In the Woods

Posted on May 12, 2009 by jeannie

My friend Sierra just asked me for the recipe for gingerbread I made and it made me remember her birthday celebration in the woods. I don’t know why particularly, her sister Gen brought three delicious little dairy-free cakes from Mother’s (local healthy grocery store) and lunch from Panera, so the gingerbread was just one snack in a day of many yummy snacks. It did go well with the decaf soy cappucinnos I brought… and we were buzzing a little from the champagne perhaps. In any case it was also well-recieved at the Waldorf Informational Meetup the next day, so it’s a recipe I’ll use again.

It is a Williams-Sonoma recipe, but from the cookbook Healthy Cooking, and it does not appear to be online (yet). The gingerbread is part of a recipe for Gngerbread with Paoched Pears. Here it is, with my usual whole wheat and dairy-free tweaks. (I doubled the recipe.)

Gingerbread

1/3 cup thinly sliced, unpeeled fresh ginger

3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar (I never pack my brown sugar, in an effort to eat just a tiny bit less sugar.)

2 Tbs molasses

1/4 vegetable oil

1 egg

3/4 plain yogurt (I used slightly less soy milk instead)

1 1/2 cake flour (I used whole wheat)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1. Finely chop the ginger in a food processor.

2. Cook it with 1/4 c of the brown sugar in a small saucepan until sugar has melted and ginger is very aromatic – about 2 minutes. Be sure to stir it constantly. Stir in molasses and set aside.

3. In another bowl, combine the oil, egg, soy milk, and remaining brown sugar. Whisk until blended.

4. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon and sift directly into the wet mixture. (I didn’t sift…) add ginger mixture and beat until just blended. Pour into a buttered 8-inch pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted wooden toothpick (or chopstick) comes out clean.

This is a great little spot in Laguna Regional Park, which is  80 acres of turf around 40 acres of lake and walking distance from my place. Most of the picnic areas are grassy and manicured, but I wanted an undeveloped woodsy spot where Christian could watch roly-polys and snails under the trees. We’re going to do a birthday picnic for him in the same spot – it’s not next to a parking lot and requires a bit of walking in – but that’s just the kind of picnic place we prefer. The ranger I spoke to yesterday thinks I’m crazy (there are rattlesnakes! ticks! you’ll be sitting in the brush!) but the kids are happy and well-occupied here. (There are four kids in this picture – can you spot them?)

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No Plastic, Please

Posted on May 11, 2009 by jeannie

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCSYV3ULUvc]

I find that even though we have weeded most of Christian’s plastic toys from our home, he gets plenty of exposure to mainstream toys: there are brightly colored plastic toys and noise-makers where ever we go. Still, my resolve remains firm to keep his toys simple, natural, and conducive to imaginative play – especially with his first birthday just two weeks away.

Family and friends have been asking what Christian wants or needs, and while he is perfectly happy with what he already has, from past experience I know that people tend to ignore “no presents necessary” clauses on birthday invitations (and then the people who listened to you and didn’t bring a gift feel like boobs) . So, I’ve created a wish list for Christian, in an attempt to productively channel our impulse to shower the dude with presents.

First and foremost, I would love to see Christian get handmade gifts or help towards making any of the Waldorf-type toys that I posted about here. Just the lumber for those two playstands will run at least $50 and will probably require a weekend of focused attention. Blocks made from tree trunk sections of varying widths and lengths would be wonderful and I think that a play kitchen would get years of good use. We already have a wicker laundry basket full of regular wooden blocks.

Since we are trying to set up child-centric spaces in our home, a small wooden table and chairs, like the kind you can find at Ikea would be useful. As would a wooden step stool for the bathroom sink. Hooks (rows of hooks – I saw some that looked likes branches) would be nice, for hanging capes and costumes. Of course, he’s not wearing capes yet, but many of the kids who come over to play are.

We don’t have any non-plastic toys for the tub. Christian loves bath time, so I’m on the lookout for simple wooden boats to float.

He’s at the age where he finds animals and fish fascinating, so a zoo pass to the Santa Ana or San Diego Zoo would be good. Ditto for the Long Beach Aquarium or the Scripps Aquarium at La Jolla. Heck, we would be totally psyched to get an annual pass to the local Laguna Niguel Regional Park (which could be used for all regional parks including the beaches).

In case none of these ideas appeal to you, I also set up a wish list at Nova Natural Toys + Crafts. Keep in mind that many of those pricier items I hope to make, not buy. Also, the list is just a general guide; when there is a car listed, I just picked one on the page when any of the cars or trucks would do. The list is under the name Christian Holden Murdy and his wish list ID is GG3ATN.

And in the end, the best gift would be time. Christian is a social guy and would love to spend a morning or afternoon with you outdoors at the beach or hiking in a local park. He’s happiest outdoors and with people who make him grin.

P.S. While I really wanted a walker for Christian, I think it’s too late; he’s already given up crawling and walking with any aid – he just wants toddle by himself now.

Posted in babies, gifts | 8 Comments

Six Month Delay

Posted on May 11, 2009 by jeannie

My sister and I used to skype way back in the day – when international calling was still pretty expensive. We would have dual pane real-time instant messaging, which meant simply that she could type and I could type our conversations at the same time and I could see her words appearing as she typed them and she could see mine. Dual pane meant that we were typing simultaneously, and yes that was, in effect like both of us talking at the same time.

But somewhere along the computer and country changes I lost skype. I found it again tonight though, with the web cam we got for Christmas (thanks Al and Ann!)

When we first got the web cam (if you can believe it, my computer – a mac powerbook – is so old that it didn’t come with a built-in web cam. Sheesh, am I behind the times or what??) Chad went through and checked it out.

We discovered that skype has added lots of entertaining little gizmos and tricks. I was particularly impressed with the effect that turned Chad into a talking skeleton. (And if I can find that vid, I’ll replace the oldtime-y one of Chad drinking water below. That one was his favorite effect.)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nEnAUPfEvU]

But finally tonight, 5 1/2 months after the fact, we finally used the web cam for its intended purpose: connecting with faraway family. Here is a web shot of my niece in Bangkok tonight. How could I have waited so long? Look at all the sweetness I was missing out on! (Nabi Grace just turned two last week.)

Posted in cyberspace | 1 Comment

Waldorf Informational Meeting Agenda

Posted on May 8, 2009 by jeannie

This it the first agenda I’ve written since I left teaching public school. We’re getting pretty serious about our playgroup and it’s exciting! We’ll start in September and I’ll go first. I collected all the craft dues and we set our playgroup dates.

Not surprisingly, I’ve started getting hits at womantalk.org from people researching Waldorf; at least two are starting their own playgroups and using ideas and inspiration from materials. they’ve found here I love how putting forth time and energy into my own projects attracts other people around me with similar interests. Blog-based community building and support!

One of Devana's spring nature scenes

Waldorf Informational Meeting Agenda
May 7, 2009

I. Brief Introduction
A. Why I’m here and why my kid is only one year old
B. Pass contact info sheet
C. Reserve questions to the end, please
II. Review Guidelines and Framework
III. Waldorf Notebook: notes, songs, crafts, contact info, schedule… wiki page?
IV. Mission: To create an imaginative, joyful Waldorf playgroup every week for our children, in feeling and in practice.
A. Reality: our training and our space
B. What we can accomplish -> aim for ideal
C. Two hours/week or two hours/seven weeks
D. Skills to offer to group
E. Sincere belief that we are fostering creative and imaginative play
F. Process/journey of Waldorf learning
V. Reality Check
A. 7 families, ~ 10 kids
B. Limited space and our own abilities
C. Age differences presents more challenge
D.  What we learned from the demo class
VI. Waiting List/Ways to Be Involved
A. How the waiting list works
B. Priority to those who display commitment by showing up
C. Get info, participate in learning process
D. Bimonthly Waldorf-inspired meet-ups (outdoors and/or crafts)
E. Devana’s workshops (needlefelt craft)
F. Future: possibility of splitting into 2 groups based on age

VII. Supplies to Order
A. Remember to get $30 to Jeannie Lee
B. +$15 if you want beeswax candle
C. Discount
D. First order must necessarily go to start-up materials: needles, embroidery floss, scissors, tissue paper, glue (Michael’s or JoAnn’s)
E. Mercurious order: felt, fairy wool, wool batting, needle-felting needles, thin beeswax, beeswax crayons
F. Start collecting glass jars and large tin cans for lanterns and stained glass

VIII. Crafts/Songs/Story
A. Why the crafts are for the parents and not the kids
B. Seasonal: gnome, owl, leaves, trees, lantern, goblin, apples, squirrels, nuts, mushrooms, jack-o-lanterns, pinwheels, stained glass, decorated candles
C. For now, I’ll choose so I can order, but I welcome input
D. Hostess choice to add 1-2 of her own songs
E. Stories will be mainly Grimm’s. Recommend getting complete Grimm’s fairy tales.
F. See rec’d stories for particular age groups in Rahima Baldwin’s book, You are Your Child’s First Teacher, chap. 7

IX. Next Steps
A. Get to know the other members of the group through regular meet-ups/playdates
B. Please RSVP – even if you can’t make it. Follow-through is appropriate
C. Prepare our homes
1. Collecting and making Waldorf toys (toys that foster imaginative play)
2. Weeding out plastic toys
3. Mentally preparing the how and where of hosting the playgroup: outside space, inside space, eating (serve a cooked grain and fruit salad), circle time, story time
D. Practice the songs and the story

X. Questions?
XI. Do we have the energy left to discuss the two chapters of Rahima’s book????
XII. Select playgroup dates!

Recommended Books

You Are Your Child’s First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy

Rec’d by Devana:
Feltcraft by Petra Berger
Toymaking with Children by Freya Jaffke
A Child’s Seasonal Treasury compiled and written by Betty Jones

The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (several versions available)
The Children’s Year by Stephanie Cooper, Christina Fynes-Clinton and Marye Rowling
A First Book of Knitting for Children by Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton

Posted in waldorf | 2 Comments

Lamb Roast and Green Pea Soup

Posted on May 6, 2009 by jeannie

To celebrate spring I made my first ever lamb roast and a green pea soup made from fresh (frozen) peas, not dried split peas. Everything was delightfully diferent to my palate and delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked lamb before and I eat it rarely (mostly when my Australian brother-in-law is around). And I’ve certainly never made a pea soup with fresh peas before, but I will do both again!

For the leg of lamb I followed the williams-sonoma recipe which you can see here. It was basically (from memory): Buy a boneless lag of lamb. Untie it and let it fall apart on the cutting board. Butterfly cut it so it’s a bit thinner and more manageable. Pound the whole thing to 1 1/2 inch thickness. Then spread a mixture of Dijon mustard (3 T) and herbes de provence (2 T) all over it. Roll and tie it back up. Oil and salt and pepper the outside. Sear the roast on the stovetop in the roasting pan. Then put it in the oven with leeks and pearled onions and roast. Start at 450 for 15 minutes and then 350 until done. (I threw in a couple potatoes and I never did find those pearl onions…)

Posted in Easter, recipes | 1 Comment

Just a Very Small Piece of My Soul

Posted on May 4, 2009 by jeannie

I just put my very first bit of advertising on womantalk.

My brother asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told him I could use another nursing tank top, Mark Bittman’s book How To Cook Everything, or a springform pan. He told me to go ahead and get all three and to let him know how much and he would send a (electronic) check. (How’s that for efficiency?)

I immediately went to glamourmom.com and started sorting through colors and prices. I have two glamourmom tank tops and basically they’re what I wear every day of the week. I wear them by themselves and underneath anything. A third tank top will be useful because I plan to nurse Christian through another summer or two.

I like them because it’s a nursing bra and a tank top in one piece, which means I never have to show my midriff in public. People can gaze at the top of my busom all they want, and actually I don’t even care if they catch sight of a bit of aureole, but my muffin top? That’s private.

In any case, it turned out that if I became a “glamourmom,” I would get 20% of any purchase made with my code. If you click through the glamourmom ad in my right sidebar and make a purchase, it automatically gets credited to me! And that 20% accumulates in a glamourmom account and I can spend it on any products that glamourmom sells. I can even trade the glamourmom bucks in for cash if I want (but I assure I won’t – I love these tanks!)

Of course I didn’t read the fine print first, which says that I can’t earn glamourmom bucks with purchases I make myself or for any products shipped to my house. So now I need to find somebody to order and pay for my tank top from my brother. (Sierra??)

These tank tops make great gifts for any nursing mom in your life. If you’re thinking about buying one, please do it by going through my site here.

Thanks.

Posted in gifts, mothering | 4 Comments

Parlor Tricks

Posted on May 4, 2009 by jeannie

A couple weeks ago, Christian discovered his tongue, and ever since, he’s been perfecting his baby sign for “dog.” The baby sign is (often) panting with your tongue hanging out, but Christian’s original version was just heavy breathing (only cute in males under one year of age!) with no tongue.

He’s so happy about it that you can see that once he starts signing “dog,” it’s hard to get him to do something else – but he does like mooing like a cow too. I like how he tries different sounds before he settles on the one he thinks sounds the most like me.

These vids are dedicated to Christian’s grandparents who decided not to visit this weekend after there was a confirmed case of swine flu in the town where my mother-in-law teaches second grade.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLrBZ1eGuhQ]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoiixM2ZOeE]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5TrBRMM9nE]

Posted in babies, Christian Holden | Leave a comment

Phung Huynh

Posted on May 2, 2009 by jeannie
Milk and Honey, 2008

Milk and Honey, 2008

When The Year of the Golden Pig dawned in 2007, reportedly millions of Chinese women were enthusiastically working towards having the good fortune of giving birth to a golden piglet: a child who would be blessed with lifelong prosperity. Phung Huynh, a mother herself, must have certainly known this when she painted Sweet and Sour Pork last year. The life-size sow stretches across a six-foot long brilliantly orange canvas with a Mona Lisa smile on her face and back hooves flexing in contentment: she has a half dozen two-headed Chinamen babies alternately suckling her very pert teats and being naughty by pulling each others pigtails. This is disorienting oriental auspicious imagery indeed, but the vibrant palette, deft craftsmanship, and tongue-in-cheek humor keep this work from tumbling into grotesque (Sam Lee, Chinatown).

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More Pig Stuff

Posted on May 1, 2009 by jeannie
The finished pig with tail.

The finished pig with tail.

We had a joint playdate (diaperfree+attachment parenting meetup) in Irvine today – yes, the OC town where two kids have been diagnosed as having the dreaded swine flu. But as with all but one of the American cases of the illness, the kids recovered, and even returned to school today.

We practiced good “social distancing” (my brother introduced me to that term) and refrained from hugs and kisses today. I didn’t even bring snacks to share, which is not normal behavior for me. Christian was so into climbing and walking that he barely paid any attention to the other kids today, which made it easier to keep him from sucking on other people’s toys.

Less reassuring: hearing that my sister’s Oxford research unit in Bangkok has mandated eight days of house quarantine for anybody traveling back from the States or Mexico. And the international airport in Bangkok has instituted heat detectors; any deboarding passenger with an elevated body temp is whisked off to the hospital for further examination.

The main organizer of the attachment parenting meetup sent around an email with some online swine flu resources I thought I’d share here, plus the CDC  link  for updates.

Attachment parenting expert, Dr. Sears, offers his guidance.
Some insights from another AP friendly physician, Dr. Jay Gordon
A one hour interview with Dr. J. Williams, expert on viral immunity.

CDC link for updates.

An unsettling picture that I've already received several times in the last 48 hours.

Posted in crafts, health | 3 Comments

Bedrest for Titi

Posted on April 30, 2009 by jeannie
Titi was made in the image of Christian.

Titi was made in the image of Christian.

I have a heck of time finishing projects. It’s not just procrastination, but also a small dose of boredom and a great deal of resistance to finicky detail. I get excited once the end is in sight, and somehow lose that edge that keeps me focused – and the project falls off my radar.

Because of this personal proclivity I tend to work best with multiple tasks; and this applies to practically everything I do. I like to tidy house haphazardly allowing one thing to lead me to the next (I admit that for deep cleaning I’ve come to appreciate the speed and efficiency of a speed cleaning onslaught), I read piles of books at the same time, and once I start cooking I am most content when I’ve got every burner going.

The downside is that it takes me longer than it should for me to complete tasks, if they do get finished. Most of the time I don’t mind this. I’ve got Titi to repair, another heavy baby doll (Wallace) almost finished, a baby vest almost knit (for Christian), four sandwich wraps cut, a batch of cloth menstrual pads ready for the serger, and half a dozen wet bags ready to be sewn. It’ll all get done and I won’t be bored for a minute of the project-making. I expect it all to be done before the end of May at the latest.

The only glitch is that I have to get that doll repaired right away. TiTi, the doll in the picture above, is the doll I made for my niece Nabi Grace. And while Nabi Grace loves Titi, apparently his woolen hair has been shedding and causing some eczema. So Titi was mailed back to me for a hair transplant. (He’s been amazingly upbeat about his prolonged bedrest.)

I got cotton yarn, but cotton is never going to be as hairlike as mohair, so I thought I’d try a new hair type – crocheted. The crocheted wig I’m making for another doll is working out beautifully. But the cotton crocheted cap for Titi never stopped looking  like a bad yarmulke, so I pulled it apart. Next I tried embroidered hair, which was recommended for dolls of young children. Also a complete failure. So now I’m back to making a (time-consuming) cotton wig with my hair tool and I can’t find it ANYWHERE.

Normally I would deal with such frustration by putting Titi aside and starting a new project (like a knit pig!), confident that the hair tool would show up sooner or later. But because Nabi Grace’s second birthday is next week, and Titi already has a new set of clothes, a hooded towel, and a pair of velcro diapers to travel back with, I’ve refrained from starting something new and tried to channel my energy into finding this hair tool.

This is excruciatingly painful for me to be stopped on one project. EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL.

Posted in procrastination | Leave a comment