Stuff I'm Learning

Here lately I've felt like this little stuffed animal.  Today I was nursing Zeke in one room and Gwen walked into the other room out of my eyeshot.  She got the remains of her breakfast bar and proceeded to smear it all over her hands and the crumbs were all over the floor.  She also tried to feed her little friend some of her food.  Life with a toddler and a baby are um... interesting some days and here's what I'm learning the hard way.

1.  Under no circumstance ever feed a toddler cous cous.
2.  Never underestimate the endurance of a toddler throwing a fit.
3.  If you think you are even natured and stuff doesn't get on your nerves, you're wrong.
4.  If you think you've got it all together, think again.
5.  Pretty much I will never go to the bathroom alone again.
6.  Motherhood is one of those things that never stops... not ever.. I mean ever.  Even when they move out I will worry or be concerned for them.  No matter if I'm out by myself or with them, they are on my mind.
7.  Can you really have two many pairs of sweat pants?  I have built quite an array of colors that I'm pretty proud of.
8.  If you see a toddler holding a full bag of rice in her hands and it has nothing but a clothes pin closing it you had better run marathon style to get it.

Also.. as a bonus, today I learned that the bulby thing on top of an octopus isn't it's head... it's the stomach and other organs.  The head is really small.

Conversations with Zeke

Zeke is almost 3 months.  I can't believe it.  The time has flown by.  I think because Gwen takes up most of my brain power these days.  She has just recently begun screaming like people in a horror film when she isn't happy.  It's quite stunning I assure you.  She is learning so much all at once I can barely keep up with her.  I keep getting books at the library and she remembers the information!  Right now she's interested in octopuses, bird's nests, snowmen and rabbits and dolphins and whales.  Today we went on a walk and we saw an earth worm.  Ben picked it up and put it on the grass.  Maybe 15-20 minutes later we get back to the same spot we saw the worm and Gwen says "worm, worm" looking for it.  Stuff like that amazes me.  She also has an independence streak a mile wide.  She is not the type of kid to hide behind my skirt.  She is out there in the middle of it all and wanting so badly to be in the mix.  I love that she is so outgoing.
I think everyone who has a near two year old should have an infant to love and cuddle.  It keeps the whole thing in perspective for me.  I can not even describe accurately how adorable this boy is.  He is so easy going and sweet with little smiles all the time.  He loves his food and he has his father's ears.  I'm wondering if he'll be a little   less outgoing.  I think that would be interesting.  Here he is the other day:

  

On other news, I have been listening to a nursery rhyme CD in the car and it has this rhyme to song on it.  I'm one of those that can never ignore music.  I walk into a store, I notice the music... sit in a car, notice the music.  Well, this poem bothers me because I don't know what a runcible spoon is.  Also, what is an owl and a pussycat doing getting married and what kind of animal would result to for mentioned marriage.  AND what is quince?  Answers to follow poem. :)

The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are, you are, you are,
What a beautiful Pussy you are."
Pussy said to the Owl "You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing.
O let us be married, too long we have tarried;
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows,
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose, his nose, his nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling your ring?"
 Said the Piggy, "I will"
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon.
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand.
They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.


*A runcible spoon is a small fork with three prongs, one having a sharp edge, and curved like a spoon. This spoon is used to eat  pickles, etc.  It's essentially a spork.
*I'm not sure about the resulting children of an owl and pussycat.  Still bothers me.
*A quince is a small, deciduous tree, which bears fruit. The fruit is bright yellow when mature (green when immature), and bears a resemblence to a pear. They mature in late autumn with a hard flesh which emits a strong perfume. The flowers have five pink-white petals and are produced in spring.

At Greek weddings, the quince was often presented at weddings, as part of a ritual. The Quince would be used to perfume the bride's kiss before the ceremony, to prevent an unpleasant first greeting. The Romans would stew quince with honey and combine them with leeks.

Quince is often too hard and sour to eat, though it can be softened by frost. They can be peeled, stewed, roasted, baked or used to make jam, jelly or quince pudding. Quince seeds, however, are poisonous and should not be eaten.

Because of its strong perfume, quince is often used as a flavour enhancer for jam and apple pies. Quinces may have been cultivated before apples.

The Spanish eat quince with cheese, using it to make a kind of jelly-like mixture, and quince juice is often made from organic farming in Germany.

Meal Plan

I didn't post a meal plan for last week because it took me so long to get through with all the meals I had planned and didn't get around to.  Here's this next week I have planned.

Vegetarian tex-mex peppers
Curry Chicken stir fry, brown rice
Spinach orzo salad, grilled chicken, salad
crunchy broccoli salad, sandwiches
slow cooked meatloaf, baked potato, green beans
tenderloin, salad, potato

Fasionista

I hear this off the shoulder number is very popular this year.  :)

Laugh and Gwen

Today after a particularly hard day with the kids Ben suggested I go across the street and get Chinese food for us instead of me cooking.  I did, and my fortune made me laugh.  God really does have a sense of humor.

Here are a couple of videos of Gwen.  She sings very often now and this is a medley of sorts of the ABC song, Ba Ba Black Sheep, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  The second video is of her identifying her letters.  I knew she could identify some, so I wrote the alphabet out on cards just to see which ones she knew.  She knew more than I realized and within a couple of weeks has them all down.  Amazing.

Verse of the Day

For all you nursing mothers out there.

Psalm 22:9  "Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast."

For those who feel weary of the crying.

Psalm 8:2 "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."

Gwen and Zeke

Both Kids Napping!

Both kids are napping, so I can share with you how God opened my eyes today. (He has to do that on a regular basis)  Lately I've been feeling a little like someone on a deserted island in my house all day and like no one cares that I am here on the island.  I have had a mixture of feeling sorry for myself or feeling that I am not all the things I want to be.  I want to be thinner, make a comforting and welcoming home for Ben to come home to (i.e. clean), and a Godly and wise mother and awesome cook.  Instead of welcoming Ben home the way I wanted to, I would complain or tell him how tired I was or congratulate him on getting his bike riding workout in and hand him a kid.  Not real becoming.  Today I was listening to this thing on Christian radio and she said some reference to Psalm 113 and being a happy mother.  Now, let me just say, I know that I am blessed beyond anything I ever ever deserve and I am a happy mother most of the time.  Sometimes like this week have been challenging.

This really helped me when I looked up the Psalm.  The whole Psalm is beautiful, but here is verse 9:  "He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children."  I'm not barren, but the thing I got out of it was that it was GOD that would settle me and give me peace and ultimately make me a happy mother.  What I was missing all this week was asking God how He views me, how He wants me to spend my time.  There are so many things that want to cram into your time and heart.  I turned on a movie this week and was astonished at the crassness of it.  If I spend my time letting that into my heart, what kind of parent would I become?  What kind of person?


I know I can't be all those things I listed above, but one thing I can do.. rely on the Lord to settle me.  That's it really.  I can make my little pizza doughs and try to clean a little here and there too.. but really, in light of eternity,  what is important?  That I be a follower of Christ and that I give myself sacrificially to my family and others that need peace too.  I can't give that away until I get it from God myself.  Well... that's it for today.

Laugh of the Day

This is a picture of a house around the corner from ours.  I guess someone got a little pruning in.  This tree always makes me laugh.

Just Cause

Here are some pictures of the kids today.  Gwen is getting so big.  She is 21 months today.  She is a beautiful child with the prettiest blue eyes and pink little lips.  She has quite a personality too and here lately when she want to divert my attention from disciplining her she holds out both hands and says "hug."  

Zeke is such a sweet little guy.  I feel sort of sorry that I don't get to hold him quite as much as I did with Gwen.  He's got such big cheeks and smiles every time I engage him in conversation.  Every time I look at him I just think one word-- precious.

I gave him a bath today and put this shirt on him.  I got a laugh from it because these bears look like they are attacking the middle bear.  I think the middle bear has a tape measure, but let's be real... could you defend yourself with a tape measure?  I think not!

Craft and Zeke

Here's a picture of the poem with the feet.  I'm not sure I'd call it a craft....but hey... here you go!

Here is a picture of my Zeke.  He has some dry skin issues lately, but he sure has a sweet face.  He almost slept through the whole night last night.  He hasn't gotten into a schedule during the day though.  I think having an older sister that yells prevents some of that.  He is pretty happy go lucky until he's hungry.  He doesn't mess around then.  He lets you know loud and clear that he doesn't like waiting for the food.  I guess he gets that from both Ben and I.  :)  Tomorrow will be an entire week that Gwen has been totally off of the pacifier... or should I say, that I've been off of the pacifier.  What an accomplishment for her.  She is throwing fits some..mostly over whether or not to pick things up off of the floor.  As ridiculous as that sounds... the underlying thing is obedience.  She's not a big fan yet of that.  I guess we all struggle with that from time to time.    

Poem for Daddy

I did not write this, but I found it yesterday and thought it was so sweet.  We made an art project out of it.  I put yellow paint on a paper plate and I tried to get Gwen to step in it and then put her foot on a piece of construction paper.  Um.. it didn't quite work out with Gwen, so Zeke helped me out.  Then we put the poem on the paper.  I thought it would be a nice thing for him to have at work.

Walk a little slower, Daddy,
Said a little child so small.
I'm following in your footsteps,
and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up,
Your'e what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you.

Meal Plan

I didn't get around to some stuff last week, so it will be repeated this week.  I've decided to make Fridays homemade pizza night here at the Barreth house and if we don't have small group, I'll invite a family to come and share dinner with us that night for fun, practicing hospitality, and to have people to play Quiddler with!

broccoli cheese soup
tamale casserole
tortellini
tilapia, salad, green beans
turkey burgers, salad
beef stew
homemade pizza
teriaki stir fry

Recipes

If you like the kind of nuts you can get at the mall, or on the street in NYC, well... these are those.  I used pecans last night and made these..but you can use any nut you want.  

Spiced Nuts


1 egg white
1 pound nuts
sugar substitute or sugar 1/2 C (you can go a little less if you want... I used real sugar instead of sugar substitute. I don't do that stuff while breastfeeding or pregnant)
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

beat eggs until frothy.  Add nuts and cover them well in the egg white.  Mix other ingredients in separate bowl and then add to the nut/white mixture.  Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

I made homemade pizza last night using this dough recipe.  It was great!  Maybe we will try to do pizzas every Friday night and try different varieties.  That would be fun.  Does your family have a night where you make the same thing?  

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Source: http://macaroniandcheesecake.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (One packet)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

3/4 cup warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Combine flours, yeast, salt, and sugar in a stand mixer, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed.

Combine warm water and oil in a measuring cup.

With the motor running on low speed, gradually pour in enough of the liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour.

Mix until the dough forms a ball, then increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 minute to knead.

Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Punch down and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before rolling.

*If you want to knead by hand feel free - knead for about 10 minutes.

As made, this recipe makes about 1 pound of dough.

To Bake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle a little cornmeal on a clean surface and roll out the dough, use your hands to stretch it out. Place on sprayed pizza pan and spread out to desired thinness and size.

Pre-bake dough in oven for 3-4 minutes. Add desired toppings and bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly, approximately 12 minutes or so.

A Smile

Zekey

At 2 months he weighs 13 lb 4.3 oz!!  81st percentile baby!

Change

See this?  This is Gwen's last pacifier that has been cut on the end and now in the trash can.  We've made the move to get her off of the pacifier now.  First we tried the cut the ends off method.  She didn't like it much, but after about 30 minutes of freak out she'd accept the nub.  I just decided it would be a lot easier to throw them away and do cold turkey.  I mean, if she's going to freak out anyway, why not right?  It really was because of Ben that we did this.  I wanted to hang on to that paci for my sanity, but Ben thought it was definitely time to get rid of it for several reasons.  It's unsanitary really, and she woke up sometimes at night when her paci fell out of bed, and the older you get the harder it is to get rid of it he thought.  She's doing really well.  She adapts well to change generally.  I know it's different with all children, but Ben's theory is that little kids deal much better with change than adults.  Ben is a big believer in change.  When the rest of his work buddies order the same thing every single Friday at the Chinese restaurant they go to... it's Ben trying something new every single week.  When we were looking for a house we were pregnant, Ben starting a new job all at the same time.  We thought it was exciting!  I wonder if he's right about kids and change.  I mean, one day I don't think Gwen can recognize any colors and the next she's saying "mother, not the chartreuse shirt!"  (she hasn't really said that yet)  Anyway, you get the picture.  If you ask dad's if kids handle change well they'd say "sure".  You ask the same question to a bunch of moms and they'd say "well, you have to be careful not to do too much."  One of my friends said that her pediatrician said not to make any big changes (like getting rid of paci) when you've been through a life change like a new baby coming home.  Then, I ask MY pediatrician yesterday and she said "get rid of it."  Can we not have a parenting summit or something and figure this stuff out???  I guess it depends on the kid...but this stuff is frustrating if you ask me.  Anyway, my baby girl is becoming a toddler!!  Woo Hoo!

Kick The Puppy

Well... I'm just kind of hanging out tonight so I guess I'll explain the "kick the puppy" comment.  When I was single I made up this phrase "kick the puppy" to tell someone to get rid of a guy that wasn't good for them.  That's kind of how it feels to get rid of someone you have feelings for and that's how it came about.  I was talking with someone and I used it in an analogy.  I said that it's kind of like a dog comes to your door and you are amused or you feel sorry for it so you feed it.  It comes again the next day.. no big deal...you feed it.  Then it starts coming every day and it starts taking up your time, your money, and emotional energy.  You know you shouldn't be feeding it, but you do.  You know you ought to find a way to get it off of your porch, but you've started developing feelings for it and you are not sure how to get it off or if you want it to really.  The thing is... you've got to "kick the puppy".  Even though it hurts you can't go on feeding this dog you can't let inside the house.  Yes, I know not all men are dogs and so forth.  I married an exceptional man myself and would never compare him to a dog.  But if I did... he'd be the giant flying dog from the Never Ending Story.  I just asked him what dog he'd like to be and he said that one. :)  That just goes to show how unique he truly is people!!

In my search for an image of the Never Ending Story dog I came across this painting someone did.  It's Jesus riding the Never Ending Story dog.  I really do not mean this to be sacrilegious, but I thought it was hilarious. 

My sister-in-law, Beki, says she took this idea global when she went to India.  She told people about it there and they latched on to it.  If you've ever had to break up with someone that wasn't good for you, well, I'll bet you identify with that analogy.

Things That Make You Go... Humm

These are dark photos, but this is a toy that we inherited from my sister.  It is a cute little dog.  I noticed something, um, special about this dog though.  I'm thinking maybe this dog does something special although I've never seen it do it.  You have to take a close look at the second photo to discover the special something.

Here are some other things that have interested me lately.

* The female European cuckoo can't be bothered to take care of her chicks.  She lays an egg in another bird's nest.  When the egg hatches, it's the other bird that does all the hard work, raising the chick.  She tricks other birds because her egg matches the others in the nest.
*Maras live in South America.  They're a kind of long-legged guinea pig.  Mara parents never join their babies in the burrow.  They whistle down the hole and the young come scampering out.
*Whale sharks lay the biggest eggs- one was found that had a 14 inch diameter.
*Each time a nine-banded armadillo gives birth, she has four identical babies.  They are either all female or all male.  This is because a single egg inside her splits into four, and all four parts begin to grow- into identical quadruplets.
*A mother harp seal's milk is so thick and rich that it looks more like mayonnaise than milk.  It's about ten times creamier than cow's milk and is such good food that you can almost see the harp seal pup growing fatter as it feeds.
*A mother tiger takes care of her cubs until they're about two years old.  But then she has another litter and ignores the older cubs.  It's not really cruel- the two year olds are grown now, and it's about time they took care of themselves.  (talk about "kick the puppy"!  If you don't know about "kick the puppy" then that is for another blog post)

Tough

Listened to this today.  It always makes me tear up.