Quinoa Pilaf

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add carrot, and cook 3 minutes more. Stir in quinoa and vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender and fluffy.
2. In a bowl, toss quinoa together with walnuts and parsley. 
3. Serve* to your busy little bee.

*I like to serve it with broiled or grilled salmon filets, marinated in equal parts orange juice, soy sauce, and maple syrup.

Working on Her Bieb

It's getting there, Amelia.

Independent Reading

Wondering about Water

Marley has been really interested in water lately.  Where it comes from, what it's made of, its properties, how we use it, where it's found.  Jeff and I are doing our best to answer his zillions of questions, but it's not always easy.

Recently Jeff and Marley were having a conversation about water and electricity.  Jeff was explaining how it's dangerous to use things that plug in near water.  After only a moment of thought, Marley said, "What about Mommy's steam-vac? That plugs in and it uses water." The kid has a response for everything. I guess he needed a more in depth explanation.

The questions continued today: How does water get in our faucets? Where does the swimming pool water come from? How is water made? Where does it go after we use it?

Raising a curious kid is both exhausting and exhilarating. Other topics he's asked about lately include: the moon, seasons, drift wood, animal classifications, and the human body. He also loves to take things apart and rebuild them.  Most recently: a flashlight, a pen, and a kaleidoscope.  I can't wait to see what will pique his interest next!

Finally a nice day!

Hooray for Daddies!

Facing abandonment by their mother, this caring father attempts to comfort his inconsolable children, even suggesting that they might try and "have fun" in her absence.

From my iPhone

Woo hoo! I finally figured out how to post from my phone. More fuzzy videos coming your way:)

Little Miss Stubborn

"Little Miss Stubborn was, as you might imagine, extraordinarily stubborn.  Once she had her mind made up there was no unmaking it.  If she decided to go out, she went out.  Even when it was pouring rain." - Roger Hargreaves

An Inconvenient Poop

I'm sure, in my blogging absence, you've been thinking, "I wish Dawn would write about poo again.  It's really been far too long since the last entry about poop."  Well, faithful reader, this one's for you.

Amelia has the worst timing when it comes to poop.  Some of her favorites include, but are not limited to: the beginning of long car rides, whenever we happen to be running late for something, anytime we are no where near running water, when mommy forgets to pack extra diapers (you remember the QFC incident), on airplanes (I'm pretty sure she pooped on all four legs of our flight to and from Florida) and other forms of public transportation, and right after I've started a load of diaper laundry.  

Even so, we continue to use cloth diapers almost exclusively.  What's more, I'm convinced the reason that most people don't use cloth diapers is fear of poop.  But, I'm here to tell you that there's nothing to be afraid of.  Poop really isn't that scary.  Really.

The Newborn Stage (0-6 months)
Believe it or not, newborn poop is the easiest to deal with.  It smells the best too: just like buttered popcorn (I'm not kidding)!  True, it happens frequently, and often explosively, but it's also the simplest to launder.  Remove diaper from baby, place diaper in pail, throw diaper in wash on laundry day.  Yup, it's that simple.  The best part is that when there's a blowout, you can throw in all those poopy clothes, too!

Transition to Solids (7-11 months)
I won't lie, this is not a fun time in your child's poop development.  Once she starts eating solid food, you can no longer just toss the poopy diapers in the pail.  Trust me, I tried it.*  Poops are not as explosive during this stage, but they're still pretty frequent, especially if your daughter decides to get a severe case of diarrhea for a month.  The worst part, though, is that the poop is no where near actually being solid yet, so getting it off the diaper can be kind of tricky.  Some people like to buy things like flushable liners or diaper sprayers to help with this.  But, I prefer the good old-fashioned method of dunk, swish, and rinse.  Dunk and swish most of the poop into the toilet, then rinse the rest out in the utility sink.  A particularly bad one can be left to soak in a bucket until wash day.  It may seem like a lot of work, but really the whole process takes only a few minutes. 

Plopable Poo (12 months up)
Things get a bit easier around the time your child is turning one.  For one thing, her poop becomes more regular and predictable (usually).  And, depending on her diet, it gets a little more solid, too.  This makes things immensely easier.  No more dunking and swishing.  Simply dump turd off of diaper and into toilet.  Toss diaper in pail, and wash on laundry day! 

So, you see, there's no need to fear.  Even if you do happen to have an inconvenient pooper.  And now that I think about it, maybe Amelia doesn't have the worst timing, maybe she actually has the best timing, and this is just her idea of a practical joke.  Obviously she has inherited her father's sense of humor.

*For those who really want to know: You get to pick out sparkling clean pieces of green beans, peas, carrots, and anything else your baby may have eaten from your "clean" load of diapers.