After a hard morning's work, I got girlie down for a nap, had a shower, and am cozied down with some butterfinger ice cream and some Netflix, Ahhhhh!
Edit: Relaxation was short-lived! M was awake an hour later with junk in the trunk. I cut my losses on the nap and decided to get half our grocery shopping done before picking up the Jedis. We made it out to the first store and back to the bus stop in exactly an hour. Then I went through the Kroger near our home with all 3 kids. They cut me some slack and were very well behaved! Their sweetness even elicited an sharp comment from a mom I know from the area whose kids are pretty nutty. And this was after A-man complimented her on how cute her kids were. Fortunately, I know she's always like that, so I didn't take offense.
Following the Kroger run, we had just enough time to pick up Dr. O' and drop him with the Jedis and the groceries at the house before M and I went to her pediatrician's, which is fortunately only 5 minutes away from our door to the waiting room. Glad I took her, and more on that in the next post!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
On moral imperatives and banana bread
I forgot to mention in my previous post that my husband also cleaned out the car this weekend in addition to removing 2 carloads of recycling and shop-vac-ing the basement. He's just the bees knees!
It takes a theologian to make a statement regarding a moral imperative and baked goods. Tonight he said "well, I should bake SOMETHING". After some discussion of the gustatory preferences of the household, he chose to make 3 loaves of banana bread, yum! Caraway rye will have to wait, as will pumpkin muffins.
It takes a theologian to make a statement regarding a moral imperative and baked goods. Tonight he said "well, I should bake SOMETHING". After some discussion of the gustatory preferences of the household, he chose to make 3 loaves of banana bread, yum! Caraway rye will have to wait, as will pumpkin muffins.
April Showers!
We've had lovely warmth outdoors today, but since M was ill overnight, we've been indoors resting. We've has 2 solicitations at the door today, and the phone has kept ringing with other unsolicited contacts, which have left our neurotic pooch a nervous wreck! I fell asleep (2 hours' sleep lost last night!) after lunch and missed my best friend's call :(. Now that it's nearly time to pick up the Jedis from the bus stop, a thunderstorm is brewing! Fortunately there are several positives for my afternoon. M has had a fantastic nap following a bath. The Jedis owe me 45 minutes of work for stinky attitudes, so their room will be sparkling this afternoon. My basement may leak a tiny bit from the rain, but Dr.O' cleaned it so thoroughly yesterday that nothing will get wet. Dinner will be steamed veggies, baked chicken, and long grain rice pilaf. Easy stuff, and hopefully I can be patient after my sleep deficit!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Baked Potato Soup
This is a soup that I loved at a restaurant in the town where Dr.O' and I met, married, and had I-M.
I just realized that I had never tried to replicate it, so I decided to try today. I knew the kids wouldn't get excited about it, and Dr.O' is off meat, so I could make this comfort food exactly to my taste.
I peeled, diced, and boiled 8 medium potatoes in ham broth. I chopped and sautéed 1 small onion in olive oil, then added that to the boiling potatoes, along with 5 spears of broccoli. When these items were tender, I added some chopped ham and dried parsley. I simmered this and then seasoned it with Adobo and pepper. I used a stick blender to partially purée the soup, then added 1T of butter and 1/2c milk. I thickened the soup with some potato flakes and puréed again. In each bowl, I crushed a few crackers, ground some pepper, and grated Cabot cheddar over the soup.
Not a very specific recipe, but a perfect bowl of comfort!
I just realized that I had never tried to replicate it, so I decided to try today. I knew the kids wouldn't get excited about it, and Dr.O' is off meat, so I could make this comfort food exactly to my taste.
I peeled, diced, and boiled 8 medium potatoes in ham broth. I chopped and sautéed 1 small onion in olive oil, then added that to the boiling potatoes, along with 5 spears of broccoli. When these items were tender, I added some chopped ham and dried parsley. I simmered this and then seasoned it with Adobo and pepper. I used a stick blender to partially purée the soup, then added 1T of butter and 1/2c milk. I thickened the soup with some potato flakes and puréed again. In each bowl, I crushed a few crackers, ground some pepper, and grated Cabot cheddar over the soup.
Not a very specific recipe, but a perfect bowl of comfort!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Wee little pocket diaper review
So I bought one bumgenius 4.0 diaper yesterday. It was on sale, and I had reward points from my favorite diaper retailer www.happybabycompany.com . So I got a good quality cloth diaper with 2 inserts for $11 delivered free the next day! I washed it this afternoon and put it on M-girl who peed in it immediately. Then she wanted it off to use the potty. She threw the new cloth diaper into the toilet, thus ending our trial run with a new brand of cloth diaper! I think I'll always like the fit and quality of our Fuzzibunz better, but I figured it was worth finding out if we were missing out on anything! I definitely prefer the fabric textures, the fit and look of the FBs on M. The inserts seem to be of nicer quality for my FBs as well. I think that these differences explain the $2/diaper price gap between the two similar products.
As for the absorbency and leak resistance, we'll have to wait for the next diaper laundry day and hope that she doesn't go dunking her diaper stash!
As for the absorbency and leak resistance, we'll have to wait for the next diaper laundry day and hope that she doesn't go dunking her diaper stash!
Click on the link below to enter a drawing for a KitchenAid mixer and a year of KAF!
Click here!
All right, y'all, I don't shill for anybody on my blog, but I love KitchenAid's products. My mixer is a thing of beauty and has run perfectly for 4 years and has withstood hard daily use. I'm entering to give one to a special family member who is a grad school spouse, as I was for many years! If you sign up via a link on my blog, we both get an entry. If you win, I do too, and my sister-in-law Paola gets a KitchenAid, which she has wanted for a long time! This giveaway is being promoted by the people at King Arthur Flour, another very fine company. If you've ever had my pizza, you've had a taste of the good work they do inspiring bakers like me!
All right, y'all, I don't shill for anybody on my blog, but I love KitchenAid's products. My mixer is a thing of beauty and has run perfectly for 4 years and has withstood hard daily use. I'm entering to give one to a special family member who is a grad school spouse, as I was for many years! If you sign up via a link on my blog, we both get an entry. If you win, I do too, and my sister-in-law Paola gets a KitchenAid, which she has wanted for a long time! This giveaway is being promoted by the people at King Arthur Flour, another very fine company. If you've ever had my pizza, you've had a taste of the good work they do inspiring bakers like me!
Feeling more like myself
This transition to a new city has been a struggle, and the trials of first-time home-ownership, particularly of a century-old home, have kept me in a pretty constant state of anxiety, especially after I had a burn, a cracked kneecap, and a sprained ankle all on my right side this winter. I'm feeling like my home and my life are getting more settled, and the kids' routine is much more regular. Dr.O's semester is over in about a month, and the Jedis are off for the summer in 2 months. In the meantime, we have spring weather to look forward to, at least some day!
With my decreased time spent online, I've been getting more rest AND getting more done in my home. This week I've made 6 loaves of whole wheat honey bread, and Dr. O. has made two loaves of caraway rye. I've been making dinners that accommodate Dr. O's lenten meat fast and trying some new recipes. It's Friday, and I'm on the last load of laundry, and the rest is already put away. My sweet husband vacuumed the whole house last night and ran the dishwasher twice. Tonight's dinner is our traditional whole wheat pizza , which I haven't been making for the last few weeks.
I list these things because they are signs of good mental health for me. When my laundry is running smoothly, and I'm grinding 32 cups of wheat to make bread, pizza, and muffins, and I'm excited to be making yogurt, and my counters are clean, and my feet don't have crumbs on them, I'm doing well! I had to throw out my previous yogurt-making gear because a mason jar full of yogurt had a hairline crack and burst while making yogurt, soaking the soft cooler. I'd had my doubts about the safety of our heating pad as well when it accidentally ran for 3 days under a pillow when Ian was ill. It had scorch marks on it, and I didn't feel good about using it for yogurt making anymore. I got a new one from Amazon this morning, so yogurt-making is back in full swing. I had a hard time finding one that did not have an auto-shutoff feature, which I'm sure is important, but I want to make yogurt! The one I got cycles gently up and down to avoid overheating, so I think it'll work and possibly save electricity.
I did yell at M-girl yesterday because she was dumping bins of toys immediately after I had picked them up, which I was doing so that my husband could vacuum. She and I made peace just fine, and it motivated me to be more patient and take the time to talk through tough moments with each of my children. It's easy to yell and leave physical and emotional distance between me and my children, but that makes it easier for them to only obey when I'm in sight and yelling. It takes touch and a calm and patient tone to change their hearts and make it easier for them to do the right thing the next time. It's the day-to-day training that really does make a difference in my kids' overall behavior, but it's also where my energy gets sapped. I am feeling hopeful after a morning of peaceful conflict resolution, plus M's nap is in 20 minutes!
With my decreased time spent online, I've been getting more rest AND getting more done in my home. This week I've made 6 loaves of whole wheat honey bread, and Dr. O. has made two loaves of caraway rye. I've been making dinners that accommodate Dr. O's lenten meat fast and trying some new recipes. It's Friday, and I'm on the last load of laundry, and the rest is already put away. My sweet husband vacuumed the whole house last night and ran the dishwasher twice. Tonight's dinner is our traditional whole wheat pizza , which I haven't been making for the last few weeks.
I list these things because they are signs of good mental health for me. When my laundry is running smoothly, and I'm grinding 32 cups of wheat to make bread, pizza, and muffins, and I'm excited to be making yogurt, and my counters are clean, and my feet don't have crumbs on them, I'm doing well! I had to throw out my previous yogurt-making gear because a mason jar full of yogurt had a hairline crack and burst while making yogurt, soaking the soft cooler. I'd had my doubts about the safety of our heating pad as well when it accidentally ran for 3 days under a pillow when Ian was ill. It had scorch marks on it, and I didn't feel good about using it for yogurt making anymore. I got a new one from Amazon this morning, so yogurt-making is back in full swing. I had a hard time finding one that did not have an auto-shutoff feature, which I'm sure is important, but I want to make yogurt! The one I got cycles gently up and down to avoid overheating, so I think it'll work and possibly save electricity.
I did yell at M-girl yesterday because she was dumping bins of toys immediately after I had picked them up, which I was doing so that my husband could vacuum. She and I made peace just fine, and it motivated me to be more patient and take the time to talk through tough moments with each of my children. It's easy to yell and leave physical and emotional distance between me and my children, but that makes it easier for them to only obey when I'm in sight and yelling. It takes touch and a calm and patient tone to change their hearts and make it easier for them to do the right thing the next time. It's the day-to-day training that really does make a difference in my kids' overall behavior, but it's also where my energy gets sapped. I am feeling hopeful after a morning of peaceful conflict resolution, plus M's nap is in 20 minutes!
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