Thursday, July 29, 2010

More Sayings

Here are some more saying I enjoyed this week interspersed with pictures from a birthday party we went to last weekend.

Lu: Mama let's play a few while.

Lu: Let me lock it by my whole time. (by myself)

Mazie: Mama you hold me in my lap.

Elliott: My stomach is upset because I want some candy.

Mazie: Mama I enjoyed it to the oatmeal.

Lucia: I ever not see my baby.
Me: What does that mean?
Lu: I can't find my baby.

Elliott took the arms off the bionic woman doll I had as a child and was talking to her, calling her Lonica. "Lonica, Lonica, do you want to play with the truck? Lonica, Lonica, are you hungry?" He kept repeating Lonica, Lonica. I have no idea where he got that name.

Mazie was irritating Elliott who was nicely playing with his dump truck. I told her to go find something else to play with.
Me: What do you want to play with?
Mazie: I want to play with No thing.

Mazie: Is it time to not go night-night?

We have a favorite book called Wacky Wednesday where you have to find all the wacky things that have gone wrong on each page. Now whenever anything is amiss, we all love to say, "That's wacky."

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Hope, poem #11, updated

Update: So, math was never my strong suit. Maybe I should figure it out numerically rather than in words. 40-12=28. 28/11=2.5454545. That's two and a half poems per month. I was figuring I had another poem in the back of my head and rounded to a dozen. I can surely see how I gave the accurate impression that math ain't my thang.

Hhmmm, I need to get kicking on my 40 by 40 quest. I've got 11 months left to memorize 38 poems; that is close to three and a half poems a month.

Here is the latest poem I've chosen. I hope you enjoy it.

Hope
by Lisel Mueller

It hovers in dark corners
before the lights are turned on,
it shakes sleep from its eyes
and drops from mushroom gills,
it explodes in the heads
of dandelions turned sages,
it sticks to the wings of green angels
that sail from the tops of maples.

It sprouts in each occluded eye
of the many-eyed potato,
it lives in each earthworm segment
surviving cruelty,
it is the motion that runs
from the eyes to the tail of a dog,
it is the mouth that inflates the lungs
of the child that has just been born.

It is the singular gift
we cannot destroy in ourselves,
the argument that refutes death,
the genius that invents the future,
all we know of God.

It is the serum which makes us swear
not to betray one another,
it is in this poem, trying to speak.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Gandy and Chap!

The three do not have their own language, but they do make up lots of words. One of the things they love to do is put -deedee at the end of a word. As in, "We bumped headsdeedee" and "Look at him bounce-deedee."

The first word that we noticed them making up was Gandy. They don't play Gandy too much anymore, but when they were still sleeping in pak-n-plays they loved to play Gandy. For example, say Lucia is in the pak-n-play, she puts her hands up flat against the mesh side and says, "Elliott, let's do Gandy." Elliott then puts his hands against hers, just the mesh side between them. They used to play this all the time. I can still hear Lucia so clearly saying, "Yet's do Gandy!"

Something that they are doing now is Chap! Chap is something they say when they have something that matches someone else. For example, if Lucia and Mazie both have a purple crayon, they will touch the crayons together and say Chap! I think it started when I taught them how to clink their sippy cups and say Cheers! Around the same time they were learning about matches. I think they somehow integrated the two concepts to get Chap!

Other favorite words are GahGah and Bucko, though there are others as well. Lucia and I frequently have conversations that go something like this:
Me: What does GahGah mean?
Lu: It means Bucko.
or
Me: What does Bucko-deedee mean?
Lu: It means Buhdalay GahGahdee.

Thanks for reading and have a bucko-deedee GahGah until we post again.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

A Felling Quiz with a Prize

Below are statements the children have said the past few months. I've been collecting their funny sayings. They still pronounce these words this way.

The first person to correct each LEM statement and answer the question below in the comment section, will get a jar of homemade bath scrub. It is yummy delicious, and I'll send it right to your door.

A felling quiz
1) I want more ficy mustard.
2) Bubby filled it.
3) I want to see Mazie's flinter.
4) Can I have more faghetti?
5) I want to wear the fecial necklace.
6) Don't fank my bottom.
7) Let's drive by the big Halloween fider.
8) Me: Everybody sit down. Lu: I got a fot.
9) Mama, you want to get in the frinkler with us? Go get your swimsuit.
10) Let me plant the finach.
11) Let's read Flat the Cat.
12) What is the digraph the children are unable to pronounce?

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Impressed Me, updated

This morning Lucia was on the toilet with an upset stomach.
I asked her, "Is your tummy upset?"
She said, "Yes, 'cause Elliott aggavated me."

updated, 7-25-10
This morning Elliott and Lucia were standing in front of the door, keeping Mazie stuck out on the porch. Lucia came up to me, spiriting an offense, and said, "She aggerbated us!"

What we hear

The past six months, during my absentee blogger phase, I kept notes on scraps of paper. I love the language development of this stage and wanted to remember as much as I could about what they said and the way they said it. Below are the tidbits I recorded over the past six months. Some I thought were funny, others interesting.

One of the main things I notice about their language development right now is that they don't choose the correct preposition. They also put words in nontraditional places in the sentence (like the popular "I ate my cereal all").
_______________________________________________
Lucia: Shoes not go on your hands. Shoes go on your foots.

Me: Elliott, don't spill your water.
Elliott: I not will.

Mazie, as we were walking into church: Be on your best hay for.

Mazie: I not did stick my hand in the toilet.

Elliott, wanting me to pull his blanket up higher: Cover me up faster.

Lucia: I'm thirsty for gum.

Me: I'll get you some more water, but don't spit it out.
Elliott: I not will.

Lucia, telling me she did the entire puzzle herself: I did that whole time.
Also: I did it whole myself.

Lucia: Be careful. These are fragible and breakable.

Mazie, handing me her doll to watch: You hold she.

Lucia: I'm sorry to step on your foot.
Also: I'm sorry to do it, Mama.

Lucia: Thank you for the juice, Mama.
Me: You're welcome, Sweetie.
Lucia: You're welcome too, Mama.

Mazie, wanting me to get her out of her car seat: Buckle me out.

The various ways they've pronounced guitar.
Lucia: ca-tar
Elliott: tar-guh
Mazie: big-tar

Mazie: We going to save it to later.

I didn't write down who said this one. Trying to ask "What is its name?" one of them asked, "Whose name is it?"

Awhile back, Elliott pronounced yes like the letter Y. He would even say "Y sir." Several times I had to tell people he wasn't asking Why? he was saying yes. One day I even heard him singing "Y sir, Y sir, three bags full."

Lucia calls any kind of bread cornbread.

They still pronounce spoon soon. I drop my soon. I need a soon.
And, they pronounce school sue. Are we going to sue today?

Lucia still does not pronounce her Ls. The Y sound she uses in place of the L is very pronounced too. One of my favorite things she's said was about a shirt that got dirty: "Yets put it in the yawndry."

Mazie: Let it cool off. It's very big hot.

Lucia, instead of saying it is very big, she'll say: It was huge big.

Me: Baby, just keep it for later.
Lucia: Ok, I would.

When H came in from work Elliott asked her: What you been?

One night I overheard Elliott say to his sisters: Let's talk. Hi Guys.

Elliott: I ate my cereal all.

Me: Are your shoes wet?
Mazie: They not are.

Elliott: We need a yawyeyball. (volleyball)

Elliott, with an open box of bandaids, putting one on his toe: Mom, we're getting bandaids because our stomachs hurt.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Importance of Routine

So. I am now officially caught up with the blog. I feel like I have been slacking, playing catch-up, and, in general, not doing a good job with the blog for almost a year now.

Here is what I do know. Routine is of the utmost importance to me. If I commit to something it will not be successful unless I incorporate it into my routine. When I was pumping, the blog was updated all the time. Then, I started doing it at night. I would sit with H while she watched TV and work on the blog. Since the beginning of the year we have been having struggles at bedtime. So, I do not go downstairs to watch TV with H. Out the window went my blogging time.

(What? I can't blame my sporadic blogging on the children?)

I hope to rectify the issue. How? Well, I have moved my desk area to the upstairs living area. ("Downstairs" at our house is just four stairs down to the old carport turned great room.) I have been trying to upload pictures when I am cooking supper. My computer takes too long to upload the picutres. If I have a list of what needs to be uploaded, I can walk by, check the next photo off the list and upload it and then go into the kitchen and stir or chop or whisk.

This blog is my account of our family, our children's development. Being behind has caused me to lose precious details that I know I would have loved to remember. It is no one's fault but my own, but it affects each member of my family. I hope to do better.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Save Our Beaches



I have been trying to think of some eloquent way to express the devastation of our beautiful Gulf of Mexico. I just can't do it. It has been hard to pay too close attention to what is going on in our region. It makes me angry, yes, but mostly it makes me sad. Along the stretch of the Gulf from Dauphin Island to Apalachicola are the prettiest beaches I've ever seen. They are being destroyed by carelessness and greed. Our children may likely never know what it means to spend the summer at the Gulf. Perhaps I am being dramatic. I hope so. I hope so for my family's sake, but even more for the people who life full-time at the Gulf, who feed their families with work and fish from the Gulf, who live off the tourism of the Gulf. There is a lot of suffering going on along the coast right now. Dolphins, herons, charter boat captains. Everyone down there is affect by this oil spill. Every one. Every creature.

Most of the parking lots at all the local and state beaches are full of tour buses bring workers in, tents with air conditioning being pumped in, tractors and other equipment, moving trucks. There are booms or layers of booms at all mouths. Boats of usually three workers can be seen at regular intervals. I am not sure what they do, whether they are testing or cleaning, but they can be seen at all the beaches now, tooling around in the water. The boat ramps are closed to the public so they can handle marine recovery traffic. The boat ramp nearest where we stay has been turned into a boat cleaning station.

We spent our Fourth at the beach. There were other people that went down too but there were not the usual crowds. We had to drive about 20 miles so the children could get into some bay water to play. All the water in our area is closed to swimming. We had a good time but it wasn't quite the same. Again, as sad as I am for us, I am even more heartbroken for the communities along the Gulf, their residents and their creatures.

All the flags are flying at half mast for the tragedy that has been inflicted upon the Gulf.

This picture below is of one of the many booms that have been placed in the water.
I like this poem because it illustrates our interconnectedness.

The Fish by Mary Oliver
The first fish
I ever caught
would not lie down
quiet in the pail
but flailed and sucked
at the burning
amazement of the air
and died
in the slow pouring off
of rainbows. Later
I opened his body and separated
the flesh from the bones
and ate him. Now the sea
is in me: I am the fish, the fish
glitters in me; we are
risen, tangled together, certain to fall
back to the sea. Out of pain,
and pain, and more pain
we feed this feverish plot, we are nourished
by the mystery.


Monday, July 5, 2010

Enraptured with Kale (A Parenthetical Acclamation)

I have had two culinary obsessions this summer. Homemade Ginger Ale and Kale Chips. I make them a lot. They are delicious and nutritious. I think you'd like both of them. (Don't be afraid; read on.)

A few of my thoughts (because I always have a few, dont' I?):I don't use as much agave as this recipe calls for, but you make it to taste. That's the beauty of the drink. I like 4 tablespoons of ginger and about 1-2 teaspoons of agave.

Also, don't turn your nose up at the kale. It ain't that rubber stuff they used to garnish your plate with when you ate at the country club as a child. When I was pregnant our dear friend Newt put me on to Kale for its calcium. (I think on her Facebook page she lists "eat more kale" as her religion. Not really, but maybe.) At this same time the woman who lives across from the beach house we go to was growing and sharing Kale with me. (She has the most wonderful yard. I really should do a post about it one day too.) So I had the most gorgeous and fresh Kale to eat. I loved it and I still think about Kale a lot.

The proportions of the Ginger Ale make the drink where it can suit just about anyone. If you love the ginger, like me, pour it in. If you like sweet, squirt in that agave. The Kale chips are easy to love too because you can do so many different flavors. That annoying phrase "your imagination is your only limitation" applies here. One of my favorite Kale chip recipes (I keep capitalizing it because I think it will make Newt happy) is toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. I've also added ground ginger to that. I've done olive oil and hot sauce. That was good. Another one I really loved is olive oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and white pepper. Think of the flavors you love and throw them on your Kale.

One trick for the Kale is to let it dry well after you wash it. I usually spread it out on a dish towel for a couple of hours. Then, when you are putting your flavor on it, don't be too liberal as it will increase your baking time.

H wants me to tell you that she Hates the smell of the kale chips baking. I usually try to do them when she is at work, otherwise she makes me crack a window even when it is 133 degrees outside. (And that's just not right.)

Kale does other things well too. I use it in smoothies. Throw a banana, some berries and some Kale into a blender where you've crushed ice in water. So good. Green smoothies are great, delicious ways to get your veggies in. And in the hot, hot summer, turning on the blender is much more appealing than turning on the oven. The Green Smoothie Challenge website has some good recipes. Sauteeing with garlic is of course yummy. I've also made a raw salad (is that redundant?) out of Kale, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Very filling and refreshing.

Well, I thought this was going to be a quick little recipe post. Now I'll have to add "ramble on" as one of the labels.
____________________________________________
Ginger Ale your way and Kale Chips your way. Try them today.
(Photos are from their website.)
http://berlinswhimsy.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c00f553ef0133eccd8096970b-pi
Ginger Ale:
Make the Ginger Juice. In a blender, place the chopped ginger root (no need to peel) and add an equal amount of water. Blend on high for approximately one minute, until the ginger is completely chopped and pureed. Allow the mixture to sit in the blender jar for 30 minutes.

Strain the ginger pulp from the juice through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium-sized bowl. Press the pulp to remove all the juice. Refrigerate the juice until ready to use. It keeps in the refrigerator for one week.

To make a Ginger Ale (Makes one, 8 oz. glass):

In a glass, whisk together until combined---

2 T. Ginger Juice

2 T. Raw Agave Sweetener

Juice of 1 fresh lime

Add ice and sparkling mineral water. Adjust for your taste.

Cheers!

http://berlinswhimsy.typepad.com/berlins_whimsy/2010/04/raw-ginger-ale-recipe.html

and

kale, ready to bake into chips. really. by smitten.

Kale Chips

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/03/baked-kale-chips/

Baked Kale Chips
Adapted from a bunch of inspiring places

1 bunch (about 6 ounces) kale (I used Lacinato or “Dinosaur” Kale but I understand that the curlier stuff works, too, possibly even better)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet (I needed two because mine are tiny; I also lined mine with parchment for easy clean-up but there’s no reason that you must). Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.

Friday, July 2, 2010

The Friendly Frog

See it above? That is our friendly frog. He liked to hang out in our dog and cat food bin. The children love to play with him.
They are pretty/very gentle with him.


Mazie likes to let him go. This upsets Lucia greatly. H and I try to watch that they are being gentle with the fellow. He must be okay because he keeps coming back.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Random Takes

In an effort to catch up on my blogging, I am including lots of stand alone photos in this post, little glimpses into the life we've been leading. Above shows Mazie after dressing herself. Below is one of the many picnics they like to have with their animals and babies. Their favorite foods to have during picnics these days are cheese, nuts, water or juice, and ice cubes.

Elliott knows how to turn on the hose. Spraying the hose is one their favorite activities. They love to fill up the bucket of their front end loader and then dump it out, splashing it everywhere.
Below needs no explanation.
Elliott loves to prop him a pillow up and cover up when watching tv or relaxing.
Playing in the sink is a favorite activity, whether running the water or sitting in the sink.

We saw a gopher tortoise when we were on a walk.
Everyone has gotten to ride on the tractor with H.
They love stickers and I find them everywhere. Usually on the floor but often times in unique places.
Elliott loves to play with his cars and trucks. Below he is using the door frame for a track.
Mazie has always loved her babies, but recently Lucia has begun to love her babies too. The girls are often playing with their babies together. Though Lucia still loves the trucks too.
Probably my least favorite development is being able to get in the pantry and refrigerator. I am sure in the near future I will devote an entire post to this newest happening.
We still love to play in the rain--when it's not tundering because Elliott does not like tunder.
We went to a coastal town a while back as part of a project I will tell you about later. I thought this camellia in the driftwood was so unique and beautiful.
Here are the three in the best photo I could get at our morning at the bay.
That is us for now. Thanks for checking in on us.