A Bicycle Built For Toot

It's been a rough week for some reason. One of those weeks where she is clearly working through some stuff, and hasn't been in the best mood as a consequence. So plenty of tantrums, but also some funny stuff I want to remember:

She knows lots of songs now, as well as the words to her books, so if you pause a moment for the last word of a phrase, she'll pipe up with it like a little Beastie Boy. One song we've been singing a lot lately is 'Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do...' Do you know it? Anyway, the last line is 'and you'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for two.' Now, the word we use for fart around here is toot (I don't know why - it's not like fart is a bad word. Just seemed too crass for her little angel face!), and she thinks it's a 'bicycle built for toot.' Very clearly, every time - toot.

 

I caught her 'breastfeeding' Minnie Mouse in the bath. Saying 'night, night'! I DIED laughing and she looked at me like, what? How else will she go to sleep?? Jeez, Mom.

 

She wants to walk everywhere now, and puts her little toy baby in the buggy. She stops every now and then, looks at the baby and goes, 'O-TAY? O-TAY?' I did not realise I did that to her, but I guess I do!

 

She's quite disturbed by 'mess', and it very happy to clean up spilled water or whatever if I give her a rag. So, we're going for a walk, and she's calling the puddles 'mess'! A bit too far, no? Someone told me that they are fastidious at this age, either that or she's going to be a neat freak.

 

A friend recently said that it must be great now that she's quite verbal, because she won't get as frustrated since she can communicate what she wants. Yeah, not at all. Tantrums have commenced this week for the following, totally rational, reasons:

 

I made the bed.

 

She wanted my spoon instead of hers.

 

She saw a picture of an orange and wanted it.

 

I couldn't read two books at once.

 

We wouldn't let her outside in her pajamas, barefoot.

 

Then, when she sneaked out while her Dad took the trash out, she was upset because she was barefoot. ('Feet!! Feet!! Shoes!)

 

I can't make hummus appear out of thin air.

 

And those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head!

 

In other news, we bought her a little potty. Not terribly serious about potty training yet, but I figure she can have a go during naked time this summer. So far she likes to sit on it and say 'peepee' or 'pssss' (I did not teach her the latter, interestingly), but we haven't hit paydirt yet. I do actually think she knows what it's for, but right now it's a pretend thing. I haven't really looked up different ways to potty train, and I know it's early, but it would be nice to make some progress during the warmer months.

 

 

Thanks again for voting guys, you're the best. Goodbye weekend, here we go again!

 

Things My Mother Taught Me About Food

Hands up if you're a sucker for a Netflix documentary? If A Tree Falls (fascinating), Nim (deeply depressing), Man on Wire - I can't resist. The other night I watched Fed Up, which is about the obesity 'epidemic' and the strong arm of processed food companies - particularly pointing a finger at outrageous levels of added sugar. It wasn't actually news to me, being a bit a a food nerd: the softening of McGovern Report due to industry pressure, the conflicts of interest with the FDA, junk food in schools, advertising to children (a nauseating quote from a McDonalds rep at a hearing: "Ronald McDonald doesn't sell to kids; he informs and inspires through magic and fun"). A fascinating tidbit was the government simultaneously recommending less dairy fat consumption in official literature, while actively peddling all the excess cheese made from the leftovers from skim milk. Depressing, but not surprising. I hadn't really thought about it before, but those of us born in the 80's and 90's were growing up in this unbelievable boom for processed foods, when families were marketed junk from all angles. Low fat! Fun! Convenient! Affordable! My childhood could so easily have been full of Lucky Charms and Spaghetti-O's, but it wasn't, because my parents knew better. I'm so grateful that they valued real food and made us eat it! That's not to say that we never had pizza or soda, but it certainly wasn't the norm.

 

These are some of the best things my mother taught me about food, that I hope to pass on to my kids:

Easter Staycation

Happy Easter Weekend! It's a 4 day weekend here in the UK, and we normally spend it travelling to make the most of the time off. Besides when we moved 3 years ago, I can't recall a single Easter spent at home. This year, for the first time, we're staying in and enjoying spending some time together! Because we're always away, we don't really have any Easter traditions either - so we get to make it up as we go along. So far it's been painted 'eggs', hot cross buns, french toast and the farmer's market. All very casual! 

 

Someone is enjoying having Dad around!



I don't know how to make hot cross buns (yet), but the Bramley Apple variety from M&S is accidentally vegan. The other flavours aren't, I don't think. Quite good toasted, but I think I'm getting very spoiled when it comes to fresh bread  - the store bought stuff just doesn't cut it anymore.





'What did I do now? Wear red and purple together?'

Also tackling some chores, for instance my fella is cleaning our little back garden. I think she's trying to protect her only patch of dirt? Just you wait, in a month or two we're going to have some garden before and afters - I have high hopes.

In other news, I think my sourdough starter is well and truly started (been making some bad 'risen' puns...) and I've got high hopes about that as well. Fed it this morning, and will feed it again in 12 hours then move it to the fridge to slow things down a little while the microorganisms battle for supremacy. I will post in depth about that later.

Anyway, have a good Easter break. Hope you're all enjoying a nice meal with some good people.

Thoughts on Tantrums: Being There

Tantrums are becoming a normal but not-altogether-welcome part of our lives. She feels strong emotions, like anyone else, but doesn't understand how to process them. Something very normal, like a flash of anger or impatience or frustration is just overwhelming. I don't pretend to have all the answers; these are just my thoughts and current tactics:

Love is Simple

Bothering my family with the camera at 6am. I love these people.

Please, stop taking pictures of me. Ok, ok...

Everybody Has to Wear Pants

 

No, I will not let you change my diaper.

 

 

Still no. I have to understand this box first.

 

It's flippin' freezing in our house (it's old and draughty), but I still find myself daily struggling to get the babe to submit to a full outfit. Everybody has to wear pants, kid. Sorry. She blows on her pretend cooking, btw, and I die.

 

 

We're loving having fresh bread. It's just a part of the routine now. Next stop, sourdough!

 

 

I got a new Japanese vegetable knife, and it makes me feel like a goddamn ninja. I had my eye on a Wusthof, but decided to go for a cheaper one. Still, sharp as all hell. That squash took like 30 seconds. NINJA.

 

Clearing the fridge before we go away is making for some pretty random meals. Tofu scramble with toast and sweet potato fries.

 

 

When will this cold go away??? Lemon and ginger tea, F. likes it too.

Summer in January: Packing and Planning for a Long Flight with a Toddler

 

God, I love packing a suitcase. Almost as much as I love travelling. It's, like, my special skill. I like to travel light, taking only a perfect little capsule wardrobe, daily essentials, and a few feel-good luxuries - anything else we can pick up there. It's a little trickier with a baby in tow, but not impossible. If I ran my whole life the way I pack a suitcase, I'd be unstoppable. And packing for hot weather in the dead of winter? Heaven.

 

We're preparing to take our first big trip as a family, besides trips to visit people, and it's going to be someplace warm - hurray! Since the birth of the babe, we've been to California twice to visit my folks, and to Spain once, to visit some of the in-laws. It all went very well, but travelling with a small baby is a LOT easier than with a toddler, and this is going to be a long haul flight. In fact, I'd venture that between 1 and 2 years old is the worst time for long trips - they are too old to spend the whole journey snoozing and breastfeeding, but too young to be plugged into video games or whatever. They want to explore, and are famously pretty unreasonable.  Luckily this is a night flight, so I'm hoping we might just get away with it. This is the plan:

 

Snacks: Can you pack too many snacks? I don't think so. Packing for a vegan adult usually always involves snacks, so add a toddler and it's going to be half my carry-on. Sorry, aromatherapy facial mist - you've been bumped. Nothing revolutionary, rice cakes, raisins (for once! We don't keep them in the house because of our dog.), granola bars, cereal - anything else I can get at the airport. I aim for tidy and tasty rather than most-nutritionally-perfect, after all it's not every day.

 

Books: Books are better than toys. They hold her attention longer, are easier to pack, and are less likely to be flung about. Also, much less annoying to fellow passengers than the play phone that is calling the rabbit for the 300th time. I know this is controversial, but I think they are far superior to an iPad. Books are quieter and don't require charging. They don't have to be switched off for take-off and landing, risking a tantrum, there's nothing on them that they aren't allowed to do, risking a tantrum, and we never have to take them away to check our email, ensuring a tantrum. In fact, iPad sessions pretty much always end in tears, come to think of it.

 

When in doubt, get 'em out: When F. was 4 months old, I flew to California with her by myself. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't THAT bad. Reason? Almost constant breastfeeding. If I was a fellow passenger, I think I'd prefer a little nudity to 11 hours of screaming. Won't be as simple this time, as we aren't boobing nearly as much as we were, but I do still have that ace up my sleeve and I intend to use it.

 

Accepting Help: Airline staff are always amazing helpful, I've found, especially if you're on your own with a child. If someone on cabin crew offers to hold her while I go to the bathroom, I'm going to gratefully take them up on that.

 

The Leash: Yes, I have a toddler leash. Not one that pretends to be a backpack either. It's just a leash, and it's 100% essential at this age. Sometimes the girl needs to stretch her legs! If that happens to be at a time when Mommy needs to watch the departures board, she's going to be on the leash. I have zero shame about it.

 

What else would help with a long haul flight? Tips and tricks?

The Gauntlet

 

Our lunch today. It was a pudla (yes, that one), with greens, veggie sausages and avocado. Mine had my last couple slices of Violife and some Tapatio, hers came with a side of sweet corn because it's a vegetable she will always eat. I realise that it's January, and so that corn must have travelled a long way to get to us here in the Northern Hemisphere, but you guys, I have to get some veggies in that kid. Don't tell Al Gore.

In other news, I've enrolled in a photography course. You see, I quit my job after my daughter was born. It was a cool job. I loved it, and I was good at it. It was the kind of job that hundreds of people want (or think they want), and I'd worked hard to get there. But I just didn't see how I could make the hours work. In fact, I suddenly realised that all the parents I knew in that field had a house-husband or wife. When I quit, I said to myself, I'd love to be self-employed by the time I'm 40. 10 years. 10 years to either take a sidestep in my old field, or find something new. I had an idea as to how I could make that happen in a job similar to my old one, but it would probably involve long, inflexible hours and low pay, which I might be able to do in a few years, but not right now. In the blink of an eye, one year has already passed. So in the interest of making the most of the time I have, I'm a student again. If nothing comes of it, I will still improve my personal photography and hopefully take some great snaps of my family. I hope to improve this blog, which, I won't lie, I wouldn't mind monetising. And if things really go well, maybe some freelance work will come my way. I really, really wouldn't mind that. Self-employed by 40. 9 years now. Gauntlet laid down.

Toddlers

 

Sometimes I notice some small detail, like a pile of books, and it hits home how much my life has changed. No Anais Nin, no Dawkins - here we have Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes.

 

Today is my husband's birthday, and its a big one. I think he's feeling it a little more than usual this year. I don't see why - he should be proud of everything he's accomplished. I'm proud, anyway.

 

Yesterday's white bread, bad lighting:

It was a success. Next stop, sourdough!

An exceptionally lazy lunch of canned soup and grilled (Violife) cheese. I was feeling a little conflicted about serving my kid something so borderline unhealthy, but she didn't eat it anyway. The tantrum began as we left playgroup, and continued until she fell asleep. They are so cute, it's easy to forget that toddlers can be assholes challenging.

Birthdays and Mondays

This weekend we had a surprise birthday party for my husband, it was hectic, but fun. Leftover cake:

 

 

And having houseguests, I made my normal batch of spelt waffles:

 

 

We also started attending a Steiner playgroup today, which I quite enjoyed. The first time I went to it, to see if we liked it, I thought it was a little bit crunchy, but then so are we - so we decided to give it a go. It was such a success that F threw a full-on tantrum when we had to leave. :/ The play space is beautiful (I will ask them if I can take a snap or two), and they burn incense and light candles, they sing songs and all the food is vegetarian - it really is lovely.

 

Lastly, one of my wonderful brothers sent us some late Christmas gifts, in time for a "Merry Ides of January", and they are merry indeed. A hat:

 

 
Books:
 

 

And a very sweet inscription for her:

 

Love my brothers! Thanks Uncle Will!