The weekend

This weekend I went to Richmond again to visit my sister and run the Ukrops 10-K. They don't seem to have very many races here (if any) that are not on Sunday, so I take the opportunity to take the train and visit my sister when Richmond has a race. Besides, I love visiting my sister--it's my own private mini-spa, with good food (arugula salad with roasted beets, toasted walnuts, lemon-rosemary chicken, and goat cheese--divine!), a comfy bed, and pep talks.

I wished the family could go with me this time but Athena had a field trip to Philadelphia, and Brian is taking spring break off so we can finally get some projects done around the house. While I'm away, Dad makes the kids work harder than I do, but they also eat almost every meal out (the kitchen always looks exactly the same as when I left, like they didn't even touch it) and get movies and other perks.

Athena with some of her girlfriends in Philly

What's in a name? and more

When I picked Paris up from band practice this week, he declared that next year he was going to trade his trombone in for a French horn. When I asked him why, he said:

"Because it's French, and I'm part French."

Of course, that makes perfect sense. Brian and I have finally started to do some genealogy work, so I thought maybe Brian had uncovered some roots I hadn't heard about yet.

"How do you know you're French?" I asked.

"'Cause my name is Paris!" (Duh.)

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Apollo really, really doesn't like to be woken up. And he's never excited to go to school. So mornings are touch and go, as we all try to not make Apollo mad and have a total meltdown. Since he has no motivation to do anything, I have to get out his clothes, dress him, find his shoes, pack his lunch, make sure he has his folders, etc. etc. (This hour of the morning is not my favorite).

As we were leaving the other morning, he put on his backpack and demanded, "Is my lunch in here? My snack?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Mommy loves you; she would never send you to school without your lunch and snack!"

Guess what was on the counter when I got back from dropping the kids off?

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Apollo is eager to earn money for some new toys. And he has been very diligent at getting jobs and completing them. He cleaned the toy room for an hour one day. And when I asked him to sweep the floor, he actually moved the rug and swept under that too (everyone else just cheats and sweeps around it).

One night, he and Athena put on a magic show. His tricks were: "hold out your hand" and he put a couple of drops of water in your hand. Then, "now, wipe them on your shirt. Ta da! The water disappeared!" And, holding out a pile of Bakugun cards, "take a card" so you take the top one; "take a card" "take a card" "take a card" until the cards are all gone. Ta da! The cards are all gone. Yeah, we didn't quite get those tricks.

But Athena (who read a magic book at Grandma Pat's a couple of summers ago) moved a ball back and forth without touching it. Then she had Apollo crawl in a box, say some magic words, and he disappeared! Then with some more magic words, he was back. Very impressive.

Afterwards, Apollo went around with his palms up, asking for money. "Money, anyone, money?" Which reminds me, we've got to get back to NY....

Tofu recipes

I just got done cleaning out my fridge. Which, needless to say, wasn't pretty. I revisited most of our dinners from yesterday to January. (Some of those January dinners were unrecognizable...)But I did reclaim some much needed tupperware.
This year we are trying to eat more new foods, foods that are in season, and more tofu. By "we" I mean "me" since everyone else would be happy with hot dogs. And by "everyone else" I mostly mean Paris. So far, we've had turnips--blech; raddicho--not a fan; creme freche--can't get enough; salt pork--very good in split pea soup and refried beans; and escarole--pretty good.
I like tofu better than any of the soy products we've tried so far, and Apollo and Athena will even eat it with me--"I like this chicken", Apollo says--which is saying a lot, since he doesn't like most other forms of protein.
My sisters, some of whom eat way more soy than I do--soy milk, soy crumbles, etc.--have asked me how to make it palatable. I have found two ways I like tofu:
1) disguise it so you don't know it's in there. And by disguise, I don't mean substitute it for cream cheese in Spinach and Artichoke Dip because, guess what, tofu doesn't taste anything like cream cheese. Or cottage cheese in lasagna. (Both of which I tried to do, and failed miserably). Just add it to things that are already creamy. Try Lemon-Meringue Surprise Pie or Chocolate Mousse.

2) embrace it. Get extra-firm, water-packed tofu; cut the block in 4-6 slices and lay them out on the counter on top of several paper towels. Put more paper-towels on top and even place a heavy plate or skillet on top and leave it for like 20 min. Several recipes tell you do this technique, and I do it regardless of whether the recipe says to or not: if you end up marinating it, it will take in more marinade, and if you fry it up it will develop a lovely little brown crust.
Try Ma Po Tofu, which has meat mixed in with tofu and a spicy sauce (I really recommend going with the brown rice, since it's nuttiness complements tofu better than white).

Buddah's Delight with Tofu and Broccoli marinates the tofu before putting in a stir-fry with tons of vegetables. It's not the greatest recipe ever, but I swear it cured my head cold.

Zesty Tofu Wraps with Olive Tapenade was the first recipe I ever tried with tofu and it's still one of my favorite.

Tonight we are trying hearts of palm. I'm not even sure what it is. Is it the inside of a palm tree? We'll let you know how it is....

Saturday's thoughts

This weekend Tritan and Brian went to D.C. to go to the temple. They took some of our family names, so that was kind of neat. Brian had just gotten back from Charolette, and he is always tired when he travels (he doesn't have me to snuggle up to and help him sleep), and they had to leave at 5:30 a.m.--so needless to say, it's a good thing you are promised the protection of angels when you do temple work, since Brian said he knows he must have nodded off a couple of times while driving.
Meanwhile, spring has finally found its way to New Jersey, and it has been beautiful. The kids have been out riding bikes and playing with friends, and I didn't have the heart to rein them in and make them work, so I was left puttering around the house, taking long breaks to sit on the porch to watch the kids play. I suppose it would have been much more efficient to just tackle an outside project, but I just couldn't quite get enough gumption up to tackle that yet.
So, I finished painting Athena's room. She wanted 3 of her walls pink, and one bright green. It took us a few tries to get the green right, but finally Behr's Crisp Apple seemed to do the trick. It still needed about a zillion coats to get the shading right, and in the process I realized that we needed to freshen up the baseboards, doors, and windows, so I guess I still have a ways to go before Athena's room is really done. But it wouldn't be a Wortham makeover project unless it took forever.
Which got me thinking: I love the montage sequences in movies. The one where the hero, after several false starts decides to truly dedicate themselves to some *impossible* change or another, and with some upbeat music and a series of time-elapsing shots we see them change from barely doing a pull-up to becoming a hard body doing 20 pull-ups with one hand; or a clueless nerd transforming to a fashion plate; or even (in Julie and Julia) going from painstakingly slicing an onion to turning out French cuisine. It all seems so simple, and even fun, set to the soundtrack of a funky beat, to become who you really want. When really, of course, change happens glacially slow, and should be set to something more akin to elevator music. Or maybe a funeral dirge.
And here's another (troubling?) thought. Can true change come without 100% focus? When you see those montages on film, they only show the hero working with single minded concentration on their goal. Can you really change your body without thinking about calories and workouts obsessively? Can you really redecorate your house at the pace of an hour a week? And if you want to change more than one thing, where do you find the time and energy? (you never see a montage of someone becoming a hard body, a law student, and a domestic goddess all at the same time). And so (if it's even possible for the same person to be all three) which do you choose first?

Paris gets his vampire tooth removed

Athena and Paris both have extra teeth in the roof of their mouths. Well, I should say *had*. Athena had hers pulled 6 months ago--easy, peasy, they just yanked it out, and Paris had his out Tuesday. Paris' was a little more complicated since it hadn't broken through the gumline yet, but it was pushing his two front teeth apart so he had a big ol' gap.
They gave him some "sleepy juice"--which all of my other kids have had for either dental work or surgery--just like liquid Valium, to help them relax. But this was a first for Paris and it worked a little too well. About 5 min. after he took it, he started waving at everybody in the waiting room and laughing hysterically. But then he started grunting and trying to get up from the chair. No matter what I said--to lay back, it was ok--he just kept trying to get up, which he clearly could not physically do, so I had to hold him in the chair. It reminded me of when I would try to rock him to sleep and he would fight it so bad, kept squirming around--he never fell asleep in my arms.
Finally, he said he was going to puke, so I sort of carried-walked him into the bathroom, where he started to take off his clothes. Meanwhile, he was so out of it he could hardly stand. I didn't know whether I should laugh, or be worried, or lecture him that This is what could happen if he ever took drugs, so I did all three a little bit. I had to pull up his pants and thanked God that all of my children are healthy and can dress themselves (well, Apollo can,--I didn't say does) and then instantly hoped that I didn't give the universe any bad ideas.
About then, the dentist came to my rescue. They had to carry him to the dental chair. But 5 min. later it was over. He was lying in a recovery room, wailing, when I came in. Which reminded me of when he had night terrors and would just wail no matter what we tried to do to calm him down. After about 5 min., he closed his eyes for a minute, took a breath, and then opened his eyes and asked, "Where am I?" He looked at bloody gauze in his hands, blinked, and asked, sort of disappointed, "it's over?" Turns out he didn't remember anything. Talk about Jekyll and Hyde.
He got to stay home from school, drink milkshakes, and watch TV, so all in all, not a bad day. The next day he woke up with a HUGE upper lip, and he took his long, skinny tooth to school (hygienically encased in a plastic envelope) and told everyone it was his vampire tooth.

Apollo: Party Animal

Apollo loves birthday parties. Like, loves them like School-Girl-Crush loves them. He counts down the days, and asks over and over how many days left, are we there yet, etc. You kinda get the feeling he doesn't really care who the party is even for. So even though another--yes, another--Nor'easter blew through (only this time it was sideways rain, not snow), we couldn't even think of not going to his buddy's birthday party at a Children's Museum.



They had a "Science" class before they played. They made play-doh, and some other stuff. Us parents don't really know since we had all just gone to our mid-year conferences with the teacher last week and we were all comparing where the teacher recommended our kids go next year. Our kids are all in multi-disabled kindergarten and so there are several options: do MDK again, go to a learning disability 1st grade class at another school, or be in pull-out classes. They recommended Apollo be in the LD 1st grade class, mainly because people still have a hard time understanding him and as a result, he is very hesitant to say anything at school, so a smaller class setting would probably be best. I don't want to start him over at another school, though, especially since we aren't even moving, so we'll have to see how the next months of school go.

One of the last things they did before cake was make bottle rockets. They combined alka-seltzer and vinegar in a film canister and then they all sat around it expectantly while it seemed to just sit there, before it suddenly shot up, punching the ceiling before it fell back down. I think Apollo must have stolen some of the alka-seltzer because as soon as we were released into the museum, he never slowed down. When he paused for a second, I tried to take pictures:

Pie, pie, must have pie!



He pretended the fish he was catching were really whales and they were pulling him overboard.

He and his latest girlfriend played for a good half hour in the ball pit that was so deep, they could bury each other and then scare other children by suddenly popping out. They thought this was hilarious (it sort of was).

Up in the "tree house"

Caught in a web

Hello.

This is only about 4" off the ground, and as far as he would go. Apollo is not fond of heights.

He also dressed up as spider-man and tigers and ran incessantly up and down theater steps for a half hour; played hockey complete with body-checks (sorry, anonymous little boy in the green sweater); dunked basketballs; drove cars; produced his own news show; picked fruit; and taped up hurt stuffed animals.

We used to go to these types of museums all the time, but we've only been to an-honest-to-goodness children's museum one other time since Apollo was born. The rest of the time he just has to find the fun at the regular Science Museums and Smithsonians that interest the older kids. I guess that's what sucks about being the youngest by 3 years. Well, I guess we'll have to point this out when the older kids all leave home and we're still taking Apollo on cruises.

When fast food lets you slow down

The kids have had half days this week for parent/teacher conferences. Somehow it makes the days seem shorter, more hectic. Luckily, the sun has been shining and it's been warm, and the kids have paroled their bikes from their winter's imprisonment.
Each year the Circle of Approved Riding Area has slowly been widening from our cul de sac, to just our block, to the park down the street. This week Paris asked to ride to the neighborhood "beach". It is about .75 miles away, and he has to cross the main road in our neighborhood once. My first impression is to say no, because in my mind's eye, he is laying in the middle of that busy street, bruised, bloodied, broken, but he is 9 and he has been wearing his helmet and you have to trust that a 9-year-old knows how to look both ways, that he understands that cars will kill him, and let him go. At least, his bike is neon green--so that's got to help, right? Do you ever stop holding your breath as a parent?
Especially since breathing was important this week, since every square in my day-timer was filled with the usual plus dentist appointments, babysitting, teacher conferences, etc. and Brian was city-hopping this week. Tuesday night I found myself having to be two places at the same time. The kids were with me as I raced from one engagement to the next. We started at 4:45 and by 7:30, I had left one commitment early to pick up Athena late from dance lessons and we still hadn't eaten.
We swung into Wendy's on the way home. We have drastically reduced our eating out in the last 6 months. Partially to save money. Partially to save calories. Mostly because I read Fast Food Nation and know too much now. But Wendy's has acceptable alternatives, and there was no way I had enough energy to even warm up chicken nuggets at that point.
So we all ordered our favorites and cozied up around a booth. It was late enough that we were the only ones in the dining room. We talked about this and that, but mostly about Full House, which the kids just discovered in reruns on cable, and were amazed that I watched it when I was their age. It was nice to sit down to a warm meal in minutes (and that I didn't have to make) and one where there were no complaints about the food, or bargaining for bites, or even getting up and down for forgotten condiments and milk. I felt like we were in the ending shot of a family dramedy, where the camera focuses in on the family, finally done with their craziness, stealing each others fries and slurping frosties, laughing at stories and oblivious to any onlookers. Then the camera slowly pans out, leaving them alone in their bliss, and the viewer satisfied.

New fads

Out

(Webkins)

5 Minutes Ago

(Bakugan)

In
(Silly Bandz--you wear them on your wrist, and trade them with your friends, and are a great incentive for practicing the trombone)

Paris gets a driver's license

This is his liscense.

And this is his car:

It may not have been the fastest, but Paris and Brian had a good time making this. Paris designed it and he named it Tritan, after Tritan and also because Triton is king of the sea, and is green. Yes, he is still very much into Percy Jackson.