So, maybe i have not been the best blogger....

I have been back all week, so I don't really have a good excuse for not blogging (especially my In the Kitchen required post)---except I have been reading the Hunger Games books all week. They are hard books to put down. However, I have been good mom and have only read them at night and during Elanor's naps after I finished all my "chores". I mostly really enjoying them. The writing it s not the best, but is significantly better than Stephanie Meyer. They also have a lot more social commentary and depth than the Twilight books (which I am not a big fan of--the 1st was ok), but are not as good as the Harry Potter books. The last Hunger Games book left me feeling a little depressed and horrified. If you have read it, I am sure you know what I mean. The books point out how horrible war and violence is no matter what side you think is the "better" side. I am not a fan of war and if I ever had to name the one thing that terrifies me it is: people who kill other people. I don't understand it or how people can kill another person. I understand that sometimes it is necessary, but it just horrifies me so much. There are quite a few things I would have done differently in the third book if I was the author, but I do think her anti-war message is a good one. Oh, and Tyler and I went and saw the Hunger Games movie last night which was really well done. 

Sorry for The Hunger Games rant... It has kind of been on my mind all week. What are your opinions on the books?

Anyways.... While we were in Oregon, we had a little time one of the mornings to go to the Oregon Zoo (which is quite good, by the way). Elanor loved it! She especially liked the elephants, crocodiles, and polar bears. 

 Wearing Grandpa's hat

I'm Out.

I will be in Oregon this week to work on choreography for my mom's play, Mulan. I have been having a lot of fun studying traditional Chinese dances, tai chi, and kung fu. I really want to learn kung fu now and I am completely serious. It is awesome. I won't be back until Sunday, so don't expect an "In the Kitchen" post this week.

On a side note, just curious, how many people really read this blog? I have no idea, since I don't get that many comments. I don't want to just write this for nobody. Sorry, if I am am coming off needy and silly, but I want to write posts for people, so I want to know if anyone reads them. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make this blog better or how to advertise more effectively?

Do you read to see this? :

I don't blame you, she is pretty darn cute.

In the Kitchen: My Mom's Scones

So maybe I'm on a roll here with my mom's recipes...but hey, she is an amazing cook and I use her recipes all the time! I am so lucky that I grew up with a mom who is an excellent cook/baker and also gave me ample opportunities to help her and use the kitchen. 

These scones are wonderful. Simple, but definitely gets the point across and is a great vehicle for jam (which is how my brother, Erik, uses scones or any form of bread). Scones are also great because they are easy to vary; add chocolate chips, nuts, raisins or whatever you have around. I prefer them plain with butter and jam, with a cup of tea (preferably mint or licorice spice).

My Favorite Books for a New Mom

Being a parent is such a fun, new, exciting thing, but honestly I had never been a parent before, so I needed/still need help. I don't know where I would be without my mom and some really great books. These books have been great in helping me to learn how to get Elanor on a schedule and how to alter it as she gets older, how to feed her, what to feed her, potty training, etc.

Here is a list of books I would recommend to any new or soon-to-be mom:

The BabyWise books are great. There are several more and I also highly recommend Baby Wise Two and the Toddler Wise book as well. This books helps one to understand the whole nursing/feeding, sleeping, awake-time schedule. It was rather mind-blowing. One of the things I did not know before I read it was, you don't nurse your baby to sleep and they need to learn to fall asleep on their own. Because of this book Elanor is a good sleeper. She started sleeping through the night at 2 months. There were occasionally some bad nights, but they were few and far between. Thank you, because I need my sleep.  For more tips, real experiences with the baby wise methods go to this great blog.

This book by British author, Annabel Karmel, is a really great introductory book for starting solids. It had recipes (since we did not do store bought baby food), gives advice on when and how to start solids, etc.

I have only read the toddler book, but she wrote one for babies too that I really need to read. This book is a great read and has awesome advice. I highly suggest reading it and I really want to own it, so I can come back to it at anytime. She gives advice on how to deal with and put an end to tantrums, advice on how to help toddlers get used to a new sibling, etc. Really, every parent should read this book. 

This potty training book by Jill M. Lekovic has a lot of practical advice. I just wish I read it sooner! You are supposed to start potty training at 6 months, I did not read the book until Elanor was 11 months.. It is a really easy going method and we are using it with Elanor.

Although this book is not about parenting at all, it is about food. Food is central to family life and I feel like it is important to be aware of what we put in our and our children's bodies. I am very much into eating healthy, organic, local, whole foods as much as I can. Becoming a mom, made me even more paranoid about food, because I care what Elanor eats. I don't want her starting puberty early because of what I fed her. Plus, it is better for her and our whole family. Tyler an I are a lot more susceptible to getting sick now after eating meat at someones house or a restaurant (not that we ever ate unhealthy food, we are just 10x more careful, especially with meat). There are a ton more books to read on this subject, but this is a really good starter one and really opens your eyes to ins and outs of the food industry. Food Inc. is also a really good, quick movie that gets the point across too. My professor at SVU also wrote the book Poisoned, which I need to read....

Oh, and my mom. She is a great asset to have and answers my baby questions all the time. Moms are the best.

Do you have any favorite parenting books? I would love to read them! Also, any suggestions for good toddler books, specifically how to teach (as in numbers. letters, etc.) your toddler?

Easter

We had a great Easter weekend! The only problem is I somehow sort of forgot about going to Easter events. I thought about it late in the afternoon on Saturday and thought that there were probably some Easter egg hunts we could have gone to. Oh, well. Next year, I guess! 

In the Kitchen: My Mom's Chocolate Cake

Well,  today all you lucky people can have the recipe; it really is the best. My mom made it for my wedding and also my sister's wedding because we love it so much. The recipe comes from the cookbook, "The Portland Palate", and my mom altered it by adding more chocolate than it called for. The result is a very moist, chocolatey, delicious cake. You should all consider making it soon!

Our wedding cakes, photo by our good friend Alex Nguyen 

Zion National Park

As I said in the last post, my parents and brothers came to visit for their Spring Break. We went down to Zion National Park for part of the week. Zion was absolutely beautiful. It was more than beautiful, it was epic, majestic and felt a lot like Disneyland (the Thunder Mountain Railroad area). It was so awe-inspiring that it did not feel completely real (the Disneyland effect). I loved it and I want to go back there and explore some more. We went on three beautiful hikes and my brothers and Dad were able to go on a few more adventures when Elanor was napping. We camped for two nights and stayed in a motel on the third. Sleeping in a tent with Elanor was not the greatest, so we definitely need to expose her to it more often. I have so many pictures (some are my Dad's and Erik's) from only a four day period of time.

The best way to show Zion is through these pictures, rather than through my rather weak script.

Without further ado........

here is Zion.

1st day quickie hike:

It's Been a Awhile

Sorry about that. Oh, and sorry about no "In the Kitchen" on Friday last week or this week! My family came down to visit and I have not had much time to write. My family got here last Friday and I spent the Friday before busily cleaning and planning and baking for a surprise party for them. I have missed my brother's and parent's birthdays so I wanted to do something specula for them. My family is pretty into Doctor Who (an awesome British TV show for those unfamiliar with it), so I threw them a Doctor Who Party.

Tyler made the front door into the Doctor's Tardis.