Domesticity
Gifts of food …
Two meals from one veggie lasagne.
Chili with cornbread muffins and steamed greens. Enough for leftovers, my lunch today.
Beef stew.
Pizza dough made from a Chickadee magazine recipe, using tomato sauce canned with neighbours last fall.
Banana muffins, finally made after days of planning to bake, with friends over to play and to eat the results.
Confession …
The drier. The drier. The drier! After months of hanging laundry indoors, and despite the fresh spring breeze and welcome sunshine, I have been using our drier. Something had to give on the domestic front, and that is apparently my weakest point.
First Tooth
He’s sprouted his first tooth! Given our other children’s record with cavities, we decided to waste no time. The bristles probably felt good on those gums. Fooey is this evening’s photographer.
In other news, Kevin’s acquired a cane. Next, he’s getting a top hat and tap shoes and a monocle.
Sorry. My brain is getting mushy from prolonged sleep deprivation. Today I lost the car keys three times in the span of five minutes, just by putting them down different places while thinking about something else. I had to use a spare set to pick the kids up from school. But we were delivered a supper which I’m going to stretch into two: veggie lasagne. With garlic buns tonight. How about with salad and bread tomorrow night? Thanks, neighbour chefs, small and tall.
The viral thing that’s plagued our two youngest seems to be abating. And CJ has officially learned how to fall off to sleep all by himself. This is an unexpected side effect of the broken knee: we no longer had time to rock, sing, walk, or otherwise coddle the lad off to sleep; turns out he didn’t need all that fussing around anyway.
Instead of Doing Dishes …
I’ve been getting to supervise the kids’ baths. It’s pretty fun. So this is what I’ve been missing while doing the dishes instead. Apple-Apple was especially amused by the bath toy stuck on CJ’s head (not visible in this photo) and ran for the camera. Are we running for the camera too often these days? Not sure what to do with the wealth of “out-takes” clogging our hard drive that will likely never be printed, but seem somehow too precious to erase. In honour of CJ’s first birthday, I’ve uploaded and printed a pile of photos from his first year, which I’ll put into an album … see, the fourth child won’t be entirely neglected! I’d like to do this for each child’s birthday this year, and start an ongoing tradition.
It’s not CJ’s birthday yet. One week from today. But he got to open his first gift today, and despite being sick, was entirely enthusiastic. He knew exactly what to do: reach into bag and start removing gifts. Then put gifts back into bag for an impromptu game. As always, with one-year-olds, the bag is at least as amusing as the gift itself.
President Obama, Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
This is me trying to capture a particular expression that’s been haunting my face recently; not a good one: a pair of verticle frown lines pressed between my eyebrows as I worry about something or other, not even realizing I’m worrying or frowning. Sometimes accompanied by muttering, too.
An Obama dream this morning: President Obama and his chief of staff come into the room, and President Obama sits on a plushy sofa, relaxed, humourous, but clearly exhausted. An aide holds a cellphone to his ear and he has a brief conversation. He tells us that he’s just been kidnapped and released, but that it wasn’t very serious. I say, “President Obama, are you sure you’re getting enough sleep? There are so many people counting on you, and you really need to get your sleep.” He admits he probably isn’t. I’m worried. He shrinks to baby-size, and I put him into a stroller and go to pick up the other children and their many many friends for a giant playdate.
Wake up. Say to Kevin, “Oh, I was having such a great dream.” It’s early morning, CJ is in bed nursing, and he’s feverish. As I describe the dream to Kevin, he starts to laugh: “If you’re dreaming about sleep WHILE you’re sleeping, maybe you need more sleep.”
Oh, yes I do. Can I have a dose of the kind called Beauty, please?
March Break
Images from our March Break week …
Fooey has sadly picked up a virus (CJ too), and this is how she has spent most of today, wrapped in blankets, though I’m pleased to report she is eating (cookies) right now. Good news, though: she quickly got over her fear of her dad’s crutches and knee, and was a good-hearted little nurse-helper for much of the week.
CJ enjoyed his first complimentary grocery store cookie earlier this week!
Apple-Apple was in need of entertainment this morning and leapt at the opportunity to wash the dishes. She very patiently washed and rinsed the whole pile.
And here is Kevin headed off to work earlier today. He got good news yesterday from his doctor: the new xrays show that there is no displacement and the fracture is healing. Next checkup and more xrays in four weeks.