Bedtime stories

Excuse the sideways shot...seems my camera work isn't up to par! B's been reading and singing her own bedtime stories (she usually yells NO MOMMY and starts over if I try and read along with her), and we think it's the cutest thing ever. My favorite is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" toward the end.

Autism Walk

Team Sarah Sue had a great time at Walk Now for Autism today. Overall our small team raised $510 for autism research and advocacy. Sarah volunteered with me and had a great time manning the Autism Votes booth (and a few other booths!) and making lots of new friends. The walk route took us along the Snake Lake at the Tacoma Nature Center, where we saw some ducks and --the highlight--a turtle sunning himself. All in the middle of the city!

Bianca had the thrill of her life meeting Geoffrey, the ToysRUs giraffe (who can't really see anything in his costume and had to be led around by a handler).

Bianca applauding at the opening ceremony. She has the cheering thing down!

My belly in all its glory

Here I am at six months, nice and sweaty after yoga. Yes, I'm huge! My babies like to hang out right up front. I remind myself of a sandwich board from the side. I should rent advertising space.

Last night Deuce was SUPER active, meaning I hardly got any sleep--I think the tiramisu at Tutta Bella had lots of espresso in it (worth every bite, though!). At one point Deuce was kicking and scratching at the top of my cervix...this may be TMI, but it was the strangest and most uncomfortable thing I've ever felt. Worse than labor! I just had to sit tight and wish wish wish for it to stop.

From the farm--this week we've been munching on sugar peas, kohlrabi (a first for us!), more swiss chard and greens, and tonight I'm trying a new roasted beets recipe.

Nameste!

I started prenatal yoga today and it felt GREAT! After a bit of hoopla getting into the class (I had to get a doctor's note which I promptly lost, then played phone tag with the instructor for awhile to pre-register) I'm finally IN! I'm so thankful for a healthy pregnancy that allows me to be active.

OUR NEW YOGA CHAIR ARRIVED TODAY!

I'm so excited for our new yoga chair, made by a California company. It's reminiscent of a Swedish-made chair my parents had during my childhood (sadly, sold at a garage sale a few years back). It's both nostalgic and practical--it puts me in the perfect belly-down position to help Deuce get in the right position for birth. I'm a terrible slouchy sitter, but sitting in this chair naturally lengthens the spine and helps correct posture. B "helped" to assemble it and of course, thinks it's all hers!

Stuck on B

Bianca's been practicing "writing" on her own for awhile now
(sometimes she'll ask for a pen and paper the minute she wakes up) and she's actually making some very clear letters. She'll ask me "what's that?" and I'll pretend that I can't tell, and she'll say "No Mommy, it's an N!" So far her favorite letters to write are N, M, A, P, W, and "B for Bianca!"--and she loves 1s, 7s, and 2s as well. You can see an A, N, M, Y, V, and 7 here--she pointed them all out to me. I'm so proud of her.

After her writing today, she had some fun with stickers--and she proudly wore then out to the store and to get ice cream. They had a very specific layout. I don't understand the one-leg thing, but I guess I'm a mom--I'm not supposed to get it!

Owens Beach

We had a blast at Owens Beach today--what gorgeous weather! B did some wave jumping and we ended up having to borrow a swimsuit from a friend. I'd brought two bags full of sand-digging toys but I thought the water was too cold for swimming. Not for my little adventurer!

Cool beans

On Saturday we had a treat--we picked up our first "box" (actually, a very full bag) of fresh produce from our summer share in Left Foot Organics farm. We got two heads of lettuce (baby butter and red romaine), red Swiss chard, fava beans, green onions, fresh cilantro, and fresh basil. As the summer heats up and the produce really takes off, our boxes will be full to overflowing, but this is a pretty good haul for June.

Both fava beans and Swiss chard are new to me and I had no idea how to cook either. After peeling the beans (I felt very old-fashioned and southern, standing in my kitchen peelin' beans) I heated some fresh garlic in organic ev olive oil, added about 3/4 cup organic chicken stock, and simmered the beans for around 10 mins. They were delicious--Steve gobbled them up before I even sat down. I'm coming to the conclusion that folks who don't like veggies have never had them fresh, or properly cooked. A little olive oil, garlic, and sea salt can work wonders! Next on the list is Swiss chard in salad, and sauteed in an omelet. I'll probably attempt some fresh pesto this week as well.

I love LFO's business model of hiring people with developmental disabilities, and that the food they offer is truly LOCAL and grown on their own farm. There are many "CSAs" and produce delivery services offering boxes that aren't local. While it's a nice convenient one-stop shop for produce, it's not CSA. The C stands for "community"--LOCAL produce supports your OWN community and doesn't travel hundreds or thousands of miles to arrive at your door.

Eating more locally is becoming more important to me, and it's quite a shift in thinking, because it also means eating seasonally. That's a big change when you're used to getting anything you want, any time of year. The key word for me is MORE locally. We need our bananas, and I don't think I can make it through the winter without a salad, or an orange. All the more reason to buy local produce now, while it's here.

Even if I hated every morsel of produce I received (not likely!), the summer share would still be money well-spent for me. We vote with our dollars, after all. :)