Blogger Meet Up: Round 2

I didn't take any blog-worthy photos at the PNW Blogger Meet-up.  I always feel strange busting out the "big girl camera" (as my friend Rachel calls it) when there's a designated photographer at an event and Linnea Paulina, the sweetest lady in the world, was on camera duty.  I wore pants without any pockets so I didn't even use my camera phone!  Except for a guy on the street outside the venue took this picture of Grace from Grace Loves the Beatles, Rachel from And Then She Snapped, Ruthy from Discovery Street, me and Elizabeth from Delightfully Tacky - and it's really blurry.  Great job, GUY!

This was my second PNW Blogger Meet-up.  The first was back in November in Portland.  This time, I rode up to Seattle and met an attic-full of bloggers at Von Trapp's in Capital Hill.  Brats, $12 beers, and indoor bocce ball.  This place was cool!  The loft was loud and I immediately regretted wearing a sweater (because, hot) but other than that I had a great time.  I was inspired by Ruthy (who is the friendliest person ever - check out her post How Not to be Awkward at a Blogger Meet-up) and attempted to meet everyone in the room.  I brought home about 20 business cards and met so many great people!  I also got to catch up with a lot of people from the last meet-up, which was super fun!  

Check out some Portland bloggers: Spencer of 12oz Bee House, Sarah of Will Run for Pasta, and MaryAnn, Cloth Life, just moved to Portland.  I just love Portland and Portlanders.  In Seattle, it was great to meet up with Ericka and Carina again.  As well as meet Lilly from Rake and Make who has a very unique blog about plants and art and such.  If you want to see who was there and find some more PNW Bloggers visit the official PNW Blogger site.  

Slow-Cook Playdough

BB sees a therapist for some developmental assistance and one of the things she keeps telling me to do is sensory play.  The messy kind.  BB loves playing with water but the therapist wants him exposed to messy, gooey things like shaving cream, moon sand, mashed potatoes and playdough.  I hate getting stuff on my hands (I probably have a sensory issue myself!) but if it's important for his development then I must.  We've done shaving cream (on the shower walls), whipped cream (in his high chair) and mashed potatoes (outside) but playdough is virtually mess-free and still allows him some sensory integration.  

I found this playdough recipe on Instructables.com and I didnt realize that it was a four step process.  I mixed the following ingredients and the goop was so runny I knew immediately that I had done something wrong.  So, I went back and realized this is a slow-cook recipe.  So, I drizzled the goop into a pot and slow-cooked and churned that goop into dough and by golly it made the best playdough in the world.  It's not easy, but it's worth it.

You'll Need:
2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)
Food coloring and a pot

Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat while stirring slowly. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes. When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the center, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle.

Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or silicone mat, and knead vigorously until it becomes silky-smooth. Divide the dough into balls for coloring. Make a divot in the center of the ball, and drop some food coloring in. Fold the dough over, working the food color through the body of the playdough, trying to keep the raw dye away from your hands and the counter. Work the dye through, adding more as necessary to achieve your chosen color.  When you're done, store your playdough in an air-tight container. 

NOTES:

• During the cooking process, if your playdough is still sticky, you simply need to cook it longer! Keep stirring and cooking until the dough is dry and feels like playdough.
• After you've been playing for a while it may begin to dry out.  You can knead a bit of water in again to soften the dough back to usability  Once it's dried past a certain point, however, you'll just have to start over.
• If it gets soggy, you can re-heat it to drive off the extra water the dough absorbed overnight. This is usually the result of high humidity, but is fixable! 
•  You can also bake it in the oven to make hard dough figures and ornaments, then paint or otherwise decorate the surface. You can even use the baked play-dough as a salt lick for your pet rabbit!  (And you know I love rabbits!)

DIY Terrarium

I've had this beautiful glass thing for about 6 months.  I decided it needed to be a terrarium so I looked up how to make one and it's so easy and pretty I thought I'd share!  

First, you need an interesting glass container.  Mine was a gift but it was probably from Pier 1 or World Market. You'll also need small pebbles, potting soil and some plants. The plants I bought are tropical plants that need sunlight.  My terrarium is on the southern side of the house because it will get sun almost all day..... when we have sun.

Put a layer of stones in the bottom of your container.  These will help retain moisture in the soil.  Then, add a layer of soil;  dont put in too much now because you need space for your plants.  After some of the soil goes in you can plant them any which-way you like.  I tested out different arrangements at the store while I was picking them out and chose three plants with a lot of contrast in size and style.  Pop those babies in your soil, add some more for covering.  Then water.  Due to the glass case and the container (i.e. not a pot with a drain hole) you shouldn't have to water too often.  Place it somewhere that it gets sufficient light and voila!  

I went to the PNW Blogger Meet-up in Seattle last night!  Those of you who met me there might recognize this outfit because I built my terrarium about an hour before we left.  I had such a blast!  And, if you're here for the first time.... Welcome!  

XOXO,
Lindsy

Time Outs

This week has been so much fun but we've all had to take a few timeouts. I took a timeout from working out because I thought I was getting sick (turns out it's just allergies) and we dined al fresco!  I love eating outside in the warm spring air!  

We've started timeouts for BB's bad behavior which usually consists of angrily throwing objects at our faces. This morning he had 5 timeouts in a matter of about ten minutes. Then he was a little flirtatious angel for the rest of the morning, even convincing me we should go outside and dig for rocks.  BB has mastered the art of seduction. Yes, you read that right. He flirts with everyone and knows just how to get what he wants. 

We took our own little time out and went out on a date to Stanley and Seaforts.  It has the best view of Tacoma.  The sky was clear and the food was soooo good.  Lobster Mac and Cheese as an appetizer.  Go get it.  It had been too long since we've gone on a real, nice date.  We vowed to not let that happen again.

This picture.  Oh, wow.  Someone come and save this boy!!!  I think I love him too much. Let's hope we don't have an "Of Mice and Men" incident.

That smile you see is one of BB's flirty faces. What a ham!  Is this a normal kid-thing?  He is just growing up way too fast!

Bath Time

Bath time is my favorite time!  Dan doesn't like giving BB a bath because he gets claustrophobic in our bathroom so it's always been my special time with the kiddo.  We have squirty toys and we laugh and blow bubbles.  He stays in until the water is all gone and then I wrap him in a big towel and go lotion him up.  It's the best.  BB loves bath time therefore I love bath time.

What's your favorite task or time of day with your little one?

Baby Paige

 

I had the privilege of photographing newborn Paige a few weeks ago!  What a sweetheart!  This was the easiest newborn shoot I've ever done.  Paige was just perfect, sleeping sweetly and I even got a smile out of her!  And look at proud, big brother Nick!  His Star Wars shirt and her Yoda shoes just kill me.  

Thankful

Today feels heavy.  I woke up to news about the Boston bombing suspects - one dead and one on the loose.  My heart is heavy for Boston and when I really start to think about it, I just want to grieve for the whole world.  Countries plagued by war, AIDS, genocide.  And then there's the rain.  Just a few weeks ago I prepped our yard for spring, planting spinach and dusting off the outdoor furniture.  Now summer seems like ages away.  Despite all that ugliness of today, I trust in God that all will be made right.  I am thankful that our family in Boston is safe.  I am thankful for a sweet boy who has no notion of the pain and destruction in this world, whose smile and laughter fills our home with so much excitement and joy.  Dan is recording demos with his band this week so I'm holding down the fort.  BB is at daycare and I cant wait for tonight so I can pinch those chunky thighs and hear him say, "BALL!" for the one hundredth time today.  BeeBs, I could gush for hours about how much I love you!  Everything is going to be ok.

Road Trip Recap

We are back from our very short trip to California! The trip down was rainy and sunny, then rainy and sunny.  Everyone said travelling with a toddler would be a nightmare but it was so incredibly fun.  BB was a dream!  We were over-prepared with all of his favorite toys (which were kept out of sight and brought out when needed) and surprise presents from the dollar store (egg shaker, squishy ball, window stickies) and we bought a tablet before the trip.  Best idea ever.  We downloaded Toy Story and Monsters Inc. and every decent toddler game we could find.  He doesn't normally watch movies but, being trapped in a car all day, one tends to watch anything that's put in front of them.  We kept his eating and napping schedule and stopped to let him stretch his legs and burn off some steam.  I was really worried about him being confined in a car seat for so long but the 30 minute jumping and running session at the ever-so-lovely Roseburg Valley Mall (ew) seemed to be enough to satiate his sensory input needs and we were back in the Landy and back on the road.  

There's not much to say about California.  Dan recorded 5 songs in just two days and the bits that I heard were magnificent!  I am working on ideas for a music video!  We were staying in a big house with a pool so BB and I hung out while Dan recorded.  We ate at In-N-Out and Rubio's and saw some friends.  It was a quick trip and we spent way too much money but we are so glad we did it.  I cant wait to hear and share Dan's music with the world.  I am so proud of him!

We knew that we'd be driving home non-stop but on the way down we weren't sure how far we'd make it before we would need to stop and put The Beebs to bed.  We made great time so we ended up all the way to our destination before bed time.  [fist pump!]  We used an app called Hotel Tonight and got a killer deal on a hotel room!  Check it out!  It's available for Android and Apple and it's so great.  We thought not pre-booking would cost us more but this app saved us a ton.  [ahem, a room at the Hilton for $66]  Totally the way to go if you are a roll-with-the-punches type of traveller.

Happy traveling!  Back to the daily grind for us!

Must-Haves for a Happy Journey

We bought a new car this week and we leave tomorrow for a road trip to California!  We are so excited!  We still have our old BMW for the time being but now that the BeeBs is riding in a newer vehicle I wanted to class-it-up a bit.  No more random grocery bags of toys and cracker crumbs on EV-REE-THING.  It's time to get organized!  So, in honor of the road trip and the new car, I put together a little car emergency pack of must-haves for a happy journey.

I started with a little container which happened to be empty (where are the toys that were in there?) and it just happens to match the interior of the car.  Doesn't get any classier than that.  I started with a big plastic tub but it was too big so this little canvas cube is perfect!  The BeeBs gets bored in the car but he is easily distracted so I like to find interesting toys to keep in the car.  Browse around the dollar bins and you're sure to find something to keep the kiddo entertained for a few minutes, hopefully hours in our case.  We use wipes for everything!  Spills, runny noses, and bottoms.  These are a must-have.  I'm keeping a little snack in the emergency kit just in case I cant reach the other snacks that I'm sure to have in my purse or the diaper bag.  Because moms always have snacks. I also put some books in there, the kind that can take a real beating and we wont miss out on during story time.  And, last but not least, it's always a good idea to have a few diapers in there for that one time you forget the diaper bag and there is a class 5 emergency happening in your back seat. (Diaper photo by Honest.com - we love Honest Co. Check 'em out!)

Of course, with this being a 10 hour drive, we are bringing waaaayyyy more than this.  This little emergency kit is just for the day-to-day.  I have 3 boxes, 2 suitcases and a large bag full of stuff - for a 4 day trip.  Plus a pack-n-play and jogging stroller.  Good thing we upgraded to that big SUV, eh?  Here's our new car, by the way...

Happy weekend to you all!

XOXO,

Dan, Lindsy and the BeeBs 

California-bound!

Did You Love BB Immediately?

I've been getting some great questions in response to our :  Why We Became Foster Parents post.  I just want to address one of them now as I'm working with our agency on a post titled:  Six Myths about Foster Care - which I am really excited about, by the way!

Question:  Did you love BB immediately?

Yes.  Knowing BB's story, he was just so precious and innocent to me. He also had the biggest smile I've ever seen, as pictured here.  Both of those photos are from day two with the Beebs.  To be honest, my love for him was pretty shallow at first but it has grown as he's attached to us and we to him. I've never had a biological child but I don't imagine that I'd love a bio child any different than I love BB.  When it comes to foster parenting, you can never hold back your love for these kids. These kids desperately need to know that they are loved whether they're with you for a day, week, year, or forever. We were told by a long-time foster-mom, "You are the adults, you can handle the loss and that is never a reason to withhold love!"  Loving just for the sake of loving, loving no matter what, that's true love.  I guess that's what we do.

We are so honored to have gotten many messages from people who have told us they're considering foster care now, too! That is the best news EVERRRR. Our agency is the largest private agency in our county and they get 15 - 20 cases a day and can usually only place about 1. What happens to those other kids? I dont know. Hopefully the state has enough empty beds, right? If you feel a little tugging at your heart strings, please consider becoming a foster parent or donating your time/resources/hand-me-downs to a foster family. It is truly the best gift you can give a child.

Creativity

Dan loves his job. He loves being on the road, living out of a suitcase, driving a van, booking shows, performing and meeting new people. While he’s busy working in the music business, sometimes the passion for music gets lost. It becomes work.  After all, it is a job.  A pro athlete has so much pressure to perform, to stay in shape, to be the best – that they kind of lose the love of the game. I think that being a musician can be the same way. My husband writes a lot of music that doesn't fit the genre of the band he’s in so it just gets played at home, for pleasure and sometimes for the ears of our friends. I wanted to give him a break from  the deadlines and song writing sessions and impending tours and allow him to use his creativity. We’re heading to California to record some of his personal songs just for the fun of it! I’m so glad we have this opportunity to do this because I really love his songs. Even if no one ever hears them but us.

"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things."  - Ray Bradbury, a great American SciFi Author (1920 - )

I believe that creativity is inherent in all human beings.  Whether it's through art, photos, poetry, decorating your home, writing - everyone is creative and needs opportunities to be creative.  Even people who think they don't have a creative bone in their body, do you have something hanging from your rearview mirror?  A special photo on the desktop of your computer?  Something fun hanging on your bedroom wall?  That is creativity.  Explore it.  Run with it.  Never stop creating.

"The iPhone Mom"

First of all, I'm not an iPhone user.  We love our Macbooks over here at Chez Dan et Lindsy but we are Android users allllltheeeewayyyy.  Now that I've got that off my chest, the title of this post is in reference to a recent blog post by Tonya Ferguson called: Dear Mom on the iPhone, in which she, a mother of 4, writes to an imaginary "iPhone mom" who's so wrapped up in her iPhone she's missing beautiful moments with her kids while they play at a park and try to get mom's attention.  I paraphrase.  I've read a few angry responses to the post which seem to be filled with hyper-defensive remarks reminiscent of "You dont know me!" and "Don't you daaaare judge me".  I get both sides.  It does look really bad if your kid is trying to get your attention and you're just double-tapping that Instagram feed without even a glance in their direction.  But, it's not so cut and dry.

BB goes to daycare a few times a week when Dan is in town and he's there Monday through Friday when Dan is touring.  I cut my work hours back so he's with me/us for a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours at night.  I've tried keeping him home but he's just such a distraction (in a good way...and sometimes bad) and I'd rather have him with me when I can give him my full attention (before and after daycare) not while I'm clicking away on the computer.  One of the responses to Ferguson's post was explaining that, as a stay at home mom, taking her kids to the park is her time to unwind.  She assures everyone reading that she has sweet moments with her kids all day long.  You're only seeing the 30 minutes of the day when she gets to check her iPhone and just let her kids enjoy some unstructured play time.

I think that Ferguson meant well.  It is merely a reminder to pay attention because kids grow up fast.  For the record, I'm all for giving your kids so much love that they get annoyed and reject your attempts at kissing them for the 1 millionth time that day.  But I am not about guilt trips and judgement.  Cell phones are a part of our world.  I don't think they're going away any time soon.  As a child born in 2011, the BeeBs is going to have to get used to a screen in his face (or mine) pretty much at all times.  Before I start to freak out about how this is a terrible era to raise a child, I think back to my parents who gave me attention but also raised me to be independent and creative.  I specifically remember my parents ignoring me with a book, a newspaper or a TV show and I turned out great fine!  :)  Why do modern parents feel that they have to spend every waking minute attending to their child?  I think every parent knows their child best and knows how much attention they need.  If they are the child that's yelling "Look at me!" every ten seconds, plan little one-on-one dates where they get your undivided attention and satiate their needs with an abundance of love.  But, don't overdo it or you'll wear yourself out and probably be a worse parent for it.  If your cellphone apps are how you unwind, go for it - just maybe not in public.  ;)

 

The BeeBs and I love a good, awkward selfie.  Hope you liked those!

Signed,
The Android Mom

French Silk Pie

Dan and I agree on most things in life except for one of the most important things:  desserts!  I love a decadent red velvet or dark chocolate cake, crème brûlée, homemade apple pie.  He likes boxed cakes and French Silk Pie.  I think that French Silk is the stupidest pie of all.  Chocolate is for cake, not pie.  And why the pastry crust?  I don't get it. 

Upon Dan's homecoming I like to do something nice for him.  Just a little gift or a nice meal.  I was thumbing through a cook book and found a recipe for his favorite dessert and decided I'd make one for him.  And, I did.  And, it was good.  And, I'll probably stop making fun of F.S.P. cuz: yum.  Here's the recipe if you'd like to make one for yourself!

Betty Crocker's French Silk Pie

PREP TIME 25 Min
TOTAL TIME 3 Hr 20 Min

INGREDIENTS 
Pastry 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
Filling 
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened (do not use margarine or vegetable oil spreads)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted, cooled
3/4 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product
Topping 
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated or powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate curls, if desired

Step 1:  PASTRY

In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling. Heat oven to 475°F. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired. Prick bottom and side of pastry thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown; cool on cooling rack.

Step 2:  FILLING
In medium bowl, beat 1 cup granulated sugar and the butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and the chocolate. Gradually beat in egg product on high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Pour into pie crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Step 3:  TOPPING 
In chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Top pie with whipped cream; garnish with chocolate curls.

Then, you scarf!

Easter 2013

We had such a wonderful weekend full of sunshine!  Which is exactly how Easter should be, isn't it?  We ladies should be able to wear our spring dresses and not freeze to death on Easter Sunday.  But 68° and sunny ... perfection!  We went to Saturday night church and spent Sunday at Andy and Ruthy's house.  BB got his very own egg hunt (which he totally killed) and he wore his Mariner's hat most of the afternoon.  I am one proud mama!

Dan got home late Sunday night.  Even though BB had already gone to bed, he went in to say hello.  We dont ever wake him up on purpose but it was so adorable that we might do it more often!  He just sat up and started giggling, then grabbed his blanky and fell right back to sleep.  

We're heading to California soon to record some of his songs and I cannot wait for more sunshine.  Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend!