The second grader and the school secretary agree

My second-grader had a pediatrician appointment at 10:30 on Friday morning. Because his grandfather is a pediatrician, we drive across town to granddad's practice for appointments. After seeing the doctor and stopping by Granddad and Popo's house to borrow Granddad's station wagon (even small furniture doesn't fit in an Accord sedan), it was 1:05 by the time I got to the school office to sign Charlie in. By this time, he'd eaten fast food in the car on the way and had lobbied to not have to go to school for the afternoon. Because he'd already missed lunch period, he reasoned, what was the point?

At the office, it turned out, the secretary agreed with him. She looked at me as I was signing the late arrival sheet and said "You're dropping him off? Sir, we dismiss at 3:40." I guess that two and a half hours of education would be a total waste. There was no discernible trace of my progeny paying a bribe.

Presumptuous Pediatrics

So, this is a little thing, but...

At my three-year-old's pediatrician appointment today, I answered the question "Does he have any trouble separating from mom?". Somewhat blindsided, I gave a simple "no". I didn't tell the efficient young woman running through a whole list of questions that although my son has little trouble separating from his mom, he does lean out of her arms to get me to hold him. He does turn away from her in the morning while he's snuggling in my arms. He does prefer that I tie his shoes and button his coat if given an option. She didn't ask about that; those questions weren't on the list.

Sunday Haiku: If the shoe fits

You know, you're too young
to have no life but TV
and your memories

Positive Reinforcement >> Negotiation Session

Me: Charlie, you do such a nice job making your bed each morning.
Charlie: Does that mean I can get some extra money for it?
Me: No. It just means that you do something that you're responsible for, and you do it well.

Teddy's Tongue Noise

Teddy makes this little noise kind of often. Sometimes he just makes the noise by itself; other times he makes it at the end of words and talks that way for a while like some pint-size Mushmouth. I managed to record it so that we'll be able to remember it. These special little things tend to disappear from the repertoire all of a sudden.

Sunday Haiku: Dress Clothes

If you're cold, you can
wear your blue sweater to church.
Uh, no thanks. I'm fine.

What the kale?

Kale chips?

Kale, yeah.

We get produce from a CSA farm. Kretschmann Farm has been delivering produce throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania for over 30 years. As I understand it, they have the biggest CSA subscription population between New York and Chicago.

One blessing/curse for CSA delivery customers is that we don't choose what appears in our crate each week. Whatever is in season and whatever crop has flourished shows up. This surprise factor and the sheer abundance of our crate mean that we sometimes waste food that we get because we either have too much or can't figure out what to do with that which we get. When CSA customers describe this problem, they inevitably say, "you know, what am I going to do with _____" and that blank virtually always gets filled with one item: kale. Kale doesn't sound funnier than rhubarb or rutabaga, so people must use kale because it's both abundant and hard to use. It's polarizing - many people don't like it at all while a few sing its praises.

Well, we had a bunch of kale, and we got this wacky recipe for Kale Chips. I am here to tell you: THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO WITH YOUR KALE. The preparation couldn't be easier, and the result is flavorful and fun to eat.

After patting dry, remove thick stems from 1 bunch of kale and cut into 1’ pieces. Whisk together, 1 tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder, 1/8 tsp. cayenne, 2 tbs. cider vinegar, 3 tbs. olive oil. Toss kale with mixture and bake on oiled cookie sheet. @ 350 8 min. then turn and bake another 7 min. until crispy. (Oil alone can be used to toss if you’re not into spicy)

They pack a flavor kick, and this technique probably won't transform your kale enough to turn your kids into kaleophiles. The next time I make them, I'll probably alter the recipe only by decreasing the cayenne to a pinch. These can be balanced nicely with a mild cheese. We happened to eat them with macaroni and cheese, and they'd make a great "what is this?" garnish on that dish.