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I just got a new Brita water pitcher. The flip-up pour spout cover on our old one had broken off long ago, and when we moved here to our new house we felt like it was time to start fresh and get a new one.
I love my Brita water. I wanted to write a whole post about how drinking Brita water is superior to drinking bottled water, but then I found out that the Cult of Green is taking on the bottled water industry, and I hate to be on the same side as those wackos.
This was the Christmas of Bananagrams and Finding the Ghost.
Bananagrams is Scrabble on speed. You use the same kind of tile letters as in Scrabble, but you don’t use a board and you don’t keep score. You start with about 15-20 tiles (depending on how many players) and just start building words in a crossword pattern. There are no points for using uncommon letters – it’s all about using them up. When a player uses up his initial set of tiles, he shouts “PEEL” and then everyone, including the peeler, picks up one more tile and tries to finish again. There are 144 tiles so the peeling is a big part of the game. When you build a good base, you can add single letters to your board as quickly as you can pick them up, so the peeling can be a real thrill. When there are no more tiles to peel, the next player to use up his letters wins. You can also play Banana Smoothie where you simply divide up all the letters at the start and try to be the first one to use them up.
I think the best thing about Bananagrams is that everybody plays at once, unlike Scrabble, where you spend a lot of the time just waiting your turn. The game can be serious or raucous depending on your mood, the concept and the rules are simple, it’s super-portable (just a bag with tiles in it), and you can play with only 2 people if you want to. Just like Scrabble, you get the pleasure of using your mind - concentrating, being creative, and drawing upon a huge storehouse of knowledge. And the feedback is immediate – win or lose – but completely inconsequential to your success in life.
Thanks to Adam’s sis (is that a word? I need a Scrabble dictionary) for introducing us to this fabulous game! The adults played it endlessly the whole week.
Samantha and her second-cousin (cousin-once-removed?) had their own game: Find the Ghost. It was nothing more than hide and seek – another game that has a simple concept. Adam’s dad had joked about their new house having ghosts, so when the ten-year-old cousin gave me a wink and then snuck upstairs, I told Sam to go find the ghost. That girl is a master hider! The girls had so much fun with this game that the first thing Sam said the next morning was FIND GHOST FIND GHOST, as if she had been dreaming about it all night.
Games are fun.
I’m wearing my contact lenses for the first time since I got that series of colds that lasted, I kid you not, 70 days. Actually, I put the lenses in once when I thought I was getting better but I had to take them out after a couple of hours when the eye boogies took over. What a relief to take off those glasses! Soft contact lenses are definitely one of the blessings of our modern age.
The concept of the contact lens was first proposed by none other than Leonardo da Vinci. (What a great mind!) Hard glass lenses were in use in the late 19th century, but I’m not sure by whom – it must have been torture to wear them. It was in the 1940′s that all-plastic lenses were invented, but they were still very uncomfortable. The men we have to thank for today’s modern lenses are Czechoslovakian chemist Otto Wichterle and his assistant, Dr. Drahoslav Lim. They invented the lenses in the late fifties and some countries were using the product in the sixties, but of course, the FDA did not approve the hydrogel or “Softlens” material for use in the U.S. until 1971, when Bausch & Lomb introduced the first commercially available soft contact lens here. Dr. Lim actually invented the soft, water absorbing plastic they used, hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). Another great leap forward thanks to materials innovation! (Summarized from this, this and this.)
I’m sure many of you are thinking that the contact lens is old news and I should be writing about vision correction surgery. But I write about the Little Things that are important to me, and I’m not a good candidate for LASIK or other corrective surgery since I only have one working eye and so no room for error. Besides, I thought it was an interesting history.
Does anybody iron their clothes anymore? I’ve never ironed and yes, my clothes are wrinkled some of the time (but not often, thanks to this). But, seriously, after sorting, washing, and drying clothes, does anyone really get out an ironing board and an iron, put water in it, wait for it to heat up, and spend multiple minutes per item making them just perfect, then folding or hanging? And I’ve heard a rumor that some people actually iron their sheets! What planet do they live on?
Ever since my first real winter in Chicago 1999-2000 (I grew up in Los Angeles), I’ve had terrible problems with dry skin. In Chicago, my heels cracked so badly they bled, which was painful enough, but last winter my fingers started splitting. Right where the edge of the nail meets the finger I got these deep cuts. Two of my favorite activities, writing (typing) and cooking, became torture. It started up again about a week ago and was so bad I decided to try my father’s trick – Superglue. Yes, I glued my fingers back together. It works!
I just added a link at the top of this page to photos of Sam on Shutterfly. I’ve only managed to upload her pictures through September or so. That’s when I switched to Picasa, and I haven’t quite figured out yet how I’ll share those in an organized way.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to the fastest and easiest way to manage and share photos?
I’ve been so busy lately I’ve been falling down on my homemaker duties. More than once, we’ve run out of something essential.
Yesterday it was the Diaper Genie refill bags. Never, ever, since Sam was born, have I not had an extra ring of bags. One poopy diaper was enough to send me to the store this morning before just about everything else on my to do list.
I know some people consider a diaper disposal system to be a luxury, but, come on. Skip one meal out at a restaurant and you’ve paid for the diaper pail and refills for a year, at least.
I have the Diaper Genie II. The only thing I don’t like about it is that, in order to get the diaper past the spring-tight opening, you have to push pretty hard. Although it has never happened to me, sometimes the pressure threatens to explode the diaper. At least, in my imagination it’s possible. Also, your hand usually has to touch the top of the plastic bag, and I’m never quite sure if it is totally clean. But both of those complaints can be chalked up to my poo-paranoia, so take them for what they are worth.
The one thing that has most helped me to become a better mom is the parenting course I took with Cornelia Lockitch about 9 months ago. I know I have quite a few readers out there with young children, and many of you share my basic parenting philosophy. Some of you may have even heard of Cornelia and her work. If you just needed a little nudge to take a closer look, here it is. If you’ve never heard of Cornelia or never considered taking a class in parenting, I hope I can convince you that a little professional help can go a long way, if you find the right professional.
Cornelia is a Montessori-trained teacher and the founder of Guide Your Child Parenting Resources. She applies Montessori principles to home life with toddlers and preschoolers to help parents “delight in their child’s early years by giving them a practical framework for understanding, talking to, and guiding their young child.” At her website, you can sign up for her free e-newsletter and download a 20+ page report called, “The 3 Simple Child-Management Secrets Montessori Teachers Know…and No Parent Should Be Without.” These freebies are great, but the real value comes with talking to her one-on-one about how you can challenge your child while nurturing his or her natural independence and curiosity.
At the abstract level, Cornelia explained to me Montessori’s 4 sensitive periods: movement, language, order, and sensorial exploration. She taught me how to look for signs that Samantha was immersed in one or more of these periods. As a result, I take a few minutes each week to ask myself, “What is Sam in to now,” and I use the framework Cornelia taught me to help decipher Sam’s behavior and plan activities for the week.
We discussed different views of the parental role, and how both the “buddy” and the “disciplinarian” models fail the child. I can’t tell you how many times I catch myself falling into one of those roles and recall Cornelia’s simple and elegant view. Go read her website and newsletter and you’ll get the flavor of it.
Cornelia gave me 6 concrete ways to apply the principle of advance preparation, 7 specific ways that I could encourage language development, at least 30 age-appropriate activities that I could try with Sam, and probably over 20 tips for setting up our home so as to foster Sam’s independence in day-to-day life. All of this advice was customized to Sam’s age, development level, and to our family situation. Cornelia even took into account the fact that we were living in a tiny 800 square foot rental house at the time.
I visited 2 Montessori preschools this past week and used the advice that Cornelia gave me about how to assess the quality of a Montessori school. I’ll write more about that as my hunt for the right school for Sam continues.
The best endorsement I can give Cornelia, though, is the testimonial I wrote for her website:
Thanks to Cornelia, I am a much more confident parent. Before I took her parenting coaching program, I was trying to follow some of the Montessori principles, but I was not always sure how to put them into practice-especially when my daughter was only sixteen months old and not walking yet! Cornelia gave me so many practical ways to put my ideas into action. She showed me that it wasn’t too early to show my daughter how to put away her own shoes, help with diaper changes, and clean up after a meal. Now I know how to challenge my daughter with interesting activities without overwhelming her, and she loves it! We communicate better, and best of all, my confidence allows me to enjoy my time with my daughter without self-doubt and confusion. Thank you, Cornelia!
I’m still sick, so I’ll continue with my recommendations to close out the week. This is a true Little Thing: champagne grapes, aka Black Corinth grapes. My supermarket carries them and I’ve been tempted to try them all summer, but only bought some last week. They are tiny little packages of nectar. So sweet and delicate. Their tiny size enhances the experience of eating them because you don’t chew them at all, you just kind of pop them open with your tongue and they explode with goodness. They’re like natural Pop Rocks.
Samantha loves grapes and before I trusted her chewing abilities, I spent many hours cutting and tearing up grapes into baby size pieces. I’m pretty sure these champagne grapes would have been safe for her before she was a year old. I wish I had known about them then.
It turns out that these are the grapes they use to make currants, the little tiny raisins. Since regular raisins are also a choking hazard, I’ve been giving Sam currants instead. We call them baby raisins and she loves them. (I should have deduced that the existence of baby raisins meant there existed baby grapes too.) The currants are great for salads and also in recipes that call for raisins when you want a finer distribution of the sweet.
I subscribe to this awesome recipe service, The Six O’Clock Scramble. They send me 5 recipes each week which I can customize. Each meal is fast and easy and includes side dishes, which helps me to remember the veggies. The best part is that I hit a button and I get an automatically generated shopping list with all the ingredients I need for the week.
This is such an easy way to cook healthy meals without spending a lot of time planning. It also prompts me to try new things and maintain a good variety of foods in my diet. If you struggle with cooking for your family, you really should try this service for a few months. Here is one of my favorite recipes from the service, reprinted here with permission:
Many Scramble subscribers and friends of ours are crazy about this vegetable pie, originally suggested by Jackie Cohen. It is mild and simple enough to appeal to the palates of many kids, as well. Serve it with Garlic Cheese Bread and an Ambrosia Fruit Salad.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the zucchini and onions until (about 10 minutes). Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano. Press the pie crust into a pie dish and spread the mustard evenly over the crust. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese and zucchini mixture. Pour everything into the pie crust and spread it evenly. Bake it for 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. (Meanwhile, prepare the Garlic Cheese Bread and the fruit salad, if you are serving them.) Allow it to cool for a few minutes and cut it into wedges to serve it (or refrigerate it for up to 24 hours or freeze it for up to 3 months.) Scramble Flavor Booster: Use Swiss, Gruyere, or another type of sharp cheese, rather than the mozzarella. |
| SERVE WITH GARLIC CHEESE BREAD & AMBROSIA FRUIT SALADTo make Garlic Cheese Bread, preheat the broiler or set the toaster oven to broil. Split 4 whole wheat pita pockets or sub rolls in half lengthwise. Spread the tops (the uneven insides) with a light coating of butter or margarine, sprinkle them with garlic powder, and top them with a small handful of part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese. Put them under the broiler until the cheese melts and bread turns golden, about 3 minutes.To make an Ambrosia Fruit Salad combine 2 Tbsp. plain nonfat or low fat yogurt or sour cream, 1/8 lemon, juice only (about 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice), and 1 Tbsp. honey in a medium bowl. Add about 6 cups of cut fresh fruit, such as cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and/or grapes, and stir gently. |
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| Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values) Calories: 200; Total Fat: 12g, 18%; Saturated Fat: 5g, 23%; Cholesterol: 65mg, 22%; Sodium: 520mg, 22%; Total Carbohydrate: 11g, 4%; Dietary Fiber: 1g, 4%; Sugar: 1g; Protein: 11gNutritional Information per serving with sidedish (% based upon daily values) (with 1 slice garlic cheese bread (1/2 pita)) Calories: 449; Total Fat: 20g, 31%; Saturated Fat: 7g, 32%; Cholesterol: 73mg, 25%; Sodium: 776mg, 33%; Total Carbohydrate: 52g, 18%; Dietary Fiber: 5g, 19%; Sugar: 19g; Protein: 19g |
I’m still sick with this cold I’ve had for 5 days and counting, so blogging will probably continue to be light for a few days. Today I’ll just make a long overdue addition to my product recommendations.
OxiClean must be the best cleaning product ever. I mostly use it to spot clean the carpet. It takes out everything I’ve tried it on: wine, coffee, cat puke, blueberry. It’s great for laundry, too.
Somewhere in all the moves we made last year, I lost the squirt bottle I had always used for my OxiClean. (I buy the powder and mix it with water or throw a scoop in the laundry.) When we arrived at the house we’re renting now, I didn’t bother getting a new bottle and making any because I was just too overwhelmed to think about cleaning. The carpet here is already old and stained and I just figured, why bother?
Well, new stains were still happening and the living room carpet was beginning to disturb me. Yesterday I finally reached my limit and I made some OxiClean in a measuring cup. I must have spot cleaned 20 stains. It didn’t matter how old they were, every single one came out. And I didn’t have to scrub or rinse. All I did was put a bit of OxiClean on a paper towel, soak the stain, and then rub it a bit. The difference in the carpet is amazing, and it’s so easy.
I had also purchased a can of Resolve High Traffic cleaner. It’s one of those foams that you spray and then vacuum. Before I tried the OxiClean I had tried the Resolve and it didn’t take out a single stain. It might have made the carpet a bit cleaner overall, but not in any way that I could discern. Baking soda is cheaper and probably works just as well.
If you noticed, I did all this work while I was sick. I had been stuck at home doing nothing for 4 days and Sam was finally back at day care and I felt a bit better. I did what I always do when recovering from a cold: I overdid it. Not only did I clean the carpet in two ways (including vacuuming 3 times), I rearranged the furniture. I hauled a huge bamboo trunk up the stairs and carried a rocking chair down the stairs. It just felt so good to be able to accomplish something and I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t feel too bad yesterday even after all the work, but today I am much worse.
I’m sure someday I’ll learn to remember that I need to take it easy after a cold, even if I feel better. I mean, I’m finally wise enough to stop getting a sunburn at the beginning of every single summer before I remember how bad it is and start using sunscreen. But I still do too many sit ups every time I start a new workout regime. And I’m writing a much longer post than I had intended, since I really should be resting. These seem like silly little things that many people do, but this is day-to-day long range thinking, and it’s something I’m working on.
In the meantime, I’m going to go rest, eat some soup, drink some OJ (I can finally feel good about that acronym again!), and watch Sesame Street.
As you can see, I’ve updated the design of this site using a theme I’m already starting to really love, called Tarski. It is simple, clean, and flexible. I haven’t had to modify any code yet, and I’m hoping I’ll never have to. Also, I’m looking foward to creating a banner using a cool graphics program I found called Gimp (via simplyamusingblog via Scribbit). I’ll be tweaking the design over the coming weeks, so please let me know if you find any bugs. Enjoy!
I just made up Samantha’s wish list for her second birthday, which is coming up on September 2. First of all, did you know that Amazon.com now offers a universal wish list button which allows you to add products from outside vendors to your Amazon wish list? So cool! Do I dare to actually get rid of all my other lists? Give me a few months to get used to the idea…
I spent a lot of time making up Sam’s list. I went to The Michael Olaf Montessori Company’s web site and flicked through the entire “The Joyful Child” pdf, hunting for products. Then I searched for the things that appealed to me on Amazon. I was almost always able to find something comparable there for a lower price, and I was careful about quality and details. (If Michael Olaf had an actual on-line store instead of making you get a catalog and call or mail in the order, I would have just added their products to my universal wish list.) Of course, I added some things that have nothing to do with Montessori but I know Sam will like. She tried a Sit-and-Spin at a friend’s house and loved it, so that’s a must, and this pedal-less bike looks so cool I couldn’t resist.
Here’s a link to her list, where you can see the Montessori-inspired toys I picked, and maybe even help support this blog by buying Sam a gift. (Be sure to sort the list by priority.)
Real Simple magazine’s January, 2008 issue was devoted to “218 best buys,” which, since they do a “best products” section every issue, is the magazine equivalent of the TV sitcom “flashback” episode – it’s just a rerun in disguise. Still, I like the magazine and the editor’s note framed the issue in a more interesting way: a list of the most reliable products and services. I can’t resist indulging in my own list.
Did you know that dandelions are not only edible, but very nutritious? (You get one guess as to why I Googled “eating dandelions.”)
Thank you, Samantha, for your curiosity about all the things I take for granted, and thank you, Google, for helping me allow her to explore her world without fear. I’m looking forward to learning a lot from both of you in the coming years!
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