After we went and bought him some new shoes. He’s HUGE for a 4 year old. 60 pounds, 44″ tall, and really wide large feet, so I always need to take him in to get sized when its time for new ones. He’s up to 13 1/2 WWW. Not the kind of thing its easy to find, but luckily he liked one of the only 3 options they had in that size. He was a little upset because the play area in the mall has a 42″ limit, and he’s outgrown it, and he couldn’t stop to play there, so I let him pick what to do next. He was hungry and picked a BBQ place he likes to go because they have a small game room. (Mommy and Daddy like it too because its really GOOD Texas BBQ ;)).Â
It turned into a rather beautiful day (and OH! Fall is finally here, literally overnight! The leaves are changing and falling!) so we stopped at a park after lunch so he could work off some energy after sitting so much, until we finally made our way home — where the uncarved pumpkins were glaring at us from the corner of the house where I’d left them since they were so dirty. He jumped right on those and asked to decorate them; we washed them and carted them inside. He had a small pumpkin which he decorated with paints and foam sponges, and then “helped” me carve the larger one. They turned out cute! I’ll have to snap a pic later.
After we finished up with the pumpkins, the kidlet and I hit the kitchen to roast up the seeds. I wanted to let him experiment with a number of different flavors instead of just the old salt and oil routine.  I took inspiration from a combonation of several recipes and ideas I found on the web.Â
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds. In a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, about 2 cups of water to every half cup of seeds. Add a tablespoon of salt for every cup of water. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
Lemon Pepper Pumpkin Seeds: In a medium-sized bowl whisk together 1 egg white, and 2 tsp. Lemon Pepper (the kidlet’s favorite seasoning on everything ;)). Add 1 C.  pumpkin seeds and toss well. Drain off any excess egg white (using a strainer) and place seeds in a single layer across a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until seeds are golden. Sprinkle with a bit more lemon pepper when they come out of the oven. Taste and season with salt if needed (lemon pepper has a fair amount of salt in it).
Chili Powder Pumpkin Seeds: In a medium-sized bowl whisk together 1 egg white, 2 tsp. chili powder and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add 1 C.  pumpkin seeds and toss well. Drain off any excess egg white (using a strainer) and place seeds in a single layer across a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until seeds are golden. Sprinkle with a bit more chili powder when they come out of the oven. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Spicy and Cheesy Pumpkin Seeds: In a small mixing bowl, beat an egg white with a whisk until soft and foamy. Stir in a pinch of salt, ¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper, ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder, 2 tsp. Soy Sauce, and ¼ C. very finely and freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. Spread 2 C. pumpkin seeds in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Coat with the egg-white mixture. Bake 13–15 minutes until the pumpkin seeds pop. Let them cool completely and store in a covered container.
Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds: In a medium-sized bowl whisk together an egg white, ¼ C. sugar, ½ tsp. cayenne pepper and ½ tsp. salt. Add the pumpkin seeds and toss well. Drain off any excess egg white (using a strainer) and place seeds in a single layer across a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until seeds are golden. Sprinkle with a bit more sugar and cayenne pepper when they come out of the oven. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Â
The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” ~Eden Phillpotts
Yesterday was my nephew’s 5th birthday party. It was held at a local kids fun center called Safari Sams. It’s got a big climbing jungle gym, indoor minature golf, tons of games, and they serve pizza and such. I’d heard of it, but had generally avoided it, the way we avoid chuckie cheese. I knew once the kidlet laid eyes on the place, he’s be wanting to go back and back and back. That’s the first thing he asked for this morning too! /sigh
We already have plans for the day though. Portland Green Parenting is holding an event at The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island. The Pumpkin Patch is a fairly famous location; they have an incredible corn maze that’s been featured in Family Fun and Sunset magazines (and probably others that I don’t read ;)). So we’re headed over there for the afternoon. I don’t know that we’ll stay with the group the entire time. For 2 hours they are doing a square dance, with lessons for newbies included. I don’t think that I can convince the hubbie to participate in that, even if I wanted to, and I’m not sure that I do. But there’ll be face painting and corn roasting and who knows what all. Should be fun.
Edit:Â here’s a pic of the hubby and kidlet on a raid in the Cow Train. =)
“Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.†~Amy Bloom
Even for someone as news-phobic as myself, its impossible not to realize that our country is facing an economic crisis.  The presidential election alone brings it into focus, and even I know of the culpability of the banks and the unsecured home loans that are dragging the economy to the ground.  Certainly I can’t fail to miss the price at the gas pump. I know that my mom’s minimal investments for her future have lost nearly 25% of thier value, and that people everywhere are suffering, struggling, even losing thier homes.
Overall, my family is very fortunate. My husband has a good job, and seems in little danger of losing it. We have health insurance, a little money saved, and not much credit card debt. Our home and cars are owned outright. With me a stay at home mom, we don’t have a ton of extra money, so we don’t have any stocks or other investments to watch spiral down the toilet. (Who would ever think that NOT having such things could be a blessing? =p)
Unfortunately, our personal ecomonic crisis is a making of our own. We are still paying on my surgery, and since the only place remotely available in the area was out of network, we did have quite a chunk out of pocket. We just received our property taxes for the year, which of course are based on the original purchase price of our home, instead of what we could get if we were trying to sell today. We also live in a county with extremely high property taxes. This home a mile south or west and we’d be paying a fraction instead of the 7K a year that hit us in the face. We knew that higher property taxes was a penalty of where we chose to buy a few years back, but at the time it seemed worth it for the neighborhood (we live at the corner of 2 dead end roads, in an area that is one of the safest in Portland, bounded by a nature preserve, and with neighbors that are amazingly friendly, and even have block parties and the like) and the schools, which are superior to those in the neighboring counties, if any public schools in PDX can be called superior.
So we need to tighten the financial belt around here. There aren’t a lot of places to cut the proverbial fat, mostly we have to watch the entertainment/incidentals and food budgets. The “entertainment” budget has never been especially large, and all we can do there is be more aware of the money that is going out for incidentals, and throttle off any hemorrhaging there.
But ah, the food budget! The food budget is difficult to trim when you are trying to trim your waistline as well. Eating well is more expensive than not, it just is. It’s more expensive to purchase chicken breasts over thighs,  4% fat ground beef over 15% fat ground beef,  fish and brown rice over hamburger helper, organic items over non-organic.  (Mostly things like pastas, breads, and whole grain crackers and other packaged items. Not because I believe that organic foods are inherently better, but because things that are not organic are full of junk that we don’t want. I don’t personally value an organic apple over a non-organic one. I do value annie’s mac and cheese with no enriched flours and all natural ingredients over kraft, with its flour that was stripped of everything good and then “enriched” so that the gullible or uninformed thinks its the next best thing to sliced bread.) So I’ve been working on finding ways to cut back on what I spend on food, without sacrificing healthy eating.
I’ve started by taking inventory of what’s in my pantry, to try and use up what we have before buying something new. We took a trip to Costco yesterday to stock up on some chicken and fish in bulk, at the reduced price per pound that it brings (while initially expensive, it certainly pays off in the long run). I’d been buying conveinently portioned salmon pieces, which when I actually figured it, came to nearly 11$ a pound. Instead we picked up several fillets packaged together for just under 5$ a pound. I think I can managed to slice them into portions and put them into freezer bags for future use for that kind of savings.  (On a side note, shopping at Costco is so very dangerous for me! It’s difficult to resist bargains, and I have to keep telling myself ‘It’s NOT a bargain if you wouldn’t have purchased it anyway’ and ‘It’s NOT a bargain if you can’t use it all up before it goes bad’. I have to resist the 2 pound jar of olive tapenade, the gigantic sack of bell peppers (but, but they are only 20cents each! ;)), and so on. That’s why I try to drag the Hubby along with me when I go. I’m less likely to lose control with an audience!)  I can be less wasteful in vegetables and fruit by shopping more often. When I try to stock up for a week or more, something always gets buried, something always goes bad before I can put it to use. The grocery that I prefer to frequent is between home and the kidlet’s preschool, so I can combine the trips and manage to shop more often without expending gas for separate trips.  I’ve also resolved to be better about using leftovers, instead of packaging them up and letting them sit until they’ve worn out there welcome and hit the trash. Finally, I’ve located the online versions of weekly ads for several grocery stores in this area to watch for the so called “loss leaders” — the item(s) they advertise at big savings to draw people in, hoping they will stay and do all thier shopping there.Â
So hopefully putting in the extra work I will be able to continue to prepare healthy meals, and still spend less on the grocery bill.Â
“He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.” -Albert Einstein
To get a good cardiovascular workout, you don’t need a gym membership, a fitness class, or expensive equipment. Consider the following nongym options to get your blood pumping. (Note that the number of calories burned is based on a weight of 150 pounds. If you weigh less, you’ll burn fewer calories; if you weigh more, you’ll burn more.)
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Walking: Strap on your sneakers and burn between 200 and 300 calories an hour, depending on your speed.
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Running: When you’re ready, pick up the pace and burn between 250 and 400 calories per half hour spent pounding the pavement.
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Bicycling: Dust off that bike, take it for a spin, and burn about 500 calories an hour.
In-line skating: Dig those in-line skates out of the closet and burn up to 800 calories an hour.
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Cross-country skiing: If you live in an area that gets snow in the winter, hit the trails. You’ll burn between 300 and 500 calories an hour, depending on the terrain and your intensity.
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Jumping rope: Get in touch with your inner child with this old recess pastime that can burn 180 calories in 20 minutes.
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Regardless of the activity you choose, remember to start slow and build intensity over time. Aim for a pace that gets your blood pumping but leaves you able to comfortably carry on a conversation. If you have any orthopedic issues, it’s best to choose lower-impact activities, such as walking and bicycling. Both are a great way to stay active.
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“A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.” -Ken Keys
You probably know that adequate sleep is essential to mental and physical performance, but did you know that lack of sleep could be the reason why you have difficulty shedding weight or that it can set you up for Type II Diabetes?
Lack of sleep and Type II diabetes
Researchers at the University of Chicago conducted an important study, demonstrating that a sleep deficit of three to four hours for only one week had adverse affects even in young, healthy people. Â In the second week of the study, the group showed a significant loss in the ability to process glucose, prompting their bodies to produce more insulin. As a result, the men who took part in the study had glucose levels that were associated with a pre-diabetic state.
Lack of sleep and weight gain
A major study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that lack of sleep could diminish the production of the growth hormone GH later in life. GH plays an important role in controlling the proportions of fat and muscle. Having less of this hormone increases the likelihood of weight gain and the middle age paunch. Â But weight gain can be tackled with a smart diet choice. Another published study found that lower amounts of REM (deep or slow-wave) sleep seemed to be associated with higher evening cortisol levels. The hormone cortisol plays a role in regulating appetite. Adding to these findings, other studies have found a correlation between inadequate sleep and inadequate levels of the hormone leptin, which regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates and signals the body when it should feel full. This has a direct influence on appetite and weight. When there are low levels of leptin, the body craves carbohydrates regardless of the amount of calories consumed.
Now here’s the rub
Not enough sleep can cause weight gain, on the other hand, weight gain affects your sleep adversely. A recent report from Reuters Health stated that weight loss improves breathing problems during sleep, inducing better quality and longer sleep. Dropping a few pounds could end up giving you a better night’s sleep. On the other hand, if you gain weight, your chances of developing some type of sleep disorder seem to go up. So, if you are overweight, your sleep can be impaired and if your sleep is impaired, you are more likely to gain weight.
What to do?
Attack both problems at once. Set a goal to lose one pound per week and practice these pre-sleep habits.
Tips for better sleep
–Seven to nine hours of sleep are recommended every night.
–Cut back on caffeine – coffee, tea, chocolate. Some people get wired with just one cup of java. Know your cut-off level.
–Limit alcohol and don’t drink right before bedtime. It can promote drowsiness, but disrupts REM sleep.
–Exercise is good for you, but not late at night.
–A glass of milk before bedtime may work wonders.
–Have a bedtime ritual.
–Stop doing anything-stressful 30 minutes to one hour before bedtime.
–Don’t eat too close to bedtime.
–Don’t nap or sleep in late.
–If you are worrying about something, get out of bed. Condition yourself that bed is for sleeping, not worrying.
–Try not to obsess about not sleeping. The more you worry about it, the less you will sleep.
–If light is coming in to the room, block it off.
–Try a soothing bath or other relaxation rituals, including deep breathing, restful music, light stretching, muscle relaxation.
–If you always have trouble getting to sleep, you might consider professional help.
For more information about getting a good night’s sleep, visit the National Sleep Foundation
“Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.” -Aldous Huxley
One of the bento groups that I follow is Bento Challenge over at livejournal. Every Saturday (in theory, sometimes she misses one), she posts a theme for the week, and the community of posters puts up pictures of thier bentos in that theme. So far I have only posted one, which was for the “Under the Sea” theme back before the trip to California.
The mermaid on the tinted rice in the left tier came out very pretty, but her components aren’t exactly in keeping with the rest of the flavors (she is bologna, cheeses and snow peas). The coral is bell peppers. On the right is a spinach salad, a grape tomato skewer, and shrimp and clams (in keeping with the under the sea theme). The sea stars are from a recipe I picked up at Family Fun.
Crispy Cheese Stars
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Flour tortillasÂ
Sliced cheese (cheddar, provolone, or mozzarella)Â
Chili powder or paprikaÂ
2 Star Cookie Cutters, in graduated size
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Heat the oven to 350°. Use the larger cookie cutter to cut out stars from flour tortillas (about 5 per 10-inch tortilla). It’s easy for kids to do if you use a rolling pin to roll back and forth over the cutter. Bake the stars on a foil-covered cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Use the smaller cookie cutter to cut out an equal number of cheese stars from the sliced cheese and place them atop the tortilla ones. Bake the stars for 2 more minutes or so until the cheese melts. Sprinkle the stars with chili powder or paprika and let them cool before serving.
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Instead of chili powder or paprika, I used a furikake seasoning on some of the stars. It gave them a more rugged-y appearance, I thought. Plus, the seaweed fit with the theme. 😉
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“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.â€Â ~Abraham Lincoln
When I haven’t crafted in a while, I get twitchy. Whether its scrapping and paper crafting, involved art projects with the kiddo (coloring just doesn’t cut it ;)) or even assembling a beautiful bento lunch, I just seem to need a creative outlet. We have an extra bedroom and it was once my computer / craft room. However, 18 months ago my mom left her husband and needed a place to stay and we were happy to invite her in. My stuff got pushed into the play room and my craft room became my mom’s bedroom.
The playroom is plenty large to support my son’s toy and place space and an office space for my computer desk. But although my paper crafting stuff will almost fit; there is no place to actually spread out, set up my sewing machine (yes, on paper), die cutters and other tools.
My mom hasn’t been using the room regularly for more than six months now; maybe its even closer to a year at this point. She has stayed a day or two here and there, and was here with the kidlet while we were at Blizzcon, but overall, the room isn’t getting used. She is living a couple hours away with her new boyfriend. And while I would prefer to have her here in town, close, if she isn’t going to be using the space — I need it back! We do have a pull out couch that isn’t half bad, comfort wise, so she’ll still have a place to sleep when she does overnight visits.  I desparately need to spread out, have room to work on my crafting whenever I get the twitches.
That’s one of my projects for the next month. In the meantime, I resort to one of my fall backs, doing a premade project, or digging out something old that I haven’t quite finished (hah! Lots of that around here). This morning I pulled out an old scrapbook page about my son’s obsession with Thomas the Train and his friends, and finally worked out the finshing touches.Â
Although I am a big believing in hand journaling, like most people, I hate my handwriting, so when I can get away with it (the pictures really tell the story here!), I’ll avoid it or use my computer to print it out. Although I called this “finished”, I may go back and write in some basic info on the kidlet’s age and such on the tags in the lower left.
The most involved bit was the large “tear bear” tag. The bear is made using a textured heavy mulberry paper, which is dampened and then torn into the shapes and then further distressed with a toothbrush and a little sanding block to fuzz up the fibers in the paper. His face is finished with paper bits I shined up with paper glaze, gel pens, and some chalk. I disressed the edges of the background paper layers with a distressing tool (basically a razor blade encased in plastic with a wedge missing to expose the blade to the paper and then added some brads and machine stiching to further secure it together after gluing.Â
Add in a paper hat and a train bead with the shank snipped off, and there you go! Overall, I am pleased with this project. He has finally moved on from the insane train obsession that lasted at least two years, so I’m glad to have the reminder in his scrapbook of those days where all I heard was “Let’s play trains, Mommy” for (literally) hours on end!
“Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus.†~Ralph Waldo Emerson
It just doesn’t feel like fall. It hit me as the kidlet and I were hunting up fall leaves for a group collage project at his preschool.  Our neighborhood has been here for 30+ years, so the trees and such are quite mature, despite being in the middle of a city (well, I guess techincally we’re on the edge of two cities, PDX and Lake O, but lets not quibble). We also live on the corner of 2 dead end roads with basically pristine Oregon wilderness all around. In fact, there is a natural preserve park that abuts up to our property. So normally there is just no shortage of gorgeous foliage this time of year. However, we had trouble finding ANY leaves to cart off to preschool, and the ones we found were truly ugly dead brown crunchy things, not the majestic golden-orange-red colors of autumn. The leaves just aren’t changing yet, and they are still alive and well on the tree.Â
Has it been too wet? (come on, its Oregon, its ALWAYS wet ;)) Not cold enough? Maybe that’s it; mornings have been wet and foggy, and relatively warm. We haven’t had those crisp air apple-picking clear day need a sweater mornings — another part of fall that I love and now realize that I have missed.
“It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.â€Â ~P.D. James
Once thing nice about coming back from mini-vacation (besides seeing the kidlet, who I was missing desparately by Saturday) is coming home to an almost clean house. Since mom was staying here with the wee one, we had to get things in a semblance of order, lest we be terribly embarassed. It was far from perfect (I got a lecture twice on the phone and once when I got back in fact on the important of a clean house for the kidlets sake if nothing else, heh), but after being sick for three weeks and getting nothing done, on top of an already slightly messy living space, my house was nearing the comdemned, time to clean it with a match state.
Now I need to find the time and energy to keep it in that clean state it is right now. Along with the changes in my health, managing my home is another area that needs work. I can’t let it slide until it becomes overwhelming again
“Everything can be taken from a man but … the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.† ~ Victor Frankl