Waldorf Playgroup Planning Sheet

Posted on June 3, 2009 by jeannie
Another one of Devanas beautiful nature tables

Another one of Devana's beautiful nature tables

We’re meeting tomorrow to start thinking seriously about the logistics of hosting a playgroup and hopefully to practice some of the songs.

Here’s the planning sheet I whipped up. Videotaped segments of the songs and all the lyrics will follow shortly.

Waldorf Playgroup Planning Worksheet

• Which wooden and open-ended toys can stay out?
• Which plastic and battery-operated toys should be put away?
• What items need to be covered (TV, computers…)
• What will I use to cover items?
Outside Time: Where will the children play?
Opening Circle: Where will the circle be?
Circle Songs (General Guide):
Follow Follow Me (coming into the circle from outside)
Now Look Around We’ve Made a Ring (standing)
One seasonal (sitting)
Rinka Ranka Rosie Ray (standing)
Three seasonal (standing, sitting, standing)
Crisscross Applesauce (on the back)
Examples of songs to use: On My Head My Hands I Place; Five Little Peas; Fishes are Like Wishes; Little Flower; Dot, Dot, Dot. Do I know any songs I want to introduce to the group?
Opening Up Room:  What will I use to cover the toys?
Playtime:  What areas will be designated for play? What will I work on this summer?
Clean up:  Learn Dusty Gnome song. Are my toys organized in a child-friendly manner? (Baskets on low shelves are ideal.)
Hand washing:  Learn handwashing song. What containers will I use? Where will I set up the handwashing station?
Snack time:  What grain will I serve? Where will we eat? Do I have 12 bowls, 12 glasses,  12 spoons? Where will the assistant cut the fruit salad that the children bring? Which blessing will I say?
Outside Time:   Where?
Story time: What will I use to create a story scene? What will I use to cover it up? What special rhyme or song will I use to introduce the story? Will I light a candle or ring a bell? Do I have a rainbow cloth or something to put between the children and the story scene?
Free Play:  Do I have anything else I want to do with the children?
Closing Circle:  Closing song?

Posted in waldorf | 1 Comment

Not Tuna Pâté

Posted on June 2, 2009 by jeannie

I appear to be entering a stage of mothering where I have great difficulty in getting anything done on the computer. Luckily for us, the money I make from writing is all extra, and we’ve been able to live entirely on Chad’s income.

I’ve discovered an obvious fact: if I spend less, I have more money in my wallet, which right now is a heck of a lot easier than working to get more money. My new favorite motto is “The best way to make money is to not use it!”

A not-obvious way of spending less is cooking more, and cooking outside the box. Making things I don’t normally cook keeps me interested in my own food and helps quiet that desire for eating out.

Because of my new friendships with raw foodies (they eat raw AND vegan), I’ve been exploring some raw recipes. Here’s one that was a great hit with even the omnivores at Christian’s birthday picnic. It’s call Not Tuna Pâté from Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet. Once you get past the initial strangeness of soaking your nuts, this recipe is super fast and easy. I soak my nuts all for the same amount of time and in the same bowl. If I can’t get to them right away (within 8 hours I mean), I rinse them, put them in fresh water and put them in the fridge until you can use them.

Not Tuna Pâté

1/2 c soaked raw sunflower seeds

1/4 c soaked raw raw almonds

2 T water

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 T minced celery (didn’t use this as I didn’t have any on hand)

1 T minced onion (I used more)

1 T minced fresh parsley (I’ve made it without, but people seem to prefer the taste with parsley)

Blend all together in the food processor. (The original recipe calls for stirring in the celery, onion, and parsley separately, but it was easier and faster to do it all at once – I also added more fresh lemon juice and salt to taste without measuring.)

Serve with … something raw, like carrot sticks. If you’re not a raw foodie, this recipe tastes great on crackers too.

Posted in money, recipes | 6 Comments

Musical Squares

Posted on May 29, 2009 by jeannie

Chad’s been playing this one ever since he got the link from his brother (the brother-who-may-not-be-named-on-the-web). It’s an interesting concept: some 100 odd squares inside a large square. When you click on a square it gets played; or rather, there’s a playing “pulse” running through the square from left to right, and any note you have highlighted, gets played over and over again.

What happens is that you can make visual musical gestures. Chad’s been playing his initials, my initials, and other random patterns.

Play with it here. It’s called the Tone Matrix.

Posted in Jeannie's Stamp of Approval, music | 1 Comment

World Breastfeeding Week Picnic

Posted on May 28, 2009 by jeannie

I’m up late trying my hand at event promotion – and it’s turning out to be fun! (Who would have guessed that I would enjoy roping people into supporting La Leche League? Okay, maybe it was a no-brainer…)

Today I got no less than FOUR PRIZES lined up for the event – woo hoo!

1. $50 gift certificate from envirobabystore.com

2. Portrait package from stephfowlerphotography.com

3. Matted photograph print from ellensteel.com

4. Something (to be determined) from my brother

And in case YOU have something you’d like to donate in the ways of services or products, here’s the entire official email I wrote:

Dear LLL Supporter;

This year’s annual World Breastfeeding Picnic will be on Saturday, August 1, 2009 at the Top-of-the World Park. Last year the Southern Orange County LLL (us!) hosted a World Breastfeeding event and it was much more successful than we had even hoped for: there were terrific opportunity drawing prizes, each family received a free goodie bag, and over fifty families joined us. It was a wonderful day supporting and celebrating nursing families.

This year, we think that with a little bit of extra planning we can open up this event to at least 100 families and raise even more funds to support our local groups. To make things extra fun for the whole family we will have more booths, crafts, a silent auction, food on the grill, baked goods, and lots of opportunity drawings with prizes from Beco carriers to portrait packages.

Can you help?

Here are some possible ways to contribute to the LLL cause:

  • Do you own a business or know of a business that might want to donate a prize for an opportunity drawing or silent auction? Last year, the family portrait package was a great success, but other ideas include, but are not limited to gift baskets, yoga classes, services, homemade quilts or even a homemade Waldorf doll.
  • Do you have a portable shade cover that you would be willing to set up for the picnic?
  • Would you be willing to donate a tray of baked goods or veggies on the day of the event?
  • Would you be willing to tend a booth (game, craft, or food) on the day of the event? Time is valuable – and we would be thrilled to accept even an hour of your time.
  • Would you be willing to help set up or break down on the day of the event?
  • Would you be willing to donate food items for the BBQ? (Drinks, paper goods, hotdogs, condiments, etc.)
  • Do you have any skills: fundraising, event promotion, party planning, or graphic design, which would be useful? You may think of something we’ve missed.
  • Do you know of any local vendors who might want to have a booth at the picnic? Vendors should be appropriate and of interest to local nursing families. In lieu of a booth fee, we ask that each vendor make a donation of $50 value prize to the silent auction or the opportunity raffle.

The list goes on.

If you are willing to help with even one of these things please respond post a comment or email me privately. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Do it for the nursing mom you know!

Do it for the nursing mom you know!

Posted in do some good, La Leche League | 4 Comments

Thanks for All the Birthday Wishes, My Friends!

Posted on May 27, 2009 by jeannie

I had one of my nicest birthdays ever yesterday. I feel great about my family and friends at this stage of my life; I have a wonderfully supportive and loving husband; a darling chuckling baby;  my friends are among the most creative, smartest, and most interesting people I’ve known; and even my teenaged Bella was nothing but sweet to me all weekend long. She gave me a coupon for free car washes for the whole summer! (Besides the fact that she hiked with us on my birthday and helped out on Christian’s birthday.)

The night before my birthday Bella and I stayed up late watching movies (Flashdance and Twilight), which put us at a late wake-up the next day. Still, we all managed to get out of the house before lunch (Chad had wanted to get out of the house by 7 am – oops) and to the trailhead of Holy Jim by 10:30 am.

There were hordes of people on the trail, but that didn’t diminish my pleasure of the green woodsy trail and the burbling little creeks we kept crossing. And as people go,  I find that the ones who get outside to hike on their day off are the ones I’d want to bump into anyhow – everybody was ridiculously cheerful and upbeat all day long.

Afterwards, we headed home to shower and and clean up before going for Korean food in Irvine (Korea House). Yummmm. As per usual, I ordered too much food, but Chad and Bella seemed to have a special appreciation for Korean food yesterday, so nobody complained.

We had Bulgogi (BBQ), Daengchang Chigae (fermented bean paste soup), Haemul Pa Jun (seafood and scallions pancake), and Chap Chae (vermicilli rice noodles with veggies). And of course all the ban chan (side dishes) that accompanies the standard Korean meal. It was all excellent.

They served watermelon for dessert, but it wasn’t enough… we stopped by Powell’s Sweet Shoppe (gummi candy heaven) for some gelato and fifteen minutes of the original Charlie and Chocolate Factory at the back of the store, where they had a mini-movie theatre set up.

Throughout all, I fielded phone calls, emails, and texts from friends old and new. You guys are terrific! I felt thoroughly loved and appreciated.

P.S. The lovely card at the top was photographed and designed by Ellen Steel.

Posted in birthday parties | Leave a comment

A Few of My Favorite Things

Posted on May 24, 2009 by jeannie

Swimming in the ocean, hiking, being with my family, talking with friends, eating yummy food, birthdays…

I turn 41 tomorrow and I’ve been feeling very showered with gifts. Chad got me my camera last month (Canon 10 mpixel elph – and yes, it’s been replaced), Songbae’s gifts are in the mail, I’m posting from my brand-new macbook (Thanks Sue!), we’ve been hiking in the Caspar’s Wilderness (thanks for the park pass John!), we’ve been eating from my lime green new stainless steel lunch canteen (thanks Sierra!), and then last night I got a bag of sweet goodies from my old pal Caryn: organic face lotion, an brightly colored apron, and a cookbook from Provence.

It feels good to be reveling in my favorite things this weekend, especially after spending so much time and energy celebrating Christian’s first birthday. I realized last year when I turned forty that the focus that I had returned to myself as Bella grew up needed to directed back at my new baby. I had gotten in the habit of throwing a bit of a shindig every year in the National Park (Joshua Tree) with Korean BBQ during my thirties and had always planned to celebrate my fortieth with a big bash, but instead my fortieth passed by hardly noticed (by me), right on the heels of Christian’s birth.

This year we served Korean BBQ at Christian’s birthday and we’ll camp at Lost Horse just for a family holiday in a few weeks. I’m doing all the same things but with a different intent. It’s a good balance.

Posted in birthday parties | 3 Comments

Letter to Christian at 12 Months

Posted on May 22, 2009 by jeannie

Dear M.C. Senator Goofenstein,

Today is your last day of being zero.

But since you’re half Korean, I could also say that today is your last day of being 2 1/2 – that’s right, in Korea, babies are ONE when they are born and everybody turns a year older at the new year, which explains why the New Year is such a celebration in Korea!

I’m shlepping about the house trying to marinate chicken, make carrot cake cupcakes, tidy the house, wash diapers, sew crowns, and otherwise prepare for tomorrow’s momentous event. You are crashed out on the bed. Your morning naps (when we are home – which is hardly ever) have become longer and deeper. You still mostly nap in the afternoon, but I fear that you getting read to drop that second nap. Falling asleep in general has become a more tricky kind of a dance, as you are just too excited by everything around you to want to close your eyes even for a minute. You’ll be nursing avidly, but still clutching a toy in each hand (or more accurately a jar lid in one hand and a plastic cord tie in the other…), with both feet pumping like you’re running and then suddenly your eyelids will droop, your body will slump, beads of sweat will appear at your hairline, and your sucking becomes steady and deeper and I will know that you’ve finally crossed over into the Land of Nod.

You need that sleep though! When you’re awake you are a nonstop communicating, exploring, and touching gyroscope. I especially love how you check out our CSA basket. When it comes, it often sits on the kitchen floor for a couple days with the less perishable items waiting for room to be cleared in the fridge. You like to look in and reach for an apple or pear or even a potato and toddle away with it, taking a bite every step or two. The bushel basket is deep enough that when you are trying to pick a fruit or vegetable the front half of you body disappears and all I can see is your (sometimes) diapered heiny in the air and the bottoms of your feet on tiptoes.

Somewhere in this last month you stopped crawling altogether. Walking is sheer pleasure for you, although it makes you mad if you tip too far over turning a corner or stepping over a broom handle. You don’t seem to like being out of control at all, which is why I think you don’t like the swings either. And while some babies look like Frankenstein when they walk, you are more often compared to a drunken old man; or Bill Crosby doing his imitation of a drunken old man.

We’ve doing lots of fun stuff: petting zoos, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and of course lots of hikes. You are happiest outdoors, so tomorrow’s picnic is in the regional park in a little wooded spot where you can squat and watch roly-polys or the odd snail creeping up a tree trunk. All of your dad’s family is joining us, so you will be well celebrated.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I am trying hard not to get too stressed and to remember what makes things fun for you. We’ll sing and dance to start and pass out homemade crowns to the kids. Then we’ll just let you be… in the dirt and on the forest floor.

I love you sweetie,

Mama

Posted in Christian Holden | 2 Comments

Bul Go Gi Marinade

Posted on May 19, 2009 by jeannie

I use this recipe all the time: to marinate salmon (during cooking), chicken drumsticks (for several hours), and even pounded flank steak (overnight). It is, of course, most delicious used on the quintessential Korean BBQ meat called Bul Go Gi (literally translated: fire meat) that you can find at the Korean grocery store.

In true Korean fashion, the original recipe is for 10 pounds of meat, because what Korean would make Bul Go Gi without inviting a few friends over? Koreans like to eat together. I like to make the big batch and keep it in the fridge for convenience. If you’re not familiar with the flavor of Korean BBQ, it is very similar to Trader Joe’s Very Soyaki Marinade. I thank my mother’s friend Young Cho Park for this recipe.

Bul Go Gi Marinade (10 pounds)

10 #thinly sliced beef
2 1/2 c soy sauce
2 c toasted sesame oil
1/2 c wine
2 c sugar
2-3 bunches scallions, chopped
3 1/2 T ginger, minced
1 1/4 T garlic, minced
1 T black pepper
4 T sesame seed powder

Mix the above ingredients together, except for the meat. Marinate the meat for at least three hours or overnight in the refrigerator. If you like you can grate a pear into the marinade; that will help tenderize beef.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Could I Please Get This in White Vinyl for My Rear Window?

Posted on May 17, 2009 by jeannie

Christian, Bella, me, and Chad

Posted in modernday hippiness | Leave a comment

The Article I Wish I had Written about the Blogger I Wish I Was

Posted on May 15, 2009 by jeannie

Just back from my Knit Pig Meetup, which was smaller than anticipated because of a local outbreak of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Virus (yuck).

Because so many people had wanted to attend the meetup, I had shifted the location of the playdate from my small living room to the woodsy spot in the Laguna Niguel Regional Park by shelter 11 that I’m so fond of. I was impressed that four mamas showed up, even having to walk in 10 minutes from the car. It was a walk-in playdate, like hike-in camping.

The parameters of attachment parenting and craft and being outside attracted a especially pleasant crowd of moms (and dads) this morning, and our conversation went in a lot of crafty directions. We talked about an article in Mothering Magazine that I had meant to post about last month; it was  called, “Crafty Mamas” – “Everyday objects are elevated to the sublime in the art and blogs of five creative women.”

The featured blog, SouleMama, is amazing! Amanda Blake Soule unschools her four children in Maine and cherishes the hand- and homemade object. She enjoys her kids fully and the way she photographs and writes about them reveals the loving and calm way she is raising them. Her book, The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections, was recently published.  I find myself wandering over to SouleMama often. And when I’m not there, I think about her and her family, and their lifestyle; she is really a source of inspiration.

The other four bloggers in the article (I haven’t gotten past SouleMama yet…) are Amy Karol at angry chicken; Eren San Pedro at The Vintage Chica; Sally Shim at Shim and Sons; and Stephanie Congdon Barnes. All five make rather than buy practically everything their families need. The article was written by Jean Van’t Hul, a freelance writer who also blogs about art and parenting at artfulparent. While I’ve provided all the links here, I do recommend you take a peek at the article in a hard copy of the magazine if you can, because the many photographs are lovely.

I want to be on that list!

[Update: Another confirmed case of Hand, Foot and Mouth virus in the group and Christian woke up with a fever today… : ( ]

Posted in blogs, crafts | 3 Comments