Hot Hot Heat Wave !

Wow, above 30 degrees - maybe! Then it will storm and back down to 17C. Today I'm in Luxemboorgers again so I thought I'd turn our thoughts to more pleasant things, Munchkins on weekends:

skyping with the folks back home

Always a more active activity than you'd think

generally worth it though

I love this sequence: Eat,

...contemplate..

...eat...

....contemplate.

Training of the Potty

This weekend we had a massive success and before I write a letter more, let me say those of you non-parent or squeamish reader should bail out now, because we are talking Potty Training today.

I've not been shy about publicizing my keen desire to not have to change nappies. Working full time (almost) means its not easy to start early with potty training. Early potty training generally involves being around your kid to pick up on queues when they are going so you can make the connection between loos and loo-business. If you are not around consistently then this is pretty difficult to do. Also I can't help but observe that where this is still widely practiced are also places where it's generally socially acceptable to let your kid poo on the street (not something I'm willing to try in Amsterdam).

So we try to fit it in when we can. We discuss the potty, we have an open-door policy (willingly or not) when we are in the loo, and even several songs*. Usually she couldn't care less, but lately she seems to be taking a shine to it. Imagine our total delight when we caught the usual signs (children are delightfully transparent. Well ours is in the case), asked Munchkin if she needed to use the potty, and she said YES! We rushed to get the potty. Munchkin didn't just want the nappy off, she wanted to be totally au natural for her first requested poo poo on the potty. In fact she sat there for a good long while, requesting three batches of books while she hung out. You don't want to discourage this glimmer of interest, so we let her sit on her throne as long as she liked.

Fingers crossed this is a sign of a trend!





* Poo poo in the po-tteee. poo poo in the po-o-tty. Poo poo in the po-tteee, poo poo in the po-o-tty. Poopy doop doop poopy doop doop, poopy doop doo. Poopy doop doop poopy doop doop, poopy doop doo!

Being Influenced by Media

OH recently bought us a new sound system whose major feature is the data hub and interface software which allows us to listen to our library of music as well as stream pod casts and internet radio all over the house. As a result we are suddenly listening to a ton more music and radio. Both OH and I like talk radio in general, and it's been wonderful to listen to BBC4 and NPR again (go nerd pride!). It is however, having an influence. In particular I've been listening to a lot of agriculture/food shows. There was a recent interview of Michael Pollen, a very popular culinary crusader. If you've not read any of his books, they are very readable. He was on the radio to promote his latest book. I won't go into the detail, but it referred a lot to "slow food", which if you think about it is actually "food as it has always been for thousands of years until very, very recently". I thought about how we are so rushed in the evenings, though we do cook most night (except burrito night of course). I am guilty of being impatient with techniques - taking things out a little too soon, or turning up the heat to finish something a little more quickly.

I decided to take advantage of the Munchkin mega nap (gods know we will eat far less well when she drops her nap) to combine the dual foodie media influence of recent British Bake Off rerun streak with the slow food program to make a quiche. I made the crust (an oil crust, bit salty, not sure I'd do again) and in the meantime prepared the filling over hours, each ingredient being added one at a time then allowed to slowly sweat before adding the next. It was very relaxing. Unfortunately I added one thing that OH and decided actually we don't really like very much (smoked salmon if you're wondering. I just don't like it and OH only likes it cold), which made the final result slightly less enjoyable. But I'm sold on chilling out a little more every now and then.

Weekend Roundup

We had a very routine weekend. Friday Munchkin and I did our usual: playground, nap, playground. It was made slightly more stressful by the fact that I had a massive project due that day. Munchkin did her part by taking a massive, four-hour long nap which allowed me to get everything I needed done. This is part one of two big milestones. There will be a lot of work between now and the next one in two weeks time but I'm so looking forward to it being behind me.

Friday night OH and I had pizza and watched a film we didn't plan to watch, The Warrior's Way. A silly kung fu slash western that was very entertaining if a little bloody for me.

Saturday we planned great things and once again ended up doing what we always do: shopping and a stop on the way back at the playground. It was a miserable, wet day and that ended up being fantastic! Now that Albert Cuyp is our nearest market, it's made going shopping somewhat less fun as the place is always jam packed with tourists. Rain scares them all away and we had the place to ourselves. We managed to pick up everything we needed for dinner with friends that night and by the time we were done it had stopped raining and the sun even came out a little in time for Munchkin to have a good play at the playground.

Munchkin nap time I baked my very first ever roll cake. Inspired by weeks of watching reruns of The Great British Bake Off, I decided I wanted to try "something I saw on TV". To be honest they did a roulade but I couldn't find any interesting recipes that didn't include chocolate and our friend doesn't like chocolate very much (I know, these people exist!). So I made the much easier roll cake instead Pictures to follow. It only occurs to me now that that was also my first time baking a proper cake in the oven. In fact this little combi oven is even better than my last one! Smaller, yes, but at least this first attempt it baked perfectly evenly. I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it. Unfortunately lots of cake is something we don't need in our lives. I will attempt to channel this potential new interest in baking for the powers of good rather than evil.

We had an awesome Saturday night. Our friends S and M came over with their son Q. S and M are expecting their first child together. Both have children from previous relationships, being S's Q amazing little man though he is now in the double digits. I knew Q from back in the day, when S and I first met (six years ago, wow!). Of course as kids get older they don't want to tag along with mom as much and I don't get to see him that often but we had a really nice family dinner. Munchkin was unfortunately very tired so she conked out pretty early. I made brown chicken stew, or brown down chicken (a recipe I saw on the baking show by the way) along with the traditional side dish as suggested by The Internet - rice and peas. Actually it is rice with either kidney beans or pigeon peas. You make the rice as normal and then boil it in a mix of half water/half coconut milk. I would have never on my own thought of doing something like this but it was fantastic. It went really well with the chicken which was supposed to be spicy and sweet but ended up being just sort of stewy - not a big success but then I'm a chicken novice. Next time! Actually I really dislike chicken so I threw a hunk of tofu in there for me. The roll cake, which I made with kinako (soybean flour) and green tea whipped cream, was a massive hit. I drizzled chocolate over the top, making sure to keep it light on the ends for our friend.

Sunday was father's day. We had a special father's day breakfast deluxe: sausage, bacon, french toast, and fruit salad. Dutch bread is not really suited to french toast - I keep forgetting this. Afterwards we went to the park again to enjoy some rare sunshine. OH got a tool box for father's day - we like to reinforce our gender stereotypes here. Otherwise a very quiet day, puttering and relaxing. 

Munchkin + Mommy Day

I thought I'd try to capture a typical mamadag for Munchkin and I in photos.

Munchkin and I always have oatmeal for breakfast. 

Appreciate the focus- that spoon doesn't get into the mouth so easily in the beginning

Ah but it's worth it in the end. Our oatmeal to date consists of half whole/ half  cut oats,  raisins, half milk/water, and then sweetened with mashed bananas. I'm toying with the idea of how to add some protein in there.

After breakfast we usually go to the park if it is nice weather (re: not raining) . Half  the pleasure is the journey. We stop for doggies, ducks, and pigeons. 

The journey's end is of course the playground. Even if its wet, we  will still play in the sand pit, with  our toys or anyone else's lying around.

Slide = awesome

Munchkin loves to prolong the anticipation before going down the slide, much to the chagrin of children behind her.

After the mega nap we usually go for a bit of a shop and end at the playground near our house. There are always other children for Munchkin to emulate. We love the recreation area near our house. There is a basketball court, a tar football field, picnic benches, and of course the playground. What makes it so special is that people actually use all these areas. Especially the basketball court sees a lot of action. Generally when I think of these kinds of parks in an urban area I think of them being overrun by disgruntled youths looking surly and doing things that won't benefit them much in the future. But our lovely park is full of people of all ages, using it for what it is intended. Of course there are surly youths from time to time but it really is on the whole a nice place

Walking to the park

.

oh my god it is nearly done

Big stinky project official due date is tomorrow. But those of you in the know know that it will drag on for many long weeks after...

Back from Belgium

Was in BE yesterday but the aftermath is that work is very very busy today! The crown Bokkie will have to keep you company today. Munchkin nearly lost Bokkie at the Polish market but fortunately they kept him safe until we realized he was missing and came back for him. Yes, he's a dude wearing a pink tiara. 

Entertaining!

We've been enjoying having people over at our new flat. It's really a pleasure to be able to still speak to your guests when the unavoidable moment comes that you need to get something from the kitchen. Even just relaxed things like brunch (becoming a new favorite), as we did the other day with our friends E and M. Especially as Munchkin is steaming along towards toddler-dome. I always pooh poohed when other parents said they wouldn't go out to eat with their kids. We have been going out to eat with our Munchkin because despite eating out being not very nice in Amsterdam, we still wanted to be able to get out of the house occasionally. We also believe if you NEVER take the kids out, they will never learn to behave. However, I think our experience as we enter the turbulent, learning she has a will, toddler years, is that perhaps it's not always worth the battle. Current theory: years 2-4 maybe less fun to go out to eat. Not that we'll stop! But we will be tempted to have folks over, especially when we have many kiddos in the mix. Cheaper and they can run themselves ragged.

Munchkin helps set the table

Munchkin thought this game was hilarious, and this one was funny for us too since she couldn't get it quite off her head

Ahhhh, beautiful mama and new little girl enjoying our rocking chair

home brunch bliss - toddlers entertain each other, running all over the house while adults enjoy each other and food

Munchkin gets to practice her hostessing skills

weekend roundup

We had a lovely weekend, graced by a mysterious entity in the skies, a great day star, many many times larger than any stars we normally see at night. We understand it's known as "the sun".

Friday it was 23 C for the first time this year in Amsterdam and I wore sandals for the first time in the Netherlands. I had great ideas to do something exciting and different but in the end Munchy and I did exactly the same thing as we have the last couple mommy days. That is, morning in the park near us. Munchkin loves going to the park. Seems like every time we go she masters a new motor skill. This time she climbed up the slightly angled ladder to the slide, which she's done before, but this time she did it with practiced ease. It's so surprising as a parent to see them suddenly leap forward.

Friday afternoon because it was so lovely OH came home early to join us at the play ground near our house. Munchkin has been sleeping these epic, 3+ hour naps which leaves little time in the afternoon to do much of anything. We burritos and watched Grizzly Man after Munchkin went down. I have seen the documentary before and I enjoyed it just as much the second time.

Saturday we again had big plans to do something different and new, which failed. We needed to do some shopping for having friends over that evening and ended up getting a late start out the door, which meant all we did was our shopping and a stop at the park for Munchkin - just like we do most Saturdays! During the mega nap I was able to do all my prep for the evening meal. I love having everything ready in advance of having folks over, makes it so much more enjoyable to be able to relax. I also set myself the challenge to have as little clean up after as possible. I remember piles and piles of washing up from my youth. My father is and was then a great chef but in his younger days the thought of washing up as you go along never occurred to him (probably because he had children to do it for him afterwards).

Because everything was ready ahead of time and our friends were coming later, we had loads of time to go to Oosterpark for a good long play. She had her dinner, her bath, and was sound asleep before our friends C and D came over. I realized afterwards the meal was a bit repetitious from the last time we had friends over, with some familiar players such as white asparagus, soup and puree. This time it was hoity toity gazpacho from my recipe book (thanks sis Stef for my Gourmet cookbook - I use it all the time!) which called for roasting the tomato and pepper before you chop it all up. Since I've never made gazpacho before I'm actually not sure if this is different to the standard recipe! But the cookbook seemed to hint in its description that this was their secret je ne sais quoi to making it awesome. I leave that to the experts to inform me. For main we had jerusalem artichoke and celeriac puree, white artichoke and salt-baked salmon filets served with chervil mayonaise. That last one is recipe from yet another book from my sister - thanks! First time I made my own mayo - so magical!

The whole meal, however, was meant to be very light, a lead up to the star: home made mint chocolate chip ice cream brownie sundae. So so so good.  We were so full afterwards we all went straight to bed.

Sunday. we met our friends E & D for breakfast at a lovely new place near their home and still walking distance from us. They had a nice big table in the back for we and our three kiddos (their two, our one). The food was good but it wasn't a relaxing time. I fear our little Munchkin is really starting to feel her oats and flex her little Munchkin will! Especially with the two older girls, only slightly older, giving her all sorts of ideas. We agreed to meet the

ext time at our place for brunch! Then the kids can run round and we can relax. We ended the day with some puttering about finishing the last room in the flat, and skyping with everyone but the sister whose cookbooks contributed to our excellent Saturday meal - so sorry! I swear next week we will speak. :(

Lazy Day

OH took me out for a belated birthday dinner last night. We went just around the corner to Le Hollondais. Food was good but the service was the highlight. Attentive, personable, just the right of interaction. We had a great time, especially since good service is so rare!

Today is the one day it will get above 23 C that I have off. It's the first day this year I have worn sandals in the Netherlands. So it's a short post for today - happy Friday!

Best Birthday Gifts are Communal

I think I wrote a while back that OH got me my birthday present a little early this year: a new non-stick pan. Apparently Le Creuset makes these now in a standard metal material (versus their delightful but back breakingly heavy ceramic classic). I can't believe what I've been missing all these years. Of course pancakes are a breeze now but the real breakthrough is: burgers.

Not meaty burgers: no I mean weird, unholy, veggie patty things. In my old, tired non-stick I was constantly trying to make my own veggie patties. They would invariably stick to the pan no matter how much oil I threw in there. Non-stick is like a revelation, especially since veggie patty mixes tend to be very wet and low on fats to keep them from adhering to the pan when you apply heat. Last night I made patties out of black lentils. Now that I have the confidence to do this I really experimented with the flavoring. OH bought some buns on his way home. 

They were AWESOME. I think we blew our little Munchkin's mind though. She could not believe it was possible to have sandwich for dinner too. She ate two! She even ate some lettuce, which she abhors. Why am I so excited about what is effectively fried beans? Well OH and I have had a bit of a slow but steady Come to Jesus moment this year. We are really trying to cut out processed foods and eat more nutritiously. I think it's an easy initiative for me because I already enjoy cooking. We didn't eat much meat before and now we eat it even more seldom. Neither of us miss it - but no meat and no processed proteins like commercial veggie burgers and the like does impact how much variety have in your meals. Add a toddler and a limited amount of time to cook in the mix and it gets seriously boring. 

My magical non-stick pan opens new doors to me: veggie burgers of any stripe or creed, falafel, nut balls... it's all game on now. I think from all my failed attempts in the past I somehow learned the correct proportions, which is sort of the holy grail/master recipe you need when you have to whip up food (I do not have time to follow a recipe). We've also discovered nuts as a protein do not taste disgusting when you apply heat. Especially walnuts - but that's another post.

Goodbye Little Super Stars!

We grew to really like our last creche, as mentioned. Caring people, always clean, took the kids outside any chance they could. OH was able to get some pictures despite lacking our fancy camera.

This is the only picture we have of Munchkin with her first boyfriend, Evan, the little red headed boy

They had a special place for her but she wanted to sit near her "vriend"

A very sweet crown and going away gift. 

I feel bad we parted the happy couple!

You can just see on the side the mega bar of chocolate

A May in the Pijp

The bit of the pipe near our house

Seeing lovely A and A after a long hiatus - it was grand!

First guests in the back yard on rare sunny afternoon

Pleasures of the new kitchen. Meet for others

Pleasures of the new neighborhood - steps!

More visitors chilling in the back yard. Such a novelty for us I don't think it'll wear off for a while

Weeks of Suck Ahead

The whole Month of June is going to suck a lot. We have a very big, very complicated project due. It's been giving me pain for months but now it will come down to the crunch and I can tell you already it is not going to be fun. This as a warning if you see some radio silence dear readers.

Not to worry though, OH is still posting lots of great photos.

Weekend Roundup

Another very full weekend!

Friday it was sunny and vaguely warm - 19 C, and Munchkin and I tried to squeeze as much time out in the sun light as we could. Morning and afternoon we went to playgrounds. The morning session was particularly profitable as Munchy ran around the sand pit stealing everyone else's toys. In the evening we tried to order burritos but they were TOO BUSY! They weren't doing deliveries. So - not all things an improvement in our new neighborhood. We had pizza from a new place instead and it was very good (but no burrito). We also tried to watch Lore but it has a little baby in at and foreboding of bad things to happen and I couldn't stomach it. So we watched the last Harry Potter movie again instead. I do love brainless action/fantasy films.

Saturday was OH's turn to get his hair cut. His was a lot quicker and cheaper - 13 EUR. And it looks great! I'll have to get a picture. Munchy and I did a bit of shopping and his trip was so quick he was able to meet us at the supermarket! It was a bit of an adventure because Munchkin was flying free form - unhindered by any type of transport device. We walked (read: I carried her) to the Polish market near us, and then crossed the street to the Turkish green grocer. This was my first attempt in a while to get Munchkin used to the idea of shop etiquette. AKA: don't grab stuff from other people's baskets, be on the look out for other people, you cannot have everything you pick up. It went pretty okay! We did not take the giant bag of corn nuts she picked up but we did buy the three yellow peppers she chose (well one she licked and I felt we probably ought to take that one). At the check out she had her only melt down when she wanted to pick up some candy but we managed to distract her with the yellow peppers.

I abandoned the family then for a good, long ladies' lunch. I do those so rarely nowadays! It's so hard to give up time with my family but it is so necessary for a woman to have time with other women (well for me anyways). It was great to talk about girly junk and eat simple carbs. The only down was we were meeting on the other side of town which means from where I live now I have to journey straight through the heart of tourist land - directly in front of Centraal Station and all the ilk. Not a very relaxing journey since tourists do NOT know how to handle the bikes and I actually hit one on the way back! In fact I had to veer at the last minute. I think I got him in the back with my handlebar but of course I skid my knee trying to not completely fall off my bike. Grrr. He was very apologetic but my knee is very sore as a result.

Saturday evening we bough Munchkin some toys for the sandpit of her own to curtail the theft trend and  lingered too long by the park, ending up all of us with hunger crabs. We made Munchy a quick dinner and then I spent AN HOUR PEELING SHRIMP. WTF? I have never bought raw shrimp. The store had only frozen cooked or raw frozen with shell still on. Who knew it was such an incredible pain in the ass to de-vein and de-poop shrimp? It took ages, and oh by the way it's totally disgusting. I bought the raw because I thought cooked shrimp would limit my cooking options, but I say screw variety for the future. I will never ever ever do that again. Anyways, happy ending, the dish I made was awesome - Thai shrimp patties with a cucumber/avocado salad. We were so hungry by then however we could hardly appreciate it though.

Sunday we had our friends M and E over. They just had their second child and their first is now 2,5. Some kind of switch must flick on at this age because they all turn into naughty little terrors. I enjoy getting a preview of what is to come! Their lovely (if naughty but no more than the age dictates!) daughter N also helps us see what we'll need to toddler-proof in the coming months as she gets a hold of it in a matter of seconds. We feasted on pancakes, bacon and my new favorite, eggs fried in bacon fat. Why do I like the byproducts of meat so much more than meat? I'm not a big fan of bacon but I love those eggs. Turns out so does Munchkin! She ate nearly the whole batch herself. We let the kids run themselves ragged and parted at nap time.

Sunday evening we hit the park AGAIN (I know we're addicts) and then had a great meal skyping with the parents which Munchkin LOVED and then collapsed. I've been exhausted all week, must be all this sunshine.