The Monuments

I'm just going to say it right now.  There are a lot of monuments in DC.  That equals a lot of pictures.  I actually did a pretty good job editing for this post, and it still took forever to load the pictures.  But we walked a lot of miles to see all these, so they deserve a moment in the spotlight.  Sorry if this post goes forever.

 First, the Washington Monument.  We didn't get to go up inside because it was closed for renovations due to the earthquake last summer.

 Actually, there is a ton of construction right now going on all around the Mall.  Sadly, the reflecting pool between the Washington and Lincoln Monuments was dry and closed off, which is kind of a let down.  That is such an impressive area typically.

But the WWII Memorial had plenty of water,

which was a favorite for these 4.  Before we knew it, there were wet sleeves and a couple close calls.

 The stars representing the lives lost are pretty powerful--each one represents 100 soldiers.

 It's a beautiful memorial.

Korean War Memorial.

And the Lincoln Memorial.

Bug, in particular, had been looking forward to this one and all day kept asking when we would get there.  We'd seen it off in the distance from the Washington Monument, but there were a lot of stops along the way.

And this little Peanut did fabulous considering how tired he was by the end of the day.  Short naps on the go were just starting for him.

Final one for the day was the Vietnam Memorial.  As powerful as the stars from the WWII Memorial are, seeing all the names on the wall from this war really gets me.

Although I have to admit, seeing all of these with three kids in tow, and with the crowds of people who come to DC in the spring was a lot different than the last time I was here.  My only other DC visit came a week after 9/11 and it was a much different experience.  No tourist in town and a very strong patriotic feeling everywhere we went.  I think the initial impact was greater, but it was really nice to share these with my family.

On Monday, we began another day of monuments, and walking.  I didn't start wearng my pedometer until that day, so I missed the miles from Saturday, but the overall estimate for the week was about 25 miles.  The craziest part is that Bean walked almost all of those without complaining.  Bug snuck in the stroller every chance he could get after the first day, but Bean was a trooper.

 We started off with the Jefferson Memorial.

I love that there are small museums attached to each of these where we can learn a little about the people being honored.

 And then it was on to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.  This one is my favorite out of all of them.  I love how much there is to see and read.

 The kids loved his dog.

And we'd just read a book about Elenor, so it was fun to see her there, too.

 Finally, we walked over to the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

His statue is pretty imposing.  Lots of great quotes to read along the wall, as well as the one misquote on the side of the statue.

8 monuments and probably almost as many miles later in two days.  We were wiped out and ready to head to the hotel in Alexandria for a quick swim before we went to meet up with my cousins for dinner.  We didn't have too many down moments on this trip, but there is just so much to see in the area.

Next up, the Museums!

Visit to Our Capitol

First stop on our DC trip--a weekend with this family, old friends from San Diego.  We hadn't seen them in almost 6 years, since we were both pregnant with our second babies, and then moved away from SD.

And now, those babies are all grown up.  Both pairs of kids are less than 2 weeks apart, and it was really fun to see them together, especially the girls, who at 2, were the best of friends.  We spent a lot of time together along with a couple other families, at playgroups, beach trips, bonfires, and holding our own little Sunday School playgroup in the back of the class.  And even after all these years, we got to slip right back into those friendships.

Other highlights from the weekend:

Our first glimpses of the DC sights with the B family as our tour guides--the White House, to begin.

A special dress-up tour of the DAR building, which has rooms decorated to represent various time periods and states of our country.  Our guide turned back time with the kids and took us to visit a few of these states.

The lady who did the tour was fantastic and the kids had a great time and even learned proper table manners for a 19th century tea party.

 Also, our first monuments--more pictures of these later, but we did a LOT of walking around the west end of the National Mall, and because we had friends with us, we didn't even have to listen to any whining about being tired.  That came later when we were on our own.

Easter--we had a very nice day with church, easter baskets, a delicious dinner, and these beautiful kids (and I just now realized I didn't get a picture with Peanut in it!  Oops.)

The beautiful kids who turned silly very quickly.

We got to share in the B families traditons, including their Bunny cakes for dessert.

And the kids even got to do a little crafting.

What a fun weekend to start off our trip!

11 Months

 Once again, this is late because we were traveling (and then had the comp issues, which, by the way, were resolved pretty inexpensively with a new power cord--NOT the $300 repair that the guy at Office Max tried to tell me I needed), but Peanut turned 11 months old a couple weeks ago!

 He is such the busy guy these days--he still army crawls, and has this new side pose he likes to do.  I'm sure if he crawled on his hands and knees, this would be him going into a sitting position, but instead, he lounges :) 

He also makes car sounds (is that just an inherent trait that comes with the Y chromosome?), says "dog", signs "milk", waves, and claps (very proudly--he LOVES to clap).  He STILL has no teeth (but his gums are so swollen right now that they really have to be just around the corner), and is still not the most stable sitter.  He can do it, but usually just throws himself down so he can take off again, so he gets very little practice.

Favorite foods right now are salmon, chicken soup, eggs, coconut flour waffles, and any fruit I'll let him have.

And he still loves to be snuggled and worn.  He spent most of the week he turned 11 months straped to my chest or riding around in the stroller while we were sight seeing, and he was pretty happy with that arrangement, although I think he missed his legos and was pretty excited to get down to play with them once we got home.

Can't believe that his first birthday is just around the corner!

Cleaning Time

When I told Bug that we had to clean the playroom on Tuesday:

Bug:  I can't.  I have plans on Tuesday?

Me:  Oh, really?  What are you doing Tuesday?

Bug:  Wednesdays and Tuesdays are my days I work in the craft room.

I had no idea he was on such a strict schedule, but maybe I should be so protective of my crafting time and I might actually get some projects finished.

It Could Be So Much Worse

Last Friday, I had one of those days.  We'd noticed a slow leak in one of the van tires the night before, which by Friday had progressed to the point that I really needed to change it.  And of course, since it had been a good 15 years since I'd changed a tire, and we have no owner's manual, it took me forever to find everything I needed.  In the meantime, the dog was keeping me company, but decided that the pile of rotting compost that had spilled when the garbage trucks came by was just too alluring and took a little roll in the stinky-ness.

So after Bean was dropped off by a friend who took pity on my 3-wheeled condition at school pick-up time, I loaded up the kids and dog for a very slow trip (I wish they'd put normal size tires in as the spare) to Petsmart for a dog bath and Costco for a tire repair.  Only it turned out the tire was beyond repair (that would probably be my fault for the two trips I'd made to school that morning before I had time to tackle the tire change), and they not only don't stock that tire (anymore--we just bought the tires last year!), but they couldn't even order it and it would take a week to get a similar tire that would work. What a waste of a trip!

I got home that night, annoyed and tired, to a disaster of a house, with no dinner I could eat, and only an hour before Bean needed to be at a birthday party, and then the prospect of being gone most of Saturday, having company coming for dinner Sunday, and another crazy week ahead of me.  Add in the fact that Peanut has been sleeping pretty awfully, and is having some digestive issues again (we're really hoping its teething--they look so close and would be a nice explanation for everything) and it just starts to feel discouraging. 

But then, I have other people's circumstances thrust in my face.  We know way too many people recently diagosed with cancer, struggling with family/marital issues, unemployed, homeless, lonely, sad, depressed, and generally just beaten down by circumstances.  And suddenly, I am so grateful for my life.  I know I have it pretty good--I love my family and love the opportunities I've been given. My basic needs (for food and sleep) may not be being met to my satisfaction this last year, but my higher needs are overflowing.

I really am blessed, and probably need to awknowledge that more often.  Even after a night of 4 hours of broken sleep.  Life has been pretty kind to me and my family in the big scheme of things.

Computer Issues

And of course, when I actually have things to blog about, we're having computer issues.  Currently, all the pictures are inaccessible because there is no power to the computer where they are stored (long story, but basically comes down to we've been a little too rough with the laptop lately and it finally gave in.)

And since travelogue posts can be boring enough, even with all the pictures, I can't do any without the photos, so it may be awhile.

In the meantime, in case we have to go that route, anyone have a favorite laptop?

How We Spent Spring Break

 We just got home from a week in Washington DC--

Seeing the sights,

 Reuniting with old friends,

 Taking too many pictures,

And lots of family togetherness (and all the crying, fighting, and whining that can go along with that.)

It's going to take me awhile to catch up here because of the hundreds of pictures I have to sort through, and because I can't pause life for the next week.  We're right back into school, work, loads of laundry, menu planning, meetings for the preschool and church--I miss DC already (although I'm pretty tired of all the crowds and we were on the go the whole time we were there, so it wasn't exactly relaxing.) 

But be on the lookout for more photos from our trip.

White Bean Lemon Cupcakes

Yes, I said bean cupcakes.  One of the tricky things about eating grain free, and nut free, is baking.  There are lots of baked goods recipes that use nut flours, but those have been off limits to me for awhile now (I did try a couple before I figured out that the nuts were most certainly causing Peanut some tummy pain.)  There are also recipes for coconut flour goodies, and I have found a brownie recipe that I like, but coconut flour is pretty dry and crumbly, which doesn't make it great for a cake.

And I really wanted to be able to do cake for Peanut's birthday, so I decided I should start looking around so I'd have lots of time to play with recipes if needed. 

This recipe originally came from the Modern Alternative Mama blog and was just for White Bean Vanilla cupcakes.  I made them according to the recipe and they were pretty good, although I couldn't really get them to cook up to the point that they weren't gooey in the middle.  And the honey flavor was pretty overwhelming.

So I made them a few more times, experimenting with levels of honey and adding a little coconut flour, and then adding lemon zest because the lemon/honey combination sounded like it just might be the perfect way to handle all the honey sweetness.  And this is what I came up with.  A cupcake that is good, but not overly sweet (perfect for frosting or fresh fruit toppings) and will actually cook up. 

Next step--I'll have to try actually making it in a cake pan and see if that works.  I've been too scared about the middle being raw.

White Bean Lemon Cupcakes

3 c. white beans, cooked and plain, drained well

9 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

3/4 c.. raw honey (add 1/4 c. more if you are used to really sweet desserts, esp. if you aren't frosting them)

6 eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. lemon juice

zest from 2 small lemons

3/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tbsp. coconut flour

The first step is to drain your beans REALLY well.  I think this was one of the problem I had the first time.  There was too much bean juice which made the batter too moist to ever completely cook.  For this, I rinse the cooked beans and then left them in a mesh strainer over a bowl for a couple hours while I ran errands.  15-30 minutes or so would probably be enough.

Adjust the honey according to your tastes.  If you are used to eating typical desserts, you probably want to do a cup of honey.  If you tend to not eat a lot of dessert, or if you are using sugary toppings (frosting, sweetened fruit or jam), then you can probably go with the 3/4 cup.  Or try something in the middle if you are unsure.  My kids like these okay, even with the lower amounts of honey, and they eat "regular" desserts as well.

Add all your ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.  Poor into cupcake liners so they are about 2/3 full (this will probably make about 24, maybe a couple more--you dodn't want to fill them too full or the centers might have trouble cooking all the way.)

Bake 25-28 min at 325 degrees.

My Take on Health Foods (& Granola Bars)

If the last few months have taught me anything new, it would have to be that there are a lot of different ways of looking at food, and I'm pretty sure that at least some of the "healthy" habits that I've had over the years are anything but.  And some things that I've avoided are actually good for me.  (And it is totally possible to find a healthy weight while eating tons of fats!  Never saw that one coming. . .)
My new view on food is that REAL food is the way to go.  No more sugar free, low fat, or chemical laden foods.  Overly processed foods just aren't what our bodies are made to digest.  And the nutrients and health benefits from eating things that are found in nature--fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts--are just so much better than from the stuff that comes in a can or bag.  Even whole grain doesn't neccesarily pack the same punch as, say, almond flour, or coconut flour.
But I'm also a supporter of moderation and enjoying life a little, so I'm not about to make any absolutes for our diet.  Right now, because of Peanut's health issues that I'm trying to fix, I do have some very specific rules to my food, but I do hope to eat grains again one day.  I'm sure I will on occasion even eat granulated sugar.  I have never been able to give up dessert for any length of time. 

My goal is, over time, to develop versions of treats and snacks that taste as close to the original, unhealthy version as possible, while incorporating as much real food as possible.  These treats will be a compromise--not as nutrient rich as some of the things I'm eating these days, but with all the flavor and texture that I've always loved.  And then, if we can just remember that these are treats, not meals to be eaten 3 times a day, then its okay to have a piece of cake or a granola bar a few times a week.

This granola bar recipe isn't something I can have yet, but my kids and Daddy-o have been the taste testers and they've given this version a very enthusiastic two thumbs up.  And with only a very little wheat flour, I consider this pretty good on the nutrient density range.  I may play around with it a little more to see if I can replace a little more of the flour with alternative flours, but for now, I'm satisfied that my kids are getting a healthy snack when they eat this.

This recipe started out as this one from the Kitchen Stewardship blog, and I still follow her directions, only using my ingredient changes.

Granola Bars

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup

Add ins:
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
(or whatever you'd like--other nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter to replace part of the butter. . .be as creative as you want--or as creative as your kids will allow, which is what got me here.)

Mix butter, honey and maple syrup until creamy.  Add vanilla, and then dry ingredients.  Mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Stir in your add ins.

Butter a 9x13 pan, or my personal preference--line a pan with parchment paper.  Press the dough into the pan using your hands until its spread evenly.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes before you attempt to cut them, and then after cutting them, let them cool completely before you attempt to take them out of the pan (or off the parchment paper).  This will make 18 bars.

Basket of Apples

 Just a little bit of crafting fun I did last month.  A apple themed basket, for Bean's teacher, this time.  And this time, I actually managed to finish the upcycled paper bag basket.

It took me lots of short sessions to make this basket, but I imagine it would only be 30-45 minutes if you could work straight through.

I initially saw this idea on Pinterest (where else?), but the picture there linked to a website written in Japanese, so not a lot of help (for me, at least--I can barely manage Spanish anymore, which at one time, I kind of knew). So I had to figure a lot of it out myself, and I wish I'd taken pictures along the way so I could explain it here. Maybe when I make another one, I'll remember and can add photos in here.

I used two grocery store paper bags, opened up and laid out flat. One was cut short ways, the other long, into strips about 5 inch wide. Then I folded the over from each end so each strip was now 5 layers thick, about 1" wide. You could make the strips whatever width you'd like, and then just multiply that by 5 (or less if you don't want them quite so thick, but I thought this was a nice weight.) I did the same for all the strips.

For this basket, I used 8 short strips to make the main body, and three long strips to go around the sides. I ended up cutting off a few inches of each of the long strips because they were longer than I needed, but that comes later, once you know what length you need. Once again, depending on the size of basket you'd like to make, these numbers are totally adjustable.

After folding all the strips, use a sewing machine to stitch down each long side of the strips--this holds it all together and gives it a finished look, almost like leather--otherwise, it really just looks like pieces of a paper bag folded up.

After the strips are all sewn, take your 8 short strips, lay 4 of them side by side, and then weave another strip through them, over and under. Repeat with the other three and then center the woven part so you have the same length of extra strip on all sides. And make sure that the strips are parallel so you will have a straight, even space to weave in and out of on the sides (probably could use a good photo here to make that more clear, but just think of it like this--a small mistake at one point along two lines can turn into a much bigger one farther down the line and suddenly, the strips will be overlapping with no room to weave a perpendicular strip through them.) If you want, you could use a glue gun to tack down the strips on the corners to help hold it all in place. The woven part will be the base of your basket.

Now fold the extra part of the strips up on all 4 sides to start your basket. You'll use the long strips to weave in and out around these to create the sides. (I really wish I had some pictures for this!) Couple key points--start and end on the inside so on the outside of the basket, you can't see the "seams". I would also start the three strips on 3 different sides, just so one side doesn't end up feeling bulkier because of the little bit of extra where the ends meet up (I overlapped mine to make it a little more secure.)

And this is also where I may have been "cheating" based on the original idea. Because I didn't see any glue guns in the pictures. But I couldn't figure out how to get it to stay without gluing it along the way. So I didn't glue each connection, but the ends and a few other spots around the basket. Just be sure that you have the weave nice and tight before you start gluing anything.

Once the basket is as tall as you'd like (three strips high for mine), you will fold the ends of the short strips in. For the strips that the folded end would show on the outside, I just folded them and then glued them to the inside of the top long strip (you can see this on the photo above). For the ones that were on the outside, I folded them over the top edge of that last long strip and then glued them on the inside. So you can see those ends from the inside, but I think it adds a little more stability.

And then you have a basket! I love that these use something that is otherwise trash (we use them to hold and take out our recycling, but its still getting tossed. And it makes something useful, and I think pretty.

Service

 One of the many things I love about Bean's school is the several trips they take each year to a local assisted living center.

  They've sung to the residents, performed their plays, done arts and crafts.  Service and community are both important concepts they try to instill in these kids and this has been a great experience for these kids.

As a parent, it's been a great experience as well.  I love watching the kids interact with these people.  Many of the kids are a little hesitant and awkward at first, but they warm up over the hour. 

A couple actually waltz right in there, start calling various residents by name who they remember and truly embrace this opportunity to share a little love with someone else.  It does this mama's heart good--I actually spent much of my first trip choking back tears, it was just so sweet.

I love that Bean has had these experiences this last year.

On The Way Home

They're doing a lot of work for a new freeway going in a couple miles from our house and its made for a lot of interesting things to watch on our drive to and from school.  This morning, we got to see a controlled burn of a house--pretty exciting!  It's been sad, though, to see all the trees come down--feels much less forest-like in our neck of the woods these days.

April Fools

Every year, on April 1st, I think, "I should have come up with some pranks for the kids," and then I forget about it for another year.

Well, this year, I finally remembered and spent a little while last night playing a few pranks--marker mustache while they slept, switched all their clothes from one dresser to the other, sewed their underwear together (and this was actually a LOT faster and more quickly remedied than it sounds like--Daddy-o thought I was crazy when he found out what I'd done until I explained it), taped down a few lightswitches and put food coloring in the faucet so the water ran blue this a.m.

And not wanting Daddy-o to be left out, I thought I'd mess with the computer a little--only I guess after 9 years of marriage, I'm still learning new things about Daddy-o.  He's not an April Fools fan and wasn't in a very good mood when I came down from taking a nap this morning, during which he'd discovered the computer.

Who knew turning the display to portrait and covering the desktop with "post its" would be so annoying?

The kids thought everything today was hilarious and Bugaboo immediately jumped in trying to come up with his own pranks (for me, he left me a note saying, "Eat candy and brownies" and then underneath, it had another note--"April Fools!"  Kind of mean, if you ask me!)  I think I'll be able to play some fun tricks on them and with them in the coming years, but we'll let Daddy-o off the hook from now on.