October 23, 2009

Feed the soul (again)

Something has happened to my internal clock, and to the internal clocks of my students, and my husband, and my poor children, who usually hop out of bed pretty wide awake every morning (my kids can go from asleep to awake in .2 seconds). Every day this week I've surfaced painfully from a deep sleep and every day this week I've had to drag both L. and T. out of bed. Even the dog has a hard time getting up. She follows me downstairs in the dark, but races to her second dog bed--the one in the office--to catch a little extra snooze time while I blow dry my hair.

October 15, 2009

Crustless wonder

When I had lunch with T. for the first time at school on Monday, one thing was made blatantly clear: this is a girl who likes her lunch. And while she had fun talking and being silly with her friends, she also worked her way dutifully through all the compartments in her bento box, until there was little, if anything at all, left behind.

This is a girl whose highlight of her week last week was getting 60 cents one day to buy milk. Chocolate milk.

And a girl who likes it when I make silly sandwiches with silly names for her like Ants on a Pillow

September 28, 2009

Pure indulgence

This past weekend was the perfect weekend in so many ways--filled with mundane yet soul-pleasing things: lots of playground time on Saturday with a neighborhood friend, then a trip to Toys R Us so L. could take all his hard saved money and purchase this coveted item, pancakes on Sunday, a walk in the park, with soggy fall leaves underfoot.

September 18, 2009

Spiral bound

In anticipation of the weekend, and since I wrote about kitchen legacies, and food memories this week, I decided to organize my cookbook collection. I was also prompted to do this because our new kitten Annie, who has definitely found her mojo now that she's been on antibiotics and her cold has cleared up, has decided her favorite resting spot while we're out of the house during the day is right on top of my cookbooks.

September 16, 2009

Sanctuary of food

I recently asked my developmental writing students to write up a descriptive piece about food: what foods they remember from their childhoods, and the associations these foods have now in their lives, now that they are out on their own for the first time, and growing into adulthood.
September 11, 2009

Me sized

This week was one of those weeks that both dragged on painfully slowly, yet also seemed to pass in a blur. I’m not sure I can account for much of what I did back at home this week—it’s all a jumble of homework, quickie meals assembled from odds and ends, paper-grading, house cleaning in fits and spurts (although the kids’ suitcases STILL haven’t been unpacked yet from Labor Day weekend) and lots of ogling of kitty faces on our county's animal shelter web site.

September 4, 2009

Sandwich love

If you ever find yourself on the island of Lefkada, in Greece, and you happen to be wandering around the center of town on a sun-soaked afternoon--maybe on your way back from the beach, or on your way to dip your feet into the crystal blue water, you might stumble upon a particular sandwich shop. It doesn't look like too much from the outside (or inside, really).
August 28, 2009

Tangible

T. had a fantastic first day of kindergarten. Me? I had a strange first day. I walked around with the distinct feeling I was forgetting something—not a good feeling to have, really, especially when the something you feel like you’re forgetting is your child. But then I’d tell myself, reciting it like something I needed to remember: L. is in school, T. is in school, everything is okay.

The night before kindergarten, at dinner, we talked about making T. a photo collage she could keep in her backpack, to look at when she needed.

August 21, 2009

Super food

Despite the week it’s been I DID manage, miraculously, to grab a sliver of time (Star Wars: Clone Wars + Aristocats + a rainy afternoon = me time) to try out a new recipe (remember, I cook and clean as therapy). We have good friends coming over on Saturday for a picnic at the pool, and I wanted to preview a quick and nutritious salad using our favorite: the edamame bean.

August 14, 2009

Summer's last hurrah

Remember our neighbors and the bounty that sometimes comes our way? We got home yesterday and found this little pile on T.'s chair on the front porch.

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