My Sweet Babu

What a weekend!

This past weekend was non stop, to say the least!  My cousin was getting married on saturday evening and my husband and I were looking foward to celebrating with them...and to a child free evening to ourselves!  But alas, there was a rehersal dinner on friday evening that the children were invited to, so off we went.  The kiddos could not have looked cuter, but as we know, looks can be deceiving and I knew that John and I would be holding our breath and sliently praying for good behavior (as we are the only ones with small children). 

Things went off without a hitch, the babes were as good as gold and better and as saturday evening approached, I hoped that the kiddos would have a nice evening with their babysitter.  This was a first for us, my parents have been the only ones who have ever stayed with the little ones while John and I have gone out, but since they would be attending the wedding, we needed to figure something out!  Luckily, one of Tobin's teachers in pre  school from last year lives right in our town and does babysit!  When Tobin found out that she would be staying with them, he asked me day after day "if this was the day Miss Bonnie was comming??"  I can't tell you what a nice feeling it is to feel so comfortable with the person who is caring for your children!  This alone could have completely changed the night for me, had the circumstances been different, but everything was perfectly lovely! 

I was so glad that mother nature waited until the ceremony on the beach was over before unleashing a massive rain, by which point the guests were only slightly drenched and enjoying cocktails under an incredible tent.  This wedding was anything that anyone could have dreamed for with every detail attended to.  I especially loved the seating card in the photo above which was made by www.eventblossom.com. When you remove the small brown starfish from the card, soak it in water and then plant it, wildflowers will grow! Now to cram in a quick night's sleep for round #3...

DING, DING...  Every year my parents rent a house in Cape May, NJ for the week and we take the kiddos down for the day to go to the Cape May Zoo and to do some walking around the town...ok, shopping!  We got out the door early and set off for what would surely be a wonderful day!  Everything was great and the kids could not have had a better time.  This was the first year that Sophia really understood what was happening and was interested in looking at the animals.  I just love being able to do things with the kids that completely revolves around them, without the distractions of house or yard work.  I have really been looking foward to this little get away, just to be somewhere else for an afternoon can be so restorative. 

 

And so we survived the weekend!  I swear, our lives are not usually so eventful!  Even though I feel like I need to sleep for an entire day to make up for the energy expenditure, it was worth it.  How grateful I am that we are able to participate in this wonderful life of ours.

Enjoy the sun!

a.

The Twin Lights

I think there is something about this time of the year that gives me the bug to travel.  Perhaps it was because as a child growing up, June marked the end of the school year and the beginging of summer camps, new summer time friends and trips to Vermont.  The start of this summer has been busy and rainy!  This year we have opted for day trips that can be planned around our other commitments, and the weather.  This past weekend was a particularly exciting and full one, but knowing I would not have a chance to post about it for today, I decided I would share an adventure we took when the sun came out for a moment last week!

These are the Twin Lights in Highlands, NJ, all of about 1 mile or so from our home!  This is an amazing lighthouse structure, one of the only ones of it's kind, sitting at the highest point on the eastern seaboard, looking more like a castle than anything else!  Actually, a good friend of ours grew up in this lighthouse, as his father was the lighthouse keeper until fairly recently!  I am sure that it was an incredible experience!  I am only embarrassed to say that this is the fist time we have visited the lighthouses since we have lived here!

 

We were able to climb to the top of one of the towers, where in spite of the humid air below, there was a beautiful cool breeze and we could see the New York skyline along the horizon.  Inside, there was a small museum with all kinds of interesting facts about the history of the Twin Lights.  The kids were amazed and had a wonderful time, to say the least.  Tobin especially has a real love for visiting museums and seeing various artifacts.  We love seeing the wheels turning as he processes what life must have been like years ago when people had to make due with the tools that are behind the glass and did not have the luxury of the technology we have today.

 

So even if a summer vacation was not on the agenda, I urge you to explore some of the wonderful parks and landmarks that might be close to where you live.  We packed a picnic lunch, drove 5 minutes up the road and managing to escape the gift shop, enjoyed a wonderful afternoon, free of charge!  In truth, my kiddos could have spent the entire day just rolling down the hill infront of the Twin Lights!  I am pleased to discover that the notion that one must spend alot of money on big summer vacations is not necessarily true, our children are clearly communicating to us that they will have a wonderful time exploring any part of their world, as long as we are doing it together as a family.

alison  

Yummm...

I have really been craving this one particular vergetarian indain food recipe that we make and thought I would share it!  The main part of the dish is the Mixed Vegetable Curry...

 

I usually triple the recipe...it's just the kind of thing that you'll want to have leftovers of. 

2 c. broccoli (cut into floweretes) 

1 lg potato (peeled and cut into 1/4 in.cubes)                                

2 carrots peeled and cut into slices)  

1/2 c. sour cream   1c. Milk    2tbsp. flour                             

1/2 tsp. tumeric    1 tsp. cumin powder  

1 Tbsp. coriander powder   pinch of hing                              

1 1/2 tsp. salt                  Butter or Ghee

Boil potatoes and carrots and steam broccoli until tender, drain and set aside.  In a large pot, put 1 Tbsp. of butter or ghee and add flour and milk.  Bring to a boil and cook until mixture is thick.  Add all spices except salt adn cook 30 sec more.  Stir in sour cream and salt, then mix in veggies.  Keep on low heat until ready to serve.  Serve over a white rice.

And no indian meal would be complete with out Puri's!

 

1 c. white flour           1 c. whole wheat flour          1 Tbsp ghee or butter                                       1/2 c. water                   Veg. oil for frying.

Combine four, butter or ghee and water in a bow, knead for 3 minutes.  If too wet add more flour.  Divide into 12 balls.  Flaten with your palm, then roll out to about 4 inch circle.  Heat oil in a wok, drop 1 puri in.  It will sink to the bottom, but then float to the top and puff up.  Cook until golden on each side, flipping only 1x...about 45 sec each side.  Make right before servng your meal.

I like to add extra salt to my vegetable curry and also enjoy preparing a chickpea masala with this dish.  The recipe I use is from the Whole Foods website.  This is so yummy, but does need some special shopping, so I figured it might be a good dish for a weekend.  The aromas and tastes are just out of this world...but not so far out there that my kid won't eat it!  Yes, even they love it!  Boy, after typing this up and seeing the photos, I'd like some now!

Enjoy the dish and have a great weekend!

alison

Nature Table

This is our nature table.  Actually, it started off as just a table by the back door with an artificial topiary that I liked to decorate for the different seasonal holidays.  I had not really heard of a nature table before, but as my son began briging home his treasures that he would find out and about and would arrange them on the table, I suddenly realized that a nature table was exactly what I had! 

We have really enjoyed finding little treasures for our table and adding other items that the kiddos have made.  When Tobin lost his first tooth, I was thrilled to come across www.nushkie.etsy.com where she had made this wonderful little felted tooth fairy.  It was the perfect addition to our table to commemorate this special time.  Somewhere along the way I picked up this cool wooden bowl which has been a great catch all.  We usually dont let the little one's play with the nature table items, as many of them can be pretty delicate.  However, by keeping our items in this open bowl as opposed to a jar, the kids can touch things and explore with supervision, learning how to handle these items in a gentle way.

 

I have found that this is a really great family activity/ collection that everyone can participate in.  We have jars with sand and shells...and in the fall we have larger jars of pinecones that take up residence in other parts of the house, as they are just too big for the nature table.  I love to see my children exploring thier world and taking interest in the random beauty all around them.  I love being able to bring some of the natural world into our home.  In designating this space for our treasures, we are showing our children that we too revere nature enough to give it a special place in hour home.  I love seeing the excitement on my son's face as he finds a special shell or stone, a look that so many children only get from purchasing something from a store.

If you are thinking about begining a nature table, the summer into the fall is the perfect time to begin!  What are some of the things your family likes to collect near where you live? 

Happy treasure hunting!

alison

What we've been up to ...

Sometimes when I am posting, it seems as if life is very simple, each day with it's own singular activity and event.  This is not always the case, actually, contrary to what the window of blogging shows, most days there are just a whole bunch of random activities!  Sometimes, I think my childrens'  attention spans have rubbed off on me because like them ...or because of them, I can move from task to task, working on a thing for only fifteen minutes at a time.  Especially in the last few weeks, with all of the rain, we've been in the house more than usual filling our days with activity after activity! 

:::  I did eventually get my Thank you's made for Sophia's birthday party.  I had wondered when these little asian stamps would come in handy?  Crafty or not, anyone could make these cards!  I used a brown sharpie marker for the branch and a red paint pen for the "blossoms".  Mission accomplished, I thought they looked so sweet!  :::

   

:::  I have been loving not having anywhere to be!  No classes or internships for me to get to, no pre K drop off for me to get out the door for!  Being able to stay in your jammies all day with your kids is so great, soak it up! :::

:::  I have been enjoying sneaking moments here and there to read The Passion of the Hausfrau by Nicole Chaison that came in the mail last week.  I am so enjoying this read and would highly recommend it!  Housebound for many a day, it is nice to read something that makes you nod your head and go "yeah!"  :::

:::  Do you know how long it has been since we have made rice crispie treats?  Too long!  No reason why, they simply just never came to mind, but I suddenly had the stragest craving for them, and lucky for me, we had all of the ingredients!  It is the world's laziest treat, but these are too yummy!  :::

:::  Have I mentioned that I love to knitt?  Love it.  I started my first big blanket this year, making many smaller squares (good for traveling) that can be put together later.  I would work on it daily, but then got out of the routine.  I'm so happy to be back at it and am really looking foward to having a new comfy handmade blanket to snuggle up under this fall!  :::

:::  Walks to the park (weather permitting), bouquets of flowers, little hands, sticky from ice pops... need I say more?  :::

These are the ramdom things that bring us joy and make us smile on these wet and chilly days of June! 

Life is really good.

a.

Bakugan brawl

Have you ever heard of Bakugan toys?  Well, if you are one of the few who are lucky enough to have escaped this trendy toy, it is the next generation of Pokemon- esque toys.  For all of my efforts to screen the types of toys that we have in our home, in a moment of weakness months ago, we bought one of these little characters for our son, Tobin.  Immediately, the Bakugan took hold, and for a few days, it was almost all he could talk about and was the only toy he wanted to play with.

 

I was just waiting for an excuse to take this little thing away, and eventually, I did!  Thankfully, there is really something to "out of sight, out of mind", becasue Tobin did not mention it for quite a while.  That is, until he was given another one by an older neighbor during the town wide yard sale.  Joy.  Before I knew it, the other Bakugan was out and I was not a happy camper.  But why was that?  This was one of those moments where I had to think about whether this was something that was truly bad for my child, or was it just something that I wasn't into?  I could have said that it was because I didn't like that he was just fixated on these characters, or that the kind of play that they encouraged was too violent.  But let's call a spade a spade here, if he were obsessed with running around outside playing knights with his wooden swords and all of that, I'd probably be cool with it.  Violent, yet Waldorf- ey. 

 

In the end, I decided not to get into a "Bakugan brawl" over these...Bakugan.  Actually, in the time since I originally thought about posting about this, my little guy hardly plays with these toys at all.  Perhaps that is another reason why I am reluctant to want to purchase these types of toys, the novelty of them quickly wears off, and they wind up in the bottom of the toy bin.  That aside, the mama lesson learned here is that it is good to pick your battles.  I didn't want to be a hypocrite and I decided that I would just see how things played out instead of making a big to do over these toys.  I am going to try to remind myself of this lesson learned for the many times in the future I will surely be faced with similar situations.