Lard and Locking Horns

I read a book called Real Food, which left me eager to make my own lard. I finally squeezed it into my schedule today. It was very easy. The prep work was a bit messy and challenging (because I had so much lard that I had to do it in several batches,) but the actual cooking or rendering of the lard was quick and easy. And the results were beautiful! I've been searching for some healthy alternatives for Elliot and Jack (who still have allergies to milk protein,) to use in cooking. I found coconut oil, which is delicious and amazing for baking, but I was still searching for something healthy and heat-tolerant to substitute for butter in the frying pan. Homemade (totally unhydrogenated) lard it is! I can't wait to try it out tomorrow on Jack's daily two fried egg breakfast! Here are some pictures of my handy work. And, if you're thinking, "lard? Did she say lard is healthy?" please do some reading. The last few decades have not been kind to fats. Our diets and bodies have suffered. Here are two great articles, here and here. And, if you're thinking, "Wow! I want to try making my own lard!" there are tons of great articles with how to info on the internet (or in Real Food.) Try it!

Now that I've shared some of what went on IN my kitchen today, I thought I'd share some of what went out right OUTSIDE of my kitchen as well. Much to my dismay, it goes on all over my house every day. It's hard to describe to people who don't have several boys living in their house. I find it both charming and revolting, often at the same time. All four boys participate in it willingly, and cry if you make them stop (although Mattie is clearly the biggest fan and primary instigator.) I try to put up with it as long as I can, but since it rarely ends well, sooner or later, I put a stop to it.

Seen enough? If not, I will post some video footage on Facebook soon... Good night!

A new season

And just like that, the summer went by in the blink of an eye. September came; school started. Two weeks later, the rink opened. Once again we’re back in the school and hockey groove. It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but one of my last posts in the Spring talked about my love-hate relationship with hockey. It’s still going strong. I hate the fact that we spend so many hours at the rink. I love watching my kids play. I hate making lunch at breakfast, dinner at lunch, serving it up at 3:30, only to finally get home at 8:30 at night and hear, “I'm hungry. What can I have?” I love that my kids are great at something I can’t even do. I hate the smell of everything that comes out of their hockey bags. I love sitting in the warm waiting room with all of the other hockey parents. I hate having to bark at the kids 100 times to put down their hockey sticks and do their homework. I love letting the little ones run around and play freely with the other hockey siblings. I hate when my kids cry because I won’t buy them candy from the snack bar. I love cheering their team on. I hate feeling like I’m never home on nights or weekends. I love holding Theo up, face pressed against the plexi-glass, to watch the zamboni smooth out the ice. I hate trying to get everyone out the door and in the car on time for practice. I love shopping for hockey equipment with the boys. I hate that we get home so late, so often, that I don’t get to read bedtime stories to the kids. I love the camaraderie they have from playing and loving hockey. Need I say more?

Despite my ambiguity about our commitment, one thing is crystal clear. The boys love to play. Elliot has been playing goalie again for his team (he also plays out of goal maybe 50% of the time.) I have some fantastic footage of him playing both in and out of goal. Jack, who had a tough season last year moving up to the next age division, got out on the ice this year, and scored the first goal, in the first game of the season, for his team. What a motivator! Both of their teams won the title in the Mayor's Cup last weekend, for their respective age divisions. Jack's team was undefeated in the tournament. Elliot's team lost their first game to their rival, won all their subsequent games, then came back to beat the same team in a rematch in the finals. Both boys' teams finished their games tied, went into overtime, tied again, then had to go to penalty shots to decide the winner. Talk about exciting! Check them out:

Let's start with Elliot in goal...

Making a glove save.

After making a diving stop.

Some video shot from the finals at the Mayor's Cup last weekend. Elliot catches the puck in his glove, again!

And here is another video of Elliot, from a game two weeks ago, when he was awarded a penalty shot during a game.

And, now it's Jack's turn.

A Big Week

We had an unusual run of accomplishments last week. Mattie learned to ride Elliot's old bike, without training wheels. Jack hit a grand slam in his baseball game. Elliot won the second grade bilingual spelling bee. What a week!

Quote of the Day

Elliot: If I got to build one thing in my life, do you know what it would be?
Me: No, what?
Elliot: A money dispenser!
Me: (Surprised pause.)
Elliot: I got that idea from a licorice dispenser on Phineas and Ferb.

Quote of the Day

Elliot lost a glove at school on Friday. We went back inside after pick up, to search his locker thoroughly. Along with a few dozen other pieces of paper, and lots of crumpled up artwork, I found this:

"mom I staded in for recess because I for got to bring in my letters and I was playing with the dradle when I was not supposta."

And this gem, from Jack, on the way home from hockey tonight:

Jack: I wish you would work.
Me: Why?
Jack: Well, I wish you would get a job at Dunkin Donuts!
Me: Is that because you think I would bring home donuts every night to help fatten you up?
Jack: (Giggling.) Yes! Actually, I think I want you to work at Jae's. But, most of the people who work there are Chinese, so you might not fit in. (Sigh.) Just like Rudolph.

New Rollerblades

Elliot has been asking for rollerblades almost daily for the last few weeks. I finally took him to Target yesterday and bought him a pair. I know that rollerblading and ice skating are very similar, but it was still amazing to see Elliot buckle on the skates and take off. He put them on at the store, and wore them home. He barely took them off during the remainder of the day. He even wore them to the park in the afternoon, and skated around the tot lot instead of playing. I was beginning to worry that he would ask to sleep in them, but he seemed to have had his fill by bedtime. Here he is a few minutes after heading out the door. I can't help but picture a Sonic carhop job somewhere in his future...

Cwms [kooms]

We visited my parents this past weekend. The boys took advantage of every opportunity to play with their game-loving grandfather. Yesterday, Elliot played "Spill and Spell" with Pop Pop. I was playing with the other boys across the room, but heard Pop Pop say, with a chuckle, "Now that definitely is not a word." Elliot insisted that it was. Jack, hearing all of this as well, ran over the table to offer his "official" verdict. Jack took one look at the letter dice, and confidently declared that Elliot was right. The word in question was "cwms". Neither Pop Pop nor I recognized the word. So, how did Elliot and Jack both know it? Computer Scrabble. They have both spent hours playing against the computer, and have learned dozens of unusual 2, 3 and 4 letter words. They can't pronounce them, or tell you what they mean, but they know they are words (according to the official Scrabble dictionary at least!) Watch out, should you decide to play against them. And, certainly, don't challenge their words!

Quotes of the Day

"I have lots of room in my wallet. Could you just give me a credit card? Please, Mama? I need some lots of money. Ok?"

- Mattie









"Thank you for making a cake for us.

I mean me.

I mean everyone."

-Elliot, trying to set it right, after his initial attempt at thanking me for making myself a birthday cake. Ted and I just couldn't keep a straight face. Elliot knew he wasn't getting it right, but somehow managed to say something funnier each time!

Summer Reading

On a recent fall-like afternoon, I was relaxing on the couch nursing Theo, mindlessly watching TV.  I caught a rerun of 19 Kids and Counting. In it, Michelle Duggar said that she tries to praise her kids 10 times more than she criticizes them, and that someone once told her that when you compliment someone, you can multiply that praise by the number of people in the room who hear it. Her words of wisdom stuck with me, so here goes.

I had the pleasure of watching a small miracle unfold this summer. Jack and Elliot became book lovers. Both boys came home with some suggestions for summer reading, and I bought them each several promising titles. But, neither boy had any interest in reading when school let out in June. Frustrated, I decided to try something completely new. I offered the boys $1 for each chapter book they finished. I don't believe in paying kids to do something they should just do in the normal course of life, but I wanted a way to encourage them to read, that wouldn't require any involvement, nags or threats on my part. I was also interested in giving them a way to earn small amounts of money, to start teaching some spending lessons as well. So, I threw caution to the wind, and announced my payout promise to the boys. In my mind, I estimated that they were likely to read between 5 and 10 chapter books each during the summer.

Upon explaining the rules to the boys, they ran downstairs immediately, demanding their pile of books. And, amazingly, their enthusiasm never waned. Jack discovered a new favorite author. He read only Dan Gutman books all summer. Elliot continued with some familiar series, and got through the entire Magic Tree House collection. In total, Elliot read 37 books. Jack read 21. (On average, his books were slightly longer.) I am so incredibly proud of them. Not only did they exceed my loftiest hopes, but they discovered a joy that no amount of bribery could buy. All summer long I found them curled up with their books, nestled in corners and on the couch. They read in the car, and complained when the trips were too short. They read in bed, before and after lights out. I was so amazed, that I made them each type up a list of the books they read. I wanted them to be able to look back, years from now, and remember the stories they so enjoyed. Here they are:

Jack's List:
My Weird School #4 Miss Hannah is Bananas
MWS #5 Miss Small Is Off the Wall
MWS #6 Mr Hynde Is Out of His Mind
MWS #7 Mrs Cooney Is Looney
MWS #8 Miss Lagrange Is Strange
MWS #9 Miss Lazarre Is Bazarre
MWS 310Mr Docker Is Off His Rocker
MWS#11 Mirs Kormel Is Not Normal
MWS #12 Miss Todd Is Odd
MWS #13 Mrs Patty Is Batty
MWS #14 Miss Holly Is Too Jolly
MWS #15 Mr Macky Is Wacky
MWS #16 Miss Coco Is Loco
MWS #17 Miss Suki Is Kooky
Honus and Me
MWS #18 Mrs Yonkers Is Bonkers
MWS #19 Dr Carbles Is Losing His Marbles
MWS #20 Mr Louie Is Screwy
MWS #21 Miss Krup Cracks Me Up
My Weird School Daze #1 Mrs Dole Is Out of Control
MWSD #2 Mr Sunny Is Funny

Elliot's List:

Nate the Great
Nate the Great and the Sticky Case
Invisible Stanley
Stanley Flat Again
Nate the Great and the Missing Valentine
Nate the Great and the Missing Key
Flat Stanley
Nate the Graet and the missing pillowcase
Nate the Graet and the hallaween hunt
Flat Stanley
Magic Tree House #18 Buffalo before Breakfast
Magic Tree House #19 Tigers at Twilight
Hardy Boys Trouble at the Arcade
Mr. Docker is off his Rocker
Mrs. Kormel is Not Normal
Miss Lazar Bizarre
Magic Tree House # 20 Dingoes at Dinnertime
Magic Tree House #21 Civil War on Sunday
Magic Tree House #22 Revolution War on Wednesday
Magic Tree House # 23 Twister on Tuesday
Magic Tree House #24 Earthquake in the Early Morning
MTH #25 Stage Fright on a Summer Night
MTH #26 Good Morning, Gorillas
MTH #27 Thanksgiving on Thursday
MTH #28 High Tide in Hawaii
MWS 6 Mr Hynde is out of  His Mind
MTH #29 christmis in camelot
MTH #30 hanted castle on hallaween eve
MTH #31 summer of the sea serpent
MTH #32 winter of the ice wizard
MTH #33 carnival at candlelight
MTH #34 seasens of the sandstorms
MTH #35 night of the new magicians
MTH #36 blizzard on a blue moon
MTH #37 dragon of the red dawn
MTH #38 Monday with a mad genius
MTH  Dark day in the deep sea

Quote of the Day

Elliot, preparing to confront Mattie, who was obstinately blocking Elliot's path up the stairs:

"Cub Scouts can face 3 year olds!"

Quote of the Day

A trio of quotes:

I have a wonderful neighbor named Marleen, who makes delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. She generously brings us a jar or two whenever she makes a batch. To thank her recently, I made some bread for her and her husband, Walter. Ted walked it over to her house with the boys. The following conversation took place at her door.

Ted: Hi, Walter. Anne baked this bread for you.
Walter: Thank you very much. It looks delicious!
Elliot: It's for Marleen.
Walter: I will make sure to give it to her as soon as she gets home.
Elliot: Don't eat any!
Walter: Ok. I promise not to eat any unless I ask her first.

*  *  *  *  *

From our car ride down to Berwyn:

Jack: I like Grammy's house better that my house.
Me: I'm sure Grammy would really like to hear that.
Jack: It's because I get more things I like there.

Pop Pop's post Phillies' game joke today:

The traffic was so bad driving down to the Phillies game today. We were stuck for so long that we started to get very hungry. What do you think we found to eat in the car?

Traffic Jam!

Weight Limit

I got a letter in the mail from Elliot's school today, saying that, pursuant to MA general laws, Elliot was screened for a healthy BMI. Not surprisingly, he did not fall in the healthy range (anywhere between the 5th and 85th percentiles.) Based on his school assessment, his BMI was 12, which was, "Off Scale". Ironically, I had also noticed myself that Elliot seemed skinnier than usual lately, so I made an appointment with our pediatrician for a weight check on Thursday. But, me noticing it and getting a letter from the school about it feel entirely different. Elliot is a terribly picky eater, and Ted and I both refuse to serve the kids special kid-friendly meals. We also buy very little junk food. If the kids don't like what we serve, they are stuck waiting until the next snack or meal time for something different. Elliot constantly complains that he is hungry, but often refuses to eat what we serve. Dinner is our biggest challenge. I struggle, watching him leave the table having eaten little or nothing several nights a week. Everyone assures me that kids will not starve themselves; if they are hungry they will eat. I believe this myself, but have to wonder if I don't have the one exception to the rule in front of me. Most people tell me I'm lucky, especially in today's climate of childhood obesity, but getting a child to try and like new foods seems just as challenging as getting one who loves food to eat less.

Along with their letter, the school also sent home a form that our family doctor must sign. So now, with a little extra dose of guilt, I'm headed off to the see the pediatrician tomorrow, form in hand.

(The photos at left were taking during a particularly unpleasant dinner over the weekend, before I received the letter. Elliot was forcing down a piece of ketchup covered meat, and sulking about the terrible dinners I make.)

Week in Review

We had another busy, fly-by week. Too busy to write about everything, but here are some of the highlights...

It was school picture day. Elliot chose to wear a "work tie".

The kids had a day off. Mattie celebrated by falling off his chair and getting stitches. Again.

I got dressed up and went out to get a job. (I wouldn't have made it without that iced tea.)

And while all of this, plus much, much more, was going on, Spring sprung in Boston. Hooray!