Childsplay

More weirdness from children's books. I love this new book I got from the library called "Coco Counts" and love looking at the pipe cleaner chickens...but there is something fundamentally wrong about chickens baking a cake with eggs.


Goodnight Moon... we own it. Immensely popular book.


This page says "a quiet old lady whispering hush." Is it just me, or does it look like a rabbit to you?


this page says "goodnight nobody, goodnight mush." Did they pay someone to make this up????

Quinoa

At Whole Foods Market the other day Gwen and I bought some quinoa to try. No, I'm not speaking some Native American language. Quinoa (pronounced Keen-owa) is traditionally known as a grain, although it really is a seed in the herb category. I have only heard of it really. It was nice...but not a real knockout on the taste department. You don't really taste anything. I made this quinoa and black bean salad with it. Interesting...

Something else I made today that WAS good was my split pea soup with turkey bacon. Very satisfying and healthy! Per serving it has 236 calories and only 5 grams of fat and a whopping 17 g of fiber. I did not include a picture here cause let's face it, who really wants a picture of split pea soup? Not mwah!

1 small onion, chopped
1 T vegetable oil
4 C water
1 can chicken broth (I use powder and 1 C of liquid)
1 1/2 C dried green split peas
turkey bacon- cooked and diced (I use maybe 5-8 slices)
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp salt (I eyeball it)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed (I eyeball it)
1/4 tsp dried thyme (I eyeball it)
1/4 tsp pepper (I add more cause you know I love the pepper)

in a large saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until peas are tender. Discard bay leaves. Yields 6 servings.

I doubled the recipe today in order to have leftovers for lunches. Nothing better than a hearty soup for lunch in my humble opinion.

*So, I'm wondering.. should I have a separate blog for cooking or just include it with everything else going on in our lives? If I did have a separate blog for cooking what would I name it? Any opinions?

Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Chard)

Gwen and I went on an outing today to the Whole Foods Market here in town. I've never been in there before. I was amazed at all the vegetables there. I knew I wasn't going to buy much because it's a little pricey in there, but I just couldn't resist buying this vegetable. We're going to try it tonight. It's called Rainbow Chard. I've seen chard cooked on tv, but I've never had it, so we'll see how it goes. I thought it was beautiful.

Something I've noticed lately is that even if you buy no salt added canned tomatoes, they have high fructose corn syrup added in. I'm not sure why. I looked at this market and they had no salt added canned tomatoes without the sugar. Just interesting... keep eating healthy people... and be daring! I saw some gorgeous people in that market so they must be doing something right! (plastic surgery mayhap?)

Update On Sleep

Well... as you all know, last week I declared "sleep bootcamp" at our house. Last week Gwen slept through the night twice and almost on a third night. That's progress in my book. Somehow the little weasel made me feel sorry for her and I picked her up for a few nights. I know... I'm shooting myself in the foot. So then for the past two nights Ben has been my bootcamp assistant. He is the perfect assistant because he has a much stronger constitution than I do. Last night I heard her wake up once and she put herself back to sleep without any assistance! (that's progress in my book too) She did wake up one other time and cried for 20 minutes and had pats on the back. (that's not long... you all don't realize how determined this girl can be)

So... here's what we're doing.

1. Always put her down for naps and bedtime awake with a kiss and the same phrase- "go to sleep Gwen, I love you".
2. When she wakes up in the night to give her a few minutes to see if she can get herself back to sleep.
3. If she doesn't Ben or I will go in and put her pacifier in and pat her on the back and say "go to sleep Gwen" and leave immediately.
4. We try to wait as long as we can stand it before going in again. (of course we know she's ok because either we've been in there or we can peek around the corner of the door if we are really agile- but it's tricky, cause she's got the eyes of a hawk)
5. I have resolved to not feed her or pick her up in the night. She's not hungry. I know because she eats a lot during the day and she's made it through before.

Why so much talk about sleep? Because it is a hard thing to learn as a first time mom. I mean, there are a thousand different opinions on the subject and if you dare to share yours with another mom they look at you and you can tell they think differently and they always say "they are all different." So, this is where I will voice what we are doing in case someone wants to read it. It took me a while to resolve myself not to pick her up and feed her. It's like in my blood to respond to her or something. Through it all it amazes me that we can have a crazy night in the bootcamp and the next morning Gwen wakes up like she's the happiest little thing ever. Go figure...

Babyland

Our baby is 8 months now. My, she's getting big! I took these photos today and I thought I'd share them. I think she is such a cute little girl.


I had to act quick because she wanted to tear up the flowers and then eat a petal.

You can get a great education from children's books. This is in one of the ones we picked out from the library this week. It says, "my mommy is a capybara. I am her baby." Now when's the last time you heard of a capybara? Ben says it looks like a beaver crossed with a scottish terrier.

Something else Ben said tonight that I thought was funny. I was chopping vegetables and Ben was looking at me. I told him "don't look at me... I look like a homeless person" to which he replied "you don't look anything like a homeless person...they don't chop their own vegetables." Maybe you had to be there.

President's Day

Happy President's Day. Ben was off today so after a leisurely morning we headed out to the library. We thought we'd try a new one (cause we're just crazy like that), so we went to the largest one in our county. Walking in it is like the starship enterprise or something. I asked a lady about where a section was and she took me on a tour of the library. While we were there Ben saw some dude looking at "inappropriate" stuff and he confronted him. The guy basically just made excuses. The librarian said that unless he is breaking a law or being disruptive that they can't do anything! I was proud that Ben said something anyway. I told him he is now a part of the porn Nazis. I came up with that when I was studying for my masters degree in Miami. I was living in a dorm that had both boys and girls on the same floor. Everyday I would walk down this same hall and this guy had a poster of Pamela Anderson on his door scantily clad. I got so sick of seeing that thing that one day one of my roommates and I decided to go all vigilante. We took the poster down and brought it back to our room and took markers and painted a high collared dress on Pamela and made her hair all orange and put some studious little glasses on her. We wrote a note on there that said "no porn for you. Love- the porn Nazis." Then we put it back on his door. I think I cried I was laughing that hard.


I know you guys (whoever you are!) are probably sick of hearing about what food I'm making...but I find it interesting, so why not share! Tonight I finally made the chickpea burgers. Let's just say it wasn't McDonalds. They tasted like dry hummus really. It wasn't bad per se, just not worthy of the name burger. I ate one of them and I looked over at Ben and said "well... they're filling.. maybe a good breakfast food." He looked at me and said "yeah, in a desert where you have only been eating scorpion legs." I'll spare you the recipe, but here's what I put in them in case you are wondering. chickpeas, red kidney beans, onion, sunflower seeds, garlic, one egg and many spices including green chilis.

Here they are before cooking.


Here they are after cooking. I know they look like no bake cookies gone way bad. :)


Here is what was on the menu tonight: salad, steamed asparagus, steamed broccoli, and the chickpea things.


We finished off our meal with dessert. This is accepted in the first phase of south beach. It's called vanilla ricotta creme. I liked it.

1/2 C part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet of splenda

Mix and enjoy! We put a little toasted almonds on there too for good measure.

The Beach

Well... I'm down 3 1/2 pounds from last week thanks to the South Beach diet. Now it's week two. I'm missing bread less, but I'd still like toast in the morning. Ben said after these two weeks he's going to eat a whole loaf himself covered in processed white sugar and dipping sauce of high fructose corn syrup. :) You see why living with him is such a joy?

Blooms

Here are a few blooms from our house. I know.. sets your heart to racing doesn't it? Hey... I'm exciting...you just have to get to know me a little better! Anyway... this first flower is an amaryllis and I got it from my sister's yard as a bulb in December. Isn't it pretty?


One of my orchids.

Brussels Sprouts

Tonight was my first experience with brussels sprouts. That's right... brussels with an s. I always thought it was "brussel sprouts", but it's "brussels sprouts." That's about the extent of what I learned today. Anyway, I found them delicious. They sort of have a cabbagey taste to them and they are soft and nice. This whole more vegetable thing has gotten me really in awe of all the different kinds of vegetables God made and their differences. Tomorrow night is chickpea burgers. I know, I know, weird. I'll let you know how it goes!

I bought frozen brussels sprouts and thawed them in some water for a bit. I then cut them in half and put them on a towel and squeezed out the water. Next I put a couple of tablespoons olive oil in a pan and heated it up on medium heat. I put the sprouts in and let them get all brownish on the edges. When they started to get a little cooked I put salt and pepper and minced garlic in. I'd say maybe 3 cloves. (I had two frozen bags worth of sprouts) If I were to do it again, I think I'd put a little cayenne pepper in there for some added heat.


Here they are!

So our menu tonight was salad with cauliflower bits and tomatoes on there and the sprouts and roasted chicken and peppers and hummus. You guys let me know if you try something daring. I'd like to try endive, fennel, or artichokes next.

Valentine's Day

I asked Ben last night what he would like for Valentine's Day. He replied "a live chipmunk." Now what am I going to do? :)

Family Time

My wonderful mother-in-law Pam (notice that I stick that in every chance I get) and Ben's younger brother John (he's wonderful too) came over last night. I was trying to capture Gwen playing the pot.

On The Home Front

Well, Ben and I are doing this diet called "South Beach Diet." What do we eat you might be asking... or not asking...but anyway, here's an example of a dinner. Tonight we had shrimp sauted in garlic, a little olive oil, minced ginger, and spices. We had a salad with cauliflower and cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. We also had zucchini baked with parmesan cheese on there. Life on the beach ain't half bad.

This is Gwen eating her dinner. She had green beans with avocado. She has become quite the eater. Today alone she ate mango and pears + oatmeal cereal for breakfast, butternut squash + rice cereal and a bit of banana for lunch, and banana and green beans and avocado for dinner. I mean, she's got quite an appetite for a little almost 8 month old!!

On other news, I started "sleep bootcamp" with Gwen last night. I decided that she needed an opportunity to learn how to get herself back to sleep. Last night was not spectacular, but it was a start. I'll spare you all the details, but just know I made sure she was fine and she is much loved and with this "bootcamp" there are no pushups she must perform.

Eggceptional

This morning as I was about to get some eggs out to make breakfast something caught my eye. Here it is:

Meal Plan

Update: This meal plan I posted will have to wait. Ben and I have decided to go onto the South Beach diet for a while and see what happens. Ben's brother John had huge success with it. We jokingly call what we've been eating the "North Beach Diet".

chicken cacciatore
beef stew with white wine and mustard
sweet and savory pork stew with fruit
pork stew with cider, carrots, and lima beans
spinach and feta bread pudding, deviled eggs
chicken with rosemary dumplings

Can you tell I got a library book about stews?

*Swedish Rye Bread- this time making it with the orange peel and juice
*Baby food- mangos

Review from last week:
Black Beans- they turned out pretty good. I added a little turkey bacon in there for flavor and I think that was nice. It takes a long time to cook beans from dried.
Indian chicken and rice casserole- was very good. It was a little labor intensive as all Indian dishes are...but worth it. I love the basmati rice.
Veggie enchiladas- I think I could be a vegetarian on these. These were great and I just used some of my black beans I had made earlier in the week.
pizza and quiche- still haven't made, but will
Turkey chili- not on the plan from last week, but I made it.
Baby food- instead of peas I made green beans cause they were on sale at the market. She hasn't tried them yet, but I think they are much better than the jar kind you can buy.
Swedish Rye Bread- turned out very nice I think. I learned to get good slices (thin) you need to let the loaf completely cool.

Blue Eyes

This is the outfit I bought for Gwen yesterday. She's so pretty!

So True

Creepy

Today I went with a friend to a store with baby clothes. Look what I found in there. It's an XL sized flannel footy sleeper. I was greatly amused and disturbed at the same time.

Conversations With Gwen- 7 1/2 months

I've been working on getting her to say "da da". She loves the curious George figurine.

Encouragement For Today

Someone said this to me today: "the future happens one day at a time"

Isn't it crazy how something so obvious and simple can encourage? The little everyday moments add up to a day... and every day is important. Every day significant. The reminder of today... truly appreciate every moment of your day. Every little seemingly insignificant ones, cause they're not insignificant to God.

Once An Arafat Man

I just finished reading Tass Saada's book "Once An Arafat Man." Ben got it for me for Christmas. It is a true story account about a former PLO sniper and how he came to know Christ. Here are some things I'll take away from reading this book:

1. The Lord used both a friend of his and a vision to bring him to repentance. I thought immediately of my Egyptian neighbors just next door. How am I showing love to them? I have heard of other Muslims coming to know the Lord through dreams and visions. I hadn't ever heard this verse: Isaiah 65:1 "I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.' Isn't it amazing how God is so merciful even when we don't ask?

2. I had heard Tass' testimony once before, but I had no idea just how tough this guy was. I mean, shooting your math teacher... aye carumba! (his teacher lived by the way)

3. I also was impressed at how brave he was when facing his family after his conversion. Honor killing is just so foreign to my mind of course being an American. I can't even imagine how painful all that was.

4. I also was amazed at his trip in the van all over. He just got into a van and started talking to people in masques and temples and churches. It challenged me to think if I'd be willing to go out like that with no plan. Am I really listening to God on a daily basis?

5. I was also blessed to read about his ministry to people in the Gaza strip now. He is working ultimately for people from all sides to know the love of God.

Legacy

What a happy little girl Gwen is! For the most part Gwen has these expressions throughout her day. She especially likes it when I turn on music and dance around. Although I'm ok with whatever she enjoys, I do hope she enjoys music. I got out one of my favorite children's CDs today. It's one that you won't find at Wal-Mart. It's a CD of a teacher that has recorded her favorite songs that she taught the children in my hometown. Her name is Polly Easterwood... what an incredible name huh? Anyway, I love her songs. When I taught school the kids LOVED these songs. I think of girl scout songs and hymns and silly songs that I'd like Gwen to know. I mean, you'd be surprised to know how many kids I've met that don't know "Amazing Grace" or the national anthem... or worse, never have music in their home. I think everyone should know songs like "Mares Eat Oats and Does Eat Oats" and "Eggbert The Easter Egg". One of my new favorite songs is from a CD that my sister had of nursery rhymes set to music. These are the lyrics to the one I'm obsessed with (so if you hear me say "dilly dilly" sometime you'll know):

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen

Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so

Call up your friends, dilly, dilly
Set them to work
Some to the plough, dilly dilly,
Some to the fork

Some to the hay, dilly dilly,
Some to thresh corn
Whilst you and I, dilly dilly,
Keep ourselves warm

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen

Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so

I think this smile looks like Ben. Look at those chompers!

My Dream

I have a dream. I'm just in the planning phases now, but I'd like to plant a little vegetable garden this spring. I'd also like to have pots of herbs on my deck this summer. I've been out in the yard thinking and writing down vegetables I'd like to try to grow. Do you think I can grow all of these? Beets, onions, peas, buttercrunch lettuce (these are my early crops), and then carrots, cucumber (bush variety), pole beans, tomatoes, and maybe butternut squash as my slower yielding crops. I'd also like rosemary, dill, cilantro, sweet basil and chives in some pots on the deck. I may have to cut down on these ideas once I stake it out and all. Last summer I was heavy with child :) and just couldn't do any type of gardening. This summer I'm determined to give it a go. Any experienced gardeners out there? You know... isn't it funny how as you grow older you really want to start gardening and canning and that type of stuff? I think I'm getting old. Tonight I bought jeans with an elastic waistband. I don't care... at least I'll be comfortable bending over and grabbing my fresh veggies in my own garden one day.

This Guy Is Amazing

Meal Plan

A little late in coming...but here it is:

black beans, rice, corn- no, we don't eat that many black beans... I actually AM going to make it this week
potato soup & salad with chicken- made last night
indian chicken and rice casserole
veggie enchiladas, green beans
homemade pizza, salad, hominy (still didn't have that)
quiche (didn't make from last week either)

baby food- peas

review from last week:

Amish potato casserole: it was ok, it made a TON
chef mis-er-ly beefy mac was received well by all.. also made a LOT
eggplant parmesan- I've discovered that eggplant is like a sponge and soaks up all the olive oil in the skillet. I felt like I was making pancakes, which I stink at. It came out ok. I wasn't too thrilled with my first experience cooking with eggplant.
jerk chicken- as my brother said "what IS this?" I told him it was supposed to be jerk chicken and we both were amazed at the spicyness of this dish. Loved it with all the ginger.
Hummus came out better this time. It's really easy to make and I like that.

Olive Ewe (I love you)

Some more Ben moments tonight...

He's recently added one to the silly family I mentioned before. It's "Dear Gus".

He uses "shenanigans" all the time now. He says it with the emphasis on the she part... like "SHEnanigans". According to Webster.com it means 1. a devious trick used especially for an underhanded purpose or 2. tricky or questionable practices or conduct.

He has got to be the funniest person I think I've ever met. I love him.

44

Hawk with Psoriasis

This photo was taken today in our backyard. A hawk in our backyard! I love those birds!

Today I also went to see a reumatologist. I hope I'm spelling that right. Remember the admission that I made to having psoriasis of the scalp? Well... it turns out after I've gone to an orthopedic doctor and had some blood drawn that my knees are swollen for a reason. I thought it was because I taught some kids to square dance in Miami...but no. The psoriasis has given me arthritis. That's right... it's called "psoriatic arthritis." Only 10% of us lucky people with psoriasis develop arthritis as a result. When he told me I just sat there in stunned silence. It only has affected my knees...they feel tender and I can't bend them all the way. Here's the crazy thing.. I can't take the major drugs for this because I'm breastfeeding. He prescribed a medicine for me to see if he can help it out....but the drawback is it will make me more hungry. MORE HUNGRY??? Wouldn't you know that the very moment he said that to me my stomach growled loud enough for him to hear. Talk about embarrassing. He doesn't know it, but I'm sitting there thinking, "I'm not going to take that pill." G.I. Joe always said "knowledge is half the battle"... well, maybe he's right. :)

Would You Look At That!

Just this morning Gwen woke up with the ability to sit up.

Recent Discussions and Happenings

Ben is a "manager of fun" at work. I know, the title is a bit.. well... but anyway what that means is that he helps organize things to boost morale in the office. One thing they came up with is the ugly holiday sweater contest. Ben had to have an ugly Christmas sweater by today and we both didn't have any, so he went off to Goodwill last night to find one. Tonight he was telling me about his experience in the Goodwill store at 8pm. Not to be mean, but he said that the people in there must have all been ex pirates. He finally found a Christmas shirt mixed in with all the other shirts in the ladies XL section. Here it is!

Oh the things you can learn from children's literature! I try to read to Gwen every day, not to mention that Ben reads to her before we put her down for the night. We have this one book that has animals A to Z in it and we came across these two entries.


What in the world is a vicuna and what is a xylo? I wouldn't accept that a xylo is an actual animal. I looked up Vicuna and it is kin to the Llama. I'm still not sure about the xylo.

Have you ever seen a tortoise shell like that? wow!


Ever seen a bush baby? :)

Here is a page devoted to things on the farm. I thought it was amusing that on this page they have "rubber trees". I haven't ever seen a rubber tree, but I'm sure there are farms with them in it.


Tonight I made the Swedish Rye Bread. Ben's Grandmother is famous for it. Just what I need...more carbs in my life. P.S. It's snowing

The Audacity Of It All

Today is a historic day. I'm going to get a paper for Gwen tomorrow to keep. I know, you don't want to hear my political views or a rant... so I won't subject you to that. Here are some of my thoughts from the day though. I'm glad our country has gotten to this point where a black man can be President. I wonder what Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln would say if they could see it. I think Obama is remarkably poised. I would be blubbering through the whole swearing in. I don't like calling it swearing in. It sounds like you are going to swear. I like this picture of Obama and his family. I wonder what it would be like to not drive for the next four years. I wonder what it's like to have secret service around all the time. George H. Bush.. what old man do you know that skydives? Can anyone say awesome? I wonder what Barbara Bush said to her son this morning. I wonder what George W. Bush said to his wife as they flew away in that helicopter. I heard a story on the news this morning that said when Reagan flew away in the helicopter he turned to Nancy and said "there's our old shack." He was a trip.

Today I was at the bank waiting for a "personal banker" (whatever that is) and an elderly gentleman walked over and admired Gwen. He asked me how old she was and how much she weighed at birth. He told me he was one of 6 kids... two boys and four girls. I asked what it was like growing up in a larger family and he said "well... I was born just 40 days before the stock market crash... and well, it was a different world back then." I would have loved to talked with him more but his notary person came over. What stories he must have.

Meal Plan

asparagus quiche and Ellie Krieger's cucumber soup
Ben's favorite potato casserole (from Amish book), meat of some sort, green beans
chef mis-er-ly beefy mac (from Miserly meals book), hummus and peppers
eggplant parmigiana, salad
jerk chicken, rice, peas
skillet pasta florentine, hominy (the hominy is to represent the Indian book I got from the library.. cause you know I'm not going to make something from a cactus plant)

*Swedish Rye Bread- Ben's Grandmother's recipe
*Baby Food- Carrots

Dinner At Our House

I was making dinner and this is what Ben was doing with Gwen. The beautiful thing is this was totally unstaged fun.

The Farm

Today we went to Ben's Grandparent's place. She has an orchid in bloom that we've waited a year to see. It's called a lady slipper orchid because of the bulby thing that looks kind of like a lady's slipper.


Anyone remember that huge sweet potato that I took pictures of? Did you wonder its fate? Well... here it is. I found it in their fridge and they are eating it little by little. If you missed it in an earlier post this sweet potato was the size of a football.

Cereal and Date Night

Anybody else think this is funny? I mean, when is the last time you bought cereal with the word "spheres" on it? In the lower left hand corner it also touts it being a cholesterol free food. I'm so glad these food companies are looking out for my health. (actually... I eat oatmeal and Ben eats this)

Last night my mother-in-law came over unexpectedly and we went out on a little date. I requested that we go to the library and get stamps. I know, I'm a wild woman. Well...before you judge let me tell you the books I got last night at the library. It is an AWESOME place to go people! Here are the books that I chose:

A Medieval Home Companion- Housekeeping in the fourteenth century- I mean... what WAS homemaking like in the fourteenth century? sweep the floor, kill the boar... I don't know...but I'm going to find out.

The Amish Cook- 'cause you know me and the Amish... I'm fascinated.

Miserly Meals- need I say more?

American Indian Food and Lore- it says it has 150 authentic recipes. I hope I don't have to go bow hunting. I went through a phase where I was fascinated with Indians too.

and last but not least....
My Big Book of Everything- a picture dictionary for Gwen to look at pictures. I'm going through and pointing and naming things.

Queen For A Day

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Silly Family

You want to hear something silly? There is a whole group of people that we reference in this house that don't live here.

Anita- any time anyone says "I need ta do this or that" Anita is mentioned.

Justin- Justin case

Mikey- My keys

Shirley- surely not

We need therapy.

Food and Baby Thoughts

I don't know what it is...but I've got a thing for sweet potatoes recently. Last night I tried the "chicken and sweet potato stew" and it was great. I thought I'd share pics and the recipe in case anyone else is "into" sweet potatoes too. Surprise, surprise, here's Ben being goofy. :)


Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

1 1/2 pounds chicken (I used breasts that were frozen and I cut them into strips)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 T olive oil
3 med sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
3 T natural peanut butter (I used reduced fat natural peanut butter)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I used a bit more)
2 garlic cloves, peeled (I used diced)
1/4 C packed fresh cilantro leaves, plus some for garnish

1. Rub chicken with cumin and cinnamon; set aside.

2. In nonstick 12 inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes and onion and cook until onion is tender, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer sweet potato mixture to plate.

3. Increase heat to medium high. Add seasoned chicken, and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned on both sides.

4. Meanwhile, drain tomatoes, reserving juice. In blender (or food processor) blend tomato juice, peanut butter, salt, crushed red pepper, garlice and 1/4 C of cilantro and blend.

5. Add sweet potato mixture, peanut butter sauce, and chopped tomatoes to skillet with chicken; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft. We served over brown rice.

I'm taking a Bible study all about the essentials of discipline. I'm trying to stay ahead of the game a little bit so I can have a plan when stuff happens. Boy, I get so nervous hearing about other children misbehaving. I am realizing more and more how much parents influence their children. It is a huge task that God has given us. There was this one story about how James Dobson said he was in a grocery store with his wife grabbing something quick and he saw a kid throwing a fit over something he wanted. The mother handled it well and James Dobson praised her for being a good mom. I told the class that if I ever was in Aldi's with a kid throwing a fit and I look up to see James Dobson rounding the corner we are running to the exit.

I came home and (Ben's working from home today) was telling him about the study. The topic today was the difference between childish irresponsibility and defiance. I told him "yeah... it's like the difference between when a kid leaves his bike out in the rain and.." and then Ben interjects, "and when he sets his bike on fire." I laughed and said "yeah... I think that's it."

The book "the no cry sleep solution" that I've been reading says that parenting is like a dance. I agree.... two steps forward, one back, one sideways, and then sometimes.... just sometimes... an air guitar solo.

Meal Plan

chicken and sweet potato stew
swedish meatballs with sour cream sauce, egg noodles
hamburger cornbread casserole
goulash
black beans, 3 pepper corn pudding

Let me know if you want a recipe people!

Sleeping Like A Baby II

Just when I boast to everyone that I think we've got the sleep thing figured out I am humbled. I'm writing this down not to rant or feel sorry for myself...but to remember. Gwen has some spectacular nights like the other night when we put her down at 7:45 or so and she didn't wake again until 5:05am! and then went back to sleep and slept until 9:30!! She's never done that before. Then we have last night where she woke every 2 or 3 hours and threw fits to be picked up and refused to go back to sleep. I'm not sure if I'm sending her mixed messages. I told Ben I don't think she's diabolical or anything...but maybe she's smarter than I give her credit for. I'm amazed at how much sway this little person has. I want to be a wise mother and not give in to her every whimper, but I want her to feel safe. Well... as little orphan Annie would say "the sun'll come out tomorrow"... but I may be a little grouchy when it does. :)

Moon Watching

see the little tiny ball of light? That's the moon... OK?


Tonight Ben and I went driving a bit to look at the moon and also just to get out a bit. (with Gwen of course!) The moon is supposed to be the brightest that it will be all year tonight. I don't know about you, but I am a moon watcher. Luner eclipses (my personal favorite), harvest moons, little crescent moons... all thrill me. I just so happened to see Apollo 13 today too, so I had the added awe of knowing people have actually stepped onto the moon. Incredible! It makes me think of that scripture in Psalm 8:

"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?"

Also tonight we ran across this street sign. Not quite "mean puppies" Leah, but close. :)

Little Rhymes

Lately Gwen has enjoyed little rhymes such as these:

This little piggy went to market,
this little piggy stayed home,
this little piggy had roast beef,
this little piggy had none,
and this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home.

Have you ever stopped to think about that? There is just something fundamentally wrong with a pig eating roast beef. Well.. at least it wasn't a pork chop right?

All around the garden,
like a teddy bear,
one step, two step
tickle under there.

This one is done by making circles in the palm of the hand and then on the step part you walk up the arm and tickle under the arm. Ben's mom taught us this one.

I'm looking for more of these types of things that maybe your parents taught you. If anyone knows of any drop a comment would you? THANKS!!

Prudence

What I learned today

Prudence- the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason

Sleeping Like A Baby

As the mother of any 6 month old out there in the world we are figuring out the sleeping thing. I think we are getting close. As I mentioned earlier, my pediatrician said that if Gwen is waking in the night it's because of habit and not hunger. His suggestion to me was to let her cry it out and not go in there at all. Well... I wasn't satisfied with that and with all due respect he's not living in my house right now so... I've been researching what I feel is the best solution for Gwen. I've got the "No-cry sleep solution" book on the side table beside me and I've also been reading other things and looking online. What I've come to the conclusion of is that every mother must make decisions for her own baby based on her personality and desires and the child's personality. That's number uno reason I think it really helps to be mature when having a baby. I mean, this job is not for the selfish, ya know? (even though I am sometimes) I remember when I was struggling with breastfeeding in the hospital so much and in came a nurse that said "she is the most laid back baby I've ever seen in my life." If looks could have killed she probably wouldn't be around. I mean, who likes hearing something like that when it's not a viable solution to a problem? Anyway, off the subject... these are the things we are doing with little Gwen. (in case anyone is interested)


* I want Gwen to sleep in the crib. I'm not comfortable with her in the bed with me for several reasons.

* I have been watching her carefully and when she seems tired and rubs her eyes I bring her upstairs and lay her down in the crib awake for naps and for bedtime. I cover her, tell her I love her, and leave the room. Many evenings at around 8pm you can find Ben and I cowering outside of her room whispering to one another and waiting for the silence. She sometimes fusses a little, but usually not an all out war cry. She has gotten better about knowing that her crib is for sleeping.

* I didn't realize it before, but Gwen in technically "sleeping through the night" (longer than a 5 hr stretch) even though she wakes anywhere from 1 to 2 times a night. When she wakes I give her a minute to see if she will go back to sleep and if not I go to her and feed her. I figure she may need some comfort food or something. I'm ok with that as long as she goes back to sleep soon afterward. Sometimes she doesn't fall back asleep directly. I have been recently putting her back in her crib and letting her cry a bit and going back in to reassure her of my faithfulness to her. :)

* Gwen sleeps on her stomach. She always has really. I'm ok with that too. She also sleeps with a blanket on her legs. I'm ok with that too.

* Our nightly routine consists of feeding a solid food to her around dinner time and then she watches Ben play Wii fit or something and then we take her up and give her a warm bath and lotion her up. Then Ben reads several books to her and then she nurses. After she gets burped she gets put into the crib and Ben and I crouch outside her door and peek around the door frame at her. The other night Ben walks in because she is all quiet and he notices in the darkness that she has her eyes open. He bolts out of there like he's been burned by a hot poker! Ha!

* So, in conclusion... I think I'm ok for now. Even though she's waking in the night sometimes, it's not too bad and I think I'm giving her ample opportunity to decide to sleep on through if she wants. I think that time will eventually come.

He Makes Me Laugh

This is a movie of Ben that I took of him without him knowing (at first anyway). He has a very unique way of reading to Gwen.

32

Well... another year older today. It has been a dramatic year for sure. Here are some of my hopes for this year.

My Faith- to learn more of the heart of God, to share my faith in love with others more, to be thankful to the Lord for every experience- good or bad.

My Relationships- to be slower to speak, to be an attentive wife and mother, to make more friends :) I want to slow down and really soak in memories of Gwen growing up. I know it goes by all too fast.

My Health- to take better care of myself for God's Glory

My Finances- pay off our house, start a college fund for Gwen ('cause she's going or else) :)

My Work/and or Service- get R done

Tonight I used one of my Christmas gifts and made little souffle's in my new ramekins. I've never made a souffle before. They were good, but not so good that you'd want to have one every day. (that's a good thing folks)

Speaking of food...here's the meal plan for the week:

moroccan-style chicken stew
enchilada stuffed shells (made tonight)
Ellie Krieger's shepherd's pie
jamaican-style beef stew
spaghetti
black beans, chicken, and cornbread

Conversations in Our House

Here are some conversations that Ben and I have had within the last few days. I hope Gwen grows up to not be too embarrassed by us.

I have been thinking of how to "train" Gwen to sleep through the night. My doctor says to go "cold turkey" and just let her cry without going to her when she wakes up in the night so she can learn to put herself back to sleep. I'm having a hard time with the cold turkey. I asked Ben the other night why they call it "cold turkey." I mean, where did that come from? He said "cause you know that cold turkeys can get off of drugs much better than hot ones."

He asked me yesterday... you know how you call someone who can't see blind and someone who can't hear deaf? Well... what do you call it when someone can't smell? So we had this conversation about if that is possible to not smell. The jury is still out on that one.