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buh-byeeee.............for now 6 May 2012 8:51 PM (13 years ago)

so check it out....
When I started this blog it was supposed to be about all things food.
As you can see, it stopped being about food a long time ago. Well, about 4 years and 9 months ago to be exact.
It's always bugged me that the name of my blog is "yumyumkidcupcake" and it's not even about food anymore.
So from now on, I'll be posting over HERE.
Someday, I hope to return the world of food blogging and when I do, this will be where I do it.

Enjoy!
xoxo

2+2=4 15 Mar 2012 3:47 PM (13 years ago)

Mabel is 4 months old and I haven't blogged once. She's going to eat her first bite of rice cereal today.
I feel so bad. I blogged every week with Sadie, I should be doing the same thing, it's only fair, right?

Let's start from the beginning.
In the days leading up to my due date there were a series of earthquakes. Sadie had a bad cold and so did I. I assumed that since my pregnancy was less than magical that my labor and delivery and personality of the baby would follow suit. I was only half right.
Mabel Eileen Martin was born November 14, 2011 just 3 hours shy of her predicted due date. She was delivered via c-section. She was positioned at an angle and was banging her head into my pelvis so after 3 hours of trying to get her to move on out the doctors decided a c-section was the way to go. She came out with a cone head. As much as I'd love to TMI all the gory details of labor and delivery, I'll spare you.
"Mabes" came out crying and pooping. Peter was the first one to hold her. She was exactly 1 pound and 1 inch smaller than what Sadie was when she was born.
I was so drugged out in the beginning the first month or so is kind of blur for me. I wasn't prepared for the c-section, my doctor and everyone around me, even the doctors in the hospital kept telling me since it was my second baby, it would just fly right out. How wrong they were!

I always thought Sadie was the easiest baby. Mabel has proven this theory wrong. She is even easier than Sadie. She rarely cries, she almost sleeps through the night and smiles all day long. She set her own schedule pretty soon after she was born, something I had no idea about. Sadie still doesn't sleep through the night!

Sadie is the best big sister ever. In fact she's so good we have taken to calling her "Lenny" (see Of Mice and Men). As is, "Sadie, don't Lenny the baby."
Being an only child I had no idea what to expect when introducing a second child into the family, but we haven't had any trouble at all. She helps out when she is asked to. Sadie's big thing is she has to "see the baby's face." Always. Whether Mabel is eating, sleeping or being changed she has to see that face.
Mabel thinks Sadie is so entertaining too. It's great to watch.

Sadie turned 4 February 22nd. We had a big party for her at the Children's Creativity Museum. The kids dressed up like princes and princesses. She had a ball. She got a bunk bed for her room. It's pretty sweet. Peter put it together. Sades kept talking about how she was going to sleep on the top, but when it came down to it, she opted for the bottom. She's got 2 years to work her way up to that top bunk.

Sadie is totally digging her preschool and of course is miss popularity.

We've got both girls sleeping in the same room, with Mabel waking up once in the night to eat. I hope this continues (minus the middle of the night feeding). Fingers crossed!

enjoy!
xoxo

nov/dec 2011

jan/feb 2012

5 and 8 14 Nov 2011 8:40 AM (13 years ago)

1. We thought this baby might show up early, but no, it's looking like it might actually be late! My doctor assured me that since Sadie was just about on time, this baby would be early or on time too. My due date is 11/15, it's 11/14 today.
2. I weigh 180 pounds, it's just a number, I'm not ashamed of it, but I feel like Jabba the Hut.
3. I'm so glad I stopped working when I did.
4. Last time I got a small stretch mark just above my belly button, I thought it was kind of funny
5. This time that small stretch mark stretched. It's not so funny.

1. Sadie's new preschool is awesome. She's learning so much and having a really good time.
2. She dressed up as Rapunzel for Halloween.
3. Her preschool had a cute Halloween show where they kids sang songs and paraded around in their costumes.
4. Our neighborhood has the BEST trick or treating ever. Block parties with food and wine, houses decked out and loads of candy. Who knew????
5. Sadie is really excited to be a big sister but no so excited to be a big girl. It's both annoying and endearing to us.
6. For her birthday, Sadie wants a rocking horse. Not a bike or a razor scooter like other kids her age, a ROCKING HORSE. How are we going to get out of this one?
7. When we try to show her bikes or scooters she just puts her hand up and walks away. "When I'm 5." She says.
8. She says "when I'm 5" about learning to swim, playing soccer or golf, riding a bike, blowing her nose, going down the big slides at the park or putting her clothes on by herself.

9 to 5 4 Oct 2011 4:25 PM (14 years ago)

I'm behind in posting. I'm lazy and pregnant.

1. It's safe to say this pregnancy has been less than magical.
2. I haven't gained as much weight this time as I did with Sadie.
3. I understand now why someone would want to have kids in their 20s.
4. Working while pregnant is overrated. Working as a hairstylist while pregnant is just plain crazy.
5. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have had such an awesome pregnancy with Sadie that included not working while I was pregnant through age 2.5
6. I haven't really had any strange cravings. Every two weeks or so my tastes change. Steak has been a constant, as has mint chip ice cream.
7. I was planning to work up until 2 weeks before my due date so that I could dress up for Halloween with the salon and thought it would be funny if I went into labor while working, but then I woke up.
8. It drives me crazy when strangers try to guess the sex of the baby. It drives me even more insane when they want to touch me and tell me they are never wrong with their guesses.
9. We can't wait to meet our new baby!

SADIE
1. Sadie is excited to be a big sister.
2. She still wants a little sister, but will take a little brother if she has to.
3. We were lucky to miss the "terrible twos" but will most likely be painfully experiencing age 4.
4. We took Sadie to San Diego for a vacation and to visit family. We built sand castles, swam in the pool and ate in a lot restaurants.
5. Sadie still sleeps to the sounds of Michael Jackson at night but is totally in love with Bruno Mars right now. As long as we don't have to revisit Lady Gaga, I'll take it.

9 and 8 things 29 Jun 2011 2:06 PM (14 years ago)

1. When I said "We went to Maui for a week. Sadie stayed behind with M+ P and G+ G. We stayed at The Ritz, it was amazing in so many ways I can't tell you yet."
What i meant to say was I'm pregnant!
2. I'm due November 15. Sadie is very excited. She tells everyone "my mommy has a baby in her belly, she ate it, and we're gonna share it when it comes out."
3. The first trimester was fairly ugly, morning sickness, afternoon sickness, migraines. If I ever see another Saltine again, it will be too soon.
4. working in a salon while pregnant is NO FUN.
5. I am not really craving anything weird per se, but sweets make sick, I've eaten my weight in steak and I'll put hot sauce on just about anything. those are all weird things for me to do.
6. Just like last time, we will not find out the sex. Place your bets.
7. Anyone who says Amniocenteses don't hurt, is a LIAR.
8. I'm walking in the AIDS Walk this year with my salon. It's only 6.2 miles.
9. Please donate if you can. $25 is all I'm asking. click here to be directed to my website.


1. Sadie poops in every restaurant toilet we go to.
2. She has finally taken notice of our tattoos. She calls them "tatchoos"
3. Sadie believes all pigeons eat Matzo Balls
4. She Listens to Michael Jackson every night at bedtime.
5. Once at the dinner table while the 3 of us were talking about something Sadie said "I don't know many things." I think both Peter and I had tears in our eyes.
6. Sadie is very concerned about "sharing" the baby when it's born. She wants it to sleep in her room so she can take care of it.
7. On my birthday, Sadie was so excited that she told everyone we saw "today is my mommy's birthday, she's 47."
8. We recently went to see Cars 2. Sadie asked to go home in the middle of the movie. She said "I like the movie, but I'm tired and want to relax at home."

enjoy!
xoxo

may/june 2011

12 things 27 Apr 2011 2:49 PM (14 years ago)

Goodbye 2010! 4 Jan 2011 11:05 AM (14 years ago)

So let's see....................
We had Thanksgiving-I made pumpkin cheesecake it was pretty good. We didn't eat Tofurkey, we ate Field Roast. It's way better but still makes me wonder if it's really all that necessary? I mean, I love everything "else" at the table, bread, stuffing, potatoes, veggies do I REALLY miss turkey that much that I have to eat some kind of meat substitute?? I don't know, I haven't decided so I'll let you know next year.
Peter's "?" birthday was on Thanksgiving this year. Sadie was excited to sing "Happy birthday" to him. then in typical Peter and Stephanie fashion we picked up and moved to Sf that weekend! I don't know what's wrong with us, we seem to move during holidays almost every time.
Our new place is great and we are so happy to have more space and be in the city. That doesn't sound right does it? "More space" and "city" but it's true our new place is bigger than our last. Go figure.
We joined the YMCA and enrolled Sadie in some dance classes. She's dying to be a ballerina. She walks around the house (and even out in public) in tutus and these black patten Leather shoes that look like ballet shoes. She's always saying "look mommy, I'm pointing my toe like the ballerinas."
Sadie loves riding the bus, a lot. She enjoys repeating the recordings "please hold on" and "Arguello," "Park Presidio," and "9th avenue."
We've been having so much fun going on adventures around town while Peter has been hard at work.

the first thing we did when we moved was set up for the holidays.
Sadie scored a bunch of cool things for Hanukkah and then again for Christmas. She also got an ear infection on Christmas Eve but rallied in time for Christmas morning.
We went to a Juice party at Peter's office for New year's. Of course we were late and by the time we arrived the new year had already been toasted but that didn't stop Sadie from killing it on Maddie Jo's new drum kit.


For someone who has never played drums before she rocked it hardcore!
Now of course she asked for a set of drums to go with her new guitar.............

Lately Sades has been loving the Beatles and Michael Jackson. Her Fave Beatles song is "honey Pie" which she refers to as "potty Pie." She'll take any "Mikesle Jaxsen" song but really loves "Off the Wall." She always says she loves the "noises he makes."

As it turns out we live 1.5 miles from the beach now. It's real neat, except that it's freezing out here!!!


enjoy!
xoxo

Let's catch up 16 Nov 2010 3:41 PM (14 years ago)

Sadie's 3rd birthday is coming up. She's cracking us up constantly. She must think we are total geeks because sometimes she comes up with things and we just look at her like "holy crap! that's OUR kid!"

While eating dinner the other night, Sadie points to Peter and says "daddy you have stripes and mommy doesn't." It took us awhile to figure out what she meant, neither one of us had stripes on that day. When asked to explain, Sadie points to Peter's forehead and says "daddy has stripes and mommy doesn't." ooooooooops!

Mookie and Pop-pop came for a visit and when asked what the name of her giraffe was Sadie replied "shaki-pani-poo."
On another night at dinner we happened to be listening to Bruce Springsteen. Peter says, "Sades, do you know who this is? This is The Boss, he's from NJ." So naturally she replied "the boss? do you work with him?"

My cousin got married in September in AZ. Sadie was so excited to go because she got to wear a pretty dress and mommy and daddy dressed up too. She thought the bride was going to be Cinderella. She still talks about it.

Originally for Halloween, Sadie wanted to be Glinda from Wizard of OZ because she had a big dress, sparkly crown and over sized wand. Then she found a dress at the store and insisted on having that. I was all set to make her costume but came to my senses and realized buying one was probably faster and more economical. She Sadie dressed up as Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
We had purchased a crown and wand for her to carry too but on Halloween day she said she only wanted her sunglasses because "real princesses wear sunglasses and not crowns."

Our kid is REALLY girlie. She only wears dresses, preferably tutus. Everything is either "beautiful" or "wonderful" or "gorgeous." All women are princesses. If Sadie sees a woman on the street in high heels she just about jumps on top of her to let her know that she loves them.

It's really fun to watch the evolution of drawing skills too. Things are becoming more obvious and the stories that go with the drawings are becoming more complex. Our walls are filled with paintings and drawings. I can't wait to see what happens when Sadie finally goes to school!

If you haven't heard yet, we are moving. AGAIN. 5 times in 7 years. Pretty funny, right?
Sadie's gonna be a city kid!

enjoy!
xoxo

OMG-a recipe!!!!! Oh and of course, Sadie. 20 Sep 2010 6:48 AM (15 years ago)

I made this up one day. It's a little weird but I really liked it, maybe you will too.
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
There are a few steps to this dish but each one only takes a short amount of time and the casserole is good reheated or frozen

1 large spaghetti squash (approx 2lbs)
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 bag or bunch of fresh spinach
1 onion (I use yellows but you can use reds if you like), small diced
2-3 Tablespoons of Cashew Butter (can be found in the nut butter aisle)
water for mixing into the Cashew Butter
Bread Crumbs
Oil for cooking and coating the dish
1 clove garlic minced
2 boca burger vegan griller patties or 1/2 lb ground meat
small casserole dish or whatever dish you have that can go in the oven

Preheat oven to 350*F
generously poke holes in the squash with a knife
microwave on high for 15 mins (if you don't have a turntable in your microwave, rotate it after 7 mins)
check to see if it's soft and done with a skewer (it should poke through easily)
cook more if needed

while the squash is cooking
make the cashew cream (cashew is cream is made by whisking water into the cashew butter until it comes to a heavy cream consistency)
heat some oil in a pan and cook the bocas, once done mash them up and add the pasta sauce
if you are using real meat cook the meat and then add the sauce, or drain the oil and then add the sauce, whatever you do with meat.
remove from heat and add the cashew cream, stir well

in a separate skillet heat some oil and saute the onions until translucent
add the garlic until fragrant
add the spinach and cook until wilted
drain any liquid

once the squash is done
slice it in half and remove the seeds
gently scrape it into a bowl with a fork and toss to separate
add the spinach and bit of sauce, toss to distribute

coat your baking dish with a bit of oil and spread some sauce on the bottom
put the squash mixture in
top with remaining sauce (use a spoon to separate the squash so the sauce falls down in side a bit)
top with bread crumbs
bake for 20 minutes uncovered

enjoy!
xoxo


The other day at Berkeley Bowl I found this on the shelf.
The list of ingredients was about 20 long and includes MSG! BARF
I love BB because you can find funny things like this mixed in with top shelf international ingredients and awesome produce that you just can't find in most places.


We joined the Oakland Zoo recently and have gone several times to visit the animals. Well, we've gone several times. We haven't really seen the animals much since the first time we went. Sadie is really only concerned with riding the cars and carousel there. In fact, it's kind of ALL she talks about. Driving the cars.
We went to the member's only night a few weeks ago which was really cool.  Except for the two skinned knees Sadie got from running down a hill. Yes, I said "running down a hill." We're not total idiot parents, just as we were about to say "Sades, don't run down hills you can get......" she bit the dust so hard not only did she skin both knees but she slid down the hill a bit on her face too.
I think all three of us may have cried a little. Sadie cried more than a little. But then she was fine and up and running around again in no time.

At the end of August we drove down to Santa Cruz for a few days and stayed at the Dream Inn, played on the beach, cruised The Boardwalk and visited the Roaring Camp Railroads. Of course, Sadie loved the beach and the Boardwalk. The trains were cool for her for about 20 minutes. She laid down on my lap and looked up at the trees while we chugged about but then she fell asleep!
While in Santa Cruz we discovered Saturn Cafe, a veg restaurant with Vegan options. That place rocks, seriously. There's one in Berkeley that just opened up not too long ago. Can I tell you how exciting it was to be able to order a chocolate shake with vegan ice cream?????? I haven't had a shake in a restaurant in YEARS. YEARS I say!!!!!

Oh, yeah? did I tell you I'm working again? Check me out at Atelier Emmanuel. Bringing a little rock and roll to the Frenchies of Downtown SF. It feels really good to be back in the salon. Working 3 days a week is perfect too. Sadie loves sleeping over at Grandma and Grandpa's house on Thursday and we love having a date night every Thursday after work!

Enjoy!
xoxo

july/august 2010

9/20/2010- 10pm
I totally forgot to add earlier:
Sadie is POTTY TRAINED!!!!!!
How could I forget something so HUGE??????????????
oy vey.

It's hard out there for a shrimp 28 Jun 2010 11:22 PM (15 years ago)

On Wednesdays, Sadie and I go to Barnes and Noble for storytime.
We ride the escalator up to the second floor. At the top is the cookbook section.

That's right, Coolio's got his own cookbook. Food actually looks pretty good too, except for the animal bits.

It's been so long, I don't even know where to start!
Is anybody even reading this blog anymore???????
Sadie is almost 2 1/2 and potty trained. Well, okay, she's closer to 2 1/2 than she is to being potty trained but that's just because I'm lazy.
As you will see from the pictures, our kid is quite the character. "Just like her mother" my family says. But I think she's got a lot of her dad in her too. She is a total performer. If anyone gives her the time of day she'll do a little dance and sing. When we go to dinner at the thai restaurant down the street they fall all over her. When she arrives they say "oh are you hungry how about some tofu and rice?" To this Sadie replies "I'm a little hungry I think I need some tofu and rice 'kay?"

We've reached a point in Sadie's life where she's really turning into a person. She speaks in almost complete sentences, is a total drama queen and actually has an opinion on most things.
She wears her "glass slippers" around the house all day, every day and everyone in a dress is a princess. Whenever she can she will put on her princess costume and cruise around. A lot of times she can be found in my heels.
She is OBSESSED with Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.
At night when Peter comes home from work she will ask him to dance with her and she'll sing a song from either movie. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen.

When getting dressed each day Sadie will only wear a "pretty dress." If we are going somewhere where sneakers or pants are neccessary it takes forever to convince her that she will be able to wear a dress again in the near future.

The other night I found an old Barbie of mine from way back when. She had corn rows and a hoochie dress on. I gave her to Sadie because when we were in Toys R Us the other day buying a gift for someone she asked me to take her to the Barbie section.
HOW DOES SHE EVEN KNOW ABOUT BARBIE??????????
Anyway, I gave my old one and she went crazy over it. Hugging and kissing and calling her "my best friend, she's a princess" and all that.
We took her home and combed out her hair and gave her a bath and Sadie hasn't let her go since.
So I know some people are all against Barbie, saying that the doll makes little girls have poor body image issues and what not, but I played with her A LOT and I'm okay. Right?
I mean, it's not a big deal that Sadie keeps asking me to "stop combing Barbie's hair mommy" and "mommy I want to play with Barbie now" right??????

enjoy!
xoxo

2 going on 20 23 Feb 2010 10:19 PM (15 years ago)

Sadie's 2ND birthday was Monday. We have been singing "Happy Birthday" with her since February 1st.
"sing altogether with me" she says.
Not only is she now 2 years old but she has developed even more into a little person. She calls us out when we deserve it, plays tricks on us when she can and makes us laugh until we cry almost daily.

We had a small family party to celebrate with a cake and some gifties. When I was telling Sadie who would be attending the party she said "hmmm, no kids? small party? next year big one."
OKAY???????????????

We've moved on from just painting her toenails to painting her fingernails too. After I finish she runs around the house saying "hi everyone, see my pretty nails." She does the same thing but says "hi everyone see my pretty hair" after I've blown out her hair after her bath.
Yes, I said I BLOW OUT HER HAIR. 2 years old and girl already loves a good blow dry. What have we done?!

Once a good eater, Sadie has given up on most everything green. For awhile, I was pureeing things and sticking them in sauces but I think she's caught on. Plus, foods cannot touch each other.

Another new development is that Sadie refuses to sleep in the dark. It's lights on or it's no deal. I've considered buying some new lighting for her room to at least dim the situation but haven't done it yet.

As Sadie gets older we are starting to censor music just a little bit, mostly for language. Her current favorite song is Jay-Z and Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind." It's hilarious to hear her sing along with Alicia and rap with Jay.

On her actual birthday Sadie and I went to the movies to see The Princess and The Frog. To my surprise she sat on my lap almost the entire time and only got squirmy when it was dangerously close to nap time. Otherwise, she danced during the songs and that evening and the following day she asked me to make "baynays" (beignets were in the movie, not a main thing in the movie but apparently enough of one to make a lasting impression).

Saturday is my first day of work in a salon in 5 years!!!! Peter gets to spend the entire day alone with Sadie. I can't wait because he doesn't really get the full effect when I'm around. They have their thing and all but mom is usually just around the corner or coming back very soon. This will be fun for all, Peter, Sadie, Me AND our bank account!!!!

There are some videos, if you're interested, just click on the photo album and you'll see them!
enjoy!
xoxo

November/December 9 Jan 2010 2:32 PM (15 years ago)

Sadie is almost a month away from her second birthday. I can't believe it!
I keep saying she's almost two going on 20. Girl has attitude and quite the personality.
She talks and sings nonstop. When we're out in public people always stop and comment on how happy and outgoing she is. I mean, she's crazy, I bet to a stranger it looks like we've spiked her water with something.
Her favorite song to sing is the Sesame Street theme song, but for some reason when we're in the grocery store all she says is "I'm so happy I could siiiiiiiiing!" She says "hi" to everyone still. It's quite embarrassing and we're always having to tell her to use her inside voice.
In Trader Joe's she'll always blurt out "I love wines!" when we enter the wine area.
Just the other day she told me her Kid Kraft kitchen has a "wine fountain" where she makes "cakees (coffees) and wines."
She also sings the Itsy Bitsy Spider song but it goes like this "the itchy itchy fider, up the wawa fout, down rain, fider out. Up sun dry rain, itchy itchy fider up fout again."
Thanksgiving was a blast, we shared the day with my parents, Gary, Dwain, Addison and Avery. Giggles and screams were had by all!
Hanukkah and Christmas were mellow. Sadie got a kitchen and a bunch of blocks and other fun toys. Her favorite things to do are drink wine and play with mommy's hair. She told me the other day her kitchen has a wine fountain and it makes perfect pretty cupcakes. hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Because I do hair at home, she has learned a thing or two and wants to do them to my hair. This can be very relaxing or very painful.
We bought her a little backpack filled with Princess gear as well. The day she opened it she put it all on with the tool belt and tools we got her also and pranced around the house in her track suit. We dubbed her "Boca Raton Bubbie" she just looked crazy!

We moved apartments again in November. Sadie was a big help, riding around the building on the hand truck, packing and unpacking boxes, even when she wasn't supposed to........

I'm always surprised by how much Sadie knows and remembers. For instance, when we go to Berkeley Bowl for groceries, she always says "oooo cheese, yay yay yay!" Because there are cheese samples in the front of the store. When we got to Trader Joe's she knows she can ask at the check out counter for a balloon and she must say "thank you" when she gets it. If we stop at Starbucks for coffee she'll say "I want a treat too."
The other day she looked at my mom and said "your name is Ronna, daddy's name is Peter."

Our tree this year was pink and decorated with homemade ornaments, sparkly things and candy canes. Sadie loved to look at "christmastime." In fact she loved it so much all she could say when I packed everything up to put it away for next year was "Christmastime over, put on my costume and trick or teet?"
She hasn't grasped the concept that Halloween or any holiday for that matter comes only once-a-year.


enjoy!
xoxo

October 16 Nov 2009 1:53 PM (15 years ago)

October was a busy month, mom turned 60, we celebrated Halloween and Sadie was introduced to Finding Nemo on the big screen.

For my mom's birthday we celebrated by going to Sonoma to the Corner Stone Gardens. It was pretty neat, gardens as art and of course wine! Sadie really enjoyed it too. She loved the part with the plastic flower windmills the most.

For Halloween, I wanted to Sadie to be a chicken (of course) but the price of the costume was more than the laugh was worth I nixed that idea and decided to try something else. While at the store Sadie pointed to a hot dog costume and said "yeah yeah yeah." Unfortunately, it didn't come in her size so she had to be a lady bug fairy instead. It was cute and she liked the costume, but EVERYONE was either a ladybug or bumble bee for Halloween! Next year I'm going to have to get a little more creative.
We took Sadie down to Lakeshore Avenue to trick or treat during the day at the shops. She had a blast, eating candy and talking to other kids. We would stop at one place she'd say "tricky treat" "thank you, you welcome." Then shove the candy in my face and say "eat eat eat." Luckily this didn't last longer than a lollipop, sour rope and milky way.

That night because we didn't have anywhere to go we watched "Finding Nemo" on the projector. I was really excited about showing the movie to Sadie because I know how much she likes fish. I was also a little worried that it might be too scary for her.
She loved it and has seen a handful of times now.
Her new thing is at night she grabs all the pillows off our bed, sets them out on the floor and says "movie." She'll sit down get all ready and then we'll have to say "no movie tonight, it's only Monday."

Not long after our first screening of Nemo, we went to Berkeley Bagels for breakfast. While Peter was eating a bagel with lox and cream cheese Sadie asked "what's that?" pointing to the pink fish hanging out the side of the sandwich. What does Peter do?
"Well, Sades, that's, that's.......Nemo."
"OH" she says.

Next to the bagel shop is a book cart with books for a small donation. I picked up a few books I remember from my collection as a kid. "Julius the Gorilla," and "There's A Monster Under My Bed." Sadie enjoyed both of them except the other night we read "Monster" to her and she started waving her hand and babbling on and on about monsters and why doesn't' the boy just "go see mama?"
This might explain why Sadie comes into our room to sleep in the middle of the night, every night! WHOOOOPS!

We are trying to slowly potty train Sadie, we kind of have her on a routine. In the morning she tells me when she has to poop. Sometimes. She's supposed to say "mommy poo poo" when she has to go so we can go over to the potty. Usually she does it but sometimes she just comes over and hugs me so I can get a big whiff of doo doo.

One afternoon while trying to be a cool mom, Sadie and I went to lunch at the Merritt Bakery for a veggie burger, grilled cheese and french fries.
Turns out my kid doesn't like french fries. DOES"T LIKE FRENCH FRIES?????????????
Here I am trying to "fun mommy" and she doesn't even want it.
Her favorite food? Tofu, mushrooms and asparagus. !!!!!! I mean, I'm not complaining AT ALL but I really didn't see that one coming.

enjoy!
xoxo

october 2009

Fox In The Water 23 Oct 2009 1:15 PM (16 years ago)

When Sadie first started talking, Peter taught her to say "cheers." He showed her how to "cheers" her water to ours and so on. Now, Sadie says "cheers" to everything and I mean EVERYTHING. If I am wearing socks and she is wearing socks, "cheers." If Peter is eating cereal and Sadie is eating cereal, "cheers." If I have a pen in my hand and Sadie is watching TV "cheers."
The other day we went to the zoo with my dad. Sadie was riding on his shoulders when up walked another little girl on her dad's shoulders......."cheers" says Sadie as she's waving to the girl.

I usually take at least one picture a day of Sadie to send to Peter while he's at work. Now, when I say "Sadie can I take a picture." She'll say "cheese daddy!" If she sees a camera she'll say "camra, ni picta fa dada."
When the home phone rings she says "hoppaaaaaa!" Hoppa is what she calls my dad.
If my cell rings, she says "daddeeeeeee."
When we ask if she has had fun today she says "gama hoppa." No idea why grandma/hoppa would be an answer to a yes or no question, but it is.
Sometimes she'll say "gama hoppa" so many times she starts to cry.
Seriously kid, if you want to just go live with them, it could be arranged I'm sure.

Our pediatrician asked me a few visits ago if Sadie was mimicking me yet. At the time she was just starting too. Now she does it with everything, brushing my hair, putting on makeup "Sadie makeup, mommy makeup" she says.
I made a little kitchen for Sadie to play with out of an old TV stand and some pots and pans so she could cook while I cook. "I maka something." "I maka din din" "I maka soup "she'll say.
From day one, while she would sleep in the sling, I would cook with her on my chest, talking her through the whole process. Now it's funny to hear and see what she has picked up over time.

At night sometimes we read Dr. Seuss. One of our favorites is "The Fox in Socks" or "fuckin sok." This makes us laugh so naturally we ask her to say other things.
Fox in the water = "fuckin water"
Fox in the bushes = "fuckin bushes"
We shouldn't laugh but sometimes, we just can't help it, you know?

I like to tickle Sadie. She's very ticklish and her laugh cracks me up. When we tickle her she giggles and then says "more tickee you" when we stop. Sometimes she even grabs our hands says "I tickee you" and makes us tickle her.

Now that Sadie is starting to repeat everything we say, one of my favorite things to do is play music for her and see what she does.
Kings of Leon's song "Use Somebody" is one her most favorite. Every time it comes on she'll scream "sombaya, sombaya I love this song." She giggles and sings along the best she can.
Another fave is Lady Gaga. Yes, I know, Lady Gaga. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I like to listen to pop radio stations, but I do when we are in the car. I just can't help myself.
When we walked into Trader Joes the other day Kings of Leon was on the stereo and Sadie screams "sombaya, sombaya, mommy sombaya I love this song."
Of course this brought the house down. I was just thankful it wasn't Lady Gaga and I'd be outed.

Almost every night we have a dance party, just the 3 of us. Sadie will make us do a group dance, then she does a few somersaults and then we get to do our own thing. Sort of how they do it on Yo Gabba Gabba, which by the way I am realizing is teaching my kid A LOT.
Sadie counts to 13 in English and Spanish, she says her ABCs and and can beat box almost as good as Biz Markie!

I try really hard to go to the park as much as we can so we can run around and have fun. It's hard though, sometimes I just don't want to and we end up sitting on the patio playing with sidewalk chalk listening to noises.
I mistakenly thought Sadie was saying something else when she was trying to say that she heard a bus. To my surprise girl said "no mommy, listen BUS." Seriously?

One night while we were hanging out at Gary and Dwain's, Sadie and Addie were playing princess with Addie's costumes. Sadie dressed up in tiara, heels and wand and pranced around the house like she had been wearing heels from day one.
This made Peter very uncomfortable, of course. :)

I'm still having a hard time getting Sadie to sleep in her bed all the way through the night. As it is, I have to lay down in her bed (which is way more comfortable than our bed) and wait for her to fall asleep. Then sometime in the wee hours of the morning this little bird appears, blankie and monkey in hand ready to take over "mama dada bed."
It's hard to lay down the law when she's standing there with a huge smile on her face waiting to snuggle up in between mommy and daddy. I hate being the enforcer.
She'll say things like "mommy ni ni too" or "mama sleepy, daddy sleepy, Sadie sleepy" while she's crawling up and into the bed.

I often worry that there isn't enough in the house to keep Sadie occupied. I always look for new toys and games to bring home to show her. One thing that never gets old for her is my crimping iron from 1985. She drags it around the house like a pet. "pink" she calls it. She lays on the floor and talks to it, wraps herself up in the cord (yeah, yeah, I'm watching her, don't worry) and tries all the time to bring it to bed with her. She'll even grab a few more of my curling irons from the cabinet, lay them out, roll around with them and talk to them for hours. If I had a video camera, and she didn't stop doing things once I tried to capture the moment, I would take a video for you to show you how funny it is.

We are trying really hard to make sure the foods Sadie eats are healthy and nutritious. We save sweets for weekends and/or special occasions. On more than one occasion, I have offered french fries to Sadie, thinking I am being the "cool" mom who lets her kid eat junk food. In one of the Hello Kitty books we have there is a picture of a pink cake.
Whenever I say "we are going to have a treat today Sadie." She says "pink happy birthday cake?"
And guess what? My kid hates french fries. Actually, I think she might hate potatoes all together, but definitely fries. She is happiest with tofu, mushrooms and broccoli.
She eats Indian food, Mexican food, Japanese food, cake and cookies, but no french fries????
I guess I shouldn't complain, but I mean REALLY!

enjoy,
xoxo

september 2009

Wha Hama? 1 Sep 2009 11:47 AM (16 years ago)

Sadie is sleeping in a toddler bed. She climbs in and out on her own. In the morning the first couple of times she came out of her room and said "no, no, no." No idea why.

At her 18 month check yesterday the doctor said she's probably ready for potty training to really start happening. Sadie is in the 80Th percentile for height and head circumference and 10Th percentile for weight. So, essentially she is tall and thin with a big head. We have nicknamed her "lollipop chicken".

I started looking for Halloween costumes the other day (damn they are expensive). I can't decide if Sadie should be a chicken or a lollipop. A chicken on a lollipop? A chicken with a lollipop?
Maybe we'll just nix the whole thing and wait until she's old enough to ask for a costume.

August was a pretty busy month. We went to the Oakland Zoo. Sadie pet a goat and didn't' cry this time. She jumped and played all over the place. My mom was there so this meant that she really didn't want to have anything to do with me.

The weather here is still sort of weird, some days are hot and some aren't so hot. So we just continue to play on our patio with water and sidewalk chalk.
Sadie is really into "hap"-ing me clean, sweep and water the plants.
I've taught her how to take the water and scrub the chalk off the patio and to water the plants fairly well.
Usually it ends up being messier than when it started but who cares?

We also took a trip out to NYC and NJ. Lifetime played a few shows. Sadie and I went to the first show at Webster Hall. We sat in the dressing room and looked down on the stage. Sadie rocked it in her pink headphones and screamed "yay daddy, daddy, daddy!" almost the whole time Peter was on stage.
I wasn't sure about the headphones at first. We had been practicing at home with them and then during sound check she wouldn't keep them on and kept crying when the music went on. But true-to-form Sadie pulled out all the stops once the club got crowded and people started ooh-ing and aw-ing all over her.

I think Sadie really enjoyed the city. There were so many things for her to look at. Our hotel was next to Century 21. I couldn't' wait to get in there and do some shopping. When we walked through the doors there were so many people, Sadie started yelling at all of them. So I turned around and walked out.
Instead, we cruised Soho and ate some pretty tasty Japanese food for dinner.

The following day, Peter was off the entire day so we went over to visit a friend at his shop. He took Sadie on a scooter ride around the place. She really liked this and kept asking for more.
We spent almost the entire day shopping and came home with NOTHING! It was sort of unbelievable.
That night we went over to L'il Frankies Pizza in the east village. One of our most favorite places to eat. On the way over there all we could talk about what how great their pizzas and sauce are. What did we order?
Pasta of the day! Doyeeee, no sauce!
My pasta was taglioni with wild mushrooms and a huge dollop of marscapone cheese. Sadie ate half of it at least. It was so freaking good!

We came home and crashed in our big hotel bed.
The hotel had a terrific view of ground zero and Jersey City. We had so much fun looking out the window at everything.

Sunday morning we got up, packed and headed out to Penn Station. Peter went off to Philly for a show and Sadie and I took the train down to the Jersey Shore to stay with Matt and Jana.
We had so much fun, hanging out on the beach while everyone surfed. Sadie and I jumped in the water, played in the sand and squished the fish eggs that washed up on shore.
Sadie kept asking to talk to the fish in the water which made for some interesting explanations.

It was such a relaxing time, eating, drinking, hanging out. I'm still thinking about how badly I want to swim in the sauce from Vics. Seriously dude, this sauce, holy crap. We had fried raviolis with sauce, pizza with sauce (duh) and Jana had mussel moulinere with extra sauce. I'm not kidding when I say I want to bathe in it. It was THAT good.

Jana and I cooked up a bunch of stuff and of course didn't photograph most of it. But, if you're interested check out her blog. I"m sure she'll have something up there about our visit.

Of course, Sadie did many funny things while we were there. She kept saying "wha hama?" Which means "what happened?" She said this for EVERYTHING. So many times that we just started saying it too.
Sadie is slightly afraid of boys, mostly men. Which is a good and bad thing. She's kind of afraid of her daddy sometimes too, not a good thing.
When we first arrived at Matt and Jana's, there were a lot of boys around. Matt, his brother and their friend Brian. At first Sadie was scared and would hide behind me or Jana.
By the second or third day she was saying 'hi' them and then she started asking for "Matt." She even went into the tv room one night and asked him for ice cream. They sat in there eating chocolate ice cream and pretzels for quite a long time. So cute!

Flying with a toddler sucks. No matter how cool your kid is. We took a red-eye flight going out to NYC. Sadie slept, we didn't.
On the way back, Sadie and I flew in the afternoon. She whined and squirmed and kick and screamed the whole way. I was THAT mom. Humiliated and and too pooped to really do anything about it. When Sadie kicked the seat in front of us, the first few times I told her to stop. After that, anything to keep her from pulling at my shirt and swatting me in the face would have to do.
Of course, there was nothing on TV. I sort of banked on the thought that she would sleep. She usually does. Poor kid. It wasn't her fault at all. Even at home she doesn't sit still.

I suppose it could have been worse. Sadie didn't scream and cry and make a scene, she just drove me nuts. Maybe the lady in front of us too.

When we returned home, Peter and I went with some friends to Brassica Supperclub, an underground vegan dining experience. It was fantastic. The theme that night was mexican. We enjoyed every minute of it. Peter, enjoyed dessert and kept talking about it days after. He always seems to love every one's desserts except mine. It drives me nuts. At least he loves my savory cooking the most though...........
It was a really pleasant night, the whole thing lasts about 3 hours so you have time to really enjoy your food and talk with your friends and just relax. It's something we haven't done in a long time.
I look forward to the next time!

enjoy!
xoxo

august 2009

ooh-ooh 27 Jul 2009 8:33 PM (16 years ago)

Just as our nightly bed time routine was settling into a holding pattern, Sadie decided to go and mix it up.
One night, after reading, or trying to read about a half dozen books or so, I started to rock Sadie to sleep like I usually do.
Normally, I sit and rock her for about 3 songs on the ipod and then put her in her crib. If she cries, she cries, if not, I consider my self lucky. After about 20 seconds of the first song she leans forward, points toward her crib and says "yeah, yeah, yeah."
I ask her if she wants to lay down and she says "yeah, yeah, yeah" again.
My little girl is all growns up! She doesn't even need mommy to rock her to sleep anymore.
It was kind of sad in a way. Even though I have a few extra minutes now at night where I don't have to rock her I kind of feel sad that she doesn't want to sit with me.
It's gotten to the point now where she just sits in the rocker with me long enough for me to get a kiss and then points to her crib and says "yeah, yeah, yeah" or "nigh, nigh."
Once she's in the crib, she gathers all her dolls and shoves them under her like a hen sitting on her eggs and reaches for her blankets.
I tuck her in and leave.
Later, before we go to bed, Peter will check on her. She's usually facing the opposite direction bum in the air, deep in sleep mode.

During nap time though, Sadie insists on sleeping in our bed. The only way she will fall asleep is if I lay there with her, listening to classical music and close my eyes. Sometimes we lay down together and I stroke her hair. Other times, I close my eyes, pretend to be sleeping while Sadie rolls around on the bed trying to fall asleep. Almost always I fall asleep for a while too. Almost always when I wake up Sadie is sleeping on me somehow. I love this and hope that it never changes.
Although, now that I have made it public knowledge, with my luck it will change.
I'm actually contemplating erasing this whole paragraph, but I guess I'll take my chances.

It's really exciting now that Sadie is starting to talk. She says things sometimes that completely catch us off guard, make us laugh and sometimes make us cry.
We were sitting in Zachary's the other day waiting for our pizza. Sadie was looking around at all the other tables yelling "pizza! pizza! pizza!" She just kept getting louder and louder until finally our pizza arrived and she was able to stuff her face with some deep dish spinach and mushroom pie.

Here's a little list of things she says:
oy you - I love you
peez - please
teeses - trees
teet teet - birds
sigh - sky
bot - belt
seet - sheet
tost- toast
oht - out
dada work - she says this a lot
hot
ding dong - belly button
eye bow - eye brow
neck, nose, eyes, ears, arm, knee, feet
moof - mouth
ahbow- elbow
shoe
tuck -truck
bus
pogo - pogo stick, sometimes comes out as "pogogogogo"
dude

It's always surprising how many words she has and how many things she knows the word for.
She mimics us all the time both verbally and physically.
When I put on my makeup, Sadie has her own makeup brushes that she uses to put on her makeup. When Peter does push ups at home, Sadie does them too. He always says to her "wanna get ripped?" Sadie points to his push up bar and says "wopped."
In the morning when we drive Peter to work we always say "shhhh" in the hallway so that Sadie doesn't scream her head off while running down the hall to garage.
Now when we go to drive Peter to work, she runs down the hall and stops every few feet and says "shhh, shhh" Then she squeals in delight and starts running again......

Something funny that we did one day was make fun of her for the way she would start backing up to sit down like a mile away from where she is about to sit.
We would say "beep, beep, beep." Like a truck backing up. What do you, a few days later, Sadie started copying us. Now every time she wants to sit in our laps, she says "beep, beep, beep" and backs up on us.

It makes me so happy when I see how much Sadie loves my old Cabbage Patch dolls. She drags them around, takes them for walks in her little stroller, feeds them and sleeps with them. "Seyee" is what she calls "Scotty" my original cabbie. I can still remember the day I got him. My mom, grandma and I went to Mervyn's to find him. There were 3 dolls left on the shelf. I had to have a boy doll, I remember this specifically and Mervyn's was the only one that had them.
The other day my mom came home from Salvation Army with a new Cabbage Patch kid for Sadie. Brand New with tags. $2.50 the price tag said. My mom even got a senior discount so the doll cost something like $1.25! Who would have thought!

On the hottest day of the summer so far, my mom and I took Sadie to the Alameda County Fair. It was $2 Tuesday and worth every penny. Except for the brutal heat, the fair was pretty cool. We went to the petting zoo, animal sale and barnyard play area where the kids could pretend they worked on a farm. Sadie wasn't real into the petting zoo. She didn't want to touch anything and when the misters came on to cool everything down, all she wanted to do was stand under them and get wet. My poor mom was almost soaked.
Sadie experienced her first ICEE and fell in love with a little courtyard full of flowers and low curbs for her to sit on. Girl loves to find things to sit on.
She struck up a conversation with an older lady sitting nearby and she was just happy as a clam.

About a week before we were to leave on a plane to Portland to see Mookie, Pop-Pop, Jif, Evan, Riley and Mallory, we started telling Sadie she was going to fly on a plane to see everyone.
One day, she pulled out a book that Mookie had made for her with everyone's pictures in it. She just started going through it and saying everyone's name. It was really cute to watch.
When we arrived in Portland on the way home from the airport she already had Mookie and Pop-pop's name's down "mook" and "pop-pop." She managed to get Mallory's "mayee" but didn't really show any signs of going for Jif, Evan or Riley. Next time, I guess.
We had a great time in Portland. It was really hot so we drove out to the beach and played in the sand. I was kind of worried about how Sadie would react to the beach since we hadn't been yet. She loved it, of course and now I can't wait until we hit up Bradley Beach, NJ next month!
On the way back from the beach we stopped off the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I love cheese, in case you didn't already know. :)
In fact, Tillamook is one of my faves. mmmmmm cheese!!! It was so cool to see all that cheese and eat some too!
What I really enjoyed was seeing that the cheese in Kosher and vegetarian!

I also got to visit Sweet Pea Baking Company for some vegan treats. I have to say, maybe I was just really excited about it because I have some of their recipes and really enjoy them, but it was just sort of "mehhh" for me. Nothing really jumped out and hit me like "wow this is good!" But, I'm glad I got to go because I've been obsessing over it for a long time.
After Sweet Pea we drove to The Enchanted Forest. If you have kids and are in the Portland area, YOU MUST GO HERE!!!! It was SO much fun. It put Fairyland here in Oaktown to shame a hundred and fifty times over. In fact I'm even embarrassed that Fairyland exists now. Sadie really enjoyed herself too. She ran around through tunnels, slid down some slides, rode on a train and ate some delicious amusement park french fries.


Now that we're back from Portland, life is all about drinking smoothies, eating udon noodles and saying "no" way too much. Sadie says it all the time and well, we try not to but seriously, how else do you get your point across?

enjoy!
xoxo

july 2009

ABC Chicken 24 Jun 2009 9:06 PM (16 years ago)

The fact that Sadie is walking is old news by now. The fact that she's talking is pretty old news too. Everyday she just gets funnier and funnier with the words she's saying. She has this word "day-soo," we have no idea what it means. I assume she uses it when she wants to know what something is, or she knows but can't say it. She says it a lot and we say it back to her sometimes which brings the giggles.
When I brush her teeth I always sing the ABCs just to sort of distract her while I'm poking around in her mouth. Now, because I have done it so many times, she starts singing the song when I say "do you want to brush your teeth?"
She also sings the ABCs pretty much any chance she gets. It's really quite funny because she's saying the letters but not in any particular order. Sometimes, if you don't sing along with her, she'll just sing louder and louder until you start to pay attention.
We've made some friends in our building and have gone to story time at Barnes and Noble, played at the park and been swimming a bunch. Sadie is really funny around other kids. She gets real quiet and just sort of stares. It's always confusing to me. She's crazy loud at home and when we're out together but once someone her own size comes near she freezes!
I recently upgraded some of the toys in the house. I could tell Sadie was getting a little bored because she kept getting into everything. The house was a crazy mess, I was starting to drown in my chores.
I bought a little basketball hoop and basketball for her to play with. Each time she slams the ball into the basket, she jumps and claps and turns around so that we can clap and cheer for her. Sometimes, she even does a little dance when she makes it in the basket.
I also bought a baby stroller so Sadie could push her baby around. She doesn't really push baby around though. Mostly, she stacks our shoes in it and pushes those around.
Another thing we got for Sadie is sidewalk chalk. Not only is it more fun for mommy to play with it, it is really, really messy. It always starts out under control and then before we know it, chalk EVERYWHERE!
I tried giving Sadie some crayons. She's slowly coming around to them. At first she just pounded on the paper and broke a lot of them, but now she's starting to become more aware of what they can do.
People laugh at me because I ask Sadie a lot of questions. She says "yeah" and "no" really well so I usually trust that she knows what she's talking about. For instance when getting dressed, I hold things up and she she says "yeah" or "no" to them. This makes for some pretty awesome outfits, I must say. Sadie likes to rock the dress over the jeans look. One of my favorites for years. It looks better on Sadie than it does on me, but I don't care!
My dad took us to a plant show in SF a few weekends ago so that we could buy some succulents. There were so many cool things there. I scored a bunch of new plants. Our patio is looking so good! Now that the weather is getting nice, we spend a bit of time out there on the weekend. Peter and Sadie like to enjoy their coffee out there. In the mornings, Sadie and I water the plants together. Well, I water, she tears the leaves off. :(
Not having cable or a tv for that matter really hasn't been a problem for us. Until recently, we didn't let Sadie watch much tv. Occasionally, we would show her some Pocoyo on Netflix. Once that started to really grate on the nerves, I found a few Yo Gabba Gabba! episodes online that we could watch for free. Those too started to grate so we finally broke down and downloaded season 1 from Itunes.
At first, Sadie didn't seem to be that into them. She kind of only liked the episode with Jack Black from season 2. Then all of a sudden, she started singing the songs and going crazy when DJ Lance would come on the screen. Now anytime we say the words "shake" "jump" "wiggle" or "dance" she goes nuts and dances around in circles.
The other day my mom and I were in Toys R Us with Sadie and she was going crazy over the Yo Gabba Gabba toys they had there. Every time we pushed Brobee's foot and he started singing, she danced in a circle.
We even have a Yo Gabba Gabba book we read at night. Sometimes Sadie is so crazy for DJ Lance she refuses to put the book down and ends up sleeping with it!
Now that we've been watching a bit of tv (can I call it tv if it's on a computer screen?) with her it's just amazing to see how much she's absorbed. She says so much now and does even more!
My birthday was last weekend and Peter taught Sadie to say "happy birthday." They both came into the bedroom to wake me up and Sadie said "hap-pee buduh" then the rest of the day she just kept saying "hap-pee, hap-pee!"
Most of her words end in "ck" whether they have that sound in them or not. At times it can get a little tricky when out in public. Especially with the word "fork." It always sounds like something else...........

enjoy!
xoxo

june 2009

Springtime flowers and "for lovers only" 9 Jun 2009 8:21 PM (16 years ago)

I just HAVE to share these photos with you. I forgot how beautiful the flowers around town are in the spring here in Emeryville. The entire perimeter of Pixar Studios is covered in pink roses. There are lemon trees, jasmine blooms, roses, snap dragons, peonies, poppies, you name it.
I of course, always forget to bring my camera with me when I go out for a walk with Sadie. Luckily, my phone takes pretty decent pics.
Here are some photos I took the other day while walking home from the dry cleaners. The colors were absolutely amazing. So bright and fragrant were the flowers, it just warmed my heart and put a big smile on my face. I just love flowers. In the ground and in my vases at home. I try to act tough and say that I don't care to be brought flowers but that's just a lie. I love them! I want them! I need them! Any old occasion will do too. Wednesday, Saturday, Mother's Day, Veteran's Day, pretty much any day, for any reason is just fine by me.


Now on to some food..........
When I was a kid, I used to think crepes were "for lovers only." Don't ask me why, I have no idea. It's just what I thought. I thought that crepes were something you made for your lover in the morning. Coffee, crepes, fresh squeezed OJ all eaten while in a silk negligee with matching robe. Where I got this idea I really couldn't say.
As I got older and went out into the world I realized crepes weren't just for lovers but for anyone who cared enough to eat one. I had no idea they could be savory either. In my mind they were always filled with fresh fruit, a sweet cheese and whipped cream. Maybe a little chocolate sauce drizzled over the top.
My first job out of culinary school we made chocolate crepes. It was there that my love for making crepes began.
I loved to put all the ingredients into the blender, buzz it up and let it chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Carefully, I would coat my pan with non-stick spray and gently ladle some batter into the pan, tilting it ever so slightly, keeping it just hot enough to cook but never letting it get too hot. Quickly, I would flip the crepe over, cook the other side and dump it out onto a piece of wax paper. On to the next and the next and the next.

There are so many things you can do with a crepe. Ham and Swiss, Brie and spinach, peanut butter and jelly, fresh fruit, whipped cream, or my personal fave Nutella and just about anything with it!

A few weeks ago, Tracy and Ian came over for vegan brunch. I love to experiment when they come over. Partly because they eat everything I put out and partly because I just like to experiment.
Usually, I just make plain crepes, ap flour maybe a little sugar if I'm doing a sweet one. This time I decided to step it up and make buckwheat crepes. Half of the crepes were made savory and the other half I added some sugar too so that we could fill them with fruit, chocolate ganache and Soyatoo whipped topping.
I was so overjoyed when everyone went crazy for my crepes! They were so easy and really tasty.
I have a crepe pan. I've used it for many years. I believe it was my mom's before I took it. I ahve since learned to use a small non-stick frying pan or skillet which I find is sometimes easier.

BUCKWHEAT CREPES WITH POTATO MUSHROOM SPINACH FILLING AND TAHINI-DILL SAUCE
makes about 10-15 crepes depending on the size of your pan
Adapted from Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
***the crepe batter has to chill overnight******
You will need:
1 1/2 +2 Tablespoons soy milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 Tablespoon arrowroot flour
1/2 tsp salt
non stick cooking spray
softened non hydrogenated margarine
a silicone basting brush
small offset spatula or a butter knife
wax paper
baking sheet lined with foil and lightly sprayed

Filling (can be made the night before as well)
1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, diced finely
1 tsp carraway seeds (optional but really taste good!)
1/4 pound mushrooms, any variety, thinly sliced
1/2 pound spinach, cooked, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Tahini-dill sauce
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1 glove garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika, the spicy kind
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup light packed fresh dill
a blender or immersion blender
a sauce pot

First make the crepe batter
combine all the ingredients in a blender, scrape the sides and blend well
pour into an airtight container and chill overnight

when you are ready to make the crepes:
cut a bunch of squares of wax paper to place the crepes on in a stack
(this prevent sticking)
Heat your pan over medium-high heat.
lightly spray the pan and brush with margarine
pour about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and tilt in a circular direction until the batter has spread out.
as the batter is setting, hold the pan slightly off the flame so you don't burn the batter
once there are no wet spots and the edges begin to lift, take your spatula or knife and gently run it around the edge
carefully slide under the crepe and flip it over to the other side
*you can set the pan down and use two hands for this*
cook just a few seconds more
lay onto wax paper, continue

Make the filling:
peel and coarsely chop the potatoes
boil them in a pot for about 20-25 minutes, drain set aside
cook spinach, drain, set aside until cooled and chop
in a large skillet heat the oil over med-high heat
add the onion and saute until translucent
add the caraway seeds and mushroom
saute until very tender and most of the liquid has absorbed
add the potatoes and spinach
season with salt and pepper
remove from heat, set aside to assemble the crepes

Heat your oven to 250-300*F.
lightly spray a foil lined baking sheet
place one crepe down on the sheet and spoon about 3-4 Tablespoons of filling just off center of the crepe.
Gently fold over so the seam is on the bottom
continue until all crepes are made
place in the oven (if you have cooked the crepes so that they are a little crisp, brush with margarine or spray, so that they don't dry out)

Make the sauce
if using a blender-place all ingredients in a blender, puree and heat in a saucepan until warm
if using an immersion blender-place all ingredients in a sauce pan, heat and puree

Place crepes on a place and ladle sauce over the top.
serve warm.

*if you want to make sweet crepes - omit the salt, add 2 Tablespoons sugar and some vanilla extract if you like.

enjoy!!!
xoxo

Are you my chicken? 26 May 2009 2:36 PM (16 years ago)

We went down to San Diego a couple of weeks ago to visit my family and to celebrate my granny's 80th birthday. Of course Sadie loved all the attention and was on her best behavior. She was also completely attached to my mom leaving Peter and I with a bit of time on our hands. We were able to go down the beach, walk around and have some lunch just like the old days. During that time Sadie really turned a corner in the walking department. She kept following my mom everywhere, walking behind her like a little duck.

Now that she's walking it seems like she's turned into a completely different person. She's talking a bit and mimicking what we say a lot which is just plain creepy. Over night, she went from starting to walk to going full speed ahead! We even had to buy the kid a pair of "real" shoes. Girl is into everything now, and I mean EVERYTHING.

The shoes that Sadie was wearing before she really started walking were this really cute pair of mary jane sneakers that I found at Target. Once she really started going we realized they were too small. We had two pairs of Vans waiting for her at home. One pair was a hand-me-down with pink flamingos on them. The other pair are black with red and white trim and a skull and crossbones on the ankle, they were a gift from Jana. Unfortunately, I think the poor kid has my skinny feet and the things wouldn't stay on. So we picked up a pair of red Converse with laces for her. My parents bought her a pair of light pink Salt Water Sandals. They are the cutest things ever. My mom still has my first pair. Sadie keeps pointing to her "soose" and saying "sigh". Which means "mom put on my damn shoes and take me outside!"

On Memorial Day we went to Children's Fairyland. I used to go there as a kid and have very fond memories of it. When Peter and I first lived together we lived on the other side of the lake from the park. I was very excited to take Sadie there. Sadie was really into the little plastic key they give you to put into the boxes. She wasn't that interested in the what came out of the box once the key was in, but she kept going up to each box and trying to put her key in. She was sort of overwhelmed by most of the things at the park and was too small for a lot of the rides. She did enjoy seeing the animals and didn't know what to do when the pony came over to her.
It was a nice day but Peter and I decided the park may have seen better days. The only way I could think to describe the place was like a drag queen the morning after. Once sparkling and beautiful now just tired, dirty and faded. The kids running around the place didn't seem to mind, so I guess that's all that matters.
That night we grilled some corn on the bbq. It was quite tasty. At least I think it was. Sadie ate my entire ear of corn and part of Peter's! She thought it was just the neatest thing.
BTW-if you want to know how fast your kid's digestive system works, let them eat corn-on-the-cob.

Sadie's started playing dress up with my clothes recently. While I'm in the shower I usually lay out some clothes for her to play with in the bathroom. This keeps her occupied and away from the toilet (which she can flush). She used to make a ton of noise in the bathroom, now she just babbles and tries to put all of the clothes on.
I never know what she's going to have on upside down and inside out when I step out from behind the steamy shower curtain.
The other day she had on my tank top. She even put it on correctly. Later, I gave her a belt, bracelet and purse. She thought this was just the funniest thing ever. Another time, she kept going into the closet to get my bra and put it around her neck.

Today, Sadie had her 15 month check-up. She is in the 75th percentile for both height and head circumferance, but only in the 15th percentile for weight. Skinny Minnie this kid is! What's funny about that is that she eats ALL THE TIME. When it's not mealtime, she's snacking on something. I don't know if it's because we don't feed her cow's milk or what. She definitely eats. During our visit to the doctor, Sadie was her usual self, flirty and giggly. She made everyone laugh and fawn all over her. Little ham.
The nurses kept saying, "oh I wish all the babies could be as happy as this one!" One of the nurses stood outside our door, while we were waiting for the doctor. She kept saying to any doctor or nurse passing by, "oh you gotta come in here and see this little girl, she's so happy!"

enjoy!
xoxo

may 2009

Babycakes NYC brownies 21 May 2009 8:51 PM (16 years ago)

I have had the hardest time finding a good vegan brownie recipe. I've tried a lot and they all seem to either be too cakey or just plain yucky tasting. A lot of times they turn out great and then the next time I make them they don't work out at all.
The best brownie I have ever made was a recipe from the back of the King Arthur Flour sack. Not vegan.
I'm not vegan which is always funny to me. I just love the challenge of vegan baking. I've also been hit with a bad case of the guilties Ever since I took an interest in all things vegan and vegetarian, I haven't been able to use eggs, milk or regular butter.
It would be so much easier if I could. But, I can't.

Anyway, there's a little bakery in NYC called Babycakes. They are an allergen-free, vegan bakery that is very popular.
So popular, in fact that Erin Mckenna, the owner of the said bakery has just published a cookbook.
Now, I haven't actually been to the bakery. Once on J.Cro's birthday a few years ago, Kate brought some cupcakes from the bakery to try. I don't even really remember what they tasted like. But, I was intrigued by the fact that this bakery was vegan. Not just any old vegan-type place. These baked goods were being made with ingredients I had never thought to use.

When I heard that a cookbook was coming out, I placed it on my Amazon wish list. (my birthday is June 21st FYI) :) :)
I've done this before though, placing a book on my list, buying it and then coming to find that the recipes suck. Too lazy to return the book, I tuck it under other cookbooks that I don't use much and say "I'll just come back to this one." I usually never do.

After reading the Babycakes blog one day I saw that Erin was on The Martha Stewart Show making her chocolate brownies.
I quickly did a search for the episode online and printed out the recipe.

I went to the store, bought my ingredients, and skeptically mixed everything together.
Carefully, I placed each tray of brownie bites into the oven, trying to time them just right so as not to over bake them.

What I ended up with was pretty good brownie. A little, cakey but very tasty.
Peter ate 3, and that's major for him. He hardly ever eats my treats. Not because they suck (well sometimes because they suck) but because he's not much of a sweets person.

Don't be alarmed by the Garbanzo/Fava bean flour. I was only able to find Garbanzo Bean flour. I decided to mix Garbanzo bean and All purpose flour together just for the hell of it because I don't have any food allergies and can use AP flour.

I guess, by going after vegan baking, what I'm trying to do is just find a healthier way to indulge. Experimenting with new ingredients, textures and techniques is just an added bonus!

You can find the brownie recipe here.

If you're interested the Babycakes cookbook can be found here.

enjoy!
xoxo

Walking Chicken 4 May 2009 8:32 AM (16 years ago)

Here's some videos I uploaded to YouTube recently.
They aren't the best quality, but at least you can see Sadie in action.


Sadie is walking!
We saw her take a few steps here and there a couple of times while sitting in the living room. Then one morning Peter and I were talking in the bathroom and all of a sudden here comes Sadie walking down the hall!
She's still hanging on to crawling for dear life but she's walking more and more everyday. I kind of thought by the end of last week, she would have been over crawling and completely walking, but I was wrong.

Sadie is very cautious, which I have been told, so was Peter as a kid. She's constantly looking around to make sure someone is there to watch her or that it's safe to go forward with her plan.
When we were at the park the other day, Sadie finally got up the nerve to climb up the play structure so that we could slide down the slide.
She would only climb the steps if I was behind her and she didn't go to the top until I was there waiting for her.
We slid down the slide together a few time and then we started going side by side which was so much more fun!
I still can't get over how much she hates the swing. Cries and yells every time I put her in it!

I was always teased by my family for talking a lot when I was a kid and I think Sadie is going to have the same problem. It's so exciting when we hear a word we recognize.
Here are some of her words-
Mana = banana
Meenow = a cat meowing
Pop Pop = started out with Hop on Pop, when I would say "hop on pop" she repeated "pop pop pop" Now she points to her Pop Pop in a picture and says his name
Gassess = glasses, which she hates and rips off our faces any chance she gets.
zis = what is this?
Dayee = daddy
mama = duh!
sayee = Sadie
bah = ball
She repeats what we say and knows her body parts too. What a smart chicken! (I know, I know, all babies do this, but ours is better than yours, didn't you know?)

After I get Sadie off of crawling and on to walking I think we're going to go for potty training.
She's already sitting on her potty before a bath and some other times. Lately, though
she's been going over to her rocking chair and sitting in it when she has to poo.
This is funny and worth mentioning because, she will suddenly disappear and we can hear her grunting from the corner. It used to happen in the corner by the door to the patio. Then she discovered her chair.

When we were in Arizona, my great aunt and uncle gave Sadie a stuffed monkey. It has been by her side ever since. She added a giraffe into the mix and for a long time she had to have each one in her grip in order to go to sleep.
Until one morning. I went into get her and she was yelling at the giraffe. I don't mean talking loudly, I mean YELLING. She handed me the giraffe and said "no" while shaking her head and using hand gestures. I thought she was just talking crazy so I put the giraffe on her chair for later. Once out of the crib, she threw the giraffe off the chair, shook her and waved her hands while saying "no." And that, my friends was the end of that. Giraffe has not been allowed in the crib since.
We have no idea what happened. There were a series of replacements, most of them just rebounds. Baby joined the party about a week ago and looks to be holding strong. Monkey remains the steady, steady though. Sometimes we have Brown Bear, sometimes we have Pop. There have been times when I am trying to rock Sadie to sleep either for a nap or at night and there are so many dolls on top of us. To top it all off, we have to have her pink blanket somewhere there too.
In the morning, we can hear Sadie talking to her dolls. It's pretty much one of the only times where she will actually play alone for an extended period of time.

Both Peter and I read to Sadie all the time. She has books all over the apartment. At night we read together the three of us. Peter is way better at it than I am because he makes funny voices and ad-libs. I tend to read the stories as they are written and all my voices sound the same even if I'm trying to make them sound different.
We have several books in heavy rotation and let me tell, I think we can recite almost ALL of them with our eyes closed. Sometimes I start to fall asleep while reading to her. After the third time reading through a book in a row, it's sort of hard not to!
It's always amazing to me when Sadie remembers a sound or part of a book before we turn the page to that part.



enjoy!
xoxo

april/may 2009

Vegan Cholent - An old Jewish stew that's not traditionally vegan 27 Apr 2009 8:48 PM (16 years ago)

I was raised Jewish. Both my parents are Jewish, I went to Sunday school and I had a Bat Mitzvah. Now compared to others we really weren't that Jewish. I mean, we went to temple on the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I don't remember my parents ever fasting on Yom Kippur, I've only done it once or twice. Occasionally we went to temple on Shabbat, but hardly ever and we really never celebrated Shabbat. As kids, because we went to Hebrew school on Sundays and then on both Sunday and Wednesday, we celebrated almost all the Jewish holidays or were at least aware of them.
Traditional Jewish foods were served mostly during holidays. Once-in-awhile my mom or grandmother would make a kugel or matzoh brie (my family calls it "fried matzoh") on a random day. Brisket or chicken was a given at all family gatherings as was lox and bagels (yes, I know that's not really "Jewish cuisine" per se).

During Passover I started looking around for interesting recipes that maybe I could incorporate into our family Seder next year.
I came across a recipe for Cholent in both Veganomicon and my granny's old "Jewish Home Beautiful" book at the same time.
As I have mentioned in previous posts I am just fascinated by old cookbooks. This book in particular is interesting to me because not only does it have old recipes for dishes I am familiar with, it also has some recipes I have never heard of and an interesting introduction and fore ward about how a "Jewess", yes a "Jewess" always keeps a beautiful home and displays a beautiful table no matter how fancy or casual it may be. There are even pictures of how your table should look for each holiday!

Now maybe my mother or one of my grandmothers have made Cholent for me before and either didn't call it by it's name or I just wasn't paying attention. Who knows.
The name "Cholent" doesn't exactly make one's mouth water upon first glance either.
But when I came across the recipe in both books I thought it may have been fate or at least a sign that I needed to read the recipe.

Traditionally, Cholent is a beef stew that is slow cooked in the oven over night. It is prepared Friday before Shabbat begins and eaten Saturday afternoon. Women put eggs in their shells into the mixture to let them hard boil, the juices and flavorings seeping right in. Before serving the Cholent, the eggs were eaten.
You can read more about Cholent here.

The following recipe is from Veganomicon with a few changes made. The original recipe calls for TVP chunks but I used ground soy. I also didn't have lima beans so I used the butter beans and kidney beans that I had.
This is the kind of stew that just gets better day after day. It's a cheap and easy way to eat a filling and healthy dinner all week without having to cook every night.
Serve with a small salad and some crusty bread.



CHOLENT
adapted from Veganomicon
serves 6

You will need:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into medium dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp tarragon
1 tsp caraway seeds (if you don't have them, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds, rye seeds or leave them out all together)
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup red cooking wine, water or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup French lentils, rinsed (I used 1 cup)
1 cup peeled, sliced carrots (about 1/2" thick)
4 medium sized potatoes (1 1/4 pounds +/-), peeled and medium to small dice
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce (just a nice plain tomato sauce)
3 cups water
1 cup TVP chunks (I used ground soy)
1 cup frozen or canned and drained lima beans (I used butter beans) *if you hate lima beans, use green peas or any other big bean that you like
1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
a large soup pot
crusty bread
a salad

In a large soup pot heat the oil over medium heat
Saute the onion until translucent.
add the garlic, tarragon, caraway seeds, salt and pepper
saute until the garlic is fragrant
deglaze the pot with the red wine (or water, veg broth...)
add the bay leaves, lentil, carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce, water and TVP or ground soy.
Bring to a boil
cover and simmer 30 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are tender
add the beans and simmer until the stew has thickened and the beans are heated through.

serve warm.

enjoy!
xoxo

Madge strikes again. 20 Apr 2009 8:38 PM (16 years ago)

Where to begin?
I am totally slacking on recipe posting and life blogging. It's not that I don't have any delicious recipes to post or sweet stories about life with Sadie the chicken, it's just that I have been busy. WE, have been busy!

Ashley came to visit at the end of March. It was nice to see a sista, get a haircut and have some girl time. Naturally, what do you do when a friend is in town? Margaritas and nachos at Puerto Allegre followed by an attempt at shopping on my part and some major hanging out, of course!

My parents took Sadie and I on a day trip out to Livermore to do some wine tastingduring that first heat wave we had. Peter took that day off and enjoyed some "man" time.
We had so much fun. Some of the wineries are just so beautiful. Towards the end of our trip, Sadie and I met a really cute English Bulldog that further confirms our intense desire to have one of our own. They're just so damn cute!

We attended a birthday party for Peter's bosses daughter Maddie at their warehouse in SF. They had one of those inflatable jumpers in the driveway. I thought for sure Sadie was going to go nuts inside and bounce all over the place. But alas, she just sat there looking at us like "what the hell am I supposed to do with this?"
So I'll just put that in with the swings and slides at the park. Can you believe a kid doesn't like to swing????
After the party we hit up Lanesplitter Pizza for a few beers and some pizza.
Peter showed Sadie how to drink out of a straw (water of course). Later, Sadie got up on the table and danced on the pole. This is the only time dancing on the pole will be cute and funny.

This year we celebrated Passover with the Weintraubs and my parents. Sadie played with Lennon and Calla. Lennon was so sweet with Sadie. Of course this freaked Peter out. "No boys, ever." is all he kept saying. It's really quite funny. Naturally, Lennon is more like a cousin to Sadie since our families have been so close over the years. This makes it even more funny when Peter says "no boys, ever."
I was in charge of dessert and made a delicious trifle consisting of a lemon coconut bundt cake, vanilla pudding, fresh fruit and whipped cream. The entire thing was vegan and kosher for Passover. I need to post the recipe. I'll get to it, I swear I will.
I came up with the idea after flipping through my granny's old "Jewish Home Beautiful" cookbook that I took from her house after she died. It is from the 40's I think. I just love old cookbooks. The thing that I love most about this book is that my grandma made notes in the margins, marked recipes and had a bunch of newspaper and magazine clippings inside.

Shortly after Passover, Sadie and I both came down with colds. I don't usually get sick but since Sadie was clinging to me day in and day out, open mouth breathing on me and snotting all over me, it was bound to happen.
As painful as it was to see my baby feeling less than perfect, I sort of enjoyed the long cuddly naps we took during those two weeks of sickness. Poor Peter had to sleep on the couch a couple of times because Sadie just wouldn't sleep alone. She kept rolling all over me like a cat, falling asleep and rolling off. Then she would wake up, roll all over me again, fall asleep and roll off. My most favorite moment was one afternoon we laid down for a nap and she curled up in my neck. Later after she had rolled off and slept on her own, I turned over on my side so that my back was to her. As I was dozing off, Sadie crawls over to me curls up, puts her hand on my shoulder and her head into my back and goes back to sleep. Just melts my heart!

For Easter we had planned to go on a picnic but ended up staying home because we were still feeling pretty bad. Instead, I planted some veggies, put together some planter boxes and cleaned the apartment. It may not have made me feel better physically but it sure did wonders mentally.
Just as we were really starting to feel better, another heat wave hit and we have been on a roll ever since.
The pool is heated to a wonderful 80 degrees, it sparkles and shimmies as the sun shines and the breeze blows. Over the weekend, we made some friends at the pool. Sadie scored a super cool floating chair from a lady we met. I've never seen her so content. She just sits in the water, legs crossed holding her toys and giggling. This is really the first time she's been swimming or out in the sun. Last year she was so little she just sort of sat there like a lump in the water.
Sadie is quite the sunbather too. The first day we were out at the pool, Peter and I were laying on lounge chairs and Sadie was right there with us, reclining and relaxing, just soaking up the suns rays.
Madge is back too!
You all remember Madge from last year, don't you?

From sadie week 17

She was with us Sunday. Sunglasses and sun hat on full display for all to enjoy.
It's nice to see you again Madgey!

Still no walking but getting close!

enjoy!
xoxo

march/april 2009

Congrats! 16 Apr 2009 8:31 AM (16 years ago)

Congratulations to Jana! She won a $25 gift card to Ecostore USA.
It was tough competition with all TWO of you who entered........

enjoy!
xoxo

EcoStore USA and my first ever giveaway! 8 Apr 2009 8:19 PM (16 years ago)

EcoStore USA was kind enough to send me some really great products to try out and review for you.
Their plant based household cleaning products are tough on dirt, gentle on the planet and smell pretty nice too. The baby products are mild and easy to use.
Each product has been specially formulated to be super concentrated so that a little goes a long way, thus saving you money in the long run.
Originally created and sold in New Zealand, EcoStore has just launched a US division. Their trade marked "No Nasty Chemicals" philosophy means that all of their products are 90-100% organic and non-toxic.

I received 3 products to test.

1) the Citrus Spray Cleaner

2) the Baby Sleepytime Bath and

3) the Baby Moisturizer.

The Citrus Spray Cleaner made with D-Limonene (from citrus), Palm and coconut based non-ionic and anionic surfactants, Fatty acid derivative, Ethanol and filtered water; has a light scent which really made me happy. Sometimes after cleaning I feel like I need to wipe everything down with water to tone down the smell.
My first test for this cleaner was Sadie's high chair. Usually, I clean the high chair often, but this time I let the food cake up a bit (aside from the big chunks of course). Not only did the cleaner take the food right off, I didn't even have to rub that hard! Next, I hit up my kitchen and bathroom counter tops. Our apartment smelled clean but not "cleaned," if you know what I mean.

I've tried several baby washes, lotions and potions from totally natural, organic ones to good old fashioned Johnson and Johnson's. In many instances, the natural products drive me crazy with the smell. I want my kid to smell like a baby, not a day spa!
The aromatherapy blend of Lavendar and Geranium used in the Baby Sleepytime Bath is just the right amount that Sadie doesn't stink when she gets out of the bath. She's relaxed and ready for a little massage, a good book and hugging session with the monkey my great aunt and uncle gave her.
The only thing I didn't like about this product was that it doesn't get bubbly. My girl likes the bubbles!

Lavender and Geranium make an appearance in the Baby Moisturizer along with a few other light scents. This moisturizer is light enough to use daily but rich enough that it leaves the skin soft enough to moisturize once a day or only after a bath.
The scent wasn't overpowering in fact, I could actually smell "Sadie" and not perfume!

To find out more about Ecostore, check out their website and blog.

WANT TO WIN A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO ECOSTORE????????
Leave a comment on this post by April 15. Tell me how much you love me and then send me an email(kidcupcake(at)gmail(dot)com) to tell me what you did!
One lucky winner will be RANDOMLY chosen on April 16.
U.S. residents only please!

enjoy!
xoxo