Reading aloud a children’s book with an arch nemesis!

I recently bought a new book to read to my little one: Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie by Joel Stewart. The artful synopsis on the back is what sold me: a big, blue (my favorite color!!!) beast-like giant eyeing a little boy on a scooter, pointedly telling him “I’m bored. I think I’ll eat you.” Resistance was futile.

Reading to my son is an interesting exercise. I love to read aloud to him, especially at night when he’s curled up in our bed with his bottle, staring avidly at the My Kitty illustrations I read to him every night. It is one of the few times he’ll be still enough for me to be able to point out the words; every other time he’s too busy grabbing it from me and trying to turn the pages. I believe it’s because he thinks of books as little doors – a legitimate way to view a book as a doorway to a new world I guess. Daytime reading is usually me reading to him while he plays around so he can hear the story and see me enjoy the book.

Which is why I love Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie; reading this book aloud is pure enjoyment. I probably have as much fun, if not more, as my son, reading the hard “D’s” and booming “B’s” in their rolling alterations with a faux English accent (I’m compelled! It makes me sound cultured and evil). The Big Blue Beastie is in a perpetual state of boredom and constantly threatening to “eat” our intrepid young hero. Each time, Dexter counters with “Hold on, I have a much better idea” and comes up with various schemes that give him a few moments more (or many moons in storyland time). Thus we have the two frenemies scooting around on scooters, running a successful flower delivery business (complete with shares and the stock market), becoming famed private detectives called “Bexley & Beastie” (solving the case of the “The Rubber Glove Affair” and capturing arch nemesis Professor Horten Zoar, “although he later escaped”), creating the largest beast-iest yogurt sundae, and (finally) sharing lollipops.

When reading to a child, especially at night, I find there are certain rules that make it an enjoyable experience for both parties.

1. There needs to by a rhythm to the writing, otherwise what’s the point of reading aloud? Alliterations, assonance, consonance, rhymes and repetition are great stylistic devices, and are wonderful to the ears.
2. The book should be a reasonable length. The My Kitty book is only 5 pages long (remember, my child is only 1!), which is perfect as the final book for the day. It is to wind him down and lull him to sleep. Dexter Bexley is 36 pages which is why I read it to him during the day.
3. The illustrations should be vibrant. When you leave the books lying around, and when you pause during your recitation, you want your child to want to look at the pictures.
4. Enjoy The Book. Enjoy Reading Aloud.

- manals

The Definitive Guide to Faking ‘Domestic Goddess’ Status

alatAl goes on…

I love cleaning house. Well not so much cleaning as the feeling of satisfaction after I’m done. That’s the kick. I could go on for hours until somebody forcibly yanks me away from my duster and holds me down until the withdrawal symptoms pass. My nearest and dearest think I’m a tad OCPD inflicted. I tell them they’re just being silly as I wipe them down with my special home-made lint roller made from an empty kitchen towel roll and masking tape.

Not to say that my house is always clean: Aside from being a clean freak, I’m also an authentic expert procrastinator. Which means that I go through binges and purges of mess then order. Then mess again. More often, like most normal people (I hope), it’s mess…Until my (somewhat sometimes excessively) social husband’s impromptu ‘hey yeah, we’re home, come on over’ type phone calls, which results in the classic scenario where I either:

a) Do nothing and risk exposing myself as the slob that I really am, and I’m sure you can relate. (If you tell me you can’t, I’m pretty sure you’re lying)

b) Get into a mad frenzy of flash freakish housekeeping… and live up to my artificial ‘domestic goddess’ standing amongst my friends

I inevitably opt for b), and have devised a formula that I will share with you here. PS. No point in asking the husband for help, he’ll think “it’s all fine anyway!”

Scenario 1: They haven’t seen you in ages and want to catch up – they’ll be over in half an hour

Dilemma: Living room’s a mess
- This is the first impression and the memory of it will burn itself into your guests minds
- Get this right and the rest doesn’t matter much

Solution: Zap clutter and work on ambience
- De-clutter: Arm yourself with large garbage bag, and throw in some or all the following items strewn across your living room.
o Remote controls, keys, Magazines, CDs, and laptops
o Shoes, socks, miscellaneous items of clothing
o Throw bag into back of bedroom closet
o This way you’ll know where to look when you can’t find something
- Play music: Norah Jones’ ‘Come away with me’ can turn even a house with mental asylum ambience into ‘welcome to my lovely home’
- Scent Sense: Betty Crocker does a lovely mix for homemade brownies where you just add water and oil. Plop into a baking pan, and turn off the exhaust so the smell of fresh baking wafts through your halls.

Answer door with flourish in freshly starched apron (that you wear after you fake bake), and revel in the complements about your warm, clean home as they relish your freshly baked brownies.

Got a few extra seconds?
- Get yourself some awesome electrostatic duster cloths (try Vileda) that save you the trouble of sweeping and collecting all the dirt in a dust pan, they’re like magic!

Can’t make it.. it’s too late?
- Turn off lights and work on ambience with vanilla scented candles so dirt is not visible, and pray they’re not hungry

Scenario 2: They’re fifteen minutes away and want to pop in just to say hello!

Dilemma: Bathroom hasn’t been cleaned in ages

Solution:
- Wipe down all surfaces with awesome Clorox Wipes: they do the same work as a good scrub down with detergent and a sponge, but they’re quicker and neater and don’t leave everything wet
- Don’t neglect the taps and mirrors and wipe down all traces of water marks
- Wipe everything off with a dry kitchen towel to give it that hotel type shine
- Pour Harpic in toilet bowl and let it do its work while you do yours

You’ll have a loo that’s sparkly clean and smells pine fresh too!

If you have time:
- Add that extra fresh scent by sprinkling baby cologne on your towels. It’s clean, safe, and not overpowering

Aak! They’re already at the door and you haven’t even started?
- Don’t serve drinks so hopefully they won’t have to pee

Scenario 3: They’re in the elevator and on their way up… surprise!

Dilemma: Kitchen’s a pig sty

Solution:
- Pile all dishes neatly, in order of size to minimize space usage
- Bung into the oven and seal shut
- Wipe everything down with above mentioned Clorox wipes (fresh ones, please!)

At least your sink will be empty…

Got a few extra seconds?
- Pour Carpet Fresh in your garbage can… preferably before you put a new bag in, but even if it’s full. If you don’t have time to take out the trash, the scented powder works really well!

Nope! It’s not happening, there’s no hope, you can hear their footsteps outside?
- Feign Flu, turn out lights and don’t answer when the door bell rings
- Find new friends

Banana Bread

With the slew of foodie/recipe-yee themed movies/blogs/articles/books that are inundating the planet, I thought it would be fun to join the bandwagon.

I have decided to share with you all my very special banana bread recipe – a recipe that is so fool-proof, so quick, so edible that can con a wolf into abject humility (I don’t know why I wrote that. It had sounded so cool when I thought of it), and so yummy that your in-laws will hand of the diamond heirlooms. Trust me, its that good. This recipe is  my pot-luck standard: continually requested and easily delivered.

So, ’nuff said. Onto my incomparable recipe! You will need eggs, unsalted butter, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and bananas. You can add in the walnuts if you want – I don’t.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 81/2 x 41/2 inch loaf pan.

Now for the fun stuff:

Mix together in your main, big mixing bowl
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder

In another bowl, beat for about 2 minutes
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
Keep beating until the color is lightened and thoroughly mixed. Note: I’m sure there are a lot of you that might be tempted to skimp on the sugar. While I don’t know the repercussions on the baking procedure (remember in baking measurements matter), I will say that it isn’t as sugary as you’d think; the bananas also add a large amount of sweetness. Use this amount first before deciding on your sugar quantity.

Add the sugar mixture to the flour until well blended, and then
Add in 2 large eggs, already beaten. Blend.
Fold in 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, approximately 2.
(Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans).

Combine everything.

Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and make it is spread evenly; I gently bang the pan against the kitchen counter to help level it a little. Bake it for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once done, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes then dig in!

Bon appétit!

-manals

What’s Summer Without Cotton Candy?

Reading about the bun kebabs reminded me that no summer trip to Karachi was ever complete without indulging in bags and bags of soft airy cotton candy. Each bite into the sugary clouds felt like a small burst of joy. I remember ripping open the little plastic packets, and wondering how long it would be before the cotton candy started to harden. I still remember the pleasure of licking the sticky sweet remains off my fingers. Pain is an afterthought. Because I now recall the small boy who stood there selling the cotton candy for a pittance, bags of florescent yellow and pink clipped to his stall. He was smaller than me, thin and dirty – a small shell of a human being. A day of standing in the hot humid streets of Karachi could render anyone listless, but I didn’t notice then. I could only think of how good the cotton candy would taste.

I cannot help that boy, but there is something else I can do. I can help my local community by donating to food banks. Over the last few years, community food banks have been reporting continuing shortages in supplies. With the recession still in full gear (don’t let anyone tell you otherwise), food banks are facing greater struggles to provide food to those in need as donations have decreased. Rising food prices have not helped the situation either.

Poverty in North America does not have the same face as in third world countries (and that’s probably because we haven’t been to any of the seedier parts of town lately), but that’s not to say that it doesn’t exist.  Worse yet, child poverty is the highest in any age group. According to the 2008 National Report Card on Child and Family Poverty by Campaign 2000, 1 out of every 9 child in Canada lives in poverty and that’s not including First Nations figures. According to Save the Children and the Children’s Defense Organization, 1 out of every 4 child in America lives in poverty. Isn’t that one child too many?

These reports factor in low wages and rising costs of living, single parent households, poor education, and a myriad of related problems. I may not be able to solve all these problems, but it is possible to help reduce the impact of these problems on children. By donating to food banks, we are helping children in poverty to stay healthy. Studies prove that healthy children are more likely to do well in school and in society, thus more likely to escape poverty as adults. Sounds like a long term solution to me.

How to donate, you ask? It’s really easy, most supermarkets have a drop box for donating food items to your local food bank. I know it can be tough to remember to add on those few extra items in your cart, and there are those times when that extra expenditure seems like a burden. Don’t let that stop you. Start by buying just one item.  Pick shelf-stable items like those listed below:

• Pasta
• Pasta sauce
• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Juice packs
• Peanut butter
• Canned tuna
• Soup packets

Please remember, these items are not handouts, they are vital necessities. More importantly, this is about supporting your community, wherever you are. By helping out, you’re making food a pleasure for everyone.