Conversations with a Toddler: Intro to Toddler logic

Awa is a 4yo chatterbox. It's genetic, definitely from my side of the family. She can create a lengthy conversation out of thin air, changing topics mid-sentence, firing away like a pinball racing around it's machine. I understand this, I am also like this, it still drives me crazy. It's definitely always good for a laugh.

Lately she has been asking "Tell me all about _____." My boo boo, the dinner, where I went shopping, bugs, pocket lint, lather rinse repeat.

Tonight's conversation began about the days events, meandered into learning about dinner and kosher. Then she hit me with:

"Ima, tell me about the whole world." She says, leaning forward with interest like any good interviewer would.

My response was naturally lots of eye blinking. "That's a big topic with lots to talk about. Where should I start?"

I patted myself on the back for keeping the lines of communication open while simultaneously directing the conversation to a narrower scope.

"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything" Of course, that's logical . . . .

And this is why dinner conversation over sweet and sour hot dogs and rice was about the creation of the world and G-d's plan.

Awa is a 4yo chatterbox. It's genetic, definitely from my side of the family. She can create a lengthy conversation out of thin air, changing topics mid-sentence, firing away like a pinball racing around it's machine. I understand this, I am also like this, it still drives me crazy. It's definitely always good for a laugh.

Lately she has been asking "Tell me all about _____." My boo boo, the dinner, where I went shopping, bugs, pocket lint, lather rinse repeat.

Tonight's conversation began about the days events, meandered into learning about dinner and kosher. Then she hit me with:

"Ima, tell me about the whole world." She says, leaning forward with interest like any good interviewer would.

My response was naturally lots of eye blinking. "That's a big topic with lots to talk about. Where should I start?"

I patted myself on the back for keeping the lines of communication open while simultaneously directing the conversation to a narrower scope.

"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything" Of course, that's logical . . . .

And this is why dinner conversation over sweet and sour hot dogs and rice was about the creation of the world and G-d's plan.

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Droolworthy Doodads: Tea charms

As we cough and sputter our way into cold and flu season, I've had reason to unpack another gadget gifted by my mom. Most of the tea bags we have in the house are staple & string free. Great for the environment, not so much for the tea bag retrieval process. Enter the tea charm:

I love jewelry and accessories. It's an obsession. And isn't this just the cutest thing? Picture it hanging out of a dainty Ikea teacup, or more likely: my enormous Walmart tankard. I need more of them, not just so I can accessorize my mug, that would be lame, right? It's for when I'm hosting, really! A quick google turns up awfully few purchasing options, but mom found one by cruising TJMaxx/Marshalls/Ross, she can do it again!

What would my British in-laws think if they found this gracing the side of a cuppa? Hubsters has seen me stir tea with a knife, at this point nothing would shock them.

As we cough and sputter our way into cold and flu season, I've had reason to unpack another gadget gifted by my mom. Most of the tea bags we have in the house are staple & string free. Great for the environment, not so much for the tea bag retrieval process. Enter the tea charm:

I love jewelry and accessories. It's an obsession. And isn't this just the cutest thing? Picture it hanging out of a dainty Ikea teacup, or more likely: my enormous Walmart tankard. I need more of them, not just so I can accessorize my mug, that would be lame, right? It's for when I'm hosting, really! A quick google turns up awfully few purchasing options, but mom found one by cruising TJMaxx/Marshalls/Ross, she can do it again!

What would my British in-laws think if they found this gracing the side of a cuppa? Hubsters has seen me stir tea with a knife, at this point nothing would shock them.

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Loving lentils: Vegan Couscous & Lentil Curry Soup

My obsession with lentils began after the birth of my first child. The pulses in my diet had been confined to gandules (pigeon peas) and I was surprised how much I loved the red lentil side dish I received from a friend with an after birth meal.

Now lentils are my go to meat substitute, and add-in every time I make rice or soup.

This recipe was born of reverse engineering a delicious instant cup of soup I bought at Whole Foods. It was tasty, spicy, and most importantly kept me full for hours.

In Israel I could find red or green lentils, but here in the US so far I've really mainly seen green. I find them mostly interchangeable, although red tend to dissolve more when cooking where green keep their shape.

Here's what we had for dinner tonight:

1/8 cup organic split pea mix

3/4 cup green lentils

2 Tblsp crushed garlic

1 carrot sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 Tblsp crushed tomatoes

2 Tblsp cumin powder

3 Tblsp curry powder

Water - at least twice the level of the previous ingredients (could use veggie broth)

Combine all in a pot, and simmer until the carrots & peas are tender, about 40mins. Check the broth level, if the soup has thickened too much add more water or broth at this point.

Before serving add 1/4-1/2 cup of couscous, stir, and cover for 5 mins. The couscous really reduces the amount of water in the soup giving it a thicker consistency.

I find soup to be very forgiving and throw any combination of vegetables I have on hand in, sometimes it's nice to have a simple, filling soup though.

My obsession with lentils began after the birth of my first child. The pulses in my diet had been confined to gandules (pigeon peas) and I was surprised how much I loved the red lentil side dish I received from a friend with an after birth meal.

Now lentils are my go to meat substitute, and add-in every time I make rice or soup.

This recipe was born of reverse engineering a delicious instant cup of soup I bought at Whole Foods. It was tasty, spicy, and most importantly kept me full for hours.

In Israel I could find red or green lentils, but here in the US so far I've really mainly seen green. I find them mostly interchangeable, although red tend to dissolve more when cooking where green keep their shape.

Here's what we had for dinner tonight:

1/8 cup organic split pea mix

3/4 cup green lentils

2 Tblsp crushed garlic

1 carrot sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 Tblsp crushed tomatoes

2 Tblsp cumin powder

3 Tblsp curry powder

Water - at least twice the level of the previous ingredients (could use veggie broth)

Combine all in a pot, and simmer until the carrots & peas are tender, about 40mins. Check the broth level, if the soup has thickened too much add more water or broth at this point.

Before serving add 1/4-1/2 cup of couscous, stir, and cover for 5 mins. The couscous really reduces the amount of water in the soup giving it a thicker consistency.

I find soup to be very forgiving and throw any combination of vegetables I have on hand in, sometimes it's nice to have a simple, filling soup though.

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What are basic skills needed in the kitchen?

I read and interesting article over at theKitchn.com by Emma Christensen about what basic skills all cooks should have, with Anthony Bourdain's POV from his book Medium Raw. Personally I can do all of the tasks with varying degrees of success, apart from cleaning a fish, something I've never learned to do. Here's his list (from theKitchn.com) :

• Chopping an onion
• Making an omelet
• Roasting a chicken
• The correct way to grill and rest a steak
• Cooking vegetables to desired doneness
• Making a vinaigrette
• Shop for fresh produce
• Buying a fish, cleaning it, and making it
• Roasting meat
• Roasting and mashing potatoes
• Braising meats and vegetables
• What to do with bones (a.k.a. How to make stock)

Emma adds baking cookies, bread, and a birthday cake, which I heartily agree should be basic. It's quite often I hear people claim the can cook but not bake. Some things are just basic skills, just like English Majors need some small proficiency in math to graduate. Other commentators mentioned adjusting the list for regional and dietary needs. This made me think more about what the basic skills I use day to day as a mother in a kosher kitchen. Living in Israel taught me some things I hadn't done in America, and I know my "basics" are more complicated for it. I'd add:

• make homemade pasta sauce
• eyeball portion size before and after cooking
• Read a recipe
• keep laws of Kashrus (Jewish dietary laws)
• cook in a crockpot
• make at least one vegetarian main dish
• make a balanced, nutritious menu
• fry an egg, over easy
• cook dried grains or beans (from the comments at theKitchn.com)
• use common cooking & spice substitutions

My grandmother would lament my inability to cut a whole chicken up, something considered basic in her day, while my mother-in-law is appalled that I can't make a good cuppa (tea that is) or kasher my own meat by salting.

On the other side, I've met people who subsist on instant food of all types and was recently in line at Target between two different families with carts piled high with microwave dinners.

What cooking skills do you think are necessary in general, or for your lifestyle?

I read and interesting article over at theKitchn.com by Emma Christensen about what basic skills all cooks should have, with Anthony Bourdain's POV from his book Medium Raw. Personally I can do all of the tasks with varying degrees of success, apart from cleaning a fish, something I've never learned to do. Here's his list (from theKitchn.com) :

• Chopping an onion
• Making an omelet
• Roasting a chicken
• The correct way to grill and rest a steak
• Cooking vegetables to desired doneness
• Making a vinaigrette
• Shop for fresh produce
• Buying a fish, cleaning it, and making it
• Roasting meat
• Roasting and mashing potatoes
• Braising meats and vegetables
• What to do with bones (a.k.a. How to make stock)

Emma adds baking cookies, bread, and a birthday cake, which I heartily agree should be basic. It's quite often I hear people claim the can cook but not bake. Some things are just basic skills, just like English Majors need some small proficiency in math to graduate. Other commentators mentioned adjusting the list for regional and dietary needs. This made me think more about what the basic skills I use day to day as a mother in a kosher kitchen. Living in Israel taught me some things I hadn't done in America, and I know my "basics" are more complicated for it. I'd add:

• make homemade pasta sauce
• eyeball portion size before and after cooking
• Read a recipe
• keep laws of Kashrus (Jewish dietary laws)
• cook in a crockpot
• make at least one vegetarian main dish
• make a balanced, nutritious menu
• fry an egg, over easy
• cook dried grains or beans (from the comments at theKitchn.com)
• use common cooking & spice substitutions

My grandmother would lament my inability to cut a whole chicken up, something considered basic in her day, while my mother-in-law is appalled that I can't make a good cuppa (tea that is) or kasher my own meat by salting.

On the other side, I've met people who subsist on instant food of all types and was recently in line at Target between two different families with carts piled high with microwave dinners.

What cooking skills do you think are necessary in general, or for your lifestyle?

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Inspired by Parent Hacks & Amazon!

I've found some amazing tips at ParentHacks.com and some amazingly helpful products at Amazon.com (yay free shipping!) but never before has shopping at Amazon collided with Parent hacking!

My kids are between sizes at the moment. Too skinny for their size, and too tall for the next size down. I had safety pins and belts in my Amazon shopping cart when I came across Smartie Pants cinch belt for adjusting kids' pants/skirts whether there are belt loops or not. Brilliant! And cute colors, I was almost sold until I remembered a little something I had stored away in their sock drawer. Extra mitten clips to the rescue! My mother is forever buying hats, gloves, and mitten clips at a rate exceeding our number of heads, hands, or sleeves.

Isn't a mitten clip the same idea as the cinch belt? So I did a test run.

From iTookThisOnMyPhone

Success!

Here are some of my fave Parent Hacks from ParentHacks.com:

What to do with onesie snaps during diaper change or potty time?
What to do with extra wipes containers?
How to make slippery finger foods easier to hold

Hack away!

I've found some amazing tips at ParentHacks.com and some amazingly helpful products at Amazon.com (yay free shipping!) but never before has shopping at Amazon collided with Parent hacking!

My kids are between sizes at the moment. Too skinny for their size, and too tall for the next size down. I had safety pins and belts in my Amazon shopping cart when I came across Smartie Pants cinch belt for adjusting kids' pants/skirts whether there are belt loops or not. Brilliant! And cute colors, I was almost sold until I remembered a little something I had stored away in their sock drawer. Extra mitten clips to the rescue! My mother is forever buying hats, gloves, and mitten clips at a rate exceeding our number of heads, hands, or sleeves.

Isn't a mitten clip the same idea as the cinch belt? So I did a test run.

From iTookThisOnMyPhone

Success!

Here are some of my fave Parent Hacks from ParentHacks.com:

What to do with onesie snaps during diaper change or potty time?
What to do with extra wipes containers?
How to make slippery finger foods easier to hold

Hack away!

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If Amelia Bedelia had shabbos guests

This shabbos proved that when British English meets toddler logic, hilarity ensues. A friend is coming for a meal with his girlfriend. We're meant to meet, greet, impress, provide a comfortable table. This is what happened instead:

Hubsters: "Our friend is coming with his bird." (British slang for girlfriend or woman)

Later during dinner:

3yo asks puzzled: "But he did not bring a bird."

Me: Pause. "No, no he didn't, but thank you Amelia Bedelia" unrestrained laughter.

3yo: polite giggle. Sigh. "You thought he was going to bring a bird." Headshake.

Me: tears.

The best part was her mature "silly grownups" patronizing reaction. From a 3yo still funny. I'm hoping it stops while she's ahead.

This shabbos proved that when British English meets toddler logic, hilarity ensues. A friend is coming for a meal with his girlfriend. We're meant to meet, greet, impress, provide a comfortable table. This is what happened instead:

Hubsters: "Our friend is coming with his bird." (British slang for girlfriend or woman)

Later during dinner:

3yo asks puzzled: "But he did not bring a bird."

Me: Pause. "No, no he didn't, but thank you Amelia Bedelia" unrestrained laughter.

3yo: polite giggle. Sigh. "You thought he was going to bring a bird." Headshake.

Me: tears.

The best part was her mature "silly grownups" patronizing reaction. From a 3yo still funny. I'm hoping it stops while she's ahead.

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Kids and Guests

We love having guests. We don't have the most spacious accommodations, but we don't mind sharing what we have. My kids have occasionally heard me lament any Shabbos we weren't able to drum up guests. We're lucky enough to have several regulars who make sure this doesn't happen often.

This past shabbos we were invited out to lunch, fun for all, but that means no guests. On the way home the kids saw some people out for a walk.

"Are those our guests?" They asked pointing excitedly. The disappointment when I said no made me very glad I'd thought to invite a family to join us in the late afternoon! Awa and Hubsters sped home while RE and I plodded along together slowly.

Then RE saw a dog. "Can the dog come to my house?" He asked at least five times before I could answer. Seeing that we couldn't catch up with the dog I decided to use the opportunity to coax some conversation out of my strong n silent little guy.

"What would you say if the dog came to our house?" I asked, proud that I thought of a non yes-or-no question.

"YES!" RE nodded. So much for avoiding yes-or-no. "I'd say, Yes you can come to my house doggie."

"What would the doggie do at your house," I continued the interview.

"Um, I'd give him strawberries and melon." RE spoke with certainty.

"Where would the doggie sleep?" I was on a roll.

" . . . " Confused look.

"Ok, who else should come to our house?" I asked desperate to keep him talking during his rare moment in the spotlight without his older sister piping in.

"A dog, and a cat, and Nana & Papa (my parents), and Saba & Safta (hubster's parents), and a dog. . . . and a cat" RE listed.

Phew! He was still willing to talk, and boy did he have plans!

"And where will they all sleep?"

". . . " Again confused look.

I guess he'll do the inviting and I'll do the worrying about who will sleep where and what to serve outside of the fruit course.

We love having guests. We don't have the most spacious accommodations, but we don't mind sharing what we have. My kids have occasionally heard me lament any Shabbos we weren't able to drum up guests. We're lucky enough to have several regulars who make sure this doesn't happen often.

This past shabbos we were invited out to lunch, fun for all, but that means no guests. On the way home the kids saw some people out for a walk.

"Are those our guests?" They asked pointing excitedly. The disappointment when I said no made me very glad I'd thought to invite a family to join us in the late afternoon! Awa and Hubsters sped home while RE and I plodded along together slowly.

Then RE saw a dog. "Can the dog come to my house?" He asked at least five times before I could answer. Seeing that we couldn't catch up with the dog I decided to use the opportunity to coax some conversation out of my strong n silent little guy.

"What would you say if the dog came to our house?" I asked, proud that I thought of a non yes-or-no question.

"YES!" RE nodded. So much for avoiding yes-or-no. "I'd say, Yes you can come to my house doggie."

"What would the doggie do at your house," I continued the interview.

"Um, I'd give him strawberries and melon." RE spoke with certainty.

"Where would the doggie sleep?" I was on a roll.

" . . . " Confused look.

"Ok, who else should come to our house?" I asked desperate to keep him talking during his rare moment in the spotlight without his older sister piping in.

"A dog, and a cat, and Nana & Papa (my parents), and Saba & Safta (hubster's parents), and a dog. . . . and a cat" RE listed.

Phew! He was still willing to talk, and boy did he have plans!

"And where will they all sleep?"

". . . " Again confused look.

I guess he'll do the inviting and I'll do the worrying about who will sleep where and what to serve outside of the fruit course.

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