The Cost of Beans

Portraits

2009-12-11T12:35:00.001-08:00

I was on the computer, probably messing around on Facebook longer than I should have, and when I looked over to see what Marina was doing I saw this:

Her very first happy faces!

Just in time for Hanukkah, too. Guess what you're getting, family?

Sudsy McGee

2009-12-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

Every month or so, I get a photo essay from Ella's class showcasing all the stuff they've been up to, like trips to the pumpkin patch and playing dress up.

These are the only two shots that surfaced of my kid:

H1N1 Halls

2009-12-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

So I started the after school project and then the girls go and get super super sick and stop going to school.

Today Marina was diagnosed with Influenza A. Go ahead and read about it. So is that H1N1? They didn't say that at the doctors office, but?

If that's not freaky enough, on the way to the doctor, Marina sneezed and, I kid you not, bright, red blood came gushing out of her nose. Like a full on horror film, only with preschoolers. But apparently it's normal for someone who has been as congested as she has.

So they gave Marina the pink, bubble gum antibiotic and Ella got some Tamiflu because she's asthmatic and probably has the virus, too.

Anyway, that is why there have been no more after school projects.
Though I bet that if I'd recorded the bloody sneeze it would have made me a bigger Youtube sensation than these kids.

The After School Project: Day 2

2009-12-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

One minute in the car, animal edition. Can you name them all?

Hard to believe she got a 102.9 degree fever a few hours later.

After school project

2009-12-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

I never know what to expect when I pick up the girls from school.

Some days it's very cinematic. They see me from across the parking lot and run to me with their arms outstretched yelling "MOMMY!" Other days, not so much.

In an effort to capture their various moods, I am starting a series called The After School Project: One Minute in the Car.

Here's the first installment:

UPDATE: It was pointed out to me that not everyone is as fluent in toddler as I am. So here's a little help:

Me: Hi

Ella: Hee, go away.

Marina: It’s not recording me.

Ella: No coffee for me :(

Marina: I found a coffee for you, Ella. Here.

Ella: For Mommy. For Mommy.

Marina: No, it’s for you, my dearie.

Ella: NOOOO. GO AWAY.

Marina: Awwww. Here my dearie, here’s a coffee.

Ella: GO! AWAY!

Marina: Awwww. I still want to get you a coffee.

Ella: No! Get flowers. I said. Get flowers.

Just talking

2009-12-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

Me: "Are you my love?"

Ella: "No."

Me: "Who is, then?"

Ella: "Marina. I'm your princess."

Thanksgiving Bread: The feature film

2009-11-26T09:52:00.001-08:00

The lost Marina files

2009-11-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, Marina, we're not leaving you out.

Look what I just found.

Ella's photos may be cute and all, but this stuff - even without sound - made me get weepy in ways I didn't know were possible.

Happy Birthday Ella

2009-11-24T20:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Ella,

This is you on Nov. 24, 2007:

Here you are on Nov. 24, 2008:

And this is you on Nov. 24, 2009:

Aren't you just amazing?

No pictures, please

2009-11-23T18:24:00.000-08:00

Me and Ella avoid the paps.

Keep trying

2009-11-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

I'd like to show off my latest kitchen achievement:

Why, yes, that is a roast chicken with broccoli flourish. Did I buy that at Windmill Farms? Not this time.

Last weekend, I learned how to handle a raw chicken, how to remove slimy things from its body, how to stuff the empty space with lemons and garlic and how to turn it over while piping hot.

I obviously did not do this by myself. My friend, who makes amazing Thai food and acts like it's no big deal, is teaching me how to cook.

And, okay, she's the one who handled the slimy stuff. And flipped the hot chicken. And cut the broccoli. But I am totally confident I'll pull this off when I try it on my own ten years from now.

Nachas*

2009-11-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

I didn't think I'd be the type of parent who would put those "my child won student of the month at Smith elementary" stickers on my car. But then I got these two notes on the same day and I was so mushy and proud, that it seriously made me question my future actions.

Here's Ella's:

This proves what I've been saying since she was born, that Ella's the nicest person I know.

And then there's Marina's.
Her class is The Bears and she was Bear of the week. Here is her little Q&A:

*For those of you who don't speak Yiddish, nachas means "pleasurable pride, especially in your child's achievements."

Miss Tijuana

2009-11-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

Because everyone is asking, here is the photo my artist friend, Derrik Chinn, took of me for his exhibit, "Quien Quiere Ser Miss Tijuana?" (Who wants to be Miss Tijuana?)

He assigned eight of us different neighborhoods and dressed us up all Almodovarian. I got an area called Chapultepec, which is where I spent a good part of my teenaged life. It's also sort of a fancy neighborhood, hence my gold dress, which also happens to be my original prom dress.
Anyway, the show opened in Tijuana over the weekend and it was spectacular. If you check his site some time this week (and are not offended by sexy comic books) I'm sure he'll post more photos.

I didn't win the crown but it was the closest I've ever come to being a pageant girl.
Gracias, Derrik.

Halloween aftermath

2009-11-03T21:45:00.001-08:00

Untitled

2009-11-01T20:26:00.001-08:00

Because no words can describe how I felt when this happened:

For those of you who don't get it, clicky clicky.

A working kitchen

2009-10-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Ohmygod, you don't even want to know what's been happening in my kitchen.

Actual cooking. With multiple ingredients. And sauces that thicken.

I took a cooking class on my birthday called Mac and Cheese 101 and while I was there, I bought a toddler cookbook along with a few gadgets, like a super deluxe apple slicer and a pizza cutter.

Since then, I've been on a roll. I am cooking, like, all the time.
Here are some things I made:

1. Treasure Triangles, which was basically a black bean and banana paste inside a puff pastry. Result: Kids did not eat it.

2. Mac and Cheese that was not from a box. Result: Everyone ate it.

3. Zucchini and avocado soup. Result: Gross.

4. Pan fried chicken and gravy. Yes! Gravy! It worked! Result: Awesomeness.

How long do you think this will last?

Tulle envy

2009-10-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you without Facebook, here is Marina at her friend Noa's fourth birthday party. Can you guess the theme?

Hint 1: It involves a lot, a lot of pink.

Hint 2: And twirly skirts.

Hint 3: Wands and crowns.

Hint 4: And wings!

For those of you playing along, the correct answer was: fairies! Nice job.

Where am I?

2009-10-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Our house has bronchitis. We will be back with family antics soon . . .

In which I turn into a plant lady

2009-10-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

It's no fun moving from a luxury house to a much smaller furlough house with no central air and wobbly window screens. So I decided that to make myself feel better about it all, I was going to invest a plant biome.

Isn't it so amazing? It's made by a local artist who specializes in cactus and succulents and puts them in glass orbs like this. Many of them are tiny and are meant to hang from the ceiling. But I wanted a big one that could be mounted on the wall. She created quite a world in there.

And perhaps my proudest moment since I moved away from my parents house was figuring out how to mount it. I hung this! All alone!

Since my purchase, I have collected four more plants for the house. Most people know my history with plants and it's not good. So I really hope my new little green family lasts more than a month.

Things my kids eat

2009-10-07T21:51:00.001-07:00

Overheard in the bath . . .

2009-10-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

Marina: Ella, you're blonde now!

Ella: I not.

Marina: Yeah, you are!

Ella: I'M NOT BLONDE.

(Bam! Bam! Bam!)

Marina: Stop hitting me!!!!

Friends?

2009-10-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

This is me trying desperately to be Ella's friend.

Since she started the two-year-old class and even more since she got a fever last week, the kid has been moody and miserable. Which may explain her new game. It goes something like this:

Ella: You're not my friend. Daddy is my friend.
Me: Boo hoo.
Ella: Sorry. Sorry. (Hug.) You're not my friend. Daddy's my friend.
Me: Boo hoo.
Ella: Sorry. Sorry. (Hug.)

You want me to keep going? Because it keeps going.

Cute overload

2009-09-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Ella stayed home sick and hung out with me all day.
You know, we went to Target and then watched some Yo Gabba Gabba and did some laundry. All in all, not a bad day. At least, I didn't think so.

But the minute we went to pick up Marina from school, Ella ran over to her and gave her a gigantic hug. Then Marina rubbed her back and was all, "are you ok?" And then they hugged some more.
On the ride home, Ella reached over to hold Marina's hand and they didn't let go until we got to Jamba Juice, which is, at least 8 entire minutes.

Really, I don't know what I did that drove Ella into the protective arms of her sister, but I hope I do it again.

Forgive me while I get weird about PJ

2009-09-28T19:26:00.001-07:00

Today I was on super deadline and the music in my headphones was a bit louder than usual and this song came on.

I was struck by how great it still is 16 years later. I don't know how she makes the instruments sound like they're crying and telling their own story. It's all tense and stressful and beautiful.

Sorry. I know I am ridiculous when it comes to PJ Harvey.

But it got me thinking, what if I never heard this album? What would have happened to me? Where would I be?

Why the 90s were awesome

2009-09-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

It turns out today is the 10-year anniversary of the day my favorite TV show of all time - "Freaks and Geeks" - premiered.