In Kyle’s immortal words: “It’s up, it’s up, it’s up! It’s a high fly ball to center field!!!” And “Never a Dull Moment” is here – welcome to our “new” blog! And thank you so very much for all the input and feedback – that was pretty amazing and humbling.
So, In addition to updating the blog in a way we felt good about, we really tried to incorporate comments from everyone. Some of that will be reflected in what we post about, and some is more structural (as noted below). We’ll also be posting plenty of pictures, just a little more careful than we were – but not fewer!
Also, in October we’ll be doing another “Open Book” post and we’ll be answering lots of questions then, and we’re looking forward to it!
In any case, here is a brief run down of the “new” blog. Please let us know what you think.
- A nicer look: with a new header and cleaner lines! We’ll keep this one fresh for fun. The tree photo is not here, but we’ll try to find a place for it. Also, we’ve taken a lot out of the side to make it easier to read for now. One day we’ll do a totally custom site, but for now we’re pretty happy with it.
- Find content easier: Check out the categories above (eg: “Bambinos”). These should make it easier to find posts that may interest you
- Find other content you’ll like: Speaking of interest…. at the bottom of each post are a few other posts loosely related that you might also like. Easy to click and read, and read, and read, and read.
- Get it in your blog reader: For everyone who emailed about your RSS reader – yes it’s back – you can get RSS feeds now. Phew!
- Sharing the love: There is a little button at the bottom of each post – share this – you can use it to add to your facebook page, twitter, etc. If you think people you know would like that post (like our adoptive family friends who have friends who want to adopt), use that to share.
- Start the conversation: When you comment, not only can you subscribe to the comment feed, but you can carry on a dialog with others with threaded comments. So, when you want to reply to a specific person’s comment, feel free – the comment is specific to the reply – so go for it!
- Logon how you like: We still require logon for comments (and user validation too), but now you can logon using your old Five Free Spirits ID, or via lots of social networks – however you want to logon – feel free!
Lastly – we’re thinking of adding community features, but want to see if you think it’s a good idea. With a community, not only can you see who the other members are, but you can see what they write/comment, what they like, who they respond too and a little about them.
There would also be forums that users can logon and contribute to as well (with topics that you create and are interested in). Is this something you would find valuable at all – any part of it? If not, then we won’t do it, but if so, then we’ll put it in.
Please let us know what you think and if you have other suggestions – we really, really appreciate all the input!
Now that K & O are back to school, Friday mornings are “Meera And Me” time. I had promised her that on this, our first Friday, we’d paint. And paint we did. With watercolors. For, like, a solid hour. I am pretty sure that is longer than the entire time –combined– that the boys and I have ever managed to sustain painting with watercolors. Anyhoo… it was fun. Really fun! Even when she veered off into body painting, it was fun. Finally (!) I have my artsy-craftsy-companion in the family! It is about time!
countdown to “New” J-M Blog!!!… 5 4 3 2 1 days until the big reveal!
KIDS’ COMFORT FOOD FOR FIRST WEEK BACK TO SCHOOL
Shalinee~~
So, the big kids start school this week. I’m so happy our kids all go to the same crazy school! My contribution to this week’s swap is comfort food for our kiddos’ first week. What could make a kindergartner happier than mac-n-cheese for dinner? My meal was on our table for our “Back To School Dinner 2010.”
The mac-n-cheese:
I haven’t made homemade macaroni and cheese for at least a couple of years. This is mainly because K & O love Annie’s so much, that it makes life simple to just buy the boxes of the stuff (and boxes and boxes and boxes!!!). But I’m so glad I made this mac-n-cheese from scratch because it is amazing!!!!!! Seriously the best mac-n-cheese we’ve ever had. In the past, if making homemade mac-n-cheese I always made my mom’s recipe (which is great in its own right). But I knew about this recipe in Barefoot Contessa Family Style (Ina Garten’s cookbooks = my absolute favorites), and had always wanted to try it. One word: Gruyere. That should say it all! It was awesome, and just different enough to make it worth the while. We had never had tomatoes on our mac-n-cheese before, but it seemed like the perfect September (back to school and tomato season!) thing to do. K & O have officially named it “Fancy Macaroni” — I hope you guys love it as much as we do! To prepare the mac-n-cheese:
- I’ve put the actual mac-n-cheese in a tupperware so that it doesn’t spill. warm it in microwave a bit just to ‘melt’/soften it, and then dump it into a shallow baking dish. (or, split into two dishes and freeze half for another time– there is a LOT).
- slice tomatoes and lie on top.
- sprinkle *generously* with the bread crumbs (the amount I’ve given you is the amount that the recipe calls for).
- Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes ’till bubbly and gooey and mac-n-cheesey!
Here’s the recipe, from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Family Style:
kosher salt
vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 quart milk
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups grated Gruyere cheese
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
—
Preheat oven to 375. Boil pasta until al dente then drain well. Heat milk in small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 6 Tbs butter in a large pot, add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the cheeses, 1 Tbs. salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add cooked pasta and stir well. Pour into baking dish. Slice tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt remaining 2 Tbs butter, combine with bread crumbs, and sprinkle on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top.
The salad:
This french salad dressing was my favorite when I was a kid. My mom used to make it all the time. I have no idea where it originated. It is now my kids’ favorite (this and store-bought ranch!). I didn’t know if you wanted to make an actual ‘salad’ or if your kids would like it better as a dip for veggies… so I just gave you a few salad ingredients and you can do whatever your kids (and you) will like best. FYI– my favorite way to eat this dressing is drizzled on a big salad with diced sharp cheddar cheese and a scoop of tuna salad on top; Owen’s favorite way to eat this dressing is as a dip with plain cheese quesadillas (instead of sour cream and salsa) –weird mix, but I gotta say: the kid’s got taste!–it actually is a great combo.
Here’s the recipe:
1 cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
1/4 cup vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 of a medium sized white or yellow onion
—
Mix all together in Cuisinart or blender until completely combined and emulsified.
The bread:
Braydon’s from-scratch-sourdough! He’s on another bread-making-kick! and you’re on the receiving end with us!
ENJOY!
* * *
from Heather
to Shalinee
date Thurs, Sep 16, 2010 at 10:16 AM
subject noodles & dumplings
well, your dinner was one of our favorites yet.
Meera kept saying “More Bawk-Bawk!” (i.e., “more chicken”—- ‘bawk bawk’ = the sound a chicken makes) Kyle was enthralled with the rice. I think he had 5ths or 6ths of it…. with spoonfuls of “sauce” (the sauce from the chicken dish) on it. Owen couldn’t get his mind off the mac-n-cheese and just kept begging for leftovers of that! LOL!
Honestly, Braydon and I *love* and *appreciate* everything Indian that you make us. We feel like it is such an incredibly special thing for us to get to have that… I can’t even explain how much we love/appreciate every bite.
xo
hbj
DESI COMFORT FOOD
The Meal:
– Makhani Chicken
– Potato Bhujia with Green Beans
– Pulao with Carrots and Beans
Swap did not go according to plan this week. Instead of cooking Monday night, I was home nursing a sick two year old. When he is healthy, Alex’s favorite person in the world is his father; when Alex is sick, no one else but me will do. So, Heather and I swapped our swap from Tuesday to Wednesday this week, which worked out fine. We still ate our own prepared meals on Tuesday night and each others on Wednesday.
Now, for what I cooked: Heather and I usually don’t always exchange emails about what we plan to cook for the swap, but this week we did. Given that it’s back to school week for our kids (our kids attend the same school), we both thought to cook comfort food for them.
For most Indian (or half-Indian) children, comfort food often means chawal (rice), chicken, and aaloo (potatoes)….well for the non-vegetarian ones at least. So, that’s what I’ve made…Desi comfort food. (Loosely translated “desi” means from the homeland…it’s the word that Indians regularly use to refer to all things Indian.)
Makhani Chicken
Indian restaurants usually serve makhani chicken, which (not surprisingly) tastes very different when cooked in an Indian home. This is my rendition…very mild and moist, which usually goes over well with the kids. It’s a modified version of a recipe by Pushpa Bhargava in her cookbook From Mom with Love (awesome collection of authentic Indian recipes). Recipe below serves 8.
Ingredients
– 2.75 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, chopped
– 1 lime
– 2 teaspoons garlic paste
– 2 teaspoons ginger paste
– 2-3 teaspoon garam masala (store-bought is fine, though I use a homemade mix)
– 1 cup yoghurt (I didn’t have any, so I used 3/4 cup of sour cream instead)
– ~4 tablespoons butter (comfort food ingredient #1)
– ~1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
– 3 cups of tomato puree
– 1/2 pint of heavy cream (comfort food ingredient #2)
– 1/2 pint of whole milk (comfort food ingredient #3)
– 1/4 cup of chopped basil leaves
– Salt to taste (approximately 2-3 teaspoons)
Directions
– Mix yoghurt, ginger & garlic pastes (1 teaspoons each), 1 teaspoon of garam masala, zest from lime and juice from half the lime. Mix in about 2 teaspoons of salt. Add chicken and marinate for ~1 hour.
– Set oven to broil. Put chicken on a greased baking sheet and dab with some more butter. Broil chicken for ~8 minutes. Save juices from broiling for later use.
– Heat 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once melted, add 1 teaspoon each of ginger and garlic paste. Stir and cook for a minute or so.
– Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, and any leftover juices from the broiling. Cook at low heat for about 7-9 minutes.
– Add salt (approximately 1 teaspoon, or to taste).
– Add cooked chicken and cook for another 7-9 minutes at low heat.
– Add heavy cream, milk, and 1-2 teaspoon of garam masala and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
– Garnish with chopped basil leaves.
Potato Bhujia with Green Beans
Bhujia is awesome! It usually refers to potatoes cooked in the style described below. I toss in green beans, because I’m a mom with little kids. Again, the recipe below serves 8.
Ingredients
– A little over 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
– 5-6 medium red potatoes, skinned, halved and sliced
– Salt, to taste
– 1 cup of green beans chopped
– 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
– 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
– 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
Directions
– Heat oil over medium heat and add cumin seeds.
– Once the seeds start to sizzle, add potatoes. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
– Once potatoes are 1/2 cooked, add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
– Add garlic and green beans. Cover again and cook for another 5 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until potatoes are completely cooked. Remove from heat.
Pulao with Carrots and Peas
K loves carrots and A loves peas, so this rice dish is meant to make them both happy. The recipe below serves 8.
Ingredients
– 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
– 2.5 cups of basmati rice
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 3/4 to 1 cup chopped carrots
– 3/4 to 1 cup peas
Directions:
– Wash rice (3-4 times) and place in water for about 1/2 hour and then drain the water.
– Heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin seeds.
– When seeds start to sizzle, add rice and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring.
– Add salt, 5 cups water and carrots. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook till rice is completely cooked.
– Toss in peas, mix and remove from heat.
And we are done! Here’s the full meal:
Reheating Instructions:
– Microwave the rice and potato bhujia.
– Reheat chicken on stove top (I’m not a big fan of microwaved chicken). If you have some fresh basil, please chop and sprinkle on top.
– Serve chicken on rice with side of potato bhujia.
ENJOY!
The Verdict:
Tuesday: I cooked this Desi comfort meal and served it hot off the stove. Thankfully, Alex was feeling better and had an appetite. Both he and his sister ate well. We had frozen yoghurt for dessert (Blue Bunny’s White Chocolate with Raspberry Swirls and Chocolate Chips….a favorite of ours). A nice end to an awesome summer!
Wednesday: Thanks for the great macaroni and cheese, Heather ! It went over really well here too. Alex is pretty picky with his mac-n-cheese and even he liked it! But I have to say the French dressing was probably the biggest hit! Kavya filled up with the veggies so much that she was sad to discover that dinner was macaroni and cheese, which is a favorite of hers. Her reaction: “I wish I didn’t eat so many carrots!” Thanks, Heather!
This was our dessert for our Back To School Dinner 2010. Seriously, if anyone you love likes cheesecake at all, you must make this for them ASAP. It is, truly, the world’s best cheesecake.
Braydon loves cheesecake and often requests it for his birthday “cake.” But we didn’t fully realize how much K & O love cheesecake until our recent trip to Atlanta. Our first day there, we stepped into a little cafe to get a snack (the boys need a “snack” at least every two hours that they are awake — no kidding). Braydon and I were surprised when, amongst many, many, possible items they both chose a slice of plain cheesecake. We were then shocked at the speed with which they devoured it. That set them on an Atlanta cheesecake kick. We soon realized that we could get amazing cheesecake via take-out or room-service from the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse that was located in the lobby of our hotel. Have you ever tried the cheesecake from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse? We never had before our Atlanta trip, but let me tell you, it is incredible. Hands down, it is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had— with one exception: Mrs. Peterson’s Cheesecake.
I had a pretty unique childhood, growing up at a camp that my parents ran. As a result, throughout my childhood I came into contact with many fabulous people. Mrs. Peterson is one of the most fabulous of the fabulous. I have incredible memories of her… like how she’d bring my sister and I big bags full of penny candy every time she’d show up in New Hampshire after her long drive up from Connecticut… or like how she’d welcome us into her home, as if we were family, to make korv before Christmas… or — and this is perhaps my most vivid memory of her — how, as a kid, I’d always know that Mrs. Peterson had come to camp when I’d open the refrigerator in our cottage kitchen to find two gorgeous, thick cheesecakes, wrapped tightly in saran wrap, just sitting there for our family. I’d know better than to cut into them, but I’d carefully peel up a tiny part of the saran wrap in order to try to dab a finger in and take a little taste. Even a tiny morsel was like eating pure melt-in-your-mouth heaven. Mrs. Peterson knew that my dad loved cheesecake, and she’d make him two of them at least once a summer. She’d make them in Connecticut and then transport them all the way to our cottage kitchen. I can remember, very well, how that loving and thoughtful gesture made me feel: really good. I loved that she did it for my dad — and I loved that she did it for my family — and I loved that she made not just one, but two (!) of these cheesecakes — and I loved those summer nights when we’d get to steal a moment together hidden away in the back of the cottage eating that special, special cheesecake. I have lots of other memories of Mrs. Peterson too. And to this day she’s like a grandmother to me (and like a great-grandmother to my bambinos). There are just some people in this world who are really, really special.
After I graduated from college and was living on my own, I found the recipe for Mrs. Peterson’s Cheesecake in a little box of recipes given to me by my mom. It was years before I became unintimidated enough in the kitchen to try it. The first time I got the guts up to make it was for one of Braydon’s birthdays (can’t remember which one). It was a labor of love (at the time this recipe seemed really complicated; now it seems really easy — funny how that is!). But I did it. I think I wanted to make him cheesecake from scratch for two reasons: 1) I knew how much he loved cheesecake and knew this one was the best cheesecake on the planet, and — more importantly — 2) Braydon was the love of my life and I wanted him to feel really good.
Here’s the recipe– make is soon for someone you love!
* * *
Mrs. Peterson’s Cheesecake
1 cup finely crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup medium coarse walnuts
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
9 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup + 5 Tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 pint sour cream
Mix crumbs, melted butter, and nuts. Reserve about 2 Tbs of the mixture and set aside until later. Press the rest evenly over bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate to form a crust. Bake at 375 for 5 minutes. Remove. Beat eggs ’till thick and lemon colored. Set aside. Without washing beater, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Add eggs and beat until blended. Pour into crust and return to oven at 325 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir together the sour cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 5 Tb sugar. Spread over the slightly cooled pie. Return to oven at 325 for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture on the top. This cheesecake is best when left overnight in the refrigerator. Serves at least 8 (it is very rich!).
P.S. Mrs. Peterson has long been one of our most loyal blog readers. So, I’m sure she’ll be surprised when she finds this post on her computer screen! If you try this cheesecake and love it, then you can give all your thanks to her– here in the comments to this post! 
Dear Kyle and Owen,
My sweet, sweet boys. Today we watched you walk in the door of your first day –of your third year– of kindergarten. In Waldorf schools kindergarten is typically two years. But we’re holding you. Holding you tight, in a huge strong embrace. To try to do what is best for you. To give you another year. I want to write this down now so that if you ever have questions about it, we have it here to jog our memories to give you the most full and accurate story possible.
Boys, you are big and strong. Everyone who first meets you thinks that you are at least 8 years old. It isn’t just because of how physically huge you are either. It is in part because of how self-confident, articulate, and worldly you are. Physically you are exceptionally gifted with capacities that go beyond any expectation. Intellectually you are way above and beyond “average” (and we have the IQ test results to prove it). Most everyone thinks that you’re ready for anything. But I know you best of all. And I know different.
My precious boys are more than meets the eye. Yes, you are big and strong and self-confident and bright as bright can be. You are all that and much, much more. Deep down inside you are also fragile. We all are. But we have extra reason to be careful with your souls. You’ve already been through so much in your short lives. You’ve seen more than you even know. And you don’t remember it all. But I know. And I don’t lose sight of that. And I will protect you fiercely. My job is not to walk you down the path, but to hold the lantern for you on your journey. I cannot keep harm away. But I can do everything possible to make your load less heavy.
“Every road that’s narrow pushes us to choose” (Every Road, Amy Grant — you know I had to get an Amy Grant quote in here somewhere!!!).
We are at a fork in the road. And I have not taken this decision lightly. Your Papi and I have spent countless hours on this one. And luckily we have your teacher on our side. She too has thought tirelessly about this. And we are all sure that this is the right decision for you. At the very least, we’re sure that it is better to err on the side of holding you a bit too long than to err on the side pushing you forward a bit too early.
Here are the main reasons we are holding you for another year of kindergarten:
- While you are physically exceptional, and intellectually advanced, you are emotionally young. Boys, your pain tolerance is through the roof, but you very easily get deeply hurt in your heart. You need a little more time to learn that you will not always be everyone’s best friend. You need a little more time to learn that you will not always be the very best at every single thing that you do. You need a little more time to figure out that your parents and your teachers and your playmates will not abandon you on a whim. You are not on your own in this world. This last piece, in my eyes, is fully abandonment-and-attachment related. It is more than o.k. to give you extra time because it is important to spend the time now, rather than deal with the consequences later. We have all the time in the world, my babies. All the time in the world. There is no point in pushing you. I am confident that you will come to know the truth: that you are wanted, needed, and loved, unconditionally. You may not have that fully down by the time you start first grade (you probably won’t), but by waiting another year we can be sure that you’ll have it a little more down than you do now.
- You are rambunctious, (o.k., sometimes totally wild!), loud, off-the-walls, fully-engaged-with-life, spirited, boys. You fill up every space you find yourselves in. And everyone knows you’re there. As each year goes by you mellow a tad bit more. We watch as your impulsivity melts away drop by drop. Another year of growing into your more centered selves can only help. You need more time to be ready for the challenges that lie ahead. You have –at a minimum– twelve years of school ahead of you. Why rush it? Another year of kindergarten, to climb and jump and push and pull and run and play and come home at 1:00 instead of 3:00, is –for you– good.
- You spent the past two years in separate classrooms. I believe that was the best thing in the world we could have done for you. Most importantly, as a result, you and we — and everyone in our entire school community — have a much better sense of who you are as unique individuals. You are no longer “Kyle and Owen.” You are Kyle. And you are Owen. But now it is time to come back together again. You want this for yourselves (as you remind us so often: “we prefer to be together”), and we want this for you. A year to figure out how to be together again will set you up for a smooth sail, together, into the grades. Or, at least, the smoothest sail possible.
- Due to simple circumstance, if you were to have gone into first grade this year, you would have been the youngest in your class. (the cut-off date for our school is June 1; having May birthdays puts you squarely in the “gray area” in terms of whether to move you forward or not). And this — the fact that you would have been the youngest — is, at bare bones, the number one reason we want to hold you. We do not want you to be the youngest. For a whole host of reasons, it would not be good for you, I am positively certain of that. This way, you will be the oldest. Which, for you two –for who you are, for your psyches and your hearts and your souls and your spirits– is much, much better. If we hold you another year it will be easier for you to solidly stand up straight and in front and be seen for all of your gifts. I know that someone has to be the youngest. But in my mind there is no question that that someone should not be you. As the only black kids in your class, as extremely active boys, as twins, as adopted kids, as kids who spent the first eight months of their lives in a Haitian orphanage… it should not be you who is younger and pushed to keep up. Let’s go with the current rather than against it. It will be so much better this way. I just know it.
Did you know that recent studies show that the chances of getting labeled with ADD or ADHD are at least 60% higher if you are one of the youngest in your class? And even higher if you are a boy? And even higher if you are black? I’ve studied these studies, boys, and from what I can gather you have about a 95% chance of getting unfairly labeled if we push you forward. Let’s not go there. O.k.? Every teacher and child-care-provider you’ve ever had — and I — are confident that, even though it might look that way on the surface, you do not have ADD or ADHD. Giving you another year before you embark on your full-scale educational journey can only help. I know the literature. I’ve talked about this with every mom-of-a-boy, and experienced teacher, and “expert” that I can talk with. And I am fully convinced that we’re making the right choice. My gut and my intellect tell me that this is the right choice.
For months and months I’ve been conflicted, and on the fence, with this decision. I’ve tortured myself with this more than you could ever imagine. It feels like a huge decision. But today, the first day of the new school year, following behind your school bus, and then kissing you goodbye as you headed into your classroom… I just knew –really, really knew– it was right. I am at peace with it because I know that I’m doing right by you.
Kyle and Owen, you are astounding human beings. I am honored to be your mother. But I am humbled too. Humbled by the sheer weight of this responsibility. Your life so far has been marked by extraordinary adversity and prosperity. It is a complex combination. My hope is that when we find ourselves at forks in the road I will choose the right paths for you, so that you’ll be ready — when the time comes — to guide your own journey with wisdom, strength, and self-confidence.
Every individual has the right to have their personal potential unconstrained.
With the deepest love of all loves,
Your mommy.
Menu
Fancy Macaroni & Cheese
Make-Your-Own Salad, Favorite French Dressing
Papi’s From-Scratch-Sourdough Bread
and for dessert~~
Mrs. Peterson’s Cheesecake* & Fresh Strawberries
— — —
Tomorrow is the first day back for Kyle and Owen. They could not possibly be more excited than they are to get back to school. We’ve been trying to prepare Meera for what lies ahead… she is going to terribly miss her brothers being home. In what seemed to be an act of revolt and rebellion against the inevitable (K & O getting on that bus tomorrow morning and leaving her all to her lonesome), she insisted on finger-painting with her cheesecake this evening. To appease her, I promised her more crafts while her brothers are at school in the coming months.
And so… another school year is upon us. Back to the grind of getting up early, catching the bus on time, making lunches, etc., etc., etc. Summer is no longer. Fall is officially here. And so we go, jumping headfirst into a new school year. Anxiously anticipating all that is to come, but loaded with great memories of the lazy, hazy days of summer. So long summer! See you next year!
Hello Fall!
For our last year’s Back To School Dinner post: click here
*recipe for the best cheesecake ever (and believe me, you want to make this) coming Friday!
books placed on top of the shelf = read at least once this summer
If the number of Band-Aids used is any indication of a good summer, we had a great one. I don’t ever want to forget the summer that they were six and two. I can’t imagine a better summer. I truly can’t. And the best part, for me, was that I spent so much of it with them. Like, really really with them. It was the first summer that I really let myself just savor all the benefits that come with being a tenured professor. And I’ll never regret it for a single second. One of my best memories was reading books to K & O this summer. Summer afternoons sitting in the sun-room during Meera’s nap, the boys with lemonade, me with iced coffee, reading book after book under the whirring ceiling fan. In the end, despite how many hours were spent reading, there was this one item that we didn’t succeed in checking off the Summer To Do List: “Read every book on kids’ bookshelf.” We didn’t finish. And I’m glad. I’m glad because it goes to show just how many kids’ books we have (a good thing). And I’m glad because it is a case-in-point for our bambinos that nobody is perfect (for Kyle, our super-perfectionist, this is especially important to experience first-hand). And I’m glad because it means that our book challenge bridges from summer into fall. I have great expectations for fall afternoons sitting in the sun-room during Meera’s nap, the boys with mulled cider, me with hot coffee, reading book after book snuggled up under blankets.
There will never be another Summer 2010. But man, did we enjoy the heck out of it while it was here!
Seasons change. And so do we. But we get to keep our memories.
To Do List, on the fridge
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