Judging

Opening day of the county fair finally arrived and Munch's Dairy Day category was among the first to be presented and judged. We wrapped Munch's cheesecake up really well for transport. She chose a deep blue platter which gave the cheesecake a really nice red, white, and blue presentation. Having never participated in something like this before, we didn't know what to expect. As it turned out, there was a LOT of waiting. That was easily remedied with an ice cream topped funnel cake!

More waiting, and finally all the entries, 18 in the junior cheesecake division, were in place-

The judges reviewed the entries, tasted, and deliberated-

Participants were given ribbons for entering, but Munch's name was not called. Turns out she placed 6th in her category!

Her "prize-winning" cheesecake-

And the prize check that later arrived in the mail-

SF MOMA

Now that we are living much closer to San Francisco, I've been trying to get Munch into the city more often. We recently visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The ticket booth was not yet open, so we stopped into Peet's for a latte and a cup of hot chocolate, as it was a typical gray, rainy San Francisco summer morning-

It was fun sitting at a cafe table on the corner and watching, hearing, and feeling all the busy-ness around us.

Once inside the museum (kids 12 years and under are free when accompanied by an adult!), we enjoyed the twinkling lights that hung over the entry. As we ascended the stairs, we could see that the lights actually formed a sort of video screen. One gallery had a lounge area with an interactive presentation where Munch could explore artists and styles, create her own artwork, and even email it so someone. The presentation, based on artist Roy de Forest's Country Dog Gentlemen, is also on the museum's website-

To prepare Munch for our visit, we had talked briefly during the drive over about modern art, the variety of media she would see, and I had her bring a notepad. Munch paused in several galleries to make little sketches of things she saw, but this portrait of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera inspired her to stop and draw for a long time-

The museum actually has a great education center, which we didn't come to until after exploring most of the second floor. However, I'd recommend that families stop in there first to pick up a few Family Guides or a MOMA treasure hunt, which contain fun activities to help keep kids focused and thinking about the artwork during their visit. There are even activities to keep adults entertained during their museum visit, many which have been designed by other guests (such as photograph the strangest item to be checked in to the coat check). Munch also chose to try an art hunt in which she donned a mask and adopted the persona of another character to try to find artwork in the galleries that might appeal to that imaginary character.

Before leaving, we sat and enjoyed this beauty, probably our favorite of the day, Collection by Robert Rauschenberg-

Parenting

After an early dismissal from an all-day teachers' workshop at a local university, I swung by my sister-in-law's to pick up Munch. It was a beautiful, warm day and since I'd be heading out to volunteer at the high school later (and missing family dinner and bedtime), I thought that maybe we'd grab a cool treat on the way home. When I arrived to pick her up, Munch was quiet and moody, which I've been seeing a lot of lately. Turns out my slightly early arrival had interfered with their tentative plans to pick up Slurpees at 7-11. Munch proceeded to pout, stomp, mope, and sigh loudly as she packed up to leave, all the while not saying a word to me- gee, can't wait until she's a teenager! As we got into the car, I made the quick decision to tell her that I HAD been planning on a treat and that her attitude pretty much eliminated that possibility. Munch burst into tears and apologized, so I got out of the car to give her a hug and we got on our way.
As we got closer to home, we stopped at the library. I'd been meaning to get library cards for the both of us and we had a few extra minutes. I also realized as we were parking that an ice cream shop was just across the way, and maybe we could still stop in. As it turned out, filling out an application for her own library card and getting a stretchy bracelet to attach it to lifted Munch's spirits considerably. She happily skipped to the car, holding my hand, and clutching her books. Boy, was I glad I didn't mention anything about ice cream earlier! Because as much as I wanted the enjoyment of taking her out for a treat, I realized that Munch had learned several lessons that afternoon about her attitude, accepting disappointment, and moving on to enjoy other experiences. So I gave myself a pat on the back for making the right parenting choice- but I still really wanted that ice cream!

Not yet a Follower? What are you waiting for?

Girls Day in Chinatown

Prior to the move, Munch and I would typically stick to the East Bay when exploring. But now that we're closer to San Francisco, we have a whole new area to discover. In the middle of two days of forecasted rain and showers during Spring Break, we pulled on our rainboots and grabbed our umbrellas and headed to SF Chinatown, figuring that the rain would keep most tourists people away. A trip into the city meant we could also visit my aunt and uncle before they left for Wisconsin, so on the way we stopped in the Richmond district to bring them some char siu bao, baked bbq pork buns. Lung Fung makes our family's favorite. As they are "Lolo Owl's" favorite, we also grabbed a few cocktail buns and a small chicken hand pie that Munch wanted to taste.

At my aunt and uncle's house, Munch attempted to capture her favorite cat, Annie, and have a mini fashion show. My aunt had made Munch the most darling crocheted hats-

Other than a lot of roadwork, Munch and I had a fairly easy drive to Chinatown. I realized that other than driving past the dragon gates, I had never been for a visit either.

We walked uphill several blocks to find our first stop-a bakery to pick up some dumplings- Munch's favorite har gow, of course- and what I had read on yelp were really delicious gai bao- buns filled with chicken, boiled egg, a bit of chinese sausage, and a whole shiitake mushroom-

Just up the street I saw the sign for Golden Gate Bakery. Chowhound discussion boards have been buzzing about this place for years- are they open or closed, their frequent vacations, the passing of their pastry maker, the long lines, and their AMAZING dan tat. Walking closer, I saw that the bakery was open (hooray!) and the line was just a couple of people out the door (even better!). Munch and I quickly joined the queue for our custard tarts, making sure to get a few extra for Grandpa-

Their moon cakes looked beautiful too, but I had no idea what the differences were, so Munch and I quickly chose one filled with lotus seed paste and an egg yolk-

By now Munch and I were carrying two pink bakery boxes and were hungry, so I asked a young couple behind me where their favorite bubble tea place was. They directed me to the Sweetheart Cafe a couple of blocks away, where Munch ordered a soy mango smoothie and I had a fresh taro smoothie with coconut milk. Service was strangely slow, but the drinks eventually came out and Munch and I enjoyed them with a variety of the treats we had gathered.

Bellies full, Munch and I were ready to shop. She picked out a bright pink parasol from one store, we wandered a few alleyways before stumbling upon the fortune cookie factory, then we stopped in a market to pick up some snacks to take home where Munch found the most adorable panda cookies-

On our way back to the car, we came to the shop behind St. Mary's Cathedral where I found a children's prayer book for Munch. We ducked into the church for a few minutes to rest and admire the stained glass windows while Munch read her new book and practiced the "Our Father". I was surprised that Munch mentioned not seeing the holy water as we came in, but she found a bubbling fountain in the foyer and made the sign of the cross as we exited the church.

The Incredible Jesus

On Easter Sunday, I took Munch to church for the first time in our new neighborhood/parish. She's been to mass a handful of times before and I have emphasized the connection to Jesus during the holidays, but I've been waiting to introduce religion in a more purposeful way until she was old enough to understand it better. So when I decided to sneak in an afternoon snooze and left her alone with a handful of supplies and her impressionable imagination, this is what Munch came up with- attached to a door hanger even!

I'm not exactly sure why Jesus resembles the Incredible Hulk, but being that Munch has probably never heard of him (I feel old), it's probably totally a coincidence...

Planning Ahead...

"Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss is a popular gift for graduates. I didn't really think much of it though until this week when a parent of a former student brought her copy to me and asked me to sign it- for her first grader! Turns out she is collecting signatures from her daughter's teachers every year to be given as a high school graduation gift. Now THAT is planning ahead! And so much more special than just gifting the book. I enjoyed writing a note in its pages, thinking ahead to the person this student would become. And I immediately went out and got a copy for Munch to begin doing the same. Now that I've posted this, I wonder how many copies will be passing through my classroom over the next few weeks...

Fashion Plate

I just love flipping through kids' clothing catalogs- Chasing Fireflies, Mini Boden, Garnet Hill for girls- and so does Munch. She circles all her favorite outfits in the catalogs and jots notes all around them. So, just when I think that I'm depriving poor Munch of a fabulous, up-to-date wardrobe due to our limited budget, she reminds me it's not about what you wear, it's how you wear it! This clearance rack,$8 plaid dress I brought home from Target made her day and inspired this winning combination. How I wish I could bottle that attitude and confidence!

Favorite Flashbacks-Spangly Heart Cookies

Revisiting some of my favorite posts and projects...

Spangly Heart Cookies
Lately, I've been giving Munch more and more responsibility in the kitchen. She measures out ingredients for me, mixes things up, and (most exciting to her) she's gotten a chance to cut up celery using a "real" knife (one of my paring knives). Munch's cousin recently passed a cookbook on to her and we finally got around to trying one of the recipes.After going through the recipes, she decided on the "Spangly Heart Cookies". I liked that the recipe used reasonable quantities of ingredients for Munch to handle and that the straight-forward directions were also accompanied by a picture so I didn't have to explain much.
A few days ago I picked up a brightly colored set of measuring cups and spoons for Munch at Cost Plus. I figured it would be easier for her to remember the various sizes if they were also different colors.Once I softened the butter in the microwave for her, everything was easy for Munch to mix by hand. The only other thing I did for her was crack and separate the egg- she didn't want her hands to get dirty!Munch has also been wanting to wash the dishes herself, so she got going on that while the cookie dough chilled in the refrigerator.After a quick chill, Munch rolled out the dough and cut out the heart shapes before brushing on an egg white wash and sprinkling the cookies with pink sugar.Transferring the cookies to a rack to finish cooling-Just like the book!A proud Munch-

Flashback Favorites: Alphabet Activities, Letter M

Revisiting some of my favorite posts and projects...

Alphabet Activities: Letter M
I feel terrible about posting so infrequently lately. Munch has kept us on the move with her busy social calendar every weekend. It's been a lot of fun getting to meet her new friends and their families have been really nice. I was relieved to have a day off for the holiday, even though AudioDad had to work. Munch and I decided to get back to our letter activities, so we tackled M,m today. We started off making the letter M with wood pieces and Munch was delighted to discover she had made the word "moo". Of course, I got sound effects to accompany the word making:Next, we moved on to her alphabet workbook. Munch found the stickers with M words and practiced writing the letter-before beginning her letter collage onto which she glued some dry macaroni-We had a puppet to assemble- and Munch loved making her monkey-
I was really excited about our super cute, super easy food project after getting the idea off the web. I melted some pink candy melts while Munch stuck marshmallows onto lollipop sticks. The marshmallow pops got a dip in the pink candy then sprinkled with decorations The only tricky thing was where to put them while they cooled and the coating dried- they were too top heavy to stand in a tumbler. In the end, I propped a cooling rack on a few cans which worked perfectly!Munch got to enjoy one as part of, what else? A muffin tin meal! I filled it with bunny mac & cheese (Munch's favorite), meatballs, macadamia nuts, mandarin orange segments, and a marshmallow pop- all washed down with a glass of milk-After naptime, which gave me a chance to clean up, Munch and I finished up her mermaid craft. Earlier in the day, she painted some tissue paper (a la Eric Carle) with green, teal, and blue dot markers
After it dried, she glued squares of her painted tissue paper onto a mermaid shape and decorated it with sequinsI cut it out for her and we glued it onto a water-scene background done in glitter glue-Last activities for the day were a batch of "hide and seek" muffins to go with dinner (the cherries she pushed into the center of the batter sink into the center of the muffin during baking)and some exploration with magnets.

Munch's Annual Interview

I've been doing a New Year's interview for the last few years. It's nice to have something to remember Munch at each age. We fell a little behind this year, but better late than never!

Munch, 6 years old, fabulous as ever!

Munch, Age: 6 years
Grade: Kdg

Favorites:
Color: Gold
Animal: Unicorn
Restaurant: In N Out
Number: 100
Vegetable: Carrots
Book: Ivy and Bean
Game: Fairies
Food: Root beer float
Place: Home
Candy: Cotton candy
Best friend: Bella

What makes you happy? When I get to stay home with my mom and my dad.
What do you love best about your family? That I have one. 
What is the smartest thing you know how to do? Like 1+1.
What is hard for you to do? Minuses because I can do pluses a little more gooder.
What is your favorite thing to do? Go on my trampoline. 
What do you want to be when you grow up? A dog sitter. 
What will you get to do now that you're six? I get to learn more stuff that I haven't learned yet. 
If you could be in charge for the day, what would you do? I would clean the house.
What is your wish for this year? Go to Marine World (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom) because I haven't been there in such a long time. 

Not yet a FOLLOWER?  What are you waiting for???

New Year's Eve Interview 2010

Saw this idea last year on a few other blogs and was looking forward to revisiting it with Munch. On my printed copy, I add a picture box for her to draw a self-portrait.

Munch
Age: 4 years, 11 months
Grade: Pre-K

Favorites:
Color: Pink and purple
Animal: Dolphins and kitties
Restaurant: Pasta Pomodoro
Number: 131
Vegetable: Carrots
Book: Penguins to the Rescue
Game: Tic Tac Toe
Food: Macaroni and cheese
Place: Wisconsin
Candy: Peanut butter balls
Best friend: Lucy

What makes you happy?
My mom.

What do you love best about your family?
How they love me.

What is the smartest thing you know how to do?
Twirls and tap dancing.

What is hard for you to do?
Stand on my head.

What is your favorite thing to do?
Play with little cat, Annie.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A Disney person or a toy seller.

What will you get to do once you turn five?
Have cake and open presents. Also do handstands.

If you could be in charge for the day, what would you do?
Do the computer like a teacher.

What is your wish for this year?
That Tinkerbell and her fairy friends are real.

*A side note: Munch's original answer to "Favorite restaurant?" was originally McDonalds. Separately, both AudioDad and I were puzzled by that response. Munch explained, "They have a really neat playground. But, it IS pretty dirty. So I guess it's really not a good one after all." When I asked if she ever ate there too, Munch was confused, so I asked again, "Okay, McDonalds has the playground, but what's your favorite restaurant to actually EAT in?" "Oh, that's easy- Pasta Pomodoro!" she replied.

Raising une gourmet petite

I'm fortunate to live in an area where good food is accessible and appreciated. There's nothing I enjoy more than a great dining experience and it's always been my goal to make sure Munch knows the good from the bad.
Step one was exposing her to a variety of cuisines and flavor profiles. When she was barely a year old, I was delighted to discover Munch's favorite food from my aunt and uncle's house was sinigang- Filipino "sour soup." When I went back to work, I was glad to know Munch was eating hearty soups and stews made from scratch by her home daycare provider, whose family was from South America.
Step two was to not feed Munch "kid food". I started her on homemade pureed food from the beginning (and it killed me to see the later proliferation of steaming/storage baby food "kits" that popped up in cooking catalogues- that's MY method!) We've always sat down for family dinner time and I never made a separate meal for Munch, nor did I "dumb down" our own food. We've gotten "dinner conversation" pretty much down, but we're still working on the length of the meal (she IS, after all, a distractible 4-year old!) We also had pretty much stopped eating "chain" fast food a couple of years before Munch's birth, except for the occasional quick bite when traveling. As a result, when she was served plain buttered noodles, a staple of children across the country, Munch would wonder where the red sauce was. I also had to explain the nugget to her, as it looked like no chicken that had ever been on her plate before- she skipped it and ate the apple wedges instead.
Step three- exposing Munch to the adventures of dining out. When she was a toddler, I frequently let her join me when dining out with friends (as long as it was okay with them!)- in the process, Munch learned appropriate public behavior and began to understand that it would result in her being invited out again. We also started out in fairly informal places, like the local family-run Mexican restaurant or kid-friendly places like The Cheesecake Factory. I'd take Munch along on summer vacation "dumpling outings", when we'd pick up dim sum from the Asian market and check out the smelly, I mean, "sensory-rich" seafood section while we were there so she could see the unbutchered products piled high, unwrapped, and hopefully, she'd begin to understand that "food" was once a living animal, fish, or bird.
Now, we're in "food appreciation"- Munch is helping me prepare more meals than not. I always invite her to help, but don't force her. Just this morning, Munch declined to help make breakfast as she was still reading in bed, but sure enough, she was by my side within minutes (couldn't stay away- someone needed to taste all those ingredients!) On our summer trip to Wisconsin, we visited dairy farms and read about cows providing us with milk and meat. Munch knows that a farmer AND an animal are behind that meal on her plate. And tonight, a special treat that I've been leading up to for a long time- a "fancy" dinner out, meaning the beginning of restaurants with ambiance, tasting courses, a really good wine list, a cheese course- hooray! I'll post more "restaurant specifics" soon, but here's a sneak peek:

Munch with Tyler Florence- If we're doing "fine dining", we may as well throw a celeb chef in there!

Alphabet Activity Wrap-Up (Letters S, Q, K, and X)

Last summer we started our "letter of the day" study. It's taken us a while, but we finally got through the remaining letters of the alphabet so that I could assemble the collage pages into a book. Munch has gotten fairly proficient at writing her upper case letters, so I added some practice with lower case letters.

Letter S,s- We used rubber stamps and stapled on straws to decorate the collage page.Today's craft was a directed drawing/painting of fruit using scented "paint"- I mixed Kool-Aid packets with just a tablespoon or so of water."Froot by V-"Sniffing the finished painting before enjoying a snack of strawberries

Letter Q,q-Lunch was a quesadilla, of course! Collage page with quinoa and q-tips attachedGluing squares of decorative paper onto a pattern of a bedthe finished bed and quilt with a kleenex-stuffed "pillow"

Letter K,k-For the letter K day, we headed out to fly a kite and Munch tried a new fruit-Kiwi!
Keys attached to the K,k pageKids can't resist sorting and exploring with keysOur kangaroo craftand making "kisses" cookies for a treat

Letter X,x- Our cooking project was to make pretzel x's using an illustrated recipe Munch brought home from preschool.I had a tough time finding something for our collage page, but finally settled on using plastic tile spacers-Munch has been interested in sewing lately, so we found a cute beginner's cross-stitch kit-