My Toddler Companion.

The CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) we joined this season recently had a potluck dinner at their farm to give thanks to all its members. Kai and I went sans Graham, who was playing in a soccer game, but still managed to have a great time. We brought oatmeal-walnut cookies to share, and feasted on carrot soup, green beans, spinach and potatoes, kale wraps, and other yummy dishes. We played in the children's garden, oohed and aahed at the chickens, toured the grounds where all our produce was grown, warmed up around the fire, and listened to music. We knew not a soul upon arrival, but left having made many "friends". 

As I was driving home, I realized one of the major awesomenesses of having a child (especially one of Kai's age who still thinks his mommy is god's gift to the world!) is always having a "companion" or as I like to think of him, a "conversation starter". "How old is your kid?" "What's his name?" "What's your name?" "I know, they just grow up so fast!" Etc. Etc. It never fails. Anywhere and everywhere we go we make friends. Whether it's my choice or not. Kai rarely lets a single person walk by without asking their name. Just the other day he shouted at our neighbor (whom we had yet to meet) as she was getting in her car, "What's your name?" No answer (she hadn't heard). "I asked, What's YOUR name?" The innocence and confidence of a toddler is magnificent to watch. At this age, they are so uninhibited, and naturally, this rubs off on their mamas... or daddies... or anybody who happens to be hanging out with them on a given day. In my non-mommying days, I would have been hesitant to attend an event like this on my own. Sure, I enjoyed doing certain things solo... going to a movie, a yoga class, a walk, a coffee shop, but a "party"... not likely. Now, I rarely think twice about it. I bring Kai, and he brings me. 

(Notice our plates on top of the boat. Eco-Tip: Bring your own dishware to a party/event! )

(Kai and his new "friends".)

(P.S. Don't we wish all chickens live as "nice" of a life as this? But the sad truth is, they don't!)

Life is Good.

On Saturday, we joined some friends at the Life is Good music festival in Canton, MA. And we had a fabulous time. This was my kind of festival, hands down. Not only because it was extremely KID FRIENDLY and had AWESOME music for both the kiddies and the adults, but also because it was GREEN. Ahhh, green. My favorite kind of anything. There were compostable beer cups. Refillable water stations. A nursing zone. Vegetarian food. And right alongside the trash and recycling bins were COMPOSTING bins. Ok, so of course hundreds of people also had to drive to get there, but with all the exposure to green initiatives I like to think it was offset just a little bit. And this festival proved that it is possible to have fun and convenience while still being earth friendly. 

The kids in tow had a blast. There was so much for them to do and see and hear. Kai and his buddy Grayson danced and played, laughed and whined all damn day. They made some friends, ate some yummy food (including a big plate of sweet potato fries that Kai scored for free), and enjoyed romping around with each other on one of those big, colorful parachute thingamajigs. Kai also enjoyed some baby yoga,  an obstacle course, rocking out at the kids stage, and of course, some QT in the nursing station. Wow. It's a lot even to write! Still can't believe those boys made it through the entire day with ease. And to think Kai was going on just a half hour nap! What a great way to end the summer!

And Let the Potty Training Commence....

We hadn't really planned to start potty training. Sure, we've had the baby bjorn potty for a few months now, and he'd gone on it a couple times here and there, but it was never in the form of any serious potty training. We just figured we'd ignore the issue until he decided it was time. Well, it seems like that time has come. A couple weeks back when I was getting Kai ready for bed, we had the following conversation:


Me: "I'm going to put your diaper on now."
Kai: "No diaper, Mommy."
Me: "Well, I have to put your diaper on for bedtime... unless, you want to go peepee on the potty."  
Kai: "I have peepee coming now."
Me: "ok, so do you want to go to the potty?"
Kai: "ok!"


And that he did. Followed by a poop! He was very proud of himself. And so he got a reward in the form of a treat. A (grain-sweetened) chocolate chip. I don't really know what's being said out there about potty training rewards, but its working for us. The second day he didn't wear a diaper the entire day, all peeing and pooping on the potty. A couple of times he didn't even ask for a treat after. He was also excited to show his other toddler friends how he goes on the potty when they came over for a visit.


Since that first day he has definitely made progress. He is still wearing diapers most of the time for sleeping and when we go out, but at home he usually always tells me when he has to pee or poop, and he's still asking to go in the potty. He even enjoys bringing the potty bowl over to the toilet to dump it in! I'm not really sure what the next step is. I do have some "big boy undies" and a cloth potty training pull-up, but don't know if he's quite ready to be wearing them full time yet, although he does ask to.  If any seasoned moms out there have some advice about potty training, please feel free to offer it up!

A New York Weekend!

~Birthday tickets to see the musical Hair!
~My lovely sister, Jessie, meeting us in the city to hang with the KaiGuy. They Central Park'd it up!
~Yummy falafel sandwiches from Maoz Vegetarian to kick off the weekend.
~Graham and I seeing an incredible, hippie dippie, sexy, hopeful, anything but conservative show on Broadway! 
~Going to dinner at a delicious vegan restaurant called Red Bamboo.
~Hearing Jessie tell us about how she so gracefully and perfectly put an uptight woman in her place when she and Christian took Kai out to dinner. 

     The Woman: (under her breath but so they could still hear her without

     saying it directly to them), "I just hope he's well behaved."

     Jessie: (hearing this and definitely not being one to let someone get away

     with talking about her nephew) "Well, he is very well-behaved, and we were

     ALL children once."

   

~Awesome Sunday brunch at the Village Natural Restaurant in the West Village with some great company- Graham, Kai, Jessie, and her friend Christian.

~A beautiful community garden... stumbled upon, while looking for a place to change Kai's diaper.

~Quick trip into FAO Schwarz (only looking, no buying!), and a visit to the giant floor piano. (Unfortunately, Kai, who is semi-cripple at the moment after a playground fall, could only sit and watch!)

~A flawless, exciting, fun, yummy food-filled weekend! Thanks, everyone!

Here are some pictures:

 *At Red Bamboo there were these delicious Buffalo wings, complete with a wooden "bone" inside. Strange, but true!

* For my meal, I had the most authentic tasting "chicken tenders". The potatoes and veggies were nothing to write home about, but who needs them anyway when you're having "chicken tenders" for the first time in almost 2 years! Graham's meal was yummy too, black pepper "steak" or something like that.

~And for the real treat, an incredible mocha "cheesecake". Even though I was already stuffed and couldn't envision taking one more bite, I managed to just about finish this off. So delicious!  I definitely wouldn't want to eat this way everyday; I much prefer a whole foods diet to a processed one (which surely fake "meat" is), but every once in while I think it's ok to indulge. And it makes it that much more special when you do! Vegans and non-vegans alike would thoroughly enjoy this restaurant!

*At brunch the next day, Jessie and I shared this yummy tofu rancheros- scrambled tofu on a corn tortilla with onions, salsa, guacamole, chili beans.  

*And delicious vegan buck wheat waffles! Oh, and some sweet potato fries!

Back in the Kitchen

Ever since we returned from our travels, I feel like I've been a real slacker in the kitchen. I'm admitting it. Gulp. For a few weeks, I've been lazy and reverted back to buying some of the food necessities... (necessities in my kitchen that is), which I had finally gotten accustomed to making before we left. Almond milk. Cereal (granola). Chreese Dip. Hummus. Snack foods. Sigh. Sigh. Well, slowly, but surely, I'm getting my mojo back. 

The granola came first. I always make the Mom's Granola recipe from this book, and I currently have a big batch sitting on the counter. Next, came the hummus, even though store bought hummus always tastes so much yummier and creamier. Then, today, I finally re-conquered the "power balls", aka fruit/nut balls that are high in fat and protein which my son will actually eat and enjoy eating while hopefully packing on the pounds! My awesome friend Christina was actually the first one to attempt to make these snacks, in the form of bars, and of course once I started making them, Kai still preferred to gobble hers up over mine any day. 

So, today, Kai and I set out to get back in the kitchen, and make some yummy snack food. Granted I did most of the work, but Kai did help me transfer each ball from my hand to the plate! And he even popped a couple in his mouth as he worked. Here's the recipe:


Power Balls


1. dried fruit (I used approx. 5 dates, 5 apricots, and a handful of cranberries). Place in hot (almost boiling) water for a minute or so just to soften. Then mash up with blender or by hand with knife.
2. nuts (I used a mix of almond slivers, cashews, and walnuts). Chop into powder in the blender.
3. oats- approx. 1/4 c. Chop with nuts in blender.
4. dried coconut flakes- approx. 1/4 c.
5. peanut butter and almond butter- approx. 1 spoonful of each
6. molasses- 1 spoonful (good for iron)
7. brown rice syrup or maple syrup- a small pour
8. ground flax seeds- generous sprinkle
9. carob powder (or cocoa powder)- 1 spoonful
10. Just mix everything together in a bowl, (or use a food processor), and roll into toddler bite-sized balls!


So simple, so yummy, so healthy. It tastes like a healthy cookie dough, except one that you can happily eat raw! Here's to hoping Kai still enjoys them tomorrow....

Maybe next week we'll conquer the almond milk.....

Dance- A Haiku

A toddler dancing

Following his mama's lead

Smiling together

*This post was inspired by Mama Knows It All's Haiku Tuesdays. 

Eco-Tip: Compost Your Food Scraps!

'Tis the season for starting a compost pile. Or really just a bag of food scraps (you know, leftovers that sat in the fridge until they have started to grow mold, fruit peels, veggie scraps from chopping, etc.). And here's why:

As is commonly thought, food that has been thrown away doesn't just decompose naturally.  But food is a natural, organic matter, so how could that be? Well, landfills are devoid of the proper air and light that food waste needs to break down, so instead the food quickly rots and releases methane gas into the air, which goes into the atmosphere and helps to pollute our earth.  Methane gas is one of the most potent greenhouse gases and landfills contribute 20% of methane emissions (primarily because of this food waste)! The rotting food also produces another toxic chemical that seeps into ground water. According to the EPA, the US generates more than 34 million tons of food waste annually, and only a staggering 3 percent of that is recovered or composted! Today, food waste has become the number 1 component of municipal solid waste in landfills! This has huge impacts for our environment, our health, and our economy. Read about it in the link above.

So what can you do? Well, if you have a garden you can use your nutrient rich food scraps for fertilizing your plants organically, by turning it into compost. You can even get a tiny in-home compost bin such as this one. But if you are city dwellers like us and don't have the space for a garden of your own, you can still help gardeners and farmers turn your food waste into compost.  It's so simple, how could you not do it!  All we do is store a brown paper bag in the freezer and add the food scraps to it.  It usually takes us about a week to fill it up.  When it's good and full we simply take the bag to the farmer's market (where we are lucky to have access to a compost stand, but most likely any farmer will be willing to take free food to turn into compost!), or on non-farmer's market days, to Whole Foods (they also have a compost bin).  You also should even be able to find a neighbor or a local urban garden who would willingly take your food bag, just search online.

Our food scraps filled bag in the freezer.

But what about using a garbage disposal? Well, this may be better than throwing the food into the trash (and thus the landfill), but it uses a huge amount of energy and most likely water (if you are running the tap while you dispose). Composting is your best bet!