Catch Up

Life has been really full lately, and I haven't had time to keep up with my blog. I've noticed that once the weather warms up I find it more and more difficult to find myself in this space, as I'm too busy moderating fights over the hose, cutting up watermelon and trying to find a way to keep too much dirt from making its way into the house. The other day, the boys were begging me for some kind of art project. While on Whidbey for Easter, I picked up a gorgeous set of vintage linen hemstitched napkins(did I mention them already?), and wanted some napkin rings to go with them. I'm not sure why, but lots of people seem to find napkin rings a serious source of inspiration to commit really atrocious crimes of visual torture: chunky beads, gratuitous amounts of ceramic, enough metal to cover half the actual napkin. This must stop. They're just napkin rings, they don't have to make such a heavy statement. I'd love to own a beautiful silver set someday, but for now these wooden ones I picked up for $1.99 for four will do just fine. They were a great project for little hands who lack the patience for precision.

While the days have been sunny and mild, Jack seems to think the weather has been positively equatorial. One glimpse of sunlight, regardless of the temperature, and he refuses to wear a shirt.

Proof positive of Briana's accusation that I paint everything robin's egg blue.

After a lot of observation, I've come to the conclusion that Jack's skin can tolerate a little spelt. Not too much, but we seem to be able to get away with a spelt-dominated meal once or twice a week without angering his eczema. I cannot describe the joy this brings me, as I've been itching for the chance to use my new-to-me ravioli maker I bought for under $5 at a thrift store.

I think the pizza cutter method I used at Thanksgiving is actually faster, but the aesthetic pleasure I get from those zig-zag edges is totally worth the extra time. I filled these with mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh herbs. The boys both preferred plain mozzarella-filled. I will write a post soon on the joys of fresh pasta; not just the flavor, but the tactile joy and family involvement too. It really is fun for the whole family.

And in less picturesque news, I've been obsessed with Rubens. I loathed them as a child, but somehow I've recently developed a serious and relentless hankering for sauerkraut. Must be the 1/8 German in me.

I'm still attempting to pare down our belongings, and did a pretty good job with the toys. I decided I was going to have to be totally ruthless, and I was. The only toys in the boys' room are building blocks and vehicles. Everything else, no matter how cute or interesting, went into a storage bin and was put away for later use or donation. I've already noticed a reduction in living room clutter and am satisfied that I've reduced their playthings to a quantity they can reasonably put away on their own. Also, I vow to never ever give a child another present with multiple pieces. I will give books, art supplies or a toy that comes as a single piece, like a doll or a truck. Puzzles are dead to me, card games anger me and I hold a special place of loathing in my heart for any kind of "kit." I realize there is educational value in things like that, but right now it's more than we can use or manage. I'm still searching for my dream storage cupboard which I will hopefully discover before the start of the school year. I do want the boys to have things like puzzles and card games and "kits,"(I can't even type the word without quotation marks, so deep is my disdain)but not until we have a system for taking care of those things. Which mostly means having a place to store them where they can be easily accessed by me but not the boys.

Marathon Update: The date is closing in fast(June 26th), and I'm not ready. As soon as I began increasing my mileage two months ago, I developed knee trouble. I've never had any knee injuries or problems before, but any running over six miles brings excruciating pain. I talked to my chiropractor about it and after examining my legs he informed me that I have ridiculously tight IT bands. The IT band is a strip of connective tissue which runs from the top of the hip down the outside of the thigh to the top outside of the knee. Increasing your mileage and/or muscle mass can cause the body to store calcium deposits in this band, making it thick and tight. This puts strain on the knee cap, as it doesn't have the elasticity it needs to track properly. The solution is to use a foam roller to break down the calcium deposits and make the IT band soft again. The foam roller goes on the floor, and I lie on top of it on my side and slowly roll up and down it. It sounds easy enough, but the sensation is something like rolling on shards of broken glass(calcium deposits are hard). Realistically, I'm thinking I might have to settle for the half marathon this June and aim for a full later in the year.

Now I need to find pants for one kid, food for both of them, and track down whatever is making my bathroom smell really funky.