the salad days

He's a vegetarian, Mary Moon, Mary Moon

2012-02-15T12:58:00.000-05:00

Today at the bank Soren got two green lolly pops from the teller. He thanked her and said he thought one was probably lime flavored but the other one might be asparagus* flavored. I'm pretty sure we just made her day.

*Don't be too impressed, Soren doesn't actually eat asparagus.

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

xoxo,

Soren

PS: I'll post The Official Valentine's 2012 Photo Strip once it has time to arrive in the lucky recipients' mailboxes. In the meantime, check out the last two here and here.

Happy Blogiversary!

2012-02-13T20:49:00.001-05:00

Today marks the 5th anniversary of my blog! To commemorate the occasion, here's a world cloud of all my blog posts.

Thanks for reading! We've come a long way from where it all began. My goal for 2012 is to say "year" less often and "hallows" way more.

(Thanks to Gwen for whipping up the word cloud for me.)

3 going on 14

2012-02-11T17:04:00.000-05:00

I was singing and Soren looked over at me, clearly not impressed.

Kate: What, you don't want me to sing?

Soren: No.

Kate: Why not?

Soren: Because when you do, it makes me want to die.

In other obnoxious teenager developments, he's starting saying "You tell me what I can do and I will say no, I want to do something different and cooler." Or eat something else, etc.

I'm afraid it is going to be a very long 10 years.

Soren at 3.75

2012-01-30T14:51:00.001-05:00

Now that I no longer write the "Letters to Soren" I feel like I've lost the only way I was documenting anything in Soren's life. So here are some points of interest on our funny son for those who are interested, but mainly so I don't forget.

This month, Soren started attending Primary during church along with a dozen of his fellow three year olds. So far he seems to be enjoying it and handling the change pretty well. He gets a little sad when when he doesn't get called on every time, but such is the life of an only-child know it all. He was super excited about wearing a tie to church just like Logan and looked adorably grown up.

Since Christmas he has become completely obsessed with Legos and for the first time in his life, he will willingly go play in his room for extended periods of time. It's glorious and well worth having to pick up all the teeny tiny pieces and the large amount of time I spend putting various weapons in those mini hands or pulling helmets off the tiny little heads.

We got him a new bigger bed and his previous sleep issues have pretty much been solved. He loves his new room and still, 3 months later excitedly asks any one who comes to our house if they want to see his NEW! ROOM! Even people who have already seen the room several times.

Soren is super smart and says things all the time that surprise me. He's always asking what words mean. I've been feeling like I need to brush up on my SAT vocabulary. He's very chatty and will often make small talk like someone well beyond his years. Like when he came and sat down by us and asked "So, Mom and Dad, what was your favorite part of Lisa's party?" Recent funny expressions that have found their way into his vocabulary are: "Aww, nuts!" "What the!" "Pause it back on" (which means to un-pause something), "That reminds me..." or "Speaking of..." (like the time he said, "Mom, say Red Tornado" I oblige and say "Red Tornado" he says, "Speaking of Red Tornado...").

He is loving Joy School and has such a good time with his friends. We're sad that we'll be losing a couple of the kids this semester, especially his BFF Charlie who he will miss terribly. He's finally at the point that he can actually play with his friends, instead of just playing near them. I love peaking in on them when they are playing and getting a little glimpse into the imaginary worlds they've created.

Soren is a charming and hilarious 3 year old, though he's still a 3 year old. Everything is a negotiation and he's constantly telling us what his deal is. He wants everything to be dark blue. He tries his hardest to get me to do everything for him, and I try my hardest to resist. Together we're working on him becoming more independent.

He's a remarkable little boy who makes me laugh everyday. People young and old are automatically drawn to him, and it's hard to blame them. He's pretty great.

Sneak Peak: Soren's NEW ROOM

2012-01-25T12:56:00.000-05:00

I know I promised photos of our big room switch and re-do but I'm not quite ready to reveal it since I've been delayed by projects not coming out as planned. Such as the art I made for Soren's room using Charlie Harper alphabet flashcards. They looked great for a couple days, then the cards started to fall. For the first time ever, double stick tape has failed me. When Soren saw it he said: "Aw nuts, now I can't learn my ABC's." I'm looking for a more secure solution and will hopefully be able to share photos of the completed rooms soon.

"The year is dying in the night, ring out wild bells, and let him die"

2012-01-01T17:56:00.000-05:00

Today I was wondering if I'd set any resolutions at the beginning of 2011, and apparently I did in my head but didn't feel the need to write them down. Of the couple I alluded to in my blog post last year, I suppose I completed since I did take vitamins (it didn't say I had to take them every day...) and Soren has long since been totally potty trained. But I think since this year was unexpectedly rocky, it is hard to feel like any goals I may have set were accomplished.

It's no secret that 2011 was pretty rough. We are quickly approaching the 1 year anniversary of our current round of job-lessness which is really hard to wrap my head around. As 2010 came to a close we were full of hope and anticipation for the year ahead thinking things were finally getting better. I thought we'd happy cruise through the year- maybe take a trip or two to help us recover from a hard year and probably have a baby. Then obviously that all got put on hold. We've struggled and cried a lot this year. Tears of sadness for those that we love and tears of frustration that life isn't what we thought it would be. But despite all that, there were a lot of really great things that happened this year.

Though it ended up it not really being as enjoyable as I anticipated, I will be proud to remember that I wrote for Apartment Therapy this year. (One of my posts was even the 6th most popular post of 2011, which is pretty cool.) A couple of our very best friends will be blessed with more babies that we can count, and a some of them even managed to defy all medical odds. We fostered an adorably sweet cat (with the equally adorable Soren-given name of ABCDEFG) for a few weeks, which surely earned us some major karma. Soren and I spent a couple weeks in Mississippi soaking up some sun and taking care of my sick mom. Again, more karma, right? I trained for and completed an actual running race which felt like a major accomplishment. Soren completed his first semester of Joy School with great success. He LOVES it and I love all his friends and the other mothers who love and teach these 5 little students along with me.

So, despite the obvious set backs, 2011 hasn't been all bad. We've been able to spend a lot of time together. We've been able to reevaluate what is and isn't important and essential in our life. Brita filters, real maple syrup, pine nuts, a rug in our living room, hair cuts = things I've learned to live with out. Friends and family who love and support us, living somewhere we love and feeling like we're part of a community, having the internet in my pocket, buying fancy mascara every so often = things that are key to my survival.

Now we face another year and I have a lot of hopes for 2012. Hope that we can move on from this hard year. Hope that we can finally feel secure and happy. Hope that we can find a job that keeps us in our home and this city that we'd be heartbroken to leave. Hope that we can add another person to this home some day soon. Hope that our dear friends will find peace. Hope that when we look back on 2011 we'll think about the wonderful things that did happen, despite the suffocatingly hard year that it was. Bring it, 2012. I'm ready.

Since I'm not sure what else to do with this list...

2012-01-01T17:45:00.000-05:00

In an effort to encourage myself to read more books in 2011, I had a completely ridiculous goal to read as many books and as movies I watched. I soon realized that how unlikely that was, but kept track of the year's books and movies all the same. I watched just over 2 movies for every book I read, which I guess isn't so bad when you think about it. Though I didn't count any TV I watched (other than movies on TV) but we watched a few complete TV series in 2011 (Modern Family, Battlestar Galactica, The IT Crowd, Avatar...) so my screen to book ratio is way, way worse than this makes it seem. I chose not to count any of the kids movies (or books for that matter) of 2011, but I'd be curious (or maybe horrified) to know how that would change the balance. Anyway, here it is:

Books of 2011:

Rebecca

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Room
The Girl Who Played With Fire
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
The History of Love
Breaking Night
Eat Pray Love
The Walking People
The Poisonwood Bible
Olive Kitteridge
Play it As it Lays
The Time Travelers Wife
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
The Curse of Chalion
The Gardner Heist
The Demon King
The Exiled Queen
A Study in Scarlet
Children of Men
Water for Elephants
Cinderella Ate My Daughter
The Grey Wolf Throne

Movies of 2011:

Inception

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 (theater)
Knight & Day
An Education
Goal!
Roxanne
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
The Social Network
Tongan Ninja
Amelie
Inside Job
The Fighter
500 Days of Summer
Easy A
World’s Fastest Indian
The King’s Speech
Fever Pitch (1997 British version)
It’s Kind Of a Funny Story
I Love You, Man
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Looking for Eric
Super 8 (Theater)
X men first class (Theater)
Ghost Town
Sunshine Cleaning
The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Help (Theatre)
The Business of Being Born
Eat Pray Love
Crazy Stupid Love (Theatre)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (Theatre)
Secret of Kells
Jane Eyre
The Time Travelers Wife
Waitress
Iron Man 2
Zombieland
True Grit (2010)
Invictus
True Grit (1969)
Fantastic Mr fox
Thor
Adventureland
Good Fellas
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Morning Glory
District 9
Pelada
Fire in the Sky
Revolutionary Road

I'm trying to decide what arbitrary thing to keep track of in 2012. The current front runner is things Soren declares he wants to be for Halloween but I'm open to suggestions.

"Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night"

2011-12-25T21:08:00.004-05:00

And now the moment you've been waiting for all year- our annual Official Christmas Loot Photo! As usual, you can click on the photo to go to the original on Flickr where you can mouse over everything to see what it is. We have had a wonderful Christmas and have many very generous people to thank for making our Christmas such a good day.

I hope you all have had happy days with friends and family. More details soon on all the festivities. Merry Christmas!

Mischief Managed

2011-12-22T10:28:00.001-05:00

In what surely is a personal record, I have all my gifts purchased, wrapped and shipped off to their recipients and it's not even Christmas Eve yet! (Yes, family, even all our made gifts! Amazing!) Let the grocery shopping, baking and partying begin!

Making Christmas Dreams Come True

2011-12-20T00:06:00.000-05:00

Remember when Soren asked to be Darth Vader for Christmas? He pulled it off pretty well. Pirate flag/cape and backpack were his ideas. Hood, balaclava and flash light were ours. It was much better in person; the photo doesn't capture the heavy breathing. We should start taking requests for other Star Wars costumes he can pull together. The force is strong with this one.

Merry Christmas From the Wangsgards

2011-12-19T20:17:00.000-05:00

Things are tight in our house this Christmas and we have to cut back wherever we can. So this will have to do for our family photo this year.

But we pretty much look the same as last year so you're not missing much. Here's to a very happy Christmas and a (hopefully) much better New Year. For real this time.

Thanks to Gwen for the tasty and adorable gingerbread family.

A Very Joy School Christmas

2011-12-17T15:15:00.000-05:00

Soren had his Joy School Christmas Party last week and looked smashing in the nativity. The did it twice to give all the kids a chance to be different charters so Soren was Joseph and one of the Wisemen.

A big thanks to Jenn for putting the party together and to Terese for taking photos.

Countdown to Christmas

2011-12-15T11:37:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been blogging as much lately, but no, I did not have a baby and keep it a secret. This is Gus, our adorable little friend who wasn't a big fan of Santa. (Who is a man from our church who grows a real Santa beard every year just for the big day. Talk about commitment.)

We still haven't decided how we feel about Santa, but Soren seems to be giving us a break and hasn't asked any impossible questions; so we're just going to leave it be for now.

Proof that I can do more than Halloween

2011-12-09T07:21:00.000-05:00

Wreathmaking is an event that our (and many other) churches do every December. I've been involved in some capacity every year but I was in charge of the whole shebang this year. It has come and gone and I am happy to report that I survived. It was so much work and I am beyond exhausted today but I am thrilled with how everything turned out. The food was all amazing and what little I heard of the program was beautiful.

Now on to Christmas! Once I tackle the massive pile of dishes I've been ignoring all week...

Happy Birthday To Me

2011-12-08T23:03:00.001-05:00

We went back to IKEA today to exchange a couple things so we can finish up The Great Room Switch (photos coming soon!) and I was thrilled to discover a whole bin of these coveted dish scrubbers. I was converted several years ago by my friend Anna and haven't been able to use another kind since. I usually stock up whenever I make the trip but have been sorely disappointed the last few times when I haven't been able to find any and have been clinging to my last one for far too long.

Thank you IKEA for making my dreams come true once again. I had a hard time only buying eight.

Merry Christmas Yoda Hopes You Have

2011-12-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

This evening Soren asked to dress up as Yoda. The mask, glow-stick lightsaber and brown clothes were his idea. The hat and ears were our additions. (The single sock is a look Soren is often found rocking for no apparent reason.) As soon as he got a look at himself, he instantly decided that this was his exact costume for next Halloween. We'll see how long that lasts. I was pretty sure he'd stop talking about Halloween costumes once Halloween had passed, but almost 5 weeks later and he's still talking about next year's costume ideas pretty much every day. Looks like we've taught him well. Maybe a little too well since the other day he asked if we wear costumes for Christmas. I don't think this is what he had in mind. He was thinking he could be Darth Vader. Now that would be a nativity to remember.

Christmas Magic

2011-12-05T14:03:00.001-05:00

I was planning to wait until after Wreathmaking to start decorating for Christmas but we were very kindly given a tree from some friends so we of course had to decorate it. Soren kept saying how fun it was to celebrate Christmas with us. Right back at you, kid.

I did it!

2011-12-03T00:05:00.001-05:00

On Thanksgiving I completed a four mile Turkey Trot and I am happy to report that I ran the whole thing. I have had a rocky relationship with running but this time around I was feeling much better about it and all my training runs were going really well. Going into the race, I just wanted to run the whole way and I did. It was the coldest day we'd had in weeks and I was slow and literally finished after children and people in turkey costumes, but I did it and am pretty proud.

Logan and Soren proudly waited for me at the finish line. Logan's parents and brother were also there to cheer me on, which was pretty great. Thanks to my cheering squad for toughing out the cold.

My running companions Courtney and Gwen.

And fine, here's a more accurate representative of how much taller Courtney is than Gwen and me. I am really happy I did this, and hope to continue running. Though we'll see how long I last in the cold before I take it to the gym. I am not sure why it was easier this time around, but something clicked that didn't a year ago when I trained for a 10K. I wouldn't say I love running yet, but I don't hate it and that's a huge, huge step for me.

Making Christmas, Making Christmas

2011-12-02T16:07:00.001-05:00

Christmas is upon us. I'm holding off on any decorating until the huge Christmas event at church that I'm in charge of is behind me, but we of course started our Advent Calendar and I pulled out the little Nativity for Soren to play with. He loves it and is so, so excited about all the Christmas to be seen popping up everywhere. I have always loved Christmas but it is has become exponentially more fun now that I'm a parent. However, one of the parts of Christmas that I'm a little iffy on is the whole Santa business. I know, call me a Grinch, but I'm just not sure how I feel about Santa. My family did Santa, but it wasn't a major part of our Christmas, as far as I remember. Though there was this one time when I was a child that we spotted Santa lacing up his boots on the side of the road on Christmas Eve and I am pretty sure that made me believe in Santa for several years longer than I ought to have. I don't remember feeling betrayed when I figured it all out but I do distinctly remember when I was 100% sure it was all made up and I remember feeling a little disappointed. I'd been on the fence for a couple years, I'm sure I told my friends I didn't believe in Santa but deep down part of me really hoped that it was all real. Then I was helping my mom bring in the groceries on Christmas Eve and spotted all the stuff that would soon end up in our stockings and there it went. But I don't think it made Chrsitmas any less magical once I was done with Santa. All of my most cherished Christmas memories revolve around my parents and siblings and the magic that comes from Christmas.

I don't want to make a big deal about Santa, and I'm not really sure why. We haven't really talked about Santa with Soren yet, but this year he's totally aware of who Santa is and I think kind of knows that he has something to do with presents. I thought we could stay in this Santa limbo for at least another year before we had to get off the fence but Soren has decided to give us a little nudge and force our hand. The other day he asked me if Santa was real or pretend. I was totally caught off guard and don't even remember what I said but I don't think I made any permanent damage. He asked again a few days later and I chickened out and told him to go ask Logan who told him "He's a real guy who does pretend things." Which seemed to buy us a little more time. I know we're not going to get way into Santa but I think we need to decide whether we're going to do it at all. It's not quite that I want all the glory, but I would like Soren to know that there are real people who love him and that's why they got him presents. But I also don't want Soren to be that kid that tells all his friends that Santa is just pretend because he totally, totally would be. He already corrects people and makes sure everyone is doing what they should be and I don't think he'd be able to keep it to himself if we loaded him up with that sort of information.

Clearly I have no idea what to do. So if any of you have any Santa advice, I'd love to hear it. Preferably soon since Santa is taking over the world and I don't think I can hold it off much longer. How much, if any, of a role does Santa have in your Christmas? Will I scar Soren for life if I don't make Santa a major (or even minor) part of Christmas?

(Just to clarify, the photo above is from last year. I have not already made Christmas cookies. I'm not that crazy. Despite my doubts about Santa, cookies are one aspect of Christmas I believe in with all my heart.)

Gearing up for a trip to IKEA

2011-11-10T11:37:00.001-05:00

Though IKEA can hardly be considered "mild" tension and anxiety.

Objects in Photo Are Closer Than They Appear

2011-11-06T16:36:00.001-05:00

They're ba-ack! The trains have not been running for several months but they started up yesterday. It's been eerily quiet lately, but I can finally sleep again now that the comforting rumble and screech we've grown to love is back.

In other backyard news, the other day we saw a hawk tear apart and eat a rat while perched on the fence in our backyard. It was pretty crazy. Then 3 giant crows came and watched hoping to get in on the action. It's a jungle out there.

(I did actually have to zoom out to take this photo from our kitchen window. You haven't lived until you've seen just how close those trains get to our house.)

4th Annual Donigard Halloween Party: The Decorations

2011-11-03T22:06:00.000-04:00

As usual, these pictures don't get anywhere close to doing the party justice. One of these years I will have enough time before the party starts to set up good light to get some decent pictures. But this was not the year.

This year we decided to mix things up a little and use our spooky back staircase instead of the main ones. So the entry was dark and the stairs were blocked off and lit with flameless candles (safety first!)

The rest of the photos after the jump...

We had a tree in the back with crows.

We made the kitchen into a graveyard with a moon, tons of crows, lights, trees, fences and tombstones. It looked amazing.

We made a false entry way into the living room, which was made up like a mausoleum.

A giant spider web and coffin.

We made some mummies by stuffing some of Soren's pajamas with newspaper and wrapping them up- it totally creeped me out that they were the exact size of my son. We also made a crypt for all the members of the Donigard household.

A close up of the creepy spider egg sacs.

We made a mummy out of a dress form and printed a ton of old spooky photos to complete the mausoleum feeling.

One good addition to this year was the Hall of Fame out in the hall. We printed a bunch of photos of past contest winners for something to look at when you're getting a drink.

Another great component of this year was the trophies for the costume contest. I forgot to take a picture of all of them together, but here's ours with the Best in Show one we've been using each year. The winner gets to take it home and keep it for the year.

That's it. I think I've almost recovered from the craziness of the party. I guess that means it is time to start planning next year's party.

Green Lantern

2011-11-01T13:19:00.000-04:00

Soren had his heart set on being a super hero for Halloween this year, specially one that he has a guy of. We finally decided on Green Lantern. I made his shirt and used some old pajama pants and green socks for "boots." He had a glowing green light stick axe and a mask and ring which we purchased. You can't tell in the photos, but he has a bunch of light sticks under his shirt to make his chest light up. That was a late addition to the costume when he asked me "So Mom, I'm going to light up like the real Green Lantern, right?" Thanks to Dollar Tree, we were able to make that happen.

He loved his costume and got to wear it a few times to various parties, including the Joy School one with all his little school buddies.

You may notice that he has a different mask in these 2 pictures. We ordered a mask and light up ring on line but it wasn't looking like it was going to arrive in time for his Joy School party. So I bought a sequin mask and another ring as back up just in case, knowing that he'd be devastated if he didn't have these major components of his costume. An hour into the party I got a text from Logan telling me the other stuff had arrived. Of course. So he now has two masks and two rings. The things you do for kids...

4th Annual Donigard Halloween Party: The Costumes

2011-10-31T13:00:00.000-04:00

Somehow we manage to out do ourselves every year and I'm happy to report that this year's party was a huge success! The costumes were so, so good. One unexpected addition to this year's party was SNOW. For real. In October. It's all melted by now but it was pretty crazy. Anyway, on to the costumes!

Logan & Kate

Edgar Allan Poe and The Raven

WINNER: BEST COUPLE COSTUME

The rest of the costumes after the jump...

Gwen & Andrew

Legolas & Gimli from The Lord of the Rings

WINNER: BEST IN SHOW

(They also won Runner Up Best In Show since they won (and very clearly deserved) almost every single vote in the category)

Amelia, Barry & Gus

Ron Swansons from Parks & Recreation

WINNER: FUNNIEST COSTUME

Marci

Snow White

WINNER: BEST CHARACTER REPRESENTATION

Elizabeth & Max

Bunniclua & Carrot

WINNER: MOST OBSCURE COSTUME

Aubrey (in the box) & Stuart

Transformer & The Unabomber

WINNER: MOST CREATIVE COSTUME

(Aubrey won - check out these videos to see her clever costume in action)

Courtney & Quinn

The Mad Hatter & The Cheshire Cat

WINNER: JUDGES' PICK

Rich

Muammar Gaddafi

WINNER: SCARIEST COSTUME

Leslie

Hulk Hogan

Patrick, Bonnie & Owen

Cam, Mitch & Lily from Modern Family

Loren, Erica & Sophie
Flynn Rider, Shorty & Rapunzel from Tangled

Tracie & Chris

Sprite & Mr. Pibb

Laci & Christian

A bowling ball & pin

Jhordan & Shawn

Creepy backwards old people

Lisa & Dan

Mad Men

Will & Lauren

Jack Skellington & Chilean Mother

Dave & Grace

Steve Jobs & the iCloud

Sam & Caitlin

Kermit & Miss. Piggie

Deja & Sam

Pajama Pants DeLeon & The Fountain of Youth

Marcus, Sarah & Gwen

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

Well done everyone! It seriously makes me so happy that everyone takes this as seriously as we do and are willing to go all out.

You may have noticed that Soren is missing in our family costume this year. He is still around, but he decided to exert his independence earlier than I ever expected and wanted to be his own thing. Since we brought in baby-sitters to watch the kids in the downstairs neighbors apartment (best idea EVER) he wasn't really at the party. I will post a photo of his costume tomorrow along with more photos of the decorations from the party. Stay tuned!

Halloween Costume Photos Coming Soon!

2011-10-30T21:01:00.000-04:00

For those who anxiously await the pictures from The Halloween Party, you're in luck. The party was last night and as usual, the costumes did not disappoint. The photos should be up tomorrow. Stay tuned!

More apple picking pictures

2011-09-28T22:53:00.001-04:00

Tradition, tradition! Tradition!

2011-09-28T22:47:00.001-04:00

Today we continued our annual tradition of apple picking.

Just like every year, he loved it. Now I just need to figure out what to do with all those apples.

As good as a maternity test

2011-09-26T14:19:00.000-04:00

I was looking through some old photos and saw this one of my mom and me when I was Soren's age. Cover up the sides of my hair and you pretty much have Soren with brown eyes, right? Creepy.

PS: You should fully expect me to look pretty much like this in the coming months as I try to grow out my hair.

Brace yourself folks, it's the end of an era

2011-09-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

I've had very short hair for exactly two years and I've officially decided to grow it out. I have loved having short hair, but I'm ready for a change and want to make sure I don't turn into the mom who has had the same hair cut for twenty years. I know it's going to be rough, awkward and potentially embarrassing for my loved ones while I try to get though the bad months but I figure the winter is the best time for it. I can cover up with a hat or just stay inside.

"Serenity now!"

2011-09-21T21:10:00.004-04:00

I have often thought that children, especially toddlers, have an innate ability to understand when they have pushed too far and immediately do something cute to save themselves. Soren regularly pulls out something irresistibly charming or funny just in the nick of time when I'm about to throw him across the room. (Side story: When we were on an airplane this summer he loudly asked me "Why did the mom throw the little boy into the sea?" I have no idea where he got that from (or whether he was reading my mind) but I was a glad social services wasn't waiting for us when we got off the plane.)

Soren has never been a great sleeper and as a toddler, it's been one of our only battles with him. He gets out of his bed over and over and no amount of negotiating, yelling, rewarding, etc. seems to keep him in there. So our current official policy is to just pick him up and put him back in his bed without saying anything or getting upset. He's gotten better, but it can still get pretty rough some nights.

Tonight he and I were an hour into this battle and I'd put him back in his bed dozens of times. I was right on the brink of losing it so I went into the bathroom and shut the door. Soren immediately came out of his room and knocked on the door. When I told him to go get back in his bed he said "I am in my bed. I have extraordinarily long arms."

Saved again. I am happy to report that no boys were thrown into the sea tonight.

Wish me (and my very weak shins) luck

2011-09-21T18:50:00.001-04:00

Almost a year ago I "ran" a 10K and haven't really ran since but I just signed up for another race. Despite having mixed feelings about running, I am going to give it one more chance and see if I can rekindle our rocky relationship. It is only a 4 miler so I figure it is a much healthier goal than a 10K and I hope I will enjoy it more. It is Thanksgiving morning which also happens to be my 28th birthday. I ran yesterday and my goal was to run for the full 9 minutes of a song and I succeeded. I know that sounds really lame, but for me 9 minutes of running without stopping is kind of a big deal. I have two months to go from 9 minutes to 4 miles. I can totally do that, right?

Recipe: Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffins

2011-09-08T14:12:00.000-04:00

Too soon? I may be jumping the gun a little bit with fall baked goods but it's after Labor Day, has been chilly and rainy all week and I wore boots and a cardigan yesterday which in my head means time to bust out the pumpkin. These delicious muffins are a loose variation of one of my favorite muffin recipes from Vegan with a Vengeance. I tweaked it a little and made the amazing addition of cinnamon chips. They are like chocolate chips, but creamy and cinnamon-y instead. It took me multiple trips to several grocery stores before I found them at Stop and Shop for those of you who are local. I hear the Hershey ones are relatively easy to find but aren't as good as other more elusive and more expensive brands like King Arthur though the higher end brands are pretty easy to find online. I used the Hershey ones since that's what I found and could justify buying and was really happy with the results in something like this. I imagine they would also be really good mixed into oatmeal raisin cookies, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, or pretty much anything. If you can't find them, I've also made these muffins with chocolate chips, dried cranberries, nuts or nothing at all. Whatever you mix in, these are delicious and taste like fall. I use both milk and yogurt since I always have plain yogurt but you could use all milk (or all yogurt) depending on what you have on hand. It also should be noted that cinnamon chips aren't vegan and as far as I know, no vegan ones exist. So if you want these to be vegan use one of the other suggestions.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoons molasses
11/2 cup cinnamon chips (or chocolate chips, nuts, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tins. Sift together flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk pumpkin, milk, yogurt, oil and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined and no flour spots remain. Do not over mix. Fold in the cinnamon chips. Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer muffins to a rack until cool enough to eat.

Cookbook Review: Appetite for Reduction

2011-09-07T23:36:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try something new around here and do a cookbook review. I get asked for cookbook recommendations often and wrote about some of my favorites here. I love all those and turn to them on a regular basis, but I try to not get stuck in a rut and like to test out new recipes quite a bit.

Recently I've been working my way through best-seller Isa Chandra Moskowitz's recent book, Appetite for Reduction. It is full of 125 low-fat vegan recipes. Believe me, I know when you hear low-fat vegan cooking it doesn't sound like delicious and satisfying food. But Appetite for Reduction delivers a great collection of recipes that are full of flavor and definitely satisfying. One thing I've loved about these recipes is that they are all fast, easy and perfect for normal, everyday meals that don't seem like low-fat "diet" food one bit. I've found that it is easy to add components to increase the calories and fat if you so desire, which is convenient when you are looking to cut back but the rest of your family isn't. I like that I can make one meal that satisfies all of us, with minor tweaking to fit all of our needs. I can add things for the rest of my family instead of taking things out for myself so I don't feel like I am left with a less-delicious version of a good meal. Without fail, all the recipes I've tried have been great but some of my favorites have been Scallion Potato Pancakes, Chickpea Piccata, Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos, Tortilla Soup, and Curry Laksa. (I bet all of those recipes can be found with a little google sleuthing.) She also has a chapter explaining the wonderful go-to "bowl" which has long been one of my favorite ways to throw together a healthy and fast meal in no time. Grain + protein + veggie in a bowl, maybe with an easy sauce or dressing = instant meal. As with all of her cookbooks, she seems to focus on teaching you how to cook and prepare wholesome and delicious meals and all these recipes are simple and easy to adjust to fit your tastes or ingredients you happen to have on hand.

So, if you like fast and filling meals that just happen to be really good for you, check out my new favorite cookbook, Appetite for Reduction. But you don't have to take my word for it...

Oh Boy, I've Got Joy

2011-09-05T21:04:00.001-04:00

Last week, Soren had his first day of Joy School. So far, so good. He's got a great little group of friends that I think is going to be a good fit. Two of our friends who are Joy School grads both went to MIT so I have high hopes for this group.

Soren is so excited that he gets to go to school and I'm even more excited that most weeks I will get two mornings to do whatever I want. The possibilities are pretty much endless.

(For those who haven't heard of Joy School, it is a co-op preschool run by parents. Each of us will take turns teaching in our homes and drop of our children the other weeks. Pretty cool.)

That didn't take long...

2011-09-05T20:23:00.003-04:00

We wasted no time in fulfilling Soren's dreams of going camping. This past weekend we headed to the Cape to camp with several friends. For some reason I forgot I had a toddler and decided to tell Soren we were going camping a couple days before we left. So for the rest of the week when I told him it was time to go somewhere he'd run in the kitchen and say "I'll bring the marshmallows!" and I'd have to tell him that we weren't going camping yet. Or he'd ask me if I bought marshmallows so we wouldn't have to use "the fuzzy things" when we were camping. Needless to say, he was super, super excited and I spent the days leading up to the trip answering lots and lots of questions about camping.

We got there late the first night and carried on the Perkes family tradition of setting up our tent under car headlights. Once the tent was set up, we headed over to our friends' camp site where a camp fire and amazing Dutch oven cake awaited us. Soren had a rough first night and none of us got much sleep. I was beginning to have flashbacks to Soren's first camping experience which swore us off camping for the last three years and wondering if we'd made a horrible mistake. But the rest of the weekend went great and he slept much, much better the second night. Well enough that I was a little sad that we didn't stay a third night.

But we made up for it by heading to Provincetown for the rest of the day to see the sights and go to the beach, neither of which disappointed.

Since we made it all the way to the tip of the Cape, we were at the real Atlantic ocean instead of just the bay so we got to see real live waves, seals and WHALES! I mean, it was nothing compared to the cigarette butts, hypodermic needles and crazy leathery skin of the local city beaches, but it was pretty cool and well worth the memorable "bathing suits" we had the pleasure of seeing.

Thanks for the fun weekend, friends. I can't think of a better way to end the summer.

Batten Down the Hatches

2011-08-27T14:19:00.002-04:00

For those who have asked, we did survive the earthquake earlier this week. We didn't feel a thing, though many did in Boston/Cambridge.

Now Hurricane Irene is on her way, looking to hit us with lots of rain and crazy winds. We're not expecting anything too serious and are just planning to hunker down and enjoy a day inside. (Don't worry Mom, we have lots of water, food and a well stocked 72 hour kit just in case.) I went to 5 (FIVE!) stores this morning and at my last stop found what I believe to be the last four D batteries in East Cambridge. I briefly considered standing in front of Target (my first unsuccessful stop) and auctioning them off to the highest bidder.

So, we're safe and sound and are well prepared should things start to get crazy. Thanks for your concerns. Stay safe and dry, friends!

In case all this Utah love is making you nervous:

2011-08-21T17:21:00.002-04:00

I could never truly love a place that has such a glaring error on an Elementary School playground.
Our New England boy looks understandably confused. Sorry Connecticut.

"Hey Smalls, you wanna s'more?"

2011-08-21T17:13:00.000-04:00

One of Soren's favorite things we did in Utah was roasting marshmallows over a camp fire at the family reunion. He's never seen a camp fire in real life, but thanks to television, knew exactly what it was and that you have to roast marshmallows on sticks. So one night we kept him up super late to fulfill his little dreams and made his his first s'more and he hasn't stopped talking about it since. (Sorry for the night time cell phone photos)

Last week on a rainy afternoon, he wanted to pretend to have a campfire. I wasn't sure how that was going to work, but used my magic mom powers to make one out of train tracks. It luckily was up to his strict toddler standards. Things like this can very easily turn into major heartbreak if my made up creation isn't just what he had in mind. (Like a ninja turtle mask fiasco we had a few nights ago.) Of course, if you have a train track campfire with stuffed animal friends, you have to roast cotton ball marshmallows on chopsticks.

He loved it. Until I took it WAY too far and popped a "marshmallow" into my mouth. He's not a big fan of fuzz and was pretty alarmed that I would even pretend to eat what was essentially a big ball of fuzz. Not cool mom, not cool.

Maybe one day we'll take our deprived little city mouse camping.

I ♥ Cousins

2011-08-10T23:00:00.002-04:00

One of the best things about our trip to Utah was the big dose of cousin time Soren got. It's shame that every single one of his cousins now lives on the wrong coast.

One reason why it pays to have an 11 year old uncle

2011-08-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

He can blow your mind with his water bending skills at the park.

After all that bending, they relaxed with a little yoga.

With friends like these, who needs enemies siblings?

2011-08-10T22:22:00.000-04:00

Soren spends a good portion of his days with his two little friends Owen and Charlotte. Here they are playing in holes in the sand at Constitution beach. They sometimes spend more time fighting over toys (or in the case of this day, holes) than playing, but I like to think that deep down they love each other dearly.

"Utah! What a great place to be"

2011-08-02T16:37:00.001-04:00

We've been home from Utah for a week and I'm slowly making my way through the pictures I took to get them edited and ready for public viewing. For now, here's one of my favorites that captures how Soren felt most of the time on our trip. Non-stop playing with his cousins (who he called his "friends" as in, "Mom, are my friends going to be there too?") makes for one happy three year old.

We had a great time and it ended too soon. We saw lots of friends and family, though there were still so many people we didn't have time to see. I'm slowly getting back into a normal routine and trying to cram in as much fun as possible while the end of summer looms ahead. Stay tuned for more pictures soon.

Soren in action

2011-07-10T17:02:00.000-04:00

For the last couple months Soren has developed a funny habit of running around the coffee table while singing along with the theme song of whatever show he's watching. Not sure where he got the idea but every time a show starts, without fail he'll hop up and start his laps. Just figured this was something that needed to be documented and also probably answers some of the neighbors' questions about what in the world is going on above their bedroom every day. Sorry neighbors. Gotta love three year olds.

A Visit from Nana & Gumpin

2011-07-10T16:46:00.000-04:00

Last month Logan's parents came to visit us. We all had a great time playing with Nana and Gumpin. Here are some highlights.

We took them to Rockport, MA- one of our favorite places. Soren and Logan made pirate faces near a pirate ship and we all enjoyed seeing the sights.

We celebrated Brian and Marian's 40th anniversary by taking them to Mount Auburn Cemetery- one of our other favorite places. We climbed to the top of the tower for the first time and Soren check out the view with his "binoculars".

Logan and Soren took a break and I scoped out a perfect little spot for me.

Thanks for coming to visit, Brian and Marian. We'll see you again in a week!

Back to life, back to reality

2011-07-10T16:25:00.001-04:00

Despite how it may appear since I didn't blog for 3 weeks after announcing I was going away for the weekend, I did survive and though I was tempted to stay on the Vineyard forever, I came home as planned. The weekend was wonderful and just what I needed. Thanks to all these lovely women for an absolutely perfect weekend and extra thanks to Logan for taking such good care of Soren while I was away.

"A vacation from my PROBLEMS!"

2011-06-17T19:56:00.003-04:00

I'm leaving for a weekend trip with friends to Martha's Vineyard at the crack of dawn tomorrow. This is going to be the first time that I've been away from this kid for more than a few hours in his entire life. It will be a much, much needed break for me and I've been counting down to these 48 blissful hours of not being pulled on or asked question after question, but I still started to cry when I said goodnight to him tonight. Wish us luck while Logan holds down the fort and I try to think about something other than Spider Man and squeezy yogurt.

Ou est le bibliotheque?

2011-06-10T12:31:00.000-04:00

Do you read Oh Happy Day? It is one of my favorite blogs and I get ideas from there all the time. Jordan is giving away a trip for two to Paris. You can enter here. But if you win and I don't, you better give the trip to me. Or at least bring me back an awesome souvenir.

I better start brushing up on my French. I took 3 years in elementary and high school, but I'm pretty sure this has taught me more than all those years combined.

Full disclosure: I get an extra entry to the contest for putting this up on my blog. I don't usually post stuff like this but come on, it's a trip to Paris and heavens knows we need a vacation.

Back in the saddle again

2011-06-09T13:59:00.002-04:00

I know, I know. When I started my gig blogging for Apartment Therapy that I promised I wouldn't let it get in the way of this blog but it totally has. Blogging twice a week has been harder than expected, especially on top of the other crazy things going on. So, I have a new found resolve to blog more frequently here and in order to get back on track, I'm just going to brief you on everything we've done in the last few months while I've been away.

Logan turned 30 in March so I threw him a rockin' party. Tacos, limeade, Mexican Cokes, friends, foosball and cupcakes galore. All the makings of a great party.

For Easter we went to our friend Barry & Amelia's Easter celebration and I managed to hold on to my title as Peep Jousting Champion. Two years baby! There's no stopping me now.

We went to Kimball Farm with our friends Gwen & Andrew. It was raining so we were only able to play in the arcade, be harassed by roosters and eat delicious ice cream.

At some point, we introduced Soren to to concept of dipping Oreos in milk. Oreo is now the only word he can spell other than his name. Though he does get the two mixed up sometimes since they have many of the same letters.

Along with my friends Aubrey and Bonnie, I put together a baby shower for our lovely friend Amelia. It was pretty amazing. You can check out lots more pictures here if you want to see more.

Soren tuned 3 in May. He woke up and got lots of loot, ate pancakes with a chocolate chip 3 and helped me make cupcakes. I resisted my urge to control everything and let Soren pick what kind of cupcakes we made. He chose chocolate cupcakes with spider/halloween wrappers, green frosting and christmas sprinkles. They were delicious and made me smile. We brought cupcakes to Institute to share with his friends and then had his godparents Peter & Eunice over that night for Chinese "yoodles" (what Soren calls Lo Mein) since is birthday is also Golden Spike Day and had more cupcakes. He had a great birthday and has spent the last month trying to test the theory that the terrible twos are nothing compared to three.

We also had a visit from Logan's parents, but this post is long enough so I'll save that for a post of its own and hopefully now that I am caught up can get back to regular posting.

Recipe: Mac & Cheese with Buffalo Wings

2011-06-09T08:34:00.005-04:00

Okay, so not really a recipe. Just proof for all the people that think most of our meals are beautiful, well-balanced and healthy. We do ~~frequently~~ occasionally eat food that comes with an envelope of neon colored powder or that should be served with ketchup.

(For those unfamiliar with Buffalo Wings, don't be alarmed (or excited?) - we have not started eating chicken. They are our favorite fake-meat thing. Spicy and delicious with ketchup. Give them a whirl.)

Summer has arrived

2011-06-08T08:09:00.001-04:00

I was walking home from the park and looked down and saw Soren's bare legs sticking out of the stroller and it made me think about how it wasn't that long ago that his little toes barely made it past the end of the stroller. I've spent hours looking down at those little legs kicking around and hope to remember this image forever.

Thank You x 3

2011-06-07T15:56:00.003-04:00

For each of Soren's birthdays I've done a photo card to thank those who give him gifts. It is funny to see how he's changed each year. This time Logan asked me when this will stop being cute.

I'm imagining an angst ridden 14 year old Soren holding a sign and hating every minute of it.

I got a pocket full of, pocket full of sunshine I got a love and I know that it's all mine oh, oh oh oh

2011-06-06T13:34:00.001-04:00

I just want to go on the record as saying that I love Farmers' Markets.
A pint of strawberries for lunch? Don't mind if I do.

(And this song has been stuck in my head for WEEKS. But I am kind okay with that.)

Let me save you the trouble...

2011-06-01T07:58:00.000-04:00

In case you've ever wondered what would happen if you let a three year old play with Silly Putty on the couch. It is a really, really bad idea.

Replacing the couch may just have moved way up on the list of priorities.

"It's too late to apologize, it's too late..."

2011-05-11T08:29:00.001-04:00

Dear Soren:

On this your third birthday I'd like to apologize that for the last year I have blamed you for the disappearance of my 1/2 cup measuring cup. I made an interesting discovery this morning when I was making you chocolate chip pancakes for your birthday:

I've learned two things today:

1. As handy as it is to have you to blame for stuff, I have to admit that I'm probably much more likely to loose something than you are.
2. I should make pancakes way more often.

I think the fact that for a year I have been baking without my trusty 1/2 cup and have had to use my 1/4 cup twice instead is punishment enough. Happy Birthday Son.

Soren had a great birthday and his official birthday post is on the way.

Laser Shark!

2011-05-08T20:40:00.001-04:00

When asked what I would like for Mother's Day Soren said "A pretend shark. A laser shark!" But Logan got me a couple cardigans instead. When I opened my present Soren said "Oh. But I wanted to get you a laser shark." So they drew one for me while a napped. Logan drew the shark. Soren added the lasers.

Thanks for a great day, boys. I love you.

Thoughts On Motherhood

2011-05-08T15:29:00.001-04:00

Mother's Day is a day that we acknowledge the many women in our life that have done great things for us. It is a day that we as women and mothers get praised for all we do. It is a day that many women dread and struggle to get through because of issues with their own mother or because of the great pain of not being a mother for whatever reason. For me, Mother's Day is a day to reflect on the women who have inspired me and helped make me into the mother and woman that I am and especially to give thanks for the ability I have to be a mother and for the support I get in that role. I feel blessed that I have been able to be a mother. I grew up with the goal to be a full time mom and I have been able to achieve that goal. For this I feel lucky and grateful especially since I know there are so many women, including some of my dearest friends, who have not been able to do this who wish they could. I mourn with them and hope that they know of my love and heartache I feel for them.

When Logan and I made the decision to have a baby four years ago it was an easy decision for me. I knew that motherhood was my ultimate goal and working and putting Logan though school was a tolerable obstacle to that goal. I knew that I wanted to be a mother and knew when it was time. For me, going from working full time to mothering full time was an obvious and easy choice. (And I acknowledge how lucky I was that it was even a choice to begin with.) I was eager to quit working and move on to mothering since I knew I would enjoy mothering more and be much better at it than working. I also assumed that those feelings of urgency to have a baby would return once Soren was a couple years old. But as Soren's third birthday approaches, I have been surprised to find that I still don't have that sense of urgency or need to have another child. While there are days when I want to throw in the towel and give up, I enjoy this special time where Soren gets so much of my love and attention. Unlike the transition from working to mothering, I don't know that the transition from one child to two is a change that I will feel fulfilled by and these feelings have surprised me. There are many days that I feel like we are barely surviving and the thought of adding another person into the mix, another little body who needs my care and attention 24/7 deeply overwhelms me.

I know I am a really good mom. Almost to a fault, I have totally immersed myself in loving and caring for Soren. Before he was even born he became the center of my world and I am not ready to turn that world upside down. I know that a lot of these feelings come from the instability that has been in our life for the last year and the fact that having another baby right now is absolutely not reasonable. I anticipate that once we are through the dark woods of unemployment I will allow myself to once again ache for a baby and feel the urgent need to bring another person into the world. I pray that we will be able to fulfill that need. I'm sure that once we have another child I will be able to love and care for that child in a different but equally as wonderful way. But for now I will enjoy this time I have with Soren and our little family of three. I will do my best in my role as mother and hope that I will be the mother that Soren needs. I love that Soren's birthday will always fall around Mother's Day since it will forever be linked to this incredible little boy that made me a mother.

Mother's Day is a day that lets us honor the women in our life who inspire and lift us up. I come from a long line of strong and amazing women. My heritage is a blessing to me and I am beyond grateful for the many remarkable women who came before me that have sacrificed and served in so many ways. My own mother is a remarkable woman who has set such a strong example of righteousness, patience and selflessness. She has devoted her life to caring for everyone around her and has happily immersed herself in service. It was a blessing for me to recently spend some time caring for her when she was in need. I am so grateful for her love and example and especially for the wonderful relationship that I have with her. Her presence in my life is a blessing.

I have been lucky to have so many friends and family members in my life who help me in so many wonderful and unique ways. Women who have taught me how to love and and how to serve. Women who have shown me how to find joy in all I do. Women who have laughed and cried with me. Women who inspire me to be better. Women who pray for me when they know I need all the help I can get. I couldn't do anything I do without the support I feel daily from so many wonderful women. So, happy Mothers Day to the many women in my life who have helped me in my role as a woman and mother.

Photo credit to Hannah Strasner, Terese's intern.

We Like Ike

2011-04-30T11:03:00.004-04:00

According to Soren, one of Mississippi's best features is his Uncle Isaac. He had a blast following Isaac around for two weeks and Isaac was (for the most part) patient about coming home from school to find his room destroyed or one of his Lego creations stepped on. Being around them together felt a bit like a two week deja vu of being around my two brothers 10 years ago and I constantly kept calling them by the wrong names.

Here are a few of my favorite Isaac and Soren interactions:

Soren: Isaac, what is a dinosaur?

Isaac: Soren, you know what a dinosaur is.

Soren: You're right. A dinosaur is a type of predator.

Isaac: Okay Soren, so you are the King.

Soren: But I thought I was a pirate? (He was wearing a pirate costume.)

Isaac: No, now you are a King.

Soren: Okay.

Isaac: And I'm the peasant.

Soren: What's a peasant?

Isaac: Well, in ancient times.... (goes on to explain while Soren totally glazes over and has no clue what he's talking about.)

Soren: Oh. Well I call that a present. That's something you give someone.

They also played Wild Kratts for hours on end, ate their weight in mini-bagels and told hundreds of knock, knock jokes. Soren was in heaven.

Explanation for the photo: Isaac insisted that we burry him in the sand up to his neck and I didn't have a bathing suit for Soren so he just ran around in his skivvies. When in Rome....

I finally won something!

2011-04-30T10:34:00.000-04:00

I totally won this!

I'm going to feel just like Kate Middleton when I walk into GAP and they let me buy their clothes for as much as their own employees. The Royal Treatment indeed.

"Mississippi moon won't you keep on shinin' on me"

2011-04-26T14:32:00.001-04:00

Remember how I used to post stuff on my blog? Well, I've been a little bit busy for the last few weeks and pushed the blog to the back burner. Here's a quick summary of what's been going on:

A few weeks ago Soren and I got a horrible stomach bug and were out of commission for a while. Apologies to all the friends who we managed to get sick and evil looks to whoever it was that got us sick.

While all this was going on, my mom was spending 10 days in the hospital with appendicitis and diverticulitus and had to have major surgery so Soren and I went to Mississippi for two weeks to help out during her recovery. While most of our time was spent cooking, cleaning and picking up medicine at Target, we were able to do some fun things like seeing an alligator in the wild. This photo is NOT zoomed in. Luckily we were safely behind a wooden fence on a platform thing, but it was still a little freaky. We also saw lots of other animals that Soren hasn't stopped talking about and spent a few afternoons at the beach. It was great to be there to help out my mom and I LOVED the 80+ degree weather (short sleeves everyday!) but it was a long time to be away from home and Logan. So we are happy to be back together and slowly getting life back in order.

I hope to get back into regular blogging soon. I know I never posted the two week menu that I promised was "coming soon" back in January. There were a couple recipes that needed a bit of tweaking and it sort of got forgotten once life got crazy. But I will post it eventually, even though the recipes are much more winter appropriate.

So that's that. Hopefully things will calm down soon I'll I will once again feel like I can devote time to my blog.

I knew he would be good for something

2011-03-30T18:45:00.001-04:00

Today while (unsuccessfully) trying to put Soren down for a nap he snuggled up to me, caressed my face and said:

"Mom, you're pretty. And soft. Like a blanket. I wish you were a blanket so I could bite you."

If you know how much he loves his blanket (and the strange obsession he has with biting it) you'll understand that this is just about the best compliment Soren could give. It almost made up for him not taking a nap.

He's Officially Cooler Than Me

2011-03-20T19:57:00.001-04:00

Soren was playing with a cardboard box the other day and pulled off all the tape and it collapsed. He stood back and looked at it and said "This is my dancing carpet!" and proceeded to dance. I have no idea where he learned about dancing on cardboard but my bets are on Sesame Street.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T20:19:00.004-04:00

(Thanks to Terese for the photo. And the rockin' St. Patty's Party.)

Happy Anniversary

2011-03-15T07:56:00.005-04:00

Our 6th anniversary started with Soren climbing into our bed at 1 AM remarkably for the first time since moving into a toddler bed several weeks ago. He came into our room and said his bed was too crowded so he wanted to sleep with us. Faulty logic aside, I let him climb on up for a few minutes. After a quick snuggle I told him that he needed to sleep in his bed and this was Logan's and my bed, not his. His response: "But Mom, it is good to share." Good point. So I let him stay for a while. As I laid there, pushed to the very edge of the bed and listening to the sounds of Soren and Logan's synchronized breathing, I felt so happy. There's a lot we want right now, but at that moment all I needed was right there in the bed. The two people I love more than anything in the world all snuggled up with me. Soren's right. It is good to share. It has been good to share the last six years with Logan. This year's been incredibly hard on us but through it all, we've had each other and this charming little boy to keep us smiling.

Happy Anniversary Logan. I love you and hope when all this stuff is over, we can take a vacation together and get a break. Thanks for all you do for me and for appreciating all I do for you. You're the beast.

(Who needs a Happy Anniversary card when you can use an Ides of March card? I bet you wish your anniversary fell on the Ides of March. And for those of you who are concerned about us letting Soren sleep in our bed, it was short lived and he happily went back to his bed after a quick snooze.)

Recipe: Peanut Butter Brownies

2011-03-15T04:45:00.001-04:00

Even though we're not totally vegan, I generally cook and post vegan recipes, especially baked goods. However, I have yet to make or eat a vegan brownie that is as good as a non-vegan one. Don't get me wrong, I am an avid supporter of vegan baking and I believe that almost everything thing can be made just as delicious as its non-vegan counterpart but I have yet to be convinced with brownies. Feel free to try to prove me wrong. So this recipe is shamelessly full of butter and eggs. And is delicious. Anyway, before the Vegan Police pick me up for a Veganity Violation, let me share this tasty recipe with you.

I wanted to make a special and delicious treat for my friend Bonnie's birthday so I combined this brownie recipe base with this peanut butter top and the end result was pretty amazing. I switched it up because the base recipe was one I had enough eggs to make, but I'm sure you could just make the entire peanut butter recipe. However, it was delicious my way and I haven't made the original peanut butter brownie recipe so can't vouch for it.

Peanut Butter Brownies

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside. Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula.

To make the filling, stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

Pour the filling over the brownies and swirl around with a butter knife to incorporate the peanut butter (don't over mix).

Bake until a toothpick inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

I'm legit, baby!

2011-03-08T14:54:00.011-05:00

My first official post just went up on Apartment Therapy! I wrote about the new art I hung above our couch. Go check it out if you're interested. I won't write a post here every time I post there (since it will be every Tuesday and Friday afternoon and that's more often than I post here some weeks) but I've added a feature to my sidebar with links to my recent Apartment Therapy posts. Though I know that isn't helpful for those who use google reader and never see my sidebar. Alternatively, you can add Apartment Therapy Boston to your reader and just get a handful of posts a day compared to the 40 or so a day from the main site. Anyway, here's a link to my post. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hit "refresh" over and over and watch the comments come in on my post.

Recipe: Sunny Blueberry-Corn Muffins

2011-03-08T13:39:00.003-05:00

I finally made these muffins a couple weeks ago after flagging the recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance four years ago when I bought it. The recipe calls for soy milk and yogurt, but whatever milk or yogurt products you have will work well. Think of these more as corn muffins than blueberry muffins since they don't have that traditional cake-like flavor or texture that everyone expects from blueberry muffins, but they are still delicious. The intro in the cookbook says: "These are perfect sweet corn muffins, crispy outside and soft inside. They've got a great crumb, perfect for spreading with a pat of soy margarine. I call them sunny because of the lemon zest. To keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffin, toss them around in a bowl of flour to coat. That will give them some "grip" in the batter."

Sunny Blueberry-Corn Muffins

From Vegan With a Vengeance

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Finely grated zest from 1 lemon

1 1/4 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, yogurt, vanilla and lemon zest. With a wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold in the blueberries, being careful not to over mix.

Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Serve warm.

Found a way to help him get past his issues with getting messy:

2011-03-02T21:26:00.002-05:00

I think he's a real kid now.

"You're shabby, but not too shabby"

2011-03-01T17:05:00.006-05:00

Continuing the idea that we're on the up and up, I'm starting to believe all the hype about the importance of exercise and a full night's sleep, both of which I participated in yesterday. This morning I made this beautiful loaf of bread (recipe coming), did yoga with Logan and Soren, made and ate steel-cut oatmeal, took my vitamins, got dressed and even brushed my teeth all before 9:30. Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

PS: In other Wangsgard achievements, Soren is pretty much potty-trained (at least during the day). I've hesitated to mention this since it seems like that's just tempting fate but I've held it in too long and thought that sneaking it in the bottom of an unrelated post was safe. Fingers crossed.

Things are starting to look a little better around here

2011-02-23T08:20:00.005-05:00

I got the job at Apartment Therapy! I start in March as a regular contributor. I'm incredibly excited but also a little bit overwhelmed and hoping I can actually do this now that it is a reality. Wish me luck!

Have no fear loyal readers, I won't let my new ~~fame~~ gig take away from my blogging duties here.

Check it out:

2011-02-18T16:54:00.003-05:00

I did a guest post about our place for Apartment Therapy. I'm trying really hard not to obsess over every little thing in the pictures and just enjoy the fact that I have something on their site.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

Love,

Soren Peter Wangsgard

AB Update

2011-02-13T14:33:00.005-05:00

A little update for those who are wondering what's going on with the cat. Thanks to all the leg work done by Eunice, a local shelter agreed to take her in. We took her to the vet to get examined and spayed (on the shelter's dime) and she was given a clean bill of health other than her paw pads, which were severely damaged from exposure. The skin had all fallen off from frostbite so the vet suggested that she should be in a foster home for a couple weeks to fully recover before going to the shelter to be adopted. We gladly agreed to take her during her recovery so we will have her for about another week until she is in tip top shape and ready to find a permanent home.

I think Soren has said "Hi Cat" hundreds of times in the last few days and we're all pretty much in love with this sweet little kitty. She's recovering quickly and we'll be sad to see her go, but know that a permanent pet just isn't for us right now and hope that she'll get adopted quickly once she's up for it.

A Chip Off the Old Block

2011-02-10T22:49:00.004-05:00

Had a little photo shoot with Soren today.

We asked him to make a shark face:

A turtle face:

A Dad face:

And a Mom face:

I'm pretty sure that is what my face looks like 90% of the time.

Kids Book Recommendations

2011-02-09T20:45:00.005-05:00

I often get asked for recommendations for kids books so I thought I'd put together a list of some of our favorites. This is nowhere near exhaustive and I had a hard time narrowing it down to just these. Soren loves books and I can tell when I haven't been doing enough non-bedtime reading when he asks me if I will read him a book "just for fun". These books are all ones that we enjoy reading as much as he does, which I think is pretty important when you're going to read a book over and over.

For Babies & Young Toddlers

(Though other than the first two books, Soren still loves all of these)

From left to right:

1. Fuzzy Bee and Friends

2. Peek a Who?

3. Pat The Bunny

4. Cleo's Color Book

5. That's Not My Pirate...

6. Baby Faces

7. Moo Baa La La La!

8. How Loud is a Lion?

For Toddlers & Up

From left to right:

1. The Monster At the End of This Book

2. Harry The Dirty Dog

3. The Runaway Beard

4. How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?

5. Harold and The Purple Crayon

6. Knuffle Bunny

7. Caps for Sale

8. Library Lion

9. Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places

10. Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus

11. Happy Birthday, Moon

12. If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

13. Where's Spot?

14. Not a Box

15. The Sounds Around Town

16. Where The Wild Things Are

17. The Wicked Big Toddlah

What are some of your favorites I missed?

Internet, Meet ABCDEFG

2011-02-08T21:37:00.004-05:00

Today we took in a lodger. A cat that has been living in our freezing cold church parking garage for a couple weeks. She's going to live with us until a permanent home or shelter can be found for her. Our cat lover extrodindaire friend Eunice gave her a bath, clipped her nails and got us set up with food and Soren gave her a name: ABCDEFG or AB for short. She's amazingly sweet and calm and seems happy as can be to be warm and clean. I don't think she's stopped purring since she arrived.

I was worried about Soren getting too attached, but now I think Logan is just as smitten with this sweet little cat. If anyone is looking to add a very sweet and furry member to your family, let me know.

Keeping the Winter Crazies at Bay

2011-02-07T17:12:00.003-05:00

He calls it "Square Dancing"

(because of the floor tiles)

Good Stuff on the Way

2011-01-31T21:36:00.003-05:00

I'm in the process of putting together a sample two week menu, something several people have requested over the years. It will have some recipes I've already posted but also a couple new ones. My goal is to make a resource for those looking to add delicious and healthy meatless meals to their regular rotation. These recipes will be ones that are inexpensive and easy to make, using familiar ingredients that most people already have in their pantries. Hopefully it won't disappoint. If nothing else, it gives me a project. Stay tuned.

Recipe: Pistachio Rose Water Cookies

2011-01-31T20:42:00.004-05:00

Made these cookies last week for my lovely friend Lisa's birthday. They are light and delicious and don't taste like you're eating flower petals, I promise. The rose water adds a unique flavor that makes these cookies special. I found rose water at Harvest Co-op; you should be able to find it at most health food or Middle Eastern stores. Make sure you buy food grade rose water not cosmetic or they really will taste like flowers. The cookbook I got these from says "These cookies are a miracle of science, really; delicately flavored and somehow light and airy, chewy and crispy all at once." I totally agree.

Pistachio Rose Water Cookies

From Veganomicon

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

3 tablespoons soy milk (or any type of milk)

1 tablespoon rose water

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, milk, rose water, vanilla, lime juice and zest. Add the cornstarch and whisk until dissolved.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Mix well.

Roll the dough into balls about 2 teaspoons in size (a bit smaller than a walnut) and dip the tops into the chopped pistachios. Press down with two fingers; the dough will flatten a bit and pistachios will collect on the bottom.

Place the cookies, nut side up, about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. You should be able to fit sixteen on a standard baking sheet. Bake for 13 minutes; they will be soft but that’s okay. They will firm up as they cool.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

At the Museum of Science

2011-01-27T23:28:00.006-05:00

Soren climbed up to this display in front of the Triceratops and said:

"I'm checking my dinosaur email."

(Speaking of Triceratops, did you hear that apparently it isn't a real dinosaur after all?)

Baby It's (CRAZY) Cold Outside

2011-01-24T09:25:00.003-05:00

Ice on the INSIDE of Soren's bedroom (new-ish double pane) window.

I think that means it is officially too cold.

Having the rug pulled out from under you. Again.

2011-01-19T09:32:00.006-05:00

We found out yesterday that Logan no longer has a job. All jobs where he was working have a 3 month probationary period that comes to an end on Thursday. It was a bit of a shock, as you might imagine, but because of various circumstances it just wasn't working right. We're figuring out what comes next. Any good thoughts, prayers, job offers, etc. would be greatly appreciated as we try to brace ourselves for the days ahead.

More Snow!

2011-01-18T12:37:00.006-05:00

It's snowing like crazy again today and since we're stuck inside, I thought I'd finally post about our last snow day.

Soren loves the snow and has so much fun playing in it. He's so patient as he just keeps tripping and falling over. A foot of snow is a pretty big deal to walk in when you're only 3 feet tall and wearing tons of layers.

Who needs a hill when the courthouse steps are just down the street? Logan did it first and I was way too scared to, but after Soren did it (from half way up) I decided I could handle it. This was my second roll. You are crazy dizzy afterwards, but so worth it.

The next day Soren and I headed back outside and built a snow fort. I used a board and a lawn chair. I admit that it is totally cheating (and a little bit trashy) but so, so much easier and you know the Eskimos would use stuff like that too if they had them around.

Peeking out of the lawn chair tunnel:

Stuff like this totally makes the crazy winters worth it.

(Remind me I said that in March.)

Since I haven't posted a video in a while:

2011-01-13T13:15:00.007-05:00

I think he's more coordinated than I am. (Not that it takes much.)

He gets a little carried away at the end, but I left it on there to prove that he is actually a normal, human toddler.

Recipe: Curried Squash Soup

2011-01-12T11:32:00.004-05:00

I made this soup last night and it was a great meal to warm us up while we waited for the massive snow storm to arrive. Unless I have a sandwich to dip in it, I don't generally love blended vegetable soups like this since I feel like I'm eating a big bowl of runny baby food, but the flavors and garnishes on this one give it a complexity that makes it something even I can eat by the bowlful. It is one of the variations of the Pumpkin Soup recipe in Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian that I have changed a tiny bit. I used butternut and acorn squash but you can use any winter squash you want. By far the hardest part of this soup is peeling and cutting the squash. Because of the grooves, acorn squash is a huge pain to peel, butternut much less so. But the rest of the soup is super easy so well worth the peeling effort. I haven't tried, but I assume this soup would freeze really well as it is a blended soup. The recipe doesn't make a ton, but you could very easily double it and freeze half for a snowy day. I served it with a couple pieces of Trader Joe's frozen garlic naan and it was delicious together and made it it into a meal. The red pepper flakes give it a tiny bit of a kick but it is not at all spicy. However, if you are feeding it to kids that are sensitive to that sort of thing, you may want to leave it out or add it at the very end after scooping some out for the kids.

Curried Squash Soup

Serves 4

3 tablespoons butter or oil (I used olive oil)

3 pounds winter squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

5 cups vegetable stock

1 cup coconut milk

salt and pepper

chopped cilantro and scallions, for garnish

Heat the oil in a deep skillet or sauce pan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the squash and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and pepper flakes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until fragrant, another minute or so. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the soup bubbles gently. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash starts to fall apart, about 30 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pan. Or cool slightly and pour into a blender or food processor and puree carefully in batches.

Heat the pureed soup until almost boiling. Stir in the coconut milk and heat through, but do not boil. Taste to adjust the seasoning, and serve garnished with a swirl of coconut milk and chopped cilantro and scallions.

Thoughts on Goals:

2011-01-09T20:22:00.008-05:00

Gave this talk to today at Church. Figured I shouldn't let good writing go to waste and ought to share it some more. I thought I did pretty well given the fact that moments before I got up I noticed Soren patting his head and rubbing his tummy and I managed to hold back the giggles. Quite a feat for a giggler like myself.

Setting goals is something we love to do, particularly as each year begins. While I appreciate the natural tendency towards goal setting with an attitude of improvement that comes every year, I always find it funny that this is generally the only time we will set goals with such zeal. Elder Holland said:

The start of a new year is the traditional time to take stock of our lives and see where we are going, measured against the backdrop of where we have been. I don’t want to talk about New Year’s resolutions, but I do want to talk about the past and the future, with an eye toward any time of transition and change in our lives—and those moments come virtually every day.

I like this because it allows for a more realistic and attainable outlook on goal setting that I think is much healthier and less likely to set us up for the inevitable failure and disappointment that most of our lofty New Years ambitions bring. I think we can all appreciate the times of transition in our lives and use those moments as opportunities for improvement.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows for constant change and improvement through agency and repentance. We all have the opportunity to shape our lives in whatever way we desire through the choices we make and as we set realistic, attainable goals that will bring positive change to our lives. The way I generally set goals, particularly at the New Year, is to evaluate my life, find what aspects are lacking, and make a list of the ways that I want to change. I end up with an overwhelmingly long list of things that I try to tackle all at once so that I can feel like I’m on the road to becoming a more perfect mother, wife, Christian, and friend.

I think as Latter Day Saints, the quest for perfection is one that has been engrained in us at an early age. When I looked up ”Goals” in the Topical Guide, I wasn’t that surprised to find that it simply said “See Objectives, Perfection.” While I suppose it is good to have such exalted ambitions, I think the constant striving for perfection that is pressed on us can be overwhelming and in many cases detrimental, particularly among women. It can set us up for disappointment and feelings of inadequacy when we stumble on our path to perfection. I have had many exchanges with other women who are surprised when I make a comment about having a hard week or feeling frazzled since to them I appear to have it all together. So, let me publicly out myself and say that more days that not every surface of my kitchen is pilled with dirty dishes and that Soren watches way, way too much TV. Most days I don’t shower until well into the afternoon we never have Family Home Evening and we go to Taco Bell often enough that I recognize all the employees and am pretty sure they recognize me. We are all human, and despite whatever facade we present, we are all struggling in some way. None of us are perfect, nor should we ever expect to be. But with faith and the atonement, we can make gradual changes in our life to be a little better, one day at a time.

When I was asked to speak, I was given this lovely quote from Josiah Gilbert Holland as a guide. He said:

Heaven is not reached at a single bound; But we build the ladder by which we rise; From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, And we mount to its summit round by round.

I love this. I find that I have a tendency to try to do most things in a single bound. I have a hard time gradually changing things, instead I will create overly ambitious goals which inevitably lead to failure when I get burned out. Last summer, after a visit to the home of my very organized sister-in-law, who learned all she knows from my even more organized mother-in-law (both of whom I love dearly) I decided that I was going to get my life and home in order. I created a calendar and decided when and how often I was going to do every single one of my church, family and personal responsibilities. I wrote in everything from exercising, to cleaning the bathroom, to sending out the weekly Relief Society email, to plucking my eyebrows, to writing my brother who was on a mission. I was determined to be the type of person who had a standing laundry day. It worked great for about two weeks. I had a clean house, well planned meals, nicely groomed eyebrows and a flatter stomach. But I felt completely crazy. I had scheduled every moment of my life and while I had been very responsible and successful, I felt completely taken over by all the things I HAD to do. And then of, course, the fact that I felt this way made me feel like a failure when I thought of all the women who I assumed did these things with grace and ease, most of whom have more than one child, and are perusing a Masters Degree, training for their second marathon, and something else really impressive. So, I realized I was being unrealistic and decided that while I may never be the woman who does all those things, I could be the woman who does a lot of other really great things and I am okay with that. It would be nice if I knew it was time to do laundry before I ran out of socks, but what can you do. As it says in Mosiah 4: 27:

And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.

I think it is sometimes hard to remember scriptures like this when we hear ones about perfection much more often. I think the only way lasting, positive growth and change can occur is by understanding ourselves and knowing what we are capable of.

This year, as the New Year approached, I decided to mix it up and not set any resolutions. Instead, I will keep in mind the place I’d like to be in the near future, and do what I can to make the gradual changes to get me there. Obviously this is much, much easier said than done. My personality is one of list making and obsessing over details. I have more note pads than I can count stashed in locations around my house that are full of lists. I am not sure how to turn off the part of my brain that does those things and allow myself to ease into positive change and natural growth. I wish that I could be a much more laid back goal setter, but I’m not sure that it is possible.

Elder Henry B. Eyring said:

We cannot see the future with precision, but we can know what the Lord intends and what it will take [for] each of us to qualify personally to participate.

I think this is a good attitude to have when setting goals while trying to keep an eye on what the Lord would have us do. We know ourselves and the Lord knows us better. Together we can set a personalized path that will steer us in a direction that will lead to improvement and happiness and yeah, maybe even getting close to perfection if we’re really lucky. Obviously, the points along this path will be different for everyone, but that is the beauty of life. The Lord understands our strengths and weaknesses and loves us for those aspects of our personality. We can set goals and work within the bounds of our capacities to reach them. Elder Holland said:

Every day ought to be the start of a new year and a new life. Such is the wonder of faith, repentance, and the miracle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever. That is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep.

Ring out wild bells to the wild sky

2011-01-01T13:00:00.002-05:00

As the new year approached I had many "resolutions" floating around in my head. Some big, some little. Some that excited me and some that scared me. They range from taking vitamins, to getting Soren potty trained. I haven't felt the need to write them down since I've never done well with any lists of resolutions in the past. So I'm just going to let them keep floating around in hopes that they will inspire me to have a year of positive growth and change.

Twenty-ten was full of lots of highs and lows but I'm happy to show it the door. Here's to a lovely 2011. I have a feeling it will be a wonderful and exciting year.

This seemed much more interesting in my head...

2011-01-01T12:46:00.002-05:00

In an effort to capture a year of my blog in one post, I decided to go through and pick my favorite posts from each month of 2010. I got half way done and realized it wasn't really as cool as I thought it would be at 8:00 this morning but figured I'd taken the time to skim through a year of archives so I may as well use it.

January: Wangsgards on Paper

February: Better Late Than Never, Right?

March: Credit Where Credit is Due

April: The Unkindness of Strangers

May: Letters to Soren: Month Twenty-Four

June: Father's Day

July: Just Think Of All the Money We'll Save on Shampoo

August: Kids Say The Darnedest Things

September: This Little Piggy Had Tofu

October: High Fives All Around

November: Too Many Secrets

December: Flashback Friday

Maybe someone out there is in need of a little light reading on this lazy day and will find this just what they were looking for.

Christmas 2010 Recap

2011-01-01T09:54:00.002-05:00

Since today is the last day one can officially talk about Christmas and Soren is currently occupied with eating the entire head of horse shaped shortbread (Thanks Amelia!) I figured I ought to sum up our wonderful Christmas. We stayed home again this year and enjoyed several low key and lovely days as a family. Here are some of my favorite moments:

Our Christmas Eve Eve dinner with friends. I made Corn Chowder, a Perkes family tradition and we sat and ate and talked and laughed. I made one of the best desserts I've ever made and remembered that anything tastes better when eaten out of a ramekin.

The perfectly fluffy and delicious pancakes I made for Christmas Eve Dinner. A Christmas Miracle indeed. And feeling totally fine that they were from a mix.

Watching The Nativity movie with Soren on Christmas Eve. We were explaining that Jesus' mom and dad were looking for a place to sleep and he said that Jesus should come sleep at our house since it is nice and warm.

Also while watching The Nativity, Soren asked, "Oh, is she going to hatch?" when I told him that Mary was about to have a baby.

Finally being able to say "yes" to Soren when he asked for the umpteenth time "Is TODAY Christmas?" when I went in to get him on Christmas morning.

Soren saying "Another airplane?!?! That's lucky!" when he opened the 4th airplane from his Uncle Pete.

Our delicious Christmas Dinner of tamales with friends. I may hate flan, but I sure do love sharing meals with people I love.

Playing round after round of PIT after dinner. We played until we were delirious with trading. And I won.

Snowpocalypse 2010 and wondering when/if I will no longer be mesmerized and thrilled by watching the falling snow. It is my seventh winter here and I still can't pull myself away.

Tromping in the snow with Logan to the Brattle Theatre to watch Edward Scissorhands on the big screen. One of our favorite movies made even better.

That pretty much sums it up. Our Holidays were very happy. Thanks to all those who made them so.

Totally addicted.

2010-12-27T01:52:00.004-05:00

Have you tried Etsy Taste Test? You click on stuff you like and they will find similar items that you'll love. Such a good idea and it is so, so fun to make your selections and see what they come up with. Here's a sampling of what they found for me. The acorn necklace is what Logan/Soren got for me for Christmas and I think I am going to marry that herringbone bag.

You can try it here.

Christmas Loot 2010

2010-12-25T18:23:00.007-05:00

In Wangsgard family tradition, here we are with all our loot this year. Click here and you can mouse over all the items to see what each thing is.

I enjoyed Christmas much more than my face in this photo makes it seem. Part of being a mom is choosing the one picture where your son is facing the camera even if it isn't the best of you.

Or something.

Our Christmas was pretty great and the fun hasn't stopped.

Hope you all had as wonderful of a Christmas as we did.

C is for Cookie

2010-12-21T22:37:00.006-05:00

Five kinds of cookies

(Magic Bars, Carrot Cookies with Tangerine Frosting, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pillows, Milanos & Chocolate Mint Chip)

One little boy peeking at the treats.

More impressive than the fifteen dozen beautiful and delicious cookies is the fact that I had all of the mess (and the mess from a party over the weekend) cleaned up before Logan got home from work.

Mischief managed.

Uncle Hot Dog

2010-12-15T23:14:00.007-05:00

My brother Ammon left today, concluding his two week visit. He decided to come up and hang out since he's just got time to kill before heading off to The Lord's University. Thanks for coming little brother. Soren misses you already.

For those of you who don't know, Logan's been calling Ammon "Hot Dog" for the last 7 plus years. One day we were at the beach and little teenager Ammon was eating a hot dog and in usual Logan form he said something like, "Get that hot dog out of my face, Hot Dog." and the name has stuck. Logan even had all of our friends calling him Hot Dog. And yes, of course we took him to Spike's while he was here.

Flashback Friday II

2010-12-10T12:26:00.006-05:00

I think I look like my mother.

Minus the awesome triangle buttons.

And the winner is...

2010-12-10T10:12:00.003-05:00

Congratulations Terese! She's won my first giveaway. For those who didn't win, I'm planning to do another one next week, do you'll get another chance.

Perkes Family Photos

2010-12-08T10:29:00.004-05:00

I convinced my family to let me take a family photo while we were all together. I think they turned out great.

Oh, and figuring out clothes for 13 people that look good but don't look like we planned it too much was WAY harder than I expected. So a big thanks to everyone for or cooperating and bending to my will when I told you what to wear (or not to wear) and where to stand.

Merry Christmas From The Wangsgards

2010-12-08T10:23:00.003-05:00

I surely left someone of the very long list of people to email this to, so here's our Christmas card for all to enjoy.

Thanks again to Terese for the lovely photos.

First Ever Salad Days Giveaway!

2010-12-07T14:58:00.004-05:00

Let me tell you a story about how two Christmases ago I was convinced to do a Holiday Craft Fair to sell cards with a friend whose name I won't mention. I have a small, little tendency to get a tiny bit carried away sometimes so I made a lot of cards. Like a ton. I sold a pretty good amount and actually came out ahead, surprisingly, but had so many cards left over. So I created an Etsy shop and posted a bunch of stuff thinking that it would be a good way to get rid of my left over cards and make some money. I didn't sell a single thing. Awesome. So, two years later and I still have more cards than I can ever foresee using. So you, my lucky blog readers get to benefit from my obsessive card making.

I'm happy to present you my first ever blog giveaway. I'm hoping that by doing one myself, all that good giveaway karma will come back to me and I'll eventually win one of the many giveaways I enter.

One lucky reader will receive a set of 6 handmade Christmas cards with coordinating envelopes as well as 8 gift tags.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post and I will choose someone at random and send them the goods. I'll leave it open until Thursday night but come back next week for another set of cards and tags.

Sorry folks, this giveaway is done. Terese is the lucky winner.

How I Spent My 27th Birthday:

2010-12-06T10:50:00.006-05:00

Went on a hike with my siblings and dad while my sweet mother watched all the grandsons.

Didn't die while taking this picture, although it was touch and go there for a minute while I was on my side and upside down on the edge of a cliff trying to get the timer set on the camera. I think my Dad almost had a heart attack watching me.

Went and saw tons of elephant seals that Soren thought were really cool despite being FREEZING cold and refusing to look at the camera.

Walked around on a beautiful beach with my family.

Decided 27 is NOT too old to jump rope with sea kelp.

Had a delicious raspberry cheesecake.

Not pictured, the delicious berry pancakes Amy made for breakfast, the nap I took, the really delicious Mexican food we got for dinner, and my husband flying in at midnight to complete the perfect day.

California Knows How To Party

2010-12-06T10:28:00.005-05:00

I love going on vacation because it gives you a chance to do all sorts of things that you can't do at home. Like apple picking:

And throwing lots of rocks on chilly beaches:

Oh, wait... we can do those things where we live. Just kidding. It was wonderful. And even though we did a couple things we can do at home we did them with my whole family. Not much sweeter than seeing my family play with Soren. This is a deceptively treacherous picture. My parents were not taking their darling grandsons along a narrow, rocky cliff. It was a very wide rocky cliff.

There was lots of dressing up with cousins too. Here Soren is a rattle snake and Carter is Batman.

A porcupine (or pokey-pine as Soren calls it):

And a crocodile:

I think Soren needs some dress up clothes. He had a blast. He wore that porcupine costume for a couple hours.