I finished Shepherding a Child's Heart this afternoon. This book was recommended to me by so many people that I had to read it eventually. It was very good, and gave me a clearer understanding of what to discipline for, as well as how and why to discipline. I have to admit though, I'm pretty overwhelmed, and always have been, by the task of teaching my kids about Jesus, the Gospel, etc. I'm probably not much different from any other Christian mother. My guess is many parents are intimidated by this task. My excuse is that my parents are great people, but they are not the ones who led me to Christ. Other than my mother taking me to church and Sunday school, they didn't provide any example of or direction for living a life of faith. I didn't even really learn what it meant to give my life to Christ until I was an adult. Of course, I greatly desire to instruct and nurture my children early on in the ways of God because I hope they can avoid most of the poor decisions and resulting misery I experienced, especially in adolescence. I just hope they don't have to walk the same road I did.
Actually, even though the chapters regarding the toddler years were most relevant to me, for obvious reasons, I enjoyed the chapters on the teenage years as well. This was partly because of my miserable teenage years, and because of my niece Mackenzie, who is turning 15 next month.
I've already begun reading Baby Catcher, which is a wonderful journal-type book of a midwife. Now that I'm about to give birth to my third baby, I want to become a midwife-definitely a career I NEVER thought of when entering college. Will I ever become one? Not anytime soon that's for sure! I've just grown a sincere and enormous amount of respect for this profession, coupled with a sincere and enormous amount of love for the whole miracle of childbearing, and having some personal experience under my belt too! After Baby Catcher, or maybe even simultaneously, will be Mind Over Labor, as I am 36 weeks pregnant tomorrow and running out of time to read such things!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Can't Sleep
I just spent the last hour lying in bed looking around the dark bedroom. I decided to stop wasting time and get up and do something.
So here I am!
Tonight I finished Life, the Universe, and Everything in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I can't remember how many I've read now. That might be book #16. I have to look at my list.
Next, I think I'll try to finish Shepherding a Child's Heart and then send Keith to China with it. He says he can't read books on family and childrearing like I can, but I'd really like for him to read this one. He'll have plenty of time on the plane. When it comes to my kids, I just want to get it right. You know how two people can read the exact same thing and come away with two totally different interpretations? I'd like for him to read this one with me.
Tomorrow Josiah is 15 months old!
So here I am!
Tonight I finished Life, the Universe, and Everything in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I can't remember how many I've read now. That might be book #16. I have to look at my list.
Next, I think I'll try to finish Shepherding a Child's Heart and then send Keith to China with it. He says he can't read books on family and childrearing like I can, but I'd really like for him to read this one. He'll have plenty of time on the plane. When it comes to my kids, I just want to get it right. You know how two people can read the exact same thing and come away with two totally different interpretations? I'd like for him to read this one with me.
Tomorrow Josiah is 15 months old!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Where We've Been
Well, we've basically just spent the entire month of August being sick. That's all. One thing I guess I wasn't prepared for when having children is that when someone gets sick in the household, by the time in circulates through every member living in the household and re-infects the person it started with, initiating the cycle all over again, it's been about a full month.
Keith started it. He suffered with a bronchitis-like cough for three weeks. He refused to go to the doctor, which is just as well. Weeks after Keith got all better, I got it. Bad. After a week I decided to go to the doctor because I wasn't sure about doing Albuterol breathing treatments and taking Robitussin every four hours around the clock while pregnant. Doctor said the breathing treatments were ok, and he gave me zithromax. While the Albuterol always helped, the antibiotics did nothing. I suffered with it for a full two more weeks. In the meantime, the boys both got it. Isaac had these symptoms last year, and his pediatrician mentioned asthma, so I didn't waste any time giving him Albuterol and getting him to the doctor. Turns out, she didn't prescribe anything for him except more Albuterol, which is fine. Josiah got it too, and is still recovering two weeks later. However, at the same time, the boys both got colds, fevers, and diarrhea. The fevers and diarrhea lasted one solid week in the midst of all the runny noses and coughs. The colds they were kind enough to pass on to me and Keith, so all four of us had that to deal with on top of everything.
Finally, though, three full weeks after getting sick, I'm beginning to feel better! So is Isaac. Keith seems to be fine. Josiah is the only one still dealing with a really productive cough and a very runny nose.
Being sick has put my reading on hold. I'm still working on Life, the Universe, and Everything. I also bought Shepherding a Child's Heart and Bringing up Boys. I think I read the first two chapters of Shepherding a Child's Heart, but that's it.
Keith leaves for China soon. I'm already having bad dreams about it and wondering what in the world I'm going to do without him for two weeks.
Isaac and Josiah are as sweet, and as bad, as ever! They love doing puzzles. Josiah is learning new words all the time. I think his latest is "all done." Isaac "reads" certain books to himself, which is adorable. He is such a helper too. He loves to help me with everything. Both of the boys have been given the chore of putting their own dirty clothes in the hamper, which they both love. Josiah has also gotten the knack of throwing things in the garbage, whether they belong there or not. It's such a tremendous blessing and privilege to raise these kids.
I am 33 weeks along in my pregnancy. I am big and uncomfortable, but doing well. It feels like the baby is running out of room in there for sure. I can't wait to have it so I know if it's a boy or a girl. I think Keith and I finally settled on our name choices, but we aren't telling anyone. Also, last time I blogged I think we were working on Josiah's new room. Everything is all done and looks great. I wish we had hardwood floors everywhere. I think that's one of those things I'd have to go back to work to save up for. Not going to happen anytime soon. Now I think I'm going to wait and see if I have a boy or girl to do anything with the nursery because if it's a boy, I don't need to do anything. If it's a girl, I will have to do some painting, but only beneath the chairrail.
Keith started it. He suffered with a bronchitis-like cough for three weeks. He refused to go to the doctor, which is just as well. Weeks after Keith got all better, I got it. Bad. After a week I decided to go to the doctor because I wasn't sure about doing Albuterol breathing treatments and taking Robitussin every four hours around the clock while pregnant. Doctor said the breathing treatments were ok, and he gave me zithromax. While the Albuterol always helped, the antibiotics did nothing. I suffered with it for a full two more weeks. In the meantime, the boys both got it. Isaac had these symptoms last year, and his pediatrician mentioned asthma, so I didn't waste any time giving him Albuterol and getting him to the doctor. Turns out, she didn't prescribe anything for him except more Albuterol, which is fine. Josiah got it too, and is still recovering two weeks later. However, at the same time, the boys both got colds, fevers, and diarrhea. The fevers and diarrhea lasted one solid week in the midst of all the runny noses and coughs. The colds they were kind enough to pass on to me and Keith, so all four of us had that to deal with on top of everything.
Finally, though, three full weeks after getting sick, I'm beginning to feel better! So is Isaac. Keith seems to be fine. Josiah is the only one still dealing with a really productive cough and a very runny nose.
Being sick has put my reading on hold. I'm still working on Life, the Universe, and Everything. I also bought Shepherding a Child's Heart and Bringing up Boys. I think I read the first two chapters of Shepherding a Child's Heart, but that's it.
Keith leaves for China soon. I'm already having bad dreams about it and wondering what in the world I'm going to do without him for two weeks.
Isaac and Josiah are as sweet, and as bad, as ever! They love doing puzzles. Josiah is learning new words all the time. I think his latest is "all done." Isaac "reads" certain books to himself, which is adorable. He is such a helper too. He loves to help me with everything. Both of the boys have been given the chore of putting their own dirty clothes in the hamper, which they both love. Josiah has also gotten the knack of throwing things in the garbage, whether they belong there or not. It's such a tremendous blessing and privilege to raise these kids.
I am 33 weeks along in my pregnancy. I am big and uncomfortable, but doing well. It feels like the baby is running out of room in there for sure. I can't wait to have it so I know if it's a boy or a girl. I think Keith and I finally settled on our name choices, but we aren't telling anyone. Also, last time I blogged I think we were working on Josiah's new room. Everything is all done and looks great. I wish we had hardwood floors everywhere. I think that's one of those things I'd have to go back to work to save up for. Not going to happen anytime soon. Now I think I'm going to wait and see if I have a boy or girl to do anything with the nursery because if it's a boy, I don't need to do anything. If it's a girl, I will have to do some painting, but only beneath the chairrail.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Week So Far
Home improvements are moving right along! The spare bedroom (Josiah's new room) was painted Sunday, as I think I mentioned before. On Monday, I was pretty sore and tired in the morning. We stayed home all day and played outside a lot in the morning and afternoon. That evening I began painting the upstairs hallway and stairway as soon as Keith was done with his workout. I needed Keith's help cutting in the ceiling in the stairway as there's absolutely no way I could reach it, nor could I see how I could use a chair or ladder on the steps even if I weren't pregnant. He also helped me with the second coat just to make things go faster. I absolutely love the color I picked!
On Tuesday we had some trouble with our electricity going out during the day. Normally this wouldn't be that big of a deal, but I was making a roast in the crockpot. I had the roast all seared and the pan deglazed (sp?), etc., and then the power went out so I couldn't turn the crockpot on! It came back after about 45 min., but went back out again twice that day. I was able to cook the roast, and it turned out delicious. My laundry was held up a bit, had to restart the dishwasher, and since I'm great with child I don't do that well without air conditioning. But I made it! Tuesday evening we went to Lowe's right after dinner to buy all of the trim, baseboard, and hardwood flooring for the upstairs. We chose and engineered, lock & fold hardwood flooring over solid hardwood. I greatly preferred the solid hardwood, but Keith was unwilling to do the extra work of having to nail it down, nor was he willing to pay the extra fifty cents per sq ft. It is the upstairs we're talking about, so it's part of the house that really he and I only see. When we do hardwood floors on the first floor, I will insist on solid hardwood, 'cause that's just the way I am.
On Wednesday I had my 30-week prenatal appointment with my midwife. My good friend Sarah so graciously watched Isaac and Josiah for me, as my parents were not home. All went well. When she checked the baby's heartbeat it had hiccups! I never heard that before! It was kind of cute. After picking up the boys, we stopped at Wendy's drive-thru for lunch (something I NEVER do, but it was tasty), ate lunch at home, and then it was naptime. When Keith came home he immediately began installing the hardwood flooring upstairs, and I was on my own with the boys all night. We had dinner, cleaned up, took a very long walk, and then I put both of them to bed. I was very exhausted by then, so even though I told Keith I would start painting the trim last night, I didn't. He did finish installing the floors though, and it looks great!
This morning we dropped Maggie off at the groomer's for a bath and a manicure. The farm is right next door to the groomer, so we stopped for some peaches, zucchini, and onions. From there we went to the post-office, and then to my parents' to pick tomatoes out of her garden. There weren't as many tomatoes as I thought there would be though. I got a few. I did get about 5 good-looking green peppers, so I may make quinoa-stuffed green peppers soon. I've never had much luck with regular ground beef stuffed green peppers. The quinoa stuffed ones I made a while ago turned out great so I think I'll try those again. We do have an excellent hot sausage stuffed banana pepper recipe. Hmmm...maybe I'll do a stuffed pepper blog soon.
The boys are napping now. I did begin painting the trim as soon as I laid them down. I only got 5 pieces done because that's all I can reasonably fit on the saw horses. I'm going to go check if they need a second coat, or if I can take them off and paint 5 more before Keith gets home.
Gotta love home improvements!
I haven't started any new books yet. I haven't made it to the bookstore or the library, so I'm likely going to just start the next book in the Hitchhiker's Guide.
On Tuesday we had some trouble with our electricity going out during the day. Normally this wouldn't be that big of a deal, but I was making a roast in the crockpot. I had the roast all seared and the pan deglazed (sp?), etc., and then the power went out so I couldn't turn the crockpot on! It came back after about 45 min., but went back out again twice that day. I was able to cook the roast, and it turned out delicious. My laundry was held up a bit, had to restart the dishwasher, and since I'm great with child I don't do that well without air conditioning. But I made it! Tuesday evening we went to Lowe's right after dinner to buy all of the trim, baseboard, and hardwood flooring for the upstairs. We chose and engineered, lock & fold hardwood flooring over solid hardwood. I greatly preferred the solid hardwood, but Keith was unwilling to do the extra work of having to nail it down, nor was he willing to pay the extra fifty cents per sq ft. It is the upstairs we're talking about, so it's part of the house that really he and I only see. When we do hardwood floors on the first floor, I will insist on solid hardwood, 'cause that's just the way I am.
On Wednesday I had my 30-week prenatal appointment with my midwife. My good friend Sarah so graciously watched Isaac and Josiah for me, as my parents were not home. All went well. When she checked the baby's heartbeat it had hiccups! I never heard that before! It was kind of cute. After picking up the boys, we stopped at Wendy's drive-thru for lunch (something I NEVER do, but it was tasty), ate lunch at home, and then it was naptime. When Keith came home he immediately began installing the hardwood flooring upstairs, and I was on my own with the boys all night. We had dinner, cleaned up, took a very long walk, and then I put both of them to bed. I was very exhausted by then, so even though I told Keith I would start painting the trim last night, I didn't. He did finish installing the floors though, and it looks great!
This morning we dropped Maggie off at the groomer's for a bath and a manicure. The farm is right next door to the groomer, so we stopped for some peaches, zucchini, and onions. From there we went to the post-office, and then to my parents' to pick tomatoes out of her garden. There weren't as many tomatoes as I thought there would be though. I got a few. I did get about 5 good-looking green peppers, so I may make quinoa-stuffed green peppers soon. I've never had much luck with regular ground beef stuffed green peppers. The quinoa stuffed ones I made a while ago turned out great so I think I'll try those again. We do have an excellent hot sausage stuffed banana pepper recipe. Hmmm...maybe I'll do a stuffed pepper blog soon.
The boys are napping now. I did begin painting the trim as soon as I laid them down. I only got 5 pieces done because that's all I can reasonably fit on the saw horses. I'm going to go check if they need a second coat, or if I can take them off and paint 5 more before Keith gets home.
Gotta love home improvements!
I haven't started any new books yet. I haven't made it to the bookstore or the library, so I'm likely going to just start the next book in the Hitchhiker's Guide.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Book #15 and The Baking Day
Just finished book no. 2 in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, entitled The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. There were a few parts in this book that had me almost rolling on the floor in laughter. I'm looking forward to finishing the remaining books in the Guide, but I'm going to put a non-fiction in between each of them. The problem is, I have to go buy one! Or get one from the library. I'm interested in reading either Shepharding a Child's Heart or Bringing Up Boys next. I did go to Borders over the weekend, but I bought The Reader, which I'd planned on reading at a later time. Shouldn't be too much trouble to go to the library tomorrow.
Last Thursday, the day we had our friends over for dinner for Omaha steaks, I had a baking day. After my zucchini blog, I was inspired to try that chocolate chip orange zucchini bread recipe again. I have to say, after baking it this time, that I think the chocolate chips are totally out of place in this recipe. I also made an orange glaze to drizzle over top of the loaves, but I made too much of it and it made the loaves way too sweet. I was not impressed. I also made chocolate chip banana bread (always a crowd-pleaser), and homemade brownies, not from a boxed mix. They were great! By the way...Omaha steaks...totally overrated!
Remodeling has begun on the spare bedroom, which will be Josiah's new room. Keith also decided to do the hallway upstairs as well. Keith ripped out all of the baseboard and trim, closet doors, etc. He puttied (sp?) all of the holes, built bulkheads to install new, shorter closet doors in both the spareroom and the closet, and tore up all of the carpeting and padding in the hallway right down to the plywood. I have to say, I already think the plywood is an improvement over the carpeting that was there.
Yesterday I spent the majority of the day after church painting the spare bedroom. I chose a light tan/beige color called Lynhurst Gallery Beige. I admit, it's a bit darker than I would have liked for a toddler's room, but once it all dried it really looked great. For the hallway, which I am painting this evening, I chose Lynhurst Timber, which is darker than the color in Josiah's new room.
Tomorrow we will head on out to Home Depot for hardwood flooring, trim, and closet doors. The trim and closet doors will be painted an ultra-white semi-gloss. I'm excited to pick out the hardwood flooring, but discouraged at how expensive it is! We're also toying around with the idea of installing hardwood on the steps, with a carpet runner down the middle. I hesitate only because we have such small children who are or will be just learning to go down steps. Isaac has already taken one spill down the steps, top to bottom, and while he didn't get hurt, it was still upsetting. I can't imagine how bad it would be falling down hardwood steps. But can we install a carpet runner ourselves? Or do we have to pay a professional? Bottom line is, in the end, it will look ridiculous to have a nice, freshly painted hallway and stairwell, nice new hardwood floors in the hallway, and the old crappy carpet running down the steps. We shall see. We shall see.
Last Thursday, the day we had our friends over for dinner for Omaha steaks, I had a baking day. After my zucchini blog, I was inspired to try that chocolate chip orange zucchini bread recipe again. I have to say, after baking it this time, that I think the chocolate chips are totally out of place in this recipe. I also made an orange glaze to drizzle over top of the loaves, but I made too much of it and it made the loaves way too sweet. I was not impressed. I also made chocolate chip banana bread (always a crowd-pleaser), and homemade brownies, not from a boxed mix. They were great! By the way...Omaha steaks...totally overrated!
Remodeling has begun on the spare bedroom, which will be Josiah's new room. Keith also decided to do the hallway upstairs as well. Keith ripped out all of the baseboard and trim, closet doors, etc. He puttied (sp?) all of the holes, built bulkheads to install new, shorter closet doors in both the spareroom and the closet, and tore up all of the carpeting and padding in the hallway right down to the plywood. I have to say, I already think the plywood is an improvement over the carpeting that was there.
Yesterday I spent the majority of the day after church painting the spare bedroom. I chose a light tan/beige color called Lynhurst Gallery Beige. I admit, it's a bit darker than I would have liked for a toddler's room, but once it all dried it really looked great. For the hallway, which I am painting this evening, I chose Lynhurst Timber, which is darker than the color in Josiah's new room.
Tomorrow we will head on out to Home Depot for hardwood flooring, trim, and closet doors. The trim and closet doors will be painted an ultra-white semi-gloss. I'm excited to pick out the hardwood flooring, but discouraged at how expensive it is! We're also toying around with the idea of installing hardwood on the steps, with a carpet runner down the middle. I hesitate only because we have such small children who are or will be just learning to go down steps. Isaac has already taken one spill down the steps, top to bottom, and while he didn't get hurt, it was still upsetting. I can't imagine how bad it would be falling down hardwood steps. But can we install a carpet runner ourselves? Or do we have to pay a professional? Bottom line is, in the end, it will look ridiculous to have a nice, freshly painted hallway and stairwell, nice new hardwood floors in the hallway, and the old crappy carpet running down the steps. We shall see. We shall see.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Random Things
Everytime I see a mascara commercial on television it makes me want to scream, "CAN WE PLEASE BAN FALSE EYELASHES FROM MASCARA COMMERCIALS?!" I mean, come on! Could they possibly be any more blatantly misleading?
Now that I've got that out of my system, let's move on to potty training. I have officially washed my hands of potty training. I'm pullin' out. Isaac, in the phase traditionally referred to as "the terrible two's," threw tantrums almost everytime over just going pee on the potty. I decided to stop taking him to the potty and let him lead the way, but he was happy to just pee his underpants. Furthermore, he would hold his #2 for so long that when he did finally have to let it out (which would not happen until nap time or bed time, when he had a diaper on) it would hurt so bad that he would scream an ear-piercing, high-pitched scream at the top of his lungs. I mean, it would make your blood run cold. The climax was about a week ago when he was up in the middle of the night every 2 hours trying to hold it in, screaming at the top of his lungs.
If you read anything on potty training, they always list signs of developmental/physical readiness, and then they discuss volitional readiness, in other words, the child's will. Isaac most assuredly displays all signs of developmental and physical readiness. He just doesn't want to do it. So, we're back to diapers. I still ask him if he wants to sit on the potty before baths, and he always does, which is good. Other than that, I am taking a strict potty training hiatus for, well, I don't know how long. We'll see.
One thing to remember when kids are so little is that there is a wide range of what's normal for the different ages and stages. For instance, it's normal for a baby to walk at 9 months, but it's also completely normal for them to not walk until 15 months. Likewise, it's perfectly normal for a toddler to potty train at 2 years, as well as it is normal for them not to potty train until 3 years. Isaac got off to an early start, but it proved to be too much stress for him. Maybe our hiatus will only last another week or two, maybe it'll last until his 3rd birthday in January. One thing I'm sure of is that he must take the reigns from here on out. No more nagging on my part.
Ahh, now that I've got that out, what else can I move on to? How about our day thus far?
My day sort of began around 6:30am, when I think I heard Josiah starting to wake up. I tried to convince myself it wasn't happening, without success. At 6:45 I got up, made my bed, took my shower and got myself ready for the day. Then I proceeded into Josiah's room. It was a dark, rainy morning, so I was pretty disappointed he didn't sleep later, but oh well. We had places to go anyway.
After changing Josiah's diaper we went downstairs and started getting breakfast ready. I turned on the weather channel to see what the forecast was for the day (rain all day), and then did something I don't normally do. I turned on Fox News. Normally the TV stays off all day, but I just felt like having it on for a change. I caught Dave Ramsey, who I used to love to listen to on the radio, answering some financial questions. Next was Tucker Carlson talking about the ridiculous politically correct standards textbooks are being held to these days to completely eliminate gender altogether. For example, instead of saying "congressman" they have to say "member of Congress," instead of "chairman/chairwoman" it's "chair," instead of "caveman" it's "cave dweller." Now, I've always said my decision to homeschool has little to do with any opposition to the public school system. After all, Keith and I both went to public schools our whole lives and turned out fine, for the most part! :-D It's more like a calling that I feel I have, and an ideal learning situation I'd like to give my children. However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disgusted by the lunatics that call the shots and this kind of absurdity that's happening in public schools today.
So anyway, while preparing breakfast, Isaac woke up screaming, which never happens so I was alarmed. We (Josiah & I) went straight upstairs. Not sure what Isaac was so upset about, but he wanted to cuddle with me right away. Perhaps it was a bad dream. Another diaper change (this one for Isaac) and we were officially downstairs having breakfast.
I would like to ask, does anyone have any unique breakfast ideas? I feel like the boys might be bored with Kix or Wheat Chex, toast or English muffin with jam, fruit, and milk every morning. The problem is Isaac is allergic to peanut butter, oats, eggs, and sesame, which leave a lot out. He also isn't wild about bacon or sausage. He does like pancakes and waffles of course. Josiah pretty much eats whatever you put in front of him. I think Isaac is going through a phase, most likely a terrible two's thing, because he used to eat everything in sight too. Anyway, I bought them some Eggo blueberry waffles to shake things up a bit. Just wondering if anyone else had any good ideas out there.
Our mornings are pretty military-like as far as the routine goes. After breakfast I clean up and do dishes while the boys play. Then it's upstairs to brush teeth and get dressed. Normally I would lay Josiah down for his morning nap after this, but I've decided to experiment with taking away his morning nap to see if he'll sleep later in the morning if he gets less sleep during the day. (Did that make sense to anyone?) We had a little bit of shopping to do nevertheless. I put all of the laundry away, and then we were back downstairs, getting ready to go out the door.
Our first stop was a nearby farm for some fresh eggs and peaches, and whatever else they had. Turns out, they didn't have any eggs (big bummer) so we just bought peaches, zucchini, garlic, and yellow beans. Next stop, Community Market. We're having our friends Jess & Phil & their daughter Jenna over for dinner tomorrow-Omaha Steaks' filet mignons and burgers, the promotional gift from Roomful Express when we bought our new kitchen and dining room furniture. Phil's birthday was Sunday so I thought I'd make some homemade baked good to celebrate. I decided on homemade brownies, which I've never made before, and I had to go to the store for a few things. I'll let ya know how they turn out!
I dropped the groceries off at home, put Maggie in the van, and headed for my parents' house for a visit, which is where I'm blogging from right now. It's a rainy day, so we've played inside for the most part. Isaac is getting really good at doing puzzles, and he did about 3 of them after lunch. Josiah's good at puzzles too, but he preferred to watch Sesame Street instead.
That's our day so far.
Now that I've got that out of my system, let's move on to potty training. I have officially washed my hands of potty training. I'm pullin' out. Isaac, in the phase traditionally referred to as "the terrible two's," threw tantrums almost everytime over just going pee on the potty. I decided to stop taking him to the potty and let him lead the way, but he was happy to just pee his underpants. Furthermore, he would hold his #2 for so long that when he did finally have to let it out (which would not happen until nap time or bed time, when he had a diaper on) it would hurt so bad that he would scream an ear-piercing, high-pitched scream at the top of his lungs. I mean, it would make your blood run cold. The climax was about a week ago when he was up in the middle of the night every 2 hours trying to hold it in, screaming at the top of his lungs.
If you read anything on potty training, they always list signs of developmental/physical readiness, and then they discuss volitional readiness, in other words, the child's will. Isaac most assuredly displays all signs of developmental and physical readiness. He just doesn't want to do it. So, we're back to diapers. I still ask him if he wants to sit on the potty before baths, and he always does, which is good. Other than that, I am taking a strict potty training hiatus for, well, I don't know how long. We'll see.
One thing to remember when kids are so little is that there is a wide range of what's normal for the different ages and stages. For instance, it's normal for a baby to walk at 9 months, but it's also completely normal for them to not walk until 15 months. Likewise, it's perfectly normal for a toddler to potty train at 2 years, as well as it is normal for them not to potty train until 3 years. Isaac got off to an early start, but it proved to be too much stress for him. Maybe our hiatus will only last another week or two, maybe it'll last until his 3rd birthday in January. One thing I'm sure of is that he must take the reigns from here on out. No more nagging on my part.
Ahh, now that I've got that out, what else can I move on to? How about our day thus far?
My day sort of began around 6:30am, when I think I heard Josiah starting to wake up. I tried to convince myself it wasn't happening, without success. At 6:45 I got up, made my bed, took my shower and got myself ready for the day. Then I proceeded into Josiah's room. It was a dark, rainy morning, so I was pretty disappointed he didn't sleep later, but oh well. We had places to go anyway.
After changing Josiah's diaper we went downstairs and started getting breakfast ready. I turned on the weather channel to see what the forecast was for the day (rain all day), and then did something I don't normally do. I turned on Fox News. Normally the TV stays off all day, but I just felt like having it on for a change. I caught Dave Ramsey, who I used to love to listen to on the radio, answering some financial questions. Next was Tucker Carlson talking about the ridiculous politically correct standards textbooks are being held to these days to completely eliminate gender altogether. For example, instead of saying "congressman" they have to say "member of Congress," instead of "chairman/chairwoman" it's "chair," instead of "caveman" it's "cave dweller." Now, I've always said my decision to homeschool has little to do with any opposition to the public school system. After all, Keith and I both went to public schools our whole lives and turned out fine, for the most part! :-D It's more like a calling that I feel I have, and an ideal learning situation I'd like to give my children. However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disgusted by the lunatics that call the shots and this kind of absurdity that's happening in public schools today.
So anyway, while preparing breakfast, Isaac woke up screaming, which never happens so I was alarmed. We (Josiah & I) went straight upstairs. Not sure what Isaac was so upset about, but he wanted to cuddle with me right away. Perhaps it was a bad dream. Another diaper change (this one for Isaac) and we were officially downstairs having breakfast.
I would like to ask, does anyone have any unique breakfast ideas? I feel like the boys might be bored with Kix or Wheat Chex, toast or English muffin with jam, fruit, and milk every morning. The problem is Isaac is allergic to peanut butter, oats, eggs, and sesame, which leave a lot out. He also isn't wild about bacon or sausage. He does like pancakes and waffles of course. Josiah pretty much eats whatever you put in front of him. I think Isaac is going through a phase, most likely a terrible two's thing, because he used to eat everything in sight too. Anyway, I bought them some Eggo blueberry waffles to shake things up a bit. Just wondering if anyone else had any good ideas out there.
Our mornings are pretty military-like as far as the routine goes. After breakfast I clean up and do dishes while the boys play. Then it's upstairs to brush teeth and get dressed. Normally I would lay Josiah down for his morning nap after this, but I've decided to experiment with taking away his morning nap to see if he'll sleep later in the morning if he gets less sleep during the day. (Did that make sense to anyone?) We had a little bit of shopping to do nevertheless. I put all of the laundry away, and then we were back downstairs, getting ready to go out the door.
Our first stop was a nearby farm for some fresh eggs and peaches, and whatever else they had. Turns out, they didn't have any eggs (big bummer) so we just bought peaches, zucchini, garlic, and yellow beans. Next stop, Community Market. We're having our friends Jess & Phil & their daughter Jenna over for dinner tomorrow-Omaha Steaks' filet mignons and burgers, the promotional gift from Roomful Express when we bought our new kitchen and dining room furniture. Phil's birthday was Sunday so I thought I'd make some homemade baked good to celebrate. I decided on homemade brownies, which I've never made before, and I had to go to the store for a few things. I'll let ya know how they turn out!
I dropped the groceries off at home, put Maggie in the van, and headed for my parents' house for a visit, which is where I'm blogging from right now. It's a rainy day, so we've played inside for the most part. Isaac is getting really good at doing puzzles, and he did about 3 of them after lunch. Josiah's good at puzzles too, but he preferred to watch Sesame Street instead.
That's our day so far.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Zucchinis and Things
A short time ago, my friend Sarah commented in her blog about a large zucchini she'd harvested from her garden, wondering what she was going to do with it. My mind went back just a couple of years, when Isaac was still a baby, when I had what I called a Victory Garden! I called it this not really knowing what I was talking about. Victory Garden is a show on PBS, and according to my mother the term refers to gardens that people planted after World War II, which makes sense. I called it a Victory Garden because it thrived! I had collard greens, roma and grape tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, and zucchini. That summer, we made two batches of salsa, had homemade bruschetta more than once, never ran out of food for Buddy-girl (the iguana), and had zucchinis coming out of our ears! I actually took some of the produce into work to give away, in addition to giving away a zucchini or two to my friend Dana and our next door neighbor.
Needless to say, I had to find things to make with our many zucchinis. My favorite thing to with zucchini is to grill it with chunks of onion and orange bell pepper (orange bell peppers can get expensive, green peppers work just as well they just don't lend as much color to the final presentation). This became a frequent side dish. I would quarter the zucchini and slice the onion and pepper into 1-2"cubes, mix the together with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl, then place the mixture onto 1-2 large sheets of aluminum foil, seal them up (sometimes I had to wrap another piece of aluminum foil around them). Keith would then place them on the top rack of the grill. They only took about 10-15min. to cook. I like my cooked vegetables to be very tender, not crunchy. This method of preparation would work beautiful with yellow squash and eggplant as well.
Man cannot live on grilled zucchini alone, however. Another favorite thing to do with zucchini is to mix it into pasta, like a baked ziti with roasted vegetables mixed in. Following is a recipe I got from watching Giada on Everyday Italian on the Foot Network. Don't be afraid to simplify this recipe, and cheapen it. Some of the ingredients can be expensive. I have made this recipe using simple Giant Eagle brand shredded Italian cheese, and leaving out the red peppers and summer squash, and it still turned out great. I've also made it with my own homemade sauce and with Prego. However, the original recipe is a hit!
Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
2 red peppers, cored & cut into 1" wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise & cut into 1" cubes
2 summer squash, quarter lengthwise & cut into 1" cubes
4 cremini mushrooms (or baby bella), halved
1 yellow onion, peeled & sliced into 1" strips
1/4c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 t. salt, divided
1t. freshly ground black pepper, divided
1T. dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence (I don't even know what hers de Provence is, I just use Italian seasoning)
1lb. penne pasta (whole grain works as well as the white)
3c. marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1c. grated fontina cheese (a Danish cheese to be found in the yuppy "cheese from around the world" section of the grocery store)
1/2c. grated smoked mozzarella (see note after fontina cheese)
1 1/2c. frozen peas, thawed
1/4c. grated Parmesan, plus 1/3c. for topping (fresh is always better, but Kraft will do)
2T. butter, cut into small pieces
1.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2.) On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2t. salt, 1/2t. pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15min.
3.) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta & cook for about 6 min. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
4.) In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2t. salt, & 1/2t. pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce & the ingredients are combined.
5.) Pour the pasta in a greased 9x13" pan. top with the remaining 1/3c. Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden & cheese melts, about 25 min.
Again, while watching the Food Network, I found yet another zucchini recipe. This one is different, and interesting. You'll have to try it for yourself and see. All I recommend is do not use marinated artichoke hearts. They really change the taste of the filling. Also, you may need to pre-cook the zucchini boats before you fill them, depending on their size, to get them nice and tender. Again, I prefer very tender, not crunchy, cooked vegetables.
Turkey-Stuffed Zucchini Boats
2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1lb. cooked lean ground turkey
1/3c. fat-free sour cream (you could use regular, I just chose the fat-free)
1/2c. coarsely chopped artichoke hearts in water or oil, but not the marinated kind
1/4c. plus 2T. grated Parmesan, divided
1t. dried oregano
1/2t. salt
1/4t. ground black pepper
2T. seasoned dry bread crumbs
Orzo Pesto (my favorite part!), recipe follows.
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop seeds from center of each zucchini half, making 4 long canoe-like boats. Set aside.
3.) In a medium bowl, combine cooked ground turkey, sour cream, artichoke hearts, 1/4c. Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, & black pepper. Mix gently to combine. Spoon mixture into zucchini boats. Sprinkle bread crumbs & remaining Parmesan over filling in boats.
4.) Bake zucchini boats 10-12 min., until top is golden brown and filling is heated through. Serve with Orzo Pesto.
Orzo Pesto
8oz. orzo pasta (dry, uncooked, by weight)
jar of prepared basil pesto
Cook and drain orzo according to package directions. Toss with desired amount of pesto and serve.
The final recipes I made with my zucchinis that summer were zucchini breads. I'm not going to post any recipes, though, because I find zucchini bread recipes to be a dime-a-dozen. I have a "normal" Paula Deen zucchini bread recipe in my recipe box that calls for 1t. lemon juice. However, I didn't have lemon juice when I made it so I experimented with 1t. anise extract instead, which turned out delicious. I also have a chocolate chip orange zucchini bread recipe I liked. One thing I personally did not care for in some of the other recipes I experimented with were raisins in my zucchini bread. I love raisins alone, but I'm not wild about them in baked goods. Just a personal preference of mine.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed my zucchini monologue. I did try a garden again last summer, but since Josiah was born in the beginning of summer, I never had much time to tend it, and it didn't work out. My zucchini never even sprouted. I did get onions and peppers (green and jalapeno), but very few tomatoes. The garden became overrun with weeds, particularly one weed, technically a tuber, known as nut grass. There is no getting rid of nut grass. So Keith planted grass in my garden area this summer, and it took beautifully. Next summer the plan is for Keith to rent a sod-cutter at Home Depot and cut out another garden box in a different location in the yard. I love gardening, and I would love my children to get involved in it and excited about it like I do.
Needless to say, I had to find things to make with our many zucchinis. My favorite thing to with zucchini is to grill it with chunks of onion and orange bell pepper (orange bell peppers can get expensive, green peppers work just as well they just don't lend as much color to the final presentation). This became a frequent side dish. I would quarter the zucchini and slice the onion and pepper into 1-2"cubes, mix the together with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl, then place the mixture onto 1-2 large sheets of aluminum foil, seal them up (sometimes I had to wrap another piece of aluminum foil around them). Keith would then place them on the top rack of the grill. They only took about 10-15min. to cook. I like my cooked vegetables to be very tender, not crunchy. This method of preparation would work beautiful with yellow squash and eggplant as well.
Man cannot live on grilled zucchini alone, however. Another favorite thing to do with zucchini is to mix it into pasta, like a baked ziti with roasted vegetables mixed in. Following is a recipe I got from watching Giada on Everyday Italian on the Foot Network. Don't be afraid to simplify this recipe, and cheapen it. Some of the ingredients can be expensive. I have made this recipe using simple Giant Eagle brand shredded Italian cheese, and leaving out the red peppers and summer squash, and it still turned out great. I've also made it with my own homemade sauce and with Prego. However, the original recipe is a hit!
Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
2 red peppers, cored & cut into 1" wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise & cut into 1" cubes
2 summer squash, quarter lengthwise & cut into 1" cubes
4 cremini mushrooms (or baby bella), halved
1 yellow onion, peeled & sliced into 1" strips
1/4c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 t. salt, divided
1t. freshly ground black pepper, divided
1T. dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence (I don't even know what hers de Provence is, I just use Italian seasoning)
1lb. penne pasta (whole grain works as well as the white)
3c. marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1c. grated fontina cheese (a Danish cheese to be found in the yuppy "cheese from around the world" section of the grocery store)
1/2c. grated smoked mozzarella (see note after fontina cheese)
1 1/2c. frozen peas, thawed
1/4c. grated Parmesan, plus 1/3c. for topping (fresh is always better, but Kraft will do)
2T. butter, cut into small pieces
1.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2.) On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2t. salt, 1/2t. pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15min.
3.) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta & cook for about 6 min. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
4.) In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2t. salt, & 1/2t. pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce & the ingredients are combined.
5.) Pour the pasta in a greased 9x13" pan. top with the remaining 1/3c. Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden & cheese melts, about 25 min.
Again, while watching the Food Network, I found yet another zucchini recipe. This one is different, and interesting. You'll have to try it for yourself and see. All I recommend is do not use marinated artichoke hearts. They really change the taste of the filling. Also, you may need to pre-cook the zucchini boats before you fill them, depending on their size, to get them nice and tender. Again, I prefer very tender, not crunchy, cooked vegetables.
Turkey-Stuffed Zucchini Boats
2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1lb. cooked lean ground turkey
1/3c. fat-free sour cream (you could use regular, I just chose the fat-free)
1/2c. coarsely chopped artichoke hearts in water or oil, but not the marinated kind
1/4c. plus 2T. grated Parmesan, divided
1t. dried oregano
1/2t. salt
1/4t. ground black pepper
2T. seasoned dry bread crumbs
Orzo Pesto (my favorite part!), recipe follows.
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop seeds from center of each zucchini half, making 4 long canoe-like boats. Set aside.
3.) In a medium bowl, combine cooked ground turkey, sour cream, artichoke hearts, 1/4c. Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, & black pepper. Mix gently to combine. Spoon mixture into zucchini boats. Sprinkle bread crumbs & remaining Parmesan over filling in boats.
4.) Bake zucchini boats 10-12 min., until top is golden brown and filling is heated through. Serve with Orzo Pesto.
Orzo Pesto
8oz. orzo pasta (dry, uncooked, by weight)
jar of prepared basil pesto
Cook and drain orzo according to package directions. Toss with desired amount of pesto and serve.
The final recipes I made with my zucchinis that summer were zucchini breads. I'm not going to post any recipes, though, because I find zucchini bread recipes to be a dime-a-dozen. I have a "normal" Paula Deen zucchini bread recipe in my recipe box that calls for 1t. lemon juice. However, I didn't have lemon juice when I made it so I experimented with 1t. anise extract instead, which turned out delicious. I also have a chocolate chip orange zucchini bread recipe I liked. One thing I personally did not care for in some of the other recipes I experimented with were raisins in my zucchini bread. I love raisins alone, but I'm not wild about them in baked goods. Just a personal preference of mine.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed my zucchini monologue. I did try a garden again last summer, but since Josiah was born in the beginning of summer, I never had much time to tend it, and it didn't work out. My zucchini never even sprouted. I did get onions and peppers (green and jalapeno), but very few tomatoes. The garden became overrun with weeds, particularly one weed, technically a tuber, known as nut grass. There is no getting rid of nut grass. So Keith planted grass in my garden area this summer, and it took beautifully. Next summer the plan is for Keith to rent a sod-cutter at Home Depot and cut out another garden box in a different location in the yard. I love gardening, and I would love my children to get involved in it and excited about it like I do.
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