I’ve been learning about Nonviolent Communication a la Marshall Rosenberg. If you have never read this book, I highly recommend it. It’s great for anyone who wants to learn how to communicate better. First and foremost it will teach you how to spot “violence” in your own speech patterns, e.g. orders rather than requests, requests based on conditional love, and talk filled with judgment. I think it’s very counter-culture because Americans takes pride in a quick wit and having opinions about everything, even things that don’t particularly matter. But by the time you finish this book, you’ll be ready to mediate Middle East peace talks.

Categories: school
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Pursuing a doctorate while my husband is also in school and with both of us working full-time jobs and taking care of three kids is as exhausting as it sounds. Something has to give, and that something is housework. Tonight I’m doing my first load of laundry in weeks. I’m amazed the kids haven’t run out of clean clothes already. The living room is a sty. Every once in a while I pick up a handful of art supplies, books, and socks (yes, socks) and put them in their proper places, but I haven’t had the energy to do a more thorough cleaning, and my allergies are acting up because of all the dust. Aside from emergency milk runs, we haven’t done a proper grocery shopping trip in weeks, so we’ve been subsisting on ready-to-eat meals.

I think that’s why Alex found the movie Julie & Julia so scintillating tonight. Of course any kid would love the over-the-top lobster scene, but when it was time for him to go to bed and the movie hadn’t ended yet, I was totally taken aback when he said, “Aww, this is the best movie.” Of course I had to let him stay up and watch it. Near the end, during the pivotal duck deboning scene, he wanted to know exactly what was happening.

I think I need to get a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

I’d like to write about the girls as well, but I’m fading fast, so just a quick update for now. Our kindergartener Ana is reading at an end-of-first-grade-start-of-second-grade level, and her teacher is encouraging her to write more. She likes to write stories about Farmville (yes, the Facebook game). Our 1 1/2 year old Angie has learned how to say “Alex,” which her big brother finds thrilling. (She started saying “Ana” ages ago.) She also laughs a lot, cackles even, which makes the rest of us laugh with her.

Off to bed.

Categories: kids and parenting, school, work-life balance
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2000 Alex was born. I graduated.
2001 We bought our house. I got a new job.
2002 Kevin and I visit New Orleans.
2003 Kevin and I visit NYC. We take Alex to San Diego.
2004 Ana was born. I graduated again.
2005 Kevin graduated. We both got new jobs. We visited London.
2006 We started a major home addition project. We take Alex and Ana to San Francisco.
2007 We finished the home addition. Kevin got a new job. We take Alex and Ana to San Diego.
2008 Angie was born. We got a dog.
2009 I got Lasik surgery. Kevin and I both went back to school.

Categories: home improvement, kids and parenting, pets, pregnancy, school, travel
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I hope you’re all enjoying the holidays and staying healthy. I haven’t been so lucky on the health front. Got sick last month and again this month.

When I get sick, my imagination goes wild, usually in the form of a superhero that appears out of nowhere to clean the house as I watch from my vantage point on the sofa, snuggled under a blanket. This time, however, I couldn’t stop thinking about soup. At first it was my mom’s beef soup. Then it was miso soup. Then it was hot ‘n sour soup. And finally, the one that I couldn’t get out of my head — broccoli cheese soup. I ended up opening my copy of Joy of Cooking and cobbling together a half decent version from their recipes for cheddar cheese soup and  cream of broccoli soup. If you’re into creamy soups, I think you might enjoy this one:

1. Chop onions. Saute in melted butter.
2. Add broccoli crowns. Keep cooking until tender.
3. Sprinkle with flour and stir.
4. Add chicken broth. Bring to boil, then simmer until broccoli falls apart.
5. Add some heavy cream and shredded cheese. Stir until melted.
6. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Stir and serve.

Categories: food
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