Dear readers, I must bid you a temporary farewell. In addition to my normal round of nursing, breakfast, nursing, naps, playgroup, outings, groceries, cleaning, sewing, nursing, and so on, summer is Working Season. I will be:
Renovating the bathroom
Weed-killing and completely replanting two large beds
Going to PA for a week
Staying here while Dr. S takes Bug to OH
Visiting with my sister for two weeks
Repainting the house with my dad
Fixing the synagogue's torah covers
Sewing various household goods (shower curtain, etc.)
Spring-cleaning the house (get this stuff out!)
Helping run the shul's membership committee
Taking care of the new website I just designed (for my moms' group; not that interesting, I promise)
Hopefully child-swapping with the lovely Nicole
Gardening
Teaching Bug his numbers
.... and anything else I can think of.
See you in July.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Toddler Breakfast
My dear spouse gets up with Bug and feeds him breakfast; I get up with the baby and feed him breakfast. However, since Dads* are made of fun, not food, usually Bug doesn't eat much. And then he is extra-surly all day (Bug, not Dr. S). So! I am trying to come up with something fast, vegan, and toddler-friendly. Enter Healthy Instant Small Child Oatmeal!
I regret that the small child does not come in an instant formulation.
Instant De-Tantruming Small Child Oatmeal
6 c quick oats (not old-fashioned)
1/2 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 c hemp seed or sunflower seeds
1/2 c wheat germ
1/4-1/3 c molasses
1/2 c soy (or other) protein powder
3/4 c ground almonds (or 1/2 c nuts)
2 c raisins or dried fruit
1-2 t salt
2-3 t cinnamon
Put 3 c oats, coconut, seeds, nuts, and wheat germ in the food processor. Blend until the oatmeal is in very small pieces. Add the molasses and blend briefly, then the protein powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse. Put into a large bowl with 1 c un-processed oats and raisins. Process last 2 c oats if desired. Mix all together in a bowl. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator, as desired. Makes about 8 cups.
To cook, mix 1/3 c dry mix and 1/3 c water or milk in a medium bowl. Microwave on high for one minute. Makes one toddler-sized serving.(This makes a very sticky, thick oatmeal. For thinner oatmeal, add more liquid.)
Per serving (roughly, and according to an internet calculator, e.g. caveat lector):
210 calories, 8 g fat, 30 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 8 g protein, 12% adult RDA of iron.
*Where "Dad" also equals "the parent who neither nursed nor now stays home with the kid"
I regret that the small child does not come in an instant formulation.
Instant De-Tantruming Small Child Oatmeal
6 c quick oats (not old-fashioned)
1/2 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 c hemp seed or sunflower seeds
1/2 c wheat germ
1/4-1/3 c molasses
1/2 c soy (or other) protein powder
3/4 c ground almonds (or 1/2 c nuts)
2 c raisins or dried fruit
1-2 t salt
2-3 t cinnamon
Put 3 c oats, coconut, seeds, nuts, and wheat germ in the food processor. Blend until the oatmeal is in very small pieces. Add the molasses and blend briefly, then the protein powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse. Put into a large bowl with 1 c un-processed oats and raisins. Process last 2 c oats if desired. Mix all together in a bowl. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator, as desired. Makes about 8 cups.
To cook, mix 1/3 c dry mix and 1/3 c water or milk in a medium bowl. Microwave on high for one minute. Makes one toddler-sized serving.(This makes a very sticky, thick oatmeal. For thinner oatmeal, add more liquid.)
Per serving (roughly, and according to an internet calculator, e.g. caveat lector):
210 calories, 8 g fat, 30 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 8 g protein, 12% adult RDA of iron.
*Where "Dad" also equals "the parent who neither nursed nor now stays home with the kid"
Thursday, May 17, 2012
No, You* Do Not Have Celiac Disease
The fad-of-the-year around these parts seems to be pretending to have a wheat allergy. (I remember many iterations of the "X is SOOOO bad for you" game within my own brief lifetime, including four iterations of fats, three of sugar, and two variations on cooked foods). And if I hear one more spurious evolutionary-hogwash explanation of why X (cooked food, red meat, fish, grains, fruit) is SOOOO bad for you, I may weep. (Yes, a diet high in lean protein and fresh vegetables is probably quite good for you, but it has nothing to do with your Paleolithic, survival-level, hunter/gatherer ancestors, thankyouverymuch.)
The fake-celiac thing irritates me for many reason. Probably because it's a real disease, and fake self-diagnosis irritates me. Also probably because I have a real, serious food allergy (actually, several), and "I don't feel good after I eat five cookies" is not in the same league as "I am having trouble breathing, my pulse is 190, and my oxygen saturation is 80%." And thirdly, because I know the person in question (the one who's irritated me most recently) has PCOS, which causes insulin resistance, which is more likely why eating lots of bread makes her feel ill.
(I know plenty of people who have real celiac disease. It is a real and serious disease. This person does not have it. Really.)
*Added for those people sadly lacking humor or irony: Where 'you' refers to this one particular person I am discussing!
The fake-celiac thing irritates me for many reason. Probably because it's a real disease, and fake self-diagnosis irritates me. Also probably because I have a real, serious food allergy (actually, several), and "I don't feel good after I eat five cookies" is not in the same league as "I am having trouble breathing, my pulse is 190, and my oxygen saturation is 80%." And thirdly, because I know the person in question (the one who's irritated me most recently) has PCOS, which causes insulin resistance, which is more likely why eating lots of bread makes her feel ill.
(I know plenty of people who have real celiac disease. It is a real and serious disease. This person does not have it. Really.)
*Added for those people sadly lacking humor or irony: Where 'you' refers to this one particular person I am discussing!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Surprisingly, It Didn't Suck
People of the Internet! I just read a parenting book that not only didn't make my eyes bleed, I also actually liked it. Will wonders never cease.
The book is 1-2-3 Magic and it's not made of sparkly rocket science unicorns or anything. It is, however, a good reminder of how not to let your kids push your buttons. It's written by a very sensible child psychologist, who thinks that parents have a responsibility to be loving, but also to be firm and to set good boundaries. The basic premise is: three chances to correct their behavior, then a consequence. No negotiation, no explaining, no one last chance. Different consequences for different ages; if a teenager won't take a timeout, they can choose between a fine, a chore, or loss of a privilege. If the 3-year-old won't take a timeout, you put them in their room. Consistently ignore annoying behavior. Don't explain and reason and argue with small children; they're doing whatever to get a rise out of you, and when you lose your temper, that's a kind of positive reinforcement.
Yes, I knew all of this, but sometimes it's good to be reminded. Go read it and see.
The only thing I completely disagree with is that the author says "Don't make the child apologize, because they'll just be lying." This is true, but apologies are most often a social construct having nothing to do with how one feels. I am teaching him that when he hurts someone, he has to say sorry, whether he feels remorse or not. It reminds me of what my mother always said about our teachers in school: "You don't have to have respect for them, but you do have to show respect for them."
The book is 1-2-3 Magic and it's not made of sparkly rocket science unicorns or anything. It is, however, a good reminder of how not to let your kids push your buttons. It's written by a very sensible child psychologist, who thinks that parents have a responsibility to be loving, but also to be firm and to set good boundaries. The basic premise is: three chances to correct their behavior, then a consequence. No negotiation, no explaining, no one last chance. Different consequences for different ages; if a teenager won't take a timeout, they can choose between a fine, a chore, or loss of a privilege. If the 3-year-old won't take a timeout, you put them in their room. Consistently ignore annoying behavior. Don't explain and reason and argue with small children; they're doing whatever to get a rise out of you, and when you lose your temper, that's a kind of positive reinforcement.
Yes, I knew all of this, but sometimes it's good to be reminded. Go read it and see.
The only thing I completely disagree with is that the author says "Don't make the child apologize, because they'll just be lying." This is true, but apologies are most often a social construct having nothing to do with how one feels. I am teaching him that when he hurts someone, he has to say sorry, whether he feels remorse or not. It reminds me of what my mother always said about our teachers in school: "You don't have to have respect for them, but you do have to show respect for them."
Friday, May 11, 2012
On Vegetables
My two sisters and I used to be vegetarians.
At Prudence's bat mitzvah, we stayed with friends of friends. They served a traditional Shabbat dinner: salad, sweet potato casserole.... chicken. My middle sister looked at her plate. Then she looked at me. Then she picked up her fork, because we were brought up to be polite.
Prudence came to visit one Pesach and was seduced by a roast chicken.
And one day in France I got really, really hungry.
And that was the end of that.
When I married Dr. S, I wasn't a vegetarian, but the kosher butcher was six miles away and I didn't have a car. We'd have chicken or fish for Shabbat- sometimes. He promptly lost 20 of his 195 pounds (he's 6'2"), leaving him a very shadow of his former self.
We still don't cook very much meat. For one thing, we are poor, and yea verily, kosher meat is expensive. Tofu, on the other hand, is not. Completely separate from that are a couple moral and health considerations:
1) According to various sources, the average American eats between 0.5 and 0.75 pounds of meat per day. This is not environmentally sustainable, especially not under humane animal-raising conditions.
1a) It's not especially good for one's health to eat that much meat, either. Manifestly.
2) I believe that, as part of the prohibition on cruelty to animals, if one is eating meat, it should be prepared in a delicious fashion. This takes a lot of time.
2a) And it's more of a special thing for us because we eat meat once every week or two. This suits my sense of frugal appreciation of the delicious, delicious animals.
This week was Pesach, on which we always indulge in a brisket. Delicious, delicious animals. Vegetarianism, I have forsaken you. I fear it will be forever.
At Prudence's bat mitzvah, we stayed with friends of friends. They served a traditional Shabbat dinner: salad, sweet potato casserole.... chicken. My middle sister looked at her plate. Then she looked at me. Then she picked up her fork, because we were brought up to be polite.
Prudence came to visit one Pesach and was seduced by a roast chicken.
And one day in France I got really, really hungry.
And that was the end of that.
When I married Dr. S, I wasn't a vegetarian, but the kosher butcher was six miles away and I didn't have a car. We'd have chicken or fish for Shabbat- sometimes. He promptly lost 20 of his 195 pounds (he's 6'2"), leaving him a very shadow of his former self.
We still don't cook very much meat. For one thing, we are poor, and yea verily, kosher meat is expensive. Tofu, on the other hand, is not. Completely separate from that are a couple moral and health considerations:
1) According to various sources, the average American eats between 0.5 and 0.75 pounds of meat per day. This is not environmentally sustainable, especially not under humane animal-raising conditions.
1a) It's not especially good for one's health to eat that much meat, either. Manifestly.
2) I believe that, as part of the prohibition on cruelty to animals, if one is eating meat, it should be prepared in a delicious fashion. This takes a lot of time.
2a) And it's more of a special thing for us because we eat meat once every week or two. This suits my sense of frugal appreciation of the delicious, delicious animals.
This week was Pesach, on which we always indulge in a brisket. Delicious, delicious animals. Vegetarianism, I have forsaken you. I fear it will be forever.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Leaving Academia
After reading Dr. Dad's post about industry, I was reminded of the whole agonizing will-I-be-an-academic struggle. Just like so many other bitter and disillusioned grad students who have been hit in the face with the Big Wet Dead Reality Fish. I'm sure I wrote about it at great length. However, at a distance of several years' worth of graduatin', industry-workin', and baby-wranglin', here's my summary:
The Five Stages Of Academic Disillusionment
The Five Stages Of Academic Disillusionment
- Relentless Optimism. I will get an academic, tenure-track job when I graduate! I am smart enough, I am good enough, and everyone will love me! I'll be such a good teacher!
- Great Expectations. Everyone else who didn't get an academic job just wasn't working hard enough! I will graduate in four years because I'm better than all of them. (Note: People who are not jerks tend to skip this stage in favor of clinical depression.)
- Reality Fish. Damn, I finally read the NSF statistics. I'm never going to get an academic job. I'm never going to graduate. I'm not sure I'm ever leaving this damn lab. Shoot me now. Also, what the fuck does doing research have to do with a SLAC teaching job? Bastards.
- Solipsistic Agony. Is there any good outside of academia? Will I be a miserable, useless failure if I cannot live up to my own ideals?
- Money Money Money. Hey! Real jobs pay.... real money. Suddenly this looks much more attractive See you later, academia. Don't let the door hit you...
Friday, May 04, 2012
FMB: Vertigo
As I've mentioned, I belong to a moms' group here. It is, like the city, fairly white and fairly white-collar: teachers, married to doctors and engineers and programmers. And sometimes, it is so strange to work with them.
I've just re-designed our group's website, and made business cards. I have a strong vision of What Should Happen- especially functionally, and to some extent aesthetically- and the skills to make it so. In consequence, I feel like I've run everyone else over with a steamroller despite my best efforts.
It's unnerving. When I was working, I was always surrounded by people with very strong opinions. On this particular task, I have no better than average skills. I know there are ways to make this website better. I would be happy for other people to tell me. No, not consensus! FEEDBACK!
(I found a couple people to give actual feedback. And fix my code, which is mysteriously doing almost what I want.)
I've just re-designed our group's website, and made business cards. I have a strong vision of What Should Happen- especially functionally, and to some extent aesthetically- and the skills to make it so. In consequence, I feel like I've run everyone else over with a steamroller despite my best efforts.
It's unnerving. When I was working, I was always surrounded by people with very strong opinions. On this particular task, I have no better than average skills. I know there are ways to make this website better. I would be happy for other people to tell me. No, not consensus! FEEDBACK!
(I found a couple people to give actual feedback. And fix my code, which is mysteriously doing almost what I want.)
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