Now that we've hit November, the concept of holiday is slowly creeping onto my radar. I'm still ignoring holiday retail displays, but I'm all for securing tickets to Boston’s fabulous arts scene at a budget in celebration of the season. In addition to discounted arts tickets, the Mayor’s Holiday Special site features shopping, dining, and lodging deals and is open now through January 18, 2010.
Calling all small business owners and budding entrepreneurs! There are just two Kirtsy/Microsoft Office Live Hands On Small Business sessions remaining in Boston. HOSB is a series of 100 fun, FREE gatherings in 20 cities across the US and Canada, and covers free online and social media solutions to help entrepreneurs and small businesses build and promote their business. I’m teaching the Boston sessions with Angela from Mommy Bytes. The remaining two sessions are this Thursday, November 5 (7-9pm) and Wednesday, November 11 (1-3pm). Click here to register and hope to meet you soon!
It was gorgeous today, this first day of November, when winter begins in the lower Midwest.
It is her sixth November.
The little angel was determined to wear her new snow boots, despite the seventy-degree temps.
She can see through my attempts to get her to smile for real.
She fearlessly climbed a very tall rock.
I was happy and sad to learn she didn't need me to hold her on the way up.
She became the spiderweb queen, and I retired to princess.
She doesn't always listen to me anymore, now that she's five.
She has her own ideas.
Sometimes, she's determined to go her own way.
A cautious toddler, she's become a courageous girl.
It's a relief she still looks back to make sure I'm behind her.
You, like me, may be sitting here wondering where the hell October went.
In which I start talking about parenting in a digital age:
In which I try to figure out parenting:
Reviews!
In a comment response to my Halloween candy alternatives post, Tracy made the excellent suggestion of creating a pre-Halloween feast, given that there’s time since Halloween falls on a Saturday, and also to fill bellies so there's less room to gorge on candy. Tracy’s Halloween “gross-out menu” includes beet risotto (aka “Blood and Guts”), which another commenter requested. The beet risotto recipe follows below:
From Tracy:
This method can be adapted to make any type of risotto you feel like having. I like to make it using whatever is on hand (roasted peppers, asparagus and peas, cooked chicken, etc.). This is also a great recipe to add puree (e.g., butternut squash or pumpkin) to. Here are some basic tips, followed by my beet risotto recipe:
Beet Risotto
Modified from Trish Magwood’s recipe on foodtv.ca
1. Wash and peel beets. Place beets in a medium saucepan, add 3 cups stock + 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 40-45 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove the beets and allow to cool (place in freezer to speed up cooling time if you need to), reserving the stock that the beets were cooking in. Grate beets and set aside.
2. In a wide saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
3. Add rice to saucepan and stir to coat. Add wine and bring to a boil, cooking for 2 minutes.
4. Add the stock that the beets were cooking in, one ladle at a time. Before adding the next ladle of stock, allow rice to absorb all liquid in the pan. After the first 3 ladles, add the grated beets. Continue adding stock one ladle at a time and cook for about 18-20 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add cheese if you’re using it (we don’t, due to my son’s allergies). Grate cheese over top for garnish.
Image credit: Clipart Graphics
Why yes, there are things happening this weekend that don’t relate to Halloween. Two cool picks that piqued my interest? The Boston Vegetarian Food Festival (Saturday & Sunday) will assemble natural food providers, speakers, chefs, and exhibitors offering food samples, demos, learning opportunities, and a children's activity center. And on Sunday, Design Hive is calling all vintage vixens to Cambridge to stock up on vintage clothing, accessories, and home furnishings from local sellers.
Today, parent educator Hetti Wohlgemuth shares advice on fighting well:
“Bob and I fought last week. Not a big one, but one that prevented us from playing our nightly gin game and one that led me to go to bed mad, something the experts and my parents (their only bit of marital advice) advise against. Fights are not something to avoid at all costs and the experts actually say that a noisy marriage might be better than a quiet one: at least you're talking to one another. Fights happen, yes, but how does it impact our kids? What is a good fight and how can we pull it off?
Know when to let an argument go. Sometimes when we're stressed in other parts of our lives - jobs, extended family, friends, finances, etc. - it's handy and safe to release our fury toward our partner. Whether this is the case or your partner is the cause of the anger, there’s merit to letting the argument go or redirecting the anger toward the actual guilty source. After my spat with Bob, he offered the olive branch the next morning and though I still felt grumpy, I knew I needed to let our little spat go. I did and I'm glad. Fights would not be so much of an issue for kids if they knew that they were only blips on the screen and would disappear with a kiss, a hug, a kind word, and a real desire not to stay mired in unpleasantness.
Vive la difference! Men and women actually are different, so are two women within a couple or two men. We partnered up with our significant other because of our similarities and our differences. Bob is very good at listening to me go on and on about my grievances. But occasionally he rushes in with advice, solutions, and causes – a desire to fix thing when I just want him to listen. Bottom line is he's trying to help in the way he knows how; accept different well intentioned approaches.
Pick your battles. We advise this when dealing with children and we need to abide by this within relationships too. It's not good for you, your partner, or your kids to fight about every teeny tiny resentment. Sometimes it's helpful to not see the unfolded shirts and sweaters or the catalogs piling up on the dining table. Deal with the big elephants and let the others go. As we know but often forget, it's more important to live in a happy home than a perfect and pristine one.
One person cannot meet all our needs. Entanglements ensue when we expect one person to be all and everything to us. We need friends (to give us the response we want or to hear us yet again), babysitting co-ops, babysitters, agreeable family members, and dishwashers (yes, dishwashers!) to fill in and support us when we and/or our partners are at our parenting wit's end. Learn to ask for and accept help.
Fight like an adult, not a three year old. Don't call each other names, blame each other endlessly, or throw sand in each other's hair. If you fight like a grownup, the match stands as a teaching tool. The "good fight" shows children we can get mad, express it in healthy ways, and then move on.
How to fight well. Use the all important, oft mentioned, ‘I statement’ such as, ‘I get mad (or any particular feeling) WHEN you give me causes and solutions (or any other activity) BECAUSE I feel I'm not being heard.’ (Coming up with the clause after 'because' is challenging because you need to take some responsibility for why you actually are mad, frustrated, sad, etc.) Also, don't have these conversations at midnight when the twins are screaming or at the dinner hour when the pot of water boils over and everyone's famished. If you do, everyone will end up (boiling) mad. The good fight may not feel natural at first, but it's worth it. Learning to fight well is an art!
Bottom line. It's not the actual fight that's the problem. It's the quantity (usually too often) and the quality. If you feel like you're fighting every day, then you need to sit down with your partner when you both have time and state where you're both at and what you both need. Listening can be as critical as talking. Occasional (in this case, more is better) expressions of kindness and appreciation are always welcome. Receiving them is just as important as giving them.”
Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What with Halloween being on a Saturday, there’s plenty of time for advanced partying. Here’s some more upcoming free Halloween fun to enjoy with the kids. On Friday: Harvard Scare! (Cambridge) and on Saturday: Community Halloween Party at Ringer Park (Allston), Brattle Trick or Treat! (Cambridge), USS Constitution Museum Halloween Haunt (Charlestown), Wilson Farms Kids Costume Contest & Haunted Hayride (Lexington), and Halloween Horribles Parade (Winchester).
If you know of other free events, please feel free to share them with the community via comment below!
Also, if you're like me and haven't yet got around to Halloween treat shopping, be sure to check out this awesome collection of ideas for alternatives to offer instead of – or in addition to – traditional candy.
