Dance, Dance, Dance

Since the beginning of January the 5th grade has taken part in Dancing Classrooms. You might recall Noah's feelings toward it from this posting on Facebook...

The day Noah has been dreading finally arrived....

Noah: We had dancing classroom today.
Me: How did it go?
Noah: Awkward.
Me: Why?
Noah: I had to touch two of them.
Me: Girls?
Noah: Yes. I actually had to dance with four but I only had to touch two. I kind of got use to it and then it was fun. We only had to touch with pancake hands.

It didn't take long before he warmed up to it, moved past pancake hands and  eventually came to love dancing. He will tell you he only likes the fast dances, Swing is his favorite, and not the slow ones. Sorry Waltz and Foxtrot. 

Side note: We were talking about the types of dances and I mentioned that I danced the Waltz in my 6th grade music program. Noah responded with, "You can remember back that far? All the way to the 1900s?"

Noah has enjoyed the dancing so much that he's interested in taking an advanced dancing class over the summer - unless it's at 8:00 on Saturday mornings. Hopefully it won't start until after we've been to the Farmer's Market. :)

The video below showcases the dances they learned. Noah would say that the Swing dance is a "nightmare" due to the fact that he's dancing with one of the three girls in his class that "didn't know the dances." He's harder to see in that one so I didn't really notice anything nightmarish but let me just say, he was not happy. When we got home though he did teach me the Swing dance steps, I pulled out my Swingers soundtrack for "Go Daddy-O," and we danced around the living room. Now that was fun. 

I was sitting at a stoplight when "He Reigns" hit the chorus and I turned my head to see this...

 

and then this...

 What an amazing visual. 
It felt like my own personal message from God. 
Thank you.

Bountiful Basket

 

6 Jonagold Apples

3 Oranges

2 Small Red Grapefruit

6 Bananas

Leaf Lettuce

Bag of Carrots

2 Cucumbers

5 Roma Tomatoes

6 Large Sweet Potatoes

3 Acorn Squash

I picked up all of these fruits and vegetables this morning for $15 thanks to the Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op! The acorn squash is the only item I haven't purchased since I made baby food, but I've already found this recipe for Acorn Squash Soup and now can't wait to use it up. 

Most exciting item in my basket...those huge sweet potatoes. Yum! There is enough to make all three of these recipes: Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle Cream, Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Potato Fries with Dipping Sauce.

Soap! Soap! Don't Forget the Soap!

So this is where all the shampoo is going.

Last Days of Fall

New Fast Food

I am not usually a fan of boxed meals or jarred sauces. Whenever we've tried them I've been disappointed by the plain taste or flavors that don't live up to the advertised promised. Since I'm always looking for quick meals to make on school nights that don't involve hot dogs, eggs or picking up pizza, I'm still occasionally willing to try something new and hoping it won't be another disappointment.

This hopefulness is how I discovered a pouch of deliciousness from Chef Rick Bayless at Whole Foods. Since I've enjoyed watching him on Top Chef Masters (wishing it was a 4D viewing experience) and love everything I've made from his cookbook Mexico-One Plate at a Time, I thought I'd give his sauce pouches a try. This is the one we tried first...
I could not believe how good it was and how quick it was to make:

I diced leftover roasted chicken and then mixed it with Cheddar Jack cheese before filling five corn tortillas. Into a small baking dish they went to be topped with the sauce and more cheese. Fifteen minutes later dinner was served!

Noah loved it. Joshua, not so much but he was determined not to like it. The leftovers were just as tasty warmed up for lunch the next day.

Another quick meal we've enjoyed lately comes from Nigella Lawson. I DO NOT tell the boys this since they're most hated meal ever, egg pizza, also comes from Nigella Lawson. By hated I mean they use it as a barometer for everything... would you rather do blah blah blah or eat egg pizza. Anyway, this meal is quick to throw together but tastes like you were in the kitchen for hours. Bonus: We always have leftovers!

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes on the Food Network

My adaptations: I get the family size package of chicken thighs which only has 8 thighs. Use whatever potatoes you have on hand. I used red fingerling potatoes last time. Season chicken and potatoes with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil over everything before roasting.

A Night Out

Yes. We had fun last weekend.

Double Digits

Happy 10th Birthday Noah!!!

Now that he's older, Noah has more concerns about what I post. He will often make requests to have things posted on this blog or Facebook but it is even more often that I hear "and don't post this on your blog." So instead of embarrassing him with current video footage, we have a blast from the past.

We were watching old videos this weekend and came across this one of Noah's first magic show at almost 3 1/2 years old. At 10, he still likes to do magic but I can verify that his techniques have improved considerably.



It's hard to believe this boy is 10 today. Time to celebrate!

Rich 1, Chino 0

There was an invasion this summer. New mounds of dirt would appear each morning connected by underground tunnels. We thought our young, active cat (who has already killed her share of birds and bunnies this summer) would take care of the problem. Sadly, she did not and the destruction of our yard continued (every two feet)...
Using his best Caddyshack moves, Rich was able to flood the holes until this popped out...
No relatives were found and this little guy was entered in the mole relocation program.
It's amazing that something so small could do so much damage.

Moles by Mary Oliver

Under the leaves, under
the first loose
levels of earth
they're there -- quick
as beetles, blind
as bats, shy
as hares but seen
less than these --
traveling
among the pale girders
of appleroot,
rockshelf, nests
of insects and black
pastures of bulbs
peppery and packed full
of the sweetest food:
spring flowers.
Field after field
you can see the traceries
of their long
lonely walks, then
the rains blur
even this frail hint of them --
so excitable,
so plush,
so willing to continue
generation after generation
accomplishing nothing
but their brief physical lives
as they live and die,
pushing and shoving
with their stubborn muzzles against
the whole earth,
finding it
delicious.

The Arts in Our School

The boys enjoyed many things throughout the school year especially the arts. Noah started playing the cello this year, both boys loved being part of their music programs and a favorite class was always art.

Here are a few video highlights from the last month of school involving the arts...

Noah had a piece of artwork chosen (along with other students from multiple districts) to hang at Project Harmony for the next year. These pictures are from the showing and video of Noah explaining what all the symbols in his artwork represent.

The first and second grade students put on a Buggy program. Joshua was thrilled to be a firefly.

Noah demonstrates his cello mastery with a couple selections from the final strings concert.

Arts Education Facts
Did You Know?
Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are:

• 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
• 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
• 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
• 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
• 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:

• Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently
• Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
• Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
• Perform community service more than four times as often
  
  ("Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations," Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 1998)