The Love

Vinay and I went out the other night to a friend's house to play The Newlywed Game. We didn't score very well, but we did learn a lot about our friends! After thanking my parents for watching the kids, I peeked into Amiya's room to see that the kiddos were covered up.

This is what I saw:

Nevermind that he's got his own twin bed inches away.
Nevermind that his sister is perpetually nasal-congested lately and isn't a quiet sleeper.
Nevermind that his right arm is probably more asleep than he.
Nevermind that his sister's toys and stuffed animals take up 2/3 of the space.

Nevermind any of that. He had a chance to get in next to his big sister and cuddle. He saw an opportunity and he took it. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Amiya the Author (Part 2)

Amiya, our budding historian, has missed two days of school now due to nasal congestion, cough, sore throat, etc. But projects wait for no illness and I wanted this one off our lists - so she hammered it out. Her text was handwritten out, then we typed it together with her adding bits and pieces of information to liven it up. I'm so thankful for computers - she is a better, more vivid writer when she can type. Handwriting is a challenge for her - her brain (and mouth) work much faster than her hands.

The poster was (I'm thinking) larger than it needed to be. But, it's what she wanted to do and no parameters were given. (Don't say I didn't tell you earlier to buy stock in science fair boards.)

(Have I mentioned that I like parentheses?)

Here she is with her poster:
She told me what to google and then we sorted through pictures together to find the images she wanted. Remember that thing I said above about loving computers? I don't love them so much when I type in a simple string of words that are directly related to a subject that is completely non-adult in nature and the results are nothing (literally) short of porn.

So we found and printed pictures together. Then we cut them out, mounted them on paper and did a mini-math measurement lesson to figure out how big her white caption labels had to be. Then we scooted over to the computer (back to the loving the computer mood) and created text boxes to her caption measurement specifications, typed in our text, printed 'em off, etc., etc. She can't do things the easy way (further proof that she is my daughter). But I guess in this social studies project she got reading, research, history, medicine (discussing polio and vaccinations), sociology (discussing the racism of the Japenese internment camps), math and computer-literacy practice. A single-discipline focus, but a multi-disciplinary experience. I love it.

Anyway, that's all for now. I am having trouble cutting and pasting her text into blogger, but I'll work hard at it since I know you're waiting on the edge of your seats. It's titillating stuff, this third grade history.

How Cute Is This?

I have a friend at Amiya's school who is crafty in ways I am not. She does awesome paper projects that involve supplies I do not have and do not want to have. So, when I saw this on a blog recently, I asked her if I could pay her to put one together for me. And she said yes! Whoohoo for us!

It's a birthday board - the person who's birthday is approaching gets to pick out six dinners for the six nights before the big day. We (meaning I, let's be real, they're too young and we'd be watching The Land Before Time every night) also get to select six birthday-ish activities to do before their big day.

If Blogger is playing nicely and will let you enlarge the picture, you'll see that Kev selected pancakes for five out of six dinners. (I had to talk him out of pancakes on Friday since we're having company for Indian food.) So please, think of me and the carb-induced coma we'll all be living in starting tomorrow night.

Our activities include watching Kev's baby movies, making a "We Love Kev" poster, having a dinosaur lunch, making dinosaur cookies, having a lunch date with Mommy and Daddy and going on a birthday walk. (I'm not sure what a few of those are about - I'll have to do some more thinking.)

Anyway. I love, love, love this board and am so grateful to Ms. MaryAnne for making it! Birthday season is my favorite season and this makes it even more special!

Amiya, the Author (Part 1)

Amiya's teacher this year is fantastic. Really and truly fantastic. She is demanding, but also encouraging. She is strict, but also warm. She gets Amiya and she lets Amiya be who she is - equal parts goofball and mini-scholar, with a lot of curiousity thrown into the mix. She allows Amiya the freedom to read what she wants and doesn't hold her to the grade level, but she also guides her to texts that are not only fun, but also enriching.

Pretty much I'd like Vinay and I to become polygamous so we could marry her and have her teach our kids forever. I would do dishes and laundry, floors and bathrooms. She could just teach.

Maybe that's a stretch, but she really is great. Case in point: the Presidency project. Each child in class submitted their top three choices of US Presidents to research and report to the class on. This is NOT a small project. This is a big project - the list of topics that each child must cover is longer than I anticipated, the format fairly complex. Sources must be cited and said sources must be varied. For a third grade project, I think this is big.

But that's the thing. This is what our third grader can do - and maybe it's what is missing today for a lot of kids who are capable of doing more than the curriculums demand. I fully understand that this is perhaps asking more than some children are capable of and that it seems daunting to them - to the point of shutting down. But for our child, this child, I love it. She needs to be pushed or she will just stagnate.

On to this project - Amiya submitted FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan. (Are you scratching your head at those three? Hmm, which one doesn't fit? I was confused, too.)

Happily, for we already had a great biography, she was assigned FDR. It doesn't hurt that Grandma and Grandpa had spent a good deal of time touring FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt sites this past summer/fall on their way down here. Or that Eleanor was a pretty awesome woman whose quotes are uttered at least weekly around these parts. Or that they had a super, super cute dog and our little chicky is dog crazy.

We spent some time at the Roosevelt Memorial this Thanksgiving while in DC.
It is a beautiful memorial and I think we went at the right time of year. The fall leaves, both in the trees and on the ground somehow fit perfectly with what I know of Roosevelt and his terms in office. Serious, serious times for our country. It wouldn't have felt right to be summery and have people in shorts and flip flops.

Wasn't Eleanor just the coolest woman? I think so. She knew she didn't have looks, she didn't have grace, but she had brains. Not a bad role model for a seven-year-old, you know?

Anyway, I've digressed. Back to the report. It's big and it's daunting. But she's got it covered. Stay tuned for Amiya, the Author (Part 2). I'll put her text in here so you can see what she wrote. The rough draft is pretty nice - I can't wait to see where she ends up!

Kev the Aviator

Kev's school had some sort of helicopter company come in to talk to the kids about aviation. I don't really understand it (at all), but whatev. It may have been the marketing that I didn't love - we knew nothing about it until the sheet came home asking for $20 for the pictures.

Mwa ha ha ha ha.

Surely they were joking. No way were we going to pay $20 for pictures of this - so when the sign went up saying they needed volunteers to help the anklebiters in and out of their suits, I was the first to put my name down. In exchange for my time, we got the picture package for free. I can deal with that - and our little guy wouldn't be so glum when his pals got their pics and he didn't have any.

The kids listened to a fifteen minute spiel about aviation and then were paraded outside to check out the mini-copter, don a mini-flight suit and get their pictures taken.

Now's the time when I cast off my aspersions, shut up the negative chicky in me and just say that it was a cute experience. Kev, as evidenced by these pictures, thought it was pretty awesome.

I'm not sure that the kids actually learned anything significant about aviation and I'm not convinced that someone (the company, not his school) didn't make a lot of money off of this little event, but for the time I spent, I'm glad we have these pictures. If nothing else, they prove that Kev is actually capable of looking at the camera and smiling. That knowledge alone makes it worthwhile!

Life is Sweet

I am still in a crafty mood around here - there are so many interesting things being done and shared on blogs lately that I can't help it!

I love having my girlfriends over and I love baking, so I concocted a brunch with a purpose. I got to bake, I got to be a bit crafty, I got to hang out with fifteen lovely women.

The invitation:
Again, I found graphics online that I liked. For a small price, I purchased them and was able to use my minimal graphic skills to make something cute. It was the bunting that really sold me on it - I love how bunting is so popular right now. (You may have noticed. It's all over our house these days!)

The backs of chairs at our dining room table:

My Mom is probably rolling her eyes - they are completely unfinished with raw edges, but they were super cute and tied this table in with the rest of the theme. I think I might leave them up forever.

The food table:

Again with the bunting! Love it!


I tried to have all sorts of yummy things - mostly sweet, in keeping with the theme, but a bit of savory, too. In the long basket in the back, we had cranberry breads in darling little bread pans, blueberry muffins, and cherry almond scones that are (happily!!! finally!!!) Vinay approved as an acceptable baked good. And of course, chocolate covered strawberries because it's strawberry season here and it's just the right thing to do when having a bunch of women get together.

On one of the tiered serving trays we had fresh pineapple, fresh strawberries and the very best brownies I have ever eaten in my life. Ever. In my whole life. And I've been around the brownie block, so to speak. On the other were chai cookies, an onion and gruyère tart and smoked salmon with chives and cream cheese on bagels. In front of that was an Irish Cream Bundt Cake that does nothing for the waist, but is unbelievably delicious.

For drinks we had coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and a chai concentrate that the girls who drink tea said was lovely. I'll take their word for it! I found a great website where a girl can buy all sorts of interesting containers and packages - so instead of using our mugs which are well-loved and tea stained (but not without their sentimental value), I used these.

But the best part of all of this was the humongous pile of stuff that accumulated in my foyer. I asked each friend to bring something that they no longer needed to be donated to a domestic abuse shelter in Tampa. The Spring is both a shelter for women, children and even men who are fleeing abusive situations, as well as a thrift store to help offset the costs of operation. Everyone has something to give - those of us with kids have a lot of extra, outgrown but still good stuff laying around. I am overwhelmed by what these girls brought:

It doesn't seem like all that much, but there are eight medium sized moving boxes buried in there underneath all the bags. There is a TV, there are pounds and pounds of clothing, dish sets, kitchen linens, golf equipment - the list goes on and on. My car is stuffed to the gills and my Dad is going to haul stuff down there in his truck as well. I love how caring my friends are.

So, a wonderful morning. A creative outlet for me, a few hours of chit chat with my girlfriends and a few carfuls of stuff to help others get back on their feet. Life is good!

Super Bowl Fun

I don't know if you've heard. Maybe you have, since most of you live in the land of cheese. THE PACKERS WERE IN THE SUPER BOWL. Some things have to be yelled. It's just the way it is.

They hadn't been in the Super Bowl since I was in college. And even though that was just a few years ago (ahem), it was still a big deal and we had to celebrate, so we invited some friends.

In light of the fact that we are Cheeseheads (Vinay by marriage) living out of the land of cheese, I decided we needed to go with a classic Green Bay meal - sloppy joes, cut up veggies, Lays potato chips, root beer and rice krispy treats. This was Mary Hounsell food through and through. We also decked out the house a bit in green and gold. (Consequently, I know a fair amount about buying astroturf at Home Depot if you ever need help.)

The kids had never watched a football game in their lives, but they were very, very excited, too.

(Maybe not for the same reasons.)

Kev, sitting at the front door hours before guests were to arrive, waiting for his best buddy Brody. Fruit. Nothing remarkable except that my Mom had this cool way to cut pineapple. Who knew?

Also too, the three little boys in attendance pretty much ate all the strawberries and 95% of the pineapple on this tray. No scurvy here. Rice krispy treats. YUM! Léna made the flags. Go Packers!
The coffee table - also known as the place where the children congregate. I don't think the kids had ever had such easy access to chips before - they all pretty much hovered right here the entire time.

Also, please leave a comment in the comment section applauding Vinay on his excellent craftiness. He cut out the Packer letters. I am proud.

The cutest Cheeseheads in the world (even if it's only temporary).

Our company took off right before the start of the third quarter, which was a good thing because I was sort of a grump then (I was very, very nervous that the Pack was going to shut down). But they didn't leave before the girls (and one Mommy) got in some dance time to Justin Bieber. Ozzy might not know what a Bieber is, but these girls definitely do!

The DinoShow

Had you looked in our living room the other day, you would have seen Grandma, Amiya, Lena, Grandpa, Vinay and I perched on an assortment of chairs, watching the show you see below:

It was a dinosaur extravaganza. We expect Disney to call Kev any day now to sign him on as a master choreographer.

Scene 1: The sharpteeth came charging toward the peaceful herbivores, but the triceratops was able to fend off their attacks.

Scene 2: The sharpteeth (at Kev's right knee) was able to breach the line of three-horned defenses and was on the verge of attacking from inside the longneck lines. Horror! Angst! Woe!

Scene 3: The sharpteeth (in Kev's hand), mounts the attack. But wait! The longnecks have regrouped! Momma Apatasaurus is not having one last fervent cuddle with Papa Brachiosaurus - it was all just a clever ploy to lure the sharpteeth in closer. He moves in, ever closer, ever more terrifyingly until suddently, WHAP! Momma Apatasaurus smacks him with her long tail and he runs away squealing.

The End.

I need some help.

Can someone please tell me how we've gone from this:

to this: She used to be all about the buddha and the big, open-mouthed grin. Now it's all posing and tilting and draping. I'm not sure where she gets it (not from me!) or where she's gotten all these ideas from (!?), but from a parent's perspective, it's a lot of fun to see her go from baby to toddler to big girl.

Really?

Couldn't you just eat him up? I know that nobody in this whole world finds our kids as cute as Vinay and I do and I can deal with that because that's how parenting goes. But, it goes without saying that a kid who is happy - who beams with that sort of happiness that is impossible to fake - is the cutest, most heart-warming thing to see.

Science Fair Project, Completed

Remember this? Well, Kev and I got tasky this weekend and decided to finish the project up.

Here's the result:

He couldn't be prouder! He did the coloring on the section titles (no, really!?) and he classified the beasts into their proper categories. Léna and Vinay had previously helped him draw the dinos, so I just had to help him plan out which dinos go where and then make the identification cards.

He decided that each card should tell the dinosaur name, plus the area and time period in which they lived and whether it was an herbivore, carnivore, pescatarian, insectivore and/or scavenger. He knew most of this info. without looking it up, so we got to work. A few stumped him and we had to drag out the books and do a little weseawch.

He's very proud of himself and his project - he took it into his school today to show his friends and he's taking it to Amiya's school this afternoon to show one of her teachers.

I can't end without adding - Kev was not happy that he was bwockin' the whole postew in the above photo, so he took one of this own. If you click on it, you should be able to see it in better detail.

The moral of the story? Buy stock in science fair display boards, folks. I feel a trend coming on.

Big, Important Conversations

By now, the whole world knows about what a Tampa Mom did to her children last Thursday. Her actions are completely unjustifiable. There is no question. Before I became a Mother, I would have thought she should be dealt with in the harshest way allowed by our laws. But now, actually wearing the hat of a Mother, I have no doubt that she is sick. No Mother could do those heinous acts to her child while in a clear mental state. It simply cannot be. My heart grieves for the entire family - and for all of the children who played with the two children who were killed. Every child is too young to know these things happen.

Amiya came into the kitchen on Saturday to snap some beans for dinner. My Mom was sitting at the table and I was working at the sink. She sat on the floor - her bean-snapping routine - with her bowls and her collander and got to it. While sitting there, she started to ask questions about what happened. She had seen and heard bits and pieces, but couldn't piece it all together and understandably so - how could she even begin to comprehend a parent hurting their own child?

So we talked and we talked and I cried a bit. How can I protect her from these things? She's seven and she doesn't need to know about them. But she does, now, so I reassured her that this Mother was sick, that her brain isn't working correctly because no Mommy who was healthy would do such a thing. I promised that even when I get angry, when I yell, that I would never, ever even think of such a thing. That when Daddy and I tell them that they're driving us crazy, we're just kidding and it doesn't mean the same thing. I explained that this is a very good example of why Mommy and Daddy don't like sleepovers - we can never know what is happening in someone else's mind or in their home. And we talked about how if she is ever feeling so sad like this Mommy must have been, that it's important to talk to someone - Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, a teacher, anyone. That this Mommy felt alone, but that Amiya never needs to.

And so, keeping all this in mind, let's fast forward to Sunday morning. I wanted to have my latte with the paper in peace. Sunday is the day that doesn't have three schools to rush off to, a birthday party to get moving for, etc. It should be calm. And I wanted calm - I hadn't slept well and I wanted just a bit of calm.

This is what I got:

They weren't calm. Not even a little, tiny bit. They were loud and giggly and loud and rambunctious and loud. They were pokey and, honestly, a little bit annoying with the voices they were doing.

But they were loving each other - laughing together, enjoying themselves. Why is my calm more important than their fun? Does it always have to be my way? I guess not - because by the time I sat down with them and decided to appreciate their energy instead of grumbling about it, I was giggling, too. Next year, when they're both in the same school my mornings will be calmer. I can have my latte everyday all by myself. I'm sure I'll love it for the first week and then I'll be horribly, horribly lonely. Being a Mother is hard - terribly hard and sometimes we all feel like we've bit off more than we can chew. The week's events have reminded me to step back and appreciate the good - these children shine each and every day with their innocence, their enthusiasm, their gratitude. So maybe it wasn't the calm I wanted, but it was just as refreshing.

Getting My Craft On!

Last week was an awesome week in some ways. Usually, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I walk with girlfriends. However, none of our walking dates worked out this past week, so I had those three mornings completely available for me! I cleaned closets, I cleaned floors, I cleaned rooms. And, I crafted.

I made cute garlands for the kiddos:
Kev's garland features all sorts of animals and bright, jungle-inspired patterns. It's hanging in the playroom since he doesn't have a room of his own this year. Also because nobody plays in the playroom like Kev. It can be spotless one minute and the next there is a complete and total dinosaur infestation. Never walk barefoot in the playroom at night - the spines of a styrachosaurus can really do some damage! (I'll explain why Kev is taking a bow in a later post. It's important.)



Léna's garland is pinks and oranges - I wanted something a little Valentine-y, but she is not a pink girl at all. She loves orange, so I had to hunt for a paper that used both colors. Her two end pieces still need something - I am on the hunt for cute otter clip art, but nothing is really speaking to me.

Amiya's garland is soft pinks and yellows, with roses and polka dots. I tried to keep hers in a sort of a Victorian feel - not the polka dots so much, but I had to throw something in there to break up the cabbage roses and stuffiness. Amiya likes hers, but true to form, admonished me strongly for using a sewing machine to sew paper. Guess where she got that?

I also took the ugly, brushed-gold frame you see at right and played with it a bit. We bought this painting when we moved here to fill up a massive space on a wall. I have always liked this painting - the colors, the water, the feeling it evokes, but I hated the frame. Hated it. I'm not a gold girl, nothing in our house is gold (if I can help it) and it just didn't work for me.

I like it SO much better now. It is simpler to look at and now I notice the painting instead of the awful frame. It took all of thirty minutes - maybe I should have done this six years ago instead of disliking the frame all that time. I am thinking about setting up a spray paint studio in my garage - what's next? Entertainment center anyone?

And finally, see those milk bottles on the table? I did those, too. It was tedious, tedious work.
I had to drink four Starbucks Frappucinos to get the bottles and those aren't my favorite drink, but I persevered. Spray paint the bottles, stick a few stickers on, grab some tulips (my favorite!!! In season!!! Now!!!) and done. I like their simpleness. And I love that they were DIY.

More posts coming soon - and they'll be kid-focused. While last week was a good week in some ways, it was a hard week to be a Mom in Tampa. Big discussions about scary things. Hug your kids tight if you can, it's a crazy world.

I Am So Excited (Also, Romance Is Not Dead)

This is not a post about the kids, so stop reading Mom if that's what you were wanting.

I left Vinay a very, very subtle note hanging on our microwave tonight. I knew he was going to come home after work and make some chapathis to go with the chana I had prepared for our dinner. He couldn't possibly miss it. It read, "V, Please read the product review I left open on the laptop. I would like this for Valentine's Day. How romantic! Love, C"

And do you know what? When I brought the cherubs home from gymnastics, he had already done some research and was ready to order it. He just needed a little more information from me and then off he went to order it. It will be here before Valentine's Day and I cannot wait!

So, what is it? Any guesses?

Here it is: Pure romance. Pure love. (Do not click if you are not sure you can handle it. It's definitely not for kids and just what a couple who has been married for ten years needs to keep things running smoothly.)

That's right! It's gonna be hot, it's gonna be steamy. Does my man listen to my needs or what?

Science Fair, Take II

So someone thinks he should have been able to participate in the science fair along with his sister. Because going through the process with one wasn't fun enough?!

Our compromise: a board about dinosaurs. We've finally settled on dividing his favorite dinosaurs into the categories of theropods, sauropods and pterosaurs. The problem is that I don't know the difference between all these dinosaurs (which are not the same as pterosaurs?!?) and so I have to do a whole lot of reading to know if he's putting stuff in the right spots. I should probably just trust him - he's got every episode of Dino Dan and Dinosaur Train memorized so I'm guessing he's one Rachel shy of being the next Ross Geller.

He's not very happy with me - he wants to just attack the whole project - but I told him we need to plan. So we're post-it note happy and planning which dinosaurs go where. Here he's 'reading' up on the stegasaurus, hoping to find the name of a distant cousin to it. "Because evewybody alweady knows the stegasauwus, Mom."

It's Birthday Party Season

I love birthday parties. Love them, love them, love them. Have I mentioned I really love them?

A lot of people rant about how birthday parties are out of control - and maybe they are - but it's possible to have a fun party and not spend the GNP of a small island nation. We keep Christmas simple around here and don't drop a lot of money on presents - the kids birthdays are their special days just to celebrate them and I love all the lead up to it! The surfing for ideas, the craftiness of cute tables and activities, the excitement that the kids show when we talk about it. Why not live it up? They're only young once and celebrating a grown-up birthday just isn't the same.

This past week was all about nailing down themes - there was a super deal on invitations and I wanted to order them before the sale was done. So, a sneak peek:

I know. Kev's theme is a stunner. No one would have expected it. Dinosaurs? Huh.

He's having a dinosaur party and it's going to be loads and loads of fun. We're debating having a bounce house again this year - Kev's class culture at his school is to invite all the kids from class. That means 17 kids + Kev + his 6 playgroup friends + a few neighbors and siblings = mayhem. And even if we only invited the boys from his class, it's testosterone heavy, so we'd only shave off 4. I think a bounce house is a good idea to wear off some of that energy, no?

Amiya, on the other hand, has a guest list of about 14. Her playgroup pals, the girls from her class and a few random friends. Plus they're older, so I feel pretty confident that they can handle a longer party and her theme: Mad Scientist.

Who's flying down to help? I might need reinforcements.

She wants to do science experiments and generally create havoc. She wants a taco bar. She wants to make ice cream at the party. Excellent. The good thing is that she's now old enough to know that she helps set up for the party and she helps clean up from the party. Que fabuloso!

Amiya picked out her invitation from a site called MyGrafico. Her specific designs are from Stockberry Studios. This invitation was already made, we just had to add the text. (Whoohoo for that!) Kev's invitation graphics came from Digi Web Studio for just $1, but I had to design the invite and figure out how to layer all of the different elements. I can't wait to make all sorts of fun party things with them, but (hint, hint Vinay!) I really need to take a class at a community college on Photoshop. It's really confusing. I just know I could do some really great things if I understood the program better.

And then there's my Mom's birthday, my Dad's birthday, and my Uncle John's birthday. We'll be celebrating those three at a big Indian-themed dinner on February 18th. There isn't an invitation for that, but it is going to be fabulous!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Cranky

I am cranky today. And I'm being self-indulgent and whiny, so click on the X if you're not in the mood. (I wouldn't be. Go ahead. It's ok.)

The kids and Vinay have been sick for the last four days. Not just head cold sick, but confirmed cases of the flu sick. The sort that, if I catch it, would put me down and out for four days, too. The sort that makes millionaires of the folks at Lysol and Clorox and Aquaphor. The sort that makes mounds of laundry. The sort that just wears a Mom out.

Vinay is relatively easy to care for - he rolls up in a blanket and sleeps. Occasionally he asks for a cup of tea - no biggie. Sometimes I have to remind him to turn off his Nook or his laptop and go back to sleep. He offers to help with the dishes or the laundry - smart guy - knowing I'm not going to let him touch anything until he's donned a fresh hazmat suit and since we're fresh out of those, he is off scott-free.

The kids, and Amiya especially, are another matter. They are both feeling better - which is a relief after Amiya was so weak on Wednesday night that she couldn't even walk from the house to the car to go to the doctor. But they're still in that period where they should be resting - Amiya still had a fever last night. They think they're better, they certainly feel better than they have the last few days, but their little brains can't wrap around how important it is for them to continue resting. There are only so many Dinosaur Trains or Anne of Green Gables that they can watch. And so when it's time to rest, it's pretty much just an hour of me nagging them to lie back down, to quit singing, etc. UGH.

And then, mostly, there's just four days of not having had a moment to breathe. Being a stay-at-homie isn't the most physically demanding job and I'll never deny that I love being flexible and available to the kids pretty much all the time. But I also really do like the three hours in the morning when I can actually get some exercise, run errands without carseats, even make a grocery list without being interrupted seventeen times. There was nothing so pressing on my to do list this week, but there were some things that I wanted to accomplish and they just didn't happen.

On the flip side, it's the weekend. Everyone is getting better. We don't have any massive or even minor events this weekend - no birthday parties, no roller skating dates, no commitments for Vinay's work. Even more, I see people posting on Facebook daily about being broke, their parents' health, etc. We're not broke, my Dad is doing so much better, etc. Life is good. If I could just clear my brain from this Lysol-induced haze, I'd be back to my old, less-cranky, more grateful self.

Pumpkin Challah and a Mouse Named Kev

For Christmas, my parents bought me a pain de mie pan (aka a Pullman Loaf Pan) for baking bread. It is nothing short of fantastic, making perfect, perfect square loaves of bread with a tender crust and a crumb that is strong enough to not squish and ball up when sliced for sandwiches. I think I've used it three times so far - once for a traditional pain de mie, once for brioche (sigh - yum) and once, today, for a pumpkin challah.

I know challah should not be pumpkin, but I saw a recipe and it sounded good, so who can blame me? I know, too, that challah should not be forced into a square pan, but I had visions of cream cheese and pumpkin butter sandwiches for my picky (sometimes) vegetarian daughter's lunch. I had visions, too, of Wednesday night's dinner being a baked French toast with scraps of sliced challah from the kids cut-out sandwiches. Pumpkin spice, maple syrup, butter, a side of bacon. Can it be Wednesday night already? Please. So anyway, it wasn't traditional challah, but I'm going to keep calling it that because I can and I feel like it. Plus, I did braid some of it - that counts for something, right?

It rose beautifully, all three times. That was new to me, I usually only knew breads to rise twice. But it was fine - gorgeous and pillowy with each rising. It made our house smell delicious while rising and baking. I think I bake bread as much for the smell as I do to have it in the house. There is nothing better than the warm, yeasty smell of homemade bread. Nothing.

Here's where the mouse named Kev comes in. Little Man thinks he's hot stuff, snitching bits of this and a piece of that from the counter in the kitchen whenever he feels like it. Normally, I don't mind - if there's something out on the counter it's usually healthy. If it's not, he asks. I've never known him to sneak a cookie or something that he knows he shouldn't have.

Obviously, a perfectly square, perfectly beautiful loaf of pumpkin challah seems like a healthy snack to him, because he destroyed my beautiful loaf. He pinched off pieces until it looks like something a rat gnawed on.

And then he grinned at me and told me he twicked me. And then. And then. And then he saw my face and realized that I wasn't laughing this time, that it wasn't funny. We had a long talk about how when Mommy bakes something or cooks something, he isn't to eat it until he checks with me because it could be for someone else.

So now, my perfectly baked, perfectly cornered challah is destroyed. Gone forever. (Or until I bake another one.) But Little Man's tummy is sated. At least I know it's good, right?

Our Budding Paleontologist

My parents gave Kev a Smithsonian Institution Kit that helps kids excavate a dinosaur fossil. My Mom struggles with presents for Kev because she's used to Amiya - who is almost like a cocker spaniel when given knitting needles, fabric or other sewing notions. Kev is pretty much satisfied with anything animal - the trouble is he's got almost everything animal. So, when my Mom stumbled upon this kit, she was thrilled.

But not as thrilled as Kev. He opened it up and promptly stated, "This is my best Chwistmas evaw!" Not two days later he spent most of the day on my kitchen floor or Grandma's camper floor, tap, tap, tapping the little pieces of plaster away from the bones of the dinosaur. This was a seriously good present - it kept him occupied for most of the day and he now plays with the fossil every day.

He also shared a lot of the fun with his Didi. There was more than enough tapping for the two of them!

I've since bought two more and a gem excavating kit - we'll use them at his birthday party and then at home, too! Great job, Grandma!

Our Budding Scientist

So, it's science fair season and this is the first year we have had the unfortunate opportunity to participate. Amiya chose to do her experiment on which dish allows her oatmeal to cool fastest because "the children of the world burn themselves too often, Mom!" Lots of little details to think about, lots of due dates, five trials, two big things of oatmeal and a few terse words later and we were at the stage to prepare The Board.

The Board. I hate The Board. They have to look like they are done by Martha Stewart. They really do. And I don't know a single seven, eight, nine or ten year old who can do that. (Maybe Martha when she was nine, but even that seems unlikely.) It's such a fine line of how much to have the child do and how much to have the parent do. This year it was more me than Amiya, although she did the layout, picked colors, typed up info., etc. Next year it will be all Amiya. We're veterans of the Science Fair experience now, so she knows what to do and what's expected. I'll supervise from afar.

This year, she did not advance to our regional competition - only two students per grade level do. She did, however, get an honorable mention for her project. That's more than enough for her!

If you're wondering, the best dish to cool your oatmeal in a big hurry is a wide, shallow one. Amiya says, "You're welcome." She'd also like you to know that the same applies for soups and, most importantly, macaroni and cheese!