Last week my son brought an art project home from school. He had traced his hand on green construction paper and drawn a picture of something he wished for in the palm. The tiny, detailed drawing was of him eating a watermelon. When I asked him about his wish, he said, "I just wish for a taste of summer!"
In this terrible cold snap of the last couple weeks we are hibernating as much as possible, but we got to thinking about all the tastes of summer. Fresh strawberries, grilled cheeseburgers, fruit smoothies, and smores around the campfire at the end of a day full of swimming, hiking, and exploring. It was mutually agreed upon by the entire family that we would make smores in the microwave for a little taste of summer. A wish granted!
Of course, we've kept the crockpot working overtime to beat the chill. Chicken and dumplings, split pea soup, black bean soup, chicken and noodle soup, and fresh rolls to accompany it all. Comfort foods to keep us warm, and healthy, these long, cold days.
I also tried a recipe from a new source to bring a spicy kick to the mid winter doldrums. My dad and stepmother sent us "The World in Your Kitchen Calendar 2013." Each month features a vegetarian recipe from Africa, Asia or Latin America. January's recipe was for Piri-piri, cashews roasted in a chili pepper coating. This has been a yummy snack or topping for salads this last week. A warm, fresh taste to melt away the weather for a few minutes.
Tonight the temp is supposed to drop to maybe 12 below with wind chills nearing 25 below zero. Just another typical Minnesota winter's day. But maybe not for us as we invite in the tastes of West Africa, if only for a moment.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Talking about Martin and Barack
My son Ian was just shy of two years old when Barack Obama was elected to his first term as President of the United States. We had indulged in a parental delight that fall by teaching him to chant "O-ba-ma!" in his little toddler voice, and I cried on the morning after the election when I pulled Ian from his crib and happily whispered into his sleepy ear that Obama had won. His victory was my son's victory, and we have often talked of our President these last four years.
This Monday, witnessing Obama's 2nd inauguration on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, Ian and I cuddled together and had an open discussion about the two men we were celebrating. At six years old, he is curious about these men that we uphold in our home as role models. We read a couple of picture books that I keep on the shelf for days like this one that really facilitated the discussion. I may have mentioned them before, but they are beautiful resources.
The first is The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights by Carole Boston Weatherford. This interpretation of the Bible passage from Matthew traces God's presence with African Americans in the holds of the slave ships through the struggles and successes of emancipation and civil rights, up to the inuaguration of our first black President. I use this introduction to our nation's difficult history because God's presence on these pages through time remind my son that God also created him as a treasured child who will never be alone, never without God or his family, when he faces injustice or prejudice.
The other book is called Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook. This book names the breakthroughs of African American heroes in civil rights, sports, politics, entertainment, and industry who built upon each other's changes to create a union in which Barack Obama becomes president. Ian's favorite page was about Thurgood Marshall, so we talked about justice. The idea of a world where everyone is treated fairly, where the rules are fair for all, resonates with a six year old.
Our discussion meandered from the books to God to Ethiopia to school to our family until we finally settled down to watch part of Martin Luther King's most famous speech. We spent a solid hour exploring these topics, and my favorite moment came when I started a mantra we repeat quite often, when I said, "You know how in our family our skins are different colors..." and he finished, "But in our hearts we are the same."
I want my son to be empowered by the journeys of Martin, Barack, Thurgood, Rosa. I know that he will do great things in the world. Not because of the color of his skin, but because of what lies in his precious heart.
This Monday, witnessing Obama's 2nd inauguration on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, Ian and I cuddled together and had an open discussion about the two men we were celebrating. At six years old, he is curious about these men that we uphold in our home as role models. We read a couple of picture books that I keep on the shelf for days like this one that really facilitated the discussion. I may have mentioned them before, but they are beautiful resources.
The first is The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights by Carole Boston Weatherford. This interpretation of the Bible passage from Matthew traces God's presence with African Americans in the holds of the slave ships through the struggles and successes of emancipation and civil rights, up to the inuaguration of our first black President. I use this introduction to our nation's difficult history because God's presence on these pages through time remind my son that God also created him as a treasured child who will never be alone, never without God or his family, when he faces injustice or prejudice.
The other book is called Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook. This book names the breakthroughs of African American heroes in civil rights, sports, politics, entertainment, and industry who built upon each other's changes to create a union in which Barack Obama becomes president. Ian's favorite page was about Thurgood Marshall, so we talked about justice. The idea of a world where everyone is treated fairly, where the rules are fair for all, resonates with a six year old.
Our discussion meandered from the books to God to Ethiopia to school to our family until we finally settled down to watch part of Martin Luther King's most famous speech. We spent a solid hour exploring these topics, and my favorite moment came when I started a mantra we repeat quite often, when I said, "You know how in our family our skins are different colors..." and he finished, "But in our hearts we are the same."
I want my son to be empowered by the journeys of Martin, Barack, Thurgood, Rosa. I know that he will do great things in the world. Not because of the color of his skin, but because of what lies in his precious heart.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Small Celebrations
Wednesdays are a busy day for us. At work, I usually have 2-3 extra meetings...my oldest has music lessons late after school...my husband stays at work until it's time to pick him up....it's double coupon day at the grocery...the list goes on. But a couple months ago, I carved out a little piece of Wednesday that I have come to cherish.
I take my youngest son, my "good helper", to the grocery store with me, and I make that time about being together. For us, attachment is an ongoing, but deepening, process, and Wednesdays at Rainbow it's just me and Suki.
Suki sits in the cart, and we are face to face the whole time. In the 45 minutes or so it takes us to wind through the aisles, we talk about our days, Suki points out all the new and interesting signage or products. Sometimes he asks me about the food or people we see. A lot of time he lets me know all the things he loves to eat. We might hold hands or tickle each other. That's it. Just a mom and her son, weaving tighter the bond that holds us close.
Today, as I focused on unloading and then bagging our goods, a woman behind us in line started to talk to Suki. You know the type. Chatty, a little pushy, probably doesn't have kids. She asked if he was helping me, if that was Spiderman on his pants, if he was holding the list. And he stared at her in silence until I intervened and told her he was following instructions not to talk to strangers. I told him how proud I was of him, and it was one of those "mom celebrations." We've worked hard to get to the point where mom, dad, and what we say and do matter most. That we are trusted, and strangers are not. WooHoo!
And then to top it all off, when we walked in the door out of Suki's mouth came, "Mom, can we have a talk about feelings?" Goodness, talk about a win! Of course, we could talk about feelings. A couple years ago we didn't even know what feelings were. And so we did, and because Suki trusts me to keep his feelings close and safe, I'll hold the rest of the celebration in my heart.
I've been busy these days...nothing exciting necessarily, but just in the thick of parenting, holidays, work, life. My blog has suffered, but I am determined not to give it up. It helps to keep track of the progress our family has made. I'm working not to be so sporadic, and I miss the recipes, but I'm still looking for ways to build cultural connections for our family. So keep checking in... and I will, too.
I take my youngest son, my "good helper", to the grocery store with me, and I make that time about being together. For us, attachment is an ongoing, but deepening, process, and Wednesdays at Rainbow it's just me and Suki.
Suki sits in the cart, and we are face to face the whole time. In the 45 minutes or so it takes us to wind through the aisles, we talk about our days, Suki points out all the new and interesting signage or products. Sometimes he asks me about the food or people we see. A lot of time he lets me know all the things he loves to eat. We might hold hands or tickle each other. That's it. Just a mom and her son, weaving tighter the bond that holds us close.
Today, as I focused on unloading and then bagging our goods, a woman behind us in line started to talk to Suki. You know the type. Chatty, a little pushy, probably doesn't have kids. She asked if he was helping me, if that was Spiderman on his pants, if he was holding the list. And he stared at her in silence until I intervened and told her he was following instructions not to talk to strangers. I told him how proud I was of him, and it was one of those "mom celebrations." We've worked hard to get to the point where mom, dad, and what we say and do matter most. That we are trusted, and strangers are not. WooHoo!
And then to top it all off, when we walked in the door out of Suki's mouth came, "Mom, can we have a talk about feelings?" Goodness, talk about a win! Of course, we could talk about feelings. A couple years ago we didn't even know what feelings were. And so we did, and because Suki trusts me to keep his feelings close and safe, I'll hold the rest of the celebration in my heart.
I've been busy these days...nothing exciting necessarily, but just in the thick of parenting, holidays, work, life. My blog has suffered, but I am determined not to give it up. It helps to keep track of the progress our family has made. I'm working not to be so sporadic, and I miss the recipes, but I'm still looking for ways to build cultural connections for our family. So keep checking in... and I will, too.
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