No Hands

My kid is growing up at an alarming rate and every day is something new. Lately, she's
been particularly...testy. By testy, I mean that she's testing us at every turn. She does
something kind of snotty and then pauses and looks back at us for a reaction. I could
almost call her a behavioral psychology researcher. Mama and Dada could be called the same.

Today as we were walking down stairs to her room at day care, she reached for the kid
height hand rail and told us "no hands," meaning she doesn't want to hold our hand on the
way down. It was a funny process because she kept reaching out automatically, then she'd realize what she was doing and would pull back and again say "no hands."

After much ado, last night Daddy and I took the crib apart. Bebe now is sleeping on her crib mattress on the floor in her room. The look on her face last night when we showed her the new bed was incredible. Lets just say I immediately cried. She was just so happy and isn't that all we want? What was the result of the bed change, you ask? She fell off the mattress around 11PM and ended up in bed with us yet again. Like everything you do in parenthood; if at first you don't succeed, try and try and try and try again.

I've been doing an insane amount of cleaning at the house over the weekend and into this
week. Its been cathartic, aerobic, and refreshing. I've moved a couple of pieces of
furniture. We are also planning on moving Bebe's toys upstairs to her room and the glider
from her room to the living room. I love the idea of having a few chairs next to the fire
place for the fall and winter as well as play time away from the TV. I still have a few big projects to finish up before the cold weather sets in and Mama gets super lazy and just wants to snuggle up on the couch all winter. Speaking of snuggling, lets do a recipe or something. How about some spicy hot chocolate or chai tea? My pick is below.

Chai Tea Latte

4 cups water
4 cups milk
4 green cardamom pods
12 black peppercorns
12 whole cloves
4 inches cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 star anise
1 whole nutmeg
3 slices fresh gingerroot
4 black tea bags
6 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix together water and milk in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add cardamom pods, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick, anise, nutmeg, ginger-root, and tea. Remove from heat and steep for 15-20 minutes, according to how strong you like your tea. Carefully strain tea through strainer into another pot to remove spices. Stir in honey, mixing well to dissolve; mix in vanilla extract. Pour into cups and serve warm, or chill and serve cold.

Peace out.