March

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb… we hope. 

And we hope that as Nathan collects random winter woolies from the basket to dress himself in, we will be able to put these back into storage by the end of the month.

Nathan also enjoys making “alphabet soup” and saying the letter names as he picks them up and asks me “what’s that”?

“Ring around the Rosie” is a fun game to play on a rainy day between playing with blocks and other toys.

We spent tons of time playing with the Little People Zoo and Train this month.  Literally hours and hours were spent making up stories as we helped to recover lost and escaped zoo animals, cared for hungry or sick zoo animals and helped the characters make friends with each other.   

“Which animals should we visit first” and “who wants to ride the train” were questions repeatedly asked during this imaginative play time.  It is nice to see Kaitlyn and Nathan as playmates these days.  In the beginning it’s hard for the older one to come to terms with the fact that babies don’t play with them and won’t for a long time.

Nathan initiated this play time every day!

Cars and trucks and things that go… fun puzzles to put together, fun toys to play with…

and fun noises to make.

Block houses and castles were popular to build this month to the point where Spooky wanted to share in the attention.  He made a nest right in the middle of the blocks and it didn’t seem to bother him one bit.

Sandy also wanted some attention and couldn’t leave the Duck game alone or the Busy Town game when we got them out one afternoon as Nathan napped.  It’s hard to play a game in our house.

Perhaps the best part of being at home this month was finding someone to warm up to and cuddle with.

Kaitlyn’s First Primary Talk

While Nathan was in Nursery yesterday learning that Heavenly Father made the animals and petting a real, live snake Kaitlyn gave her first talk in front of the Jr. and Sr. Primary.  The theme was “Heavenly Father speaks to us through His prophets”.  I included her pictures that she used for each section, though I had to take the picture at an angle so as not to catch the flash on the center of the paper.  Kaitlyn did a very nice job delivering her talk and was not nervous at all to be in front of so many people.  I am proud of her.

KAITLYN’S TALK 3/27/11

“There are many ways that Heavenly Father can talk to you.  He can speak to you through the Holy Ghost.”

“He can speak to you through the scriptures”.

“One very important way that Heavenly Father talks to His children is through His living prophets.  When the prophet speaks he is telling us things that Heavenly Father wants us to know”.

(This is one of Kaitlyn’s favorite Book of Mormon Stories.  She often tells it in great detail with the flannel board when it’s her turn for lesson or scripture on Family Night.)  “In the Book of Mormon the people of King Noah were very wicked.  Heavenly Father sent His prophet Abinadi to preach to them.  King Noah’s wicked priests were angry and tried to kill him.  But Abinadi said, “Touch me not, …for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver”.  Alma, one of the priests, believed Abinadi’s words and learned the way to obtain God’s promised blessings”.

“In the Bible we read of God’s promises to the children of Israel.  Through His prophet Moses, the Lord delivered them from Egypt.  Moses taught the children of Israel the way to obtain God’s promises and blessings”.

“There was not a prophet on the Earth when Joseph Smith prayed to find out which church to join.  He became God’s prophet and restored the true Church of Jesus Christ.  Joseph Smith taught the people what they needed to do to obtain God’s promises and blessings”. 

“If you knew that Jesus Christ was coming to speak to you, would you take time out from your playing to go and listen to Him?  Two times a year the prophet and other General Authorities speak to us in special meetings called general conference.  They tell us the things that Jesus would tell us if He were here.  Their words are like the scriptures and will help us and guide our lives”.

“Today we have a prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, who tells us what God wants us to know and do.  When we listen to general conference, it is like God is speaking to us.  We can learn how to receive God’s promised blessings when we listen to the prophet. 

Our prophet loves us just like Jesus loves us.  If we do the things he teaches us to do we will be happier in this life.  We can learn how to live again with Heavenly Father and Jesus.  It is wonderful to know that the Savior is speaking to each of us through our prophet.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen”.

Great job, Kaitlyn!  Just a reminder to check out conference sessions this weekend at your local church building, cable channel or at www.lds.org from the comfort of your own home.  Happy listening!

More Please…

Here’s a boy who knows what he likes…

Mmmm!  Chocolate Milk!  “More Pleeeeease”, he says and “Oh Thanks”!

Zookeeper Story - Part II

I received "kudos" from Tristan's classroom teacher for giving the zoo a peice of my mind which she had also done and was encouraging other parents to do also.  The zoo also got a phone call from the school administration over this.  One person CAN make a difference.

On Thursday afternoon I received a "sort of" apology from the zoo saying that obviously I should have been allowed into the zoo after a long explanation of their policy.  "Todd" stated that he will go over this policy and more explicite questioning procedures with his staff at roll call and offered to refund me my ticket money.

I wrote back and told him that a clear "tip off" that I was not going through group sales was the stroller that I was pushing since the school's policy states that I cannot officially chaperone with younger siblings.  I let him know that I had no need of a refund since I do not carry that kind of money on me to the zoo (one more thing to keep track of and actually I never carry more than a couple dollars) and had to, instead, take three disappointed children home.

I then turned around and e-mailed Tristan's teacher about the offered refund with "Todd Miller's" name so she could forward it to all the other parents who actually payed to get in even though they too were pushing strollers while holding membership cards.  When I spoke to her on the phone yesterday "good for you", she said, for giving it to them and she did pass the information on to all the other affected parents. 

... Todd's gonna just love me, I'm sure! 

One thing about me... don't get between me and my dollar.  I know how hard those are to come by and I never met an earned one I could easily part with.  I went into the court room a year and a half ago and put up a stinking good fight over a $100 moving traffic violation ticket I received and I won!  Don't get between me and my money.  I may be a "plain Jane" and  "just" a stay at home Mom and I may not hold a paying job but I am well educated, I work hard and I am not to be trifled with.  I know how to put up a fight!  I should have gone into law.  I am wiser for this experience.

Kaitlyn’s Awesome Chocolate Chip Super Fudge Brownies

There is no such thing as “just” a brownie (unless it came from a box, maybe).  I love all kinds of brownies and have tons of different recipes for them.  A friend once asked me just how many recipes for brownies I had.  Truthfully, I didn’t know but I know I’ve added to my brownie repertoire since then.  Perhaps I have so many recipes for them because I am a born chocoholic or perhaps it is because I got used to trying different brownies growing up with my Mom on her never-ending quest for the “perfect” brownie she remembers from her childhood that her mother or grandmother used to make.  Regardless, I always appreciate a good brownie.

Kaitlyn was assigned to make refreshments for Family Night this week as happens about once every seven weeks.  Apparently she shares my love of brownies since often that’s what she chooses to make.  This time, however, she said she needed to make brownies with chocolate chips.  So I handed her a cookbook and five minutes later she pointed out “the” recipe.  I suggest serving this brownie to a crowd… or hiding the extras from yourself in the freezer at least.  I also suggest you have plenty of milk on hand.

Kaitlyn says she “looks like a goose” in the first picture!  She doesn’t like her picture taken and is letting me know.

These are soooooo good!  Sinful, really.  … Could this be “the” recipe my Mom has been searching for???  Maybe if she tries it she can let me know.

Yields: 16 brownies

6 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

1 c. softened butter

4 large eggs

2 c. white sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300.  Butter an 8x8 baking dish. 

Combine unsweetened baking chocolate and butter in a double boiler and heat (medium–low)until melted stirring occasionally.  In large bowl beat eggs until light yellow in color-5 minutes.  Add sugar and blend on low until thoroughly combined.  Add vanilla and melted chocolate to the egg and sugar mixture.  Blend on low until smooth.  Add flour and mix thoroughly.  Pour batter into buttered pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top.  Bake in center of oven 45-55 minutes.  The batter should be set and toothpick come out clean.  (Chocolate chips will be gooey but not the batter itself).  Do NOT over bake.

Cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.  Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

A Letter To The Zoo Keeper

To whom it may concern,

I have held a Cincinnati Zoo Membership for the past 16 1/2 years.  I think your zoo is great.  Living solely on a teacher's salary while raising five kids, we have made a choice each year so far to continue to purchase a membership from you.  It is that "worth it" to us as a family.

At 10:15 this morning I was turned away from the Zoo at the gate and denied access to the zoo with my membership card which expires at the end of next month.  Standing there with my stroller pushing one child and my other child holding onto the stroller, still too young to attend school, and a third child of mine as well I was asked point blank if I was in attendance with a school field trip.  I answered truthfully that I was there with my own children and I was meeting my older child's teacher who was there on a field trip.  I was truthful because I hold a membership which lets me in 364 days a year and it's not worth my integrity to lie... or is it?  If I'd told the simple truth... I was there with my own children... then I would have been admitted to the zoo.  Instead I was turned away and told I had to buy tickets.

This is completely silly!  If I showed up tomorrow or yesterday or even this afternoon I would be let into the zoo with the same Membership card which I payed for!!!  If I'd lied or told less of the truth then you would have let me in today!

I read on the back of my membership card that membership excludes field trips.  Meeting at field trips has never been a problem before.  If you are going to change your policy I would like to be notified of the change with more than just fine print.  Furthermore there is a fine line here with denying access to members.  I drove myself to the zoo, parked in your lot and I was not with the teacher or the chaperones or any of the other students.  I was not a chaperone.  I just truthfully answered the question I was asked by your employees at the gate.  I was with nobody but my own children on the same day as my other child's class field trip and was hoping to meet up with them.  Is this policy worth risking losing your members over?

Next month when my membership expires I will seriously be considering whether to renew my membership with the Cincinnati Zoo or to spend my money elsewhere.

Sincerely,
Heather Hand - Zoo Member since 1994

Meatless Monday

I love vegetarian dishes in general and we often have several dinners each week which are meatless but I challenged myself to plan the entire days menu without any meat.  It is better for the environment, better for your health, helps keep my grocery budget in check and important people like Paul McCartney share in the “Meatless Monday” idea.  It’s not often I do something that chic!Black Beans are my favorite form of vegetarian protein… or maybe it’s the Pinto bean.  And I’m crazy about cilantro!  At any rate, I made a delicious dinner for meatless Monday yesterday.  My children arrived home with their Dad after running and wondered who was grilling out… it smelled so good even approaching the house.  The menu; Black Bean-Corn Cakes with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream, Tortilla Chips with choice of Mexican or Chipotle Salsa and Cantaloupe.

My husband said these were like vegetarian burgers… only better!  The cilantro-lime taste made the dish extra good he said while several of my children preferred the bean cakes without the sour cream.  Only my 4 and 1 year olds decided they weren’t impressed… however they both ate cantaloupe like watermelon and liked it which they may not have done had they filled up on the rest of dinner.  Also, this dish is quick (and would be even quicker without having to triple the recipe) AND you can form these patties ahead of time, leave them in the fridge for 2-3 days and fry them to a golden color whenever you are ready for them so they’re fresh.  They were really delicious.  Enjoy!

Black Bean-Corn Cakes with Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream (Yields 2 servings of 2 bean cakes and 2 Tbsp. Cilantro cream per each serving)

*Easy*  16 min. prep. time/ 10 min. cook time

10 oz. canned black beans, rinsed, drained and mashed coarsely  (I soaked 2 cups of dry black beans and then boiled them until tender before draining and rinsing again for this to give me 30 oz. of beans.  You can always freeze extra beans till you’re ready for them if you happen to make too many.  They were easy to mash.  This is way cheaper than canned beans and super simple.)

1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c. frozen corn kernels

3 Tbsp. yellow cornmeal

2 Tbsp. cilantro, fresh, chopped

1 large egg white (I tripled this recipe and just used one whole egg)

1/2 to 1 can of chopped green chilis

1 medium scallion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. ground Cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. corn oil

1/4 c. lite sour cream or plain fat free yogurt

1 tps. grated lime zest

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

Combine beans, cheese, corn, 1 Tbsp. cornmeal, 1 Tbsp. cilantro, egg white, green chilies, scallion, garlic, cumin and salt in a medium bowl until well mixed.  Divide the mixture into 4 balls.

Place remaining 2 Tbsp. cornmeal on a plate.  Roll bean balls in the cornmeal to coat.  Press each ball into a 1/2 inch thick patty. 

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add cakes and cook on both sides until crisp and golden outside and heated through. 

To make cilantro sour cream, combine the sour cream, lime zest, lime juice and remaining 1 Tbsp. cilantro in small bowl.  Serve with bean cakes. 

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has finally arrived and maybe we have seen the last of the snow.  We decided to go out and look for signs of the changing seasons.  The temperature today is 71 with a low of 58 tonight.  Walking with light sweaters was so nice and wearing a skirt the light breeze on my sandaled feet and bare ankles felt wonderful.  The sun rises just before 8 a.m. while it sets just before 8 p.m. and the days are just starting to stretch out longer.  Many yards are full of daffodils while I must wait for mine which are beginning to shoot up in their shady areas to meet the warm sun.  Even the magnolias on our “fuzzy tree” which we check on each walk we take are starting to burst.

Crocuses are fully out now.  Lilacs bushes are bursting and beginning to form their flowery cones.

Tulips are springing forth their big green leaves while my front yard is spotted with these little blue flowers.

Bushes are blossoming and the maple is bursting with it’s red buds.

On our walk this morning as we looked for signs of spring Kaitlyn was lucky enough to find a penny.  Find a penny, pick it up and all day long you’ll have good luck, the old adage was recited.  It was a muddy penny and Kaitlyn labored intensely on cleaning it.  As she carried it in her fist she tripped, fell and lost it in the neighbors grass when we were almost home.  As she cried I gathered that she was not hurt but rather was missing the little penny.  We walked back together to look for it, Kaitlyn still crying.  At the same time, the recycling man was there with his loud rumbling truck making it somewhat difficult to hear any sort of talk.  Seeing Kaitlyn crying he tried asking her what was wrong.  I thought this was unusual since those guys generally go about their business in a brisk no-nonsense manner with a bored look on their face.  But this guy stood their on the sidewalk, pausing from his work looking absolutely bewildered and like he’d never seen a child distraught over a penny before.  After giving up on the penny which must have landed in the grass he called out to see if she’d found the penny.  Crying just as hard as she’d been crying before she shook her head and started to run toward home.  He called out to wait a minute.  The guy climbed into his truck and came stumbling out and placed in Kaitlyn’s hand two pennies and a nickel which he explained he’d found on the road last week.  Somewhat amused I thanked him.  I had just witnessed another child a few blocks earlier having a crying fit for his mother and an elderly woman who walks the neighborhood all the time gave the unwanted advice that he needed a good swat before telling him to shape up and then moving on.  I felt grateful that there are still good people around in unexpected places like the recycling truck who would reserve judgment and would try to be helpful and offer a small kindness to a sad little girl.  A penny might not mean much to most of us but to others these small things are still grand.  Thank you!  And Happy Spring!

Our 17th Green Anniversary

On March 11th, 1994 Rick and I first “officially” met each other in Rochester, New York during our final semester of college.  We actually figured out that we’d been in the same room once 3 1/2 years earlier but this was our “official” first meeting.  While many of my friends were meeting their future spouses at the local bar I met mine at church Friday night at a “Green Dance” which was held for the upcoming St. Patrick’s day and many of the local students gathered there for some fun.  Showing up late after working all evening I walked into the cultural hall to scan the dimly lit dance for one of my closest friends, and my eyes caught Rick’s through the crowd who’s eyes were locked on me.  He came right up to me, in his friendly manner, and introduced himself.  Pretty much after that we were inseparable.  He actually got my phone number out of me that very first night, which I’d never before given to someone I’d just met, but he just seemed friendly and … genuine.

Our first date was one week later on Friday March 18th and  I remember it well.  When he got to the front door my Dad thought he was just another guy trying to get a job shoveling the snow but then quickly realized his mistake and invited Rick in.  I guess Dad thought it was too early for a date to show up, although going early ought to be better than returning late certainly.  Rick had invited me over to dinner at his apartment and together we made chili, his own recipe since he didn’t realize until just a few years ago that all this time he’d been putting in “Tablespoons” of Chili Powder instead of teaspoons.  Good thing I like spicy food, huh?  On top of the chili he put shredded cheese, which I grated.  I’d never had cheese on chili before but I know shredding anything was never my favorite job growing up.  He kept telling me we needed “more” grated cheese which seemed silly because there were only two of us.  Now I know how much cheese Cincinnatians (is that a word?) like on their chili but at the time I was pretty clueless.  To go with the chili we tossed together a Jiffy blueberry muffin mix and stuck the tin in the oven and then Rick mixed up some cherry Kool-Aid.  What a meal!  It was filling and the company was fun.  But Rick says the clincher to our relationship was the Marble Cheesecake I made and brought over that night that we enjoyed after the movie we went to see.  We never looked beyond each other after that first date and in fact we were married less than five months later.  I don’t recommend that to everybody but somehow we made that choice work out.

So almost every year on March 18th we remember the first meal we shared together by recreating some form of it.  This year I made my own recipe of Tex-Mex Chili… with cheese of course!  I had leftover “squash” muffins (“leftover” because I was feeling lazy and also hadn’t gotten any blueberries and “squash” because I’m still unclear whether I’ve got a container of butternut or pumpkin coming out of my freezer), and milk to drink because my kids are weird and prefer skim milk or water above all other choices. 

Tonight after Rick puts younger kids to bed and I arrive home from an NJHS induction with our oldest child we will hope for a few quiet moments when we can enjoy a slice of marble cheesecake (I had help from my four year old making it this year while my one year old taste tested the batter on the spatula) together over a game at the table.  Simple then… simple now!  Note the cheesecake must be made each year in the same casserole dish that was used 17 years ago as at the time I owned nothing more suitable for baking cheesecake in.  It adds to the sentiment of it all, of course.

Going back 17 years once again, I had left the remainder of the cheesecake from that first date in this casserole dish with Rick, realizing that he’d have to return the dish to me.  He didn’t seem to mind the fact that he’d have to get it back to me either.  I remember that the guys I worked with at the time just prior to me meeting Rick kept asking me why I didn’t want to date any of them.  So I told them who I was looking for and my manager insisted that “that guy” didn’t exist.  I said I was fine with that but I was still going to wait for Mr. Impossible.  A few days after our date when Rick had finished off the cheesecake he showed up at my job to return my dish.  I was out of the store at the time but just as he rounded the corner with the casserole dish under his arm my manager saw him through the large storefront window and without knowing exactly who he was said, with his jaw on the floor, “There he is… he DOES exist” at which point Rick entered the store and asked for me.  And he was worth the wait. 

Little Buddies

Nathan loves his kitty cats.  They are very much a part of his every day from the early alarm clock and breakfast table to the late evening bath and story.  They seem to love him too or they wouldn’t stick around for every thing that goes on.  Our “kittens” are usually in the midst of it all.

Nathan had a very close visitor encouraging him to eat his yogurt and cereal up quickly one morning last week while Sandy lay in wait for a playmate in her tent in the other room.

Looks like she found one after breakfast was finished finally!  Nathan asked for his own party blower which I gave to him from my party supply box and began practicing to blow on it the way the big kids do.  And he got it!  You can only imagine how this caused a great deal of excitement!

Nathan was pretty thrilled with himself too.