Small victory

That dude who walks across my yard every day around 4:30pm, remember him? He took the sidewalk today. I'd like to think it's because I walked outside and fully busted him last week (I just looked puzzled and said, "Um, hello?"), but it's probably because it's raining. No one wants to walk across wet grass/leaves. I have not been stoked about this very cold, very heavy rain all day today, but right now I love it.

Food issues.

I have been reading again, which is awesome. My current book is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. I've also recently read Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. Between the two, I'm settling in on a new way of looking at food, and hoping it will help bring more love to our table and a little less bulk to my behind.

I think I learned many of the lessons in those pages long ago, but have managed to put many of them aside. Eating "cheap" and "convenient" has, over time, warped my tastebuds and my perceptions of how one should enjoy food, and I am really looking forward to getting back to basics, back to local, back to a more sustainable food life. Lest you think I grew up eating only local and natural, let me clarify: this food business racket had me from the beginning. Those packaged solutions to dilemmas have been around for a long time, and I am definitely in the crowd of those who have been taken (even though I have tried to resist, at least from time to time, on certain points anyway).

Getting back to basics is something I had been working on while I was nursing Toby, since I could eat no soy, and the soy industry has managed to get itself a little piece of about 80% of the processed foods, both organic and conventional. Rather than truly finding a peaceful, process-free zone, however, I craved what I could not have and found the few processed items I could eat, and ate them up like crazy.

This spring it's time for rebirth. We're planting a garden, a really awesome garden, that will hopefully give us many of our veggies. We are making a plan to shop the farmer's markets, and plan food around ingredients rather than buy the ingredients around our meal plans. We will eat local as much as we can, and we will eat in season. We may have to deviate to accommodate Henry's love of fruit, but we will do it as rarely as we can manage. We will eat food, not "edible food-like products," and will make things from scratch.

It will be work, but it will be work that brings life to the house. I can think of nothing better than food prepared with love, so making it a priority will be our new priority.

I'm also giving up coupons. Of course, I will be happy to use them if we happen to find one for something we already use, but there will be none of this shopping-around-the-coupons fr our house anymore. The food industry, together with chemical companies, are a manipulative bunch. The lure of saving a dollar on something I would never otherwise buy has gotten me in the past, and I have a cabinet of cleaners and a pantry with some odd processed food items to prove it. Perhaps one of the best lessons embedded in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is that "cheap food" from industrial sources is a myth. We are paying far more, both in real dollars and in costs to health and community, supporting that low price tag in the store.

I sound a little bit "holier-than-thou" right? OK, more than a little. I know. I'll get back to you after I have tried to convince my 3 year old that fish sticks aren't the best dinner...

Open letter to They Might Be Giants

Dear TMBG,

Your music for kids is great. Henry can't get enough of Here Comes Science right now, and it's pretty amusing to hear him talking about Hydrogen, Helium, Carbon, Nitrogen... you know, all those things on the surface of the sun.

Chances are I would be pulling my hair out in clumps if he were demanding Wee Sing albums on repeat, but your stuff is fun for me too.

I would appreciate a few more CDs, asap.

Even though all three you've made so far are great, we have nearly worn them out listening to them every.single.time. we get into the car. On repeat. Repeat. REPEAT!

No matter how cute and clever and catchy a song may be, it gets old after the 500th time you've played it. In a week.

So please, PLEASE, something new. Consider it a personal favor, from one who loved you way back when you were all about Triangle Man.

Thanks, Virginia

Baking = precision. Or not.

Today is Henry's third birthday, which is awesome. He's adorable, and enjoying everything so far, which included cheesy toast and apples in the living room for breakfast, presents, and a taste of the cupcakes I made for his class.

This taste was a requirement, because I was frankly considering bailing on them altogether and buying something at Publix on the way to school. The baking did not really go my way last night.

The difference between baking and cooking is precision. I used to be really into baking mainly because I loved this attention to detail, nit-picky measurements, clean execution... It was like photography, or cleaning the bathroom. The details matter, and when you do it right, everything looks amazing. There is a sense of accomplishment that is pretty awesome when it all works out, and you get used to scrapping it if it doesn't work out, which can be disappointing, but helps build that high for the good times.

Now I am into cooking, with all of the tweaking and sloppiness that comes along with putting together a flavorful soup or a great roast chicken. Or both, from the same bird. Scrapping together bits of this and that has become fun, and trying to make something out of whatever is lying around the pantry is its own fun challenge. I like recipes, but I also take them with a grain of salt, give or take. I like having people cook at my house, and then stealing the idea of a dish, and making it my own thing. I like that, generally, a minute here or there doesn't make or break dinner, and food is forgiving.

I made these cupcakes from Martha Stewart for Henry today, thinking that they would be a healthier alternative to chocolate buttercream madness. We'll see what the verdict is from the 3 year olds, but I have my doubts. They are glorified muffins. They would be delicious breakfast treats without the icing, which is beyond sweet. Never test a recipe the night before... remember this, self.

So I'm not the Martha Stewart of baking anymore. I'm not the Martha Stewart of anything, although I did make mustaches for the kids and teachers from felt, dowels, and hot glue, and that was something.

I've decided I am more Amy Sedaris. I like entertaining, but not so much precision or fanciness. I like fanciness, but not in an actually-fancy way. Look, just read about it. Her book is like my bible, I use it all. the. time. Seriously. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.

So Happy Birthday Henry! Take 2 will be Sunday afternoon, I will make better cupcakes, I promise.

Open Letter to Telephones

Dear telephones,

I hate you.

Sincerely,
Virginia