bread

I have made this bread four times now and it has all turned out well. I did have one problem on my second batch I used a different brand of whole wheat flour and it was a little dry. Now I am just careful and make sure that I don't add too much flour and it has worked out great. Some friends asked if it was good sandwich bread and if it sliced well and I give it a thumbs up to both.

photos by Porter

a perfect day

weekend

On Friday when we were getting ready to leave for playgroup Liesl kept on grabbing things and then said "I'm ready". When I looked at her I had to take a photo but I was laughing so hard and she was moving around so this is the best shot I could get. Liesl had on a cape, a christmas bib, an knit hat and she was carrying a headband, two monkeys and a flower.


This is Jason and I at the first stop we made on our Critical Mass ride Friday night. There were 510 people and we rode through Hillcrest to North Park, Golden Hill, South Park, Logan Heights, Chicano Park, Past by Petco Stadium a few times, right when the game got out, through Downtown and then we ditched the group and went home. It was a really fun ride and I can't wait to do it again next month!


Today we went over to City Farmers to buy some soil and plants. Porter wanted to plant some tomatoes so we bought two and a dill plant.

fake flowers

I made a little crown out or fake flowers and felt for Liesl
to wear to the May Day celebration we are having with our playgroup. Now I have to finish the dress and make an outfit for Porter.

our new addition

Porter got to take Green Bear home today from school. Each kid has a turn taking the bear home for a week and they write a story and draw a picture about it. Tonight Porter was playing cars with Green Bear and then he put the pajamas on the bear and blanket. I was cleaning the kitchen and when I came out to the living room I thought it was so cute to see all three in their pajamas with their blankets. Porter does not play with dolls and is mildly interested in stuffed animals so it is fun to see him play with the bear, talk to it and dress it. The bear just had girl clothes so I told him I would make the bear a super hero cape and he liked that idea. Just one more thing I have to finish by the end of next week. I have to finish Liesl's fairy dress, make an outfit for Porter and make some confetti eggs. Tomorrow night my brother is going to come and watch the kids and we are going to go on the Critical Mass bike ride, I can't wait!

"that's daddy's"

The story I am about to tell is the kind of story that my family will be talking about 30 years from now.

I was in the kids room this morning and noticed that the rug needed to be vacuumed so I vacuumed it. Since I had the vacuum out I decided to clean the living room rug as well. Liesl was in the living room and started yelling at me to stop and kept on saying "that's Daddy's". I think today was the first time she has ever seen me vacuum.

The smell of a Chinese chemical factory

Have you ever wondered what China smells like? My sister called me a few months ago after a trip to Walmart and said that it smelled like what she would imagine China would smell like. I am not a regular Walmart shopper but I went today to buy some cheap canvases for the kids to paint on. The whole store basically smelled like plastic and chemicals, I could not get out of there fast enough. I really feel sorry for the people who work there and have to smell it everyday.

update
"Dude, I never said I thought Wal-Mart smelled like China. I said that it smelled like a Chinese chemical factory.
Bed Bath and Beyond is even worse, the chemical laced candle smell is so overpowering that I could barely stand it in there." Shauna

zombie kids

vegetable box

This evening my brother came over and built us a box for our vegetable garden. Porter helped with the drilling and Liesl held the screws so they had a fun time.


Porter and Liesl playing zombie in the finished vegetable box..


Today we stayed home all day so Liesl could be close to the potty for our first official potty training day. Liesl had five accidents but she took a nap without a diaper and went when she woke up so that was good. We have a gym class tomorrow at 10:30 so I don't know if I should put a diaper on her or try and just go with underwear.

Earth Day

Today we walked to Balboa Park for the annual Earth Day celebration. It was a nice day and the kids had a fun time. We hung out at in the Children's area for a while but the clown was really bad to we went to find some food. The food selection was okay but the lines were too long at the places we wanted to eat so I got a veggie wrap that was not very good. Jason got a tofu taco that was not very good either but then I went and bought some veggie quinoa chili from the Eco Caters that was really good and the kids liked it too.

Liesl and Miranda

Ker Little India

Today after a quick stop at the park for playgroup we met some friends for lunch at at the Ker Little India a market and buffet. The food was all vegetarian but I don't know how much of it was vegan. I stayed away from the items that obviously had dairy in them but did not bother to ask about the other items. It was all so good and the kids had a nice time. After lunch we went to the market but I without a recipe I had no idea what to buy and nothing was organic and there was a lot of highly processed food. I did buy some stainless steel plates, bowls and a water pitcher to use when we eat outside. I just finished reading In Defense of Food and Michael Pollen says to not buy something if it has more than 5 ingredients. I think I can do this but I am having a problem with the milk I buy. There are a lot of ingredients in in rice, soy or almond milk so I need to start making my own. My friend Lorien makes her own milk with raw peanuts and I would like to try it out. The next time I am at Whole Foods I am going to buy some and make my own.

diarrhea tablets

Tonight I went to help unpack the coop order and I was helping Sherry find her items. Sherry was filling her friends order and looking for diarrhea tablets and it made me laugh. I don't know why but the word makes me giggle to myself whenever I say it.

gardening

We went to the Zoo today with one of Porter's school friends and had a really nice time. The mom was saying that she lets her son pick out plants from the nursery so her yard is full or random plants. When we got home from the Zoo I decided that we needed to go to City Farmers Nursery to pick up some soil to start my seeds. While we were there I saw some ferns and wanted to get one so I told the kids they could each pick out one plant. I was thinking that I could plant it on the side of the house by the sidewalk because all we have there are weeds. I wanted Liesl to pick the fern but she had to follow Porter to the herbs. Porter picked out a Water Mint and Liesl picked out a Peppermint plant. We planted them in some pots my MIL bought me years ago and they look nice on the front porch.


It doesn't look like it but Porter was really proud of his plant.

school

There was a raffle and lunch at Porter's school and all the kids came in to sing some songs. The last time they had one of these Porter would not even go up so I was wondering what would happen today. He just stood there and did not sing but at least he was up there and did not scream.

12

I just folded 12 pairs of Liesl's pajamas. Who needs 12 pairs of pajamas? I only bought one pair and that is how I am justifying it to myself but I am a little embarrassed to say she has 12. How many pairs of pajamas should a child have?

park

This was taken on Liesl's birthday last month.

I could write about today but I think I would have more negative things than positive so I will just keep it to myself.
I hope this week is good and it is a little bit cooler than it was this weekend.

party and pool

Here are the kids ready to go to the birthday parties. We had a great time and I ate way to many vegan cupcakes.


The kids swam until 8:30PM. Here is Liesl and her Uncle Nicky sliding down the slide with the broom.

shirt

Another gift I just finished for tomorrow, now I am really going to bed.

Hot

This is a boring entry but I am tired.
It was hot today at the park but the kids had fun and it was nice in the shade. I needed groceries and had to take both kids to the store after we went to the park. Porter was really good and did not throw a fit but Liesl was tired and wanted out of the cart. We met some friends at the park this evening for a little potluck that ended up being vegan. It was such a nice end to our week I hope we meet up with them again soon. We stayed until 8:30 so it was dark on the walk home but we ran into some neighbors/old acquaintances by our house and it was nice to see them again. I am exhausted right now and I am getting up early for the Thursday Club Rummage sale in Balboa Park tomorrow morning.

skirt

We have two birthday parties for three kids to go to this Saturday so I have been busy making gifts. I hope the birthday girl likes it as much as I do.

bread

I made some bread using this recipe from the new homemaker and it turned out great! I was not going to knead the bread by hand so I used the bread maker for that part but cooked them in the oven. It took some time but we went to the park during the first rise and finished when we got home. The bread is so good and easy I want to start making it instead of buying it from the grocery store.
The first rise

In the oven after the second rise.

I had a few slices with strawberry jam and it reminded me of when my grandma used to bring us fresh bread with homemade jam.

Tree

This is the tree our playgroup is going to have a May Day party at.

fly

Jason walked into the kitchen today and said something like "wow clean sparkly kitchen" I was at the sink and turned around and said "there was a fly". Remember this post from last year? I am determined to keep the kitchen maggot free this summer. I would rather have a root canal than have to deal with them again. I am getting grossed out just thinking about it.

Today I rode the kids over to 28th Street park and only had to walk up one little part of a hill. It was so nice to be able to ride my bike and the kids loved it.

When I was cleaning the kitchen today I was going to mop the floors but when I went to the bathroom I noticed the tub was 1/3 full of water. I called my brother and he said he was busy so my dad was going to come over to fix it but my brother ended up coming over. Anyway I am just so thankful that he came over and helped us out and saved us money. My brother had said he was making albondigas soup for dinner so I decided to make him some fresh tortillas as a thank you. I did not have any white flour just some pastry flour and they did not turn out like they usually do. I have not made them in a while because I don't want to use white flour anymore but I have not had any luck substituting whole wheat flour in the recipe. My brother said he liked them and I am sure with some butter and dipped in soup they tasted fine.

Sunday

Today we went to Morley Field for a Vegan potluck with some friends. All the food was amazingly delicious and we had a great time. The kids fell asleep on the couch when we got home and while they slept I updated my Etsy account. My friend Julia lent us her bike trailer so we hooked it up to my bike when the kids woke up. I took them for a ride around the neighborhood and they loved it. It was easy to pull when the road was flat but going up a hill was hard. I am going to try and ride over to 28th Street park sometime this week.
This evening I decided to make some Tamari Roasted Chickpeas and started removing the skin from the chickpeas I made earlier in the day. I was just going to do some of them but I ended up doing all of them because my sister told me that is what she read you are supposed to do. It took me a while but it was kind of fun!

one week

A while back my sister said that she would like to just have one weeks worth of clothes for her children. I told her that two weeks was more reasonable but I don't know if I could do it. Porter and Liesl have one drawer each for clothes and one drawer that they share for pajamas and underwear. When all their clothes are washed and put away they barely fit in the drawers. I have started to put some of Liesl's clothes in the closet but I would like to get back to one drawer. Liesl has more clothes than Porter because there are a lot of older girls in our playgroup who pass them down to her. I like the idea of letting Liesl wear and outfit a few times and then passing it on to someone else. Porter is starting to grow out of his clothes so I am hoping to find some clothes for him next Saturday at the Thursday Club rummage sale.
Today Porter said to me "Hey Mommy do you know how to say underwear in Spanish? Panties" He makes me laugh.

bar

I met some friends for dinner and now we are out having some drinks. A good night.

A Dr. Seuss Book

After school today we went to Balboa Park to walk around and explore the cactus garden. The kids had a fun time finding lizards and wandering around. We let the kids run around where we could see them but, that was not very smart of us because Liesl somehow fell into a cactus and has scrapes and little holes on her chest and arm. I feel bad that she had to learn the hard way but, she was careful and didn't get too close the rest of the time we were there. Doesn't it look like a Dr. Seuss book?


Porter had just found a lizard and was calling my to come see it. This is his "why are you taking a photo of me when there is this cool lizard to look at" face.


Trail blazing.

people

I was inspired by this crafty mama and decided to try and make some for the kids. I did not want to use glue so I hand sewed them and it was surprisingly easy to put them together. I can't wait to make more!

WTF?

wrong car

I went to the wrong car tonight after knitting and even put my key in the lock. I walked up a hill to where I had originaly tried to park to a white car that was nothing like mine. Anyhoo, Liesl slept in the bed untill 5:40AM last night and Porter slept there untill 7AM. Porter really likes the new bed and I found him resting in it a few times today. I hope tonight goes as well as last night.

new bed

The kids were so excited tonight to get a new bed. We moved Porter's twin bed upstairs and my parent's brought over my old full size bed for the kids room. The idea is that they will sleep together better and be out of our bed. I hope tonight goes well and they stay in their bed all night.

This morning we walked up to the Mission and had breakfast with some friends. I love breakfast and the Zen Breakfast with rosemary potatoes minus the egg whites is my favorite. We walked to Bird Park after breakfast and played for a while before we went home and cleaned house. I made some of this amazing raw chocolate pudding for dessert tonight. It was so easy and so tasty I can't wait to make it again.

twenty and one

Twenty is the number of miles we rode last night and one is the number of times Liesl has nursed today. Jason went and picked up the kids early this morning and I thought that Liesl would want to nurse right away but I got up and gave the kids breakfast when they came home. Liesl did not ask for milk until a little bit later but I told her she had to get dressed first and after she got dressed we started playing with a puzzle and she did not ask again. Liesl nursed around two this afternoon after her nap and did not nurse this evening because she fell asleep in the car.
Today we went and closed an account at our old bank, went to see Horton Hears a Who and went to the South Park Walkabout. This was the first time we took Liesl to a movie and she did really well. The theatre was quiet and at the right moment she said "oh no" and made everyone laugh. It was a cute movie and I am happy I decided to go see it.

ride

It is 12:27AM and we just got home. We rode for 3 hours all the way to Point Loma and back. We stopped at the Pink Elephant for a drink with some friends and then went to the Commonwealth Cafe for some food. I wish I did not eat because now I feel like crap and just want to pass out from exhaustion. I am so glad the kids are spending the night at my parents house because I don't think I could drive. I had so much fun tonight I can't wait for the next ride in April.

this and that

Today I took Porter to school then went over to JoAnn's and GTM. I found some cheep fabric and I am going to make a few summer dresses for Liesl. After shopping we went over to a park close to Porter's school for a playgroup. There were a lot of people there so after I picked up Porter we went back and hung out for a few hours. Porter did not want to stay for lunch today so I did not make him. The teacher aide thinks that he was a little off on Tuesday at lunch because his teacher is on vacation this week. It was a fun day and I am looking forward to tomorrow. I am taking the kids to playgroup in the morning then at 12 my friend is going to watch them for a few hours so I can go run some errands.
Tomorrow night we are going on a Critical Mass bike ride and I am really looking forward to it. We could not get a sitter so we are taking the kids down to my parent's house and I know they will have a fun time.

beach

We went over to Coronado today with some friends and had a great time!

Porter making a sand angel.

two links

Go over to my sister's blog for a big announcement!

I love this post titled Plant vs. Animal over at The Gluten-Free Vegan Blog.

markers

I am not a huge fan of markers so I have never bought them for the kids. Liesl loves markers and only wants to play with them if they are around. My friend bought her some markers for her birthday so I let her play with them.


We went to an easter party on Saturday and Liesl spent most of the time inside with the markers. I think she had a good time!


Today I gave Porter and Liesl a spoonful of raw honey and Porter loved his but Liesl tasted it, took it off the spoon and wiped it on her dress.

Easter

It was hot today so we went swimming at my parent's house and then had a little egg hunt for the kids. Porter and Liesl each ate about half of a chocolate rabbit and complained of a stomach ache afterwards. It was a fun day.

tonight

My friend is coming over to watch the kids in just a little bit so we can go out. I am tired from being outside all day at an Easter party and swimming at my parent's house. I have to go get ready now.

today

Today my friend Sara came over and we walked up to Hillcrest for brunch. We went to City Bagel so I got the vegan cream cheese for the kids and avocado and tomatoes for me. Liesl saw my avocado and started asking for some so I shared. I have 15 lbs of avocados in my kitchen right now but they are not ripe yet and poor Liesl keeps asking for one. The last time we had them she ate one or more a day so I feel really bad that I can't give her one just yet. I went to a bead store today because they were having a 60% off sale. When I was 15 my Mom took my sister and I to this bead store by our house and I would make necklaces with beads and string. I moved on to macrame and bead necklaces and I did that for a long time. I even taught it when I worked in Maine at the teen camp. When we moved last year I found my bead box and took a look at it just a few months ago. I made a few necklaces with what I had and sold some in my mom's store so I decided to buy some more supplies. I like making the necklaces but they are not really my style so I don't wear them. Anyway, I found some nice beads for a great deal and the kids slept in the stroller so it was nice and easy to shop.

dress

I decided to make Liesl a dress tonight and it did not take that long but then I tried to make some blommers. It is 12:56AM and I am almost done but I will have to finish them in the morning. My eyes hurt and I am getting frustrated.

crafts

I made two shirts recently, one for a friend and one for Porter. Porter was watching Yo Gabba Gabba one day and asked if he could have a Muno shirt like the boy in the show. I showed him the shirt I made and he said it was supposed to be on a blue shirt and have a body.
Porter did not have a fever he just wanted to wear it all afternoon.

I made this shirt for a birthday gift for my friend's son Rowan.

Food

After reading this post about these vegetarian sausages I decided to go ahead and make them. They were so easy to make and so tasty I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
In the steamer basket.

I put them on a roll with some onions and peppers.
Jason added ketchup to his and Porter just ate his with ketchup and no veggies.
Today I made a raw sunflower seed sandwich spread. I bought a chard wrap from the Peace Pie guy at the farmers market a few weeks ago and loved it but had no idea what it was made out of. The next time I saw him I asked and found out it was sunflower seeds so I had to try and make my own. This is a photo of the one I bought. I just put mine on some bread and it was really tasty.

This is how I made mine but you could add other things like celery, carrots, kale or peppers.
It is so easy you just blend it up!
1 2/3 C raw sunflower seeds
juice of two medium lemons
4 mushrooms
1/4 onion

co-sleeping

We are a co sleeping family and it works for us. Porter slept in his bed until this winter when it was cold in his room and we felt bad making him sleep in there by himself. My mom asked me last night if I we ever "cuddle" and if it bothers me that the kids sleep with us. We do get to "cuddle" all the time on the couch and in bed next to the kids so that is not a problem for us. We don't love or hate having the kids with us but for now it is working. Four in a queen size bed leaves little room to stretch out so I don't know how much longer we will do it. Most mornings we are woken up by Liesl asking for food or a show but the other day she woke up and said "hi everybody", it was so cute. Porter will wake up and say "I love you mommy" and it just make is all worth it. Eventually we are going to put a full bed in the kids room and work on having them sleep in there together.

Jason was reading a book to Porter last night and Porter had to use the bathroom so he asked Jason to "pause the book".