Lorde - With Outtakes

we tried "Team" but we don't know it very well and the choreography was a fail. The result is a little funny - - if you're my mom. 

Pictures of Light

Mah Boo Bastille

Because lately I am indulging my fantasies of becoming a professional lip-syncer.

It is fabulous, having one's own blog, isn't it?

George Michael

If you make it through, say, 45 seconds of this video you should be given some kind of reward.

Oh, and it's water in the princess cup. Promise.

Mah Blog

If I were posting on here, I would have made a few more vitriolic statements about my vile disgust for spanking. But I wasn't. I think I did a fairly decent job of gilding my disdain.

Sharon Steele As it seems that this discussion is coming to a close, I will thank you all for a thoughtful discourse. For us, parenthood has been a constant evaluation and reevaluation of what is working and what is broken. This article reinforced my firm resolve that corporal punishment is an outdated form of discipline. Would we spank an Altzheimer's patient for wandering? Never. Why? Because our elderly have an intrinsic right to feel safe. Our children are entitled to the same respect. It seems to me that in an effort to go back to a simpler time (larger families, backyard gardens, bike riding, drinking from the hose, etc. ) we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. We know so much more about the psyche and the dignity of the human person now. Is the objective in parenting solely "obedience?" If so, spank on. I am quite sure that spanking will produce obedient children. If the objective is a deference out of respect and love? There are other ways to achieve that end.

6 minutes ago · Like

What it is to be Ben...

Today my eldest son is 13. Let me profile the things I know about him.


Ben is sophisticated

 Ben is mature

 Ben is serious

and he makes me a better person every day. My boy. He stole my heart, this one. And he's never given it back.

(Secret: I don't want it anyway.)

Linkaroo:
Ben's Defunct Blog
http://bensmag.blogspot.com

Ben's 7 Year-old Birthday Pictures
http://sharonksteele.blogspot.com/2008/05/happy-birthday-darlin.html

Our Busted Punnet Square

Grant has the dreamiest brown eyes. And lots of eyelashes.

(spoiler: he is a major babe.)

When it came to having babies, I thought I would be the sole owner of blue eyes in the family, because recessive traits, and all. So imagine our surprise (or maybe that's a little pride - genetically high-fiving myself right now) when we ended up with only 1 brown eyed child, 3 with eyes the color of the sky, and 1 whose eyes are so lovely and indescribable that words do not suffice.

Check them out:

And it doesn't hurt that she is one of the nicest people I've ever met, either.

Dear Diary,

April 10, 2014

Dear Diary,

Deciding to put the kids in school has seemed to work out well. Everyone is thriving and I have a lot more time to focus on getting things put away in the new house. I know I may have said this before, but this may very well be the happiest time of our lives.

Yesterday started out very promising. I signed up to chaperone a field trip to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum with Michael's class. Lucy was able to come along and I was very much looking forward to seeing the caveman exhibit I heard about on NPR. An artist/anthropologist has rethought how to reconstruct early man beginning at the bones and sculpting from the inside out. I was also pretty excited at the thought that I could put Michael back on the bus and go to the Cherry Blossom Festival with Lucy. I've never been in 15 years of living in DC and with homeschooling in our rear view mirror, this was the perfect time.

We got up early, packed a yummy lunch, put on our best walking shoes and got set to hit the town. That is when our plan unravelled.

First of all, I got separated from the school bus I was following, which if you know DC traffic you will understand that this spells disaster. As the bus sailed through a yellow light at a main thoroughfare and into the city of gridlock and tunnels, I felt like I was waving to the launching space shuttle from terra firma. Farewell. Hope to see you again someday.

I then employed the help of my frenemy (mostly enemy) Siri. I think I said something like this, "Siri, I know we have had our differences in the past but I really need you to get me to the Natural History Museum. The Smithsonian. In Washington DC." Apparently Siri hasn't forgiven me for all the times I have cursed her and wished her dead over the years, because what I heard back was, "Starting route to … Hayden Planetarium" the one in New Flipping York. I then screamed some obscenities at Siri and told her I really did wish her dead. And I do.

I used my very own homing skills to get us to the Natural History Museum and as I turned the corner I saw Michael's bus. Victory. That is when I heard Lucy in the back say, "Mommy, my tummy hurts….. blaaahhhhhhhh!" She vomited all over herself and the seat of the car. Game over. I called one of the moms that I knew on the bus and got the message to Michael that we had to go home. He was fine. He enjoyed the trip but never did get to see the cavemen.

Lucy and I took the long way home. She used one of Grant's old shirts to mop up the vomit and sucked her fingers as we drove the route of the cherry blossoms.

Someday I will make it to that festival, and when I do, I am sure that I will find myself wistful for the days of vomit and field trips. All in, I count myself very fortunate. Very fortunate indeed.

Dairy-Free/Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese - Whaaat?!

This here? This is a pretty big deal. In my constant quest to present suitably edible baked goods to one desperately-allergic daughter of mine, I have engineered what might be the most delicious concoction since Nutella.

(Just kidding. Nothing is better than Nutella.)

Ingredients:

8 oz daiya
     (I combined 4 oz cheddar style and 4 oz mozzarella style. You can do what you want.)

8 oz truRoots ancient grain pasta elbows
     (I imagine that any gluten free pasta will do. Plain rice pasta seems gluey and flavorless. This cooked up al dente.)

1 Cup Rice Milk (or your favorite milk substitute.)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp onion salt

1) Preheat oven to 400

2) Prepare the ancient grain pasta according to the directions and drain.

3) As any macaroni and cheese connoisseur knows, the cheese must be made into a sauce in order to achieve the proper silky texture. Therefore, put your daiya into a medium saucepan with the Rice Milk and heat over a medium/low heat stirring constantly. Slowly. Don't burn it.

4) Add onion salt and pepper to taste. Make sure to taste it. I like more pepper to give it that rustic taste, but you might not. 1/2 teaspoon is safe.

5) Once the cheese sauce is appropriately saucy, pour it onto the prepared noodles. Combine well.

6) Pour entire mixture into a small casserole and bake on 400 for 15 minutes or until it gets that brown crust that makes you go, "Mmmmmmm!"

7) cool and enjoy.

Even my non-allergy kids loved this dish. 3 cheers for daiya. Here is a shot of the ingredients for those inclined to look at such:

daiya - it's not plastic!

Apples and Trees

Apparently the aforementioned don't fall far from one another because of this:

An Ode to Jackie Robinson

Football, baseball, cross-country too

Jackie Robinson, which will you choose?

The Brooklyn Dodgers called your name

And you went down in the Hall of  Fame

 By Michael K. Steele

Fanciful wordplay must run in the family because I think Michael "hit a home run" with this little bit of poetic brilliance.

Micro Arranging

I've been completely hooked on micro flower arranging lately. Here is my tip:

Whole Foods spice jars make fantastic little vases when you're done with the spice. Just peel off the label and voila! You have a darling little vase.

Flowers: Ranunculus from Trader Joes

Vase: Bay Leaf spice jar from Whole Foods

Cub Scout Shadow Box

As far as friends go, if an 11 year old boy could be considered one of my friends, then this box is a gift to one of my besties. I am so proud to gift it to him.

Some details:

This is a variation on my original post where I listed out where I got the fabric and the box. This time, because I was afraid that there wouldn't be enough badges to make it look worthy, I got some scrapbooking stickers in camping themes from JoAnn Fabric and Michael's Craft.

Once again - Iron, hot glue, lint roll. I don't like bunchy sloppy shadow boxes. 

 ORIGINAL POST 

My girls

We're a long way from this,

aren't we?

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You...

This is what I know:

It is ill advised to eat an entire bag of dried fruit and then go to a Pilates class.

Until next time.

Matrimony in Our Front Room

Im a sucker for a wedding and this one is no exception.  Please don't anyone tell her that she can't really marry Josh. I think she'll die.

New Camera, Y'all!