The Eleventh

What a day.  So many things and I don’t want to short-change anything.

First off, my humblest thanks to whomever nominated two of my posts from October for the Just Posts.  If you are interested in reading them, they are “What Women Want” and “Reclamation.”  And please, please, go visit this site to find links to the other fine bloggers whose work in October has been recognized.  It truly is an honor to be recognized with these passionate and thoughtful writers.

A quick vegan update, in case you are still following my gassy trail through the highs and lows of veganism.  By the way, vegans are vegetarians with the added philosophy that there is a need to end animal suffering, and they eat NO food that contains any animal product.  Hardcore vegans don’t wear leather, don’t eat gelatin, etc.  Basically, there is no meat, no dairy, no egg product, and nothing with traces of these items in them.

I have learned a HUGE amount about food in only a few days.  I took on this experiment as a little toast, a tribute, an homage to a couple I know who are vegan and who convinced me with their lifestyle to at least give it a try before mocking it.  I mock no more.  I don’t know if I will be able to maintain it as a permanent lifestyle, and I don’t have the moral objections to animal products that some folks have, but it has been a health adjustment for the better, and for that I am grateful.

So today, I discovered (and, more shockingly, enjoyed) extra firm tofu.  After reading about different ways to cook it, I first drained it by placing it between paper towels to extract as much moisture as possible.  Then I cut it into nugget-size rectangles about 1/2″ thick, and seasoned them, and put them in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes. 

After that, I sauteed them in olive oil til they were crispy on the outside, then added barbecue sauce.  The texture was sort of chicken-ish, and tasted like barbecue.  I would most definitely eat it again.  PC tried it, and wasn’t a convert.  Rabbit said it was yucky, but she saw daddy’s cue, so I don’t trust her response.

I also had soy yogurt with sunflower nuts added and it is such a joy to have something–anything!–yogurtish again after the years of dairy issues, I was almost in tears.

My energy level is great and I don’t feel sluggish any more.  I worked out this morning and still have a lot of energy for the rest of the evening.

Finally, Rabbit’s teacher called, and was sorry to report that Rabbit had been sent to the buddy chair in another teacher’s classroom.  The buddy chair is the escalation of the “safe seat” in her own classroom.  The safe seat is a timeout for kids who are misbehaving.  When they are a problem in that chair, they are sent to another teacher’s room to sit in the buddy chair.  The shame is supposed to invite them to behave better.  Mrs. R said they continue to struggle, because the buddy chair just doesn’t work.  (I think the name might be part of the problem, but I kept that to myself.)

However, we have been having some other problems with Rabbit at home that I have not gone into here, with escalating anger and tantrums.  We are concerned about her peers in the after school program, and also wonder if these are chickens coming home to roost from all the adoption issues/attachment issues we thought we had avoided.  Bottom line, she is a strong-willed child who is often disruptive in class, simply through her passive aggressive behavior. 

SO.

We are taking her to the pediatrician this week to get an exam to see if there is something we are overlooking, and then asking for a referral to a child therapist.  Because of her background in foster care, with so many transitions and disruptions, we just don’t want to leave anything to chance.   Your good thoughts for us in this area would be greatly appreciated.