Lunch

a slice of apple-walnut pie, topped with crushed BBQ potato chips
a hot cup of Pero
diet coke
Eaten while reading The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.

 Note to self:  It would've tasted better with crushed sour cream & cheddar cheese Ruffles.

Culture Fair

The 8th grade class at Woodward Middle School has a really neat assignment each year.  Well, when Micah was in the middle of working on it, I wasn't calling it "neat" (although a few other 4-letter words may have entered my mind as I was making the 47-millionth trip to Paper Products for more glue sticks and card stock).  But once I saw the final results laid out in the Woodward gym, I was sold!

They call it Culture Fair.  Each 8th grader researches a person from their ancestors - they try to learn in-depth details about their life, personality, experiences, religious beliefs, etc. - then they write a report and create a display board about that person.  On Culture Fair night, the gym is lined up with all of the boards and the 8th graders are all there to talk about what they've learned.  It was like a massive pre-pubescent genealogical convention.  Pretty dang cool.

Micah decided to do his project on my dad, his Grandpa Guisinger.  You can click on the images for a bigger shot if they are too small to read.  (See if you can spot the slight error that slipped through.)

The finished project.
He worked really hard to plan it all out.
You would not believe how much glue & double-sided tape is on that board!

Micah actually had a lot of fun with this project, and I think it served the purpose of helping him feel more connected not just to his grandpa, but to all of his ancestors.  Every 8th grader at the school had some cool story to tell about someone from their family tree.  They began to realize that these aren't just "old farts" but pretty amazing people with some incredible life experiences.

Thanks to Woodward Middle School for making this a part of the curriculum each year!  And thanks, Grandpa, for helping Micah with his project.  BTW, he got a great grade on it too.  :)

What did YOU have for dinner?

My friend, Mariann, texted me this afternoon:  "Im bored." (And no, she didn't use an apostrophe.  I seriously question our friendship sometimes.)  "Tell me something funny/interesting."

My response:  "I'm making fiddlehead ferns for dinner tonight."  I love it when I actually have something fun/interesting to respond with.

Here's the background:  A few months ago, Nathan was reading one of the cooking magazines that he loves.  There was an article about fiddlehead ferns.  He immediately went into I've Got To Try That mode (which, for those of you who know him, is not at all surprising), begging his receptionist, Trista, to see if she could figure out how to buy them.

Nathan soon forgot all about it, but sweet Trista didn't.  She searched and searched the internet, only to discover that fiddlehead ferns are very seasonal and only available in the spring.  So when spring came, she got back online, found a company on the east coast that sells them, and ordered some for Nathan.  (Seriously, how lucky are we to have Trista?!?  She's the best!)  They arrived today.  But they had to be eaten within two days or they would go bad.  Sooooo . . .

Nathan brought them home on his lunch hour and started cleaning them.  I did some google research and discovered fiddlehead ferns can be toxic if they are not well-cleaned and fully cooked.  

The cleaning took forever.  They come with a bunch of tiny leaves all around this spirally head, and we had to very carefully unroll it, clean out any gunk, and try not to break it in pieces, then roll it back up.

At the end, I had a bowl of beautiful fiddleheads.  I soaked/drained/soaked/drained/soaked for about an hour.  Then I boiled them for about 20 mins to kill off any potential toxins.  (Sound appetizing yet?)

Once they were boiled & softened, we sautéed them.  We tried two different recipes.

The fiddleheads in the blue bowl were sautéed with leeks in butter, then sprinkled with lemon juice & parmesan.  The ones in the red bowl were sautéed with leeks in bacon grease, with bacon bits.
They were both YUMMY!

Here's our awesome Trista!  She's such a fun friend.  What a great surprise dinner!

Move over Cindy Crawford!

There's a new Super Model on the runway.  Torah did some "modeling" for a really cute kids' clothing line a few months ago, and I just noticed that one of her pics is on their website!  

I don't know how long this link will be active, so I took a screen shot to document it on my blog.  But you really should click on the Kicky Pants link to see her on the actual site.  And while you're there, check out their stinkin' cute clothes!

Hello? Dave Peery??

Someone left a comment on an old blog post, asking for thoughts on raising kids on BI.  I'd sure love to respond, but they didn't leave me any way to reach them.  So if you are still reading this blog, I'd be happy to give you my .02 (or more, depending on how much you'd like to know).  But I need a way to contact you.  :)

You can email me directly, if you'd like:  BainbridgeBrooke at gmail dot com.

Torah can sleep anywhere

I am often amazed (and grateful) at Torah's ability to sleep pretty much anywhere.  Today while I was running errands, she slept for half an hour, slung over my shoulder while I was shopping.  She easily sleeps in her car seat, stroller, Ergo carrier.  Many times, she's fallen asleep in the seat of the grocery cart.  And at night, she sleeps on a mattress on the floor of our bedroom.  We say prayers and she just lays down and falls asleep.  She knows that she's not supposed to get up, so she doesn't.

Usually.

Tonight, we went through the regular routine:  bath, fresh diaper & jammies, said prayers, and laid her down with her blankie.  Then I went downstairs to get some things done.

This, however, is what I found as I headed back upstairs.  Poor thing - I'm sure she knew that she wasn't supposed to be out of bed, so she didn't dare come all the way downstairs.

I tell ya, this sweet thing can sleep just about anywhere.  Except, of course, in a crib.  Humph.

Three down, one to . . . NOT go!

When "The Fantastic Four" made their maiden kayaking voyage in Sept. 2009, we had NO idea what incredible changes the next few years would bring.  We were just 4 moms, finally free from diapers and babies, out for some adventures!

 Then I went and blew the fun by having Torah.

And Mariann followed up with Ozzie a few months later.

And tonight, we met Gretchen's sweet little daughter, Jane. 

Ohhhhh, she is so stinkin' cute!  I wish you could see better the full head of fluffy black hair!

But now, the question remains . . .  Will Jenny prove her solidarity and provide the next little bundle of joy?!?

Let me go ahead & translate what she's saying up there . . . "Hell No!"

Too bad, though.  She makes pretty amazing kids.  But with 15 kids between the 4 of us, I suppose we've done our part to multiply & replenish the earth.  :)

Torah doll

Adana had a friend over to play today after school. They had a GREAT time playing with this life-size, interactive doll. They played "Beauty Shoppe." That isn't just water. Torah's hair is completely saturated with layer upon layer of hair gel, detangling spray and hair spray. I didn't even know we owned some of the stuff that they put on her. If you knocked on her head, it felt like solid plastic. She was a pretty good sport about it, until I had to wash it out.

Torah - 18 months old

It's been awhile since I posted pictures of my baby girl.  Dang, we sure do love this sweet thing!  She is so happy and good-natured.  She loves people, gives the best hugs & kisses, and it seems like she learns a new word each day.    

I was driving in the car, listening to the radio, and she was tired.  So she just stuck her fingers in her ears to block out the noise and fell asleep.   You've got to just learn to roll with things when you're #5.

I LOVE her little scrunchy-nose smile!  Still not many teeth.  But ohhhhh, how cute are those piggy tails!?!

I walked in the bathroom the other day and found her like this.  She thought she was SOOOO funny!

And she is such a great little helper.  She loves to clean up her toys.  And when she comes inside, she takes off her jacket & hangs it on her hook.  I wish my older 4 were more like her.

 Seriously, am I biased to think that this girl is stinkin' adorable??

Presenting: MR. VICE PRESIDENT!!

of the Bainbridge High School 

Freshman Class!!

Way to go, Micah!