Epic San Francisco Chocolate Tour 2014

Like the Tcho-vision says: Obsessed (with chocolate)

There's no lack of love for chocolate in this household, but there's one particular boy whose passion for chocolate is probably only surpassed by his passion for dogs (although I'd have to actually check with him on that). And because this boy had some assigned-for-winter-break homework assignments (argh!) that were just not getting done, there needed to be an incentive....and so I created our first ever San Francisco Self-Guided Chocolate Tour of 2014.  I've never seen homework done so fast! So I did some research and created a map:

THE GREAT SAN FRANCISCO CHOCOLATE TOUR MAP


View SF Chocolate Tour in a larger map

This might look a little daunting. As long as you're familiar with SF and have no fear of driving and finding parking, it's actually a piece of cake. I highly recommend that you begin at Tcho on the Embarcadero at Green, as first thing in the morning it's much easier to get in and out of the area. I'm also not going to review the actual chocolate....there are too many choices and too much variation. The boy is all about dark chocolate and the girl is all about milk chocolate so there ya go. This is more about an excursion of love......

And so we did begin at Tcho.....

Tcho - New American Chocolate
Bean to Bar factory and retail outlet
Embarcadero - Pier 17
[UPDATE: Tcho Factory is moving to Berkeley. As of June 7, 2014, it's not open yet.

We arrived by 10am (they open at 9) to see if we could put our name on the waiting list for the 10:30a tour. There were 6 names in front of us that did the same. So here's a tip: go in at 9a if you haven't reserved a free tour (10:30a & 2p) - tcho.com/tour.  We did not make it on the tour. While we were waiting we ordered a couple of cups of peppermint chocolate drink, and I got a Blue Bottle redeye. That's coffee with espresso added. Yep...needed to start the day right. And it was very well made. Very friendly retail staff. The displays in the store are pretty. There are a couple of samples set out - dark chocolate and milk chocolate. That's about it, really. We asked for some explanation on all the different boxes and it seems they just create pretty packaging for similar items. So we chose a few things and took our stuff outside to eat.  You see above there is a large table that you could sit inside and eat your purchased goods.....but it was a beautiful day by the water, so why not enjoy that?

XOX Truffles
Truffles made on site
North Beach

A little history....Scott and I used to live right above XOX in our first apartment together in San Francisco. It was 1988-1989. Unfortunately XOX did not exist then - but if you look at the photo below, Petite Deli did - our apartment included all four windows right above XOX (blue awning) and Petite Deli. They apparently opened in October, 1998....actually almost 9 years to the day after we moved out and up to Russian Hill.

So we discovered it on one of our nostalgic tours back around the 'hood way back when. And then, to our amazement, they opened an outlet in Oakland in Montclair. Unfortunately, it didn't last and today when I told him I missed them in Oakland, he said "I don't miss being there." Uh, okay. Then he added that it was too hard to focus on both locations. Makes sense.

Anyway, if you're like me and hate the hard shells that come on most truffles, then this is the place for you. And if you wonder where they're made, then take a look at the owner/chef making a batch. Right here, baby.....right here. 

XOX truffles are like eating only the center ganache of a truffle - and this is the only type of truffle I will eat. The flavors they offer at XOX are so delicious that you have to select at least 4 or 5 flavors. Caramel is always a favorite. I also enjoy the Kahlua. The teens liked orange and lemon and Earl Grey among others.

You can then take your lovely truffles and a coffee and sit outside to enjoy watching all of the Columbus Ave. passers-by.

Moving along, we made our way over to Hayes Valley.

Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates
Hayes Valley

Christopher Elbow is an old favorite. After years and years of SF Boys Chorus and SF Girls Chorus, I have haunted every Hayes Valley location and then some. Especially during the holidays when rehearsals at Davies Symphony Hall were long and frequent. Their liquid chocolate comes in a number of different flavors and it is just over-the-top deliciousness. Their service is almost always top-notch (save for some black Friday craziness, but they get a pass for that). So on this day, a Friday morning with not too many customers, the lovely gal lived up to what I expected in service. There were samples offered to the kids while I was in the restroom (and btw, I'm obsessed with their sink - please check out their bathroom while you're there) and when I returned they had each almost finished their selections of chocolates. They also have seating that is super-comfy. All-around enjoyable experience here.

Now over to Noe Valley.  Unfortunately, I spent a good deal of time trying to locate some Sixth Course Chocolates. They apparently do very well in the International Chocolate Salons held in SF, so I thought we could get some at 24th St. Cheese Co. Sadly they were out and hadn't ordered any more - but meant to. LOL.  Okay...the kids did a little salumi tasting and chose a spicy salami to buy. They enjoyed the little break from sweets. Fortunately, we were only a couple of blocks from......

Chocolate Covered
Noe Valley

Storefront from the Chocolate Covered website

Holy moley.....the holy grail of all chocolate bars you may be looking for from around the world. Truly wonderful shop that you could peruse for hours. The owner is very helpful and knowledgeable and figures out what you're looking for, then provides samples in that realm to help you choose. The boy may have offended him a little as we discussed Oakland, and Bittersweet, and the fact that the owner's friend, who started Bittersweet, went to Hawaii to start up a new chocolate venture - growing beans to bars - and the boy said "oh - Lonohana? I didn't like their chocolate." Way to go dude. To be fair, he's only tried the 'Ele'Ele bar and is open to trying others. Doink.

Give yourselves some time here, as there is much to be seen. 

And now for some lunch......

ChocolateLab - A Savory and Sweet Cafe by Rechiutti
Dogpatch

Apparently even chocolatiers want to do other things (isn't it usually tech or business people who want to pitch it all and make chocolate?)

So ChocolateLab has a few very nice menu items, including this sweet little chicken pot pie that the girl ordered and loved. 

The boy ordered a cheese plate that included 3-4 cheeses, crackers, dates, an olive and some honey produced from bees on-site. He was in heaven. I ordered their quinoa bowl with veggies & apples - apparently if you like turkey the smoked turkey version is amazing. I was happy with my choice.

And then there was the dessert menu that includes many decadent items. The boy almost went for the brownie concotion, but at the last second switched to the drinking chocolate with marshmallows. Wait a sec.....didn't he get that at Tcho, also? This is a boy who likes to keep his chocolate as pure as possible.....

  

After we left we stopped next door to Little Nib, their tiny Recchiuti retail location. This is our first run-in with service that was just okay....or worse. Not a lot of help in sorting through their selection, even when asked....and no samples at all. I don't require samples, but all in all, the store was just... meh. If you like their chocolate, try the Ferry Building location....I have to believe the service is much better.  I think it was a theme, because right around the corner on 3rd St. is.....

Poco Dolce

Dogpatch

We walked in and there's a small retail area with product placed around the front, then desks for workers behind the counter. You're very much left on your own....and the guy who came to the front to help mostly sneered at us and had a bit of that hipster-holier-than-thou 'tude.  After we selected and paid for a couple of items completely without help or input, he did offer a sample of toffee he had to the back of the counter. It was good....but didn't make up for the unwelcome feeling for most of the visit. Really no need to return here....if you like their chocolate they sell it elsewhere.

And we're off to Potrero...which really wasn't going to be part of the tour. However, since we didn't find Sixth Course in Noe Valley, and we had some time, we ran over to Salumeria, which was also supposed to carry them. Nope. Out.  Okay - how about down the block at Heath Ceramics?  Sorry - they were here yesterday! Somebody must have bought them all! Grrrr. Never mind - I'll get some beans at the Blue Bottle that shares the Heath space, and then let's just add....

Charles Chocolates

Potrero Hill

Sweet little shop right next to Charlotte Russe headquarters (hey CR peeps-they do high tea-let's meet for that sometime!).  They actually make the chocolates between 7a and 3p....the retail shop opens at 11a....so if you're there between 11a and 3p you'll see some action.  There are also tours.....which eekgaawd you have to pay for! Aw well, had I planned to come, I'd still have paid to tour. Very sweet girl working the counter....and samples were out and easy to find.  All this time, this place has been less than 3 blocks from the SPCA where the boy volunteers weekly, and he had no idea. Hee hee.

Okay....after running into a friend at Chocolate Covered, we ended up hanging with them awhile at their Noe Valley pad, mere blocks from our ultimate desination.....

Dandelion Chocolate

Dandelion Chocolate Tours and Classes

Bean to Bar Chocolate made in the Mission, SF

Mission District

I had crafted the day to end at Dandelion to take advantage of their 6:00pm public tour. My inability to navigate their website appropriately actually helped us in the long run. I called Tuesday, they told me where to go on the website, I said okay, then couldn't find it and filled in a private event webform, then called Friday morning and they said "just come right before and we can usually fit people in" and so we did and then they were full...... I tell you all this because I want you to know the story I told Chelsea, working at the cash register and listening to the crazy lady tell her tale of woe. So Chelsea, who happens to have taught at both Montera Middle School and Oakland Tech (she doesn't look much older than the students so I don't know how that happened!), as I found out later, went upstairs to talk to someone. She came down 10 minutes later to let us know that if, in fact, we could not hop onto the last tour, then the CEO would give us a private tour at 6:30p, if we didn't mind waiting. Wow......just wow. We didn't mind waiting. As we sat at one of their comfy tables, just talking and taking it all in, and frankly, relaxing, since we'd been on our tour-de-chocolate since 10am, Chelsea brought over 3 cups of drinking chocolate....gratis. And pointed to where the marshmallows are that can be added, if you'd like. (Are you keeping track of the # of drinking chocolates the boy specifically has had at this point? 3.  It's 3. Seriously, 3.) This is when we chatted awhile longer with Chelsea, found out her Oakland connection, and fell in love with her. And while you chat with her, notice that she sounds and has mannerisms JUST LIKE Kelly Clarkson. For real. And I'm not the only one who has told her that.....Chelsea also did tell us that there was another guy who had been hanging around and just really, really, really wanted a tour, and would it be okay if he came on our tour? Cuz you know it was "our tour" now. Well, yes of course - anyone who is as passionate about good chocolate as we are should be able to come on "our tour."

Waiting for "our tour"

Anyway, just before 6:30 Todd came out and took us back for a tour. It lasted about 45-ish minutes and covered every single thing I wanted to know. Todd was patient and broke down every component of the process so we understood. We were patient with the guy who came on "our tour" with all of his questions because he was "in the industry." And by that I mean he used to be a coffee guy. Beans, you know. But he kind of really didn't know. Whatever.

The retail space sets out many sample of their bars....which are all made with cacao and sugar, period. End of story. No added cocoa fats, cocoa butter (that's for smooth, supple skin, anyway, right?), no lecithin, nothing but the chocolate and the sugar. There are a ton of menu items, including a fruit blended drink made from the fruit of the cacao bean.....which is not a chocolate flavor at all.

Bottom line is that Dandelion became and will remain our favorite chocolate location in SF. We will visit it and drink it and eat it and wash in it and talk about it and BART to it and try to intern at it forever because of the service we received. Thank you Dandelion, for topping off our SF Chocolate tour so spectacularly!

Because we were a little dizzy from our day o' chocolate, we topped it off with great Mission mexican food at Tacqueria el Buen Sabor at Valencia and 18th. Not a hipster joint....real and true food and beer and horchata. Whew. I think we can go home now. Ni-night San Francisco!

The Day of the Lemon Cake

Sierra has been wanting to make a cake for a week. No particular reason. Well, if sugar counts as a reason, then yeah, one particular reason. So after searching for just the right flavor and recipe, she came upon a Lemon Cake recipe that looked pretty tasty.

We didn't realize that it also happened to be Gluten Free until we were really concentrating on writing down the ingredients for the shopping list. One would think it would be difficult to find brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, guar gum, and maybe even lemon extract. But guess what? Whole Foods has every single one of these items in one aisle!



So with our ingredients in hand, Sierra began the cake making process. First the cake part - pretty straightforward - mix a bunch of stuff together, pour in a pan, and bake. One ingredient we somehow overlooked was canola oil. I always have coconut oil on hand, so I got it out, heated it just enough to bring it to liquid state, then gave it to Sierra to add to a milk/lemon zest mixture she needed to do before incorporating into the cake batter. Guess what happens when you mix coconut oil with cold milk? Uh huh. Back to solid. Oh well, warmed the mixture again back to liquid and had no problems after that.





Next was the lemon curd. This was where she used the guar gum. Very easy and it thickened up really nicely.



So we split the two cake layers in half and basically made lemon curd sandwiches of them before putting them back together for frosting. This is the only part I was allowed to do because she didn't trust herself to split the cakes horizontally.



Finally, there was frosting to be made. I cannot believe it has taken me all these years to realize it - but I only learned about a month ago that you can make your own powdered sugar by putting granulated sugar in a powerful enough blender. What a money saver. So she made some powdered sugar, added it to butter, lemon, lemon extract, and lemon zest and that was the frosting. Oh, 1 1/2 times the recipe of course, for decorating purposes.

It was time for the base level of frosting.



But just a simple layer of frosting isn't too exciting, now is it? So you need some whoop-te-doos and piping and whatnot, and of course some sprinkles, because what is a cake without sprinkles? Wait...I wonder if the sprinkles un-gluten-freed the cake!?! Hmmmm.



And the finished cake with the baker.



And finally, the cake after cutting. It always gets dark outside when I'm trying to photograph food and you just can't see the layers as well as I'd like - but they're there, believe me.



UPDATE: Daytime photo of the yummy layers



I told Sierra this and I don't think she truly believes me...but this is the best cake I have ever eaten. I cannot explain exactly why - of course it was made with love, and it's flavors that I adore, etc. - but the flavors shine through with the exact right amount of sweet, moist, and flavorful: not too much or too little of anything.

I would say that you could potentially double the lemon curd recipe if you really like lemon curd....I thought we really weren't going to be able to taste it at all because it's a pretty thin layer, but surprisingly it held up really well and you could definitely taste it.

If you'd like to try it yourself, you can go to the Lemon Layer Cake recipe at Epicurious. It's from the November, 2005 Gourmet, which, like any good packrat, I have in my "November section" of my food magazine racks.

And yes, I did call this The DAY of the Lemon Cake for a reason. What was supposed to be a 2-hour-total-time cake recipe somehow took around 5 hours. Oh well, that's okay. It was worth it.

What do pierced ears and chickens have in common?

Sierra finally got her ears pierced. For those who don't know, she had to complete a goal first in order to be able to do so. The goal was to keep her room clean for six months straight. Some may say, so what? She should keep her room clean all the time anyway. Uh huh. Is your room clean 24/7 for six months in a row? Mine is certainly not. Others say...six months? Harsh! Well, there is a good reason. I needed for her to prove that she was responsible enough to be able to care for her ears. Too many of her friends seemed to be getting infections after getting their ears pierced. If she is responsible enough to keep her room clean for that long, she is responsible enough to keep her ears as clean as they need to be for the first 6 months of piercing. She started this journey when she was 8...went for about a month, then it all fell apart and she had to start over. Then she decided to time it out so that right around her 9th birthday, if successful, she could have pierced ears. And hooray! She made it! And let me tell you, I have never seen anyone so responsible with their ear cleaning. Her ear cleaning solution and cotton balls have gone with her EVERYWHERE. Sleepovers. Summer day camp. Oregon. Three times a day, without fail, she cleans and twists, twists and cleans. This Sunday is a very exciting milestone...she gets to change earrings. She already has a strategy that she'll change them every other day, always leaving in the originals for overnight. This will be the strategy through November, which will complete the first 6 months of pierced ears. She's not taking any chances. And I'm extremely proud.

So, having watched this all unfold, Ryan has decided that he has a goal of keeping his room clean for six months. And the prize he wants? Chickens. He really really really really wants to raise chickens so we can have fresh eggs. Sierra's violin teacher has four chickens that roam around her Oakland yard, and many other families in the hills have them, as they're legal to have in Oakland. Obviously chickens are a big responsibility. I'm not quite sure taking care of chickens is equivalent to taking care of newly-pierced ears, or if keeping your room clean qualifies either, but somehow we've embarked on a let's-see journey. We'll let you know what happens!

Did you hear about the hottest new band? Uh huh....they're called Rock Candy and they're all the rage! Their latest gig was at the Starry Plough in Berkeley. Oh, you haven't heard? Well you can read today's SF Chronicle Datebook section....or go online to SFGate and read the article (be sure to click through the "view more images" link for a super-secret suprise image!).

Today, a collection of writing from Sierra:

E-mail one sent from car ride home from Tahoe yesterday (I stayed home while everyone else went skiing for the day). I am not correcting spelling or grammar - but will insert a word or explanation in parenthesis and italicized if clarification may be needed:

This is a really cute picture of me when I was drinking hot chocolate with extra whipped cream! We had two stops for hot chocolate. Both times it was very very good. The 2nd time there was no whipped cream. But we had to add "all perpose cream". The contaner of crem was stuck in a huge tub with a bunch of ice and water foer some reason. I thoght that it was quit weird and interesting. My favorite run was the easy one but they had split it in half and one side was a train [terrain] park. I liked the train park the best. Right now, we are stuck in traffic for some reason. Dad thinks that there must have been an acsadent ahead. I think that he just changed what he thought was ahead but I couldn't quit hear what he said. Got to go because Ryan is complaning that it is to long and that I should send it abot now.

Love,

Sierra

E-mail two, half an hour later:

Here is another picture for you.

Love,

Sierra

And finally, e-mail three, another half an hour later:

Here is another one. You should read this ones caption before you read the other caption of the picture in the email above this one because other ways it doesn't make any sence at all. I have chose that I don't really like to go skiing with dad, dad and ryan, or in ski school or blue angels. I don't like blue angels because of the movies and the middel school and also the dinner at in and out [this is the program last year where they rode up on the bus with 7-16 year olds - hence the movies on the bus reference, the middle school kids reference...and finally the reference to In and Out Burger where they made a dinner stop on the way home after a full day of skiing]. The food there is really really bad. It is gross. I hate it. I am really board and hungry right now and I am defenentaly not in the mood for sushi right now. I do not have any shoes on right now or socks and I am really really hot. Ryan does not like me typing long emails for some weird reason. He keeps complaining about it. It is just a long email for goodness sake! I am learning how to text emails on dads phone just like I am right now. It is really fun once you get your fingers used to putting them in the right places. There Ryan goes again complaining about the long email again! My butt herts from sitting so long in the car. I can not wait to see you when we get to the resterant. I hope that I spelled resterant right. We are going to call you in about five minets dad says but I do not know why. We have a full moon tonight. It is very very pretty. You will want to see it when we get home because it is so beatiful. The snow in Tahoe looked like the softest cloud blanket made of snow and the houses looked like huge ginger bread houses.

And now a little touch from today....she went online to make a drawing and e-mailed it to me. I've captured it with her words.....

I'm not sure who the subject is....however I do know that there is no loss of self-esteem in Sierra right now. And her stream-of-consciousness writing.....well, does it remind you of anyone?

I've fudged the dates a bit on the new Inauguration blog....so you'll see lots of photos and links on a January 16 post that I actually created today.....so make sure to scroll down.....and from now on new posts will appear chronologically with the newest being first.

Erik T. Johnson for the New York Times

I've started an Inauguration Scrapbook blog. I don't know why I do this to myself...but I figure if I can start to put it all in one place online, then when I finally do a real scrapbook, I'll have somewhere to start......it's the first item under Links to the right. Enjoy!

If you hadn't heard yet (which probably isn't possible since I've literally told every passing person I've seen), Ryan is one of 43 boys with the San Francisco Boys Chorus chosen to sing at Barack Obama's Inauguration ceremonies. Along with 43 girls from the San Francisco Girls Chorus (for whom Sierra sings - but not quite at that level yet), they will be the only children who are part of the official ceremonies - besides Obama's children, of course. Below are the 43 boys (Ryan is front row, 5th from the left with his hair pulled back) and SFBC Artistic Director Ian Robertson.

When we first heard about it, we were, of course, very excited. Something about "prime placement on the steps" is what was said. I was proud....but truly - the impact of the honor didn't really hit me until I saw the official schedule:

Festivities will commence at 10 a.m. on the west front of the U.S. Capitol and will include:

• Musical Selections: The United States Marine Band, followed by the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus

• Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Senator Dianne Feinstein

• Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren

• Musical Selection: Aretha Franklin

• Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will be sworn into office by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the Honorable John Paul Stevens

• Musical Selection: John Williams, composer/arranger with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet)

• President-elect Barack H. Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincoln’s Inaugural Bible, administered by the Chief Justice of the United States, the Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.

• Inaugural Address

• Poem: Elizabeth Alexander

• Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery

• The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters”

Some more background info is available on the New York Times blog

.

The program participants were invited by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and chosen by the Chairman, the President-elect, and the Vice President-elect.

Obviously this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and honor. It is also so much richer because Ryan was the most fervant Obama supporter in a household full of Obama supporters. He's the kid who yelled at the tv during the Republican convention when McCain spoke ill of Obama's remarks...."THAT'S NOT WHAT HE SAID!" The kid who whole-heartedly believes in Obama and his plans and hope for our future. And the kid who, when asked how he would feel if McCain had won and he was given the opportunity to sing for his inauguration, said "I would feel honored to sing for the President of the United States...no matter who it was." Such a pro.
Ryan will turn 10 twelve days before he sings in Washington, DC. I can't think of a better way for him to usher in his 10th year.

If you find yourself available at 3pm on Sunday afternoon, head on over to Grace Cathedral (1100 California St.) for Voices of America’s Future, a concert bringing together local youth choirs including the San Francisco Boys Chorus, and of course, Ryan. The concert is free - can't beat that deal! And the California cable car stops right in front.....come on now...you can't pass it up!

Thought I'd share a little article I wrote for our PTA newsletter this month. Reprinted with permission from the author.....me!

Does the following scenario sound familiar in your household?

Your son forgot his homework…he did it – but he forgot to put it in his backpack. After he leaves, you see it and run it down to the school to make sure he has it.

What’s wrong with this scenario? What are the outcomes? What are the alternatives?

Letting our children manage their own lives has got to be one of the most difficult parenting challenges. We just want to do what’s best for our children – love them, support them, step in when they need help. Our challenge is being able to actually use stepping back as a strategy towards moving forward.

When we step in to “save” our children, we actually reinforce behaviors that we really don’t want to reinforce. This happened in my home just this morning. I left the house before anyone else…..but I knew there was a piece of errant homework sitting on the coffee table that my daughter needed to bring in. I could have so easily called home and asked my husband to tell my daughter to put it in her backpack. However, I needed to determine how I could support my daughter, without stepping in and taking over.

I decided to call my husband to get him on board with my strategy…..I asked him to simply check with the children before they left by saying “is there any homework, anything due, or anything else that needs to go in your backpack before you leave?” If my daughter takes that cue, and looks around, she should find it. If she doesn’t, then she will go to school without it.

What happens if she doesn’t have her homework? Well, homework will be called for, and she won’t have it. Ouch. Her teacher may ask her about it and she’ll have to make the choice of how to respond. She’ll most likely be marked “0” on that homework for the day. Ouch again. Or what if it was her lunch that she forgot to bring? Lunchtime comes….and yikes, she’s hungry. Not fun. Not life-or-death either.

These are the natural consequences and reinforcers for shaping a different behavior – in this case, the “forgetting” behavior. And frankly, it may need to happen a few times in order for it to truly reshape her behavior. Unfortunately, if we make the choice to step in and bring the homework, or the project, or the lunch to school, we continue to reinforce that it’s okay to forget because someone will step in to save you. This doesn’t fare well for successful life strategies. Someone will not step in to save you in college and in your career.

What would be more helpful is to help structure the strategy for not forgetting in the first place. Take a look with your child at their processes. If they are consistently forgetting things, then their systems aren’t working – and you can help them by working out some new systems with them that they can implement. What is happening to get organized for the school day? Is their backpack packed up before they go to bed? Do they use a checklist of items to check on before they leave for school? Do they look around the house just before leaving as a backup? Do they need a designated homework spot so that they always know where to look? Do they need to wake up 10-15 minutes earlier to give themselves time to do these things?

And what’s the academic implication of that homework that doesn’t get turned in? Well, that depends. In many cases, homework reinforces, enhances or delves a little more deeply into a subject taught during the week. Because she actually did the homework, then she hopefully captured that deeper understanding. She should easily be able to participate in further discussion of the subject. If she is tested on it, she should be fine. She simply has to deal with a score of “0” on her homework (possibly more than once). It is not the end of the world.

We all do our best to be great, supportive parents. We feel like we’ve failed if we don’t support them in the every possible way. Sometimes, we just need to take a fresh look at their needs and decide what is truly most helpful – saving them for now, or teaching them for now and forever.

Next month: The Importance of Family Dinners.

The sewing family thing continues to work out really well. Ryan made this cycling cap for Scott from an online Cycling Cap Pattern that we found. He picked out the fabric himself, cut it, sewed it, and gave to daddy for his birthday. It's worn under the bike helmet....or you can flip up the visor to look cool:

Also, again frustration for me with my sewing machine....it wouldn't switch stitches. I tried this, I tried that, I finally threw up my hands and said...Ryan, can you please try? It probably took him 3 minutes to get it to work. I love my little sewing technician.

Why is this little girl smiling? Click over to Ry and Si to find out!

This is the sign that greeted me on Si's door when I went upstairs to check on her after she stomped up to her room. You have to understand that my room happens to be right next to her room.....you know....right where the arrow is pointing. Fortunately I had waited long enough that by the time I got up there, ignored the sign, and walked in, she had calmed down and let me know that "I just needed some alone time."

The next morning I woke up and found this on her door:

In case you can't read it.....it lists "snugel" hours (which is snuggle to you and me). I partook of the offer.


Another day I found this on Ry's door:

Unfortunately, the next morning I found no addendum, but I was allowed entry. Later that day, I needed a little time and space from their shenanigans....so I promptly removed the sign from Ry's room, put it on my doorknob, and crawled in bed with a book for about 30 minutes. The sad part is that no one ever even saw it. They were too busy playing with each other to notice....sigh....

What good is a tantrum if there's no one there to witness it - even if it's a silent tantrum thrown via door signs? I need to refine my methods......

Conversation with a 9-year-old boy about shoes:

Me: Would you like some new shoes to replace the ones you've worn into the ground?

He: Sure!

Me: New Keens?

He: Sure!

Me: Here are the colors....what color would you like?

He: Any color!

Me: How about this one?

He: Sure!

(Tries on shoes)

photo credit: fashionrat.com/from-thongs-to-flip-flops

Me: How are they?

He: Great!

Me: Do you want to buy them?

He: Yeah!

Conversation with an 8-year-old girl about shoes:

She: I want some new tennis shoes!

Me: You have tennis shoes....how about something like this?

She: (spying brother trying on new Keens because he has literally worn a hole through them) I want some new Keens!

Me: You have Keens. They fit perfectly fine. You like the color. You never wear them.

She: Look at these flip flops!

Me: You have flip flops......two pair. You need something nicer than Keens, flip flops and tennis shoes. How about these?

She: Well..... (puts back on shelf).

Me: Okay, well, there's not really anything else here.

She: (picking shoe back up off shelf) I want to try this one on!

(Tries on shoes)

She: They're really tight.

Me: Try on the next size.

(Tries on next size)

She: They're really tight.

Me: Try on the next size.

(Tries on next size)

She: They fit!

Me (putting full finger between heel of girl and heel of shoe): They're too big.

She: But I want new shoes!

And on and on and on and on for every single pair of shoes we have ever looked for. And even when they are pronounced fitting, they come home, get worn once, then suddenly "hurt my heel," "hurt between my toes," or "are too tight." So if you happen on us at a very formal occasion, and one of us is wearing flip flops, you'll know why.

And here are the Jetz. Enjoy!

Girls Rock! Check out this video and see if you know who that girl is in the green shirt playing the drums? Hint: she's in a band called the Jetz, she's friends with the guitarest they interview named Allison (who is also in the Jetz), and you may just know her. To read more, you can hit this link to the article from whence the video came. Bottom of the Hill here we come!

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY SI!!!


Click over to the Ry and Si Blog to see the cast of QP sing for her!

Our lives right now:

This is the opening scene.....New York street scene - Ry is the paper boy and Si is the little tourist girl, circa 1960-something. It's not too late to come! Four more performances! Oakland Metro Operahouse

Save the date(s)! Ry and Si have been cast in their first musical play. It's called Queenie Pie and it's being staged at the Oakland Metro Operahouse, May 9-25. They are chorus kids and have 6 songs. The whole production is very cool.

Backstory: This is Duke Ellington's last large-scale work and only opera, which he wrote as a tribute to Madame C. J. Walker. The daughter of slaves, Madame Walker invented a hair straightener and discovered the virtues of mail order and door-to-door sales, thereby allowing her clients to buy cosmetics and hair products without leaving their homes. For this innovation she became the first female African-American millionairess.

Queenie Pie, the story of a Harlem beauty queen, was originally commissioned by Public Television for the WNET Opera program and designed to be an hour-long work, with Ellington as narrator. The idea for the work was not new, Ellington had begun the opera several times, in varying versions, since the 1940’s. Even after the telecast fell through, Ellington continued to work on the piece until his death in 1974. He left the work unfinished.

Oakland Opera’s Skye Atman began a researching quest into the origins of Queenie Pie, which eventually lead to a compilation score based on versions found among the Ellington papers at the University of California, Irvine and the Smithsonian Institute. The Oakland Opera assembled an expert team to finish the orchestration and create a version of the Duke's unfinished opera much like it might have appeared on television in the 1960’s.

The score for this is amazing. There are some songs with 7 part harmonies (huh?). He was the "Duke", after all, and the jazz arrangements are phenomenal. So how did these two become Harlem street kids? Well, Ry found out about the audition from the school music teacher and jumped on it....brought home the info, etc. Si, is interested in anything Ry does, so we thought...sure....let them audition...it'll be a great experience. We worked up different song treatments for them of chorus songs they knew already...with a musical theatre edge, of course. These are kids who are used to standing there with their hands to their sides and singing. They didn't believe me when I showed them some "Broadway" hand movements to show emphasis, etc. So thank you to You Tube, once again, where I could show them I wasn't crazy. They were ready.....they had significantly loosened up....so off we went. Well guess what? They never even got to sing their songs. The audition consisted of teaching them one of the songs from the score to see how they could sing and how they could pick up the music. When I saw the process I started to get worried. This is all they've done since they were two....listen to music directors and then do exactly what they were supposed to do - in key, on pitch, and in tempo. This was supposed to just be for the experience. They weren't supposed to make it in. We really don't need to add this to our plate, do we? Ah well. They'll actually be singing and dancing and moving around all at the same time.....can't wait. There is an awesome orchestra and I think it's going to be a really fun show. This is not a kid's show. That doesn't mean it's inappropriate for kids.....but if you want to bring the kids, just be aware that there are only 5 or 6 scenes with kids it it. Very cool ones.

Happy 9th Birthday Ryan!

January 8 was his birthday (along with Stephen Hawking, Elvis, David Bowie, and Cynthia). We leave on Friday for his annual birthday ski trip to Tahoe....along with 10 million other people. More photos to come....plus the recipe for the After Eight ice cream cake....(with homemade After Eight ice cream, natch).