Compund Phrases!

It all started with "Diyya pobby" for Dylan go potty...part of our morning routine. Greg and Dylan along with Ryan stand outside and say Dylan potty and keep repeating it until he goes both. Now lately we have been noticing Ryan will say two words in a row like "mommy moo moo" or "Dada upee" he will also say things like "iii pease" for ice please. Lately I am not sure where this ice obsession has evolved from. I am guessing it is from teething...we think Ryan is getting his bottom second year molars. I am hoping it is not pica (urge to eat non-nutritive foods such as ice and dirt-both of which Ryan will gladly eat) from an iron deficiency anemia.

Time out!
So Ryan found himself in time out for the second time in his life. The first time was about a month ago for deliberately running towards the street after I clearly said NO and he clearly understood with a smirk as he went charging for the street. This time we were at a play date and first time I let it go he bit Sophia they were in the tunnel I could not see what was happening so I just said very sternly "Ryan NO BITE!" The second time occurred after lunch and he clearly bit her he was provoked they were fighting over a stuffed bear but still biting is a severe offense and not tolerated at all. So I said again "NO BITE" time out. I removed him from the situation and sat with him on the stairs I did have to keep placing him gently back on the stairs b/c he kept getting up to leave. This occurred about 5 times and finally I figured he got the picture. By this time it was nap time all the kids were starting to lose it and we headed home for a nap. But on our way out Ryan spotted his "time out" area on the stairs and ran over there to sit. Funny though I was reading sometimes children do that. I do recommend this book I am reading I think it will actually work out well for us. It was recommended by a bunch of Friends with older children. If you are at all interested in the the "time out" approach to discipline get this book. Not sure of the author I can double check but the title is "123 Magic" So far the book is really helping. We will see.

In other news I have lately been whipping out our vita mix. It is basically a very overpriced blender Greg and I got suckered into buying about 5 years ago at the Big E. You know those areas int eh Better Living Center where they do all the demos and offer free food samples and you feel like you have to have their product even if you don't really need it. Yes and it gathered dust for a number of years until recently. It has a super powerful motor and we used to make all kinds of things in it like homemade peanut butter, almond butter, salsa, soups, smoothies, ice cream...stuff like that. Well lately I have been making a vegetable pureed soup it is really yummy sort of a more nutritious twist on tomato soup. Here are the ingredients: (Not sure if you can actually make this in a regular blender or not but it is really tasty).

2 medium tomatoes
1/3 cup peas
1/2 carrot
1/4 celery
1/4 c red or green pepper
chicken bouillon cube
onion powder
dash of black pepper
tiny bit of chicken broth to thin (it is a really thick soup)

I actually felt adventurous and I made my own tomato sauce for chicken parm yesterday using (really simple and very tasty too)

1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 c olive oil saute a few minutes
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp of sugar (cuts the acid a trick from Meme)
dash of salt
fresh black pepper
lots of fresh parsley 1/2 c approx
lots of fresh basil 1/2 c
some onion powder to taste
let it simmer for an hour or two uncovered (you can cover but the sauce will not thicken)
Oh and I almost forgot I put 1.5 c of the vegetable soup above for a nutritional boost

I could not believe Ryan was not that into the chicken parm maybe took a few bites but he loved the spaghetti and sauce. Devoured it. Good thing I was able to sneak those veggies in somehow. Right now we are off our veggie kick. Ryan pushed the broccoli around on his plate. Oh well.

Okay one more recipe not as nutritious but somewhat healthy with hidden veggies:
My mac and cheese (this is actually a half portion)
Barilla whole wheat Plus elbows cook until just before aldente about 6 min 1/2 box
1/4 c whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp of earth balance (trans fat free spread I think canola oil based) Can use butter
brown stirring frequently for 5 min
add 3 cup milk I used 1 c whole milk 2 c 1%
stir for 7 minutes
add 2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
and 1.5 cup cauliflower puree and thicken a few minutes
Add the elbows and cheese mixture to a 9x9 casserole
mix plain bread crumbs with olive oil to moisten and sprinkle on top of mac and cheese
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
This is another of Ryan's favorites

I know I did a lot of baking/cooking this week too but I was just so excited to finally have a new working oven. I wanted to try it out. Oh and Ryan and I made M+M cookies too (Meme's recipe)

How did I do all this with a curious toddler? I let him help well sort of. He got his stool and he had his own pan and spoon and he helped too. Yesterday was one of those days with a limited nap requiring lots of one on one time. Ryan also picked some fresh basil and parsley for me from the deck. It only lasted for a short time but he was also my sauce taste tester too and he approved. I will admit the cookies I made after he went to bed for fear that he would eat them all. But the sauce he did help with.

Sadly I don't think I will be making the visit up north to visit Grandadad Jack who is still recovering from his surgery b/c I am getting over a cold and still have a lingering cough. Ryan is pretty much over his cold but still has a bit of a runny nose. Pretty sure he will be well enough for the visit but not sure about me. Will have to play it by ear and see how we all are in the morning. Doubt we are contagious at this point but would hate to give our colds to "Dad dad" impeding his recovery. Glad to hear you are doing so well!

Over comitted!
I know you are all dying to know how my work meeting went on Mon. I have not been asked to attend in almost a year so I knew something was up. The meeting agenda consisted of the following: Plans to open a new office in Orange- Hooray! Closer to me and 5 minutes from Polina! Plans for one of our partners to retire. Plans to add on a third day upon my return from maternity leave. Most likely a M-W-F work week due to preschool arrangements. Not the best scenario I won't have 2 days off in a row but I do have to drop/pick Ryan up from school. Also this I am sorry to say I should have said no to but you know me I can't really say NO under extreme pressure....I foolishly agreed not only to pick up another day okay that is not unreasonable but to actually agree to ALL the data entry for my diabetes study while on maternity leave recovering from a c/s. nursing a newborn, sleep deprived, and chasing after a busy 2 y.o. HELP. I really think I have lost my mind. My plan of action is this I will do it but I will do it at the office. I could do it from home but it would be difficult. Ryan still pulls the keys off my computer so I think it would be best to eliminate distractions and go suck it up and head into the office. I plan on dropping Ryan off at Polina's and taking the newborn in the carrier into the office. It will probably only take me 1/2 day a week 3-4 hrs to complete. I know it is crazy but I feel obligated to help. Hopefully it won't be too bad. What do you all think??? Did I totally over commit??? Will I survive? HELP!

I know I am lacking in the photo department I will post some new photos soon!