attracting creepy crawlies

I haven't yet read Last Child in the Woods (it's waiting for me at the library and I'll get it tomorrow) but on my to-do list is to plant native plants that will attract more birds to our postcard stamp backyard. We will resurrect our two birdfeeders which at least guarantee a steady stream of pigeons (really, I'd had enough of them in Chicago). I'll check out the seeds this Saturday at the Farmer's Market.

Speaking of which, I'm hoping to bike to the market this Saturday. It's far and I'm not really a biker, but since we have to go to the Shoenfelds (in the mountains) for chavurah this Saturday, the fam could pick me up on the way. We'll see. It's a goal. I think it would be prettier to take Marshall Road to Broadway, but there's no bike lane on Marshall Road for some of it. But taking South Boulder Road, while there is a bike lane, seems too whizzy and busy. I'll report back!

immersed

I picked up 4 'greenie' books at the library on Monday. After reading Affluenza, I moved on to another of Wann's books, Simple Prosperity. It's another great book, and a bit more modern than Affluenza. I need to find a way to stop reading books and start making lists ... I hadn't checked blogs since last Friday (for me this is amazing) because I am so obsessed with reading every second. I've also tried to focus on the kids more. I read to Ted on Tuesday for a long time. He was/is overtired/fighting something so we skipped out on TKD yesterday and just came home. We played outside in the sunshine, read books and prepared a peanut-butter chocolate Jello dessert (from a found box in my cupboard). It was a lovely, stress-free afternoon. Tomorrow should be more of the same. Paul and I have been taking away computer game privileges as punishment for acting up at bedtime. This has worked well, because they haven't been allowed to play since Saturday! Tonight was a warm and sunny one, 78 degrees. We had a picnic lunch at the top of the cul-de-sac (grilled cheese sandwiches and strawberries) while the kids biked and we chatted with our neighbors. They are mulching their entire front yard. Cool. Wann's front yard has all strawberry plants. How cool is that?!

use it up

In conjunction with April's Buy Nothing Challenge, I've decided to spend the remaining days it takes to completely use up the prepackaged food we have. The truth is, we deeply dislike prepackaged foods. A simple dinner of sauteed spinach, roasted potatoes and a bean dish and we're happy. A year-old box of instant meal of something isn't likely to get eaten on purpose. But since buying nothing month is going on, why not extend it to the food too? Obviously, I'll continue to buy fresh and local produce and bulk goods like beans and flours. Good thing I'm running again, because convenience foods are certainly not the healthiest in the world! Oh well. It'll be nice to empty out those cupboards. I've had some of those boxes for YEARS. So... wanna come for dinner? Hamburger Helper, anyone? That's what we had for dinner tonight. I added some mushrooms and beet greens to the Soy Crumbles and, I must admit, it didn't taste bad! Who knew?

Affluenza, the PBS show

I highly recommend watching this. It's available in 6 10 minute segments on YouTube. The book is much more witty but the show is good too.

Adventures with Adam

Today Adam spent the day with me, while Wendy took Ted skiing at A-basin. Sadly, he was cold and seemingly tired, so he didn't have the blast I thought he would. Oh well. Adam, on the other hand, had a very happy day.


Sam, of course, refused to go to school with his buddy at home, so I kept Sam home too. First was a rousing game of fall-off-the-scratching-post while I hung out the laundry (LOVE saying that!), then they played a (sketchy) game of Candyland.

Next came our trip to Toyota, where the boys got popcorn and entertained themselves with balloons and running around while I chatted with Filo (the guy who sold me the van) about the Highlander (hybrid). More on that later.

Next we had lunch at Noodles (Adam assured me that noodles were ok for Passover, but not ice cream.)

It was time to pick up Mae so we played on the playground at the JCC for a while, then went in to Shabbat Sing. Adam was so good ... completely transfixed and attentive the entire time.

Then more playing on the playground followed by a trip to the ice cream store (Adam conveniently forgot his previous ban on ice cream).

Once home, Mae went down for her nap and the boys watched a Pikachu movie and afterwards had to be kept outside because they were so loud. They had a blast together.

eco-friendly chai

It's funny. Merely a few months ago, a trip (often to the NEW drive-through Starbucks just down the street from me) to a coffee shop, sometimes even two, was a daily occurrence. Sometimes I'd remember to bring along my travel mug, but not always. About 6 months ago, I began noticing that I wasn't craving my non-fat, sugar-free hazelnut latte anymore. I moved to a soy chai, hot or cold, depending on the weather. I LOVED it. Credit goes to Wendy's other half, Germy (as Mae calls him). After basking in my soy chai-ness for a few months, I realized I could probably make them at home for much cheaper. So I purchased Tazo Chai and added it to the Vanilla Silk we had at home for Ted to drink. That worked well. And then I thought, Tetra-Paks and Silk aren't as great as homemade, and certainly more expensive. I could easily use the homemade soy milk Paul brews daily (it's not as sweet, but it's fine). Could I find a good Chai that's brewed in Boulder? And could I buy it in an eco-friendly, reusable jar type thingee? The answer was a resounding YES! And all I had to do was ask. Now that I made my own chai at home, I hadn't frequented the coffee shop near TaeKwonDo recently (Ozo, at Arapahoe/55th, fyi). But I stopped in one day last week and tried their soy chai. It was delicious and they told me about Bhakti and how it was locally brewed in Boulder and available in Mason Jars. I could even bring in my own jars. Wow! So now, in the spirit of supporting local businesses, not buying plastic or Tetra-Paks, and going with homemade, I am enjoying a homemade soy chai every day. And it's DELICIOUS!! It's VERY strange to be free of my Starbucks obsession. Strange, yet wonderful. I've been a Starbucks die-hard for YEARS. Crazy.

Mmmm...

Is there anything that smells better than laundry fresh off the line? Perhaps fresh-baked bread. Not much. This morning I installed the clothesline and hung up a full load. When I got home again at 3:30, everything was dry, even my thick jeans. Oh yeah.

I found another fun challenge that I've been doing with gusto. It's from Green Bean Dreams. To quote her: My appreciation of books leads me to launch my (likely one and only) challenge: BE A BOOKWORM. I challenge you to read a single, ecologically relevant book during the month of May. Post a comment if you'd like to participate so that I can add you to my sidebar. Once you have selected your book, post another comment. I'll keep a running tab of books being read. At the end of the month, I will post a Reading Roundup soliciting your comments on the book you read, whether you'd recommend it and what you learned.

I've definitely been on a book craze. Eat, Pray, Love was the first book to change my life. Then came Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I loved Farewell, My Subaru. I found In Defense of Food difficult but important. Currently reading Affluenza. I plan to read Last Child in the Woods for this challenge. I let my kids play DVD computer games too much. It's replaced videos for the boys but it's just as bad. Want to read with me?

Passover Pics

Isn't this picture worth a THOUSAND words?!? So, everyone was playing outside after the seder while the adults finished dinner. The kids remembered Elijah's cup and ran in to fill it with wine for him. Then they went and opened the door and dashed back. They were disappointed when the cup was still full. They returned about a minute later and ... oh my gosh ... the cup was EMPTY!!! Elijah had come to our seder! They all totally believed it. Ted still talks about it. It's so sweet. I guess it's a little like Santa! I love it!!!
I have started baking a batch of chocolate matzah every day to take to pick up at kindergarten. The other kids LOVE IT and snarf it up. Ted is very proud and begged me to make more yesterday, which I did, and it was gone in a flash this afternoon. Each batch uses 6 matzah, so I should work through my remaining 2 boxes in no time!

I asked Wendy if she'd take a pic of Mae in her pretty Passover dress, after she had climbed to the top of the play structure (Mae, not Wendy.) I LOVE this picture. I love her genuine smile and how the dress is blowing in the wind. It was such a beautiful, warm, spring day. Ahhh...
I love Passover. I love the seder, the traditional foods (my vegetarian matzah ball soup was SO delicious, if I do say so myself), the promise of spring in the air, the special matzah brei breakfast that I could eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let myself ... everything. Next year, I'm going to fly my parents out. That would make it even better.

Happy Earth Day

I find myself more 'into' being green this year than ever before. Cloth has replaced all paper products in our home (Paul is still hoarding his TP and Kleenex but the kids are on board). After reading Farewell My Subaru, I am seriously considering converting our Toyota minivan over to biofuel (i.e. "waste fryer grease from the local burrito shop", no joke!). My clothesline and drying rack are ready for the drying...forget the dryer now that it's warm again! Crunchy Chicken's next challenge in May is intense; she's named it the Extreme Eco Throwdown and it involves eliminating plastic (from new purchases, that is. One thing I've learned from her is how silly it is to run out and buy new 'green' things to replace our previous things, thereby getting more STUFF! Reuse the stuff we can, fix it, etc. When it is finally dead, try and recycle it and move on to a more eco-friendly version.) Last year at this time I was just dipping my toes into the eat local movement's waters. A year later, and the act of procuring fresh, local produce (or relying on previously stored local foods) is firmly entrenched in our lives. The kids are much more aware of what is in season here and what has to be flown in from California. (Namely, strawberries. Oh, how my children love strawberries!) This Earth Day I'm not doing anything new (and I'm not going to some festival with VENDORS trying to SELL MORE STUFF!) Rather, I'm trying to do as much as I can each day. This is a very fun adventure and I'd love to have you along with me! Together we CAN make a difference. Oh, and after you read Farewell my Subaru, read Affuenza. Good stuff.

*Edit to add, I'm not trying to be a snooty-pants (remember that phrase from grade school?) Everyone has their own "chord" that resonates with them, and the eco thing is mine (this week). I'm just excited and eager to share what I've learned. I'm NOT trying to judge anyone else or their choices. OK? OK.

Seder-rific

Chag Sameach Pesach! Happy Festival of Passover! The Stoutenbergs had a lovely 1st night seder. It was very traditional and captured Jack and Ted's attention more than I thought it would. They were VERY into the plagues and the singing. SO CUTE. They hid an afikomen for each child, so that was fun too. They didn't eat much, but I think the older two got a lot out of it. Sam and Jason were heard screeching with laughter all night long. Mae was a rock star and hung out in her high chair beside me for the entire seder, munching on buttered matzah. Cutie.

We had Wendy's family over tonight for 2nd night. It was brief, but I love bringing out the Haviland and all of the special seder accoutrement. It was fun. Isn't this a pretty shot of the seder plate? (Thanks, Wendy!) I use a beet instead of a shankbone, being vegetarian and all. I feel very tired but happy at the close of this weekend. One week of matzah and lots of juice (to counteract all that matzah!!) ahead. Sam and Mae don't have school tomorrow. It has been GORGEOUS spring weather this weekend, so I'm hoping for a park day with them. Phew! LOTS of pics on moeltini.

Rumble in the Rockies

This ATA Tournament was Sam's 1st, and he loved it! He started out a bit goofy (self-conscious I think) but did get into it eventually and did a great job. He got his trophy for "Great Kicks." He had a good snap to them. He was SO PROUD. I about died at the cuteness of it all.

I placed 3rd in Sparring! BWA HA HA HA! Let me tell you the specifics of REAL (ahem, I mean, not Tiny Tigers) competition. First, we were divided Camo through Purple, then Brown through Black Belt Recommended. Off we went. Within our group we were then divided into ages 30-39 and 40-49. But there were only 2 of us in the younger set so they just put us with the older women (much to their chagrin, not that they needed to worry!). So there were 8 of us in the ring. First went Forms. I did mine well, although I forgot the 3rd kiyap. But I did well and I tried to be as exact as possible. I didn't place in forms. A purple belt came in first and she was gooooood. She also took 1st in Sparring and was my opponent!! Yikes!!! I'd sparred a total of 2 times and was a bit worried about it! But I employed the 'act aggressive' method that Ted uses and got 2 points in right away in the first round! I never got any more and she beat me 5-2 but it took a LONG time, so I was blocking well. Phew! That is some adrenaline! None of the other women did Weapons, so I have a plan. Since Ted will move up by half ranks, I will learn my Form this round but not test, instead learn a Weapons form and test the following time for my Green Belt, when Ted is also testing for his Green Belt. And I'll have my form and a Weapons form to show for it. Perhaps at the next Tournament I can squeeze in a 1st in Weapons, if I'm the only one doing it! hee hee. The women were REALLY nice in my ring though. Mr. D says it's usually the same people at each Tournament so you really get to know them. They were very nice.

Paul took some video of Ted because I was with Sam, and it looks pretty good. He was nowhere near as confident as at Testing, perhaps because this floor judge was a different one, but he was fine. He did a great job sparring; the video showed that he got a lot of points in all 3 rounds, although he did get knocked over once (his opponent was about a foot taller than he was.) He got his trophy for "Black Belt Form" because he was very exact about each movement. He got very shy at the trophy presentation part, but did hug it (the trophy!) once he sat down. Hee.

Peace and Quiet and Planning

It's a bit lonely here without Paul. Especially since he played soccer last night. And Tuesday night I had TKD. And Monday night I had Bookclub. *sniff* Still, I'm getting alot done. Similar to Thanksgiving, I like to plan our Passover meal BEFORE there is a blizzard (like in '02) and I can't get to the store. Shopping tomorrow while the little ones are at school.

Large spinach salad with strawberries. (extra strawberries for the kids)
Grilled asparagus (or steamed broccoli if the asparagus doesn't look good yet.)
Miso-Curry Roasted Potatoes (recipe from Vive!)
Vegetarian Matzah Ball Soup
Lentil & Golden Squash Pie (my traditional Thanksgiving and Passover meal)
Dark Chocolate Matzah for Dessert
Much wine (and grape juice)

I think my favorite thing at seder is the Hillel Sandwich. Mmmm.

Now that the food is planned, it's time to think about the kid details I want to put in. Plagues will be present. And Elijah. And a tent. Pillows too. Hmmm. What else?

Annual CF Walk

Every year (except for the year I was in China!), Ted and I have walked the CF Great Strides 5K in support of his friend Jack and little brother Jason, who have CF. This year I have committed to raising $1000 for the walk and am putting feelers out for any of you who would like to help! Here is (a shortened version of) why we walk:

*****

When Ted was 6 months old, I went to a new moms group at the Boulder JCC. In walked Stacy with her 9 month old son, Jack. It all began with that first meeting. Since then, our two boys have been together more than they have been apart. Ted and Jack swam together at Infant Aquatics, took soccer together, went to the JCC Preschool together for 3 years, and are now in Sunday school together at Har HaShem. They are such good friends. Sam and Jason, both 4, have followed their brothers’ example and are, without question, best friends. They swim together and are in the same class at Preschool. They constantly ask for playdates and are lobbying for a first sleepover. What treasures my boys have found in Jack and Jason. I have no doubt that they will remain friends throughout their lives.

Jack and Jason were diagnosed with CF (Cystic Fibrosis) as infants. CF is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas, causing lung infections and stopping natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond. We want Jack and Jason to live long and happy lives!

If you would like to sponsor me, I would be so grateful! I have set up an online donation page at:
http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/EllenMoeller

Your generous gift will be used efficiently and effectively, as nearly 90 cents of every dollar raised is available for investment in vital CF programs to support research, care and education.
Thank you in advance for any donation you can pledge- no amount is too small!!

More info about the walk can be found at: http://www.cff.org/

*****

It is so nice that the boys love each other so much! It took a while for Sam and Jason to actually like each other, but now they are INSEPARABLE! Please consider sponsoring me ... it all adds up! The CF Foundation has come so far in just the 5+ years I've known the Stoutenbergs and the treatments the boys receive are really top of the line. We can beat this disease!!!!!! Thank you to ALL of you who contribute. I truly appreciate it!!

Much goings-on

And I don't just mean our crazy Colorado weather! (On Tuesday it was 82. On Wednesday is snowed. Whaaa...?)

Monday I kept Ted home from school to treat his asthma aggressively (i.e., we wanted him to be well enough to go to the Zoo Overnight on Thursday!) While I did treat him every 4 hours, we also took a 3 hour hike! He discovered a trail on a path we always take, so we had to follow it. We meandered all around and finally came out at a trail we knew. This is all right behind our neighborhood. We violated my not-eating-out-with-kids-who-don't-appreciate-it rule and had a Starbucks snack. Then TaeKwonDo for the boys and Bookclub for me. The boys are getting ready for a tournament on Saturday. Ted gets to spar (so do I! Yikes!) so he's been practicing for that in class.

Tuesday he went to school and then TKD for more practice. I had my class that night and got all suited up for my first sparring session. It's a LOT of work! The equipment is so heavy, it's hard to see and IMPOSSIBLE to talk (because of the mouth guard.) Oy! It was a beautiful summery day and I ran my 2.5 miles in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt!

Wednesday I got refitted for my orthotics and worked the 9Healthfair at preschool. Then collected all children and came home to prepare a VERY long cooking, but low maintenance, pozole dish. YUM. I bought some dried hominy from "my farmer" at the Farmer's Market Saturday (and more Indian woman beans!) and couldn't wait to try it out. My version doesn't have NEAR the kick it needs, but I didn't have any chiles and just used lots of chili powder. Nothing doing. But it is so good anyway. Yum!!! If you like Mexican food, try it! It takes 2 days to prepare, but you don't do much at all besides set timers. I'm going to try it Vcon-style tomorrow and do it in soup bowls with cornbread topping, like a pot pie. YUM!

Tomorrow Ted goes on his K/1 overnight to the Zoo! He is so excited. I need to go pack for him right now. Paul will be chaperoning (lots of dads, isn't that sweet?) The kids helped me bake 4 dozen peanut butter M&M cookies (Ted's choice) since we are in charge of dessert. Yum! We used Vive's recipe for peanut butter cookies and added 1/2 cup of mini M&Ms. They are scrumptious!

I need to spend some time tomorrow and Friday planning our seder. We are going to the Stoutenberg's for 1st night and are hosting 2nd night here at home. We've invited 2 families and it's going to be ALL ABOUT THE KIDS. I can't wait. I also can't talk about it much because I know Wendy reads the blog and she's coming. I hope it'll be fun for the kids.

Saturday is the TKD Tournament. Ted and Sam go at 8 and I don't go til 12:45. Not sure what's going to happen there.

do you know the matzah man?

Today at Sunday school there was a field trip to the matzah factory. The kids loaded up on a bus and made the quick drive to the JCC where they made their own matzah. Ted loved it and the teacher said, while it was chaotic, the kids all seemed to really get into it. They ate the matzah they made themselves and brought home a kosher-for-Passover matzah. I think we'll use it for the Afikomen since Ted already sampled it. We are doing our seder the 2nd night and it will be VERY kid-friendly. This year, since Ted is so much more into everything Jewish, I want him to feel like he really DID a seder, rather than nibble some matzah and go play while the actual event goes on without him, as in years past.
After Sunday school, we met Wendy et al at the Louisville pool for 3+ hours of fun followed by DQ. It doesn't get much better than that! We came home and I actually fell asleep for about a half hour. Wendy and I ran 3.5 miles this morning during Sunday school, so I'm blaming that. All in all, a very nice, if busy, weekend.

We're Camo now!

Can you see the camo belt peeking out at his waist? He did great today, even though the car wouldn't start and he was 20 minutes late. Luckily he was one of the higher ranks and at the end of testing anyway. I was completely prepared and yet incredibly nervous. I did well though and am psyched for my black belt, eventually. The boy testing for his black belt today did ALL his low rank forms BLINDFOLDED, one right after another. I know at the black belt level you need to prove that you know your lower forms, but I'd never seen someone do them all before! Apparently it's an old school thing to do, and way hard. This is one determined kid, and he ROCKED. I was so impressed. And, of course, want to do the same thing someday!
Now that we are camo, we start to spar. Ted will spar next weekend at the Tournament. He is a great little sparrer and should have a blast. Sam is excited to get a trophy. I am going to do it too, and while adults don't get trophies (unless they win 1st place), I hope to at least place. We'll see!

two mommies

So, Mae continues to amaze me. I was surprised that I hadn't blogged about our recent discussion, about 2 weeks ago, when the topic of "Chinese mommy" came up in the car. We've talked about it off and on, mostly at night before bed. Tonight we had a long talk. She knows she was in her Chinese mommy's tummy. "Did I kick?" she asked, giggling. I told her I was sure she did! What really got me was when she said, "Maybe my Chinese mommy is mean?" I said I didn't think so. We talked a little about how sad her Chinese mommy must have been because she couldn't take care of her. Mae reached out to touch my face and said, "Now YOU my mommy!" How do people do this without breaking down? How can this innocent little 2 year old so perfectly understand this? Oh man. I can only hope that by keeping the lines of communication open on the subject, she will always feel comfortable talking about it. One of the things another little adopted Chinese girl said (on our initial CCAI video) was that she felt like she hadn't been born, that she was just here. I'm striving to give Mae a beginning ... a sense that her life didn't start at 9 months old.

Organizing

Today was an organizing type of day. I cleared out the linen closet and restocked it with what we actually USE rather than things left over from, I kid you not, Ted's baby shower. Oh the lotions we had! It feels very good to have that done!

After finding Crunchy Chicken, I think I just may have met my match in crunchiness. She would fit in perfectly in Boulder. This may be TMI for some of you, so feel free to stop reading now. Stop now. Gone? OK. So, for the rest of you, most of you know I cloth diapered all 3 of my kids. It was no big deal. Maybe two extra loads a week? I am by no means an OCD type of cleaner, and none of my kids, or anyone in my family for that matter, came down with any diseases. So, after reading about making the move to cloth wipes instead of toilet paper, I thought, why didn't I think of that?! Duh! We already use cloth napkins (when we use them, that is), cloth towels and rags in the kitchen. My dad still carries a hanky (or at least, he did in my last memory of him and hankies...) so why not? Without TP, paper towels and kleenex, I wouldn't need to shop at Costco AT ALL. This goes nicely with the Buy Nothing Challenge. I spent some time this afternoon cutting an old flannel sheet into squares for this very purpose. I even remember my recipe for wipe solution! (You can put it in a squirt bottle and squirt the cloth first.) My recipe is from Diaper Pin, where I bought all my cloth diaper supplies back in 2002. Wow. That seems like such a long time ago. Anyway, the recipe is: 3 drops tea tree oil + 1 TBSP Dr. Bronner's soap + water. The boys are TOTALLY on board with this. Ted said "That's a GREAT idea Mama! We can save lots of trees that way!" I love how environmental kids are naturally.

If you want to jump on board with any of these challenges, c'mon on! I am finding them quite enjoyable so far. And I LOVE the Crunchy Chicken Website! I love finding new cool sites. Happy Friday! Tomorrow Ted and I test for our Camo Belts! Woo hoo!

Stop the madness!

One of my favorite blogs is Green Bean Dreams. She is famous for issuing challenges and this one, the Buy Nothing Challenge for the month of April, is just what I need. Who's with me?

More scruptious local eats

Tonight's dinner was Sticky Mushrooms on Toast. I love this recipe. I used this recipe for homemade bread, this recipe for the mushrooms, and added sauteed red chard. Fantastic. Also, I had my first mojito with my new chocolate mint leaves. Just as refreshing, with perhaps a more intense flavor. Excellent. A delicious meal all around. Oh, how I love the spring! Can you name that quote? (Not my picture...we devoured ours before I remembered to photograph them. They were really quite pretty, and the mushrooms were stained red from the red chard. Mmm... but I do love pictures with my food entries!)

For a quick lunch today, I scrambled a local egg, tossed it atop the remaining slices of cheese and added a handful of spinach to a tortilla for a quick and 100% local meal. Mmm! I LOVE that cheese!

it was good

Better late than never. The omelet was superb. Fresh eggs, beet greens, baby portabellos, ColoRouge cheese, onions and garlic. All local, all fresh. Yum.

This weekend was wild and crazy. Saturday we hiked and spent the day with the chavurah, then went to "Brookabailey's" as Mae would say, for dinner and MUCH fun. Sunday was Sunday school. I ran my 3 miles during his class and then I took the boys to Ted's swim meeting. It ended with a swim party where Sam (yes, Sam) went down a crazy slide for about 2 hours straight. Ted liked the diving board. He swam a length for the coach and all went fine. Some of the kids were crying ... it was so sad! Ted was bursting at the seams to show off for the coach but some of those kids were not as keen.

Farmer's Market

GORGEOUS weather and amazing produce!! I was at the market at 8am, when some venders were still setting up. I scurried to the egg lady to put in my money before she sold out (blue eggs again! Oh, how I've missed those colorful eggs!). All in all, we have the fixings for a truly outstanding egg dish, and quesadillas too. It was a beautiful sunny day and everyone was about as thrilled as I was to be there. It's OFFICIALLY spring in my book! Here's the bounty I scored this week:

kale
red chard
beet greens
local wine
Moms in the Raw granola
a doz eggs
2 cheese wheels
onions (no sprouts!)
garlic (no mold!)
a strawberry plant
a chocolate mint plant (intriguing!)
dried cranberry beans (like a kidney bean)
mushrooms

We are bringing the wine to a friend's for dinner tonight, but tomorrow's Sunday brunch is going to feature the eggs, mushrooms, onion, garlic, cheese, and beet greens. YUM!!!

week wrap up

Wow, this felt like a very long week. I'm tired. I've logged 15+ miles this week, only 4.5 of them running miles (the rest are running equivalent miles in cross training and TKD classes) and my body is feeling it. I don't feel sore or achy (hooray!), just tired. Tomorrow for the 40min cross training, I'll count our 3 mile chavurah hike. And then run my 3 miles on Sunday while Ted is in Sunday school. One week down! Seven to go. I am psyched.

Tomorrow I plan to hit the FIRST DAY of the Farmer's Market bright and early at 8am. I can't wait. I wonder what will be there? Rhubarb? Spinach? Lettuce? I hope there is asparagus. I doubt it, but I can hope. I also would love some fresh onions and potatoes; mine are wilty and sprouty.

Oh, and according to two friends in the know, the best sunscreen (besides prescription) is Neutrogena with Helioplex Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB. I'm using SPF 55 but I see there is a 70 too. Yikes! I read somewhere that once you get past 30 you don't really get any more benefits, but friend #2 uses 70, so I'll look for that when the 55 runs out. Available everywhere! If you're in the sun a lot, go get some!

don't forget your sunscreen!

If you look back to June of 2006 (when I got my nose pierced), you can see a little dot next to the piercing. Mae had scratched me a week or so earlier. It never healed. Today I went in to have it looked at, and was slapped with the label "actinic keratosis." Two quick zaps of liquid nitrogen later, and I have a little white blister. In two weeks, if it hasn't healed up, they'll biopsy it. No big deal, really. This is Colorado, the land of 300+ days of sunshine, and you can be sure I've gotten a little too much sun in my 10 years living here. Rest assured, I (and my family) will be more vigilant about sunscreen from this moment forward. So, readers, wear your sunscreen. And check out any weird spots. And do it sooner than 10 months after you first notice it. Duh.

Dark Days Challenge Completed...this year

Well, March 31 has come and gone. The Dark Days Challenge is officially over, and fittingly, since the Farmer's Market starts up this Saturday. This was a really tough challenge ... mostly because it required advance planning, not my strong suit. But, I persevered. Throughout the Fall season, I put away meals as quickly as I prepared them. We feasted all winter on soups, stews and slow cooker meals from the deep freeze. My goal is to get through the remaining 11 (eleven!!) meals still left in the freezer before May, when the produce really starts rolling in. Our CSA will start up soon, and I've increased to a full share this year. I learned the hard way that putting up greens is just as essential as freezing those luscious berries. As my boys pined for strawberries, I missed my local kale, swiss chard and spinach. This year, thanks to the Dark Days Challenge, I will do more to keep us in berries and greens all winter. This was such a wonderful challenge. And life changing too.

Our meals for the past two weeks have included Spaghetti with Homemade Pesto, Baked Potatoes with Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy, Sloppy Lentil Stew, Lentil Buttercup Soup, Aloo Gobi and Slow Cooker Vindaloo. Mmm. This week we're finishing up the Pumpkin Black Bean Soup, Carrot Soup and Chickpea Turnip Stew. I figure 3 freezer meals a week are good. Really, these late winter meals have been easier than any other season, because they're ready to go!

Happy Hump Day!

The sudden increase in activity is making me TIRED! Whew, I'm beat! Today Wendy and I hiked the Quarry with Ole and then I tried her recipe for Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies. YUM. Not sure if I'm supposed to go into detail about our afternoon, but Adam and Mae played on Pearl Street for a while and were very cute together. No activities tonight, which is a relief. I sense an early dinner and early bedtime tonight. For all of us!

April 1, a sort of New Year's for me

Today was a great day. Yesterday was Day 1 of my BB training program, but it was just a Stretch and Strengthen day. I counted my hour TKD class and some light stretching later that night for that. Not much fun. But today! Today's run was 2.5 miles. No biggie, but my first run in about 2 years, if not more. It was easy! It might have been that the first 1.2 miles I was racing after Ted, so I was distracted. The remaining run felt good and comfortable. I'm a little sore in my quads tonight. It blends in nicely with my aching inner thighs from skiing. I also had TKD tonight, and the RE for that is 3 miles. So, a good day! Tomorrow is 30 minutes cross training. Wendy, Ole and I are going to hike up to the quarry. It is so encouraging to have a good, mellow program. I was so inspired I poked around in the crawl space for a long time looking for my old running log books, but came up empty handed. Maybe 1-800 Got Junk hauled them away. So I got myself a new one. It was nice to start the new book with the first day of a new week too. I also made an appointment to have new orthotics done. Mine have lasted me since 2000! Not bad! I'm sure they should have been replaced before now, but my knee wasn't complaining, so neither was I! Still, it's time. Hooray for Week 1 enthusiasm!