Say CHEESE

Friday at Caleb and Isaac's school is always a half day.  During the rest of the week they are served a hot lunch that includes something from all the food groups.  But, on Fridays, since most kids leave shortly after lunchtime, they get a sack lunch with a sandwich.  They school tries to get creative with their sandwich options, but usually it is 2 pieces of bread, a slice each of turkey, tomato, and cheese, and a piece of lettuce.  Now, my kids will eat salad, but lettuce and tomato on a sandwich is definitely out.  Frankly, the don't really eat sandwiches all that much unless they are of the burger variety.  Caleb detests peanut butter, I KNOW!  And Isaac, while he will eat peanut butter, prefers it by the spoonful and nowhere near jelly.  Even Trader Joe's Sweet Whole Cherry Preserves does not tempt him.  And, both of them would rather have their bread on the side.  So, I can get them to eat egg salad or chicken salad or turkey, but not actually on bread.  I shouldn't complain, I could stand to eat a little less bread myself, but this penchant for food groups and plates does make eating on the run a bit challenging.

Last Friday, as we headed home, we talked about that day's lunch and I was informed by Caleb that he ate only his bread and turkey and threw out the rest.  Isaac chimed in that he ate the cheese too, but only half of it.  I asked Caleb why he threw away the cheese and he replied that it was the wrong kind.  In response to my query "what kind was it?" he replied without missing a beat that it was "white cheese."  We then had a long discussion about cheese and how it is classified many ways, but usually not by color.  Caleb and Isaac were stunned as I rattled off endless varieties of cheeses and explained which came from cows and which from sheep or goats.  We talked about wheels of cheese and rind and smoked cheeses and cheese mixed with herbs and fruit and mild and strong flavors and all the different things we eat that have cheese in them.  I suggested that maybe we needed to sample some of these cheeses and then we could decide which we liked based on more than just color.  Caleb and Isaac agreed and asked to start immediately.  I was able to put them off, but not for long.

Tonight for dinner we introduced 3 "new" kinds of cheese: Romano, Havarti and Gouda.  We talked about the country of origin for each variety and the differences in texture and flavor.  We discussed what animal each cheese came from and how it was made.  We compared them to the cheeses we are already familiar with (i.e. yellow, white and feta).  Then, we tasted them. 

The verdict: a resounding YUM!  

Caleb was a fan of the Havarti and Isaac preferred the Romano, but they both enjoyed the "ham" flavor of the Gouda and had generous helpings of each type.  We decided in the future the boys would come along for the shopping part of this adventure and select our next varieties (Isaac has already declared he is bringing home "an enormous blue cheese" YUCK!).  I'm certain they won't love all the kinds we sample, certainly I do not believe that all cheese is created equal, but at least we have moved beyond white vs. yellow and in the process discovered the wonderfully diverse and gastronomically exciting world of cheese.  

Pumpkin Panic

In the last week, the weather in the Mid-Atlantic has turned decidedly chilly.  As someone who walks around with a toaster oven strapped to her middle 24 hours a day, this is excellent news indeed.  The crisp air means fall is on the way and we are anxiously awaiting its arrival.  At present, there is no real evidence of changing leaves, but the promise of gold and red sun-kissed treetops is tantalizingly near.  My inbox is overflowing with notices of apple picking and pumpkin patches, corn mazes and homemade apple cider, Halloween costume ideas and autumn inspired recipes and blogs everywhere are teeming with craft and food ideas to welcome the change in season.  

One such blog I follow recently reported rumor of a canned pumpkin shortage and she rushed out to procure some before it was too late.  Her errand yielded just 2 lone cans, a fact which, considering my penchant for fall goodies and a stocked pantry, sent me into a panic.  Accordingly, I headed out myself this weekend to stock up one of my favorite and most versatile staples.  I hit 4 stores before finding anything, and even then it was just a smattering of mostly dented cans.  I bought them ALL.  I am not a hoarder, by any means.  But I like to be prepared and I use pumpkin in myriad recipes, all year long, but especially now when the temperatures start to plummet.

I have since read that pumpkin shortages in the Northeast are not just a rumor, but a reality.  Many farmers are expecting record profit losses this year and farmers out west have found unexpected consumers for their crops.  We had planned to take the boys to a pumpkin patch at some point this year, but based on this information I imagine we'll be taking them sooner rather than later before all the gorgeous, orange globes untouched by hurricane and tropical storm devastation are gone.  Right now, though, I'm going to eat a delicious bowl of pumpkin soup secure in the knowledge that my pantry is fully stocked and there will be pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin gooey butter cakes and pumpkin pasta and pumpkin pancakes any time we want them, all season long. 

We Love Washington, DC, #17

Happy Constitution Day.  Today is the 224th anniversary of the adoption of the United States Constitution.  And, while the Constitution was actually drafted in Philadelphia, it's current location is Washington, DC.  Now, the obvious way to celebrate today would have been to visit the National Archives and view that auspicious document in person.  But, we like to think of ourselves as non-conformists, so we skipped the Archives and headed to some other equally fun and important DC landmarks.

First stop, breakfast at Eastern Market.  If you've ever been to Washington, DC, and not had breakfast here, you are missing out.  The bluebucks (buckwheat, blueberry pancakes) and french toast are out of this world.  Eastern Market is a DC institution and a favorite destination for us, though one we seldom rise early enough for on Saturday morning.  It was overcast and chilly today, it seems autumn is upon us, so the market was not as crowded as it usually is and the breakfast line was a mere 20 minute wait.  Sometimes the line is so long they run out of breakfast before they run out of line.  The boys and I took in all the wares available for purchase while Kenny held our place in line and then all four of us dove with abandon into our delectable orders.  The verdict?  A collective YUM!

Caleb had a soccer game this afternoon so we only had time for one more stop before heading home to change.  We opted for a visit to the Jefferson Memorial, another item on our seemingly endless Washington, DC, bucket list.  It was surprisingly crowded with several bus loads of tourists from who knows where America and at least one group from France.  While walking around the Tidal Basin from the parking lot to the Memorial we were delighted to discover a crew of workers striking chain link fences and loading up cement barriers.  The Jefferson Memorial has been surrounded by scaffolding and fencing for the better part of the last decade and today, finally, it looked as though that phase of its existence may have concluded.  Sadly, the Memorial is sinking into the Potomac and more refurbishment is planned through the Trust for the National Mall, but for now the barriers are down.

For the Constitution's 225th birthday we will be in China, a fact that makes celebrating our citizenship on our own soil today especially noteworthy.

Bramble Rambles

When I was very little I used to go with my family to our church farm and pick fruit and vegetables.  I was pretty young so its hard to say if my memories of those days are real or constructed from the stories I've been told.  Regardless, I "remember" those outings fondly and wanted my boys to have a similar experience.

 About an hour's drive from DC in just about any direction you will find yourself smack in the middle of farm country.  Beautiful, lush, green fields as far as the eye can see overflowing with all manner of produce.   We selected a farm boasting all our favorites, corn, peaches, apples, raspberries, blackberries and tomatoes and set off on a picking extravaganza.

 Despite checking the weather endlessly and being assured we would miss any rain by miles and hours, we were not so lucky.  We got caught in a torrential downpour.  But, our plans to pick prevailed and we trudged through the mud and rain filling our buckets and boxes to overflowing with...

 7 and 1/2 cups of delicious red raspberries.  We probably picked even more than that considering how many bypassed our receptacles completely on their way to our mouths.  It was wet.  Too wet to venture into other fields beyond the raspberry rows, but the boys had a great time, so I'd say it was a successful day all around.

 In case you're wondering, 7 and 1/2 cups is A LOT of raspberries and for the last 2 weeks we have been stuffing ourselves on Raspberry Crumble (my favorite of all the recipes we tried),

 Raspberry Scones (these were so easy to make and a hit will all the males in my household, I don't know why I've never made them before),

Raspberry Cream Pie (made with sour cream and topped with, in this case, a slightly overdone crumble crust), and

Raspberry Blueberry Pie because, if you can imagine, we ran out of raspberries.  If you're hungry, we might still have some pie we'd be happy to share, come on by.

I'm a Soccer Mom

I knew this day would come, and now it has.  Caleb started his first team sport this weekend.  Soccer.  YEA!  He loved every minute of it from shopping for gear, selecting new shoes, choosing practice clothes, donning his uniform for the first time, and mostly, getting on the field with his team and playing his heart out.

 

The league is very relaxed.  They don't have goalies, they play 4 to a side and only for about 35 minutes each game, and they don't keep score.  The second the game was called, however, Caleb wanted to know if his team, the Bulldogs, had won.  We didn't know, we weren't paying attention.  But, he did score twice (and twice during practice he reminded us) and had fun, so yes, they won.  Right?  Isn't that what team sports are all about?  Having fun?

 Isaac, despite desperately wanted to escape to the playground, dutifully sat on the sidelines at times cheering his brother on and at other times amusing himself by picking at the astroturf field or staring off into space.  He says when Caleb is done playing Soccer he'll start playing Basketball.  I'm not sure where that idea is coming from, but I am busily looking for Basketball options for 3 year-olds (wish me luck!).

We have 8 more games this season and next week we'll be bringing the orange slices, so I guess that makes it official, soccer is our newest family hobby.  Now we just have to wait for the inevitable targeted political mailings for our particular demographic.

Pssst

We have some big news here at 

Rambles and Ruminations...

That's right, we're having a BABY in early January.  I announced this very happy and much anticipated news on facebook a couple of weeks ago, but the blog was feeling neglected.  I certainly couldn't let that happen so please consider this the official blogosphere alert -- ah the woes of multiple social media outlets.  

We don't know gender yet, but hopefully we'll find out before the baby comes.  

(If it's a girl, I definitely need to go shopping!)

Last First Day

Today my last year of graduate school begins.  Phew!  It is also my last first day of school ever.  I have enjoyed my master's program so far, but this semester promises to be challenging, at best.  I already have a mountain of reading to do and I haven't even been to a single class yet. 

People always ask me what courses I'm taking and since my schedule is usually determined by when I have childcare as opposed to personal interest, I can rarely remember the actual names and subject matter of my classes.  But, not this year.  This year, with the kids in school, I had a lot of freedom, well, more anyway, to pick and choose.  And here is the result:

Public Diplomacy -- if you know me well, you know that I can certainly benefit from any practical skills imparted in this course.  The focus of the class is diplomatic relationships between countries and organizations, but I suspect it is really just about getting along in the sandbox, just on a much grander scale.

Egypt: Authoritarianism to Revolution -- as of yet, there is no syllabus for this, but since much of what we'll be studying is in the process of unfolding, I suppose that stands that reason.

Research Methods in Democracy and Development -- this is exactly what you think it is.  Boring?  Maybe.  Useful, probably more so if I'd taken it at the beginning of my program, but there are still a lot of papers between me and graduation so all is not lost.

Transnational Justice -- the official course description states: "Transitional Justice addresses the question of how countries that are seeking to extricate themselves from massive human rights violations and undemocratic rule can best deal with their past in pursuit of the rule of law and participatory democracy. Central to this question is the need to ensure both peace and justice in fragile states living at the interregnum between the past and the future. Which comes first – justice or peace? Is it possible to have both? If so, under what circumstances?"

Don't you wish this were your schedule? 

As present I am anxious to begin even though I know very soon I will feel completely out of my depth and buried up to my neck in readings and writing assignments.

Summer fun with cousins Sloane and Taylor

But, in the end I know it will be like every other school year.  I'll get the work done and survive and then will have plenty of time to recuperate and savor that inevitable feeling of accomplishment.

Another cousin, Grafton, catching some rays

We Love Washington, DC, #16

Last week the DC area experienced an earthquake, I'm sure you heard.  Luckily, the damage was mostly minor.  Sadly, however, the Washington Monument did not emerge unscathed.  In fact, because of the damage sustained, the Monument has been closed indefinitely.  It is impossible to think of Washington, DC, without this structure springing to mind.  It is symbol of freedom and liberty and an homage to a man without whom this Republic would likely never have been born.

On a cold, gray and dreary day this past April, we were fortunate enough to join the queue of ticket holders standing around the Monument's base waiting for our chance to ascend the 555 feet to its top.  In light of recent events, it is serendipitous that we did this when we had the chance.  The weather was miserable and we debated putting it off for a more favorable weekend.  And, although the views from the top were not as pristine as I have seen them in past visits, we saw enough to make our trip to the Monument more than worthwhile.  Caleb and Isaac loved being "so high" and pointing out the sights below that they have now come to identify with this great city.

It is interesting to note that while the Washington Monument is hollow, it is not empty.  The interior walls are adorned with 193 tributes stones from states, countries and various organizations to commemorate the heroism and valor of George Washington.  The elevator descends slowly down the shaft on the return trip and the walls are illuminated so these plaques become visible.  The lighting and speed make it impossible to capture them with more than one's eyes, but it is an impressive sight to behold.  For a list of these stones, click here.

 Waiting to go up.

 The views from the top: The Lincoln Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the Reflecting Pool under construction;

 the White House;

 the Capitol;

 and, the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin.

 A lifesized, bronze statue of the man himself.

 The interior staircase.

The end of a successful visit and one more item crossed off our DC Bucket List.

First Day of School 2011

And, they're off!  After months of relaxed bedtimes and morning routines, it was difficult to get them going this morning.  But, after a little coaxing, some Little Einsteins to help assuage the shock of the early hour and the reminder of new shoes and backpacks they shifted gears and happily posed for a first day of school photo.

Caleb is in Kindergarten this year.  And, like every other parent in the world I am struggling to account for the time between bringing him home from the hospital and this morning.  It seems he has grown up without our even noticing and I can't help but think that sooner than I'd like he'll be on to even more mature pursuits.

Isaac is in Preschool and so happy to be going to school again after a year long hiatus.  He was nervous this morning and held my hand as tight as he ever has.  But, then, there were legos and toys and new friends and all worry of being left "alone" faded.

For both of them the school day is long, 8 hours.  I imagine Isaac will struggle a bit initially since he is accustomed to a 2.5 to 3 hour nap every day.  But, I know they're both in good hands with great teachers and aides and a staff committed to enhancing their well-being.  And, their being in school for so many hours ensures me the opportunity to focus on this, my penultimate semester of graduate school.  I've got 2 days until my classes begin, which means I have a mere 48 hours to tackle my "must be done, but impossible to do with kids in tow" list.  I suppose I'd better get started...

Happy First Day of School.  I've got a feeling this year is going to be a great one!  

HALFWAY

Last week, I turned in a paper about...well, I know the vast majority of you don't care what it was about.  The point is, it was the last one of the semester.  The last 10 pages of original composition of the first half of my last foray into real school.  Did you get that?  Translation:  I'm halfway done!  Halfway to the advanced degree I'd always planned on, but never managed to squeeze in.  'Squeeze' being the operative word. 

The whole time we lived in Caracas I dreamed about coming home.  Back to the friends and family and sights and sounds that I love so much.  And, then, we did come home, and it was glorious.  Except.  Except suddenly there was homework and research papers and deadlines and hours and hours and hours of reading.  My dreams never included Georgetown.  And, really, they should have.  It took me a year to apply to grad school and the logistical hurdles were insane, considering the modern age we live in.  And even now, a year into this degree, I still pretend my obligations and commitments are only peripherally affected by my coursework.  But, its simply not true. 

This last semester I took 4 classes.  And, despite my protestations, it was rough.  Very.  I was tired.  A lot.  And spread very, very thin.  All those friends and family and sights and sounds?  I almost never called or wrote or saw or heard them.  It was like living in Venezuela again.  Well, not quite, but almost as lonely.  And, this time?  It was my fault.  Not the foreign services' fault or a crumbling government's fault.  It was because I was doing something out of sequence.  Never mind that it was important to me, never mind that it was a good pursuit, it was just bad timing. 

I've been thinking about that a lot this semester.  About timing and choices.  About how life is patterned in specific ways.  About how we make friends and grow together in our friendships even if our lives don't mirror each other.  There is something to be said for having lived for 35 years and not 24.  I remember being 24.  But, I am not 24 anymore, like my classmates.  They are wonderful people, and I am excited for all the possibilities that await them, but I am not interested in reliving the last decade.  One of my professors this semester told us that she viewed her job not just as to teach us the course material, but to help guide us to becoming the people we're going to be.  And, I thought: I am who I'm going to be when I grow up.  I am grown up.  And, I'm exhausted.   I don't regret going back to school, I just regret not preparing myself better for what it was really going to do to my life of leisure that I have grown so very accustomed to.

I have never been more excited about a summer break than I am about the one just embarked upon.  We are going to travel.  We will be very busy flitting from one coast to the other and across the Atlantic and back.  But, it is going to be 3 months of no school, so that is a business I can get behind.  I will call and see and write and hear again and embrace the freedom of no homework.  And, a year from now, when I am all the way done, I will rejoice.  I should have gone to grad school years ago and in my next life, I will.  In the meantime, I'm going to take a nap and then make a phone call...or 7!    

How-to Tuesday: Candy Lei

Last week was teacher appreciate week, as anyone who blogs can't help but know that since every craft and pseudo-craft and wannabe craft blog was filled to overflowing with teacher appreciation gift ideas.  I saw some really clever things, things I would like to try someday, someday when I am not in the middle of grad school finals.  And, because of those finals, I was tempted just to skip teacher appreciation this year altogether.  

But, really? 

Caleb's teachers (there are 2 teachers and 2 aides) are wonderful.  

He loves them, we love them and we are grateful for them.  They work hard, really hard, in a difficult school district with limited parental support.  So, we carved out some time between our regular routine and my pages and pages of writing and exams to study for to make them something that shows them just how much we appreciate what they do.

I wanted something fast and relatively simple, so I thought back to my roots.  I grew up in Hawaii.  Every event of any significance in the islands is celebrated with a lei, especially the big ones, arrivals, farewells, graduation, weddings, births, etc.  I love leis.  I love breathing in the heavenly scent of plumeria and rosebud and ginger.  I miss celebrating milestones with leis.  But, even when pikake and maile and tuberose are impossible to come by, one can always get creative.  

Thus, How-to Tuesday: Candy Lei was born.

This is a simple project and Caleb was able to help with most of the steps. 
Now, just fair warning, these are not the fanciest non-floral leis I've ever made,
but they were quick and easy and inexpensive and very much appreciated by their recipients.

1) Gather your materials.  You will need about 3 feet of lei, so if you decide to go the strictly candy route, plan accordingly.  

We opted for a mix of candy and other teacher-y items (lotion, mints, pencils, drink mix, etc.).

2) Cut a piece of plastic wrap about 3.5 feet long 

and place it on a flat surface.

3) Line up your items leaving an inch or so between each thing.

4) Roll up the plastic wrap into a tube and use your hands to cinch it together between each item.

5) Cut lengths of ribbon into 12 to 18 inch pieces 

and tie one at each interval.

6) Wrap the ends together and tie another piece of ribbon around the ends making sure they are securely connected.

7) Curl the ends of the ribbon and add a bow or some embellishment to cover where the ends come together.

8) Present to your favorite teacher, graduate, citizen of the month, bride/groom, prom date, competition participant etc.

For other much more fabulous How-to ideas click here: