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What can I say, he's on a roll. But I promise there WILL be more regular posts coming...
Huck: What are you putting on the calendar?
Me: Well, Earth Day is next month, so I'm writing it down so we remember it?
Huck: I forgot...What do we do on Earth Day?
Me: We celebrate the earth by doing something nice for it.
Huck: Like give it a present?
Me: Yeah, it's sort of like giving it a present.
(Huck thinks)
Huck: Let's give it some bunny ears.
April 22nd, 2010 :: Earth Day :: Mark your calendars
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Huck: Mom, I love you so much.
Me: Aww. I love you, too, honey.
Huck: I even love you when you're mean to me.
Me: Mean to you? Well I even love you when you're a pill and you won't mind me and I have to fuss at you.
Huck: You know Mom, the reason I don't mind right away is because sometimes I'm fighting a bad guy. And that's really hard. You shouldn't fuss at me. You should just let me do my job.
This is about the point in a conversation when I instigate the "No more talking so Mima can fall asleep" rule. Articulate little shit.
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A twist on the good old Rice Crispie Treat. I'd say it's a "healthier" twist but let's face it, once you combine anything with an entire bag of melted marshmallows the term healthy is really pushing it.
Cranberry Oatie-O Bars
4 Tbsp Butter
1/2 tsp salt 6 cups O's type Cereal
1 cup Dried Cranberries
Line a baking sheet with wax paper and spray or brush with oil. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat, add salt, then stir in the O's and cranberries. Mix well. Dump it onto the lined baking sheet and press it out with a wooden spoon or spatula. Let stand for 1 hour. Cut into pieces.
Store in an airtight container or wrap them individually in wax paper--but be sure to seal with painters tape to mitigate that whole super mom backlash thing that homemade crispie treats can evoke.
They don't last long but this recipe is quick and easy and deeeee-lish.
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Huck: Mom, I really think I need to add some stuff to my morning routine.
Me: Really? Like what?
Huck: I don't know.
Me: Well I don't know either. You already brush and floss your teeth, and wash your face and brush your hair. I think that's an awesome morning routine.
Huck: (Long pause. Totally dissatisfied) Maybe I could put on chapstick.
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Out of the blue a couple of weeks ago Huck told me he could count to 100.
Intrigued but skeptical--since we haven't done much with numbers here at home and I know that besides counting the days on the calendar they haven't focused on counting at his preschool either--I said, "Prove it."
Well, he did.
It took him a while, he missed a few numbers and consistently said "twenty-ten...thirty-ten...forty-ten..." instead of thirty, forty, fifty, etc. But the little guy did it.
That night I dug around in my craft room and found a big poster board sized piece of mat board I had left over from the wall art we made to decorate the kids' room and I made up a number chart to help him develop his new counting skills.
Materials:
Poster Board or Mat Board
Sharpie Marker
Ruler
It's more expensive, but I liked using the mat board. It's nice and sturdy, sure to last through Jemima as well. Measure and draw your squares (10 across by 10 down--no duh) and write in your numbers. That's it. Write Number Chart at the top for word recognition if you want. I had these cool puffy letters my Mom sent.
I meant to get Huck to decorate the rest of it before I got it up on the wall but it didn't happen. I've decided I'm glad though. Whenever he gets stickers he always wants to know where he can put them. No, not on the chair. No, not on the wall. No, not on the door.
Now I can say, How 'bout on your Number Chart! Perfect.
Our Number Chart went on the wall in the living room at the bottom of the stairs. Huck picked the spot himself and he often sits on the bottom steps and counts. I'll also add that a couple of times, sending him to count has provided a wonderful distraction from those last, interminable minutes before dinner hits the table.
I have to admit, I wasn't 100% sure how to use these. I just kind of instinctively felt it would help him count and learn if he could see the numbers lined up like this. I've since taken a spin around the internet and discovered all kinds of other things you can do with Number Charts. Count backwards, count by twos, by fives, tens, etc. It's a really great tool for getting a grasp on basic math. Once your child can write the 10 basic numbers and count to 100 they can make their own "worksheets" by just recreating the number chart on a piece of paper.
And here's a link with number chart worksheets for older kids and ways to color code number charts for visual multiplication aids. Fun to know our Number Chart "has legs" as they say, and will be useful for years to come.
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New look and new designs for Spring over at Hand full. Check it out!
Free-spirited eco-wear for kids.
Susan and Rebecca have also introduced a new line of gorgeous eco-wear for Mommies! Visit Pasque Flower Designs and let the drooling begin.
Wear honest clothes. Feel Freedom.
Brilliant, ladies. Just brilliant.
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I believe I've mentioned before my childhood obsession with a certain green poncho. Well, I couldn't resist setting my daughter off on a similar path. Since the moment I started knitting, I've had plans to make a poncho for her and now...it is complete.
Yes, I now have a Ravelry page. So it's official, I'm a knitting nut. But for those of you who aren't, I promise this will not turn into a knitting blog. Knitting will just be the sprinkles on the cupcake. I will however be doing a "How to Learn to Knit 21st Century Style" post very soon for anyone who's interested.
Jemima really likes her poncho.
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Remember Shake 'n' Bake? I remember the commercials and the Shake 'n' Bake pork chops my Mom used to make. Mmmm. I've been looking for recipes that Huck can make mainly by himself and those old Shake 'n' Bake commercials popped into my head.
Nouveau Shake 'n' Bake Chicken Nuggets
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch of garlic powder
salt
pepper
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Cut chicken into bite-sized nuggets and add to the bowl. Make sure all chicken nuggets are covered with egg. In a 1 quart ziplock baggie combine the breadcrumbs and spices. Mix.
I did all the above ahead of time then just set the baggie aside and put the chicken in the fridge covered until we were ready to cook that evening.
Preheat Oven to 400F.
Line a pan with foil and spray with cooking spray or brush with oil. Set up a station at the table or counter with the bowl of chicken nuggests in egg mixture, the baggie of crumbs and the baking sheet.
Take nuggets out of bowl and drop into baggie--we did about 6-10 nuggets in the baggie at a time. ZIP IT UP (this step is key, trust me), and SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE!
Place nuggets on baking sheet.
Repeat until all nuggets are nicely coated. Bake 10-15 minutes, turning once.
Everyone here loved them and Huck had a great time making me dinner!
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Huck: Mom! Come see the zoo we made?
Jon: Why do you want her to come see it?
Huck: You know, just to be cool.
Let it be known.
I am the arbiter of cool.
And don't you forget it.
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If you enjoy sites like I Can Has Cheezburger, Cake Wrecks and Fail Blog, you will love this site I was just turned onto by a friend...
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