Waltz of the Flowers

Mia has been performing since she mastered voluntary movement. She sings, she dances, she put on elaborate shows, requiring all adults and young children to sit on the couch (or floor) and watch, and any children old enough to be biddable to participate to her exact specifications. She loves going to the theater and re-enacting movies and seems to have drama in her bones.

And this weekend, she had her very first real performance, on stage with lights and costumes and her entire family cheering from the audience. She was amazing and confident and brave and beautiful and I sobbed the entire time, because oh my god, where did this kid come from?

March Idyll

My favorite part of every year has always been the first time, around here it is generally in early to mid-March, when you get a string of two or three or four days that promise Spring. The mercury inches toward sixty and the daffodils and crocuses begin to pop bold green shoots out of the muddy earth. The tulips are either lazy or know well enough that another cold snap is inevitable and they will wait several weeks more before taking their chances.

In recent years, the best part of these fleeting, teasing days, is releasing the children from the house sans boots and hats and mittens and parkas and trotting along behind them as they gallop around the neighborhood as if they had never seen the sun before. And this year, these past few days have brought along some amazing discoveries. Like that Mia can ride her bike. I mean really ride it - uphill, downhill, one-handed, side saddle, even with her eyes closed. That if you teach her once how to pick the downhill slope rather than the uphill one when making a u-turn she will try it tentatively once or twice and then do it for hours without slowing down. And Owen - Owen knows the names of everything and what it does and what it is for and that he should not eat it. And he can ride a scooter and jump off the curb. And he can swing. Really swing, just like a big kid, holding on with both hands and calling for "other push other push!"

We spent this afternoon just running around the yard - bouncing from sandbox to basketball to playhouse to swingset. Mia and I even pulled some weeds, resilient little buggers, while Owen shoveled up the last of our snow and relocated it to various spots around the yard. We counted the goldfish in the pond and marveled at how they managed to survive the winter. We chased a neighbor's cat and left out peanuts for the chipmunks that live under our porch and drew undersea mountains in chalk on the driveway. And I know that by August I will he saying hey, kids, couldn't we just sit quietly inside today and read some books, today, being able to run around outside with my suddenly so big kids seems like one of the high points of my life.

Purchases

This morning, as soon as the yard boys finish hauling away the first round of our storm-damaged trees, I am heading out to be fitted for a pair of running shoes. I have been putting this off for weeks, because who the heck am I to be fitted for running shoes? I'm not a runner. Except that lately, I sort of am. A very slow, very sweaty, very funny-looking, runner. I ran five miles on Tuesday. All in a row, and I didn't die. And I have some birthday money that has been hanging out in my wallet since November, and if I don't find something to spend it on soon I will end up doing what I always do with it, which is hanging onto it until the week before my next birthday and then spending it on diapers or clothes for the kids. So I'm going to do it. I'm going to walk into the running store and ask to be fitted for shoes. I'm not quite sure why I am so nervous about this, but I somehow feel it would be less embarrassing to walk into a different store entirely and ask to be fitted for a dildo.

Wish me luck.

Also, I am considering buying a vinyl tablecloth. A faux-lace vinyl tablecloth. For my dining room. Won't you please go here and talk me out of it?

Important Life Skills

Scene: Beth, Chris and Owen are playing on the guest bed

Beth: Owen, did you poop?
Owen: No, Daddy toot.

All I Do Is Eat

Hello! I am on large doses of steroids! Oh, no reason, I just really enjoy the side-effects. Like the anger. And the eating everything in sight. (Seriously, I had two lunches today and several snacks and finished dinner an hour ago and am giving serious thought to a bagel.) Oh, and breathing, I suppose I also enjoy the breathing, which I am currently unable to do without the large doses of steroids. Yes, it doth sucketh. But since all I can do lately is yell and eat, I figured we may as well talk about what I cooked last week, so here we go.

Vegetable Chowder - This was billed as vegetarian Manhattan clam chowder where it seems that cabbage was meant to take the place of the clams. It was nothing at all like Manhattan clam chowder, but it was good. Make a tomato-based vegetable soup, add some cabbage, tasty.

Stewed Chickpeas with Zuc-Quinoa - Ok, the title of this recipe is supposed to be a joke, but to get it you have to know that quinoa is pronounced keen-wah. I do know that, and it still took me a week to figure out that if you say "zuc-quinoa" it makes the first half of "zucchini" and then all of "quinoa." Not a very good joke, but now we are at least all in on it. So, the stewed chick peas bit was, you know, chick peas and an onion and a can of tomatoes and there was supposed to be tomato paste but I didn't have any and didn't miss it. The zuc-quinoa was sauteed onions, then the appropriate amount of veggie broth from the quinoa box, brought to a boil, then add the quinoa and cook for ten minutes, then add the zucchini and cook another ten minutes. We liked it. I had never made or eaten quinoa before, and I don't think it was Chris's favorite, but since I have most of a box left and since there are 5 grams of protein in 1/4 cup, we will be eating it more often.

Chili - Did you know that if you are making, oh say chili, and you run out of chili powder, you cannot just fill in the rest of the amount with chipotle chili powder? Well, I mean, I guess you can, but then you may end up like I did with one of the few meals I have ever cooked that was flat out inedible. We both made it through a few bites, and then just ate the bread to try to kill the burn. Lesson learned.

Mushrooms Paprikash with Dumplings - The best part of this meal was teaching the children to say "mushrooms paprikash" and then spending an hour yelling "Hey, what's for dinner?" and having them respond in unison yelling "mushrooms paprikash!" Otherwise, the dumplings were nasty, the dish was bland but edible, but not worth the after-effects. I can usually eat as much of whatever veggies or beans or really anything other than ice cream as I want with no gastro-intestinal impacts, but this seems to have been Too Many Mushrooms. My stomach felt like I had a seven month fetus in there kicking around. Since this was the same night I spent three hours in the ER, it was insult to injury and not appreciated. Don't think we will try this one again.

Budding artist

Hey, you guys wanna see a picture of me naked! Too bad, here it is!

And before you even start, she messed up my legs and crossed them out to start over. You need not make the obvious joke. And anyway, my husband has already beaten you to it.

Considering

I am considering instituting a strict "you put it away or I throw it away" policy at my house. And applying it to my husband.

I am considering what to do when Child 2 falls in love with a toy that belongs to Child 1, leading Child 1 to insist that some toy she has ignored for two years is her Most Favorite Thing Ever.

I am considering buying a dress. A strapless dress. With airplanes on it. Please go here to tell me what to do about this one.