Food for Thought

I read this over at OhDeeDoh today and it really resonated with me:

In the end, all presents either get well loved and then discarded, garage-saled, or given away to friends or family. It might be shortly after they're given, or not until later on in college or adulthood, but sooner or later it happens to everything. That is unless you give experiences as gifts instead of stuff and things.

My parents immigrated to the U.S. when I was really young, and we never had much in terms of things. I remember maybe two or three toys I was given on Christmas. But my memories are rich with the many family car trips we took to the beach, and to see the autumn leaves change colors, and swimming every weekend in the summer and ice skating every weekend in the winter...Those are the things I really treasured, and I hardly ever think about what few things I had.

Duck for Turkey Day

Since I have a multicultural family, it's important for me to expose Sophie to all sides of her mixed heritage. Oh sure, she can drink green beer on Saint Patrick's day in a few years, but it's not so easy for me to think of fun Vietnamese things that she could enjoy. For now, I'll settle for finding children's stories to which she might be able to relate. One timely story is Duck for Turkey Day, which tells the story of a Vietnamese-American girl dealing with her non-traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Here's the gist, from Barnes and Noble:

Before Thanksgiving, Tuyet's class makes turkeys out of pinecones and sings turkey songs. So she is dismayed to learn that her family will be eating duck for their holiday dinner. She breaks out her own money, but there is no turkey to buy at the Saigon Supermarket. Although Tuyet has fun on Thanksgiving, she is nervous about telling her class that she didn't eat turkey—until many classmates reveal that their families dined on dishes like lamb, enchiladas and tofu turkey. A lighthearted reminder about multicultural traditions during the holidays.

Props to my thoughtful husband, who found this in our local bookstore!

Michou's 30th Birthday

Yep, I managed not to take a picture of the birthday girl on her celebration day. Here's who really matters!

I can't believe my younger sister is so old now. She turned the big 3-0 on Thursday, and over the weekend I returned to Sea Pearl to celebrate with my family. They have a prix fixe lunch menu that's only $12.99 (that's a good price for this restaurant). We had a nice time and the kids were on their best behavior. I think my sister enjoyed her low-key celebration. Happy Birthday Michou! Now your age matches your looks.

I kid, I kid.

Cranberry-Clementine Sauce

Thanksgiving is only a week away, and for a lot of large families like mine that means: potluck. One thing I'm bringing this year is a cranberry-clementine dressing made from scratch. It's both tart and citrusy, flavors that always remind me of the holidays. And while 90% of people are fine eating cranberry sauce out of a can, I say "why settle?" when this delicious sauce is so easy to make?

CRANBERRY-CLEMENTINE SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 clementines 2 cups sugar

2 packages (12 oz. each) fresh cranberries

Directions:

1.	Cut clementines in half and, leaving on the skin, slice as thinly as possible.
2.	Place in a pot with the cranberries, sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water. Cranberries Sugar Clementines...3 ingredients! If it got any easier, it would be coming out of a can.
3.	Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool before serving.

recipe from Domino Magazine (RIP)

Tea Party

image via OhDeehDoh

I don't usually push Sophie into "princess-y" things, but is this tea party the cutest idea for little girls, or what? Even I can't resist it. The photo and idea are from a new book by Janeen Sarlin called Princess Tea.

Balance Bikes

I'm thinking about getting Sophie a balance bike next Spring. Apparently, they're an easy first step in teaching your kids how to ride a real bike. They'll start walking with the bike at first, and in no time your kiddos will be running along, keeping balance perfectly! Plus, these bikes are so cool looking, right?

Skuut Balance Bike, $94

Smart Gear Balance Bike, $73

Prince Lionheart Balance Bike, $66

Sophie's Two Year Well Visit

The weather is miserable today, but we braved the wind and rain to go to the pediatrician's office for Sophie's two-year check-up. She was so much more rambunctious than usual, and it was tiring to keep her occupied while we were waiting. But it was nice to see our favorite pediatrician again, and he confirmed that she was looking good.

The good news:
Height - 34.5 inches (61%)
Weight - 31 lb (89%)
- good eating habits

Things we need to work on:
- more effective time-outs
- no more bottle!
- be firm at nighttime