What do you do with all the leftover cake and cupcakes from a birthday party? You eat them in a weeklong slog through dessert every night. On Monday night Toddler Harbat was well aware that there was leftover cake just…
Monthly Archives: October 2010
Birthday Girl
Roughly once per day for the last few months Toddler Harbat has asked about her birthday. Each time we asked about a theme, it varied from “Pony Princess” to “Princess Pony”. No way was I dressing up in a full-sized…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: birthday, birthday cake, parenting, pirates, ponies, princesses, toddlers
Hiss!
This, I learned from Toddler Harbat, is the sound a vampire makes: hiss! It’s to be accompanied by two hands with fingers hooked into rictus claws of pain and a fearsome grimace. Remember the warrior face from the cookie post? …
Yes! Holes!
We all have our little victories and for me it’s getting holes in bread. “Easy!” you say, “Just poke your finger in there!” But were it that simple. My recent problems with ciabatta led me to think my dough was…
Family Traits
Facial recognition is all about layers of information. The first time you see someone, the top layer is quick impressions. Eyebrows big or small? How do the eyes fit in the face? What’s the mouth like? Next time you meet…
Random Bags and Coming Home
Two quick thoughts on parenting. One: be prepared for random items in unexpected places. Last night I found on the couch a mesh bag filled with two miniature pumpkins, a glittery smiley face sticker, and several small ficus berries. Knowing…
Music for Children
Even before Toddler Harbat was born we began to get music for children. Some had familiar nursery rhymes yelled out over a background of synthesized strings. One was original compositions by a woman with an average voice, a guitar, and…
It’s Spring!
Here in Southern California, spring comes in October. Rain has arrived after a five-month hiatus and everything is turning from dusty taupe to rich emerald. I relish the sound of water patting and dripping on leaves, the mechanized whirr-whip of…
Ciabatta and More Ciabatta
I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into. I’ve agreed to make 16 loaves of ciabatta for a fundraiser event. In a way, this will be easier than any other type of bread because I can use the no-knead recipe. …
Taco Tuesday
New tradition begun this week: Taco Tuesday. A weekday food ritual reminds me of Pizza Friday in elementary school, when our white rectangular sytrofoam trays got a white rectangular Styrofoam pizza plopped on it. Each pizza looked exactly the same,…
