Fun Fun Fun....

.... in the LBC, yo. We went to the Long Beach Aquarium today with our friends who have kids the same age (very nearly) as Peanut. They got to see fish and lorikeets and seals and otters... It was very fun.



I also got an apocalyptic sunburn which is making me now feel both hot and weirdly dizzy. So that is awesome. But it really was a beautiful day and I just (as I do at least once a year) forgot that I am an albino freak that belongs in a circus in Siberia where people can come and gawk at my strange coloring. Oh how I wish I could tan....

One of Those Weeks...

Well the "cold" turned into an ear infection for Peanut. (Mine disappeared into nothingness). So that is awesome. Oh, did I mention the vomiting? Because there has been a lot of vomiting. Oh and snot. And coughing. Not a lot of sleep, though.

In fact, I am currently trying to wait out the kid while she babbles to herself in her crib. Mommy just needs you to take a nap. I mean Mommy REALLY NEEDS YOU TO NAP FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

It has truly been one of those weeks that I wish was already over. Today I have laid the sleepy girl down THREE TIMES only to have the following wake her up:

1) The girl cat vomiting. Because I haven't cleaned up enough vomit this week.

2) The boy cat trying to pop open my bedroom door, no doubt so that he could vomit on my bed.

3) What sounded like a nail gun from next door (the house next door is about 11 feet away from her window, so that rocks that the new owners are gonna do some improvements.

I am not kidding at all- our street has been HGTV-home-improvement-village since I went out on maternity leave. One of our direct neighbors tore up their lawn to put in a Japanese style dirt garden. Which I am sure consumes a lot less water, but does attract a large number of cats who see it as a very large litter area. This involved many many trucks and an enormous dumpster parked in front of my house for about a month.

THEN across the street our older neighbor died and a woman who I think is his sister inherited his 1915 bungalow. A very nice place, that just needed a little bit of TLC. So, of course, she tore it down and built what appears to be exactly the same thing, except without the craftsmanship and attention to detail. Oh, and a complete lack of taste, too. Also, she actually had the temerity to ask me to move my car (as I was strapping in the baby into the car seat- TO LEAVE IN LIKE, A MINUTE) so that a workman's truck could park there. If I hadn't really had to go, I would have gotten Peanut out, flipped the bird and walked back inside. The woman hasn't even EVER introduced herself or even made any sort of apology for the dirt that lands on my car and runs into the storm drains every day, or the noise from the construction that has woken my baby up about five hundred million times (they have their workmen working 6 days a week, so even on Saturday we get woken up AT SEVEN AM).

Then, the Persian palace across the street is being worked on AGAIN, so Mr. Persia himself has to come out and SCREAM at the workers for not working hard enough for him. That guy is crazy. There is a story that I heard about him from another neighbor that may or may not be true about how when his youngest boy was a baby, he thought his wife wasn't paying enough attention to him so he HID THE BABY IN A CLOSET AND THEN ACTED LIKE THE BABY HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED. His wife called the police and then they found out that he hid the baby to teach his wife a lesson. Um, yeah, it's a fun street.

Anyhow, my mom is graduating this week with her doctorate in something. I actually don't know what it is in, because it is from a certain Christian university that (I kid you not) teaches that the world is 6000 years old in their "science" classes. So I do take that "doctorate" with a grain of salt, even though I am sure she has been working very hard even if is less academic than another college. I guess I'll be able to call her "Dr. Mom" after Friday.

Also, my grandpa from Tennessee will be in town this weekend for my mom's graduation, so he will get to see my daughter for the first time. That should be fun!

Well, I feel better now that I have vented a bit. Peanut hasn't peeped in a while, but there is now (this is, sadly, not a joke) an electric saw, two elementary school age neighbor boys, and hammering echoing down the street. I hope she's in a deep sleep. Mommy needs a nap.

It's Summertime, and the Living Ain't Easy...

Peanut and I have colds, just in time to coincide with the 90 degree heat. So we didn't get to go to the Dodger game (which was actually in the middle of the day today instead of a night game-YUCK) and I have been sneezed on, coughed on, and generally been cried upon today. So now Peanut is a diaper, howling as she drags her toy from room to room. I still like her, somehow.

I have been thinking about writing something, sewing something, doing something, making anything. But I am in the thralls of this terrible feeling of ennui and stillness. All I can do is think, I cannot do. I feel as if I am waiting for some indefinable moment to be able to break my own stillness. It is a strange feeling.

I hope the heat breaks, the moment comes. So I can just do something.

Pic-a-palooza.

Safety first.


A Little Bit of Nature.


Staplers Have Feelings, Too.


This is the sign posted next to the door in the one room bathroom at the Tustin Pinkberry. It is a small room with four walls, no mirror, simply a toilet and a sink and a door. Which is clearly labeled:

Oakley Hall

The one and only Oakley Hall passed away. My wonderful writing teacher, known as Rebel Girl wrote this about him. She also quoted him, from his novel "Warlock" which I was lucky enough to hear him speak about:

"But those I love more do not sleep, and see no hope, and suffer for those brave ones who will fall in hopeless effort for us all, whose only gift to us will be that we will grieve for them a little while; those who see, as I have come to see, that life is only event and violence without reason or cause, and that there is no end but the corruption and the mock of courage and hope."

What a beautiful and heartbreaking sentence. The world is a lesser place today.

Interesting Things Afoot...

Well, I guess. Boo is funny.

And I wrote a haiku about work:

Payment was rejected;
The address was invalid,
Call for assistance.

Yes, I wrote a crap haiku about my super boring job. But really? That TOTALLY IS WHAT I DO ALL DAY. Oh yes, I am completely fulfilled. Perhaps some people love and are made complete by their jobs. I mean, I don't know them, but I am sure they exist. But I bet they don't do what I do. Or they have been doing Salvia. I just heard about that. People will just smoke anything, huh? I love that one of the "side effects" listed on Wikipedia is "uncontrolled giggling". Um, ok.

I'll be back sooner rather than later. I hope.

Another Crazy Weekend....

Grocery Shopping! Target! Bed Bath AND Beyond!

Last night we were supposed to play board games with our neighbor and his boyfriend (who we LOVE) but I fell asleep at like, 9:15 PM. So R went over alone and I slept until 8:30 AM!!! AND SO DID PEANUT!!! (I have to admit that she did wake up for about 20 minutes at 3 AM, but still. Let's take those victories where we can, shall we?

Today Peanut took five whole steps by herself. Granted, she then sat down, with no apparent interest in walking alone. She likes to push stuff and to walk holding R or my hand, but she hasn't really gotten to the point of wanting to walk alone. Soon, I guess. I kind of like that I don't have to really chase her on foot yet.

There's a tour of Long Beach homes coming up, spotlighted in The Press Telegram. I wondered what it would be like if someone wrote a similar piece about our house...

"Open the glass paned door, missing the bottom left hand panel and you will find yourself surrounded with the past two years of Fisher Price catalog, perhaps you will also trip on a stroller... Edge your way into the kitchen (if you can squeeze by the high chair crusted with last night's meal) and your senses will come alive! Is that a stray piece of onion you're stepping on? What is that stain on the countertop? And who can live with that many dishes in the sink? Is that LEAD PAINT peeling in the cabinets?"

Ok, so maybe it isn't quite that bad. I mean, I did mop today.

This is going to be SHORT

I am so tired, and I really want to post about this very clever thing that Uma Thurman said during an interview with NPR's Terry Gross, but I am too tired to find the receipt I wrote down the quote on. So instead, for now, here's a picture of the virgin mary inside a giant cement egg on my mom's neighbor's lawn. It's just so Mork and Mindy. Nah-Nuu Nah-Nuu.

A Lovely Day at UCLA

Well, we just got back from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, one of the few events that make me feel like there really are good, worthy people in Los Angeles. I got to see Jane Smiley interview Gore Vidal, and it was very entertaining. She introduced him, saying, "He is reviled in all the places that decent people want to be reviled." He was very erudite, and it made me feel like yelling "Yes! Why isn't he more places saying these funny and important things!" Why is Paris Hilton everywhere I turn and Gore Vidal is not! But he was there today, and if I saw him face to face I wouldn't bother him with questions, I would just say, "Thank you". Because that is really what I mean.

Mr. Vidal answered Jane Smiley's questions and came back with clever and interesting answers. He mentioned Ayn Rand, saying, "Oh, you can't talk to Ayn Rand...." as if to say that she simply cannot listen. The other moment that sticks in my head is when he was asked if he thought that Truman Capote died as a result of publishing "Answered Prayers" he answered in a buttoned down, ironically cheeky way: "Are you implying that there is a god?"

I also saw one of my favorite people today, my former writing teacher, Lisa. We sat in the shade a talked for a little bit while her little boy kindly shared his toys with my daughter. It was really really nice.

Peanut is passed out from all the excitement. Kids! And Books! It's all so amazing!

Happy Earth Day!

So here is my darling little contribution to Earth Day... (Since I kind of forgot to bring IN my reusable, homemade bags to the grocery store today- I had a very hungry little kid and was sort of in a rush).

Here are some suggestions on reducing your junk mail (I know you recycle it, but still):

Sustainable Dave, a guy from LA that is trying his gosh darnedest to not throw anything away this year, has some great ideas on reducing your junk mail.

In SoCal, call 800-313-6880 to get rid of Red Plum, a marketing pile of paper each week.

To get rid of the Pennysaver, call 800-422-4116 or mail them at:

Circulation
C/O Pennysaver
2830 Orbiter Street
Brea, CA 92821

Another happy earth day idea- a repurposed pillow case from Martha Stewart. Or make a bag out of an old t-shirt. I made one, and we use it all the time!

Have fun!

Festival of Books!

Yay! It's that time of year again! The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is this weekend. 

I got tickets to the Gore Vidal interview, so that should be interesting. Sherman Alexie is going to be speaking on one of the children's stages, too, so we may make our way over there, also.

I am a little sad that we are going to miss out on the one and only Mo Willems, author of the Knufflebunny and "Pidgeon" books for young kids. I have a couple really good voices for the Pigeon and the duckling from "The Pidgeon Finds A Hot Dog". I do wonder about the wisdom of a story that involves ANYONE "finding" a HOT DOG AND JUST EATING IT but it is fun to read to Peanut. I mean, where did this hot dog come from? Was it on the ground? It concerns me. 

Happy Earth Day, one day early. Recycle, use a reusable bag, go nuts. 

Actually, I have to link to this idea, because I think it is so clever: a reusable bag you can make from a t-shirt, from Martha Stewart. Super clever- reuse an old t-shirt into something you can use all the time. Make a couple, keep them in the car. Neat! 

Go forth and reuse, recycle, and repurpose!
 

Isn't It Sad When Things Don't Work?

I got a new mobile phone this week, since mine has been baby-assaulted enough to make the plastic back finally give up the ghost. I got a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone, and so far I like it. I am pretty annoyed though, that on the Sony Ericsson website they say that you can photo blog from your phone. How cool, right? Except that it doesn't work on my phone. So that is lame.
SIgh. I mean, I CAN upload the pics from my phone using Bluetooth, then upload them to Photobucket, then post the link in a blog post (like this):



I mean, how often do you see a person on a unicycle on your way home?

It Smells Like Burning...

....In my daughter's room. Edamame and the amount of milk she has taken to drinking make her poop smell like something is literally on fire in her room. I mean, wow. Really? Or maybe there's a house on fire in our neighborhood. Maybe, right? A little girl's poop can't actually smell this bad, right? This is through the normally impenetrable Diaper Champ that I also put a baking soda disk into. I normally smell NO POOP in our house.

I have been back in touch with an old friend this week and have had some lovely e-mailed conversations.
Golly I miss you, philosophermom!

I am pretty excited that it is finally the weekend. Although, truth be told, I have been dreading it a bit, too. You see (written in a whisper) I have not actually filed my taxes yet. Shhh. Yep, that is my dirty little secret. I am not sure if we will be getting something back this year, as I took some of California's WONDERFUL Paid Family Leave in addition to my maternity disability leave. As a result, I have a wee bit of untaxed income to declare. I have absolutely no idea whether this will mean that we owe money or not, since we also have a Peanut to claim. I think we should hopefully come out even, at least.

I have been jotting notes to myself to remind of what I wanted to write about this week. Here is the weekly ephemera:

I love Fresh and Easy Market. USA Today thinks they aren't doing so well.I say everyone should shop there because I really liked it. How I love thee and thine own peeled, cubed, butternut squash. That cooks in it's own bag!* Hurray! And you can check yourself out. And it isn't stupid like the Ralph's self check out, which always takes me WAY too long.

*Side note: I made a really yummy baby recipe this week- all by myself! I took Acini de Pepe pasta, cooked it, then took the butternut squash from Fresh and Easy, steamed it in my steamer rack (I sort of didn't read that you could steam it in the MICROWAVE IN THE BAG. Um, duh.) I then smashed the squash with my potato smasher and then added some heated, previously frozen peas. Yummy for my Peanut! And easy for me! Woo!

Funniest thing I saw in the news this week- "Clothes on sale included Abadia's underpants, the quickest items to sell after his capture half-naked by Brazilian police in August 2007." From BBC News. Don't you just hate getting arrested while naked? I do.

Also in the food realm:
I grew up and fell in love with cauliflower, thanks to a work friend. Apparently I am not the only one. NPR and I like the same things! Yay!
From the story:
"My favorite approach is to find an organic, healthy-looking head and, after washing, to cut it into smallish pieces and coat with olive oil and salt. I then roast it until easily pierced with a fork, and when it's alternately soft and crispy with good blackened bits along the sides of the pan, I pick at it gingerly with a spoon while hovering nearby and waiting for it to cool. A roasted cauliflower is nothing less than transcendent."

I wouldn't quite say transcendent , but tasty. A nice way to shake up that recipe? Toss it with a little bit of red pepper flakes! Cauliflower is also very, very tasty in many Indian recipes.

Last but not least, I really want to go to The Spy Museum in D.C.It looks WAY too fun.

100 Posts! And a 1 Year Old!

Well, I have been somewhat sporatic in my blogging, but I finally hit 100 posts! Wow! And my kid will officially be 1 in a couple more hours. Crazy, huh?

So, I was reading about a website called Ponoko on Wired magazine's website, where you can design your own item and they will manufacture it for you. Crazy. Boo- there's your idea. Go forth and make loads of cash while working from home. There are some neato goodies there. Check it out.

The almighty Peanut, in her infinite wisdom, has allowed the loyal subjects of Peanutdom a brief respite, so I shall go make use of it and get some rest.

Good night, sleep tight, and wake happy.

A Little Bit of Nothing to Read and a Little Bit of Something to Eat.

Well, another weekend has sidled past me. I can't believe it is already Monday. I am currently spending my lunch here at the Starbuck's by work, listening to “Zip-e-do-dah” on their sound system with hardly even a tiny bit of irony. Peanut's birthday is Thursday and I can hardly believe that she is going to be actually one year old. It is truly amazing. Can I say this? It is weird writing with so many people trying to look over your shoulder to see what you are up to. Oh, internet, can you believe how nosy people are? (I know!).

I think I need to get myself a novel to read. I am quite bereft. Has anyone read Ann Patchett's new novel, "Run"? I am not sure if I should get it or if I should get the newish Jhumpa Lahiri ( I may have spelled that wrong). Anyone read anything good lately?

My little one found a new friend at Toysrus this weekend. R took her down the stuffed animal aisle and her eyes went buggy and she said “oh” quietly as her little eyes tried to take in all the stuffed animals. R handed her a little stuffed kitty, colored to look like a Siamese and she took it and SNUGGLED as hard as she could. She looked up at R and said “Cat” very distinctly. I am just so proud. Oh yeah, she also says “Mamamamama” for me and “Hi Dah” to R. She can also say “No” and “Butch” (our boy Siamese's name), which is apparently what her stuffed kitty is named. Right after we left, in the car, R asked her what her kitty's name was and she answered very firmly, “Butch”. AWWWW.

Granted, “Butch” sometimes sounds like “Batch”, but really, Butch should be flattered- “Mama” is much less clear. But I am not a kitty, so there is that.

We hit the farmer's market at the marina yesterday, and got a bevy of lovely produce. Today alone I have eaten an apple, an orange, and a banana. Hooray produce! Yesterday I made a modified Shepherd's Pie with some of our bounty:


2 cloves garlic, minced
2 chopped onions
3 chopped carrots
1 lb ground turkey
1 c. peas
1 tblsp. tomato paste
2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. rolled oats
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped (enough so they cook relatively quickly)
2 tblsp. butter (unsalted, always)
1/2 c. milk

Cook the onion and garlic in a 6 qt. saucepan until translucent. Add the turkey and carrots and cook until the turkey is cooked through. Add the peas and tomato paste, oats, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, boil water and then add the potatoes and smidge of kosher salt. Cook potatoes and then drain, returning to the cooking pot. Mash, adding the butter and milk slowly. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the meat/veg mixture into a largish baking dish or individual ramekins. Place ramekins or baking dish onto a cookie sheet and spoon mashed potatoes to cover completely. Cook at about 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes (until the points of the mashed potatoes begin to brown slightly. Allow to cool slightly then serve. Enjoy! I suck at portions but I ended up with a largish casserole and 8 ramekins filled well.

Peanut seemed to like it. I am so over baby food, and so is she... Hooray real food! Tonight we're probably having a rutabega/parsnip soup or Peanut's favorite Wagon Wheel Cheesy Pasta with Vegetables, based on a recipe we got from a kid's cookbook. Although it has been very helpful at getting ideas, I am beginning to feel like there isn't actually a lot of variation in the food in that cookbook- it is all vegetables slathered with cheese. Or fried foods. Of course some kids are pickier than others, but I hate the idea of only serving vegetables with cheese as a sauce. Oh, yes. Peanut's other favorite is Orzo with Mixed Veg and Cheese- I cooked some orzo with chopped zuchinni, yellow squash, onions, carrots, broccoli and peas, and tossed it with salt and pepper and a little bit of Parmesan Reggianno cheese. She thought that was super.

I am actually having a lot of fun coming up with new things to make using vegetables for her. She also really liked steamed Edamame and carrots, too. If anyone actually reads this and has any ideas, I would love suggestions on healthy and simple vegetable recipes. Also, how do you incorporate meat or bean/lentil protein in your child's diet? Thanks for the suggestions, if you have some.

I am very sleepy and must put myself to sleep, now that Peanut has fallen asleep almost on her own with her kitty stuffed toy- Butch. Awww.

I have been thinking of changing the name of my blog from “Musings and Meanderings” to “I Have No Idea Where I Am Going With This”, any thoughts?

Happy César Chávez Day, btw.

Listen...

A short addition... I like Elizabeth Mitchell's children's music. Go have a listen.

Night-Night....

The Epic Saga of The Toy Kitchen....

Easter was a success.



Peanut was a happy kid, had an absolute blast with the eggs and toys and stuff. You can tell she's going to be funny:


Her birthday is this week, so we are all in a tizzy, trying to prepare for her party. Oh, and did I happen to mention a plastic toy kitchen? I was reading Suburban Turmoil a couple days ago and Lindsay brought up classic kid toys. One of the items she mentioned was a toy kitchen. I remember coveting a toy kitchen (I never had one) and a play house in the back yard.

Peanut is a bit small for a play house (hello next year!), but I thought that this year she would be able to appreciate a play kitchen. I originally thought that I would easily be able to find one on Craigslist, but it was simply not to be. In researching the ones available, I found that most of them are WAY too expensive - click here for a toy kitchen that WAY outdoes MY kitchen. Most of them seem overly complex- where's the room for imagination? Target has one that is made of wood, but after a year of scraping various bodily fluids off of toys and walls and the world in general? I want a plastic toy kitchen. So, I broke down and bought one directly from the Little Tike's website- check it out by clicking here. It is the "Cookin' Sounds Gourmet Kitchen".

I liked it because even with shipping and tax it was cheaper than any of the other toy kitchens I found, except a Chicco one that I didn't like. And I know that I can probably sell it on Craigslist after our kid (and future kids) are done with it.
We decided that this was the one for us after visiting a Target, two ToysRUs stores and a Walmart (they didn't even have ANY toy kitchens). I mean I actually set foot in a WALMART. (The universe was obviously chastising me for even thinking of visiting a Walmart. Remind me to blog about the telescope/Walmart-ruined-Christmas-and-then-their-customer-service-hung-up-on-me-debacle sometime).

In any case, I will take some pics of the Peanut party (this Saturday- I am SO excited!). I am trying to be a little more crafty. I made a polka-dot garland to hang on my grandpa's patio. I used a one-inch craft punch (Martha Stewart's craft punch, from Michael's) to cut out a bunch of different colored paper dots, which I then stuck together on thread, to use as a garland. Check out the Martha Stewart dot garland. MS's garland is for Christmas, but you get the idea.

Oh dear it is getting late and I have a cold, so I need to get my rest. Farmer's market tomorrow, yay! Broccoli! Squash! Leeks! Apples! Yippee!

Oh, I am so very old. I am spending my Saturday night blogging about a toy kitchen and broccoli. Oh deary me.

I'm Back, Baby.

Just in time for Easter, my MacBook Pro has been resurrected. Thanks to the super team at the Brea Apple Store, who found the problem with my computer extremely quickly and pointed out (as the South Coast Apple Store had not) that it was due to a known issue. They promptly managed to send the computer off for repair (which Apple covered DESPITE my computer being well out of warranty) and saved EVERYTHING on my hard drive. WOW!!! I have loved Apple for a long time now and I think that I will now NEVER buy a PC after this great experience. It cost me a mere $50 to back up my information on my hard drive. It was truly amazing. I am so lucky. I really could have lost just about everything. So, thank you Matt at the Brea Apple store- you totally ROCK.

In any case, I am back! My poor blog has been suffering a large amount of inattention lately (R's “U” key sticks and I hate typing on it.) So I really am back. I have been trying to keep a running tally in my mind of things that I need to blog about, but I also have a thirty second attention span, so oh well.

M's 1st birthday is on April 3, and I can hardly believe it has been a year. More about that later....

I am just so stuck on looking at my computer- I really can't believe I have it back. I will try not to take it for granted in the future.

So, while I am still here:

I love my girl.

I wish I knew how to make Nutella Ice Cream, or was simply awesome and French. .

I will be posting a lot more now, as I have really felt the absence of this outlet. I missed you, internet!!!

Oh the badness...

Well I know it has been a long time since I posted last, but R's computer drives me crazy. My MacBook Pro is now late and highly lamented, so I am hoping that the kind folks at Apple will be able to replace it this weekend.

I haven't really been online that much in the past month as a result. (And R's computer's "U" key sticks which is just so MADDENING!)

I promise (hopefully truthfully) that I'll have a computer again soon and shall return.

Yep.

Linkedy-Link-Link

I heart you, FInslippy.

Oh, yes.

R is getting Her Royal Peanutness ready for bed, so this is a short post at best. I have to try and actually take a couple of pictures tomorrow- she's got 6! teeth in her mouth. It's all kinds o' crazy. We like to dance now! (Kinda). We like to pretend to share cheerios. We like to squeal! Craziness abounds, I tell ya.