sickety sick sick

Benji just fell asleep on the floor next to me while I was folding laundry!

Everything is kind of blurring together these past few days. It has been a never-ending cycle of sick. Will it ever be over? I feel as though I've cleaned vomit from every imaginable surface and done a billion loads of laundry. Children need lots of hugs and snuggles but also refills on juice, crackers, and apples. Soup needs to be made then dishes washed. I had to wash off the wool rug in the upstairs bathtub... that was a chore! Thank goodness Mike was here, too, and we were able to tag team many things. Which meant we actually had the opportunity to go to the gym for a bit! And there was more snow, which in some ways was a curse because the kids just wanted to go outside and play in it but they were all far too sick to do anything but stay inside and watch TV. Disney's Frozen has been the movie du jour (I realize we are a little late to hop on that bandwagon) and we've watched it every single day. It is quite possibly the cutest thing ever to hear the boys sing "Let it Go" at the top of their lungs. In fact, they refer to the entire movie as "Let it Go TV Show". 

At some point in the past few days Corrigan has stopped referring to himself as "Cor Cor" and now says  "Corey" quite distinctly. Mayumi has passed some developmental milestones as well. After years of being very sensitive to scary things, she now is ready to face them and even embrace them. Actually, that is why we're only just getting into our Frozen phase now; before she was too frightened to watch it (having heard about the big scary snow monster, etc.). Now she is reading the Harry Potter series (she just finished book one and is onto book two) and together she and I have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia. She's hooked.

Between TV watchings we try to do some more productive and educational activities, like playing with blocks or the new Midsummer Night's Dream paper doll puppets we made from Sarah Jane Studio. I've also been teaching her some basic sewing skills, like sewing on different types of buttons and a hand-sewn running stitch, as well as how to piece together a pattern. With her new skills she made a new dress for her Maggie Rabbit doll. She also mended one of her blouses all by herself, and has been making all sorts of little things, like a cape for Corrigan or a pouch for Benji. 

But I won't lie - this week has been a strain. I have much more sympathy for parents with children who suffer from long-term or serious illness. The worry, the exhaustion, the frustration... it's a difficult load to carry. I'm grateful that our seemingly long spell of sickness is just the run-of-the-mill seasonal stuff that will eventually run its course. Though at one point I feared we had giardia, the doctor is confident that Maya has a bad cold and the rest of us (yes, I got sick, too!) have a form of the Norovirus. Ugh. Hopefully this is all over soon.

Two Months! and more sick, sick, sick...

We are loving the little smiles and coos that Truman shares with us. He is still an incredibly sweet and good-natured baby that we all love to cuddle. His appointment with Dr. Washington today yielded these results:

Height: 22 inches (6th percentile)
Weight: 11 lbs. 1.5 oz. (16th percentile)
Head Circumference: 39 cm.

The poor dear got a slew of vaccines: Prevnar, Rotavirus, and DTaP, IPV, HIB. Sad to see Truman crying when he got his shots but worth it if they keep him from truly suffering from (preventable) illness.

But some illness is impossible to avoid. While driving to Truman's appointment Benjamin threw up in the car. I thought it might be because of all the mucus from his congestion, but then we stopped at Costco on the way home to pick up a cheap and quick dinner (hotdogs for $1.50!) he threw up again all over me and Truman and the seat. Oh my, vomit was everywhere. And we had already used all the baby wipes to clean up the first mess so there was nothing left for the second round. I shudder to remember...

It is only a matter of time before everyone else in the house gets this little stomach bug. We are a loving family and we share everything, especially sicknesses!

winter continues

We've been envious of all the snow New England has been pummeled with this winter, so imagine our delight when we got four inches of snow! All the schools and government offices were closed and we enjoyed a bonus day off after the President's Day holiday yesterday.

Of course, four inches seems like nothing to most other people. Jimmy Fallon commented on our situation:

Along with the snow have come record low temperatures - that is the downside I guess. It is simply too cold for me to enjoy all the winter goodness. Which makes it a lot more challenging to keep up with the fitness challenge. But I did get out to do all the shoveling, which was a good workout. And Mike took Maya sledding with Paul and his girls at Fort Dupont park, which was also a good workout.  What a treat to have all this snow!

President's Day

We have a hard time getting up and out the door on most mornings, but on holidays it is always even more challenging, if that's even possible. Even with both parents around to help facilitate things we're always a bit slower, knowing that there is no rush to do anything. So we played blocks and other things before we finally got out to meet up with Dana and her three kiddos at the building museum. It was packed, being a holiday and a very cold day - we're not the only ones that love the wide open, warm indoor space to run around in.

Mayumi is already demonstrating some teenaged attitude when it comes to having her photo taken. But she's so happy to spend time with Elsa. After the building museum we grabbed a bite at a new pizza joint: Wise Guys. Good NY style pizza, and quick!

The boys fell asleep in the car so we drove around exploring some different parts of the city, marveling at how much development has happened since we moved here 11 years ago. Mike showed us the route he took on a recent jog, which led him along the Anacostia River trail. We saw some deer grazing along the side of the road and a hawk perched in a tree. It's somewhat amusing to find wildlife here in the city.

When we got home we invited our neighbors over to play and share a big pot of minestrone soup. I love Ina's version - so nourishing and delicious! And the very happy news is that both Heather AND Jarel are pregnant. Not only that, but Heather is pregnant with TWINS! Hard to believe we'll have 9 kids in three consecutive houses. I refer to us as Noisy Village after the Astrid Lindgren children's books of the same name about three homes next door to each other with lots of kids. Mike and I often remark how hard it would be to move from here because of the amazing little community we've found here. If it takes a village to raise a child then we're glad this is our little village!

Barefoot Contessa Winter Minestrone Soup

Good olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, ½-inch-diced
1½ cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups (½-inch) diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 cups (½-inch) diced celery (3 stalks)
2½ cups (½-inch) diced peeled butternut squash
1½ tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
26 ounces canned or boxed chopped tomatoes, such as Pomi
6 to 8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can cennellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked small pasta, such as tubetti
8 to 10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup good dry white wine
2 tablespoons store-bought pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving 

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1- teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the -vegetables are tender.

Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. The soup should be quite thick but if it’s too thick, add more chicken stock. Just before serving, reheat the soup, add the spinach, and toss with 2 big spoons (like tossing a salad). Cook just until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto. Depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste. Serve large shallow bowls of soup with a bruschetta on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and serve hot. 

be mine, valentine

There is plenty of love to go around in this home, though with constant bickering and fighting among the kids one might not believe that at first. I feel like I spend most of my time refereeing and monitoring time-outs and all that un-fun parenting stuff. As much as Benjamin and Corrigan love and need each other, they are also each other's whipping posts. So it's nice to capture those moments when everyone is getting along and finding ways to share the love. It helped to get a fun Valentine's package from Nana to get the kids excited about the upcoming holiday.

Mayumi is pretty self-sufficient when it comes to making cards for others, but Benji and Corey needed a little more guidance. They were thrilled to use the water colors to make a mess paint a masterpiece and then we cut out hearts from the paper. A little help from me to write a message and we were all set. Now just to get them all in the mail...

Valentine morning we had pink smoothies and pink oatmeal.

The kids liked the heart necklaces I made for them. I was inspired by pattern from the Purl Bee and just used some fabric scraps I had lying around.

I also made a hanging valentine garland from some felted wool sweaters I had in stock. They came out adorbs and there was the bonus of using up stuff I've had around here for ages.

 We made some Valentine cookies using the recipe we usually use for Christmas cookies - you know, the ones with the milky way candies inside. I tried to get Valentine m&ms for the tops but couldn't find any, so I just used up the ones we had leftover from Christmas. We tried to stick with the red ones but didn't have enough, so sure enough we had to use the green ones as well. So they were Christmassy Valentine cookies - delicious all the same!

 As I predicted, the jumbo building blocks we gave the kids as a Valentine present were a big hit. Though they are foam, I got the wood print ones (rather than the bright primary colored ones) because that is more my aesthetic and the kids seem pleased either way.

Later in the morning we headed to Mandu, a Korean restaurant in Chinatown, with all four kids in tow. Our friends, Mike and Lindsay Yea, were having a party for their baby daughter, Hope and were brave enough to invite our entire family. In Korea they celebrate a first birthday with a doljanchi, a large birthday party with all the family and friends. The food was delicious and it was hit with the kids. We caught up with friends we don't get to see often and even made some new ones. Hope was adorable (I am so partial to Asian mixie babies!).

After the party Mayumi and I got dropped off at MaryJoy's home for a special Valentine mommy-daughter book club party. Truman came along, of course, because this little love machine doesn't go anywhere without his mama. There were more treats to be eaten and more Valentine cards to be made and more fun to be had with good friends. A love-ly day all around with minimal refereeing!