Yum, Yum

Most everyone knows that the flavors of chips (crisps) here are quite different than what you would find in the US. No sour cream & onion or BBQ flavors, or my personal favorite, Cheetos. But what you will find are Prawn Cocktail, Roast Chicken, Steak & Onion, even Marmite.



Even so, I was still surprised to see this bag staring at me yesterday in the store:



That's right. Squirrel. The cute little guys who bury acorns in your backyard.
I know that squirrel is a trendy flavor right now in the haute cuisine world, but I don't think that I am adventurous enough to try it. Even in crisp form.

This little guy thanks me for it.

Kate Says:

She asked Danny why he had to go to work every day. He responded with some answer about needing to pay the bills and putting food on the table.
Kate: "But where do you work?"
Danny: "I work at Disney".
Kate: sucks in her breath, eyes get really wide. You...work...at...DISNEY?!!
Danny: "Yes, you know that!"
Kate: thinking hard and shaking her head. "But not at Snow White's castle. You don't work there". (looks a little bit hopeful)
Danny: "No, not at Snow White's castle. I work at an office".
Kate: "And Snow White isn't there".
Danny: "No, she isn't".
Kate: "Or Cinderella...or Pooh...or Sleeping Beauty...or Ariel...or Jungle Book...or Aladdin..."
Danny: "No, none of them are there. I work with people".
Kate: No longer interested "OK, well put on your work costume* and you can go then".



*work costume = shirt & tie

Veggies in the Nude...

Those of you who know me well know that I love to eat. And I love to cook. And I am pretty fanatical about making sure my family eats healthy food. (At least 80% of the time! No one should have to go without pizza, chocolate chip cookies or ice cream on occasion!).

A recent article in the NYT highlighted the top 6 food mistakes that parents make. I thought it was interesting and worthy of posting here, to share the love.

Here they are:
1. Kicking kids out of the kitchen: If you want to give your child good eating habits, let them help, or at least let them watch you prepare and cook food.
2. Blackmail and bribery: In the short run, you might be able to coerce a child to eat, but in the long run, they will be less likely to eat those foods.
3. Hiding the good stuff: The taboo factor increases desire and decreases control. If you’re going to have cookies and sweets in the house, offer them openly, don’t make kids resort to stealing them. Alternatively, keep healthy snacks in the house and offer the kids free access to them.
4. Dieting: Kids are tuned into their parents’ eating preferences and are far more likely to try foods if they see their mother or father eating them.
5. Serving vegetables in the nude: Pimp your veggies. Nutritionists say parents shouldn’t be afraid to dress up the vegetables. Adding a little butter, ranch dressing, cheese sauce or brown sugar to a vegetable dish can significantly improve its kid appeal
6. Raising the white flag too soon: Parents should keep preparing a variety of healthful foods and putting them on the table, even if a child refuses to take a bite.In young children, it may take 10 or more attempts over several months to introduce a food

Fun in the Sun

that's right. London had a day of sun, glorious sun. It actually broke 50 degrees, and so we and every other person with a child under the age of 20 headed to the park yesterday.

Michael had so much fun in the swing. He alternated between laughing and looking like he was going to puke. However when I took him out, he screamed and only wanted to get back in.



Kate is also a one-trick pony. All she wanted to do was to drive in this little car.



It was so nice to be outside and get some fresh air and sunshine. Today it is back to the regularly scheduled cold and clouds.

Our Very Own Budding Ansel Adams

Kate received her very own digital camera for Christmas and is enamored with it.
Here are a series of photographs that she took on a Sunday morning.

Michael pushing the toy buggy.


Toys:



More Toys:



The bin & the dishwasher:



Notice the similar textures of the two items and the reflection of the bin in the dishwasher. I'm sure the composition of this photograph was entirely intentional.


And mom, still in PJs, but without a head, making a cup of coffee.

Full Disclosure

The public transport system in London is usually pretty reliable. One of the good things is that TFL (Transport for London) is very good about service updates, and letting you know if & why there are delays.

At the entrance to each station is a sign posting the current status of each line.

Seeing something like this one is not uncommon.


It is called a "one-under", and is due to a person being hit by the train. Usually it is a suicide attempt, but it can also be someone falling or being pushed into the path of an oncoming train(!). At least they offer full disclosure.

Officially Endorsed by theSaevas in 2009

Danny and I decided that this year, instead of randomly donating to lots of different charities, we would each decide on a charity of choice for the year.

Danny selected the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Fans of Mike & Mike on ESPN will be familiar with this organization. It donates 100% of donations to funding cancer research.



I became a Partner in Hope St. Jude, which of course is a children's hospital and research facility for catastrophic illnesses. But did you know that is was founded through the power of prayer? Pretty amazing.



Kate & Michael are a bit small to voice their opinions yet, so we decided that we would use their monthly donation as micro-financing via Kiva. Then, once they are older, they'll still have all that money that has since been repaid and can choose which charities to donate it to.
Their first loan was to a woman in Mexico, who needed money to plaster the walls of their house to keep out dampness. As someone who lives in a damp climate, we can relate!




You can check up on the loans that Kate & Michael make via the link on the left toolbar.

The Obligatory Snow Pictures

As most of you have likely heard by now, London experienced the most snowfall in 18 years this week. It caught the city off-guard, and everything shut down on Monday. The tube, trains, airports, schools, and the buses all ceased operations. It is amazing that the buses stopped running, as they didn't even stop during the Blitz.

Danny went to work that day, and his normal hour long commute took him 2.5 hours. Fun!





Of course we had to build a snowman. Kate had a blast. Michael....not so much.





Frosty had a mouth made out of bread, but Dexter helped himself to it.




Don't hate the sad-looking snowman. I'm from Texas. We aren't taught snowman building techniques.