Lunar Eclipse

Last night, Gwyneth and I were treated to a glimpse of a relatively rare occurrence: a total lunar eclipse. Just the fact that I even knew about it is pretty amazing. I was running on the treadmill yesterday morning and watching the news (a rare occurrence as well - the news not the running!) and saw a story about the lunar eclipse that would be taking place that night. I finished my workout and promptly forgot about the eclipse. I happened to see another story on my web browser right before I put the kids to bed. I did a quick search and found out that we were in the prime viewing location.

Of course the sky was clear until about 30 minutes before totality and then the clouds came in. Luckily, they were broken clouds, so we were to see glimpses of the moon. At about 11:20 I finally got a glimpse of the moon about half in shadow. That in itself was pretty neat. I woke Gwyneth up and made some cocoa. We sat outside and caught glimpses of the disappearing moon. At some point Gwyneth managed to drop her cocoa and shatter the mug onto the pavement. I am sure the cocoa incident will figure prominently in her memories!

At around 11:55 we were able to see the moon completely in shadow, a brilliant shade of orange. Amazing!

Growing Up

Today over dinner Gwyneth casually asked: "Is the Easter Bunny real, or is it just Mommy?". I have been expecting this for a while, so I confirmed her suspicions. You can probably guess the next question..."What about Santa?" Again, her doubts were confirmed. I thought maybe she had read something or seen something on TV to alert her to this new reality. I asked her what had tipped her off. She said she had just been thinking: "The Easter Bunny comes late, and Mommy and Daddy stay up late, there must be a connection."

She didn't seem all that upset by the news and actually seemed proud of herself for figuring it out. Also, she was very excited when I told her she could now be Santa and the Easter Bunny to Henry. In case you are wondering, she didn't ask about the Tooth Fairy, she has a very loose tooth...

Baby Hat with Bow

Finally, a finished knitting project. A cute baby hat for my neighbor's new baby girl. The hat itself is easy to finish in one evening. The i-cord bow turned this into a two day project. I have never made such a long i-cord (actually only 24"), and it seemed to take forever, especially considering it is just two stitches made over and over (and over...)

Pattern: Children's Cotton Hat from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts The book is written by the owner of Purl. While the book has some great patterns, it is also my first experience with knitting errata. I tried this pattern with a different yarn about a year ago. After completing the entire hat, I realized that there were the wrong number of eyelet holes. When you weave the i-cord into the eyelet holes, one cord ends up going to the inside and the other to the outside (makes it difficult to tie the bow!) Apparently, this is only a problem with the larger sizes. Here is the fix (just in case you decide to knit this up yourself): When you get to the eyelet round knit 6,8 depending on the size, instead of 2,4, and then just follow the directions.

Yarn: Reynolds Saucy in Pink #308 - my standard baby hat yarn, still working from a large stash my mom gave me years ago. The pattern actually calls for Mission Falls 1824 which gives a bit of a nubby texture to the hat.

Needles: 16" circular US 7, and 5 double-pointed needles US 7 - Susan Bates Quicksilver - these are headed for the goodwill pile. I felt like I was knitting with twigs after using the Addi Turbos!

Yarn for Josephine

My Mom gave me a gift certificate for Yarnmarket for my birthday, and I bought 8 skeins of Rowan Cotton Glace in Chalk and three Addi Turbo needles.

I am planning to make the Josephine Top from the Summer '07 Interweave Knits.

I have been meaning to knit up a gauge swatch for the last three nights, but so far all I have managed to do it take a picture of the yarn.

Little Chef

Do you remember last week when Henry made me waffles? Well, he attempted waffles two more times, but, since I had hidden the maple syrup and the toaster, he eventually lost interest. Then, a few days later, I came downstairs to find him making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Today I came downstairs to find this...

I am afraid of what he will think of next. Maybe it's time to sew bells onto all of his PJs!

Supper Smiles

On Sunday, we had one of our favorite suppers...breakfast.

It never fails to please!

New Sundresses

My Mom finished Gwyneth's sundresses. One with blue polka-dots...

...and a second with orange swirls.

So cute. Thanks Mom!

Trip to the Yarn Shop

After fabric shopping on Thursday, we headed to the yarn shop. The store is about 10 minutes away from the fabric shop (if you don't get lost, which we did). Getting there requires driving through true downtown traffic and negotiating the one-way streets. Luckily, I have been to the shop before, and I am somewhat familiar with this part of the city. So after we squeezed the car into a very small (and expensive) parking space in a private garage we headed up to the yarn shop. The shop itself is on the 14th floor of a high rise office building. It is in a tiny office space and is bursting with yarn (which is amazingly well organized).

The thing this shop has going for it (obviously not it's location or parking) is the owner. She is friendly and extremely knowledgeable about yarn. She can always seem to find what you need or a substitute for what you want to make. Although she doesn't carry the brand my pattern calls for (Euroflax Linen Sports Weight), she did find 3 yarn options for the pattern I want to make. I am making the Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt from the Summer '07 Interweave Knits, and I ended up with Hempathy yarn in Cool Blue.


I also bought an Addi Turbo size 3 needle, even though I already ordered one (and am waiting for it to arrive in the mail) for another project. I have been wanting to try Addi Turbos for a while, and I didn't want to wait to start my project. I knit a gauge swatch on Thursday night and I am in love with these needles (they really are as great as everyone says!). However, my gauge was off (too big), and I should have bought size 2 needles. I have already ordered the Addi Turbos in size 2 online, along with some more yarn for yet more projects!

My Mom also bought yarn for two projects and some Addi Turbo needles (which she loves), so it was a successful trip for both of us!

Shopping for the Barcelona Skirt

On Thursday, Mom and I headed out with the kids for a trip to the Quilt Shop in the city. I have been wanting to visit since I found out that they carried Amy Butler fabric. I printed out directions for the shop, and we found it with no troubles. It was an easy drive into the city and didn't require any real "downtown" driving. The shop is located in a fairly residential neighborhood and even has free (and more than adequate) parking! The customer service was a bit lacking. When I asked where the Amy Butler fabric was, the salesperson just pointed me in the right direction (one of my pet peeves - especially in an empty store). She did the same thing later when I asked where the muslin was. This is after she had already cut over 6 yards of $10/yd fabric for me. Unfortunately, this is the only place on the island that sells Amy Butler fabric!

I have been drooling over the Barcelona Skirt Pattern by Amy Butler ever since I first laid eyes on it several months back. My free-spirited friend Joanna just finished making her own version of the skirt (without the pattern), and I have been inspired to get started on my own. I am not nearly as free-spirited, so I will be using the pattern.

I had to order the pattern on-line and am hoping to have it next week, but I bought everything else I needed at the shop. Here is what I ended up with:


The pink and white fabric on the bottom is for the A-line skirt, the other two large scale prints are for the two sides of the overskirt, and the green polka-dot is for the border and ties of the overskirt. I have read only rave review about Amy Butler patterns, so I am hoping that I will have a success!

Pink Nightgown

On Sunday I showed my mom the dress I had been meaning to make for Gwyneth, and she immediately offered to make it for me! She and Gwyneth also picked out another fabric to make a second dress with the same pattern. I also had a piece of fabric that I had been intending to use for a nightgown for Gwyneth, so we went and picked out a pattern at Walmart for me to make. I finished it today.


The pattern was actually for a dress. I was looking for something simple and all the nightgown patterns we found looked too involved. Mom cut out the pattern for me (it's so great having a mom who sews!), and I got to sewing. The pattern was very easy. The worst part was the gathered ruffle at the bottom. If I make the pattern again I will use a purchased trim or just hem the bottom. I detest gathering. Overall, I am happy with the results, but I would hesitate to make this pattern for a dress because the neckline is very low.

Gifts from Nonni

We went out shopping on Tuesday. Our last stop was the sporting good store. While I spent way too much time picking out and trying on new running clothes, my mom entertained the kids. Luckily, Henry was in rare form (which for him is actually a good thing) and spent the entire time in the stroller. During their many trips through the store, they managed to pick up a few things.

A ball and mitt for Henry (mom is a big baseball fan)...

A hulahoop for Gwyneth (she's really good!)...

I managed to find some much needed clothing, and the kids each left the store with a treasure!

Mom's Sauce

My Mom arrived for a visit on Saturday and we have been busy sewing and shopping. We have also managed to get in a little cooking. On Tuesday I asked mom to make some sauce for our pasta. I dislike jarred sauce but cooking my own always seems like such an effort. When mom made her sauce this time, I really paid attention. It is so simple and the taste of "real" sauce is truly amazing. I am determined to start making my own sauce in the future!

We had stocked up on candles due to the threat of hurricane (which never materialized). The kids insisted we had to have candles on the table for dinner. In this particular picture, Gwyneth is yelling at Henry, who is trying to blow out the candles. Mom also sauteed some eggplant for us to have on the side. Yummy!

Diaper Ban

We have had our fair share of diaper "incidents" in the past month or so. I have made a few half-hearted attempts at potty training Henry, but I kept deciding he wasn't ready. He has been very resistant to using the potty, and I just figured "why fight it". However, these "incidents" kept popping up. He has taken off his diaper and peed on his bedroom carpet more times than I can count. He often takes off his diaper after he has pooped and that tends to get messy, especially since I am not always right there to catch him in the act.

This past week we reached the tipping point. Twice in the last week, I went to check on Henry after he was asleep and found him completely naked in his bed. The first time I also found a big wet spot and soaking wet pajamas on his carpet. I didn't notice until after I had moved him into my bed and prepared and carried up the SpotBot, that his sippy cup of water was also laying on the floor opened and empty. Ironically, the diaper was dry on the inside and soaking wet on the outside.

I finally came to the (obvious) conclusion that a child who can remove his diaper to pee on the carpet and who knows to carry a poopy diaper to the bathroom probably doesn't need to be wearing diapers. It's amazing how small children make you lose your perspective!

When I was at the library on Thursday, I picked up a book called Diaper-Free Before 3 and quickly read through it on Thursday evening. I don't generally read parenting books or magazines. I believe a little common sense applied in a consistent manner is all most parents really need (that is what most parenting advice boils down to). Just the fact that I was reading this book speaks to how desperate I was feeling. The book is written by a pediatrician and challenges the entire notion of "readiness" when it comes to potty training. I wish I had read it two years ago, and I have been reassured that Henry will not be scarred for life if I "force" him to potty train.

The biggest piece of advice I came away with from the book is to get rid of the diapers. Not surprisingly, there is a direct relationship between the advent of disposable diapers and the whole notion of potty training "readiness". Simply put, disposable diapers have made it convenient to postpone potty training. I can say, with almost complete certainty, that if I had to wash out a wet or poopy diaper 6 or 7 times a day, Henry would already be potty trained!

Henry has been out of diapers since Thursday night (at bedtime, I am putting him in underwear with a pull-up on top just for my own sanity). He woke up dry on Friday (not today) and even made it through a two hour trip to the commissary followed by a nap with no accident. I am now convinced that the only person who wasn't "ready" for potty training was me!

Angus Saves the Day

This morning, I was woken up by Angus. He had jumped out of bed and was scratching at my side. For the most part, Angus sleeps in with me until I get out of bed, but he has "Lassie tendencies" and will alert me when something (or someone!) is up. So I dragged myself out of bed, and I checked Henry's room. No Henry. I heard talking downstairs and went to investigate.

I found Henry sitting on the kitchen counter with 3 waffles spread out in front of him and a full, unopened bottle of maple syrup in his hands. About 2 seconds from disaster, I quickly wrestled the syrup out of his hands. The waffles were toasted, and he had made one for each of us. He kept saying "one for me, one for you, one for sissy". Top priority for today is to find a good hiding place for the syrup!

Good boy, Angus, good boy!

Fried Tofu

My adventures with tofu are continuing, and I am making some progress. I had to take an unplanned break from my experimenting because the commissary has not had any firm tofu for the last two weeks in a row. Unable to contain my enthusiasm any longer, I went to the "real" grocery store yesterday and bought a couple of slabs. I tried a different brand than what the commissary sells (Melissa's Organic). They also sell House brand (this is what they have at the commissary), so I picked up one of those as well.

Last night, I tried a recipe for fried tofu. I had my reservations from the beginning, frying something that is supposed to be healthy doesn't make a lot of sense to me. However, my goal at this point, is to find a way to prepare tofu that I actually enjoy (rather than just tolerate), so I decided to give it a fry! I used the Melissa's tofu and immediately noticed a difference, the smell was much milder and didn't make me feel queasy (always a good thing).


The recipe calls for you to soak the tofu in vegetable broth, which made me hopeful. The big problem with my last attempt was that I could still "taste" the tofu. After breading the tofu I fried it up, and I was feeling pretty confident. It looked (and smelled) great.

The reviews were mixed. Henry ate two pieces willingly and seemed to like them, however, he wouldn't eat the third piece on his plate. Just the fact that Henry dug in without any cajoling is worth major points. Gwyneth didn't like the seasoning (there was a little bit of cayenne pepper in it). She thought it was too spicy, and she said she liked it with breadcrumbs (like the last time). She did manage to eat 4 pieces, so it wasn't totally wasted on her. Personally, I liked the breading. More importantly, I couldn't taste that "tofu" flavor. However, the texture was too spongy. I didn't freeze it this time, and I think that was a mistake. I don't think the frying itself made it any more appealing than the baking.

My game plan for next time is:

1. Get the Melissa brand tofu.
2. Freeze it ahead of time to change the texture.
3. Dice the tofu and soak it in vegetable broth.
4. Use dried breadcrumbs for the breading.
5. Keep it healthy by baking.

The adventure continues...

Reading and the Picky Eater

Henry's reading habits differ a bit from his sister's. While she often has 3 or 4 books going at a time (I think she gets that from her Nonni), Henry tends to get stuck on a particular book. I usually pick out about 8-10 books for him at the library and end up reading one of the books over and over. If we read some of the other 8-10 books before hitting on the magical one, then we get to read some of my other choices. Once we hit on the "chosen" book, he doesn't want to hear anything else! At bedtime, we usually read from his own books, and he does have a bigger range there (most of these books are pretty familiar and some he can pretty much quote from memory).

Our current special library book is Little Pea. It is a cute book that I think I will be adding to our home library. It is about a little pea who doesn't want to eat his dinner (candy), but struggles through it to get to his dessert. I won't ruin the surprise by telling you what "dessert" is, but I think most children will appreciate the irony!

This particular book has even proven helpful in getting Picky Henry to eat. The other night I heated up a frozen veggie lasagna for dinner. I knew it was going to be trouble when Gwyneth balked at the veggies peeking out from the cheese. Gwyneth is not a picky eater and she loved the lasagna. However, her initial reaction was telling, and Henry refused to eat even the veggie-less pasta bites. I refused to give him his milk until he ate. I put his food aside when I cleaned up the kitchen, and we went about our normal bedtime routine. We read Little Pea as one of his bedtime stories, and, when we were done, Gwyneth asked him if he wanted to eat 5 bites of his dinner like little pea (I quickly added that he could have his milk if he did...before she had the chance to offer dessert). He agreed and managed to get in his 5 bites (actually 7 bites because two of the bites included veggies and he spit those out - he is a tough nut to crack!) I think the novelty of being like Little Pea helped, but the hunger and promise of milk was probably the driving force!

The Adventures of Pinocchio

Gwyneth and I are currently reading Pinocchio for her bedtime read-aloud (see post below). It is an amazing story, and I am willing to bet it bears little resemblance to the Disney version. I saw the movie when I was very young and remember very little.

The story is very dark and bizarre but Gwyneth and I are both loving it. At various points in the story Pinocchio has been near death. At the moment, his father is missing and he is being raised by a fairy who died in an earlier chapter only to come back mysteriously as his foster mother several chapters later.

While the stories are odd, the messages are clear and positive. As the Talking Cricket tells Pinocchio, when he tries to run away in Chapter 4:

"Woe to those children who disobey their parents and willfully leave home. They will never come to any good in this world, and sooner or later they'll be bitterly sorry for it"

Pinocchio goes on to kill the Talking Cricket shortly after...I said it was dark!

The book is filled with wonderful vocabulary words (idlers, comrades, assassins, dolefully - just to name a few). I highly recommend it as a book not to be missed. You may want to wait until your child is a bit older if you have a particularly sensitive child. The version we are reading has a compilation of different illustrators which I am really enjoying. A book with a single illustrator would probably be preferable to most children (Gwyneth gets frustrated by the different interpretations of Pinocchio, sometimes on the same page).

Reading Aloud

A few months ago, after my friend Joanna mentioned The Read-Aloud Handbook in one of her e-mails, I stumbled upon it in the Children's section of my library and checked it out (and then ordered my own copy from Amazon). It is basically a book with lots of great advice about why and how you should read aloud to children of all ages (and I highly recommend it).

Before I read the book, we had been reading things, like Ramona the Brave, that Gwyneth could easily read to herself. I was getting lazy and would just read whatever she picked out. The biggest piece of advice I got from the book is to read books above your child's level. I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me before. It took reading this book to realize that children can comprehend reading at a much higher level when they are being read to than they can when they are reading to themselves!

Since reading The Read-Aloud Handbook I have been making a point of picking out specific books to read at bedtime, some based on recommendations from the extensive annotated book list found at the back of the handbook (I have started a list of our books on the sidebar, with the most current book on top).

Not only is Gwyneth getting to "read" things she isn't quite ready to tackle on her own but I am actually enjoying read aloud time, since I am picking the books! Eventually, I am hoping to post about some of the wonderful books that we are reading.

The Bruiser

Last night Gwyneth tripped in the bathroom and smashed Henry's face into the side of the bathtub...ouch! This is what he looks like today.

I think he looks like a prize-fighter. I really wasn't too worried last night. Henry stopped crying quickly, and his nose was not sensitive to touch, just swollen. This morning when I was changing his diaper I noticed a little red pin-prick rash on his inner thighs and was a little concerned so I did a search on the Internet. I identified the rash as petechiae or purpura, (basically ruptured blood vessels) which was labeled as "THE ONE RASH THAT REQUIRES AN URGENT PAGE TO YOUR DOCTOR OR ER VISIT RIGHT AWAY" and the last line of the article said:

PETECHIAE OR PURPURA FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE BODY BESIDES THE FACE AND NECK COULD BE A SIGN OF A BLEEDING PROBLEM OR A SERIOUS INFECTION. IF YOU SUSPECT THIS RASH YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY, OR BE EVALUATED IN AN ER AFTER HOURS.

Eeek! I spent the next 25 minutes on hold trying to make an appointment with the pediatrician ( I spent more time on the phone than I did at the Dr's office). We went in this afternoon and the Dr. confirmed my diagnosis but didn't seem too worried. Henry had his blood drawn to check his platelet count and everything came back fine.

On a positive note, Henry was a trooper when it came time to give blood. He was a little freaked before we went into the lab but once they actually started (complete with an extra tech to hold him steady) he didn't even flinch, just said "ouch" when they pricked him. We ended our traumatic day with milk shakes for the kids and a Diet Coke and onion rings for Mom.