sweet thing(s)

The Boy in the Moon

i'm reading this book (The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Journey to Understand His Extraordinary Son) and it's so wonderful.  I know you Americans don't hear much about Canadian books so I thought I'd pass it along.  while it is so heartwrenching at points, it is so beautifully written.  I think we can all recognize ourselves and our struggles as parents (even of 'normal' children) in it.

SO!  my sister wrote to me and said "Occupy your blog!!"  (but she just wants to see the nephews and niece...)

I have been busy as I am sure you all are too.  We went to Vermont for American Thanksgiving last week (Happy Thanksgiving!!) and I am as always in the whirlwind of family obligations and homeschool etc.  And I'm trying to get ahead of my Xmas sewing so I don't have a stressful week lead up.

I taught a needlefelting workshop tonight and it was really fun.  I'll put up some pictures soon of the needlefelted figures I've been making.

I'm going to go back to reading my book on the couch now...

we love the Little House books

I read all the The Little House on the Prairie books when I was growing up and I loved them.  I read them to Lee when he was 6, and now I am reading them to Asa (Lee says he doesn't like being read to, but he always seems to be hanging around when we are reading this series...) 

i'm pretty sure most people think of these books as 'girl' books- but our boys LOVE them.  

they love the historical aspect and how different Laura and Mary's lives were from their own.  there are so many fascinating details of how things were done "in the old days"- from building a log cabin, a door with hinges, or a smokehouse out of an old tree, to maple sugaring to butchering and putting away food for the winter, to planting crops, to making all the food the family ate and all the clothes they wore.  the books are also incredibly gritty- picture bears in the barnyard, panthers prowling the prairie, snowstorms, prairie fires, boys attacked by bees.  We often talk about Laura and Mary's and Almoanzo's lives- and how easy these guys have it!!  Those kids worked so hard and were really considered second class in so many ways ("Children should be seen and not heard," corporal punishment, served last at meals) and they appreciated what they had so much.  In the second book, Larua gets an actual rag doll for Christmas- before that she used a dried corn cob for a doll!

The one big downside- and it is really big- is that the second book is really racist toward Native Americans.  The family has moved to Indian Territory and has a number of run-ins with Indians.  I read to the kids the actual story line in the book of what happens- and it's a really good starting point for talking about how the US government and settlers treated the Indians so badly and with so much dishonesty and trickery.  But I left out the blatantly racist and horrible comments that Ma and some of the neighbours make.  I didn't even want those ideas floating around in their young minds.  The actual American history in the book is something else.  it's not pretty- but we can still read it and discuss it. 

We have been meaning to make some of the food described in the book.  Asa especially wants to try fried apples and onions- Almanzo's favourite food.  After a desription of how to make butter we did make some the other day.  Put some whipping cream in a jar- and SHAKE IT!!

amazing!

i imagine i will have read this series three times in adulthood by the time we're through, and I have to say i don't mind at all!

my favourite new cookbook

here's my lunch today.

It's the Dragon Rice Bowl from this cookbook:

reFresh: Contemporary Vegan Recipes From the Award Winning Fresh Restaurants

i got this book a few months ago and I LOVE it.  i've liked everything i've made from it so far.

all the recipes are vegan and pretty simple with not-too-unusual ingredients that you have to go to 5 stores to get.

so far we've had:

• Florentine Bean Soup
• Buddha Rice Bowl and Dragon Rice Bowl (I love to make Rice Bowls- basically, rice, a protein, vegetables and a sauce.  they are perfect for the kids too because they can eat each part separately)
• Green Dressing
• Thai Noodles
• Khao San Soba- my dad liked this dish so much he bought the cookbook
• Vegan Pancakes- "these are the best pancakes you've ever made Mama!"
• Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffins
• Banana Muffins

i'm getting hungry again...

a cool new kids' book

my friend Kyo has a new kids' book out- Spork- about growing up mixed race.

she and her husband made a little 'trailer' for it- check it out!

 

book club

i have always wanted to be in a book club, so i finally started one with a friend. 

we have 11 great women (all neighbours/Islanders) and so far it seems to be working really well.  we've had 5 meetings so far (we've read The Book Of Negroes,  Olive Kitteridge,  Sea of Poppies,  Howards End,   The End of Food, and  The Help.)  we meet every month- the person who hosts suggests the book and also provides the food and drink. 

today we met on my friend Nina's sailboat (her family of 4 lives on the boat 7 or 8 months of the year) and her husband sailed us around the Island while we chatted, ate, and drank wine. 

Lovely!  

Eating Animals

i'm just coming out of 48 hours of suffering from food poisoning- i think from eating bad chicken.  -it's the only thing i ate that no one else in my family ate- AND i'm reading this book (the irony of this is not lost on me):

 

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (of Everything Is Illuminated)

from the book:

Just how destructive does a culinary practice have to be before we decide to eat something else?  If contributing to the suffering of billions of animals that live miserable lives and (quite often) die in horrific ways isn't motivating, what would be?... And if you are tempted to put off these questions of conscience to say not now, then when?

here's a good review that gives you a sense of the book.

it's an amazing book that has opened my eyes.  it will change my eating habits but i'm not sure yet how that will play out in the family realm. 

PS- have you seen The Cove?  it's a documentary about dolphin capture/hunting in Japan.  It has similarly and shockingly opened my eyes to another animal abuse issue.  i recommend it if you haven't seen it.

two fantastic Christmas books

these two books are fairly new to me:

Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs (an English author- so more well known here in Canada than i imagine he is in the US)

this Santa is grouchy and charming, going about his day on December 24.

and

Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco. 

my sister has given us a ton of books by Ms. Polacco, and I confess i didn't get around to reading this one last year.  we cracked it open a few days ago.  it is a very sweet book with an unexpected twist that nearly knocked me off the couch.  it was all i could do to keep reading...

what are your favourite holiday books?  happy reading!

book giveaway

the publishers of Connected Parenting: Transform Your Challenging Child and Build Loving Bonds for Life (see the review in the post below!) have kindly offered two copies of this wonderful book to give away for two lucky readers! 

just leave a comment below and on Monday i will randomly choose 2 winners.

life right now (and two books that help)

life right now: big picture= amazing, small picture= hard

my man's in a very challenging and time-consuming graduate program so i have been on my own a bit too much with 3 kids in a tiny house, homeschooling, and lately some challenging behaviour: an unusual period of outright rebellion from my middle guy and fighting between the brothers.  and as usual, my idea of what i can accomplish is staggeringly far from reality. 

Connected Parenting: Transform Your Challenging Child and Build Loving Bonds for Life

and

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too

for more info here is the Connected Parenting website and here is a great summary of the major points in Siblings without Rivalry (but i still recommend reading the book if you haven't already)

both books emphasize accepting and empathizing with your child's feelings without trying to change them- and then give you helpful strategies to change the problem behaviour that stems from those feelings.  i wasn't aware of just how often i minimize a child's feelings to try to make him feel better- 'don't worry, it will work out next time' or 'you weren't even using it, what's the big deal?' instead of simply acknowledging his feelings.  i know i hate it when someone tries to talk me out of feeling how i'm feeling, why should he be any different?  it's early days, but i really think what i have learned in these books is helping our household feel a bit more peaceful.

all i can say is 'winter holidays!' and 'thank you for these 2 books'

the island: the bookmobile

how i love the bookmobile. 

every saturday morning, Mark drives over to see us and brings all the books we have ordered via the library online catalogue, and more. 

it's heavenly, and a homeschooler's dream.

(notice the island 'parking lot' out front)

i've got a number of books on the go, 2 of which i'll tell you about tomorrow.

but now I have to read a few more pages of book #7 in the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone (have you read it yet Annie??!) before i fall asleep.  (oh- and i just finished Her Fearful Symmetry- really enjoyable but still not as good as The Time Traveler's Wife)

reading

anyone who knows me knows about my reading habit.  i love to read and i always have.  the fact that i have less time to read may be my biggest 'complaint' about my child-rich lifestyle. 

BUT, even with less time to read,  i have still managed to give myself carpal tunnel syndrome (repetitive strain injury) from READING (holding heavy books while breastfeeding).  this has gotten progressively worse with each child until i finally got it checked out and was given a splint to wear at night- which really helps.  I finally figured out this was what was causing it as i get the numbness still from reading if i'm not careful.  anyhoo...

i am loving this book- laughing OUT LOUD.  (thanks Morninglight Mama!)

 

and this book is changing my life:

the author writes about how most kids do not get enough sleep and how family lifestyles are not conducive to children getting the rest they and their parents need. 

i needed to hear this.  i am trying to develop a 'program' a 'plan' a something to help me in the next year while my man is busy at school and i am mostly on my own.  an earlier bedtime is now one part of it.

i strongly recommend reading this book. 

for us, it will be the 8 o'clock bedtime- because 7 just is too early around here.  i think the bedtime of right now- 9 or 10 o'clock (even though the kids sleep in)- is making everyone really tired and cranky.  sometimes everyone just seems so unhappy!  this book gives me hope that maybe they are just tired.  plus, i will have a bit of 'me time' or catch up time in the evenings which i am lacking right now.

the big challenge?  dinner should be 2 hours before the desired bedtime!!  !!!!!  that is a big challenge for me.  my new goal in life is dinner at 6:00.  if you had told me 20 years ago that that would be my goal in life, i would have laughed (see the first book i mentioned in this post.  i didn't think there was a connection but i guess there is)

some interesting reading recommendations leading to some thoughts about night-weaning...

here is some of what i've been reading:

a Slate article about how clean houses makes good readers and another about why little boys love Star Wars. ( i just discovered the cache of articles in the Family department.  that will keep me busy for a while.)  I love magazine articles.  i have just begun working on my New Yorker pile that has grown huge in the last year.  every once in a while i have to take a break from books and get caught up.

an article about consensual living - non-hierarchical family lifestyle (very Alfie Kohn- he's my parenting and education hero)- and one about 'slow parenting'

my friend Lucia over at Dim Sum Bagels and Crawfish has a must-read post about kids' teeth and cavities

i also just finished a book called Bed Timing:  The 'When-To' Guide to Helping Your Child To Sleep.  It talked about how there are some developmental windows that are much better than others for making changes in your baby/child's sleep routine (or lack thereof).  Maxine is in the 22-27 month old window that is a good one for trying some sleep training but i am waiting for her darn eye teeth to come in.  they are very late and have been bothering her a lot.  none of my kids slept more than a few hours at night without waking to nurse, and with each one i have tried to make it till 2 years old before cutting out the night-breastfeeding.  Lee was 2 and it was only about 3 nights with crying because of no milk and then he slept through the night.  I only made it about 20 or 21 months with Asa, and he cried for 6 weeks and I had to sleep somewhere else and leave him sleeping with his dad only.  it was awful!  I see now it was during a no-no phase of sleep training according to this book.  so, my official study of 2 children is that these authors know of what they speak!  as soon as those teeth come in, it's no more milkie until the morning for Miss Maxine, poor darlin', and hopefully, an uninterupted night's sleep for Mama.  (it's been almost 2 years since i've slept more than 4 hours in a row!)

some sibling sleeping pictures for good measure:

 

sweet dreams!

apropos of Passover

i meant to do this post earlier, but seeing as there is one more day of Passover i guess it's not too late...

here are the desserts i made for our Seder last week. 

on the left, your typical Passover sponge cake (basically like an angel food cake but made using the yolks too and matzo meal and potato starch instead of flour.)  on the right, is a flourless vegan chocolate torte.  my father-in-law is vegan, and it had to be flourless for Passover, so i found this fascinating recipe using pureed black-eyed peas and silken tofu instead of flour and eggs.  the verdict:  everyone thought it was delicious (and some people had seconds so i'm pretty sure they weren't just being polite) and it didn't taste too 'bean-y'.  if you've ever had sweets with red bean paste, it was a similar sort of flavour to that, but chocolate.  but i have to say, i prefer my chocolate tortes with lots of eggs and butter.

one of my favourite children's books has some about Passover in it.  it's about the friendship between an old Jewish woman and a young black boy.  i highly recommend Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco.  If you can get through it without having to stop and compose yourself so the kids don't know you're crying, let me know.  here's a page from it:

on my bookshelf

i've been bad lately about coming to this spot- and it's because i've had my nose in a book or 3 at every chance i get.  due to a bonanza of 'holds' coming in at the library, and using the rest of my xmas/bday money at Amazon, i suddenly have a ton to read.

here's what's on my shelf:

Michael Pollan In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto- looks intriguing, haven't started it yet

The Gentle Art of Domesticity- bought on recommendation of another blogger- can't remember who.  i'm actually afraid to open this one right now because i am feeling so utterly un-artful in my domesticity.  more like a domestic than an artist

Great Expectations: 24 True Stories About Childbirth- Canadian authors (women and men) tell their birth stories.  i am such a sucker for birth stories.  they fascinate me!  they are all so startlingly individual considering that they are all about the exact same thing really.  i am not planning on giving birth again (i've come to realize that 3 children really IS enough, and that i will probably never get enough of BABIES- but they grow up, don't they?) but i really loved reading this book.  i devoured it.

How To Make Books by Esther Smith-  i bought this for my mother-in-law, and rather than keeping on borrowing it, thought it would be good to have our own family copy.  it is a great book and has so many good ideas.

Devil Bones- okay- devoured this one too.  i am a sucker for a few authors of police procedurals (well, this isn't technically one) and who doesn't love a little junk food every once in a while? 

Mothers Need Time-Outs Too  -  This one is about the importance of being selfish (once in a while- meet your own needs, feed your passion) rather than selfless as most mothers feel they ought to be.  I've read maybe 1/3 of this book and so far it hasn't really grabbed me or told me anything i don't already know.  will keep going and let you know if my opinion changes.

Parenting Inc: How We Are Sold on $800 Strollers, Baby Sign Language, Fetal Education, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couure, and Diaper Wipe Warmers- And What it Means For Our Children- whoo- what a title!  and i notice that they changed it for the paperback release.  this is very interesting- basically how parents are marketed to, and how parenting has become an industry (comparable to the wedding industry)  Most of the info in here isn't new if you read parenting magazines or listen to/watch/read mainstream media.  but in my opinion, the author doesn't go far enough with it.  she seems to be saying "a $200 or hand-me-down crib is just as good as a $1500 one" but i think she should be asking "what does it mean to children and our families that doing up a nursery/buying a crib at all has become part of preparing to be a parent?  should a baby even be sleeping alone in a room down the hall in a crib?"  but that is a question for a different author i guess.  (okay, i've outed myself as a family bed person!)  still, an interesting read so far.

The Unprocessed Child-  i'm afraid this one is going to bring up once again all the reasons we were homeschooling, as i really felt when i was in teacher's college that the kids were getting 'processed' (see my sidebar- Dumbing Us Down).  we are still trying to figure out next year...

it should be clear to you that i am a bit of an obsessive reader.  one of the things i miss most about my life before kids is not being able to read a book in a day if i feel like it.  reading is both my escape and my way of connecting to the world around me.  read anything great lately?