Meal Planning: Week of October 14th

Review from last week:

Mmmmmm carnitas in a bowl.  This was so filling and so delicious.  (And sooooo easy).

 

After having lunch during a work meeting (sandwich, chips, cookie, NOM), I really just felt like a salad for dinner.  I thought Ben might be into it too, but he literally just ate spoon after spoon full of ranch dressing.

I decided to postpone the pot roast until this weekend because I was anxious to try this chipolte sauce, which I used to smother chicken thighs and it was so. good.  

Saturday: Out to dinner for our anniversary! :)

Sunday: Pot Roast and mashed potatoes.

Monday: Left overs!

Tuesday: Stuffed Red Peppers

Wednesday: Out to eat?  Left overs? 

Thursday: Boursin and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breast

Friday: Halibut chipolte - again, in this chipolte sauce.  

 

6 Years of Marriage

 

And still making me laugh (hard) every single day.

 

Thank you for being flexible.  Thank you for being someone I can trust, always.  Thanks for always turning off the lights I leave on, for tolerating when I shop at QFC ($$$) instead of at Fred Meyers, and for doing your share of the laundry/dishes/toy clean up. 

 

Thanks for being someone I can roll my eyes at when Ben is driving us both up the wall, (and for being quick to open up a bottle of wine to help ease the situation).  And on the flip side, thank you for enjoying his fun and silly moments to the fullest extent.  There is nothing that will make you smile more than when Ben is giggling his face off, and watching a scene like that unfold gives me happiness and satisfaction on a level I never could have imagined.

 

Marriage (particularly when a toddler is involved) can be tough at times.  Life can become a series of routines and the lack of downtime can make us cranky.  (A blog about this exact experience I read recently that echos how I feel in this stage of life).  The great news, however, is that I always know I can count on you to try your hardest and do your best.  And you can count on me for the same.

 

Greg - I love you, even when I kind of want to punch you. Which to me feels like a pretty good sign that we are on the right track.

 

Looking forward to many more life stages and experiences with the best partner I could have ever chosen.



Pizza Party!

 

As I had mentioned before, I had purchased a catered pizza party deal from Groupon (or Living Social - can't remember) awhile back.  The time had finally arrived to cash in on it, and we ALL were in agreement that this was an excellent purchase and experience.

 

The deal had been for 8 people (with an option to add additional people for $20/person), but we decided that 4 adults and 2 kids was enough.  More pizza/wine for all, right?

 

Our chef arrived with 3 pizzas, 2 appetizer pizzas, a big salad, and three bottles of Washington wine.  Oh, and cookies.

 

He started by bringing out the appetizer pizzas - one was just your average garlic flat bread, the other had pears and caramelized onions on it.  (So delicious).  It was paired with a bottle of Chardonnay. 

 

Next up was a salad: spring mix greens, dried cranberries, chevre and pine nuts.

 

And then the pizzas.  The delicious pizzas.

 

First up was the Roasted Veg Head pizza: Roasted bell peppers, zucchini, red onion, crimini and button mushrooms, garlic, basil, Parmesan & mozzarella.  This was paired with a Pinot Noir, I believe.

 

Next was the Arugula Patch (which obviously was my favorite): Prosciutto, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, Parmesan and mozzarella with arugula added after baking.

 

The last was the Chicago Deli: Thick-cut bacon (which should belong on every pizza - how have I never had this before??), prosciutto, pepperoni, provolone, mozzarella and asiago.  This was paired with a Red Blend.



 

The chef ended his stay by baking and serving 2 different types of chocolate chip cookies and cleaning my kitchen.  

 

Me and Jeannette enjoying ALL THE WINE.

 

Laryd and Ben playing "together".

 

What we all found so cool about the experience is that the chef would explain all of the ingredients as it was served (all local as possible, seasonal, and fresh - not previously frozen). It was also awesome for all of us to be able to sit and enjoy, instead of someone having to be cooking at the same time. I do not posses the skills to carry on a conversation while cooking at the same time.

 

The chef said that they would likely be doing another pizza party deal sometime in January, so be on the lookout for 'zaw Artisan Pizza!  I think I will probably purchase it again, too :)

Halloween Preview

I am pretty sure it will be impossible for us to ever top The Gnome, but seeing Ben in his Jet Pilot costume is pretty close in my opinon.

2 Years Old - An Update

I hadn't provided an actual update last week for Ben's birthday, so here is how our little guy is doing at 2 years old:

Weight: 29 lbs 6 oz - (68th percentile)

Height: 36.5 inches - (94th percentile)

Head Circumference: 19.5 inches (73rd percentile)

 

He did great at his last check up, for the most part.  The actual doctor visit was fantastic, but when we had to wait 10 minutes for the nurse to come back and give him his shot, he lost it.  He was putting his shoes on, trying to open the door and walk out, and when I wouldn't let him....well, this happened:

 

 

But back to the visit:  I had been nervous about what the doctor would say about him still drinking milk from a bottle, but she (happily) told me that it was totally fine.  (I'm pretty sure I'm not quite ready to part with them anyway, so what she said wouldn't have mattered much).  In fact, she referred to them as "cozy bottles" - warm milk, in the morning and at night, a comfort thing.  She also said that him having a binky when he is sleeping is fine.  Greg, on the other hand, is ready to see them go.  Blah.  I think we will have to tackle that issue this fall.

 

Another thing she suggested was for us to really encourage him to do things for himself, or to help us whenever possible.  Things like getting dressed, putting on shoes, brushing his teeth, opening the door, etc.  Life skills, y'all.

 

His doctor also was really happy with our attention to and his progress with speech development.  When I told her I think he is around 80 words (plus lots of babbling and sometimes, stuttering - his brain just moving too fast for his mouth to keep up) she said that was well into the normal range and totally normal to stutter.  A good sign, in fact.  And speaking of new words, here are a few we are hearing lately:

 

Thomas (as in, Thomas the Train - Phil (Callie's husband) taught him this one)!

Boom (Which he says every.single.time. he drops a toy on the ground, and now also when he throws his binky in his crib after I pick him up in the morning).

Mickey Mouse

Meow (When he sees the cat).

Pop

Dirt (sounds like "dit")

Oink

Pig

Down

Hot

Up

Boots
All gone/gone (Which he will announce each time he finishes his milk).
I saw a bus - This is my favorite one.  We were out on a walk and from a distance, saw a school bus stop and let all of the kids off after school.  He was pointing at it and frantically saying "bus!!!" as walked towards it.  The bus soon drove past us, but as we approached the corner where the bus had been, Ben pointed to the area and said "I saw a bus"! 

I think this will be the last I keep track of Ben's words, because they seem to be happening at a much more rapid rate these days (and thus cause for less celebration). Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE each time he says a new word, or says an old word more clearly (for example, baby used to sound like "ba-ba", until suddenly today, it was clear as day. "bay-bee").

I've said it before, but I really LOVE this age.  I love Ben's personality so, SO much and it thrills me to no end that I get to hang out with him every day.

 

In his new moustache shirt from Hil and John

 

 

Using his learning tower as a jungle gym.

With that said, he has learned some new tricks that make for some challenging moments.  Things like pushing the footstool all the way over to the counter to reach something we don't want him to have, or the stiff-body move he pulls when he doesn't want to get into the car seat or the bath tub (both of which suddenly seem to be activities he doesn't like to do).  Kids are freakishly strong. 

He also REALLY does not like when we take an item away from him that he wants.  He is obsessed with my EOS chap stick, and will open/apply/close/repeat about 200 times in a row.  And this activity is fine, until he starts to lick and/or bite it, which is when I take it away.  And he will lose it.  He has perfected his pouting moves over the past couple months.  He will either run straight to the couch and bury his face in a pillow, or he will sit down on the ground, gracefully ease himself back onto his elbows, and then put his head on the floor.  And cry.

The last thing I have noticed lately is just how grumpy he is after most of his naps.  He will call for me to go in to get him, but when I arrive, he will lie back down and refuse to be picked up.  Once I do snag him out of there, we will often have a conversation like this:

Me: Would you like some water?
Ben: Nooooooooooooooooooooo
Me: Are you hungry?
Ben: Nooooooooooooooooooooo
Me: Do you want to play with your train?
Ben: Nooooooooooooooooooooo
Me: Should we change your diaper?
Ben: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Me: Do you want to watch Mickey?
Ben: Noooooooooo.....ooooo....uh-HUH!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

But for the most part, we really do have a lot of fun.  When it's nice out (and sometimes even when it's raining) he will happily get into the stroller, armed with a cup of juice and some crackers, snugly with a blanket around him, while we go for a walk around the neighborhood.  On the days I am home, I try to break from work in the afternoon when the buses will be out and about.

 

And when I cannot break from work, the easiest and quietest way to distract him is to say, "Ben!  Do you want to watch the iPad in your tent for a little while???"  Read: please shut your yap and stop climbing on me for 5 minutes, mommy has a conference call.

And he will respond with an enthusiastic "UH HUH"!
 

 

Meal Planning: Week of October 7th

Review from last week:

We only tried two new recipes last week.  One was the balsamic/brown sugar pork loin - and it was VERY good.  I think Greg opted to eat that dish three nights in a row!  It was easy to make and cooked in the crock pot all day.  My favorite kind of recipe.

The other recipe was a salad I found on this girl's instagram.  (She is quickly becoming my favorite blogger, btw).  Anyway, it was cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, spinach, salt and pepper tossed with creamy balsamic dressing.  I think next time I'll try it with just EVOO and balsamic vinegar as I found the dressing made it a little too heavy.  We served it up with some meatballs (Costco, frozen) marniated in basil pesto and alfredo.

The rest of the recipes were tried and true. 

Here is the plan for next week:

Saturday:  I purchased a pizza party deal on Living Social a couple months ago, so on Saturday we will be having a chef from Zaw Pizza coming over to make pizza, salad, cookies and do a wine tasting for us :)  The Christensens are coming over to join us!

Sunday:  Dinner at Denali, Kyle and Oliver's house!

Monday: Carnitas (Costco) with coleslaw, black beans and feta.  This is another recipe we make a lot.  We simply saute the carnita meat in enchilada sauce, and then serve it in a bowl with coleslaw (tossed with EVOO, lime juice, salt and pepper) and feta cheese.  I will often heat up some black beans and sprinkle them with some cumin and add that to my bowl.  Greg will usually always add cheddar cheese.

Tuesday: Pizza chicken again - because it's easy, and because I still have ricotta cheese from last week to use.

Wednesday: Leftovers.  The carnita recipe makes a lot.

Thursday:  Thursday is our 6th anniversary!  We are going to go out for dinner on Saturday, but for the actual day, I plan to make this pot roast and these mashed potatoes.  Anyone want to come eat with us? Nomz.

Friday: Leftovers, I think :)

The things that excite me these days

I sometimes think about how small of a window it was between when I became a "grown up" (which for me I think happened somewhere around 22 years old) and becoming a mom.  The period of time where it was truly ALL about me, where as an adult I could make my own decisions and do what sounded fun based solely on my preferences, was quite brief. 

 

Now, most of my time is spent trying to create experiences and happy memories for Ben.  We focus a lot on what HE finds fun and interesting.  It's funny some of the things that change when you become a parent. 

 

These days, I find myself getting excited when I see a bus or a garbage truck.  I will notice it even when Ben isn't in the car, and feel a little disappointed if he missed out on a cool vehicle viewing experience.  I even stopped on our street and took a VIDEO of the garbage truck going by, just so I could show him when I got home.

 

 

Another thing that has become exciting again are holidays!  As much as I loved holidays before, that love is on another level now that Ben is starting to understand what they are all about.  Greg even commented yesterday after I put up some decor that he thought I hated Halloween.  He told me that he always LOVED it, but since I never was into dressing up or decorating, he stopped caring about it.  #Sad

 

I'm also much more aware when a Disney movie is being released on DVD, as I want to make sure Ben can watch all of my favorites from when I was little.  (Little Mermaid came out yesterday, you guys).

I also could not resist snagging the Charlie Brown Holiday Collection. 

 

 

And in addition to the holiday season approaching, I couldn't be more thrilled for the return of cozy jammie weather.