Tag: Kids

  • ODDS and ENDS: “Baking Show” is Good Again, Kid’s Cold, and the World Series

    (I wish I spent more time at the office…)

    I am a fan of The Great British Baking Show (or Great British Bake Off, if you will) and I have written about the show several times. I know I am not the first to write this, and I won’t be the last, but Baking Show is good again. At least three episodes in. There is always a chance it could go off the rails, but from what I have seen so far, the changes have been working. Because what I want, and I think most fans want as well, is to not think too hard about Baking Show. It’s there, it’s fun, entertaining, pleasant, and nice. And so far, that’s what has been delivered. I’m enjoying the show and not thinking too hard. Is it because of the new host, Alison? Maybe. Is it because they cast more engaging bakers? Possibly. Is it because the bake challenges are less gimmicky? Could be. What I do know is that after the kid goes to bed, the wife and I will get a drink, watch Baking Show, and not think about the difficulties of our week for about an hour. And for me, that’s when Baking Show is at its best. And I’m pulling for Saku to win.

    We are now back to the time of the year when the kid has been around other kids long enough at school that they are now trading colds. She got a cough as of last week, and it made its way to the wife. But I kept up my hand washing and cleaning, so I thought I was outta the woods. But kid colds are the most infections of all colds. I got the bug, but I’m still not 100% sure it is a full blown cold; stuffy nose, sinus drainage, side of the neck is sore… But other than that, I feel fine. But I didn’t go to the gym this week, you know, so not to get other people sick. It was the least I could do.

    The World Series starts tonight. Texas vs Arizona, and I won’t be watching. Nothing personal, it’s just that I don’t have anything invested in either team. Now, if it gets to a game 7, I’ll watch that. I do hate to miss a happening.

  • GOURDS!

    I bought gourds this morning at Trader Joe’s. You know, the Fall/Autumn/Halloween gourds that come out on October 1st, and are sold through Thanksgiving. Well, it was two tiny pumpkins and a gourd to be exact, but as I get deeper into the season, I will buy more of these. I wouldn’t call it a weakness, but it is the one seasonal decoration that I indulge.

    Soon, most likely this weekend, we’ll go to our storage space and get the box of Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations to put up. Most of what is in there are silly, kid-like things to put up. Also in that box, there is a collection of dollar store small glittery pumpkins. Soon our kitchen table will be a collection of both real and fake gourds. You know, how the Pilgrims intended.

    When the kid was little, two or three, she would paint the white pumpkins to add to the decorations. I don’t think she does that anymore. And I start to wonder how long we’ll keep decorating the apartment with these cartoonish and child-like decorations?

    My parents kept reusing all the old holiday decorations until I went away to college. With me, the final child was out of the house, so my mom decided that it was time to have more grown up decorations for all the holidays. Gone were the doe-eyed cats and bats, to be replaced with wreaths of fake orange leaves and gourds. (But her gourds were plastic and ceramic.) Christmas even got more mature with an all-white lights on an all-white tree. You get the idea…

    I have a feeling we’ll do the same thing when our kid heads out of here, to college or where ever.

    But I like my gourds.

  • Soup Season

    (I’m going to sound like a very old man, and I don’t care.)

    Autumn for some people means sweaters. Others, it’s Halloween. For the annoying, it’s pumpkin spice in everything. Cooler weather, leaves changing, sports on a weekend afternoon – all that stuff – you know, Fall. And for me, it is the start of soup season; I’m talking homemade soups. The cooler the weather, and the cloudier the day, all the better.

    First is just making the stock, which most of the time coincides with the leftover bones from a roasted chicken. If I have time, I’ll do the stock pot on the stove, but most of the time I have to use the Instant Pot. In about 2 hours, or less, I can have 10 cups of deep golden broth, but the best part is the warm, homey smell that fills my home as it’s cooking.

    Actually, I take that back. The best part is that my kid gets in on the action of making stock. We have done it enough times, that she’s got the recipe down and, with some guidance using a knife, can throw the whole thing together all by herself. That’s pretty cool, as a parent.

    This year, I chose to kick off soup season with a simple and hearty recipe – Potato Leek. I go with this recipe from Robert Irvine, as it is pretty simple and fool proof. I can say that there are more flavorful recipes out there, but they are rather involved, and some nights you just want to eat sooner than later.

    Besides, in my theory of soup making, soup should be simple.

    I do cook often for my family now, and I have some pretty good go-to recipes that I can now make off the top of my head. But there is something about making a good soup, or stew, for my family on a cold evening that is deeply satisfying. More so than any other meal I prepare. It does feel a little like kitchen magic; putting the ingredients in a pot, letting it boil to create something new. Then more ingredients, and simmering, and more time. Maybe it’s the amount of effort that goes into it – maybe. It could be that the meal is basic, and simple. A simple act that takes a long time. Maybe.

  • Breakfast Habit

    The kid has been going to her new school for a month now. There have been growing pains, but on the whole, it has gone well. The kid has taken to her new teachers, made friends, and we can tell that she has been improving when it comes to her school work.

    The one aspect that we are all struggling with is waking up. The kid’s school day starts an hour earlier as compared to last year, which means we are all starting our day an hour earlier. I mean we do it, but there is a lot of grumbling from everyone, and it is a tortured process. The results are beneficial, though. We are all getting more done in the day, and going to bed earlier and getting more sleep is never a bad thing.

    One of the new habits I am trying to establish for my family is eating breakfast together around the kitchen table; No more eating in front of the TV. Everyone was for the idea, but we couldn’t agree on what to eat.

    Then one morning the kid saw this segment on CBS MORNINGS about gyeran bap, a Korean breakfast staple. Just so happened that we have all the ingredients in our home, so I was willing to give it a shot. Man, howdy! Not only is it simple to make, but it is exceptionally satisfying for a breakfast.

    Though I am getting a little ambitious now, as I think I might add miso soup, and some avocados to this breakfast to round it out.

    And we are getting to have a better morning together, as well. We are all starting off the day talking to each other, listening to music and connecting.

  • Having Kids (Unedited)

    I like being a parent, but seriously, you shouldn’t have kids.

    Unless you already have kids, then nevermind.

    But if you don’t have kids, and you are on the fence about it… Don’t do it.

    Again, I love my kid, and I wanted to be a parent.

    But there are too many people on this planet honestly, and also, most parents are really bad at it. Really; they suck at it.

    Besides, you could become the crazy aunt or uncle to a kid, who shows up at holidays. Not the racist drunk uncle, but the silly one that accidently swears at inappropriate times, and let’s slip that how their dad got really high at a Phish concert in college. Doesn’t that sound like more fun? And then at the end of the night, you get to go home, leaving the parents stuck with the kids you just filled up with sugar and bad ideas.

    Actually, who I need to be talking to are the people who have kids that try to convince other people to have kids. No one will say this to your face, but you are an awful friend for doing that. Quit pushing your breeding ways on people who don’t want to have a litter.

    It’s like when your friend falls in love, and then they think that if you went and fell in love it would solve all your problems. Remember that person in your life? No matter how many time you told them you were fine being single, they were still positive they could couple you up with someone and then you wouldn’t be so lonely and bitter.

    The point here is that we should just let people make their own decisions.