My schedule is being filled with kids' activities. My life is definitely not mine anymore. I am OK with it.
Last night, I went to back to school nite at Lawrenceville Elementary School (LES). Terran attends kindergarten there. All the parents gathered in the gym first and they made us say the pledge of allegiance first (to my surprise!). LES has students from K-3rd grade and this year, they have about 370 students total. The township has 4 of these k-3 public schools. After a brief mtg with the principal, we headed over to our children's classroom.
As soon as I walked in, I was surprised the amount of stuff that's hanging on the wall. Alphabets, numbers, lots and lots of art projects, names, and just stuff. In his class of 20 kids, he has 2 teachers and 1 assistant teacher. They talked about how the kids spend their day there and the goal for the year. They talked about reading, writing, science, social studies, algebra, geometry.... And this is kindergarten! They had 3 desktop computers in the class and the teachers said that each student will also get a laptop. Wow. They really have a great academic curriculum. Kindergarten is no longer just fun and play. It's really about academia and learning and preparing the kids to do well in school. I was totally impressed. Kindergarten is the new first grade. I hope Terran can keep up.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Pumpkin Bread
It's the season for pumpkins!
I always thought that pumpkins were for decoration and carving. But apparently, they are for eating as well. So far, we've received 3 pumpkins from our CSA this year. They look just like a halloween pumpkins, so at first, I just left it on our patio for decoration. Then, my neighbor told us that it's actually for eating and told me how simple it is to turn it to edible form. So here's what I did with the first pumpkin.
I cut the pumpkin in half and roasted it cut side down on a baking pan with 1/4" of water at 350F. After an hour, the pumpkin came out cooked and squishy.
Then I scraped the inside of the pumpkin out into a bowl. I also took out the seeds, took out all the pumpkin bits around them and washed the seeds. The Only thing left after that was just the skin which looked like a deflated basketball.
Here's the pumpkin meat, the leftover skin and the seeds. After cleaning the seeds, I pat them dry and laid them out flat on a baking sheet with oil and a generous sprinkle of salt. I roasted them in 400F oven for 20min for some edible pumpkin seeds. Terran thought they reminded him of popcorn. You can eat the shell and all. The pumpkin was pureed, and put in the freezer for future use.
I gotta say, the pumpkin actually doesn't have that much flavor. It has less flavor than a butternut squash for sure. It's pretty bland.
So over the weekend, I made:
Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips:
(makes 2 loaves)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup oil
4 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 tsp ground cloves
3 cups white wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
2tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven 350F. In a bowl, mix pumpkin, oil, egg, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Sift flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda over the mixture. Mix everything then mix in chocolate chips. Butter the 2 bread pans very well and pour in the mixture evenly. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
The bread came out wonderfully moist. The chocolate added a nice sweetness but it sort of camouflaged the pumpkin taste, but I didn't mind too much. I love chocolate! I thought the spice was subtle and just the right amount - it wasn't as spicy as store bought pumpkin bread or pie. It turned out great! We ate a loaf and brought another loaf to our new friend's house. Pat asked me to make more, so him and the kids can have them for breakfast again. Yum!
I always thought that pumpkins were for decoration and carving. But apparently, they are for eating as well. So far, we've received 3 pumpkins from our CSA this year. They look just like a halloween pumpkins, so at first, I just left it on our patio for decoration. Then, my neighbor told us that it's actually for eating and told me how simple it is to turn it to edible form. So here's what I did with the first pumpkin.
I cut the pumpkin in half and roasted it cut side down on a baking pan with 1/4" of water at 350F. After an hour, the pumpkin came out cooked and squishy.
Then I scraped the inside of the pumpkin out into a bowl. I also took out the seeds, took out all the pumpkin bits around them and washed the seeds. The Only thing left after that was just the skin which looked like a deflated basketball.
Here's the pumpkin meat, the leftover skin and the seeds. After cleaning the seeds, I pat them dry and laid them out flat on a baking sheet with oil and a generous sprinkle of salt. I roasted them in 400F oven for 20min for some edible pumpkin seeds. Terran thought they reminded him of popcorn. You can eat the shell and all. The pumpkin was pureed, and put in the freezer for future use.
I gotta say, the pumpkin actually doesn't have that much flavor. It has less flavor than a butternut squash for sure. It's pretty bland.
So over the weekend, I made:
Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips:
(makes 2 loaves)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup oil
4 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 tsp ground cloves
3 cups white wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
2tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven 350F. In a bowl, mix pumpkin, oil, egg, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Sift flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda over the mixture. Mix everything then mix in chocolate chips. Butter the 2 bread pans very well and pour in the mixture evenly. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
The bread came out wonderfully moist. The chocolate added a nice sweetness but it sort of camouflaged the pumpkin taste, but I didn't mind too much. I love chocolate! I thought the spice was subtle and just the right amount - it wasn't as spicy as store bought pumpkin bread or pie. It turned out great! We ate a loaf and brought another loaf to our new friend's house. Pat asked me to make more, so him and the kids can have them for breakfast again. Yum!Monday, September 20, 2010
Mr. & Mrs.
Today at Terran's school, they apparently talked about Mr. & Mrs.
So Terran told me he learned that Mrs. A has a Mr. A. And Mrs. Ryan has a Mr. Ryan. And Mrs. Hopson has a Mr. Hopson.
Then confused, he asked me: "We are all Chows but why are you Junko Huang?"
So I said: "Well, not everyone in the family has to have the same last name. I'm just not a Chow, but I'm still your mom."
Then he asked: "Do you love your husband?"
I chuckled and said "Yes, I love my husband."
And he walked away.
Based on his questions, I felt a little selfish. At the time when we got married and I made the decision to keep my last name (with the agreement from my husband), I never thought about what my future child would think. And it was a little painful that, perhaps, he thought his parents are not Mr. & Mrs. Chow because she doesn't love her husband, his dad. This is a complicated yet legitimate concern of a 5 year old boy. I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to confuse you.
So Terran told me he learned that Mrs. A has a Mr. A. And Mrs. Ryan has a Mr. Ryan. And Mrs. Hopson has a Mr. Hopson.
Then confused, he asked me: "We are all Chows but why are you Junko Huang?"
So I said: "Well, not everyone in the family has to have the same last name. I'm just not a Chow, but I'm still your mom."
Then he asked: "Do you love your husband?"
I chuckled and said "Yes, I love my husband."
And he walked away.
Based on his questions, I felt a little selfish. At the time when we got married and I made the decision to keep my last name (with the agreement from my husband), I never thought about what my future child would think. And it was a little painful that, perhaps, he thought his parents are not Mr. & Mrs. Chow because she doesn't love her husband, his dad. This is a complicated yet legitimate concern of a 5 year old boy. I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to confuse you.
Pledge of Allegiance
A couple of days after first day of school, Terran came home and busted out with the Pledge of Allegiance. Since we've never taught him the pledge at home, I was impressed that he had it pretty much memorized. A few days into school, he still does not know any of his new friends names, but he knows the pledge. Hmmmmm....
So he started saying the pledge and he got stuck.
And asked me: "how is it suppose to go?"
And I said: "I don't really know. I'm not American. But we can google it."
So we did. And we found out that the Pledge of Allegiance goes like this:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
And I thought how weird it is that my kid is American, who pledge allegiance to the US flag at a local public school in the morning. And his mother, me, is not of this country, not an American, and led a completely different childhood than that of her own child. How strange that life can change so quickly over just a generation.
When Pat got home, I told him about Terran's pledge and that he got stuck so we had to google the rest. Pat was surprised that I didn't know the pledge. That's when he realized that he had married a non-American, non-pledging girl. And scratched his head and wondered what had happened to his life. Too late buddy, too late.
So he started saying the pledge and he got stuck.
And asked me: "how is it suppose to go?"
And I said: "I don't really know. I'm not American. But we can google it."
So we did. And we found out that the Pledge of Allegiance goes like this:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
And I thought how weird it is that my kid is American, who pledge allegiance to the US flag at a local public school in the morning. And his mother, me, is not of this country, not an American, and led a completely different childhood than that of her own child. How strange that life can change so quickly over just a generation.
When Pat got home, I told him about Terran's pledge and that he got stuck so we had to google the rest. Pat was surprised that I didn't know the pledge. That's when he realized that he had married a non-American, non-pledging girl. And scratched his head and wondered what had happened to his life. Too late buddy, too late.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Packing lunch for school
So I wrote previously that I pack lunch for Terran and I try to keep it as American as possible. This is true. I do try. But these days, even though I try, it's starting to look more like a Japanese obento box. Firstly, I do use a bento box that my mom got in Japan. The size is perfect for a kid's lunch. Secondly, Terran asked me to make onigiri. I use to pack crackers for carbs but he stopped eating them. So I packed onigiri and this made it really Japanese. I am guessing that maybe it's OK for a kindergartner.
One good thing is that he told me that he wanted to buy lunch at school sometimes. So I let him buy it today and he liked it. This makes it so easy for me (all I need to do is give him $2.50) but I don't like it that I have no idea what he eats and how much. For example, he told me today that he got a hot dog, apple pie, blueberries, and milk. He told me that he ate them all (yeah right). But I didn't see hot dogs or apple pie on the lunch menu so I don't know what he's talking about. Also, when he came back, he was starving and he ate a bowl of ice cream, one bagel bite, and 2 bowls of noodles. So I am just not convinced that he ate anything at all. When I pack lunch, I can see what he ate by what he brings home that's left over. Couple of days ago, I noticed that all he ate were fruits. I got mad and asked why and he told me that they only give him a few minutes to eat. This is also not true as I know that they get 30 minutes for lunch. He was probably too busy chatting with friends and stuff. I just don't know how he gets through the afternoon on an empty stomach. Agh, I wish he'd shut up and eat.
Does this look too Japanese?
One good thing is that he told me that he wanted to buy lunch at school sometimes. So I let him buy it today and he liked it. This makes it so easy for me (all I need to do is give him $2.50) but I don't like it that I have no idea what he eats and how much. For example, he told me today that he got a hot dog, apple pie, blueberries, and milk. He told me that he ate them all (yeah right). But I didn't see hot dogs or apple pie on the lunch menu so I don't know what he's talking about. Also, when he came back, he was starving and he ate a bowl of ice cream, one bagel bite, and 2 bowls of noodles. So I am just not convinced that he ate anything at all. When I pack lunch, I can see what he ate by what he brings home that's left over. Couple of days ago, I noticed that all he ate were fruits. I got mad and asked why and he told me that they only give him a few minutes to eat. This is also not true as I know that they get 30 minutes for lunch. He was probably too busy chatting with friends and stuff. I just don't know how he gets through the afternoon on an empty stomach. Agh, I wish he'd shut up and eat.
Does this look too Japanese?
First ballet class
I don't know how to put my head around this but my daughter thinks she's a princess in training.
She's a totally girly girl. She loves pink and purple. She loves wearing dresses. She wants to wear my lipstick. I hear her singing to herself "some day my prince will come...." Yikes! That just sounds so wrong, doesn't it?
So evidently, she learned from her friends that some of the girls in her class are taking dance lessons. So she came home one day and insisted that we sign her up for a dance class. She told us this when she was only 2 years old. Astounded, I talked to my neighbor (who also has a daughter) about this and she actually recommended a dance class that her daughter took at the Y. So today was Sisi's first dance class. I had to stay home with Aidan so Pat and Terran went with her and apparently, she was really into it.
I really want my kids to learn martial arts so I am trying to convince her to take Tae Kwan Do. Of course, she said no. I told her that princesses need to learn to fight and to protect. She's not convinced. Hopefully, I can get her on board with it this winter.
She loves to dress up. Here she is in her favorite purple dress with wand and head-piece that she got from her aunt for her birthday.
Getting ready for her first ballet class. I have nothing to do with that tiara on her head; she added it herself. A necessary piece for a princess, of course.
She's a totally girly girl. She loves pink and purple. She loves wearing dresses. She wants to wear my lipstick. I hear her singing to herself "some day my prince will come...." Yikes! That just sounds so wrong, doesn't it?
So evidently, she learned from her friends that some of the girls in her class are taking dance lessons. So she came home one day and insisted that we sign her up for a dance class. She told us this when she was only 2 years old. Astounded, I talked to my neighbor (who also has a daughter) about this and she actually recommended a dance class that her daughter took at the Y. So today was Sisi's first dance class. I had to stay home with Aidan so Pat and Terran went with her and apparently, she was really into it.
I really want my kids to learn martial arts so I am trying to convince her to take Tae Kwan Do. Of course, she said no. I told her that princesses need to learn to fight and to protect. She's not convinced. Hopefully, I can get her on board with it this winter.
She loves to dress up. Here she is in her favorite purple dress with wand and head-piece that she got from her aunt for her birthday.
Getting ready for her first ballet class. I have nothing to do with that tiara on her head; she added it herself. A necessary piece for a princess, of course.
contemplating the cabbage soup diet
I am carrying about 15 lbs that I shouldn't be lugging around. That's a lot. That's the weight of my baby at 4 months. That's a lot.
So I am sort of thinking about doing the cabbage soup diet. Last time I did it (before I got pregnant with Aidan), it did not sit well with my family. I was so tired and moody from lack of food, especially carbs, that Pat threatened divorce if I didn't stop the diet and start eating normally. So I had to stop the diet to save my marriage. But before I stopped, I did lose about 10lbs in about 10 days and none of the weight lost came back. So, it's effective, if I am willing to sacrifice my marriage.
The cabbage in the soup also made me really gassy. I mean really gassy. And I was working at the time so I had to leave my desk very often to let it out, which was kind of inconvenient. And at home, no one liked my gassiness either.
So, given that I am a mother of 3 children, and a wife of a guy who threatens divorce when I am trying to appear my best, the cabbage soup diet is probably not a good idea. And I also don't have any cabbage in the fridge anyway.
So I decided to just make a vegetable soup, eat a lot of that, and cut down on the cheese cake, the ice cream, the bread, and the rice a little. Here's what's cooking:
Vegetable Soup Recipe in a crockpot
4 cups Chicken stock (I had home made chicken stock in the freezer!)
4 cups water
Vegetables in the fridge - cut into bite size pieces (I haven't been cooking much so I have a lot of vegetables from our CSA left over. We're getting more vegetables tomorrow so I am using what really needs to be eaten): zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, onion, eggplant, green bell pepper, tomatoes.
A little salt and pepper.
Cook on high for 5 hours.
I am cooking it right now so I don't know how it will turn out but am pretty sure it will be bland. This is going to be a lot of soup so my plan is to season the portion that I will be eating. So this means that I can vary the flavor according to how I feel at that particular moment.
Hopefully, eating this much vegetables and cutting down on luxury food items like excessive rice and cheese cake will help me get rid of the bulge around my tummy....
So I am sort of thinking about doing the cabbage soup diet. Last time I did it (before I got pregnant with Aidan), it did not sit well with my family. I was so tired and moody from lack of food, especially carbs, that Pat threatened divorce if I didn't stop the diet and start eating normally. So I had to stop the diet to save my marriage. But before I stopped, I did lose about 10lbs in about 10 days and none of the weight lost came back. So, it's effective, if I am willing to sacrifice my marriage.
The cabbage in the soup also made me really gassy. I mean really gassy. And I was working at the time so I had to leave my desk very often to let it out, which was kind of inconvenient. And at home, no one liked my gassiness either.
So, given that I am a mother of 3 children, and a wife of a guy who threatens divorce when I am trying to appear my best, the cabbage soup diet is probably not a good idea. And I also don't have any cabbage in the fridge anyway.
So I decided to just make a vegetable soup, eat a lot of that, and cut down on the cheese cake, the ice cream, the bread, and the rice a little. Here's what's cooking:
Vegetable Soup Recipe in a crockpot
4 cups Chicken stock (I had home made chicken stock in the freezer!)
4 cups water
Vegetables in the fridge - cut into bite size pieces (I haven't been cooking much so I have a lot of vegetables from our CSA left over. We're getting more vegetables tomorrow so I am using what really needs to be eaten): zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, onion, eggplant, green bell pepper, tomatoes.
A little salt and pepper.
Cook on high for 5 hours.
I am cooking it right now so I don't know how it will turn out but am pretty sure it will be bland. This is going to be a lot of soup so my plan is to season the portion that I will be eating. So this means that I can vary the flavor according to how I feel at that particular moment.
Hopefully, eating this much vegetables and cutting down on luxury food items like excessive rice and cheese cake will help me get rid of the bulge around my tummy....
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Summery Pasta
I am so overwhelmed. There's so much going on and I am trying to handle everything....
Terran has his first homework for kindergarten and it takes a lot of effort. Each week, they have a VIP for the week and that VIP needs to present something for the whole week. There's also some work that needs to be completed for this week. So evidently, Terran is the first VIP for the school year and we need to prepare this weekend.
Sisi is also starting pre-school next Monday. We also have some homework for that.... And I need to attend with her on Monday, which means that I am putting Aidan in backup care for the first time. Also on Monday, Pat is going through a minor surgery and will be useless for at least 2 days after that. Which leaves me with 4 dependents and little help. Sisi has doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and her first ballet class is also that night - which means that we need to go shopping for her gear pronto. And tomorrow night, we are having guests at our house. There's toys and mess everywhere downstairs and I am just too tired to clean up right now. If I left out anything, it's just not going to get done.
So with that kind of chaos and stress, I made a wonderfully simple and delicious pasta dish tonight along with chicken. The only thing that requires cooking is pasta itself and the chicken.
Summery Pasta:
4 or more large ripe tomatoes, diced
5 cloves of garlic, very very finely chopped
lots of basil leaves, cut in strips
plenty of extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
pasta (I used angle hair because that's what I had)
Easy Chicken:
1lb chicken thighs, boneless skinless
Chicken seasoning
olive oil
Pasta:
Cook pasta in salted boiling water
mix together rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and let it sit for at least 30 minutes
When pasta is cooked, reserve a cup of pasta water and drain. Put the pasta back into the pot and mix with tomato mixture. Add pasta water if necessary. Serve with pecorino romano.
Chicken:
Season both sides of the chicken with chicken seasoning. Quickly brown both sides on an iron skillet. Stick the skillet and chicken into 350F oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking. Yummy and tender chicken is served!
Terran has his first homework for kindergarten and it takes a lot of effort. Each week, they have a VIP for the week and that VIP needs to present something for the whole week. There's also some work that needs to be completed for this week. So evidently, Terran is the first VIP for the school year and we need to prepare this weekend.
Sisi is also starting pre-school next Monday. We also have some homework for that.... And I need to attend with her on Monday, which means that I am putting Aidan in backup care for the first time. Also on Monday, Pat is going through a minor surgery and will be useless for at least 2 days after that. Which leaves me with 4 dependents and little help. Sisi has doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and her first ballet class is also that night - which means that we need to go shopping for her gear pronto. And tomorrow night, we are having guests at our house. There's toys and mess everywhere downstairs and I am just too tired to clean up right now. If I left out anything, it's just not going to get done.
So with that kind of chaos and stress, I made a wonderfully simple and delicious pasta dish tonight along with chicken. The only thing that requires cooking is pasta itself and the chicken.
Summery Pasta:
4 or more large ripe tomatoes, diced
5 cloves of garlic, very very finely chopped
lots of basil leaves, cut in strips
plenty of extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
pasta (I used angle hair because that's what I had)
Easy Chicken:
1lb chicken thighs, boneless skinless
Chicken seasoning
olive oil
Pasta:
Cook pasta in salted boiling water
mix together rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and let it sit for at least 30 minutes
When pasta is cooked, reserve a cup of pasta water and drain. Put the pasta back into the pot and mix with tomato mixture. Add pasta water if necessary. Serve with pecorino romano.
Chicken:
Season both sides of the chicken with chicken seasoning. Quickly brown both sides on an iron skillet. Stick the skillet and chicken into 350F oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking. Yummy and tender chicken is served!
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Sisi turned 3
I've been emotional these days. Some of it is hormonal. I'm a psycho woman when I am affected by hormones. Nobody likes my hormones....
But I think the I've been emotional because there's been so many changes in my kids' lives. Aside from Terran starting school in September, Sisi turned 3 at the end of August. How could that be? My tiny little baby who was born at 6 lbs just few moments ago....
Sisi is our little princess. Right now, she has exactly 2 dresses that she loves to wear. One is a cute pink dress that she picked out herself at Walmart (for 5 bucks!). The other is this aweful purple flowery dress that she got from her grandparents.
Sisi loves her daddy and she cries for him at least once a day.
Happy Birthday, our little princess!
Little Sisi checking out her artwork that she worked on in the past years.
Couldn't resist putting in this photo of Terran decked out in Cal gear. Go Bears!
Sisi: obviously enjoying Philadelphia airport before we took off on our long journey to California.
Sisi with her favorite pink dress and my sunglasses. My lovely lovely daughter....
But I think the I've been emotional because there's been so many changes in my kids' lives. Aside from Terran starting school in September, Sisi turned 3 at the end of August. How could that be? My tiny little baby who was born at 6 lbs just few moments ago....
Sisi is our little princess. Right now, she has exactly 2 dresses that she loves to wear. One is a cute pink dress that she picked out herself at Walmart (for 5 bucks!). The other is this aweful purple flowery dress that she got from her grandparents.
Sisi loves her daddy and she cries for him at least once a day.
Happy Birthday, our little princess!
Little Sisi checking out her artwork that she worked on in the past years.
Couldn't resist putting in this photo of Terran decked out in Cal gear. Go Bears!
Sisi: obviously enjoying Philadelphia airport before we took off on our long journey to California.
Sisi with her favorite pink dress and my sunglasses. My lovely lovely daughter....
The Very First Day of School
Today was the first day of school for Terran. He is now a kindergarten student at our township's elementary school. And yes, that's a BIG deal. In preparation, I got him a new school bag, a new lunch bag, a new little thermos for his lunch.... And off he went today, in the big yellow school bus that came to pick him at 7:50am.
He looked so little with his big school bag. As the bus approached, he kind of just stood there and gazed as other kids got on. He finally moved and climbed on the bus. He sat next to his friend (our neighbor), and as the bus took off, he was too busy to look up and wave me good bye. All through this process, my eyes were getting blurry with beginning of tears. As soon as the bus left, I dashed home without saying bye to the other moms, because the tears were coming.... I went inside my house, sat on the kitchen floor, and cried. I cried for my baby who was off on a new adventure. I cried for myself, poor me, because my baby doesn't need me like he did before. And I just cried because it felt good to let it out.... Then after 5 minutes, I was over it. Terran was at school, Sisi was at daycare, Pat was at work, and I was finally by myself (plus Aidan of course but he takes long naps)! Yay!
I had been fretting about this moment for days. I don't know why it's so hard, but it was. I guess it's about letting go. Terran has this whole new experience totally new for him and for me. And he's not so much my baby anymore. He's sort of growing up. Well, just sort of.... He still acts like a baby sometimes....
After I was done crying, I took care of Aidan and put him down for a morning nap. The morning was so emotional that I also had to take a nap. This is the beginning of being a mom of school aged children. There's a long road ahead of me.
Terran and his big backpack on his first day of school.
He's very excited and looks forward to kindergarten. He should have gotten a haircut but he refused. I didn't feel like putting up a fight. Maybe this weekend.
He looked so little with his big school bag. As the bus approached, he kind of just stood there and gazed as other kids got on. He finally moved and climbed on the bus. He sat next to his friend (our neighbor), and as the bus took off, he was too busy to look up and wave me good bye. All through this process, my eyes were getting blurry with beginning of tears. As soon as the bus left, I dashed home without saying bye to the other moms, because the tears were coming.... I went inside my house, sat on the kitchen floor, and cried. I cried for my baby who was off on a new adventure. I cried for myself, poor me, because my baby doesn't need me like he did before. And I just cried because it felt good to let it out.... Then after 5 minutes, I was over it. Terran was at school, Sisi was at daycare, Pat was at work, and I was finally by myself (plus Aidan of course but he takes long naps)! Yay!
I had been fretting about this moment for days. I don't know why it's so hard, but it was. I guess it's about letting go. Terran has this whole new experience totally new for him and for me. And he's not so much my baby anymore. He's sort of growing up. Well, just sort of.... He still acts like a baby sometimes....
After I was done crying, I took care of Aidan and put him down for a morning nap. The morning was so emotional that I also had to take a nap. This is the beginning of being a mom of school aged children. There's a long road ahead of me.
Terran and his big backpack on his first day of school.
He's very excited and looks forward to kindergarten. He should have gotten a haircut but he refused. I didn't feel like putting up a fight. Maybe this weekend.
packing lunch
I am going to try and keep a record of what I pack for Terran so I can later refer back to this and pack the same thing instead of trying to come up with something new. I've been told by another Japanese mom that ethnic lunch is a no no. Her kids refuse to bring a Japanese bento to school because they get teased.... America is made up of people of so many different races, but they all pretend to be the image of a classic American instead of what they really are. I am not going to fight it. My kid is not going to bring onigiri to school (even though he loves it). Here's my shot at trying to be an American mom (that I am not)....
Each meal, I will try to pack a combination of carb, protein, and fruit & veg. He gets dairy from the milk that he buys at school.
day 1:
mac&cheese w. ham
steamed carrots and cauliflowers
grapes
buy milk
(snack: goldfish)
I checked his lunch bag after he came home and saw that he didn't eat much. He ate all his grapes, and carrots, none of cauliflowers (that he usually loves), maybe a bite or 2 of mac & cheese. He bought himself a carton of strawberry milk.
When he got home, he was so hungry that he finished his mac, ate more grape, ate a banana, 2 Popsicle, and downed a glass of milk.... I have no idea why he didn't eat at lunch....
day 2:
diced ham
steamed broccoli and carrots
crackers
banana
buy milk
(snack: raisins)
day 3:
5 slices of salami
steamed veg
crackers
grapes
buy milk
(snack: raisins, pretzels)
day 4:
egg, ham, zucchini fried rice
2 slices of salami
steamed veg
diced apples
buy milk
(snack: whole wheat crackers & grapes)
Each meal, I will try to pack a combination of carb, protein, and fruit & veg. He gets dairy from the milk that he buys at school.
day 1:
mac&cheese w. ham
steamed carrots and cauliflowers
grapes
buy milk
(snack: goldfish)
I checked his lunch bag after he came home and saw that he didn't eat much. He ate all his grapes, and carrots, none of cauliflowers (that he usually loves), maybe a bite or 2 of mac & cheese. He bought himself a carton of strawberry milk.
When he got home, he was so hungry that he finished his mac, ate more grape, ate a banana, 2 Popsicle, and downed a glass of milk.... I have no idea why he didn't eat at lunch....
day 2:
diced ham
steamed broccoli and carrots
crackers
banana
buy milk
(snack: raisins)
day 3:
5 slices of salami
steamed veg
crackers
grapes
buy milk
(snack: raisins, pretzels)
day 4:
egg, ham, zucchini fried rice
2 slices of salami
steamed veg
diced apples
buy milk
(snack: whole wheat crackers & grapes)
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