On November 8th, Lucien rolled over while his OT aunt cheered him on. He did it for me today without too much coaxing. This boy wants to move!
Monday, November 10, 2014
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Meal planning to save money, headaches, and bored tastebuds
We had been feeling pretty tired of the same-old foods cooked week in and week out. We'd go to the grocery store with a list of foods that needed to be replaced and so we usually would end up cooking the same thing over and over. Well, I was sick of it! This realization happened to coincide with the Reavey's gift to us--a new fun cookbook, 100 Days of Real Food (100DRF).
This is the third week of our new meal planning system (see pics below). We now follow a prescribed weekly line-up that is freeingly rigid. Yes, it may sound rigid and boring BUT we can try new recipes while not being overwhelmed with finding, choosing and planning five meals/week. Sometimes choice is not your friend!
- MONDAY: "Monday, Fun-Day Fish Day!"-- we make fish-based food like "Gaga's Cracker Fish" (saltines, butter and Old Bay on haddock) or fish cakes (100DRF) or anything with fish in it (I try to use sardines as much as possible). This week I added garlic-butter-shrimp to a previously frozen Broccoli-Rice casserole (100DRF) and it was delicious.
- TUESDAY: "New Food Tuesday" -- This is my chance to introduce Isaac to new foods and for me to try new recipes. I've made quinoa burgers, homemade (hm) chicken nuggets with a broccoli-like veggie called romanesco and hm chicken potpie. The trick here is to make the new food with an old favorite (French fries, for example). Everyone must have a "no thank you portion" and I refuse to offer meal alternatives: you either eat what I make or wait until breakfast.
- WEDNESDAY: "Noodle-Me Wednesday" -- Any noodle-based food. That means casseroles, lasagnas, meatballs and spaghetti (I can slip in new foods here too, but it can also be old stand-bys if I'm feeling uninspired.
- THURSDAY: "Good Morning Thursday" -- Breakfast for dinner! The key here is to make healthy versions of breakfast food but not removing the fun from the meal. This is also an easier meal to prepare so it fits nicely into a busy day. We include green eggs (6 eggs+ milk+kale/Swiss chard/beet greens---all in the blender and scrambled=green eggs!). 100DRF has an amazing banana waffle/pancake recipe that we adore.
- FRIDAY: "Pizza Day" -- Just like at the Oberlin Co-ops! One special touch is that Josh has been grilling the pizza. Trust me, this is incredible. I mean, the Best Pizza I Have Ever Had In My Life. Whole wheat crust+sauce+fresh mozzarella cheese= One Happy Wife!
- Saturday: "Remember Me Saturday" -- Leftovers if company isn't coming over or we aren't going out.
That's it! This has transformed us! Basically, I just need to buy all of my usual foods that need replacing plus special things for my Monday and Tuesday meals.
Our first week was:
- MONDAY: "Gaga's Cracker Fish" and broc-rice casserole (100DRF)
- TUESDAY: homemade (hm) chicken nuggets with a broccoli-like veggie called romanesco
- WEDNESDAY: "Noodle-Me Wednesday" -- hm meatballs and whole-wheat spaghetti
- THURSDAY: "Good Morning Thursday" -- Breakfast for dinner! Green eggs and banana pancakes
- FRIDAY: "Pizza Day" -- The Best Pizza I Have Ever Had In My Life (Josh's grilled pizza)
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Isaac walks four times around the sun
This morning, as I followed an online recipe for "That's the best frosting I have ever had" (my first real buttercream) with Isaac before school, I felt proud that I have a son who wants to help me stir and is curious about things like what exactly was in the big tupperware containers (chocolate muffins that I made last night).
Earlier, over breakfast, I reminded Isaac that Josh and I were planning on coming into his Montessori classroom to celebrate his birthday. Initially, he was a little upset saying, "I don't want to celebrate my birthday." This didn't surprise me because over the last couple of days, he has been mixed about his birthday--at times very excited and at times very unenthusiastic. I probed a little more this time. "Is there something about the celebration that makes you nervous?" I asked. Then he said, "I don't want to walk around the circle with anyone." In his school, the birthday child chooses a friend to walk around the "sun" with him for each year that he's been alive. I asked if he couldn't choose between Nolan and Luke, two friends we hear a lot about. He nodded. I said that sometimes when I can't choose between things that I play a game. I went and got a quarter out of my bag and showed him what heads and tails are. We then took turns throwing it up in the air and seeing that sometimes it lands on "heads" and sometimes on "tails."
Next, I wrote "H, h, heads--Luke" and "T, t, tails--Nolan" on our whiteboard easel. Then he flipped the coin and I marked how many times they both came up. Then we switched roles. At the end, I reminded him about how games can some times help us make decisions. He decided that Nolan would walk with him (I didn't point out that Nolan had "lost").
At 10:30, Josh and I met up and went into the classroom with the cupcakes and four mounted photos from each year of Isaac's life. We were invited by the classroom with all of the children seated in a circle on the floor around a large mat with a lite candle in the center. The ceremony began. At the right moment, Isaac asked Nolan to join him in his "walk around the sun." To everyone's surprise, Nolan said, "No. I don't want to." One of their teachers, Elizabeth, said that Isaac could choose someone else. Half the children had their hands raised and Isaac picked Luke.
For each "year," Josh and I shared stories about Isaac. We talked about how much Isaac loves books, music, and family. We talked about Maine, car trips, camping and his new home. After each story, Isaac and Luke circled the candle while the children recited the months of the year. Once the ceremony was over, Isaac blew out the candle and we all sang "Happy Birthday." Then it was time for the cupcakes and Isaac had to choose another friend. Now Nolan's hand went up. Isaac picked him. They handed out napkins together. Then the cupcakes were passed out and all the children ate theirs on the mat. The kids were adorable saying that the cupcakes were really good and one child even said, "These are so good that I'd like this recipe!"
I'm very proud of my little boy. He has done so much "growing up" in the last couple of months and is really becoming the person he was meant to be -- someone with a fine sense of humor, sensitive heart and quick memory and mind. As we prepare to welcome his brother or sister into this world, I get nervous about how things will change for the three of us. I don't know how Isaac will be with his sibling and even though I promise him that I'll run down the hill with him this summer, I don't know exactly how I will be with two children. My I-don't-know-mind can sometimes turn overwhelmingly scary, but I'm trying to focus on today--for now, Isaac's birthday week--and resist the temptation to dwell on life after the baby is born. My goal is to fully experience the moment with the joys of each day, instead of the fear of the months ahead.
Earlier, over breakfast, I reminded Isaac that Josh and I were planning on coming into his Montessori classroom to celebrate his birthday. Initially, he was a little upset saying, "I don't want to celebrate my birthday." This didn't surprise me because over the last couple of days, he has been mixed about his birthday--at times very excited and at times very unenthusiastic. I probed a little more this time. "Is there something about the celebration that makes you nervous?" I asked. Then he said, "I don't want to walk around the circle with anyone." In his school, the birthday child chooses a friend to walk around the "sun" with him for each year that he's been alive. I asked if he couldn't choose between Nolan and Luke, two friends we hear a lot about. He nodded. I said that sometimes when I can't choose between things that I play a game. I went and got a quarter out of my bag and showed him what heads and tails are. We then took turns throwing it up in the air and seeing that sometimes it lands on "heads" and sometimes on "tails."
Next, I wrote "H, h, heads--Luke" and "T, t, tails--Nolan" on our whiteboard easel. Then he flipped the coin and I marked how many times they both came up. Then we switched roles. At the end, I reminded him about how games can some times help us make decisions. He decided that Nolan would walk with him (I didn't point out that Nolan had "lost").
At 10:30, Josh and I met up and went into the classroom with the cupcakes and four mounted photos from each year of Isaac's life. We were invited by the classroom with all of the children seated in a circle on the floor around a large mat with a lite candle in the center. The ceremony began. At the right moment, Isaac asked Nolan to join him in his "walk around the sun." To everyone's surprise, Nolan said, "No. I don't want to." One of their teachers, Elizabeth, said that Isaac could choose someone else. Half the children had their hands raised and Isaac picked Luke.
For each "year," Josh and I shared stories about Isaac. We talked about how much Isaac loves books, music, and family. We talked about Maine, car trips, camping and his new home. After each story, Isaac and Luke circled the candle while the children recited the months of the year. Once the ceremony was over, Isaac blew out the candle and we all sang "Happy Birthday." Then it was time for the cupcakes and Isaac had to choose another friend. Now Nolan's hand went up. Isaac picked him. They handed out napkins together. Then the cupcakes were passed out and all the children ate theirs on the mat. The kids were adorable saying that the cupcakes were really good and one child even said, "These are so good that I'd like this recipe!"
I'm very proud of my little boy. He has done so much "growing up" in the last couple of months and is really becoming the person he was meant to be -- someone with a fine sense of humor, sensitive heart and quick memory and mind. As we prepare to welcome his brother or sister into this world, I get nervous about how things will change for the three of us. I don't know how Isaac will be with his sibling and even though I promise him that I'll run down the hill with him this summer, I don't know exactly how I will be with two children. My I-don't-know-mind can sometimes turn overwhelmingly scary, but I'm trying to focus on today--for now, Isaac's birthday week--and resist the temptation to dwell on life after the baby is born. My goal is to fully experience the moment with the joys of each day, instead of the fear of the months ahead.
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