Kids and Food - Why be Boring?

Even though Duncan is four, I'm still trying to figure out this parenthood thing. You read so much about being correct and doing what every parent has to do to get junior to chow down on healthy foods. Well, I can forget about hiding wholesome food in chicken nuggets. The other day Duncan was eating octopus and it dawned on me that he is not a picky eater in the slightest. The kid eats pretty much anything you put in front of him. He eats every kind of vegetable (except for eggplant) and LOVES broccoli. He eats all types of meat and likes fish. He's also a fan of squid, shrimp, and clams. To top it off, he recently enjoyed caribou and fig paté. On the weekend he ate a kangaroo patty. Crazy or what? We're not pompous foodies - we just like to eat rustic, tasty food. And as long as Duncan is going for it, we'll keep trying him on new things.

Duncan gets Medieval on a chickpea.

Here's a delightful cookbook for kids that I got out from the library the other day. Usborne make beautifully illustrated books for children. I've got several Usborne art books on my bookshelf in my classroom. This is a fun book to get kids cooking real food that everyone will savour.
Here's the couscous salad recipe that we made for dinner. It was served with bassa fish and chickpeas. My husband was working late tonight, so we were sneaky and had a TV dinner. Ironically, we watched Chef at Home on the Food Network. It's ironic because Chef Michael Smith spends most of the show trying to explain how to trick kids into eating good food.

Not exactly nouvelle cuisine, but it hit the spot.

Action shot. Look at the zombie-like expression. No more TV dinners!

P.S. I like Michael Smith, but he sure is spacey. Does he not remind you of Chris from Northern Exposure? You be the judge.

All That Art

Like most kids, Duncan loves to draw, paint, and sculpt. Hardly a day passes when he doesn't bring home art from school or his babysitters'. He's also got a craft table in the basement of our house. Sometimes he just likes to sketch at the kitchen table or on his lap. But what to do with all that art? Last night we strung a piece of garden twine across the wall of Duncan's bedroom and let him choose some pictures we could peg to it.

The picture on the left is a sailboat and the blue, red, and yellow painting is "the world."

A family portrait. I love the huge shoes we're all wearing. We do stomp around in Blundstones.

Hairy tree.

At the top of his bed, some things he loves, including his classroom picture.

For "Hundreds Day," Duncan coloured in 100 boats in a harbour.

Here's a tree we drew together. Duncan put birds and a big butterfly on it.

Duncan wanted his own blog, so he designed one with my help. Maybe I'll ask him if he wants to upload some of these pictures to it and I can type up what he wants to say about them.

F.H. Varley: The Nature of Art/The Art of Nature

Yesterday we spent a magical afternoon surrounded by art and nature. We drove up to Unionville to visit the Frederick Horsman Varley Gallery. Varley is my favourite painter of the Group of Seven. He was born in Sheffield, England in 1881. He immigrated to Canada in 1912. Six years later Canadian War Records commissioned him to illustrate the war in Europe. When he returned to Canada, in 1920, he became a founding member of the Group of Seven. Throughout his life, he painted numerous landscapes and portraits. He spent his last years living with arts patron Kathleen McKay in her house in Unionville (a short drive north of Toronto).

Vera, c. 1930: I love Varley's colour palette of choice, blue and green. Nature informed much of his work.

Lake Garibaldi, B.C., 1928

Top: Bust of Varley in the foyer of the F.H. Varley Gallery. Centre: Self portrait 1919. Bottom, photo of Varley painting at the McKay house in Unionville (late 1960s). Varley died in 1969.

One of Varley's easels. I love the barnacle-like layers of paint.

Outside the gallery, you'll find a winding river which is a stunning natural habitat for many animals. Here we saw our first robin of the season.

Ducks were everywhere.

Looking down from a bridge.

Duncan spotted a Canada goose having a drink. He wanted to have a close look, but the goose wanted nothing to do with him.

Soaking up nature.

This is the view from the parking lot of the Varley Gallery. The nature trail seems to stretch on forever. Our senses were stirred by the budding trees and the muddy smell of late winter/early spring.

Sparse tree black bird.

A tree that seems to call out, "climb me young child."

Balancing on a rail.

Marker outside the McKay house on Main Street in Unionville.

Sunroom and back side/back garden at McKay house. This house now serves as a gallery. The garden will be restored to capture the original vision of Kathleen McKay, who was an avid gardener. I'd love to live in a house like this and just garden all the time.

Front view of McKay house.

The Varley Gallery currently is holding an exhibit of the work of Toronto-based artist Brenda Joy Lem. She grew up in Oshawa and now she creates silkscreened images chronicling her often painful childhood memories. I was so taken by her work that I bought this book that features many of the prints on display.
Lem at work in her studio. This image is in the book Brenda Joy Lem Homage to the Heart. To see a couple of her works reproduced, follow this link to the Varley Gallery http://www.city.markham.on.ca/Markham/Attractions/Gallery/Exhibitions/exhibit_brendajoylem.htm