Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Aww, I'm sorry refinnej, that's rough. It's so hard to be away from loved ones, especially when important things happen that you want to be part of. Hope you can get a nap and a bit of sunshine soon :)

The Magician is sick. Medium fever (103 in the armpit), runny nose, super lethargic and weird. We called the after hours pediatrician line thing and they were like, just keep an eye on him and make sure he's still nursing etc. (He is. A TON. That's about what he wants to do other than sleep.). We learned he does not care for Tylenol and only finally managed to wrestle some into him around 9:30. He's cooler though still fevery now... Ugh. Super stressful. My poor little baby.

Thanks stuck. I think the time change/winter is affecting my mood greatly.

C&s, I hope he feels better soon! F was burning last Mon/tues but thankfully she took some ibuprofen well. Poor babies..hard when you don't know what's happening to you.

For those of you travelling with babies, I just randomly ran across this place while searching for something else. It's a San Diego company but maybe every city has something like this? I didn't know such a thing even existed and it seems so helpful - basically you can rent baby/toddler equipment by the day or week.

http://www.toddlerstravels.com

Maybe our next vacation will be in San Diego!

Mr Crabby realised Beetroot hadn't gone to sleep last night. "He's reading one of those encyclopaedia books."
I went in to help Beety get to sleep and he was all, "look, I am reading about maffs!" and holds up his "My First Maths Book."
So I turned off the light and lay down beside him and for ages, he was all, "Hey, Crabby, what is 8+6+6?" I'd answer and he'd be all, "That right!" He would not stop asking me arithmetic questions. Eventually, *I* fell asleep, and I guess he did, too.

Aw...math bliss!

I am just so happy about the election results in the US! I was almost crying telling Littlemap this morning that when he grows up if he falls in love and wants to get married, he can marry whomever he wants in the states of Washington, Maryland, and Maine. He already has that right in Norway. Love love love!

That is super forking cute. In a, I would kind of like to be sleeping right now kind of way.

The Magician is over his illness, and now the Emperor is sick. He woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and I cuddled him in bed while he babbled nigh incoherently about robots and whether they're real or not and people's birthday parties and whether or not his best friend likes cake or just frosting etc. kinda surreal. This morning he's all limp and whiny and still fevery.

Wow, sick kids are super weird.

My MIL has given Malka a bath and put her to bed several nights over the past week since we've been sheltering with the in-laws. She is kind of obsessed with baths, which is cool, because Malka's lucky if she gets bathed twice a week at home. The other cool part is that Mr. A and I have gone out to dinner ALONE on those nights, which has been kind of awesome. Also, Malka is digging hanging with her grandparents so much. Mr. A's improvements on his parents' house have slacked off, but they have made a good impact on the general horribleness of the spaces we're in and he's half-convinced his mother to have regular cleaning done (will not affect the hoarding, but it's something). My MIL told us we should move in permanently because she'll be sad when we go home. They are a little crazy, but at least they're sweet.

Big step tomorrow. Guineapiglet is going to officially start eating lunches prepared by the school chef. It's the first time I've relinquished control of what she eats to someone else and I'm a bit nervous. I have no idea why I'm nervous because the school has lots of vegan kids and an amazing vegan menu (they're having Brazilian black bean stew, plantains and kale for lunch tomorrow). I guess it's just giving up a little piece of control which means this is probably a good move for me and for Guineapiglet.

I've been so busy with school lately and have been missing my little baby a lot. I had a really awesome day today though and am so happy I'm going to be a midwife! I did a vaginal twin birth!!! Just thought I'd share my excitement with you lovely playground-ers.

That is amazing! I always get excited when I hear of multiples being born naturally. I was talking to two women who delivered twins, vaginally and naturally one at 40 weeks the other at 42! Big inspirations.

Can he make me lunch, too?

The school chef is a she - Chef Betty is amazing!!!! This school is literally a dream come true. Spanish, French and Mandarin language immersion, cloth diaper friendly, AND vegan. I've analyzed and re-worked menus for several preschools and private schools in the area so they asked me to do the same at guineapiglets school but when I saw the menus I was amazed! These toddlers and pre-schoolers eat better than fancy private high schools. No changes necessary! Now I just give little tips here and there like new vegan products the kids might like, different ways to prepare tofu, etc. The school chef is an actual culinary school trained chef so she also takes orders to do take-home meals for us parents when we're too busy to cook. I haven't made an order yet but I have a feeling it will be my once a month treat to pick up my daughter and pick up a couple nights of dinner all in one place.

Your school sounds like a dream!

That school sounds amazing. Is it all vegan or does it have the option? I know the food issue will be difficult when babynut starts school someday...not sure how we are going to deal with that.

Her school really is a dream AND we got in right before they raised the prices by 40% so it's not crazy expensive for me.

The school isn't all vegan, they have a vegan menu and an omni menu. There are a lot of vegan and vegetarian students and then students who have allergies to milk, egg, soy, etc. so about 1/2 the school eats the omni menu and the other 1/2 eat the vegan. A great deal of the stuff they serve the omni kids is vegan though just because it's easier to make on batch of something instead of two so if they have waffles for breakfast they're vegan or if they have muffins for a snack they're vegan.

I completely hit the jack pot with this school but I think there is a case to be made at other schools when it comes to vegan meals. Lots of kids have allergies to milk and eggs or are lactose intolerant and there are more and more vegetarian kids so with that combo making a vegan menu just makes sense. At least for the parents at our school if a kid has allergies to milk and eggs but is still an omnivore the parents are fine with them eating vegan while at school and eating meat at home, in some cases the fact that the kid eats vegan for breakfast, lunch and snack at school has changed the family to be vegan.

I was reviewing and editing menus for the headstart programs here in GA a couple weeks ago and they even have provisions for vegan kids as long as a doctors note or religious exemption is provided. So there are options out there even in the public school system as parents we just have to be assertive about them and get the right documentation. Depending on where you live or who you are dealing with that day you might have to be a little more assertive than the average bear :)

I love it, that is so cute.

That school sounds incredible gp. I've been thinking lots about what will happen when we send the bean off to childcare/school some day.

@map, I was so happy to hear positive election news when waking yesterday. Not only 3 new states (10 total I think) adding gay marriage rights, but Minnesotans voting down an anti-gay proposal. *and* the first openly gay Senator (from Wisconsin). I am still in shock. In 2004, I campaigned and knocked on doors in Michigan (where I lived then) to encourage people to vote against a proposal adding a "definition of marriage" clause to the State constitution. The hate we encountered occasionally was flabbergasting. We more than once heard that gays were the reason for the 9/11 attacks, that AIDS was going to wipe "them" out anyway, etc. One person was spit on while at the door. A lady actually spit on him! I mean, Jesus H. Christ! So, to see what happened on Tuesday was amazing.

I was really disappointed that the GM proposition failed in CA, along with the upholding of the death penalty there however. All sorts of interesting proposals this year...pot legalized in Colorado and Washington (but failed in OR), collective bargaining rights not constitutionalized in MI, oh and others I'm failing to recall.

F's birthday is in 6 days and our plans are falling apart. Alternating between feeling like the worst mother in the world and wanting to bitchslap someone. One day of bliss for her is what I want. Instead I've passed the birthday curse on to her. At least she's only one and doesn't know its her birthday.

I always thought people were joking when they said to get your kids on a good preschool waiting list as soon as he or she is born...

Hugs to you nneJ! We were hit by Sandy just before L's birthday and had no power, and I felt a lot of the same things. Its hard to want your kid to have something great and to feel like you can't deliver. Especially because those feelings are mingled up with all the hurt and heartbreak from this time last year.

We did a lovely lowkey playdate with friends, and my friend ended up doing the same for her daughter. She just called two families, bought prepared food at WF and a dozen cupcakes at a local bakery. And we all had a ton of fun. Her party was as much fun (if not more) than the big affair at a restaurant we went to the day before.

You're a wonderful Mama and whatever you do will be special, because it will be full of the love you have for your wee bean.

I'm just having a couple friends over and making cupcakes. No other babies will be there. I didn't really want to do that, but my husband insisted. Low-key

That sounds really nice Butternut! Babynut is going to get tons of snuggles and you all get to celebrate her special day. I think celebrations are so important. I am so grateful to JENNA for making ours possible.

Our friends are celebrating their daughter's birthday today just by taking the day off and going to the zoo with her. Its super-low key but they're all together and that is the most important thing.