A Life Sustained: June 2012

Weekend Review: Beyond the Sling by Mayim Bialik

If the hubbub over the recent Time Magazine cover (I think you know the one I'm talking about) is any indication, our society feels very strongly about the ways in which we raise our children. Behind the sensationalism of that cover photograph, was a pretty uncontroversial article about Attachment Parenting (AP); what it is, how it entered the mainstream, and why an increasing number of families are choosing it as their parenting philosophy. I consider myself an AP mom, although I had made the decision to embrace most of its key elements -- extended on-cue breastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping, gentle nighttime parenting, and such -- independently and before I knew that collectively they formed a particular style of parenting. Once I started reading books by William Sears and Jay Gordon, the two lions in the field, it all fell into place for me.

I will admit that in the early days it was hard to find support for my choices. I became close friends with a couple of other AP moms, but this way of parenting was not something that had been done by the other women in my family. I really would have benefited by hearing from experienced moms about how they negotiated the challenges of the day-to-day in ways that were in keeping with our ideals. Mayim Bialik, Ph.D. provides just such a voice in Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way (Touchstone, 2012).

Best known for her titular role in the 1990s sitcom Blossom, Bialik went on to get her Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA and became a mother to two sons. Like me, she didn't inherit this style of parenting, she intentionally and thoughtfully chose it based on her research and her instinct. The key thing that she tells us in the introduction is that this is not a book that is trying to instruct you how to parent your child. Rather, it is meant to help you cut through the excessive noise of parenting how-to manuals so that you can trust your own inner parenting voice and it seeks to offer support by showing what worked for her family and illustrating what AP looks like in everyday life.

Bialik addresses birth, breastfeeding, babywearing, gentle discipline, co-sleeping, elimination communication, simplicity, maintaining a sense of self once becoming a parent, and balancing work with parenthood and she does so in a style that is conversational, non-confrontational, and truly helpful. The target audience here is someone who has heard of AP, but hasn't yet read anything about it and for them it will provide a useful introduction as they prepare for their parenting journey. There is also much that will resonate for someone who has already embraced some or all elements of AP, but is looking for some practical advice. As I transition from parenting my baby to parenting my toddler, I found Bialik's guidance to be concise, tangible, and ready to be implemented today. Her words on how to handle tantrums and conflicts over sharing, for example, really speak to where I am right now.

This book is a welcome addition to any parenting library. Bialik provides a much needed voice; that of a mother who is currently employing the AP toolkit. She is one strong mama and she gives us the encouragement and the support to be the same.

This review was first published on Blogcritics.
My review copy was provided courtesy of Touchstone.

This Moment | Building

Joining Amanda at SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

CSA | Tuna Salad with Garlic Scapes

This week brought us: beets with greens, snow peas, broccoli, spinach, Chinese cabbage, sungold tomatoes, onions, and garlic scapes. I need to go back through last year's recipes to get some ideas about how to use all that cabbage. It's already Thursday and I still haven't used any of it!

Half of last weeks sugar snap peas, a garlic scape, and all of last week's broccoli were thrown into a quick fried rice. I used my basic fried rice recipe and substituted the veggies that we had on hand.

Next up is a very square meal. I couldn't resist picking up some Swiss chard from the farmer's market last week, and that was braised along with some onion and garlic scapes. The last of last week's red turnips were mashed with potatoes alongside a roasted rosemary chicken with mushrooms (recipe in Feeding the Whole Family).

Throwing a turnip or a parsnip or two into mashed potatoes is one of my favorite ways to use these root vegetables. They boil at the same rate as the potatoes you just mash them right in.

This plate is loaded with goodness. The rest of last week's sugar snap peas were quickly sauteed with onions and dill (recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone). Next to that is a massaged kale salad with apples and currents (recipe in Feeding the Whole Family) and finally, there's some lemon garlic quinoa (Feeding the Whole Family).

Doing multiple dishes for one meal can be challenging, but with very minimal planning it doesn't really need to take more than 30 minutes. For the above plate, I started the quinoa first. While that cooked I threw together the kale salad and then the peas. After dressing the quinoa, we were at the table and eating after just a half hour.

Finally...onto this week's yummies. One of this week's beets was shredded onto a pizza along with a little of last week's rosemary and topped with feta.

We've tried beet pizza before with roasting the beets first, but this was our first experimentation just shredding the beets raw on top of the dough and then popping it into the oven. Success. The feta really makes it. I also got some arugula to go on top after it came out of the oven, but I totally forgot to put it on.

The beet greans were super tender, so we did a simple braise on them with some onion and garlic scapes. This was piled high next to tuna salad sandwiches. I've never really been one to eat a lot of canned tuna, but these were really good. This recipe makes a pretty wet salad, so make sure to toast your bun or bread.

Tuna Salad with Garlic Scapes

5 oz. can of tuna packed in olive oil

apple cider vinegar, about 1/8 C.

1/4 C. red onion, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 garlic scape, finely diced

1/4 C. green pepper, finely diced

salt and pepper, to taste

mayonnaise, to taste

toasted buns, for serving

1. Drain the olive oil from the tuna into a measuring cup, reserving about 1/8 C. Flake the tuna into a large bowl.

2. To the tuna add the diced vegetables.

3. To the 1/8 C. of olive oil, whisk in enough apple cider vinegar to make 1/4 C. Pour over tuna and veggie mixture.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add enough mayo to get the level of creaminess that you'd like.

5. Serve on toasted buns and enjoy!

Japanese Beetles

The Japanese Beetles are back in full force. Last year, they completely defoliated one of our trees and it looks as if they are going to give us a repeat performance. I woke up yesterday to a deck full of dead, munched-on leaves. It looked like fall. It feels a little bit hopeless. But, Silas helped me gather a few leaves and we're experimenting with them: collaging, printing, stamping. Maybe we can pull a little bit of beauty out of all that destruction.

Weekending

This weekend was...

a frenetic morning where Steve and I had to divide and conquer in order to get everything done.

He headed to the Farmer's Market alone while I packed and got the house ready for our two day absence.

We got on the road, headed north for a family reunion, two hours past our target time, which we still considered a success. Silas took the long car ride in stride.

Five minutes after getting out of the car in my hometown we had swimsuits on and were headed to the pool

(where I worked as a teenager) for my little guy to take his very first swim. My fish.

Surprise slips under the water didn't phase him. He just wiped his face off and got right back in.

Then back to grandma and grandpa's house to dry off and snuggle and head to bed 2 hours past bedtime.

He did not sleep in 2 hours at the other end, though. Up at 7:00 with a full day ahead. Lots of playing, baking, napping, and visiting. Seeing family we haven't seen since last year. This time Silas absolutely reveled in the crowd, falling head-over-heels in love with his cousins and helping grandpa break down tables and put them away. A long drive, but that breath of relief upon walking through the door. Home.

Joining Amanda at The Habit of Being.

I was also over at Little Homestead in the Desert this weekend, visiting with the lovely KC.

Weekend Review: The Voluntourist by Ken Budd

Ken Budd asks the tough questions. Does my life have meaning? Will anyone remember me when I'm gone? Does not having children equate to an empty existence? After the sudden death of his father, Budd realizes that his own longing to have children will go unsatisfied. He wants very deeply to have a child, but his wife, just as deeply, does not. So he sets out on a quest to find ways to inject meaning into his daily actions, which he documents in The Voluntourist: A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem (William Morrow, 2012). He goes to post-Katrina New Orleans, Ecuador, China, the West Bank, and Kenya and what he finds is meaning found in slowing down and being grateful for the small moments that he shares with those that he loves. His life doesn't have to follow some pre-formed map and he allows himself to accept and then release the fact that "father" is not a title he will have.

Budd's observations are detailed and he spends much time transporting us to both the geographical areas that he visits as well as allowing us a peak into his inner thoughts. He wrestles with big, complicated topics, including the larger issues around his volunteer assignments (climate change, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and HIV in Africa). He also turns that critical lens inward to question the impact and the possible negative side effects of the volunteer tourism of which he is partaking. What he gives us is an honest, uncensored view into one man's journey to not only accepting the hand that life has dealt him, but embracing it.

The Voluntourist is finishing up its blog tour; see what other bloggers have said about it or check out the author's website and Facebook pages.

My review copy was provided courtesy of William Morrow.

This Moment | On the Table

CSA | Red Turnips

In this week's box: lettuce, garlic scapes, red turnips, onions, rosemary, spinach, broccoli, and snap peas.

I will totally admit that when I looked at the turnips, I thought they were beets. We've never had this variety of turnip before, but raw they tasted just slightly peppery. Kinda like radishes.

Last week's turnips found themselves next to Nutburgers (recipe in Feeding the Whole Family) along with some buttered herbs (recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone).

They were very good, but they tasted like...turnips. We preferred the wine braised recipe from the previous week.

Last week's kohlrabi was gently steamed, mixed with horseradish and dill (recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone), and was served with egg-less sandwiches (recipe in Enchanted Broccoli Forest).

The addition of horseradish wooed Steve, who usually doesn't really care for kohlrabi. I like it no matter what.

On to this week! The lettuce, one scape, and one of the turnips were eaten raw in salads.

And just to keep it real, I'll tell you that these salads were served with some Annie's man 'n cheese. Because it was one of those nights.

One more of the turnips was grated, along with an apple, dressed with a little lemon and parsley (recipe in Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant) and paired with veggie black bean burgers (recipe in The Organic Family Cookbook).

The downside to red turnips? When cut, they do bleed their color, making for a very pink salad. We were a little bit skeptical about the veggie burgers...I added some tomato sauce to the recipe because, as written, we couldn't get it to bind together. But, they were absolutely delicious. A real winner.

All of the spinach, some of the rosemary, and one of the onions were stuffed into mushroom caps (recipe in The Vegan Gourmet) and paired with Caribbean Lime Halibut (recipe in Feeding the Whole Family).

I loved the idea of stuffing our greens into some mushroom caps. It was a fun and tasty way to include them in the meal that wasn't a pile of braised greens. Not that there's anything wrong with braised greens, it's just nice to have a little variety.

We've decided to try to add a little bit more fish to our diet. This is tough for me on two fronts. First, good fish is not cheap. We had just gotten our grocery budget under control, so this will take some maneuvering. Second, it's so hard to find ethical, sustainable options. Especially in Iowa. But, I really do believe that a healthy diet includes a good dose of seafood, so we'll see how it goes.

Amerie Cowl

Here is the Amerie Cowl! I looked all over for the band from this ball of yarn with no luck. I am a very bad knitting blogger. My resolution should be to record my yarn the minute I take the band off so the info isn't lost forever. My memory can't be trusted either. I know that it's Alpaca and I used one skein that was under 100 yards and that's about it. But here it is. I really liked this little pattern. It's my first cowl and both the provisional cast on and the three needle bind off were new to me. The BO was a little clumsy, but my least favorite part of knitting is sewing up seams, so it was a nice way to avoid that step.

And now this little gem will go back into the closet until we have some weather that is not in the 90s.

Joining Ginny at Small Things.

My Aquarian

The legs of his pants cling to his calves, so soaked are they with water. There are three pans laid out in a semi-circle around him. With a lid in each hand -- that he strode with determination and purpose into the kitchen to fetch -- he alternates putting them on one of the pans. First the small one, then the larger, then small again, making a satisfying plunking as he plunges it in the water.

I crawl down to the ground and sit, scooping water in a pitcher and transferring it to a small cup in front of him. He blinks. He wraps long slender fingers around the handle and contemplates this sloshiness. He blinks again. With visible effort to hold his hand steady, he first looks to the pan on the left. Then, slowly, turning to the right. Decision made, he extends his arm and rotates his bird wrists. He has a plan. I'm not privy to the designs he has sketched out in his mind, only witness to his quiet contemplation.

This is his favorite thing to do. First thing in the morning, at the end of the day as I struggle to make dinner, and at all moments in between, my water baby bangs on the porch door and points to the pans through the window. Once he has one in his hands he holds it aloft to me with eyes wide and blue. "Eh!" he says. "Water please," I hear.

When he's old enough to speak, I'll ask him what he remembers about his birth. If he remembers the quickly-cooling bath water, if he can recall the slippery wet of mama's chest, the plink-plink-plink from the faucet. If each drop, then and now, brings us closer to who he is. What he's made of.

Joining Just Write today.

Weekending

This weekend was...

Macaroons for breakfast? Don't mind if I do. An early-morning coffee to my right and a loosely folded newspaper to my left, led me to fantasize that I was at a French cafe. Call me Lilou.

Papa limped through the Farmer's Market with an injured toe, still doing an admirable job of chasing around the Little Bug.

We brought home this week's produce (and some wool for mama, shhhh), stowed it in the 'fridge, and took naps in the warm breeze.

My major accomplishment of the day was cleaning the leftovers out of the refrigerator and getting things that needed to be frozen into the freezer. Laundry. Dishes. Dinner.

Steve took the morning shift on Father's Day, letting mama get an extra hour of rest after a restless night. I think they may have watched Silas' first episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It was apparently a big hit. The rest of the day was Papa/Silas time with the two of them headed to the park and me left behind with two hours of my very own to write. Bliss for all involved.

Joining Amanda at The Habit of Being.

This Moment | Housework Helper

CSA | Garlic Scape Stir Fry

Thank you all so much for your get well wishes! I think the power of your positive thinking has been working, as this cold is making a very quick run through my system. I've been trying to drown it in EmergenC, echinacea tea, and fruit and so far, we're doing alright. As I type this, Silas and I have been up since 4:00. He's in a great mood he's just....awake. So, I gave up, turned the lights on and told him to go wild. Hopefully, he'll crash in an hour or two and we can go back to bed. I mean, he has to crash eventually, right?

In this week's CSA box: a head of lettuce, broccoli, baby Hakurei turnips with greens, peas, chives, kohlrabi, garlic scapes, and spinach.

The peas and broccoli went into a Lemon and Ginger Stir Fry (recipe in The Vegan Gourmet).

Even though "lemon" appears in the title, Steve and I were both caught off guard by how citrus-y it was. Not bad, just not what we were expecting in a stir fry. I do love some spring peas, though, and these were crunchy and sweet.

Some of last week's bok choy went into a Thai Coconut Soup (Recipe in Feeding the Whole Family).

I don't cook with lemongrass or coconut milk much, but every time that I do, I'm always amazed by the results. This one was lick-the-bowl good.

The second half of last week's turnips were braised in some wine and served with some parsley and chives (Recipe in The Vegan Gourmet).

Yum. Just yum. Five years ago, I never would have guessed that I would get so excited by baby turnips.

Most of last week's and all of this week's garlic scapes were blended into a pesto (recipe here), which was then folded into a Polenta Spoonbread (recipe in Enchanted Broccoli Forest), served with braised spicy braised turnip greens (recipe here).

I've never made anything resembling a souffle before and was a little bit intimidated, but it turned out great. It needed another side, though, to feel like a complete meal. The turnip greens were good and not at all as bitter as I feared, given some of the online comments that I read.

All of the spinach from this week and last week was used in a Spinach Borscht (recipe in Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant).

Of course, I picked the coolest and most overcast day to make a cold soup, but it was good regardless. It needs to be very well chilled, though. I put it in the 'fridge for the suggested 3 hours, but that wasn't enough. It should verge on icy.

And finally, some of last week's garlic scapes and bok choy went together with some beef into a stir fry.

I used my Spring Farmer's Market Stir Fry recipe, but subbed in beef for the chicken and threw in some carrots. I have to say, investing in a good wok was one of the best things that we've ever done. We use that puppy a lot.

This week's lettuce, turnips and kohlrabi are still sitting in my crisper drawer. Salads and some braising are the plans for them. Today is Steve and my four year wedding anniversary and so we are headed out this evening for our yearly overdose of sushi. I'm planning on not eating a thing all day to make room for plenty of saba. Oh, the saba!

Yarn Along

Mama's caught the cold. Of course, there is too much to do today that can't be delayed, but maybe we can carve out some time for rest and healing.

Knitting: The Amerie Cowl is off the needles! Proper photos forthcoming. What's next? I'm not sure, but this camel/merino blend is calling to me.

Reading: Little bits here and there. I'm waiting for a bunch of library books to come in on mothering a nursing toddler.

Joining Ginny at Small Things.

Vacation Swap

Tracey at Clover had the wonderful idea of doing a vacation swap. The idea is that you are paired up with an individual who lives in a different state or country and then you send them things that share what makes your home unique. My package from Kim at Mothering with Mindfulness arrived yesterday and Silas and I had so much fun going through it. Kim, I owe you an email! Thank you so much for all that you sent! We've had great fun looking at all the pictures and reading about the fun things to do where you are. Canada is one of those places that I've never been, but would love to visit. It is so close, that there really is no reason not to. Above, Silas is demonstrating his flag waving, an activity of which he is now an expert.

I, of course, am far less organized, so my package of things from the prairie is sitting by my door waiting to make its trip to the post office. It will be to you soon, Kim, I promise!

Weekending

This weekend was...

a leisurely morning of coffee, scones, and bacon. Silas really, really wanted some bacon. Then off to the Farmer's Market where we anxiously awaited the appearance of strawberries. Still not yet. Sitting in the grass in the shade listening to some market music and watching the little one dance and clap. We do love to clap. He also loves to study the older kids as they climb in the trees, making mama nervous about when he will decide that it's his turn. Fresh-squeezed lemonade and a cinnamon roll. Second breakfast. Naps with the breeze bringing bird song in the window. An afternoon a deux when papa got called into work. Luckily, he made it home for the tail end of dinner and before bedtime. He also brought ice cream treats for mama. Nice work, papa.

Papa was rewarded for his hard work and kind deeds by catching Silas' cold. Summer sniffles. A first-time signing of "potty." Mama hoping this is the start of things to come. A lazy day mostly spent on the porch playing with water. This little boy of mine does like to be outside. He howls at the door every morning. Once out, pointing to the part of the yard he wants to explore that day. Gathering bits that he finds important. This day it was to the berry patch to pick what the birds have left. One. By. One. And a stone so deliberately placed; the beginning of his first cairn.

Joining Amanda at The Habit of Being.

Weekend Review: The Storytelling Animal by Jonathan Gottschall

It's hard to deny that story is everywhere. Whether on prime time television, a novel, or in the way that we describe ourselves when we first meet someone, the human animal is constantly participating in an exchange of stores; spinning and consuming. In The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human (2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Jonathan Gottschall explores this phenomenon and argues that it isn't a fluke, but a skill that is hardwired into us and that provides us with an evolutionary advantage.

Gottschall begins with our common ability to be sucked into a good story. Narrative can remove us from our physical location and, through our imaginations, transport us across lands and through time. Books do this to us, but so do movies and television, music, video games, and our dreams. Children are especially good at this because their primary task is to explore and learn, but all of us, whether we admit to it or not, get swept away often to the point that we have a difficult time discerning the line between fact and fiction. The common thread in a "good" story, he tells us, is trouble and it is this constant playing through scenarios of overcoming adversity that helps us to navigate the challenges that we face in the real world. Gottschall rejects the claims that fiction is a form of escape and that dreams are wish fulfillment. Instead, these are stages on which we act out scenes of trouble in order to prepare us to meet it in real life.

At just under 200 pages, this is a quick read that touches on many, many aspects of story. Gottschall closes with a distillation of 11 takeaway points, which is very helpful. Among them are cautions to be aware of how easily we are manipulated by story as well as calls to allow ourselves the time and freedom to daydream. While there are many notes and an extensive bibliography, the author seems to rely a bit too much on anecdote when building his case, but as an introduction to the discussion of the role of storytelling in human life and history, this is a good place to start.

To find out more, you can watch the book trailer here or visit the author’s website. This book is finishing up its blog tour and you can check out what other bloggers have said about it.

My review copy was provided courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

This Moment

Playing along with SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

CSA | Garlicky Pizza

Being out of town, even for just a day, can really throw me off track with our meal planning. Not eating at home on Sunday put us behind, but we just might squeak by and get everything eaten up before Saturday. In this week's box: turnips, red leaf lettuce, celery root, bok choy, spinach, garlic scapes, and rosemary.

Right away on Saturday night we knew we wanted to use the bok choy. I used two of our five small heads in Yakisoba (recipe in Feeding the Whole Family).

So good! Lots of veggie slurping going on.

I got ambitious and did three (!) separate dishes on Monday night. Half of the celery root was braised in cream and Dijon mustard (recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone). A bit of the rosemary went into beer braised amaranth with a creamy almond sauce (recipe in Amazing Grains), and half the turnips were shredded and mixed with green apple and parsley for a raw salad (recipe in Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant).

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that if I presented this dish on Top Chef Tom Colicchio would tell me that it's way too monochromatic and not at all appetizing. And he would be correct. I was really worried about how it would all taste, actually. I handed Steve his plate, told him to eat while it was hot and then left the room to tend to the crying toddler. When I returned he had practically licked his plate clean and uttered the words, "Best. Vegetarian. Meal. Ever." It all really just clicked. The celery root was really creamy and delicious, the raw salad had a great fresh citrus note, and the grain was warming and full-bodied. I never would have guessed.

I've had two CSA goals this year. The first is to send absolutely none of our produce to the compost pile. In years past I fall behind or get lazy or whatever and haven't been able to use up our veggies before they go bad. Not this year. The second goal is to make better use of the herbs we receive. Instead of just tossing them into a soup, I want to choose some dishes that really celebrate the herbs themselves.

So, for the rest of the rosemary I knew I wanted to make something special. It was kneaded into dough for a rosemary focaccia, topped with onion (recipe in Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant), which was served with lettuce salads.

Eating this warm-out-of-the-oven is critical to having a pleasant evening. So good.

The rest of the celery root was shredded into a wild rice gratin (recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone).

This was tasty, but a bit time consuming. I was able to do parts of it throughout the day, get it all assembled and then have Steve throw it in the oven when he got home. We ate up the whole thing, though, so it was definitely a crowd pleaser.

And finally, the garlic chives from last week went into a garlicky three cheese pizza. This is a very mild-flavored pizza with the focus on the cheeses.

Garlicky Three Cheese Pizza

One ball homemade pizza crust

1/2 C. pizza sauce

1 C. ricotta cheese

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch garlic chives

1/4 red onion, diced

6 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded

1/4 C. Parmasean cheese, shredded

1. On a pizza stone or pan, stretch your dough out and pinch up the crust.

2. Spread on the pizza sauce.

3. In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with the lemon zest, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and then spread over dough.

4. Cover the pizza with a generous snipping of garlic chives.

5. Sprinkle on the red onion.

6. Cover with the Fontina and Parmasean cheeses.

7. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

8. Enjoy!

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