Little Man On Campus

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Little Man On Campus

My little guy begins his formal education today.  For three days a week, he'll ride trikes, paint pictures and nap on the floor.  We are sending him to a Reggio Emilia program like his older brother, where he will collaborate and explore with his fellow tiny classmates.  Part of this educational philosophy involves documentation; lots of pictures of process and discovery.  For his first day we are bringing something to share with the group, Wylie's Zucchini Muffins. Yesterday afternoon I put an apron on him and he went to work. I let him run the the food processor and crack the eggs.  He's two, and it was messy, but he did a great job, and loved looking at the pictures of himself after we finished. They're delicious! Recipe below.

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Secret Sauce

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Secret Sauce

Here it is, my secret salsa recipe. I used to work as a production manager and event designer for a fancy Bay Area catering firm. Being an enthusiastic home cook, I spent some time in kitchen with the chefs, but the best recipe that I learned from that place came from our warehouse manager Ruben.  He was a crazy person, but he made a mean salsa.  You can use different varieties of peppers and tomatoes to create your own brand, but everything is in season right now, so this is the time to make it, eat it, freeze it, and jar it. Salt a warm stone ground corn tortilla and dip.  It's better than a handful of chips.  

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Dog Days and Road Trips

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Dog Days and Road Trips

When little kids get out of school for summer break it's time for swimming, eating ice cream and hitting the road back seat style.  The change of pace is most welcome, but as much as they don’t want to admit it, with all of that down time, summer can begin to drag (or at least it does at my house). Here are 5 creative activity books and kits to fill the time. 

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Prep School

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Prep School

As soon as August hits, I'm thinking about what I'll be wearing in the fall.  In California that means November.  My fall wardrobe is usually my summer wardrobe with slightly deeper colors and more layering pieces.  I was really into mint and coral this season.  With my new town bike, I'll be riding around all day dropping off and picking up my kids from school, with stops at Acre coffee to do my writing, so I'm going to have to trade in my handbag for a backpack..and I'll need some cute clothes to wear with it.

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Due West

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Due West

This morning Adam left his computer at home, and because there is no cell phone service in Tomales, and I knew he'd need it, I threw the kids in the car and drove it out to him.  Driving out of our already small town into the rolling hills of far west Marin county is not a bad commute. I put on a little Bon Iver and went with it. The high school is like a mirage in the midst of sun-scorched fields, dotted with cows and wild flowers, like something out of a Steinbeck novel. When we were leaving, I looked back at the tiny school marquee and saw the welcome message.  It's funny, because since we've moved it's felt a little like vacation, and I still call Oakland "home". We're mostly unpacked, but we still haven't really met anyone yet, and while this has been a transformative month,  I'm really looking forward to the start of school for us all to make some friends, to get this party started.  

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