The Big Blue Ocean!

This past weekend we visited the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. With two little ones, the Natural History Museum has always been a favorite, and we're definitely blessed to have such great museums--free, no less!--so close to us. The exhibit is a new part of the permanent collection, joining the ever-popular dinosaur room, the very realistic mammals room, and, of course, the gemstones, including the Hope Diamond.

We went early in the morning on Sunday (well, around 10:30 by the time we actually got there!) and the crowds were definitely manageable. By that I mean, plenty of room for our stroller, but also room enough that we were comfortable letting the kids walk around by themselves with us following right behind them. (Sometimes it's so busy, particularly in the dinosaur room, that I wouldn't set the kids down for a minute.) There's nothing too scary in the exhibit with the exception of one small video being shown on killer whales hunting seals. It's tucked away in the corner, behind the giant Megalodon mouth, and definitely to be avoided for little kids. Or any soft-hearted seal lovers, really.

As always, bring your own snacks and water--they will let you in with them as long as you are discreet--as the food in the museums is on the pricey side. A much better option is to bring your own sandwiches and have an impromptu picnic somewhere on the mall, or, as we discovered on Sunday, in the lovely Smithsonian Castle Gardens.

We stuck to a very manageable three hours, and still saw the whole Oceans exhibit, the mammals next door, and made a quick run into the dinosaur room. In one morning we saw sharks, whales, giraffes, "cute, tiny!" mice, and tyranosaurus rex--which made for two very happy little kids.

American Red Cross Needs Help!

My sister lives in NYC and has been a volunteer with the NY Red Cross since shortly after moving there. She does all kinds of exciting things, like being on scene at various emergencies to provide food and other aid to people affected. Although we all know that the Red Cross goes in to major disaster areas, to help victims of floods, hurricanes, etc., what many people don't know is that each local Red Cross chapter works to help the people in their community. For example, my sister's chapter alone responds to more than 3,000 emergencies a year - about eight a day - in the form of fires, floods, building collapses, blackouts, etc. For more than 100,000 people a year her chapter volunteers provide the immediate aid needed in terms of food and shelter.

Sometimes, the Red Cross gets a lot of publicity for their work in helping people, and donations of both blood and money go up. At other times, other concerns are given more media coverage, and the important work the Red Cross does goes un-noticed, or at least un-reported. She recently sent me an email with an appeal--the first time she's ever asked family to help, so it must be a very great need!--for donations in support of the work the Red Cross does. Please read her note below, and consider donating. As times get harder and money gets tighter for those of us blessed with good fortune, imagine how much more difficult it is right now for all the organizations working to provide food and shelter to the survivors of disasters both big and small.

I am a volunteer of the American Red Cross in Greater New York and am writing to enlist your help.

Over the course of the past month, we have witnessed two of the largest hurricane-related evacuations ever mounted in this country. These resulted from Gustav and Ike that devastated major parts of the gulf coast in Louisiana and Texas . To date, 16,000 American Red Cross volunteers and staff have opened over 900 evacuation centers/shelters, served 4.5 million meals and snacks in the affected areas and we expect this to be a lengthy recovery operation.

Our Chapter has already deployed 117 volunteers and staff, including a 46 member Rapid Response Team. Our team, led by Scott Graham, Chief Response Officer and including our CEO, Terry Bischoff, managed a mega-shelter for 3,000 evacuees in Alexandria , Louisiana . Hurricane Gustav passed within 20 miles of this evacuation center and our team worked with the evacuees to make sure everyone was sheltered, fed, and comforted, and returned home safely after the storm had passed.

Although the Red Cross has responded well to these disasters, the reality is that we have not had the media coverage of people on rooftops or huge numbers of deaths and injuries that motivate people to donate, and so the outpouring of spontaneous financial gifts that we saw during the tsunami, hurricane Katrina and the recent Chinese earthquake, has not occurred. As a result, we have been forced to borrow the money to do this vital, life-saving work.

That’s why I am echoing the appeal made by the CEO of the American Red Cross, Gail McGovern, in asking for your help now as we participate in a national campaign to raise $100 million for the Disaster Relief Fund. Together, we can ensure the Red Cross is there to help, whenever and wherever disasters strike.

Here is how you can help: First – send this note on to as many of your friends and colleagues as you can. We need to use this new era of social networking to get this word out as I don’t believe the American public knows that we need their help. Second – go to our website - www.nyredcross.org - and make a tax-deductible donation to the Disaster Relief Fund . No amount is too small – if we all give $5 or $10, it will mount up quickly.

Arlington Fire Stations Open House!

Open House: Visit your local fire station!

All Arlington County fire stations will be open to the public Saturday, Oct. 11, from 10 - 4 in celebration of Fire Prevention Week. Bring the kids, climb into a fire truck, learn about fire safety, and more! Find your neighborhood fire station.

Enjoy!

Hot Air Balloon Festival!

Having grown up in Albuquerque, home of a world-famous balloon fiesta, one of my favorite childhood memories is of getting up early to watch the balloons go up. So, it is with great excitement that I found out there is a Shenandoah Valley Balloon Festival next weekend! Starting at 7a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, October 18th and 19th, the balloons will be inflated and, I'm told, take off around 7:30-8:00a.m. Longbranch is about an hour and a half from D.C., out towards Winchester, VA. (See map, below). With the leaves changing fast, by next weekend reports show that the Shenandoahs should be covered in beautiful foliage.

So, take a drive, pack a picnic, and have a wonderful autumn adventure!


View Larger Map

Slow Cooker Series!

Given that autumn is here, slow cooking seems to be on everyone's mind! Just as I experimented with two new recipes recently, the topic recently came up on the DC Urban Moms listserv. A wealth of recipes were shared, and I've compiled them all here for easy searching. None of them are of my creation, but as they were posted anonymously, I can't give credit where credit is due. So, if one of them is your recipe, let me know and I'm happy to credit you for it!

Here's what I have so far:

• Turkey & Black Bean Chili
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Chicken & Vegetables
• Chicken-Bean Burritos
• Beef Stew

And my own two recipes:

• Pot Roast with Turnips and Carrots
• Chickpeas with Spinach

More recipes to come!

Slow Cooker Series: Turkey & Black Bean Chili

Turkey & Black Bean Chili
1 jar salsa
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 packet chili seasoning
1 cup corn
1 lb ground turkey

1 large onion, diced
1 cup cheese, shredded (any kind)

Brown ground turkey in a skillet until cooked, 5-7 minutes. Add turkey and other ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on high for 1-2 hours or low for 4 hours and serve topped with onions and cheese.

Slow Cooker Series: Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese
2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese (or one cup of each)
2 cups boiling water
Salt, pepper and nutmeg (the secret ingredient) to taste

Layer ingredients in the slow cooker in the order listed. Cook for 3 hours on high without stirring. Open, stir quickly, and recover and cook for another hour or it reaches the right consistency.

Slow Cooker Series: Chicken & Vegetables

Chicken & Vegetables
1-2 pounds chicken
1 large onion, sliced
2 large potatoes, chopped into one-inch cubes (or, 4 small potatoes)*
1 sweet potato, peeled & chopped into one-inch cubes*
2 turnips, peeled & chopped into one-inch cubes*
4-6 carrots, sliced*
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp rosemary
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper.

Cook on low for 7-10 hours.

*You can use any combination of root vegetables for this recipe--stick with vegetables that will hold up well to slow cooking though, otherwise they will fall apart and become vegetable mush!

Slow Cooker Series: Chicken-Bean Burritos

Chicken-Bean Burritos
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can pinto beans (rinsed)
1 16 oz jar salsa - any flavor
10" flour tortillas

Optional toppings for burritos - corn, other beans (such as black beans), shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Put chicken & beans in bottom of slow cooker, pour salsa overtop. If you like it a little spicy, add chipolte peppers in adobe sauce. Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs. Remove chicken, shred with fork, add back to slow cooker after mashing the beans with the salsa. Roll filling in tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Slow Cooker Series: Beef Stew

Beef Stew
1-2 lbs stew beef (cubed)*
1 onion, diced
1-2 potatoes chopped into one-inch cubes
4-6 large carrots, sliced
1 package of mushrooms, well-washed and quartered (optional)
1 cup of beef broth
1 envelope onion soup mix
1-2 cloves garlic chopped

Add all ingredients to slow-cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

*Can also brown beef in hot oil in a skillet, for 2-3 minutes, before adding to slow-cooker. Searing the beef helps seal in juices and flavor, but isn't necessary.

Slow Cooker Series: Chicken Tacos

Chicken Tacos
1.5 pounds chicken pieces
1 15-oz can tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning

Put all ingredients in 3 or 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with tortillas or hard shells, and other taco fixings.

Slow-Cookin' Magic!!

I don't know about you all, but I am in love with my slow-cooker. I experimented with two new dishes this weekend, and both turned out great. I did a pot roast with turnips and carrots, as a healthier riff on pot roast with potatoes, which is something I've made in the oven before. it turned out far better in the slow-cooker. That is the slow-cooker claim to fame, when cooking with "cheaper" cuts of meat, such as chuck roast, the long, low-temperature cooking allows the meat to become tender while staying moist and flavorful. Root vegetables (like turnips, potatoes, carrots) hold up well to slow-cooking, too. Dish #2 was chickpeas and spinach. I used dried chickpeas, very economical but more time is required for soaking, and french spinach, and even my toddlers ate it up. There are hundreds of great slow-cooker recipes, but here are the two that I used:

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast with Turnips and Carrots

Ingredients-

• 4 pounds chuck roast
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup water
• 4 carrots, cut into 3 inch pieces
  
• 2 onions, quartered
  
• 4 turnips, diced into 1 inch cubes

Directions-

1. Take the chuck roast and season with salt and pepper to taste.*
   
2. Place in the slow cooker and add water, carrots, onion, and turnips.
3. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

*Many recipes will direct you to first brown the meat on all sides in a large skillet over high heat. While this creates a nice crust and appealing look to the meat, it's not necessary.

Slow-Cooker Chickpeas with Spinach

Ingredients-

• 2 cups dried chickpeas (or 2 cans chickpeas)
• water
• 1 onions, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  
• 1 large bunch fresh spinach
• 2 bouillon cubes (chicken or vegetable)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  

Directions-

1. If using dried chickpeas, rinse and pick out any bad-looking peas. Put into a pot and cover with water; let sit overnight.*
2. Drain chickpeas, put into slow cooker. Add water to about 1 inch above peas, and add bouillon. Cook on high for 2-3 hours.
3. Dice onions, cook on medium high in olive oil. As they turn translucent, add tomato paste and mix together well. Cook another 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.
4. Add onion/oil/tomato paste mix to slow cooker, cook another 1-3 hours on high (until peas are easy to smush with a spoon; it took my batch the full 3 hours).
   
5. De-stem and wash VERY WELL the spinach to remove all grit. Add to slow cooker and cook on high 1 hour.
6. Mix softened spinach into peas and turn cooker to low. Cook another 1-3 hours, depending on how mushy you like your chick peas and spinach.
   

My kids loved this, and even ate the turnips and carrots from the previous recipe when I mashed everything together to a mashed potato consistency. Anything that gets them to eat veggies other than the potato I count as a huge success!

Cranberry-Orange-Apricot Coffee Cake

I am a big fan of baking from mixes. They fast, they're easy, you can buy a bunch when they go on sale and then you're prepared for every last-minute dinner invite, school function, or work social event.

I also love starting from a box mix and adding in some ingredients to make it unique--and often a little more healthy!

Here's what I did, starting with Krusteaz's Fat-Free Cranberry Orange Muffin mix.

Prepare mix as directed, but before adding the cranberries, add:

1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal ("quick oats")
1/2 cup apricot preserves

Then add the cranberries (if desired; you could leave them out if you just wanted orange-apricot flavors).

Spray a bundt pan (or loaf pan or 8"x8" baking dish) and fill with batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

It's still a "dump-and-bake" cake, but adding oatmeal and wheat germ really cuts the sweetness, making it more palatable for a coffee cake, and makes it overall a healthier treat. Baking in a bundt pan gives it a nice brown, almost crisp, crust, which contrasts nicely with the moistness of the apricot preserves.

New Mexico Baked Corn

I was given the original recipe from an old friend of my mother's who lived in New Mexico for many, many years (as did my parents). With a little experimentation, I lightened up the recipe a bit. It's just under 200 calories per serving, so not exactly "diet" fare, but it's a great vehicle for sneaking in some extra veggies. I used a can of green beans, but you could use pretty much anything, as the baking time is sufficient to cook even broccoli or carrots. Plus, the creamy cheese and heat of the green chilis help disguise the veggies for those small ones who might be a bit hesitant to chow down otherwise!

This recipe can also be made vegan by using soy cheese and egg replacer instead of the eggs; the creamed corn is sufficient by itself to bind the ingredients for baking.

New Mexico Baked Corn

Yield: 8 servings
Temperature 375 and 325

2 beaten eggs
4 cups cream style corn
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup chopped green chili*
1/2 pound graded sharp cheddar cheese, low-fat
2 cups canned green beans

*green chili is optional, this amount makes the recipe just slightly spicy, could use more or less to suit your family's taste!

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish.

2. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes then lower the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an addition 30-45 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Recipe Serves 8 people

Amount per Serving--
Calories 198
Calories from Fat 83

Total Fat 10.63g
Saturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5g

Cholesterol 63.75mg

Sodium 619.69mg

Total Carbohydrate 10.66g
Dietary Fiber 1.47g
Sugars 2.97g

Protein 11.53g

Vitamin A 12.5
Vitamin C 2.13
Calcium 1.38
Iron 3.19

Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 48.3%
Carbs 21.5%
Protein 23.3%

Eggplant Lasagna

I experimented with some yummy vegetables this weekend, and came up with this low-fat, low-calorie lasagna. While most lasagnas end up somewhere between 350-600 calories per serving, this no-meat version is only 163 calories per serving! The eggplant, once baked in the lasagna, does an admirable job of replacing the creamy texture of ricotta cheese, and the fresh basil helps give this dish a garden-fresh taste. You could probably find some delicious eggplant and basil in a farmer's market, but to test how simple I could make this recipe I just used what was at my local supermarket. If you try this recipe out, I'd love to hear how it turns out! Happy Cooking, Breana

Ingredients: 1.5 cups crushed canned Tomatoes 1 medium Eggplant 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, part-skim, shredded 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese .5 cups Basil, Fresh (about 1 bunch, or 10 leaves) 1 serving Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (about 3 noodles)

Instructions:
Instructions:
Cook the noodles (3 noodles) in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain from water and set aside to cool.

While noddles are cooking, slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick strips. Saute in cooking spray (Pam) until just softened and slightly brown.

Rinse basil leaves, remove stems, shred leaves gently by hand.

Light spray inside of a loaf pan baking dish with cooking spray.

Cut (with kitchen shears) 1 noodle into 3 sections, place on the bottom of the loaf pan. (NOTE: cutting the noodles is necessary to make them fit into a standard loaf pan. If you are using a square baking dish, cut only if needed to fit the dish you are using.)

Layer noodle with 1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes, 1 layer of the cooked eggplant, 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 of the basil. Add another layer of noodles, 1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes, 1 layer of the cooked eggplant, 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, and the other 1/2 of the basil. Finish with a final layer of noodles, last 1/3 cup of mozzarella, and sprinkle the Parmesan (or grated fresh Peccorino Romano) over the top.

Bake, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

I made this recipe in a loaf pan, planning on only 4 servings, but you could easily scale this up for more servings and use a larger baking dish. Cooking time would remain the same.

Nutrition Facts
Recipe Serves 4 people

Amount per Serving
Calories 163 Calories from Fat 64
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6.91g	11%
Saturated Fat 4.25g	21%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.06g
Cholesterol 1.25mg	0%
Sodium 293.75mg	12%
Potassium 181.13mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 12.61g	4%
Dietary Fiber 3.11g	12%
Sugars 0.48g
Protein 11.95g	24%

Vitamin A	11.25
Vitamin C	8.38
Calcium	16
Iron	7.63
Vitamin E	0.21
Thiamin (B1)	5.03
Riboflavin (B2)	1.03
Niacin (B3)	3.14
Vitamin B6	3.94
Phosphorus	17.25
Magnesium	14.25
Panthothenic Acid	0.17
Zinc	1.22
Manganese	0.19

Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 38.2%
Carbs 30.9%
Protein 29.3%

Light Lemonade Pie

I was searching for a recipe for zucchini "spaghetti" and stumbled upon this recipe for Frozen Lemonade Pie. It sounded delicious, so I decided to put the ingredients in to my handy Weight Watchers points calculator to see how much damage I'd be doing...

Original Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (20 points)
1/4 cup sugar (4 points)
7 tablespoons butter, melted (21 points)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, chilled (33 points)
1 (12 ounce) container whipped topping, thawed (23.5 points)
1 (6 fluid ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, keep frozen (6 points)

Having 1 slice equal to about 1/8 of the pie gives you a whopping 13 points per serving! Way, way, way too many points for me. With a little re-working, I came up with this recipe:

1 (14 ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk, chilled (22 points)
1 (12 ounce) container fat-free whipped topping, thawed (12 points)
1 (6 fluid ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, keep frozen (6 points)

Without the crust, and using fat-free versions of the condensed milk and whipped topping, brings the points total down to 5 per slice. Still a little high, but well within safe limits for a special treat.

Directions for how to make Breana's Light Lemonade Pie:
Gently fold together the fat-free sweetened condensed milk and fat-free whipped topping. Slowly add frozen lemonade concentrate. Pour into 8 ramekins (individual serving dishes) and freeze overnight. Enjoy!

Weight Loss Tracking

Let's say you start out at X weight. And you want to get down to X-33 pounds (but would happily settle for X-28 pounds, really, and call yourself one lucky hot mom). What the best way to do it? Well, after 18 months of trial, I can conclude that systematically NOT engaging in any sort of exercise and NOT keeping track of what you eat does not work. There, I took one for the team, and now you all know that doing nothing does not equal magical weight loss.

So, although I'm sure there's a billion different ways to do it, here are two that I am currently using...







Yes, the big Kahuna, Weight Watchers (WW). I'm doing this because my sister, my mom, and my dad are all doing it with me! It cost us about $60 for the first 3 months; I think it's around $16 per month after that. We all really, really are liking using their online Points tracker system. It's definitely gotten me to think more realistically about how much of something I can eat, and what I ought to just avoid because I don't really like it enough to justify the Points.






The Daily Plate (DP) is a calorie-counting program (also tracks, fat, protein, and other things) rather than a Points-counting program, and so the process is a little more transparent than using WW. It's also free, which will make a big difference over the long run!

The Basics

• Both programs let you search for foods from a variety of vendors, from various grocery stores to restaurants. In my, albeit limited, experience, DP might have a slight edge on the volume of different options in terms of specific brands of an item (like ice cream).
• Both sites also let you enter in your own recipes; WW then automatically calculates the Points value for the recipe, and DP the caloric and other nutritional information.
  
• Only DP lets you browse from foods and recipes added by other users--so, for instance, if your area has a specific mom & pop store that you always buy your ice cream from, if someone else in your area has already added that store into the system, then all you have to do is search for it. With WW you can only see their library of foods and recipes plus the specific item your personally have added. This is a major downfall for us, because if we (my parents, sister, and I) all eat something together, we have to each add the ingredients in separately. With DP, only one of us has to add it, and then the rest of us can search for it to add to our own counters.
  
• Both sites also have activity trackers, where you track all your exercise for the day. Again, DPs is slightly more robust and allows more options. For example my regular exercise is classified as "walking, on a treadmill, at 3 to 5 miles per hour"in the WW system, and I enter in the minutes and the system assigns a point value (1 point for 10-29 minutes, 2 for 30-49 minutes, 3 for 50-? minutes...that's as high as I've ever gotten!). DP, on the other hand, lets you choose the exact speed (3.5 mph), minutes, and you have the option of entering the distance walked and your heart rate, and then it calculates calories burned. It's just another layer of detail that may or may not really be necessary, depending on how detailed you like to track your progress!

One bonus to WW is that it's easier to remember the Point value of something than the calorie count, and easier--for me at least--to keep in my head that I have 22 points to eat each day instead of 1250 calories. It all amounts to the same thing, but the math is easier! Another bonus for me is that you do have to pay for WW, so I am more apt to stick with it because I've already paid for it and don't want to waste my money.

For me, I think I'll stick with WW for the three-month trial period, by which time I should be at my goal weight anyway (fingers crossed), and then I'll have to re-evaluate to see if I need to stay with WW or just switch over to DP, or if I'm confident that my eating habits have changed enough that I can just do it all in my head.

What are your great weight-loss plans?

Summertime! And the livin' is....

Well, it's just not so easy, is it? With gasoline hitting $4.00 a gallon, prices for everything from milk to rice creeping up and up--and home prices creeping ever further down...well, it's no surprise that the only thing our yet-to-arrive economic stimulus check will stimulate is our credit card debt!

What are you not doing this summer?

We're not going to my husband's sister's wedding in Turkey. We're not looking into pre-school for our 3 year old. We're not buying mother's day/father's day/birthday gifts for each other.

What we are doing is lots of gardening; I plant the flowers and they try to pick them. We always do lots of cooking, only now it's more experimenting with fresh vegetables and making things from scratch and less boxed mixes of pumpkin bread and cakes. (My summer diet plans might have something to do with this as well!) Through a confluence of lucky timing, I started a new job only 2 miles from home, rather than 10 miles from home. Every little bit helps, right?

Spendy Babies!

In reading a recent article (Million Dollar Babies, by Pamela Paul), I was struck--shocked, really--by this advice: "Most financial advisers urge parents to set aside a minimum of $1,000 per child a month" for college savings.

Have you all gotten back up in your chairs yet?

And yet, when I zipped over to the College Board's handy tuition savings calculator, I was astounded to see that, in order to pay for basic in-state tuition at a state school for a kid starting college in 15 years, I should be saving over $400 a month right now. For #2, starting college in 17 years, I should be saving $400 a month. That's $800 a month I should be saving right now for college.

I don't know if I should be laughing or crying right now...

Wherefore art thou, 2008?

It's April already! I can't believe it! Where is 2008 going? Well, that's a good question on a larger, deeper level, but what I really mean is, where is the time flying? Seriously. I have so many ideas for new posts, so many drafts waiting to be posted...and here it is, weeks without anything new. Sigh. If anyone is reading, my apologies! I'll try to get some of my posts out there over the next couple days.

New York, New York!

A recent family trip to New York city (thank you, work-sponsored conference!) leaves me with a few quick tips to share. At teh outset I was so nervous about taking the whole family--I was sure that no one would sleep, we'd be thrown out of restaurants for rowdy behavior, we'd all be exhausted the whole time...I could not have been more wrong. It was a dream trip in pretty much every way, although I think probably 90% of the success is due to where we stayed--never underestimate the importance of a good night's sleep for keeping everyone happy!

Where to Stay:
We stayed in the Beacon Hotel (Broadway & 75th, Upper West Side) for a little over $1,000 (including all room taxes & fees) for 3 nights in a one-bedroom suite. With two double beds in the bedroom and a pull-out sofa bed in the living room, plus a nice travel crib from the hotel (free!), we were able to fit my husband and I, our 3 year old, our 18 month old, and my parents, easily. We were in easy walking distance of several playgrounds, Central Park, the Natural History Museum, and other sights. The staff was helpful and nice, but the best part was tucking the kids into bed, leaving gramma and grampa in the living room, and mommy and daddy taking off to have coffee and dessert in a near-by coffee shop. Alone! An actual date! We did this twice, equaling more dates in one week than we'd had in the entire previous year. The room also had a kitchen with an apartment-sized stove (oven and range top), microwave, sink, and refrigerator. All this for $280-300 a night! (Different rates on different nights). I was amazed.

Across the street from the hotel was a large market, with the upstairs serving food all day. We had a reasonable breakfast there one day, and were able to pick up snacks, sugar, etc. when we needed something. Next door was a diner-type place; we had two breakfasts there and they were great with the kids.

Gear You Need:
We took two, cheapo umbrella strollers. With 4 and sometimes 5 adults, we figured we could more easily take turns pushing than want to mess around with a double stroller. Even our $10 consignment sale strollers held up fine over lots of walking on uneven terrain, except at the very end when one of the wheels came off (but we were traversing the cobblestones down around the bull statue at Wall Street, so I think that was pushing our luck!)

We borrowed a hotel crib and took our pack-n-play (we drove up and had enough room in our van for it) and although our 3 year old has a toddler bed at home, he slept just fine in the crib.

Happy travels!

Did you know that 2008 is a Leap Year? I'm sure you did. I'm sure you are much more aware of these things than I am...on whom it only just dawned that, hey, this Friday is the 29th of February!!

From www.dc-baby.com comes a fun activity for kids at the National Geographic Museum (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/museum/)

"How fun is this? To mark Leap Day 2008, the NGS in DC will host a FREE event for kids of all ages:

Celebrate Leap Day at the National Geographic Museum exhibit "Frogs! A Chorus of Colors" this Friday, February 29. The exhibition features more than 150 live frogs from 15 species, each in custom environments that match their natural habitats.

Show-and-tell presentations at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. with the exhibit's frog handler will allow Leap Day visitors the chance to get up close and personal with the frogs. In between presentations, the museum will screen National Geographic Explorer's "The Last Frog," which delves into the worldwide mystery of why the frog population is declining. Visitors can also conduct a virtual frog dissection using one of the exhibit's many interactives, or win a prize in a special leaping contest."

For more info: www.nationalgeographic.com/museum/exhibitions/chorusofcolors.html

Mystery Flu!

Last week my family was struck with a mystery flu. My husband came home from work, went straight to bed with a fever and terrible, uncontrollable shivers, and didn't get out of bed for 3 days. The rest of us soon followed, although, having had the flu shot, we didn't have it quite so bad.

Evidently, we aren't the only ones to be struck hard! Washington Post flu article ( and here too).

How did everyone else fare in avoiding the epidemic?

Review of the National Aquarium in Baltimore

This weekend we trekked up to Baltimore to visit the National Aquarium with our almost 3 year old and 15 month old. We had a wonderful, amazing time, and I highly recommend visiting. The building is beautiful, and well laid-out. Everything is extremely kid-friendly, even for very wee ones. Glass walls all the way to the floor enclose many of the tanks, and the smaller exhibits all have a convenient ledge running along the wall in front of them that let even our 15 month old see most everything on her own--a big plus for parents' backs!

COST:
Prices ranged from $21.95 ($12.95 for kids age 3-11) for admission to the aquarium only, up to $28.95 ($17.95) for admission to the aquarium, the dolphin show, and the "4D Immersion Theatre" show. We splurged (thanks, gramma and grampa!) on the whole shebang. Luckily, kids under 3 get in free!

TIMING:
Their website offers some helpful hints on when to visit and when to stay away. We were there by 11am on a winter Sunday of a non-holiday weekend, and although most of our visit we got to see everything quickly, by 2pm it was still getting a bit crowded. I wouldn't even want to try going in the summer or during school holidays; a weekday morning would probably be ideal.

WHAT TO SEE:
The dolphin show! Okay, so it's really the same corny dolphin show that you could see anywhere. But they are just so darn cute! Plus, it's indoors, so it was great fun for a winter afternoon, and the views of the dolphins--above and below the water--were spectacular.

The rainforest habitat, complete with birds and monkeys in addition to the fish and turtles, is fun and, um, toasty warm. So dress in layers.

The best part was the simple stuff--the open tanks with sting and manta rays, and one giant sea turtle gliding serenely by. The large shark tanks; I never knew that sharks were so bug-eyed when not in "attack" state. The many countless smaller tanks featuring thousands of varieties of fish and other sea, ocean, river, marsh, and swamp creatures. Really, it was all stunning.

WHAT TO AVOID:
The "4D Immersion Theatre" show. It ended up being about 15-20 minutes taken from the Planet Earth "Shallow Waters" episode. While I whole-heartedly endorse Planet Earth as the awesomest thing I've ever seen on television, since I'd already seen all the footage, this show was nothing new. The film is shown in 3D, with the special glasses and all. However (and correct me if I'm wrong on the science) but since it wasn't originally shot in 3D footage, the 3D-ness of the film was barely noticeable. What was noticeable was the "4D" part: without giving all the secrets away, let me just say that special effects involving water squirting, air blowing, and seats vibrating gave the kids in the audience plenty to scream about. While this might be a hit with your 8 year old, it definitely was not a hit with the little ones! So, be warned, this show's special effects are S-C-A-R-Y for kids under 8 or so. And I wasn't so impressed with them myself (how many times can water squirting your face still be considered amusing, really?)

FOOD:
We visited the cafe on the bottom floor, right outside the dolphin show, called Frog Cafe. We sampled their french fries, grilled chicken sandwich and mini cheese pizza. The fries, thick cut and seasoned, were simply outstanding. The grilled chicken was lackluster on a limp, un-toasted bun, and the mini pizza was overpowered by sauce, but was otherwise fine. All told it was fine for speedy food to shore up the waning energy of our toddlers, but there are so many other eating options in the harbor that I'd recommend waiting to eat until after you leave.

(We sprinted in the cold over to the Phillips Seafood Restaurant in the Harborplace Light Street pavillion; the wait there was a too-long 30 minutes, so we opted for crab cake, shrimp, and fish baskets at the Phillips Seafood Express, right next door. It was all cooked fresh, and ranged from $8 to $12 a basket. Delicious! Highly recommend the crab cake sandwich ($12).)

OTHER TIDBITS:
Strollers are not allowed! Somehow our trip planner missed this information on the website, so we arrived with a huge diaper bag and 2 umbrella strollers. We had to check the strollers at the entrance (for free, happily) and also left our coats. They have framed kid backpack carriers and soft front carriers for patron use, which was a nice touch. We opted to let our kids walk, and they did just fine.

Overall, we had a wonderful time, and I'm sure the kids will be talking about it for weeks to come!

A Lesson Learned...(mommy missed bedtime!)

This article cross-posted on DC Urban Moms.

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I learned an important lesson this week. My husband is a parent too.

Okay, I'm exaggerating. My husband is actually a great parent. A wonderful parent. He adores the kids and they adore him. But, after a year of intensive home renovations, it had gotten to the point where I felt like I was parenting solo. Many nights he would get home from work with a quick kiss for us and then disappear into the construction zone. Sometimes he would come back in for a quick dinner only to disappear again, sometimes he'd just pop his head back in for a goodnight kiss. Now, some of you may be thinking, what's the big deal? Allow me to respond: no daddy from the hours of 5pm to 8pm? Prime dinner, bath, and bed-time? With two toddlers? Do you now have teenagers and just not remember what 7pm is like for a 2 year old?

I know he didn't enjoy the disappearing act. It's not like he was off with "the guys." Poor guy doesn't even have "guys"! And it was all hard, physical labor that he was doing. But let me tell you, dinnertime, baths, wrestling wriggling babies into pyjamas, and getting them off to bed, well, that's hard physical labor too. In the end, though, the hardest part was knowing that he was missing out on it. I was the one who knew the songs. I knew the way to rock our son, the way to rub our daughter's back, how warm the bath needed to be and who got the pink bear and who got the blue bunny to snuggle. And on the rare evenings when daddy was too exhausted to work, the kids wanted their normal routine. They wanted mommy to get their milk, not daddy. Mommy to cut the dinosaur chicken, not daddy. He never has let on if that have bothered them, but I could only imagine how I would feel. But what could we do? The work, once begun, had to be completed. Our unfinished addition weighed heavier and heavier on our minds and finances.

Then, one day, it was done. Finished. After months and months--over a year of actual, ongoing construction--the floors were in and walls were painted and the toilets were flushable. So we moved into our new house, with a little pink bedroom for our girl and a little blue bedroom for our boy, and even, luxury of luxuries, a playroom! (Green.) Even better, the work was done. Free evenings stretched before us, evenings where we could all enjoy dinner together, play together, put the kids to bed together.

We have begun a new routine. After dinner we all head upstairs. We let the babies run around naked in the playroom, finally happy to have a room in our house warm enough to be naked in. I rock and cuddle our baby girl while daddy and our big boy lay on the bed in his new big boy bedroom, looking out the windows at all the neighbors' houses and making up stories. When I come in the room, I am most often told, "Go away mommy, daddy and I are busy talking!" Music to my ears! So we all lay down and talk a bit, and then eventually I rock our son and he goes happily into his crib.

Still, though, I am the master of the routine. I control the timing, when there's been enough naked running around, when it really is time to get in bed and say goodnight. Mommy still does the rocking. Until this week, when an evening commitment kept me later than anticipated; despite my promises to be home for bedtime, it was after 8:30 before I was home. In my head, I played out the scene: kids would be wired up from spending the evening with daddy, they wouldn't be in their pyjamas, they'd probably all be snuggled on the couch having a tickle fight or watching too much TV. And I was fine with that--it was my first evening away since our daughter, now almost one and a half, was born. I was prepared for the chaos. And then, to my surprise, the house was silent. Nary a peep. Figuring they were up in the playroom, and that daddy was just waiting for me to step in and save him, I headed upstairs. Silence. Lights off, doors shut. I checked the bathrooms, thinking that perhaps they were all watching daddy go potty. You know how fascinating that can be, and yet, no one. Then my husband, my dear, sainted husband, comes out of our daughter's bedroom, empty bottle in hand. Both the little angels were sound asleep. Mommy had entirely missed bedtime.

Mommy missed bedtime.

And, the world didn't end. No one even fussed very much. There was hardly even a perfunctory "Where's mommy?" from either of them. Daddy did it all, all by himself. Now, when we woke up the next morning they had the wrong bears and different blankets and not their usual pyjamas, and he hadn't raised the drop side of our son's crib. (Seriously, the boy is nearly three; if he had any desire to climb out of the crib, side dropped or no, he'd have done it long ago. He's never even tried when the side has been down. So I wasn't too worried.)

Now, did he love it? Well, he maybe doesn't want to make it the new routine, but he honestly didn't seemed too phased by the whole process. Although, secretly I think that he prefers that I be the director of bedtime. Still, it is a huge relief for me to know that he can handle the kids all on his own. (You may think I'm exaggerating again, but let me just tell you about a little incident when we were going to visit a family member in the hospital and I was struck with, shall we say, stomach problems. The kids were all ready to go, and I'm camping out in the bathroom, and he asks, "Should I take one of the kids with me?" Meaning, honey, you can't even get off the toilet, but can I leave both the kids with you? I told him that they all needed to go, and his horrified look was priceless. Well, priceless now. Then, doing some bodily harm was really the focus of my concentration.)

So, what did I learn? Come home late and see what has transpired? No, wait...force your husband to do more around the house, the lazy sot? No, not that either...ah, yes. Let your partner do it their way. As in everything else, if you want it done right, do it yourself; if you just want it done, gosh darn it, so you can sit down and read the paper from last week with a microwaved cup of coffee and a leftover vanilla wafer you dug out from inside the couch, let them do it however they want.

The author, did, in fact, enjoy her microwaved coffee, but swears that the leftover vanilla wafer was merely artistic license. She further categorically denies eating anything found in her couch.

Election 2008

Without dipping into partisan prose, I think that parents of all political stripes can agree that a presidential election is a pretty important time for a country. I hope that you all are engaged in many (friendly) debates about where the country is, where we are headed, and who is best to take us where we want to go.

At the bottom of this page you'll find an interesting little widget, courtesy of the Washington Post, which lists all the candidates (even ones who have left the race, oddly) and links to coverage on various issues.

I actually like the functionality here better, but that doesn't seem to be the version they are letting me post here...naturally! Anyway, enjoy, and happy debating (and voting!)

For the many, or the few?

The pursuit of edible lunch, article in the Baltimore Sun from 1/19/2008, writes about the campaign by 6 middle school students to have better school lunch options available to their school and 56 other schools in Baltimore.

Reading about the quality of school lunches around the country smacks me up against my almost-daily dilemma: do I agitate for better lunches for all, or focus on making my kids' food as healthy as possible by preparing bagged lunches for them? Okay, my kids aren't even in school yet. But another debate raging in my home school district about shifting the boundaries for elementary schools has brought the concern to the forefront for me, and, I'm sure, for many others. How do we balance doing what is best for all with what we feel is best for our kids? How do we wear two hats; advocating for the good of those who perhaps don't have a strong advocate in their own home while balancing our strong--even biologically undeniable--drive to get the best for our own offspring?

I know, I know that there are those who will insist that by acting for the greater good we are doing what's best for our children; that they will grow up in a world that values everyone, that the grand karmic circle will continue to cycle around and all the good that we have sown will be reaped for them. I know you might be thinking this, and in many ways I do believe it. And yet, I can't bring myself to support something that isn't in their best interests. As I mentioned before, my babies are babies still; but I know that if these school boundary talks happen 5 years from now, you may be able to convince me that it's for the best, but you damn sure won't be able to stop me from insisting, as vocally and as often as necessary, that MY children should be the exceptions.