A hundred acorns sown in silence

This past weekend was a rather relaxed one.  We didn't do much, but we did have fun.

Like digging for clams at Lake Pontchartrain.

Really, anything involving water is an instant hit with the bug.

Especially when her Daddy teaches her how to throw rocks into it.

It is quite a task to get a picture of Lily looking at the camera.  She usually smiles, but her eyes are always on whatever it is she is doing at the time.  So this time I told her to look right into the camera.  So of course, she came right up as close as she could get and stuck her face in the camera.  She's still not looking at it, though.  *sigh*

We also took her to Borders in New Orleans for a Silverlicious Celebration.  It was adorable and I was too busy enjoying it with Lily to take many pictures.  They had Pinkalicious drinks, along with brownies and cookies as snacks. And Lily left with a ton of great swag.  Pink bouncy balls, pink pencils, Pinkalicious stickers, a tiara and a Fancy Nancy coin purse.  There were games and crafts and, of course, a reading of Silverlicious.  She was in heaven.  It made me wish I had waited to get her the book so she could have bought it there.  Ah well.  She got a new Skippyjon Jones book, so she was happy (if you haven't read them, you should definitely check them out.  Lily can't get enough of that silly Siamese cat who thinks he's a chihuahua).

As a bonus, her Valentine from Grandma and Aunt Jenny came just before we left the house, so Lily got to wear this lovely tutu Aunt Jenny made just for her.  I love having crafty family members.  It makes up for my complete lack of creativity.

On a different note, Mardi Gras is next weekend.  I am so excited to experience it for the first time.  Lily and I are going to the family Mardi Gras, since the actual one is not suitable for children.  I'm still thrilled.  They'll have several big musicians performing and all sorts of food and crafty booths and parades.  Fun will be had by all, I am sure.  I hope our camera is fixed by then, because I really want to take some good pictures while we're there.

Happy Love Day

The lens on our good camera broke.  I'm very sad.  But I know I should feel grateful that we still have our point-and-shoot camera.  It isn't as good as our D60, but it doesn't suck either.  Still, I'm bummed.  Now we have to wait until it is fixed.

Waking up to this beautiful bouquet went far to making me feel better, though.  I love my honey.  He is so thoughtful.

And of course, he would never forget a valentine for his best girl.  Lily came running into my room this morning clutching her beauuuuuutiful balloon from Daddy. (she insisted I take the picture with the valentine she made for Daddy, too)

Then she got sugar for breakfast.  A true treat, since she doesn't get sugar anymore. 

Happy Love Day, everyone.  Forget the commercialism of the day and focus on those who own your heart.

Do Not Feed the Alligators

To the person who inspired the installation of this sign at Fontainebleau State Park, you deserve a big, fat stupid sign.  I mean, really?  Who needs to be warned against feeding the enormous and frightening progeny of deinosuchus?

I have decided to enjoy my time in Louisiana as much as possible and find things I love, rather than enumerating all the things I can't stand about the place.  We only have a few weeks left to enjoy it, after all.  And how many people get the opportunity to live in so many different places? 

To further that goal, I've decided to partake of the breathtaking and diverse natural beauties of this state.  And there truly is quite a bit natural beauty here.  So yesterday, Lily and I packed up our gear and headed to Fontainebleau State Park for a brisk, winter hike.

We had a great time and, once I got over my somewhat (but not entirely, as you can see from the picture below) irrational fear of Lily getting eaten by an alligator, basked in the surprising loveliness of the area.

We saw everything from cottonmouths (yes, one of the most venomous snakes and we had the privilege of running into it...lucky us)

...to cardinals 

...to alligators

.
..to white-tailed deer

      

And many, many more. 

It was a gorgeous day, despite being 48 degrees. Lily collected lots of new and beautiful treasures for her collection, and we hiked for about two miles (I use the term "hike" lightly.  It was more like a meandering nature walk), at the end of which was the aptly-named Alligator Boardwalk.

Once we ran all over the marsh and saw many new and exciting creatures, Lily decided she was tired and I got the distinct privilege of carrying my 38 pound toddler back two miles to the trail head.  Let me tell you, it was fun.  But on the plus side, it was a great workout.  Next time, however, I will bring our backpack carrier, just in case.

  

It was a serene, peaceful day.  I love taking Lily to new, fun-filled places each week, but I love days like these even more.  It makes us step back from excitement and seemingly-constant stimulation and enjoy some peace and tranquility.  It also gives me a chance really talk with Lily and spend some time getting to know her.  She is so very bright and energetic and eager to learn everything.  She amazes me every single day.  Days like these, I think, are important to maintain a connection with her.  I want her to always trust me and know she can talk to me about anything, no matter what.  I believe that starts now, with moments like these.

She who sings frightens away her ills

I've been debating whether or not to post these videos.  I've finally decided to do so, but be warned that they are only for the die-hard Lily fans. 

I'm not one to take videos.  Honestly, I prefer pictures, so I hardly even think about pulling out the video camera. But this morning, Lily wanted to turn her castle into a stage, so I took out the drawbridge and she held a concert just for me.  I couldn't resist capturing the moment on video.  This was shortly after she woke this morning, so please excuse her general untidiness.

Once she got dressed for the day, she insisted on taking out all her stuffed animals and putting them in her castle.  Then she wanted me to take a video of all of them.  I did warn you this one was for the die-hard Lily fans.

I love this kid.  She certainly keeps me entertained.

Once Upon a Time...

 

I've mentioned that Lily loves to read.  What I may have failed to mention is that she also loves to tell stories.  They usually involve a princess named Princess Spider.  I asked her to tell me one today by my computer so I could write down what she said.  I am amazed by the depth of her imagination and really want to keep track of her stories to show her when she is older.  Here is the Princess Spider story she told me today:

Princess Spider and the Quest for the Magical Comb

Once upon a time in the far away future there lived a teeny tiny princess named Princess Spider. Now, Princess Spider had a special magical power. Princess Spider could talk to dragons. The dragons lived in a cave and Princess Spider went to see them every day and listen to their stories. One was about a magical comb that granted you one wish. To get the comb, Princess Spider climbed the Great Wall of China and over the giantest diamond in the whole, entire world. When she found the magical comb, she asked to be super strong. Then she climbed back down the diamond and the Great Wall of China and defeated all the bad guys. But there was one bad guy who captured her and locked her in the dungeon. But the handsome prince saved her and they got married and lived happily ever after.


The End

We've been thinking and talking a lot lately about expanding our little family.  I really want another baby.  With the complications from my miscarriage, that may not be possible, but I am trying to be positive.  In the meantime, I plan to enjoy every moment I have to play with just Lily.  Because if we are ever able to have another baby, I'm sure I will miss the days when it was just the two of us.
 
 

 
ps:  Do you like Lily's new castle?  It was $11.99 on sale at Hobby Lobby.  She can do anything she wants with it and I don't stress because it was so cheap.

What you will be when you can't help it

Notable books read last week:

The Peach Keeper, by Sarah Addison Allen:  In all fairness, this doesn't come out for another month, so I haven't read it yet.  But I am placing it on my list in anticipation of how delightful it will surely be.  I am being efficient, do you see?  You may not recognize it on me, as I am hardly ever so.  This is a new leaf I've turned over, apparently.  I predict it will last exactly five minutes.  Perhaps two.

Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes:   This one is based on a true story, something I normally shun unless it is of a more academic caliber.  But I couldn't resist a late-Victorian era story featuring the brilliant author of Sherlock Holmes as a main character.  Especially one that has created so much buzz, so to speak.  It was wonderful getting to know the enigmatic Arthur and George, and the added twist of a real-life mystery made it even better.

Faceless Killers, by Henning Mankell:   It seems I was on a mystery kick last week.  Faceless Killers is the first in a series centered around Kurt Wallander, a policeman who is flawed, to say the least.  I'm really quite excited to read the rest of this series.  It is gritty and real and frightening.  And Wallander is quite relatable, for an idle and somewhat louche reprobate.

The Beauty Myth, by Naomi Wolf:  Being non-fiction, this one should have been precluded from my list.  However, I am recommending it because I feel it has an important point for not only women, but men as well.  She talks about how the images on t.v., magazines, and even pornography are detrimental to woman, as well as to the men who love looking at these images.  I don't agree with everything she says, and some things are said purely for shock-value and probably aren't true, but the message of this book is one we, in our western culture, need to hear and take to heart.  This is going to be required reading for Lily once she is old enough.

Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett:  I actually didn't discover the wonderful and wacky world of Terry Pratchett until a guy I dated in college gave me one of his books to read (I know, how did I live so long in such ignorance?).  I've read (and loved) most of the Discworld series.  This irreverent parody of Macbeth was no less delightful and satisfying.  If you are, as I once was, a Pratchett virgin, you should definitely take a peek.  He's brilliant.  Don't worry too much about reading the Discworld books in order, as most of them can be read as stand-alone books.


Last week was a good one for reading, as it was overcast, cold and grey.  I made it through eight of the books on my list.  And as an added accomplishment, I only added three new books to my list (ha!).  I am now over 300 for the year.  I think any books I add from here on out will go on my 2012 reading list, otherwise I'll never reach my goal.

Lily also found several new books to love and devour.  Her favorite last week was Silverlicious, by Victoria Kann. 

She loves the Pinkalicious books and has been dying for this new one to be released.  Last Tuesday she came into my room after waking up and said "Mooooommmmy, guess what we get to do today?  We get to get Silverlicious!"

She also got Where The Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak.  Lily, for all her girliness, really has a thing for monsters, ghosts and all things that go bump in the night.  So when she saw the stuffed monsters from the book, she became obsessed, badgering me to buy her the movie and the book.  I told her she could get them if she saves up enough of her allowance money (she gets allowance for cleaning her room and helping me in the kitchen).  So after a month of saving, she had enough for the book (I ended up buying her the movie as well, because apparently I am an easy mark for her "sad face").  She loves it.  I swear she's read that thing about a hundred times in the past week.  She watched the movie once, but said she liked the book better.  That's my girl.  Her favorite part of the book is when the King of the Wild Things gets lonely and wants someone who loves him most.  She always stops me and says, "That's his mommy!"  (ps: she looks like she's wearing makeup in that picture, for some reason, but I promise she isn't.  I do not put makeup on my child!)

Last week was a quiet one.  I hate being stuck inside, as does Lily, so after five days of bad weather, I thought we'd both be going quite mad.  But with a couple trips to the bookstore and one to the library, we ended up having quite a lovely week snuggling together and reading.  Still, I am grateful that this week is supposed to be lovely, weather-wise.  Today, I think we may take another trip to the beach.

The most stubborn cunning

When one has children, I am fast learning, one must make use of all the deepest stores of creativity at one's disposal when trying to get said children to eat healthy.

Lily has gotten better, and I have to remind myself not to expect too much to quickly, but there are lines with respect to food that she simply will not cross.  Namely, vegetables.  Beyond carrots and peas, she refuses utterly to allow a single foul vegetable to cross her lips.

So, being the diabolical mommy that I am, I have conjured ways to trick her into eating the aforementioned vegetables.  I will use Lily's new favorite word to explain it to you.  Camouflage.

That's right, I sneak vegetables into Lily's diet under the guise of her favorite foods.  Like my modified green smoothie/ice cream.

Strawberries
Mango
Apple
Agave syrup
Water
Cashews
Pureed spinach and kale

I've grown to love my ice cream maker, because I can toss all these ingredients into my blender, then pour them into the ice cream maker, wait fifteen minutes, and have a cold, delicious treat.  But I've also used frozen fruit and had this as an actual smoothie.  It is delicious either way.  This recipe doesn't have a lot of spinach and kale (about half a cup pureed), but every little bit helps.  This definitely does have a hint of green to it, but I let Lily put in all the fruit and the syrup, then when she wasn't looking, I added the veggies (I told you I was diabolical).  She didn't think twice about eating it, regardless of the hue.  (I've also used pureed celery and carrots, and cucumber and avocado, both of which she readily ate)

I also find little ways throughout the day to sneak in veggies.  She loves scrambled eggs for breakfast and I've taken to adding pureed spinach and avocado to the mix.  Occassionally, she'll comment on the "green things" in her eggs, but she'll still eat them.  I've also come up with my own creation, which I like to call sweet potato spread.

Steamed sweet potato
Steamed parsnip
Chives
Cashews (soaked in water)

I run everything through my food processor until it is smooth and spread a thin layer onto Lily's cheese sandwich.  She loves it.  I can also use the leftovers to make this really taste souffle that I love, although Lily won't touch it.

As long as I can get her to eat two or three servings of vegetables a day, I feel like I am succeeding, even though my victories seem small.  Most of my ideas have included cooked vegetables, so if anyone has had success getting a reluctant kid to eat fresh veggies, please give me the recipe. 

Cutting down on sugar continues to be a struggle, but I've been keeping the treats back to once or twice a week.

On a different note, when I asked Lily if she could paint me a picture of a pink castle, she looked at me in all seriousness and said, "Mommy, don't you know that pink is passé."  She then proceeded to paint a green and purple sunset.  I was put properly in my place.

Listening to Big Coat, by Wiretree.  Perfect music for an overcast, cold day of reading and snuggling with Lily on the sofa.