Steel-cut oats, who knew?

Okay, I had heard of steel-cut oats, but I hadn't tried them until a cold and rainy day last April, when I noticed that Jamba Juice was featuring them. Yum--chewy nutty texture that shows quick-cooked oatmeal for what it is: mush. I began eating steel-cut oats nearly every workday, switching between sliced banana and berry or apple toppings. I figured they'd stop serving it when the weather warmed up, but because the oatmeal was selling well in Hawaii, it stayed on the menu during our warm weather, too. 

Meanwhile, though, Peter decided we should try this at home. It's not that hard to make, and it has so many health benefits, and it's so good (we mix in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds, and a spoonful of yogurt). A few times when daycare started before breakfast, we found that the kids loved this stuff, too. Now we start eating it before they come, but we usually still have some to share. I suppose some day they could decide they like the mushy stuff better, but at least they're gonna know about steel-cut oats way earlier in life than we did!

And now that I'm eating most breakfasts at home, I'm saving the $3.16 I paid four days a week at Jamba Juice. But I find myself hoping that other people are buying it.

Labor Day...

is rarely as sunny and beautiful as today. We've had a whole string of beautiful days, which helps offset the sad fact that daylight hours are getting shorter.

Beginning this week, I am working only 20 hours a week--one full day and two long afternoons. I'll be here to participate with "Pa" in daycare two mornings and two full days every week, hurray!

That may be why I have a sudden, unprecedented interest in window-washing, a task we've successfully ignored much of the time. Another trigger may be the fact that a couple of weeks ago, I bought $100 worth of cleaning products from, er, a door-to-door sales person. One big selling point was how they cleaned glass and, because of a surfactant, protected against new smudges.

That remains to be seen, but my investment did get me up on a ladder washing windows, and I'm going out now to do some more. Amazing how much more light comes through a clean window!