Books and Spinach
The Little Man was about as thrilled with spinach as he was with chicken. I finally found some organic spinach baby food that supposedly does not contain anemia-causing nitrates like the beloved creamed spinach of my own baby days. I ate creamed spinach until I was about 5 years old and LOVED it. Then one day, after begging my mother for a jar, we went home and I ate it and hated it. What disappointment for a 5 year old!
Anyway, I was all excited to see if Xander liked spinach, only to find that creamed spinach isn't made anymore because apparently, some sources of spinach contain high levels of nitrates which cause anemia in some babies. Apparently beets, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, squash and carrots also contain nitrates. Spinach is the worst, though because nitrate levels increase over time if not stored correctly. FOrtunately, organic spinach is not grown with fertilizers, so does not start out with as high a level of nitrate...anyway, long story short, I found spinach and was happy.
Xander was not. He made yucky faces. He ate willingly, but each face was both funny and sad. So, the Spinach Song was born. Each bite of spinach got a verse, which resulted in a smile at every spoonful. I now know how Adam Sandler writes his silly songs like "The Thanksgiving Song" Love to eat turkey
cause its good
Love to eat turkey
Like a good boy should
cause its turkey to eat
So good...
Spinach Song
I like spinach
Spinach is green
It's the prettiest veggie
That I've ever seen!
Spinach in the morning,
Spinach at night,
I think for spinach
Any time is right.
Spinach in the springtime
Spinach in the fall
I like to eat spinach
Any time at all!
Spinach for breakfast
Spinach for lunch
Spinach is a veggie
That I like to munch.
Spinach at snack time
Spinach after school
I like to eat spinach
Because I'm so cool!
Spinach with eggs
Spinach with ham
I like spinach
Sam-I-Am!
Giraffes like spinach
That's how they grow so tall
Eat your spinach so you
Can play basketball!
Turtles like spinach
Even though they're slow
Eat your spinach
So you can grow
Monkeys like spinach
It keeps them in shape.
Eat your spinach so you
Can be a great ape!
Ogden Nash's Zoo by Ogden Nash. 84p I love Ogden Nash's poetry!
The Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson 335p A cute murder mystery about catering and college prep. You can eat along with the characters, since recipes for most of the food mentioned in the book pop up throughout the story. My mother loves these books!
The Secret Country by Pamela Dean 371p I love Pamela Dean, and this book is great, but I kept having flashbacks to Narnia.
Endangered Species by Gene Wolfe 506p I like the eerie feeling of these short stories. I'm not usually a big fan of short stories, but these were all well-realized and intense, deserving of a second reading and consideration.
Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson 279p I love these books. Chick Lit plus Urban Fantasy = win! Who says vampires can't wear Manolo Blahniks? No one, that's who! Reluctant vampire queen Elizabeth (Betsy) Taylor discovers that she has a long-lost half-sister...who just happens to be the daughter of the devil. These books are silly but extremely satisfying.
Desperately Seeking a Duke 338p
The Duke Next Door 341p
Duke Most Wanted 342p
by Celeste Bradley The author of these books is the sister of one of my co-workers. Pure romances are usually outside my reading box, but I read these at my co-worker's recommendation that romances aren't her thing, either but she found these amusing - and not just because her sister wrote them. I think that pretty much sums up my review, too - amusing. Good, light summer reading. The premise is that an Edwardian Scotsman earned a small fortune during his lifetime and was disappointed by the marriage matches his daughters made. Therefore, the first of his granddaughters to marry a duke would inherit his money. If they all failed, then "the entire 15,000 pounds will go to pay the fines and hardships of those who defy the excise man to export that fine Scots whiskey which has been my only solace in this family of dolts." Let the man-hunt begin!
I was Told There'd be Cake by Sloane Crosley 230p I was a little disappointed by this collection of essays. Amazon talked about her obsession with plastic ponies and Oregon Trail and rather made it sound like a fun retrospective of growing up in the '80's. It wasn't. Interesting, yes, but there was more about the trials and tribulations of being a New Yorker than of nostalgia. Entertaining, but not what I was expecting.
Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston 359p I wanted to like this book a lot. I didn't. :( I had to slog through it. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood. First, I couldn't get over the names - Letitia? Second, I was unable to grasp the characters that had been transported from P&P, like Caroline Bingley, etc. They just weren't the same. Third, I felt the writing was forced. *sigh* Anyone know any good Austen fan-fic? Hee!
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice 242p Sir picked this up for me one of the times I was in the hospital recently. I'm not a huge Anne RIce fan - I like the plots of her books, but I generally find the writing tedious. However, I did like this book. I now want to read the other books in the series.
I am also currently...or concurrently reading about 6 other books. Since the accident, I find it hard to concentrate on one at a time. Of course, it's also hard to concentrate on 6 at a time. It's just plain hard to concentrate. So I am reading Nonzero by Robin Wright, Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, Other People's Heroes by Blake M. Petit, A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, a book on teaching your child about finances (a gift from my father), and the next Stephanie Plum novel (#11)...I think that's it.
Anyway, I was all excited to see if Xander liked spinach, only to find that creamed spinach isn't made anymore because apparently, some sources of spinach contain high levels of nitrates which cause anemia in some babies. Apparently beets, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, squash and carrots also contain nitrates. Spinach is the worst, though because nitrate levels increase over time if not stored correctly. FOrtunately, organic spinach is not grown with fertilizers, so does not start out with as high a level of nitrate...anyway, long story short, I found spinach and was happy.
Xander was not. He made yucky faces. He ate willingly, but each face was both funny and sad. So, the Spinach Song was born. Each bite of spinach got a verse, which resulted in a smile at every spoonful. I now know how Adam Sandler writes his silly songs like "The Thanksgiving Song" Love to eat turkey
cause its good
Love to eat turkey
Like a good boy should
cause its turkey to eat
So good...
Spinach Song
I like spinach
Spinach is green
It's the prettiest veggie
That I've ever seen!
Spinach in the morning,
Spinach at night,
I think for spinach
Any time is right.
Spinach in the springtime
Spinach in the fall
I like to eat spinach
Any time at all!
Spinach for breakfast
Spinach for lunch
Spinach is a veggie
That I like to munch.
Spinach at snack time
Spinach after school
I like to eat spinach
Because I'm so cool!
Spinach with eggs
Spinach with ham
I like spinach
Sam-I-Am!
Giraffes like spinach
That's how they grow so tall
Eat your spinach so you
Can play basketball!
Turtles like spinach
Even though they're slow
Eat your spinach
So you can grow
Monkeys like spinach
It keeps them in shape.
Eat your spinach so you
Can be a great ape!
Ogden Nash's Zoo by Ogden Nash. 84p I love Ogden Nash's poetry!
The Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson 335p A cute murder mystery about catering and college prep. You can eat along with the characters, since recipes for most of the food mentioned in the book pop up throughout the story. My mother loves these books!
The Secret Country by Pamela Dean 371p I love Pamela Dean, and this book is great, but I kept having flashbacks to Narnia.
Endangered Species by Gene Wolfe 506p I like the eerie feeling of these short stories. I'm not usually a big fan of short stories, but these were all well-realized and intense, deserving of a second reading and consideration.
Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson 279p I love these books. Chick Lit plus Urban Fantasy = win! Who says vampires can't wear Manolo Blahniks? No one, that's who! Reluctant vampire queen Elizabeth (Betsy) Taylor discovers that she has a long-lost half-sister...who just happens to be the daughter of the devil. These books are silly but extremely satisfying.
Desperately Seeking a Duke 338p
The Duke Next Door 341p
Duke Most Wanted 342p
by Celeste Bradley The author of these books is the sister of one of my co-workers. Pure romances are usually outside my reading box, but I read these at my co-worker's recommendation that romances aren't her thing, either but she found these amusing - and not just because her sister wrote them. I think that pretty much sums up my review, too - amusing. Good, light summer reading. The premise is that an Edwardian Scotsman earned a small fortune during his lifetime and was disappointed by the marriage matches his daughters made. Therefore, the first of his granddaughters to marry a duke would inherit his money. If they all failed, then "the entire 15,000 pounds will go to pay the fines and hardships of those who defy the excise man to export that fine Scots whiskey which has been my only solace in this family of dolts." Let the man-hunt begin!
I was Told There'd be Cake by Sloane Crosley 230p I was a little disappointed by this collection of essays. Amazon talked about her obsession with plastic ponies and Oregon Trail and rather made it sound like a fun retrospective of growing up in the '80's. It wasn't. Interesting, yes, but there was more about the trials and tribulations of being a New Yorker than of nostalgia. Entertaining, but not what I was expecting.
Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston 359p I wanted to like this book a lot. I didn't. :( I had to slog through it. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood. First, I couldn't get over the names - Letitia? Second, I was unable to grasp the characters that had been transported from P&P, like Caroline Bingley, etc. They just weren't the same. Third, I felt the writing was forced. *sigh* Anyone know any good Austen fan-fic? Hee!
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice 242p Sir picked this up for me one of the times I was in the hospital recently. I'm not a huge Anne RIce fan - I like the plots of her books, but I generally find the writing tedious. However, I did like this book. I now want to read the other books in the series.
I am also currently...or concurrently reading about 6 other books. Since the accident, I find it hard to concentrate on one at a time. Of course, it's also hard to concentrate on 6 at a time. It's just plain hard to concentrate. So I am reading Nonzero by Robin Wright, Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, Other People's Heroes by Blake M. Petit, A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, a book on teaching your child about finances (a gift from my father), and the next Stephanie Plum novel (#11)...I think that's it.