Over the course of our marriage, I have cooked on a string of sub-par ovens. In fact, in four years of marriage, I have cooked on seven ovens!! To name a few, we had an 18″ “half-oven” in our NY upper west side studio. Then we had two winners in Forest Hills. The first shot out flames from the bottom, which Stan convinced the super was not acceptable. It was replaced with a 1960s beauty. To say the least, quality control has not been very possible over the years. When we bought our current home in April, we once again found ourselves cooking on a fabulous oven…one that was “off” when the dial said “broil.” And temperatures were all a mere guess. Stan surprised me with an upgrade a few weeks ago. I am posting before and after photos below. Thanksgiving was a dream. I set the oven on 325 and inserted the temp probe in the turkey breast…it cooked wonderfully.
We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home this year. Juliana was our guest. We really enjoyed being at home together!
Our menu consisted of:
- Butternut Squash Chowder with Parmesan Rosemary Crackers
- Cider Brined Turkey
- Kale with Garlic, Cumin, and Paprika
- Wild Mushroom, Sausage, and Chesnut Dressing
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Cranberry Apple Relish
- Carrot Cake
It was quite yummy!
Ginna’s preschool class had a Thanksgiving Feast yesterday. Here is her costume.
As is our tradition, we put up our tree yesterday before we ate Thanksgiving Dinner.
I will share two situations:
1. One day we were in Target and offered to buy Ginna some gardening boots. We gave her the choice between giraffes and butterflies. SHe chose giraffes. When we got home she told us she didn’t want giraffes. She wanted butterflies. She eventually got over it.
2. We recently bought Ginna a new night light. Again, we let her choose between a flower and a bug. She chose the flower. When we got home, she talked for two days about how she did not want the flower anymore. She wanted the bug. Likewise, she eventually let go of this rhetoric as well.
These two occassions left me thinking about how you help two year olds start to develop a consciousness beyond their own feelings and desires. I know this is a step of maturity, but I’m not convinced it comes naturally. So I’ve started to look for some ways to give her chances to enjoy sharing. One of these is by packing two boxes for needy children and sending them abroad through Operating Christmas Child. We have had fun choosing items and packing the boxes. I made the mistake, though, of letting her “care for” the little baby we bought to put in the girl’s box until we sent it. She has become SO attached to this little $3.50 baby! We talked to her last night about it almost being time to send the baby. She understood and said ok, but later went to Stan bawling about it. I don’t think I can take the baby from her…
I am currently reading Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel and love what I read last night about parenting goals.
First is a quote by Allan Bloom, sociologist:
“Fathers and mothers have lost the idea that the highest aspiration they might have for their children is for them to be wise- as priests, prophets, or philosophers are wise. Specialized competence and success are all that they [most fathers and mothers] can imagine.”
And then Kimmel adds
“Leaving the world nicer than you found it, making a commitment to a lifetime of learning, paying attention to what you learn from life’s experience so that you are most valuable to others, and being commited to developing the potential of as many people as you can are general purposes that are good to install in the hearts of each one of your children. WHen they step into adulthood with these qualities as part of their character, they feel significant. By the way, it’s really not that difficult to build these purposes into your kids. You simply develop these general purposes in your own life. CHildren embrace what is modeled far more than what they are told. Our good advice carries clout only what it is consistent with our example. As our children notice these wonderful qualities in us, it will be far easier for them to make them their own.”
Any comments on giving a sense of “significance” and “purpose” to a two year old?
Ginna’s preschool, Ascension Lutheran Church, had a Reformation Carnival last night. Ginna and Jamey had so much fun! Afterwards, we let Ginna trick or treat at our neighbor’s house. After he gave her some candy, she said, “My daddy wants some, too.”
