Big boy bed

Truman is at his Grandma's and Pop Pop's house right now.  When he returns home on Sunday after a trip to Bellingham, he will find a big boy bed has replaced his crib.  I am smiling in anticipation.

Dr. Buck, happy birthday!

To my beautiful friend Kristen: The strongest, smartest, most beautiful woman I know. Because I love you, here is a walk down memory lane:

1997: You barged into my dorm room.

1998: We became roomies and we almost set Noal’s Jeep on fire while driving. We both worked at the coffee shop.

1999: You insisted I go to the ER when I tripped on those rocks. You adopted a cat that had a litter of kittens in our laundry room. You brought me home to Salem and your mom made us dutch babies.

2000: We sat on our front porch. A lot. You encouraged me to skip class. We liked to bowl.

2001: You were Jason’s biggest fan. We surprised you in Santa Cruz.

2002: You visited me in Atlanta. Got me in trouble. J

2003: You bought a food dehydrator at 3:00 am.

2004: You were the most generous Matron of Honor ever. Six weeks after the wedding we camped our way from Seattle to Boston.

2005: You shared your mom’s top secret pot pie recipe with me.  

2006: We went to Chicago with all our lady friends. You were knee-deep becoming a Dr.   

2007: Me and Jason drove from Boston to Seattle. I relived all our hilarious antics from three years earlier.

2008: We reunited in Leavenworth with our best friends. We hot tubbed and did yoga.

2009: We met up in Seattle – we hadn’t seen each other in a year. It was like we were never apart.

2010: You came to Bainbridge. We sat in the window seat upstairs. We talked each other’s ears off.

2011: You met Truman. We met up for Lisa’s wedding. I partied too hard. So did you. (I still owe you for the hotel room fine J)

2012: I forgot your birthday. Sorry. I love you big and I think of you all the time. Thanks for being my bestie.

Bedtime

One hour. A wool blanket. Our treehouse. Me and Truman.

An extra sweet Mothers Day

We drove out to Finn River Farm and Cidery in Chimacum, stopped for some picnic goodies at the country store, and spent the day sipping cider and walking around the farm.

 As if on cue - - I decided we should move to Chimacum. (It doesn't matter what rural part of the world we are visiting. The country life is always calling my name.) I tell Jason the same things: The housing is cheaper. You could teach. I will homeschool the kids. "Someday we will go rural," he says.

 If Chimacum means unlimted juice, Truman is on board.

Thanks to my boys for knowing exactly how I like to spend my time. On a farm. Eating an entire package of local goat cheese. Daydreaming about our future move to the country.

Bored by attachment parenting

Have you seen Time Magazine lately? There is a controversial cover of a young mom nursing her three year old with the headline, “Are You Mom Enough?” It is here: http://lightbox.time.com/2012/05/10/parenting/#1

Ugh.

I am so tired of hearing about attachment parenting. Or tiger-mom parenting. Or French parents.

I really don’t care if you breastfeed your child until college. I think that is great. Or if you bottle feed, good for you. And I don’t care if your baby sleeps in your family bed, in a crib, or in a drawer.

I am not worried about your vaccine schedule. Or your favorite way to carry your baby.

I hate how parenting labels force us into a rigid set of rules. Attachment parents suddenly need to use a stroller and uh oh! Against the rules! What would Dr. Sears say? I am not into being rigid. I am into doing what works best for me and my family and I want other families to feel that kind of flexibility too.

The Time Magazine cover is intentionally provocative. But the uproar about this mom and how she breastfeeds her kid bores me. I have no opinion about how long you breastfeed. Let's move on to a more interesting topic.

Roll it up!

I have a rule for my family when it comes to food: If it is homemade, you can eat as much as you want. I don't want to fill Truman's belly with junk food, but I do love me some sugary treats. It took me a few recipes to master these fruit rolls, but this version works the best and tastes the best. And these have no added sugar!

I am not into kitchen gadgets. We live in a small house and I don't have room for special slicers and choppers. I don't even use a garlic press - just a good knife. But, the one special kitchen tool that makes fruit rolls super easy is a silicone mat. My mom gave me this one and it makes all the difference. You can do this with foil, but it requires more patience.

 You can make this recipe with any fruit - frozen or fresh. I used strawberries today. I asked Jason to go to Central Market (the destination grocery store in Poulsbo) for organic strawberries. He went to Wal-Mart for Western Family strawberries. After nine years of marriage, I didn't even flinch. :)

Here is what you need:
1 1/4 pounds chopped fruit (berries, mangoes, bananas, anything will work. If you use plums, apples, etc. just peel them before you blend them)
1-2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
• Use a food processor or immersion blender to puree the fruit
• Add lemon juice to taste

•  Pour the mixture into a saucepan and turn on heat to a simmer
• Simmer and stir for 35-45 minutes, until mixture is thick. (I usually do this while cooking something else, like granola or dinner and I give it a stir at least once every four minutes. Toward the end, I stir more often.)
• Put your silicone mat on a rimmed baking sheet (or cover your baking sheet with foil)
• Pour fruit evenly onto baking pan
• Bake until barely tacky 3 hours to 3 1/2 hours.
• Let cool completely
• Lay on a piece of wax paper and cut into strips. Roll up the strips and store in a container

Enjoy!

Her name is Eliza.

And she has big brown doe eyes.

And blonde curls.

And he likes to sit next to her.

And he likes to bring her toys.

Instead of clinging to my leg, he sprints into the classroom to find her.

And I am trying to find the balance between letting go and holding on.