Shriners Hospitals in Trouble

Most of you have heard me rave about how wonderful the Shriners Hopsitals are. They take excellent care of Evie and Sophie, but more important is the work they do with kids who are far more sick and who need far more medical attention. The Shriners offer world-class care to kids who really need it, and they don't charge a dime for their services.

I read a very distressing article this weekend -- the Shriners Hospitals are facing budget shortfalls and are considering closing a quarter of their facilities. If things continue as they are, Shriners may be forced to close down all of their hospitals in the next five to seven years.

Times are hard for all of us (trust me, I know!), but if any of you are in a position to send the Shriners $5 or $50 or whatever, please consider helping out. I just sent a meager donation of my own, and I'm going to try to start sending them monthly donations.

Spread the word about how great these hospitals are. Losing the Shriners Hospitals would be a terrible blow, not just for kids with OI, but for all the kids with debilitating conditions and injuries who receive excellent care at these amazing hospitals.

My Little Skeptic

We've had a weekend filled with Easter activities -- and by "Easter activities," I mean the secular celebrations we've come to associate with that holiday. Egg hunts at the park with a costumed Easter Bunny, dying hard-boiled eggs, and waking up to baskets full of candy on Easter morning. As will surprise none of you, we don't attend services or reflect on the religious meaning of this holiday -- when the girls are older, we'll talk about it and encourage them to decide for themselves what they think about it. But for now, Easter is all about the candy.

Still, even the Easter Bunny gives the girls an opportunity to exercise their budding baloney-detection skills.

Last night before bed, after much excited discussion of what the Easter Bunny might leave for the girls to find in the morning, Evie said to me, "Mom, is Easter real or pretend?"

I said, "What do you think?"

"Real! Real! Real!" both girls yelled in reply. And still my heart was glad, because she thought to ask the question in the first place.

Later, Evie was talking about the egg hunt we'd gone to that morning: "And there was a guy in a white Easter Bunny costume!" She wasn't fooled -- she saw right through that fluffy costume to the human underneath.

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to watching these kids explore and consider the world around them, reveling in the wonder and joy while setting aside superstition. It's very important to me that they choose their own path and find their own way, but I think we're off to an excellent start!

Adventures in Community-Supported Agriculture

I've long been curious about community-supported agriculture (CSA). I love the idea of getting regular shipments of fresh produce, whatever's in season, and planning our meals around the ever-changing bounty. After a bit of research, I decided to give Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks a try. They dropped off my first batch of fruits and veggies this afternoon (along with a pound of coffee beans):



This delightful shipment includes

red potatoes
carrots
bok choy
fennel
kale
lettuce (unidentified variety)
cherry tomatoes
strawberries
tangelos
pears (bartlett and d'anjou)
kiwis
apples (cripps pink and granny smith)

I was most pleased to discover that the quality is excellent. I believe I've complained before about Peapod and their terrible produce. I've become suspicious of delivered produce that I can't choose for myself. But this was all in excellent shape.

Now, friends, I need some recipes for bok choy, fennel, and kale. I have no idea what to do with them. Help!!

The Latest Cake Project

For David's birthday today, I made a mille crepes cake (using this recipe from my favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen). I didn't put my decorating skills to work on this one -- how exactly do you decorate a mille crepes cake? I tried to sprinkle sugar on top and caramelize it with a culinary torch, as the recipe suggests, but it didn't really work. The sugar didn't caramelize fast enough, and the top layer was starting to scorch. In the end, with that sparkly sugar on top of an otherwise beige cake, it ends up looking a lot like a sesame-seed bun:



The side view is a bit more attractive, if rather sloppy:



But the inside is what looks really cool:


Oh, and it tasted pretty decent, too.

Cozumel, by the numbers

Hours spent in flight total: 8

Minutes spent running through the airport to catch our first flight: 15 (a very fun run with two three-year-olds and a bunch of luggage)

Average temperature in Cozumel: 75

Average water temperature in the resort swimming pools: 32

Times the sound system at the swimming pools played "Copacabana," immediately followed by Smash Mouth's "All Star": Eleventy billion

Rainstorms: 2

Dolphins kissed: 1

Members of the family who upchucked at least once: 3

Friends made by the girls: 5

Parents of those new friends who are now my Enemies For Life: at least 2

Car seat laws in Mexico: none, apparently

Taxis in Mexico that have no seat belts: at least half

Timeshares purchased: zero

Animal sculptures our maid crafted from bathroom towels: 5 (stunning, every one)

Time each morning when the twins woke up, announced that it was "awake time," and threw aside the dark curtains to let in the oh-so-bright Cozumel sunlight: 6:00 am

Submarine adventures: 1

Wildlife spotted: numerous iguanas, flamingos, peacocks, fish, turtles, cats...

Good times had by all: countless

Happy Holidays

Heedless of the Wind and Weather

A kind (and hardy) soul took video of the Chicago Chamber Choir's caroling stint at Millennium Park last Friday (in 16-degree weather -- fun!). Check it out. I'm in the front row, third from the left.

Prop 8: The Musical

Seen everywhere:

Yes We Can

And yes we DID.

In preparation for tonight's election-watching marathon, I printed out a map of the United States that we could color in with blue or red as each state was decided. I got out red and blue colored pencils, and for a while the twins would happily color away at the states I pointed to, blue for Pennsylvania, red for South Carolina, and so on.

But soon they became bored with their color choices. While my back was turned, they grabbed a new color and filled in the rest of the map without my interference. Their chosen color? Purple.

Like President-Elect Obama, Evie and Sophie would like to remind us that we are one nation, one people, one United States of America.

Vote!

We took advantage of early voting last week, so we're done. Wondering who the girls decided to vote for?