Well, it had to happen. I am the easy one. The Pushover. N has already set the boundaries for K and I have been just riding along on her coat tails hoping K isn't going to notice the difference. I am kinda clueless sometimes but I saw her challenging me right away tonight. She doesn't do that as blatantly with N because they already have the rules set. K wouldn't listen to me tonight so I gave her a chance by offering to take away the reward that we give her for being a good listener. I guess she didn't believe me so I took it away. then she immediately tried negotiating to get it back. I held my ground and brought her back to the teeth brushing I had originally wanted her to do. She still refused, now with nothing to lose. I then offered to allow her to keep her books for the evening. I guess she didn't believe me. We always read two books before bed and she loves it. I took one away. Still no compliance. I took the other away. No compliance. Now defiance. Really nothing to lose. What now? I took charge and brushed her teeth against her will. She has a pretty strong will. Then she wants her books back. Here is where I always fail. I always try to find her a way to earn them back. Not tonight. I held my ground, and I think she respected me for it. We made up and cuddled before bed. I explained that we could try again tomorrow, but no books tonight because she wasn't a good listener. She didn't even ask to be read to when I put her down. wahoo.
hopefully, that will help a bit. Probably not, but I have to measure in small increments sometimes.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Questions for the day
Is Tax Rebate an oximoron?
Are the terrible two's just a way to bring us back to reality so that we don't embarass ourselves by thinking that our kids are perfect?
Are the teenage years just a way to make us want to get them the H#$% out of the house and onto their own?
Does everyone love their kids as much as I do?
I mean as much as I love mine, not theirs. :)
Are the terrible two's just a way to bring us back to reality so that we don't embarass ourselves by thinking that our kids are perfect?
Are the teenage years just a way to make us want to get them the H#$% out of the house and onto their own?
Does everyone love their kids as much as I do?
I mean as much as I love mine, not theirs. :)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Big Words and Big Beds
it's funny how things sort of happen in bunches sometimes. We got K a big girl bed. She is so big, she dwarfs the crib that we thought she would never grow into. N works most Tuesday nights, so I took Jack to K's room, put him in his chair, and set about assembling the bed with K's help. She wants to help with everything, and she is actually a good little helper. We finished it and put on the sheets and quilt and were very proud of our accomplishment. K took a potty break and I started taking apart the crib so I could get it out the door and into the garage. Just as I was getting in the groove, J starts saying Da da da da da da da da. music to this Da da's ears. I hadn't heard him say that before, though I have been teaching him to say it for some time. In fairness, I have been trying to get him to say Ma ma too. Funny how the milestones seem to come in clusters. It sounds very nice to hear him say it even though he isn't associating it with me yet.
the building went late so K was quite tired and we had some meltdowns along the way. I am too much of a pushover, so I struggle a bit more than N in this area. We managed to get it together enough to go to bed. Laying there in her big girl bed, she looked so little. Just like when she first went into the crib. My little angel. suddenly, the meltdowns didn't matter.
the building went late so K was quite tired and we had some meltdowns along the way. I am too much of a pushover, so I struggle a bit more than N in this area. We managed to get it together enough to go to bed. Laying there in her big girl bed, she looked so little. Just like when she first went into the crib. My little angel. suddenly, the meltdowns didn't matter.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Baby Food
OK, I know you have all been wondering about baby food and what recipes I might have. I haven't been ignoring you and I haven't forgotten. I just sometimes take a little time to reflect and figure out exactly what it is that I am doing. baby food is just a more bland version of what we eat. of course there are more restrictions imposed by our babies digestive systems and by their pediatricians. So, do check with your pediatrician on what your baby can and can't handle at different times. Other than that I simply go to the market and look for everything I can find. Don't let your tastes and fears limit what you can make. Yes, most babies will learn to like a lot of things that you don't. Turnips, Rutabaga, beets, spinach, Broccoli. Pears, Peaches, apples. Potatoes, Sw. Potatoes, rice. beef, chicken, lamb, pork. you name it, if it's fresh I will make it. I steam most anything. it allows the maximum amount of nutrition to remain. Blend it up in a food processor or blender and either add water to get the right consistency or add some rice cereal to thicken it up. then I freeze it in ice cube trays and transfer it to freezer bags. this way I can have a lot of food in the freezer and pull it out in nice serving size pieces. this will come in handy later too when you are blending things. At first, you know, they recommend you give the little one only one food at a time to make sure they are not allergic. This is the boring part. Once they have some things they can eat I will start blending foods. oatmeal cereal with fruit is good in the morning. Think of it the way you eat. if you like pot roast, thaw a beef cube and a potato and a carrot. mix and go. California chicken? thaw a chicken cube and mash some avocado.(i don't freeze these, unless you like your avocado brown). how about pork and beans. Yep, you can make the little tike beans the same way. boil them though instead of steaming unless you have all day. I even made K some lentils. what about pork with applesauce and sweet potatoes. when they get a bit older you can start doing things like grilling meat for the yummy flavor and blending it up. how about chicken Florentine? chicken cube, spinach cube and some rice. by the time K was ready to eat from our meals she would try just about anything. she even ate my gumbo once and loved it. spice and all. She loves seafood and we try it all the time. She is getting a bit more picky as we go but will still try most things. I like to think she just developed diverse tastes along the way, but I think I was mostly just lucky to have a kid who didn't protest too much. I hope I have the same luck with J. so far He seems to eat everything we put in front of him. I am starting to blend a bit now. Sorry I don't have a lot of specific recipes but I like to keep the options open so I can use the same foods for different meals. good luck and don't be afraid to experiment. also, don't hesitate to call me so we can brainstorm ideas.
OK, I will slow it down a bit. if you understand any of that then you can go for it. if not, I will try to start at the beginning.
I like to freeze my baby food in small portions, so I can pull it out a meal at a time. To do this I freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer them to a freezer bag. It will last about a month this way. basically, I pick a food. Let's say Sweet potatoes. I will peel them and then cube them into about 2-3 inch pieces. then I put them into a steamer basket. If you don't have a steamer set up then just use a pasta pot and a colander. put an inch or two of water in the pot and start boiling it. put the colander over it and you are steaming. I put a lid on mine and wait until the veggies are tender. When they are tender I will transfer them to my food processor. if you don't have one you can use your blender. I then puree the veggies. if they are pretty thick I will add a little water to thin them to the right consistency. If they are too thin, like spinach will be, then I will add a little rice cereal to thicken them up a bit. This works with meat too and fruit. just start cooking things. you can grill food too or bake it. anything that would cook it and add some flavor. Once I build up my inventory then I can start putting things together. It is just a matter of finding the things that taste good together. Think of things you see on restaurant menus. I have some suggestions above but really just start playing around and feeding that wonderful baby. They will let you know if the combo doesn't work. I would love to hear from you guys with some suggestions comments or questions. let me know how it is going.
OK, I will slow it down a bit. if you understand any of that then you can go for it. if not, I will try to start at the beginning.
I like to freeze my baby food in small portions, so I can pull it out a meal at a time. To do this I freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer them to a freezer bag. It will last about a month this way. basically, I pick a food. Let's say Sweet potatoes. I will peel them and then cube them into about 2-3 inch pieces. then I put them into a steamer basket. If you don't have a steamer set up then just use a pasta pot and a colander. put an inch or two of water in the pot and start boiling it. put the colander over it and you are steaming. I put a lid on mine and wait until the veggies are tender. When they are tender I will transfer them to my food processor. if you don't have one you can use your blender. I then puree the veggies. if they are pretty thick I will add a little water to thin them to the right consistency. If they are too thin, like spinach will be, then I will add a little rice cereal to thicken them up a bit. This works with meat too and fruit. just start cooking things. you can grill food too or bake it. anything that would cook it and add some flavor. Once I build up my inventory then I can start putting things together. It is just a matter of finding the things that taste good together. Think of things you see on restaurant menus. I have some suggestions above but really just start playing around and feeding that wonderful baby. They will let you know if the combo doesn't work. I would love to hear from you guys with some suggestions comments or questions. let me know how it is going.
Random Disjointed Post
just some random thoughts.
N gave my daughter a homemade Popsicle tonight after dinner. She looked at me and said "Sweeet". N and I started laughing out loud. I don't know where she got it from, but we used to say it all the time when I was a "cool" teenager.
I decided to make today N's mothers day with our little family since tomorrow her mother will be here and it's supposed to rain. Since it was so nice today I asked if she wanted to go out for some brunch somewhere. She said yes and then we all piled into the car. I brought her cards and present so she could open it when we got to wherever we were headed. She chastised me for bringing it saying she would not open it in public because she always cries. I asked where she wanted to go and she said,( no kidding), how about skyline chili. So we road tripped to Indy for some three ways. What a great woman. I know I am lucky. I could have been in for a 100 dollar brunch and she wanted 20 dollars worth of coney's and chili spaghetti. :)
The car ride was nice. Our chance to reconnect. It's funny, but if we don't go somewhere in the car then we just end up passing each other coming or going or passing out at the end of a day.
She opened her stuff in the car. yep, she cried. Good thing we didn't do it at the restaurant.
I was mowing grass with my ipod on the other day. It takes me almost two hours now. It used to take 20 minutes at the old house. oh well, at least my yard is nice to look at while I mow. And I have time to think. You know how music takes you back to places and things in your past. well, I don't know what was on but I was thinking about how simple and uncomplicated my life used to be. I used to live in an apartment that I think must have been a one car garage that was converted into an efficiency. It was no more than two or three hundred square feet max. I lived there with my 50 pound dog. She was about all I had. some clothes and a 13 inch b&w TV with a 13 channel dial. I got exactly one channel. PBS. Life was simple and low stress. I could pick up and go anytime I wanted. I actually lived for a period of time when everything I owned would fit in my backpack. that is another blog. Anyway, I was amusing myself with how, since I met N ,I have steadily gained in square footage and acquired massive amounts of stuff. I often give her grief about this and how much money I had before I met her, but we both know that I had nothing and now I have this great life with her and great kids with her. But no money. And more stress. I wouldn't trade it in though for those simpler times. Just musing, that's all. I wonder if we (meaning guys) would simply all be monks or drifters without our women to drive us in the direction of civility.
OK, I know you have all been wondering about baby food and what recipes I might have. I haven't been ignoring you and I haven't forgotten. I actually just wrote a whole bunch about it but my wife let me know that I need to spend about another 1000 hours on it before I publish it. I tend to assume everyone knows how to do it and can just pick up in the middle and go forward. I forget that most people haven't spent a better part of their lives in a Kitchen like me, so I will have to go back to it and break it down to the beginning. so look back and hopefully I will have it for you before your kids are all grown up.
N gave my daughter a homemade Popsicle tonight after dinner. She looked at me and said "Sweeet". N and I started laughing out loud. I don't know where she got it from, but we used to say it all the time when I was a "cool" teenager.
I decided to make today N's mothers day with our little family since tomorrow her mother will be here and it's supposed to rain. Since it was so nice today I asked if she wanted to go out for some brunch somewhere. She said yes and then we all piled into the car. I brought her cards and present so she could open it when we got to wherever we were headed. She chastised me for bringing it saying she would not open it in public because she always cries. I asked where she wanted to go and she said,( no kidding), how about skyline chili. So we road tripped to Indy for some three ways. What a great woman. I know I am lucky. I could have been in for a 100 dollar brunch and she wanted 20 dollars worth of coney's and chili spaghetti. :)
The car ride was nice. Our chance to reconnect. It's funny, but if we don't go somewhere in the car then we just end up passing each other coming or going or passing out at the end of a day.
She opened her stuff in the car. yep, she cried. Good thing we didn't do it at the restaurant.
I was mowing grass with my ipod on the other day. It takes me almost two hours now. It used to take 20 minutes at the old house. oh well, at least my yard is nice to look at while I mow. And I have time to think. You know how music takes you back to places and things in your past. well, I don't know what was on but I was thinking about how simple and uncomplicated my life used to be. I used to live in an apartment that I think must have been a one car garage that was converted into an efficiency. It was no more than two or three hundred square feet max. I lived there with my 50 pound dog. She was about all I had. some clothes and a 13 inch b&w TV with a 13 channel dial. I got exactly one channel. PBS. Life was simple and low stress. I could pick up and go anytime I wanted. I actually lived for a period of time when everything I owned would fit in my backpack. that is another blog. Anyway, I was amusing myself with how, since I met N ,I have steadily gained in square footage and acquired massive amounts of stuff. I often give her grief about this and how much money I had before I met her, but we both know that I had nothing and now I have this great life with her and great kids with her. But no money. And more stress. I wouldn't trade it in though for those simpler times. Just musing, that's all. I wonder if we (meaning guys) would simply all be monks or drifters without our women to drive us in the direction of civility.
OK, I know you have all been wondering about baby food and what recipes I might have. I haven't been ignoring you and I haven't forgotten. I actually just wrote a whole bunch about it but my wife let me know that I need to spend about another 1000 hours on it before I publish it. I tend to assume everyone knows how to do it and can just pick up in the middle and go forward. I forget that most people haven't spent a better part of their lives in a Kitchen like me, so I will have to go back to it and break it down to the beginning. so look back and hopefully I will have it for you before your kids are all grown up.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Morning
I got up early today so that I could go vote and then head off to work early. I had a proposal that needed finalized and an hour of uninterrupted work time was just the thing I needed to get it done. I don't like doing that since morning time is my time with the kids. I love the little morning routines that we go through. simple things like breakfast and dressing. I don't know why but it's just nice to have that time. I guess because I don't see them again until evening on most days. Anyway, K gave me an unexpected response today. I usually give her a kiss before I go to work and tell her to be a good girl and that I love her. I do the same for J although he doesn't understand. He just gives that big smile that I love. Anyway, I leaned down to kiss her and she said "No, thank you". She is finding her voice. Realizing that she has a say in things. Well, some things. At least she is polite when she says it. She used to just say in that almost crying whine"I don't waaant it". So I just kissed her forehead and said that I would see her after work. I then kissed J and N and headed for the door. K then came running up and said "wait daddy, I want to give you a kiss" I snatched her up and gave her a kiss and hug, and then headed off to work with a smile on my face.
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