Gift Making

Lest you think we haven't been craft, creating, and generally coming very close to making a huge mess, fear not! Days have really lost their shape lately, and making something is becoming an important way to mark that they pass. Without it, we get to Friday and I'm not sure where the time went or why I feel so tired.

This project was a set of bags for pentominoes for the cousins in the Netherlands. We picked them up at the Robie House, a Frank Lloyd Wright house on our block. They are a set of 12 shapes based on five squares. They offer infinite opportunities for making shapes and, if you're Peanut, parking garages.

I cut fabric for the bags and used masking tape to mark off squares. I colored in one square and added appropriate initials to each. Then, we let him loose with the fabric markers. It was a hoot. Taking out and putting away the markers proved to be at least as interesting as the coloring and the results were entertaining.

We sewed up the bags together, which was another adventure. A terribly skilled artist I know did freehand machine quilting with Peanut in her lap, which gave me courage. He put his hands on top of mine and we were off, sewing the bags together. Great fun had by all.

I'll try to post more projects this week!

Blood and Collard Greens

December has been a busy month for this little family. In addition to the expected holiday fun, we went away for 10 days to Miami and the Dominican Republic to get some sun before the Chicago winter settles in earnest. We also got to enjoy a visit from my parents, who spoiled Peanut and myself with plenty of attention and help around the house, all while making our holiday extra-special.

Yesterday was our first semi-normal day at home and it was an adjustment. It's quiet in Hyde Park and our attempts to get out of the house to the playroom or story hour failed as both were closed. Peanut and I eventually retreated to our favorite cafe for our favorite treats, a latte for mama and a toasted bagel with cream cheese for him. Picture below is the "where's the bagel" shot taken with my iPod, so fuzzy. At home he did some painting (which really must happen more often) and mama got some time for a nap and studying while he napped.



Dinner was another adventure. One of the consequences of being spoiled is that this mama had no plans or ideas for actually cooking a meal for the three of us. Luckily, I keep emergency chinese dumplings in the freezer and also bought a bunch of collard greens in one of our grocery trips over the past week. The great discovery was that collard greens cook up as yummy as kale. I used Chinese sausage instead of bacon this time, which made for a more complex flavor and some sweetness as well, both welcome and pleasing.

While I was cooking, Peanut announced that he had an "ow." He's pretty funny about announcing his injuries and often decides they aren't bad enough to need any kind of parental attention other than acknowledgment. This time, though, he wanted me to look. To my surprise, he was not only in pain, there was blood smeared on his hand and the floor. Poor Peanut cut himself somehow and ended up getting his first band-aid. He was pleased with the band-aid at first but eventually decided it just got in the way. He then discovered that soy sauce and cuts don't go together well at all. Thus ensued a program of eating with fingers and asking us to suck on his thumb to make the soy sting go away.

So we're home an on our own again, ready for the new year and all the adventures it will bring - big or small!

Halloween

Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but it moved a few steps up the list after last night. We went out with Peanut and four other toddlers (plus their parents) for a wander down Harper Avenue here in Hyde Park. It is possible that half of the southside of Chicago also came by, because the street was packed! People put full effort into decorating and general preparation.

Mama didn't plan a costume this year, but a friend had an extra, so Peanut was Chicken Little. He's carrying a mama-made bag instead of a plastic pumpkin. I love how it matched his outfit. I didn't realize there's a Chicken Little movie until I saw the tag on the costume. Where have I been?

Peanut was a bit overwhelmed with all the people and the sudden realization that he was receiving candy - CANDY! It's his first exposure to the sweet stuff and he's a fan. We managed to keep consumption down to one little box of something gummy. He's also a beginner trick-or-treater, so he only collected four pieces total. They were enough to keep him fairly pre-occupied, though.

Trick-or-treating has changed since I was a kid. At all of the houses, people sat outside and handed out candy to lines of kids in costumes. I didn't hear any choruses of "trick-or-treat" and keeping the line moving efficiently seemed to be a priority. This might help explain why - it's a 2008 article in which a woman talks about distributing over 2,000 pieces of candy and running out before 8pm!

Adjustments and a Little Triumph

We've been in Chicago for two weeks now. This week was my first week of stay-at-home mama-hood. Not so easy, which comes as no surprise to me or anyone with experience in the field. When I get caught up in the new day-to-dayness of my life, it's easy to forget everything that has happened in the past couple months.

Sold our home.
Quit daycare.
Packed up or sold most of our belongings.
Left jobs.
Moved to "new" country.
Settled into new apartment.
Started new jobs.

Lots of people make this transition, but it's easy to forget how challenging it can be. The fact that I would forget is ironic since this is part of what I was teaching back in Amsterdam! We have to establish a new rhythm for our lives, from the smallest to the biggest things. What will we eat? Where will we buy groceries? Who will we meet? Where will we go? What will we do?

This is the part where I have to give myself space to learn, to be frustrated, to grow, to settle, and to be happy. And it will get better as we get to know the place, the space, the people, the possibilities. Already, the temperatures are down from searing hot to comfortable, so that's a plus one. It's tempting here to only share the good, the happy, the picturesque. But life isn't that way and I'm a bit of a grumbler by nature (many people not surprised at all to read that). Most importantly, this is also a chance to share and remember some of the little triumphs that add up to a new life in a new place.

Today's little triumph:
We found a breakfast spot just right for our family: Salonica. Salonica is a good old diner that is a four-block walk from our apartment. The interior probably hasn't changed in the 30 years since they opened, but it looks great to these diner-loving eyes. The service was prompt, the food decent, the prices reasonable, and all very kid-friendly, too. I had the french toast and my husband had an egg with sausage, hash browns, and toast. We were both satisfied with our meals. After breakfast we stopped at the playground on the way home and let Peanut have a romp in the sandbox while we chatted with each other and some local parents. We may have just created a Hyde Park Sunday breakfast ritual.