Barbecue season may be in full swing from Memorial Day through Labor Day, but Father's Day always seems to be peak grill zone around here. And while kids love to imitate their Mamas in the play-kitchens, there's something to be said for Daddy role models; and these play BBQ grills sure bring the heat! MoMA Store BBQ set, $60.00
Melissa & Dough tabletop grill set, $20.00
The latest development around here has been a miraculous milestone: underpants. Freida has now been dry for a total of 6 days and 5 nights. And we're all smiles.
I'm sure you all remember when I bought her a little potty - in October! Back then I was planning on doing the "naked method", i.e. letting her run around for 2 days without a diaper and learn the sensation through "accidents". Thankfully, I have sisters and sister-in-laws who are far more wise and experienced than I am, and their advice was to wait. I had lots of people tell me it's about the parent being ready (to train them and take them etc.) and not about the child, and I had just as many people tell me it is about the child being physically ready. I decided to take a bit of a medium. I introduced her to the potty, and I have been putting her on it everyday before her bath to "try". Sometimes she made, sometimes she didn't. But aside from putting a sticker on her potty chart, we didn't make a big deal about it.
A few months ago I bought her some underpants, and showed them to her and let her try them on and feel them. I told her she will be able to wear them everyday like Mommy and Daddy once she learned to use the potty. She reacted the way I had hoped, and was very excited about the prospect, but forgot about it shortly thereafter. Around the same time, I bought a potty seat cover for our toilet, to give her another option.
About a month ago I thought I'd switch her to pullups (well, Pampers EasyUps, to be exact) which would make the potty even more accessible to her. We gave the diapers to the babies (like her bottle), and she was very proud to have graduated to something a bit more grown-up. We continued to use the potty about once a day...
Then, on the second day of Shavuot, Freida called out "Mommy! Peepees coming!!" so we headed straight to the potty where she proceeded to pee! I thought it was just a fluke, but when she went another 3 times in the next few hours, I let her put on a pair of undies. She's been in them and dry since then - nighttime included!!!
Freida is currently sporting these Sweet Ivy undies that I picked up at Nordstrom. They came in a sweet little zippered clear plastic pouch, and I just couldn't resist the happy little colorful prints! (The longest part of our day is now Freida trying to pick which color she wants to wear!) :)
Also, for those of who are in middle of training and need a bit more coverage with regards to accidents - I stumbled upon these adorable cotton training pants from Giggle. When I was a little girl, all of us were potty trained using something like this - a pull-up/panty hybrid. They are so genuinely old-school, and many parents seriously swear by them. The point is they feel more like undies so your kid gets more of the sensational feeling when they go, but the extra interior layer holds more pee so it doesn't go running down their legs and all over your carpet!
I'm totally shocked and amazed at the success of the whole child-led training process, and I can't believe she actually just decided to do this on her own (although, this is so like her - remember the self-weaning episode??)! I'm so happy for my little lady I'm just bursting with pride!!
P.S. If anyone has any tips for successfully waking your child at night to pee - please send them this way!! (I'm kinda going nuts from having to sleep alert enough to hear her random middle-of-the-night cries of "peepee cominggg!!") :)
Amidst frolicking and languishing in the Berkowitz garden while learning lessons of earth and of growth came the inevitable wondrous time of harvesting. Freida has been watching those leeks since they were planted there in the first place, has eyed their tiny forest-green sprouts suspiciously, and has brushed past their long and gangly leaves for weeks now - glancing fairly briefly to marvel at their uselessness only to make a beeline for those sweet pea pods. Until, that is, Estee announced that the leeks were viable, and generously offered them for the pickings. I've always loved leeks, mostly in soups, but after harvesting a few of these organic babies - I'm hooked in a variety of ways!
Freida carried those big green onions out of the garden, through the backyard and into the car. But upon arriving at home and dragging the greens through the house to the kitchen she just couldn't get over how the leek in full seemed to be even bigger than her! Little did she know we'd actually just be salvaging a few measly (but flavorful!) inches off the bottom.
We proceeded to peel off the outer layers and wash and clean them (they tend to get rather sandy in between the skins). Freida just has fun messing around and pretending with her wooden knife and board...
I roughly chopped the white and light green parts + some fresh parsley and sautéed them in some extra virgin olive oil. Then I added a few beaten eggs, a dash of salt and a grind of pepper.
Add a slice of toast + some butter and jam, and we got ourselves a totally fantastic fresh-from-the-ground lunch!!
The omelet was kid-approved , and it was such a wonderful way to introduce her to a new food. She got a serious kick out of the fact that we pulled it from the ground, cooked it in the kitchen, and ate it for lunch. She had a very good nap afterward. :)
Also, aside from the fact that it's great for children to learn where food actually comes from, feasting on food fresh from the earth means that all the nutrients are that much more viable and in turn that much more valuable. The difference between the nutrients found in produce that was picked weeks ago and transported a long way by many different forms of travel and the nutrients found in fresh-farmed, organic, local produce is unequivocal. That should help legitimize prices at the Farmer's Markets - you get much more bang for your buck!!
Cupcake liner flowers are sure an oldie, but a goodie. My husband spent yesterday morning doing this little flower craft with Freida while I turned up the kitchen heat. We used pastel colored cupcake liners, Do-A-Dots, and pipe cleaners. The dots bled onto the cupcake paper and created a totally rad watercolor-tie-dye effect. Freida may be used to crafts, but she has been über-excited about the concept of Mount Sinai suddenly sprouting grass and flowers on-demand and so she simply stoked to get in on the action! Plus, since she kept trying to smell them, I let her spritz them up with some body splash which really seemed to up the fun factor. I weighed down a ceramic bud vase with some marbles (so it wouldn't tip as easily), and now I've got some cute and colorful florals that make me smile and make her feel proud and involved in the festivities! The home fragrance is just a bonus. :)
It's such an easy almost-mess-free activity, that it'd be the perfect thing to occupy the little ones while you finish off in the kitchen tomorrow...
Happy June weekend, ladies!! I'm feeling the season all around, and love getting gifts of weekly seasonal fresh flowers (thanks love!!). Gladiolus like these would make for a lovely buffet table arrangement by adding height and color to the food layout, don't you think? I'm sure you are all in a recipe/tablescape buzz right about now, getting ready to ring in the summer holiday via dairy deliciousness! Thought I'd take a minute to link some of my favorite things around the web this week...
- The most adorable kids craft/play idea for Shavuot!
- I need to remember this more often...
- My latest article for the Algemeiner: Born this Way?
- New on the Market: modern House Numbers @ Heath.
- Simple + Charming + Convenient DIY for Father's Day gift.
- HOTmilk Maternity/Nursing Bras ridiculously reduced at Zulily!
Some holiday-relative posts you may have missed:
- Cultivate social conversation at the table via big buds/low florals.
- Idyllic Ice Cream Sandwiches.
Also, for those of you who asked for a white cream sauce recipe when I posted this pasta dish, the most important part of any cream sauce is a good Roux for the Béchamel (white cream sauce). I learned this technique within the first few months of marriage (while watching much-too-much Food Network!), and it has come in so incredibly handy so far, and I've used it countless times since then. Here's the best step-by-step directions! I personally use that starter recipe + a cup of grated parmesan cheese and some crushed garlic cloves. From there you can add to what you'd like it to be (mushroom cream sauce, white wine reduction, salmon, pink sauce, florentine etc.) Enjoy!!
