Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local
It’s beginning to look a lot like…school time! Pencils, markers, and notepads have been on sale for several weeks now, with “Back to School” slogans everywhere. As someone who doesn’t have school-age kids yet, the real way I can tell it’s that time is when my Facebook feed is plastered with those sweet first day of school photos.
I can still say “yet” in regards to school-age, but I know that distinction will disappear in less than a jiffy. We don’t exactly know at this point what direction we plan for our kids’ school attendance to take, whether homeschool, microschool, private, or public, and we’ll naively enjoy telling ourselves we have plenty of time to decide…right?
I was homeschooled all 12 grades and it was perfect for me, so it would be easy for me to assume that would be the best route for my kids, too. However, Brian was also homeschooled almost all the way, and he did not love it, which is a good reminder that our kids are not me — and I am also not my mom, and I am very intimidated at the thought of being responsible for my childrens’ learning.
However it works out, one of the educational milestones that feels so incredible to me is learning to read. Who knows if I actually do, but I tell myself I remember as a four-year-old coming out onto the porch to show my parents my new skill of reading. The first book I read was Dick and Jane, and I’m just glad that riveting plotline (see Spot run!) didn’t throw me off of literature forever.
When Benson was discharged from the NICU after treatment for his potential brain damage at birth, the doctors said one of the best things we could do for his development would be to read to him daily. I thought it was a little silly and annoying to try and read to a baby who was too young to understand or who only wanted to eat the pages, and I definitely didn’t get it done every day in the early months. However, books are some of that boy’s favorite things now — them, his yellow skidsteer toy, and his inside bicycle win the prize for longest-lasting obsessions so far.
I can tell if he wakes up before his light turns green (meaning he can get up) in the mornings by the thud! thud! of books being tossed from his bed as he finishes looking at them; we get what’s coming to us if we ever suggest it’s too late for bedtime stories. The library is one of his best-loved places to adventure to, even though the sorrow caused by needing to return animal encyclopedias can be almost too deep for words.
Benson has known the alphabet for quite a while (I’m sure he’s some kind of child prodigy), and he went through a few-weeks long interval when he was constantly singing The Song. It was mostly adorable, unless of course you wanted him to finish brushing his teeth, eat lunch, go to sleep, do anything besides chant the ABCs. He always added his own spin at the end, and instead of, “Next time won’t you sing with me,” he would make it situationally relevant. “Next time won’t you cut cucumbers with me,” “push feed with me,” “change pjs with me.”
Like I said, adorable. In keeping with the new school year and alphabetical theme, I decided to attach a theme to my articles for the next 26 weeks. You can probably guess what direction I’m headed.
Next time won’t you eat the ABCs with me?
A Very Herby Guacamole
We usually say A is for Apple, but Avocado was both of my kids’ first food so it seemed right to start with. Plus you know I love avocados so any excuse to feature them is a good one in my book. It seems like almost all guacamoles are the same, which is on purpose since they’re so good, but I had seen a recipe using a whole bunch of herbs, so I threw in what I had on hand. While I’ll still default to the OG style, this was a lovely divergence.
Prep tips: choose avocados that are firm but with a smidge of give, and try to get ones with that little nubbin still in the top.
a couple avocados
coarse salt
a small handful each of fresh cilantro, basil, tarragon, chives, and mint
optional lime juice
Scoop out the avocados and mash lightly, until smoothly chunky. Stir in remaining ingredients to taste, not neglecting the salt.
