etc., checking the email, and i hear him playing with the basket, scooting it around on the floor and things like that. then i hear frantic crying along with the same playing noises. i look over and see quite a sight. there's nothing but an upside down laundry basket hopping around and two chubby little legs poking out from underneath, kicking like crazy. M was stuck. his chubby arms were not long enough to free him, and so he cried out to his laughing mother and she saved him. the end.
later on the same day, i was sitting at the kitchen table and heard similar ruckus over by the base of the stairs. M had, within a couple of hours, managed to get himself into yet another scrape. he had climbed onto the first step and grabbed onto the baby gate. but stepping up is a lot easier than stepping down. so he was holding on for dear life and looking over his shoulder and yelling. also pretty darn funny if you ask me.
the last funny thing is something he technically started doing before this week. but this was Funny Week, so i'll mention it here. every day we try to read a stack of books at some point during that day. M likes to sit there and listen, and even turn the pages by himself. but then his inner cave-baby sets in and when i say the words "the end" it's time for him to hurl the book to the floor with a very manly throw. every time. it's a sweet story about the littlest duck who grows up and then has an egg of his own sitting in the grass, and we've learned something about the circle of life. turn the page, the end, WHAM!, next book please. pretty entertaining.
the weirdest part about this is that M seems so old because of these things. my admiration of him used to be solely cuteness and sweetness based. but now it's growing into more. now my admiration includes his agility and curiosity. and speaking of curiosity: M makes the Curious George face at least 3-5 times per day. you know the face where one pointer finger comes up to the mouth and George seems to think: "it's time to go see what's going on over there"? well, that's the face that i see on my child. it's pretty great :) especially considering the whole thing from start to finish. make the curious face, try something out, get stuck, mom laughs, baby cries, all is well. being a mom. good times.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
After I copied Mhuff, I got to looking, and here's another/a couple more favorite(s)
| Your Linguistic Profile:: |
| 65% General American English |
| 20% Yankee |
| 5% Dixie |
| 5% Upper Midwestern |
| 0% Midwestern |
| You Are 41% Vain |
 You're a little vain, but more than anything you have a healthy amount of confidence. Thinking the world of yourself is great. Just don't think less of those who aren't as pretty as you! |
| Your Political Profile: |
| Overall: 45% Conservative, 55% Liberal |
| Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal |
| Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
| Fiscal Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
| Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
| Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal |
| Your Italian Name Is... |
 |
I copied Mhuff for this funny/cool thing
| You Are a Glazed Donut |
 Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that. You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness. Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you. And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten. |
I have to say that i hope i'm not really that plain. i know that at least R would disagree with this, and i know from the constant accusings from him in the "you're the craziest sweetie" vein. but i must admit, glazed donuts are, without a doubt, my absolute favorite. oh man, that's sooooo weird, how'd they know??
Friday, May 12, 2006
moving the chubber...and some other stuff, too.
don't worry, R and i call M "the chubber" in an affectionate way! it's becoming less applicable now that his weight is continuing in the 50th percentile vein from month to month. but i think we can still get away with it since his head is in the 90th percentile and holding. plus, who cares about percentiles, the child looks like a chubber! just look at him on the new ofoto "3 May Photos" album. hopefully you were emailed with the invite there to see them. if not, email me and i'll send it to you. for some reason i can't get them directly onto my blog right now :(
so tomorrow i go to the airport with M and we fly off to AZ for the summer. i'm pretty excited actually, but not as much as i anticipated i would be a few months ago. i pictured leaving ann arbor and thinking "good, no more snowstorms. and we're not sticking around for a humid summer, phew!" but instead, it's soooo gorgeous here. it's been raining occasionally, but for the last month everything has bloomed and greened and basically stayed 70 degrees and wonderful. go figure. but AZ is great too, in spite of the heat. for example, M will swim for the first time ever (not including baths, which he thoroughly enjoys). we even were at tj maxx a few days ago (you know how they have the name brand clothing, but it's super cheap? well they do.) well, i was browsing and saw these tiny Izod swim trunks that were all stripey and the right size. so M will be stylin' in the new pool!
a goal i have for this summer is to read more than i did last summer. so pretty much reading anything at all will put me over the mark :) my first order of business will be to finish les miserables before i lose my momentum. then i'll continue with other selections next on the list. i would like to know what y'all are reading right now, just to see if anything stikes me as "the next book". so far i think i'll go with "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote next. it's in the air, what with the movie Capote and everything. besides, i'm curious since R said it was a good one. happy reading!
so tomorrow i go to the airport with M and we fly off to AZ for the summer. i'm pretty excited actually, but not as much as i anticipated i would be a few months ago. i pictured leaving ann arbor and thinking "good, no more snowstorms. and we're not sticking around for a humid summer, phew!" but instead, it's soooo gorgeous here. it's been raining occasionally, but for the last month everything has bloomed and greened and basically stayed 70 degrees and wonderful. go figure. but AZ is great too, in spite of the heat. for example, M will swim for the first time ever (not including baths, which he thoroughly enjoys). we even were at tj maxx a few days ago (you know how they have the name brand clothing, but it's super cheap? well they do.) well, i was browsing and saw these tiny Izod swim trunks that were all stripey and the right size. so M will be stylin' in the new pool!
a goal i have for this summer is to read more than i did last summer. so pretty much reading anything at all will put me over the mark :) my first order of business will be to finish les miserables before i lose my momentum. then i'll continue with other selections next on the list. i would like to know what y'all are reading right now, just to see if anything stikes me as "the next book". so far i think i'll go with "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote next. it's in the air, what with the movie Capote and everything. besides, i'm curious since R said it was a good one. happy reading!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
dancin' dancin' dancin' dancin'
this may not seem super-duper neat to anyone, but tonight i'm teaching a modern dance class. and the class is free, and it's at our church building, which is also free. plus it's with friends, so we all know each other and want to be there. it turns out that here in Ann Arbor, several people whom i go to church with dance. and some are so good as to teach classes so that we can have a different one every week and all get together. now, the reason this is cool is...well, just try to go find a dance class at a studio somewhere that's exactly what you want to take and also free. okay, point made.
so we've all been taking turns teaching. so far we've had clogging class, ballet class, yoga class, and now modern dance class. now i love modern, obviously, having majored in it, but the truth is that i've really been drawn to yoga lately. it's one of those things where i feel great afterwards, but have a hard time, well, actually DOing it :) and since i've taught it a couple of times now, i'm really getting into it again. i wish that i knew a bunch of people who happened to live nearby and who were also into yoga and wanted to get together a few times a week and would come and get me out of bed saying "okay me, it's time for yoga. i know you're tired, but you know that it's good for you and you feel better when you do it regularly. so let's go get stretchy and meditate-y". wouldn't that be heaven? :) anyways, i guess for now i'll just have to teach occasionally and practice in my front room occasionally.
if anyone who is reading this is thinking to themselves: "hey i like yoga, i should do it more often" OR "i've never done yoga, maybe i should try it" then please enjoy my new discovery at the library last week. it's called The Yoga Bible by Christina Brown and it has color pictures and detailed instructions for tons of poses. it's a really great book, and have since bought a copy from amazon.com :) so basically it's hooray for yoga, i highly recommend it.
so we've all been taking turns teaching. so far we've had clogging class, ballet class, yoga class, and now modern dance class. now i love modern, obviously, having majored in it, but the truth is that i've really been drawn to yoga lately. it's one of those things where i feel great afterwards, but have a hard time, well, actually DOing it :) and since i've taught it a couple of times now, i'm really getting into it again. i wish that i knew a bunch of people who happened to live nearby and who were also into yoga and wanted to get together a few times a week and would come and get me out of bed saying "okay me, it's time for yoga. i know you're tired, but you know that it's good for you and you feel better when you do it regularly. so let's go get stretchy and meditate-y". wouldn't that be heaven? :) anyways, i guess for now i'll just have to teach occasionally and practice in my front room occasionally.
if anyone who is reading this is thinking to themselves: "hey i like yoga, i should do it more often" OR "i've never done yoga, maybe i should try it" then please enjoy my new discovery at the library last week. it's called The Yoga Bible by Christina Brown and it has color pictures and detailed instructions for tons of poses. it's a really great book, and have since bought a copy from amazon.com :) so basically it's hooray for yoga, i highly recommend it.
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