Ladybug

I took advantage of our continuing beautiful weather to do some work in the yard.  Judith joined me outside for a couple hours.  She was beside herself with excitement to find a ladybug on a leaf.  All on her own, she got it to crawl on her hand, and it crawled up and down her arm for long enough for me to examine it with her, go inside to get the camera, come back out and take pictures, put the camera away, and come back to look at it some more.  The whole time she was talking to it, saying things like "Hello, Ladybug.  I'm Judith.  And this is my mama."  And the only time she got a little nervous was when it crawled so far up her arm that she couldn't see it anymore.  (I redirected it to climb back down.)  She also moved it back and forth from hand to hand, and let it balance on the end of her hoe for a little while.  A very fun nature moment!

"Look mama! It's on my hoe!"

  

"Hello ladybug, I'm Judith."

Goals

(warning:  no pictures of Judith in this blog!)
The third week of January may be a little late to talk about New Year's Resolutions.  I'm getting around that faux pax by calling them "Goals for the Year".  And I'm blogging about it so that I will be completely honest with myself a month from now, six months from now, and in December. 

Although some of these have a specific end, most of these goals are about building better habits.  So, 10 goals for 2012:

1. I will reach and maintain my weight loss goal.
2. I will plan more healthy meals for myself and my family (not just meals that aren't high in calories) including salads with most dinners.
3. I will study my Bible more regularly and more passionately.
4. I will make time (and arrange child care) for more dates with Lance.
5. I will research and create a plan for homeschooling Judith.
6. I will invite guests for dinner at least once every two months.
7. I will more closely follow our grocery budget, curbing splurge impulses.
8. I will not go to bed without cleaning up the kitchen.
9. I will care for my houseplants so that they thrive instead of being just barely kept alive.
10. I will blog at least once per week.

Theme for the year:  Health

Barbara

Imagination!

I am frequently blown away by the power of Judith's imagination.  I imagine that's true for most mothers.  Here are some of her recent playtime imaginings.

Picnic on the White Planet
We recently watched an early episode of Wallace & Gromit (British claymation show by Aardman) in which they decide to take a trip to the moon because it must be made of cheese.  A few days after watching it, Judith noticed the sheets off our bed (laundry day) and decided she need to play there.  She explained that she was on the white planet and that it was made of cheese.

the white planet

During her picnic, as I was taking pictures, she held up this bracelet to her eye.  "I look like Professor Z!" she said.  It took me a minute to remember that the Professor is a character from Cars2 - he wears a monocle.

"I look like Professor Z"

The Proper Way to Eat
Judith's favorite snack food is Cheerios mixed with Annie's Whole Wheat Bunnies.  Frequently she has them for breakfast or for a snack throughout the day.  The other day I walked into the living room to discover Cheerios and Bunnies lined up at right angles on the tea table.  When I asked what she was doing, she said that she had to eat them this way - that the Cheerios were waiting for the bunnies.  Then she demonstrated proper eating technique:  pick up a Cheerio with the bunny's foot and then eat them together.

"the cheerios are ready for the bunnies"

 We'll have to write to Heloise to tell her the right way to eat this snack mix.

"see...this is how you eat them"

Dirt!

2 cubic yards of black gold!

A late Christmas present arrived for us at 8:30 this morning.  Two cubic yards of extra-super-special dirt, black with wonderful organic compost – a fragrant piece of Iowa farmland transported to my California backyard.  (Not really – it’s a local company, and I doubt they import their soil from Iowa – but that’s what it makes me think of.) 

"Don't worry, Mama, I'll move it for you!"

Judith and I watched from the window as the truck dumped it into a big pile in front of the bedroom window.  (For a few seconds we worried that it might actually back into the window...but the driver was more skilled than we gave him credit for.)  Then we got out our boots and went to work!  Our wheelbarrow is broken, so I filled a five-gallon bucket over and over, transporting the riches to various parts of the garden.  The blueberries, the fruit trees, and the vegetable garden all got their share.

The future blackberry patch!

After a little while, Grandpa Tim came with his wheelbarrow to help us.  He did the hardest work – wheeling load after load to the back 40, where I’m joyfully planning my new blackberry patch!  When that area was covered in a foot of soil, he piled up the rest in a backyard dirt bank that I’ll withdraw from as needed.  

  

Grandpa's helper!

Judith was in and out of the project.  She was very exited to be in the yard so early in the morning...although it was COLD (well, 40ish), and she ran around for quite awhile as I worked.  Eventually she decided she wanted to be inside instead, and I put on a DVD for her.  Once Grandpa came she changed her mind and came outside – she had a fantastic time helping to build the new backyard pile.  She “helped” Grandpa by using her hoe to put the dirt on his shovel, and then led the way to the backyard each time.  I think she said something about making sure they were on the right path (yes, “Diego” is still the primary show that she watches).

The evidence of helping

 All-in-all, a productive (if messy) morning!

TTFN,

Barbara

Sick!

My poor, sweet Judith had the 12-hour stomach flu last night.  She started telling me that her tummy hurt on the way home from driving carpool (3:30), and then she threw up every 15 minutes for the next 6 hours.  NOT a fun way to spend the evening.  At 5:30 she “just wanted to rest” in her bed.  Which she did – waking up every 15-20 minutes to vomit again!  It was mostly dry-heaving, of course, which is just terrible to watch.  And it was happening so frequently that I googled it.  Turns out dry-heaving is the brain’s fault – it’s still sending “purge” messages.  And it’s not something to “worry” about unless it extends more than 12 hours!  Whew...six hours was bad enough; I don’t want to think about 12!  Fortunately, by 11, she was done and I could go to bed too.  This morning she’s eaten applesauce and toast-with-honey without any problems, and she’s SOOOO much more chipper. 

A bonus for me was that I got to finish my book – I couldn’t watch TV and crochet, because I wouldn’t have heard Judith right away, and I wouldn’t have been able to put the crochet down quickly (I was trying to avoid having to change the sheets every time).  It’s actually the first book I’ve read since before Thanksgiving!  (I’m pretty sure that’s a record for me.)  I even had to take a book back to the library without reading it because I was so busy doing other things.  And then, when the holiday frenzy was finally over, I was so excited to be starting my afghan that I didn’t read anything.  Then I the Costco magazine review of A Discovery of Witches intrigued me, so I requested it from the library.  And the book was intriguing too!  It’s fantasy, obviously, with a fun, storyline and lots of historical detail.  I enjoyed it very much until the end – when I discovered that it’s the first of a trilogy, and the others aren’t written yet.  (Should have checked that before I started it!)  I had (almost) forgotten how much I enjoy reading.  And I was reminded that it really takes time away from all my other priorities.  Until this recent hiatus, I simply made time to read, at the expense of other things.  And once I picked up a book again, I noticed myself neglecting other things to read – I didn’t blog; I didn’t do the yard work I planned to; I didn’t crochet; I stayed up too late...  So I’m wrestling with myself over whether I should immediately start another book.  In the past there’d have been no question.  Now I wonder if I should finish other projects first, or set a time limit on how long I can read each day.  Weird! 

TTFN,

Barbara

The Food Question

I’ve been wrestling for a while with when we should all eat the same thing for dinner every night.  This is a somewhat difficult question in our family anyway, since I’m vegetarian and Lance isn’t; since I’m a “picky” eater, and Lance isn’t; and since I also tend to be dieting endlessly...but for those nights when the two adults are, in fact, eating the same thing, should Judith also be “required” to eat only that? 

Sometime last fall, I instigated “family dinner time” during which we all sit at the table together, and no one leaves until everyone is finish eating (yes, some dinners get very long as we wait for Judith to finish!).  This began as an attempt to change our habit of eating dinner in front of the TV every night, but it also quickly occurred to me that it could be a way to “encourage” Judith to eat what we eat.  That’s easy when we’re having pita pizzas or grilled cheese or quesadillas.  Even make-your-own salad night works, because I can put together a plate of the things she likes out of the salad choices (and she’ll eat just about anything dipped in ranch dressing!).  My dilemma comes on a night like tonight.  Lance and I had beans and rice (a favorite of ours: sautéed mushrooms, garbanzos, kidney beans, black beans, and canned tomatoes, served over brown rice and garnished with sour cream or grated cheese).  Judith had cheese and crackers and a banana.  I’ve never offered her the beans and rice dish, because I know (assume?) she doesn’t like mushrooms or tomatoes (at least she hasn’t yet).  She’s tried a garbanzo bean once or twice, and not minded it, but not asked for more.  So I go the easy route and make her a separate meal (easy in terms of getting her fed, not easier to make). 

And I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do.

At almost-three-and-a-half should she be eating beans and rice?  Should I make the “rule” that she eats what we eat and there’s no other option?  (Then how do I explain that Daddy and Mama don’t eat the same things?)  Or do I continue to do what I’m doing:  serving her what we’re having when I know she’ll like it (pushing the boundaries on occasion) and making a separate meal for her when I know she’ll refuse the adults’ option?

Her “acceptable food” list is pretty varied compared to a lot of the stories I’ve heard:  lots of cheese, whole wheat bread, peanut butter, quesadillas, pizza, macaroni and cheese, just about any fruit, greek-style yogurt, granola, scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, sautéed or grilled chicken, olives, pickles, tuna fish sandwiches, pumpkin soup, tomato soup, french fries, ranch dressing...  (And of course, given my semi-profession, she’s quite adventurous when it comes to dessert. :-) 

On the “don’t like” side she includes most meat (which is pretty understandable given how infrequently we actually have meat in the house), tomatoes, avocado/guacamole, mushrooms, sharp cheeses...  And she will predictably turn up her nose completely at something she hasn’t had before.  We explain frequently that she can’t say she doesn’t like something if she hasn’t tasted it, but she’s unlikely to taste anything on the first try...or even the fifth try.  (In fact, I have really no idea what makes her eventually taste something at all!) 

So I know that the nights she gets served something new she won’t eat dinner.  In theory I know it’s not a horrendous thing for her to miss a meal, but it can be frustrating to “waste” food getting her to try it, enforce “this is your dinner,” and know that she’s still hungry!

So this remains a dilemma.  I am thankful that she eats more than one specific food.  I am thankful that she is healthy.  I am (usually) willing to continue to make her a separate meal several times a week.  So it’ll probably be a while before I come to a decision.

TTFN,

Barbara

Playtime!

Despite the number of times in a day that Judith asks to watch "Diego", she really does like to play.  One of her favorite toys is a piece of string ("snake") from one of my current crochet projects.  Recently she's gotten a hold of a few pieces of Lion Brand homespun, which is made up of several thicknesses of string wound together.  She's unwound the edges into a "tail" and decided that they're mermaids.  Two of them accompanied us to the grocery store yesterday, with the understanding that if Mama had to hold them, they'd be thrown away.  They made it home from the store just fine, but Daddy threw one away last night, and we'll see how long it takes for Judith to notice that it's missing.

We were thrilled to have Grandma Sandy accompany Grandpa Tim last night on his weekly visit to play computer games with Daddy.  Judith had a playmate for the whole evening, and Mama had a little break!  They played Candyland, which Judith got for Christmas.  Here too, her imagination is blindingly evident - "Tinkerbell" has to play with Grandma and Judith, and takes her turn every time as well.

Grandma also helped Judith open the easel that she got for Christmas.  It's got a chalkboard on one side, and a magnetic white board on the other.  Judith had a great time lining up the included alphabet magnets by color.  We tried to help her make words, but she was pretty set on colors needing to be together, and there's only about half the alphabet in each color.  We'll have to purchase some chalk and some dry-erase markers to go with the easel.  Neither were included, although an eraser was!

Step-Count Update:
I was planning to begin a recurring section periodically tracking my steps this year, but, sadly, I dropped my pedometer yesterday afternoon, and the sensor is broken...it doesn't count steps!  So this item's on hold until I get a replacement or find something else :-).

TTFN,
Barbara