1. Ryley is in fifth grade, and that means the Big Birds and Bees talk takes place at school. It was yesterday.
When I went through the class in fifth grade, so many, many years ago, I was mortified that the boys would be told what happens to girls once a month. There was absolutely no reason for them to have this information, I felt. What good could come of it? Anyway, Ryley already knows where babies come from, but he doesn’t really know a whole lot about the female cycle. We gave him a heads-up about what he’d hear. I mentioned he’d learn about hormones and other interesting things.
He said, “Yeah, yeah. What I really want to know is why girls always need chocolate.”
2. A study from the Netherlands contends: …mentally unstimulating work, including doing jobs around the house day-in day-out, increased the chances of giving birth at least three weeks early by up to 25 per cent. Yes, housework is bad for pregnant women.
3. I hate brown avocados, so I am reluctant to buy them unless I know they will be completely used at one sitting. That means eating the whole bowl of guacamole, right? One of the common tips floating around is to leave the avocado pit in the guacamole to prevent browning, but it doesn’t always work. I came across this idea and thought it would be worth a shot, but the downside is the added oily residue. Have you tried it? Does it effect the taste?
4. I am totally doing bento lunches for school next year, although I worry my older kids will think it’s not enough food. My older boys might think it’s a little prissy, no? A Mile High Mamas pal wrote a post explaining the beauties of the bento. My kids pack their own lunches every night before they go to bed. Bento-ing it would mean ditching sandwich baggies and forcing them to be a little more creative with their choices. Do you bento? Let’s pretend bento is a verb.
5. Here’s a great, manageable list of children’s books, either retro or retro-inspired. There are some intriguing titles that are recent reprints. Love the illustrations, too! Old timey stuff charms me. One reason I like to shop for books at thrift stores is that I discover really old children’s books that would never be published today—like the Eloise Wilkins’ illustrated We Help Daddy. The Daddy smokes like Eyjafjallajökull while the little boy collects rusty nails in a bucket.
6. Joy the Baker’s Root Beer Float cake. It’s on my grand list o’ cakes to make.
