Category: Family

Pedal, Pedal, Pedal!

July 9, 2012 · 1 Comment ·

To: Jeff Elrick, It’s Ability Pediatric Physical Therapy Center

From: A Proud Mom

Dear Jeff:

A year ago, my son Mim, could not ride a two wheeler. He was afraid of falling and we were both very frustrated. His vision and some coordination issue weren’t helping either. He spent three mornings with you and your wonderful staff at Bike Camp and when we parted ways, he was wobbly, but he was on his way.

Last week he and I rode 6.2 miles, a circuitous route from our home to his school and back. His starts and stops are still a little rough, but he improves a little every time we ride. Most importantly, his confidence is through the roof.

This is all your fault!

Thanks so much!

Lee

Little Things

June 28, 2012 · Leave a comment ·

Last week was back to back insanity, just flat out nuts with a side order of completely off the deep end. It was like being at the beach at high tide in a hurricane. The waves were big and they just kept coming and coming. During those times, it is the little things that are life preservers helping you ride out the REALLY big waves. So, I bring you last week’s little things.

The Scarf – Wednesday night was by far the hottest and most humid day of the summer. It was also Cub Scout Family Fun night, the annual end-of-year celebration and recruitment night for the local Cub Scout Pack. While there I was gifted with a beautiful, hand made, scarf as recognition for work I did to raise funds to purchase t-shirts for the boys. We raised double the amount we needed, but that had more to do with the awesome generosity of the businesses in our town than it did with the letter I wrote. Still, I got teary. It was especially meaningful because the woman who made it for me is more involved than I am in local activities. She’s flat out too and she’s making a scarf for me!

Valet Parking – On Friday, I drove to Boston to take my mom to the hospital for a medical procedure. This promised to be a stressful day from start to finish. We were late arriving (not my fault). We opted to use the valet parking service to expedite thing but realized we forgot to grab my mom’s handicapped parking placard. When we pulled up, we were immediately assisted by 2 valet parking attendants and a greeter. When one of the attendants saw my mom’s wheelchair, he took back the regular valet parking ticket and gave me the discounted handicapped parking ticket even though we didn’t have the placard. As I got on the elevator to take my mom upstairs, I realized I was still clutching the man’s tip in my hands. Argh!! Eight hours later, post procedure my mom was resting relatively comfortably, and I facing an hour an a half drive. It was time to search for my car. Valet parking was closed and I was directed to the parking garage across the street. I had visions of wandering the 12 floors with my key fob clicking the panic button looking for my car. But no, the kind valet parking attendant who didn’t get a tip, left my car right by the door.

Knowledge Sponge – When all was said and done, I grabbed some down time with my husband and daughter on Sunday afternoon. After some fun, we ended up visiting family, which resulted in an impromptu barbecue. Towards the end of the night I went in search of my daughter and found her inside watching Fox News. I pointed out that she could probably find The Disney Channel, but she said “No, this is interesting.” Closer investigation revealed she was watching “Millennials Speak Out”, a show where 20 somethings shared their concerns with former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Man I love this kid.

Cub Scout Camp

June 26, 2012 · 2 Comments ·

Mim is off to his first Cub Scout Camp adventure this week. It five nights and four days of non-stop action. He was mostly excited, but I think a small part of him was nervous too. In other words, he was a typical little boy.

He’s there with his pack, so he knows the leaders and the other boys he’s camping with. I have no doubt, that both he AND the leaders will come back with some wacky tales to be told.

It rained like Noah was about to show up yesterday and a I cringed, and prayed that my not-so-detailed-oriented little boy remembered to put the top back on his rubbermaid bucket and close his tent flaps. Alas, I guess that what’s overnight camp is all about, experiential learning. 🙂

Eight

June 23, 2012 · Leave a comment ·

Dear Mim,

Today we celebrate your 8th birthday with your friends. On the day you actually turned eight (three weeks ago), we started off the day at karate where with cupcakes for you and Mr. H. Jr. Pretty cool that your sensei’s birthday is the same day as yours!! Later that day you chose the 99 Restaurant for your birthday dinner. This time of year is always crazy busy as we wrap up school and scouts. I didn’t get a chance to write a post for you on your birthday. That doesn’t mean your birthday isn’t one of the most important days of the year to me. Although the delay wasn’t intentional, I was secretly pleased when you asked if I was going to write a blog post for you.

Seven was a good year for you. You worked hard at karate, participating in a tournament and moving up 5 belt ranks. As we close out your first year, Mr. H. has decided you may be ready to move up to the Dragon Warrior level. He has challenged you to control your body and focus during classes and you have been making an good effort to meet that challenge.

Second grade was a good year for you. Mrs. C was supportive and we identified some issues around focus an attention that are impacting your writing and we have taken steps to address some of the challenges. You’ve grown socially too. Mrs. P. commented on how much your playground behavior has improved.

You had a great year with Boy Scouts. You completed all the requirements for the Wolves and have moved on to being a Bear. Your smile and energy was a huge asset while selling popcorn. You worked with Dad and created a Pinewood Derby car you could be proud of and soon you’ll be going to overnight camp with your pack!

This year you tested your wings a little. Mom and Dad were gone for a week celebrating their anniversary and you stay at home with Grammy & Grandpa and then five months later, you spent a week in Florida with Grammy and Grandpa. The story goes that you literally fell asleep in your dinner one night, but you most definitely had a great time and were on your best behavior.

Lightening McQueen is still a favorite, but all things sports (especially football) have held your attention as well. The Patriots made the SuperBowl we even stayed up to watch the first half (too bad they lost). If I can’t find you, I look for the iPad. If I can’t find the iPad, I know you are off in a corner reading. This happens frequently.

You are still a morning person. Some mornings, you wake up a little earlier and come down to snuggle with me on the couch. You read while I journal and then we get into the morning routine. You weren’t much of a snuggler as a baby, but you’ve come to it later in life and I LOVE it.

You are full of energy, exuberance and questions. You’ve made great strides socially. You are starting to understand that there are times when focus and sitting still are important. Those are not easy tasks for you, but you are rising to the challenge and making an effort.

I have a feeling 8 is going to be big year for you. I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mommy

New Home

June 4, 2012 · Leave a comment ·

On Saturday morning I went down with fresh water for the chicks and was greeted by one of the barred rocks sitting on the lip of the plastic tub the chicks were calling home. She (oh how I hope they are all Shes) just sat there and looked at me like “yeah, and” until I got close enough then she flew, FLEW down into the bucket. It was time to relocate the birds to larger living quarters.

Ladies and gentle fowl, I give you Casa De Perro, Chez Canine, or Chickens in a Dog Crate.

Along with more space and a full containment field, the new digs also offer a roosting pole. I *think* they’ll be able to stay here until we transfer them to their permanent home in a month or so until they are fully feathered and can maintain their body temperature.

They’re HERE!!!

May 30, 2012 · 1 Comment ·

We picked up the chicks on Friday!

They were really cute balls of fluff. I say were because they are growing like mad and are beginning to enter that awkward teenager stage. They are eating/drinking/pooping machines! But they are super cute.

This is a cooperative project between four families. Almost everyone has met our feathered friends and some have even been initiated (ahem pooped on). I think the award for most excited for their arrival goes to Becky. We’re pretty sure that K, (Becky’s youngest girl) has handled each of the 24 chicks at LEAST once :). It is cute to watch the kids take to them. We are carefully handling them so that they will become very used to humans. Before you ask, we instituted strict hand washing policies!

Fish is super excited and has requested that caring for the chickens become a permanent chore of hers. Mim hasn’t shown a ton of interest, but he’s held a few chicks and that’s good enough for me. A-man keeps asking them when he’ll get some eggs.

Last weekend we went away for one overnight and Becky and her husband stepped up to care for them. It really is pretty straightforward but they do require regular attention, so the only way this would work for us is if it is a group effort. We’re lucky to have such awesome neighbors!

This will not become exclusively a chicken blog, but watch for more chicken posts in the near future.

The Honey Health Bread Crusade – An Update

May 17, 2012 · 7 Comments ·

For the first part of the story please see this post.

Well! That was fast. In my last post I mentioned I sent a letter to the former owner of Hanley’s asking for guidance. His wife called me they day they received the letter. Cheyenne and I had a lovely conversation about small business, brambles, buffalo, indian powwows and of course Honey Health Bread. Her husband has had some medical issues since his retirement, but I could hear him in the background chiming in occasionally with bits of information.

He couldn’t remember the recipe exactly and she couldn’t put her hands on it, but they both knew there was no rye flour. He said there was no molasses, but she thought there might have been some. He remembered a syrup, but couldn’t remember what kind. There was whole wheat flour, but it was graham flour, a courser grind of whole wheat flour (and also the kind of flour used to make Graham Crackers). The both reminded me that it was a very wet dough, which makes sense given the moist open crumb.

Cheyenne said she’d look for the recipe for me, but she’s busy and I’m impatient. I’ve acquired some Graham Flour and some Barley malt syrup and am going to set about creating a recipe for Honey Health Bread. Wish me luck!

A Sad Moment for Me

May 15, 2012 · 3 Comments ·

Yesterday, two boys in Mim’s karate class moved up to the next level (Fish’s class). I had a moment of sadness as I watched two boys advance who were lower ranks than my son and younger (albeit only by a few months).

By the time we got in the car, I was over it. I have faith in the instructors. This is a family run program and I think they genuinely care about the children they teach. I also had time to recognize that my son, is who he is. He has issues beyond his vision. We’re working with the school and some specialists to determine the best course of action to help him overcome some of the challenges and manage those that can’t be overcome. He is immature, and unfocused. He is undisciplined and has the attention span of a gnat. When I really pondered on it, I realized that what made me sad was that his deficits are holding him back. As parents we want to see our children soar, but as humans, we all have strengths and weaknesses. His weaknesses happen to be focus and sitting still.

One the way home, he told me about how boys who were younger, and lower ranks than he had been moved up. I was glad I’d had a chance to gather my thoughts a little before we talked about it. With his sister’s help, we talked about how the next level up is less playful and more focused.{As an aside I was very proud of how she didn’t rub it in that he didn’t advance and instead offered constructive criticism for him} We discussed how there is even less tolerance for tom foolery at the higher level.

I reminded him that he has made excellent progress. In the last year he has advanced four ranks. Then we talked about whether the advanced level is something he’d be interested in. It is disrespectful in karate to ask your instructor when you will be advanced (either to a new rank or a new level). I have faith in the program and I don’t believe in advancement without merit. So, I coached him to talk about his own skill set and ask the instructors for suggestions on how he could improve to be considered for promotion to the next level.

He’s young to understand the implications of putting his destiny of his own hands, but I feel good about taking that tact. We’ll be working with him to help him manage and conquer his other issues and I believe he’s good at karate and so long as he enjoys it and rises to the challenge, we’ll keep going with it. He’ll complain again, I’m sure of it, but I’ll just remind him that in karate as in life, it is up to him how far he progresses.

The Honey Health Bread Project

May 8, 2012 · 9 Comments ·

When I was a little girl we’d come to Boston to see my Nana. Seeing Nana meant being spoiled. Coming to Boston meant Maple Leaf Hot Dogs and Honey Health bread. Maple Leaf Hot Dogs are still made today, but I’ve had a hard time finding them. However Honey Health Bread is no more.

Honey Health Bread was made by Hanley’s Bakery on Centre in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. I ended up coming to school in Boston, and convinced a friend with a car to take me to Hanley’s. I called ahead and asked them to hold 10 loaves for me. I think, no, I know they thought I was a crank call. They were shocked when I actually came in to pick up my order. We weren’t back in the car 2 minutes when I had a loaf open and was noshing. It was then that my friend realized I wasn’t completely batshit crazy, just a little carb obsessed. She even agreed the bread was worth the trip.

The crown of the crust is a deep mahogany brown in color and very firm in texture. The inside is a deep carmel color, the crumb is moist with lots of nooks and crannies and the lower crust is softer than then crown. My mouth waters as I type this. The flavor is sweeter than a white bread, but not in an overpowering way. Honey Health Bread made amazing toast, but was equally as good for peanut butter and jelly or tunafish sandwiches.

Isn’t it funny how things are just there until one day they aren’t? Throughout my 17 years living in and around Boston, I made numerous trips to Hanley’s to secure some of the amazing goodness that was Honey Health Bread. Alas, we pulled up stakes and left Mass for the wilds of New Hampshire. Still I knew peripherally that Hanley’s was still there. Until the summer of 2006 when a cousin mentioned in passing that Hanley’s had closed and the deli next door had opened up a new bakery. Comeagainsaywhat?????

Hanley’s closed? Gone was the art deco black and white floor and the sea foam green paint. Gone was the cases full of amazing baked treats, but most importantly, gone was Honey Health Bread. I was bereft. I later heard that the owners retired. I applaud them for a job well done, but what about the bread?

With help from help from King Arthur Flour and Cammy (yes, the chicken whisperer), I’ve perfected a white bread recipe that incorporates some whole grains while maintaining that white bread flavor that my picky children require.

Now for the real challenge. The time has come to try reproduce Honey Health Bread. By accident, I found a squash bread recipe that had element of HHB’s awesomeness, but it needed some tweaking. I made my first attempt yesterday and it failed with regards to meeting the high standards of Honey Health Bread, and aesthetics (it was very flat), but the taste wasn’t bad. At leas my mistakes are edible.

Through the magic that is the Internet, I have located the former owner of Hanley’s and I have sent him a letter to ask for some guidance. Why? Cuz, that’s how I roll. The worst he could do would be to ignore me. If I get any guidance at all, I’ll be thrilled.

Thus begins, The Honey Health Bread Project. I’ll keep you posted.

It’s So Eggciting!

April 20, 2012 · Leave a comment ·

We’re getting chickens.

I blame Cammy.

Cammy keeps a small brood of chickens in her backyard. A few years ago, she gave me some fresh eggs. My life was never the same. If you’ve never eaten eggs laid by chickens NOT raised on a commercial farm, it is hard to describe the difference. The yolks are more yellow. The flavor is richer, eggier if you will. Now when I have store bought eggs, they just taste watered down. Local eggs add a subtle depth to the flavor to any recipe.

I’ve mooched Cammy’s eggs for three years. She’s very generous and I’m exceedingly grateful. Early on, I thought of keeping hens, but we like to go to the lake in the summer and we tend to travel occasionally the rest of the year. Chickens need daily care and attention.

A chance conversation with some neighbors changed that. There are four families involved and we figure the chance of ALL of us being gone at the same time are slim to none, plus, my experienced chicken whisperer Cammy has offered to pinch hit if necessary.

I’ll order the chickens on Monday and the chicks will be in late next month. I’m really not sure where this will lead, but I’m excited for the adventure and for the fresh eggs!

Live Fearless Lee

Or at least that's what I tell myself