Smoothies

Margot invented this smoothie and now it needs a name! The ingredients are:

Frozen peaches
Fresh strawberries
Greek yogurt
Orange juice
Simple syrup

Proportions are to your taste.

Any suggestions? It can't be a Margot-cino (that's steamed milk with vanilla and cinnamon, created by the Acris in NY). But maybe a Margot-rita? Or a Margot-sunrise?

Historical? Hysterical!

Margot and I stood in the kitchen this afternoon and discussed a book project she wants to work on. It involves writing and illustrating a story and then sending it off to be "published." (A very clever gift from her Williamsburg cousins!) Ever the writing instructor, I am encouraging her to make an outline of her story and to then fill in the pages so that it is logical. Margot agrees this is a reasonable process.

"What do you want to write about?" I asked her.

"I don't know, can you give me some ideas?" she replied.

"Well, why not write a story about going to Fort Lewis or Lake Anna?" I asked her.

"Well, I wanted to write a fictional story, but I suppose I could write a non-fiction story about Lake Anna," she mused.

"It can still be fiction," I assured her. "You can use a real place as a setting and still make up different characters or things that haven't really happened."

"Can you give me an example?"

"Sure. Like historical fiction. Stories that take place during a certain time period but the characters never really lived."

"I love historical fiction!" Margot burst out. "And then my story will be really, really funny, too!"

She STILL makes me laugh every day. (In case it isn't clear, she mixed up the words historical and hysterical.)

Hysterical fiction: look for it in a bookstore near you.

Easter Celebration

Yesterday was a lovely and busy Easter Sunday. The weather was perfect - 83 degrees and sunny. All of the azaelas burst open - I think it is safe to say that cold weather is gone for the season.



Margot, Brodie, and I started with breakfast (quiche and croissants) and then went to church. We managed to snag seats, too. We returned home and awaited our guests.

Sixteen people came for dinner yesterday afternoon and we ate on the deck. Unfortunately, I was so busy running around I didn't take any pictures. But there was an egg hunt for the kids (one thing our large yard is good for is egg hunting! Also sledding.). The little cousins all looked so cute in their Easter finery. The adults relaxed and talked. Right as we finished eating, there was a close bolt of lightening and crack of thunder. We cleared the table in an instant and everyone moved inside, but 10 minutes later it all blew over with no rain and we could move back outside. Happy Easter everyone!

Egg Dyeing

It's been a flurry of activity in our house this weekend, as we prepare to host many Rulands for Easter dinner on Sunday. Margot did her part yesterday by dyeing some Easter eggs.

Cultural Marathon

It occured to me yesterday that in a 36-hour span between Sunday morning and Monday evening, Margot participated in three different cultural observances. On Sunday morning she had Sunday school. Since it was Palm Sunday, her class focused on the start of Holy Week by making pencils with palm fronds on them (kind of a weak start to an important week; but, then again, you don't see me volunteering to teach that class so I know I should keep my opinions to myself).

On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Wat Thai in Silver Spring, MD. Wat Thai is a Thai Buddhist temple. Each April the Thais celebrate Songkran (Thai New Year). During Songkran, Thais throw water on one another to cool off (it is unbearably hot in April in Thailand) and visit a wat to pray and offer food to the monks. Wat Thai always has a huge celebration with dancing, music, and amazing food. Margot ate her way through satay, pad thai, and a snow cone, and then we visited the temple for a bit of quiet.




Finally, on Monday evening, we ate Passover dinner with good friends. Margot read the part of The Four Questions during seder and also found the hidden matzo. She patiently sat with the adults for a while, but later retired to the living room to watch a movie.

Spring Break 2011

Today is Emancipation Day in DC. For me, it means I don't have to feed the parking meters in town. For Margot, it signals the first day of a very long spring break from school. She is marking the occasion with a tea party. (Apparently, pandas don't like too much sun. Who knew?)

Success!

Learning to ride her bike without training wheels has been a challenge for Margot. Ever-cautious, she would often stop before she really got going and, as a result, she would fall over. Her caution was causing her to fall, but that's hard to explain to a six-year-old.

But then, last night, after dinner, she and Brodie headed out to take advantage of the lingering daylight (at 7:30pm! Oh how I love daylight savings).

And guess what! It just clicked. Off she rode.

What's the next milestone after this? Driving?