I'm just not going to feel bad about him watching movies. He doesn't watch regular TV, so he doesn't see commercials, which is where my real beef with television lies, so we'll just continue to make sure what he's watching is age-appropriate, and that he doesn't watch it all day. We have fun watching movies with him, anyway...though I'm about DONE with Frozen. Thank God for the Muppets.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Laughing Lukie
Lukie has decided that Sid, the sloth, dancing in Ice Age: The Meltdown, is hilarious. Have to agree, but he gets an even bigger kick out of it than I do.
I'm just not going to feel bad about him watching movies. He doesn't watch regular TV, so he doesn't see commercials, which is where my real beef with television lies, so we'll just continue to make sure what he's watching is age-appropriate, and that he doesn't watch it all day. We have fun watching movies with him, anyway...though I'm about DONE with Frozen. Thank God for the Muppets.
I'm just not going to feel bad about him watching movies. He doesn't watch regular TV, so he doesn't see commercials, which is where my real beef with television lies, so we'll just continue to make sure what he's watching is age-appropriate, and that he doesn't watch it all day. We have fun watching movies with him, anyway...though I'm about DONE with Frozen. Thank God for the Muppets.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
...Aaaand we're back!
I have been a very bad blogger. I haven't posted a real update since mid-July. Those other ones were just place-holders, I guess. In my defense, some things have been happening around these here parts.
First...well, I guess I haven't blogged about this. Lukie has teeth! Two of them. They came in early August. They're adorable but...well...lonely still. :)
That's his new thing, by the way. He constantly wants to wear daddy's ear protectors from when he's lawn mowing.
He walked into the house the other day and immediately grabbed them and tried to put them on his head. And then got mad when he couldn't get it done himself.
Lukie is into everything lately. The laundry is a particular favorite, but he also enjoys rifling through my kitchen cabinets (the ones we've left un-baby-proofed because they contain things he can't hurt or hurt himself with).
Poor buddy has had a rough week with teething and a case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, as well, so we've spent quite a lot of time watching baseball and/or the Muppets and/or Frozen. He loves movies, and while I feel a little guilty letting him watch them, I know that he plays all day at daycare and sometimes just needs a little quiet time in the evenings. And Mommy and Daddy need that quiet time, too!
(Zonin' out in his old man pants...)
We decided a few weeks ago that Lukie needed some outdoor play equipment and found this beauty on Craigslist for $80! Lukie loves it, but as I said, it's been too hot in the middle of the day to play lately. I'm really looking forward to spending some outdoor time this fall. By the way-- my garden is looking SO much better this year!
Among the crazy things that have happened here lately is the fact that I got a new job! I'm working at a community college now, and I love every minute of it. I teach students how to find, evaluate, use, and cite information in their papers, and how to generally be more information literate people. It's great, and some bonuses are that I don't work evenings or weekends anymore, and that I'll have June 15-August 15 off next year! Summers are going to be great!
I leave you with a few of my iPhone photos. I'm hoping that now that things are settling into more of a rhythm around here with my new position, I'll be better at taking photos and updating this sucker a little more often. I don't want to give it up-- it's been a great way to keep family updated with Lukie, and to keep a record of this special little boy's childhood!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Watching Daddy Mow
Saturday, August 9, 2014
REAL Kid-Friendly FOOD: Sweet Potato and Spinach Mac and Cheese
We've never had a whole lot of trouble getting Lukie to eat...but there are days when it is harder than others. In general, he's super distractable at mealtime, and when he is eating, I pray that nothing will break the spell. Hope Mommy doesn't sneeze. Hope Dixie doesn't sneeze. Hope Lukie doesn't sneeze.
Yup, that's all it takes sometimes. And there's more than one reason to hope Lukie doesn't sneeze. Shrapnel.
Lately, it's been a little rougher than it used to be. Cottage cheese seems to be all he'll eat sometimes...though he really likes eggs poached in tomato sauce. I've tried lots of other things lately, and all I can get into him is fruit!
Lukas does, however, seem to have a serious love of pasta, and if I give him a bunch of pieces of pasta in a sauce, he tends to concentrate for longer and more intensely on eating. Granted, they end up in his hair, in my hair, in the dogs' hair...but still, a good majority of them get INTO his body.
Now, I'm not nuts about the idea of stuffing him with white pasta with nothing more than cheese on it. However, I've figured out some great ways to get veggies and whole grains into a Lukie-pleasing meal. And, on top of that, Mommy and Daddy get some veggies, too.
The first recipe I shared here was one of those recipes. See this post, in which I shared a recipe for roasted veggie pasta. This one is another one. To be honest, I like this macaroni and cheese better than regular old butter-laden, cheese-soaked, white noodle-filled mac and cheese. The sweet potato, especially, does a great job thickening the sauce, so you don't need to use even a fraction of the butter and flour you would use in regular mac and cheese sauce!
Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Veggie Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
1 1/2 cups milk
1 bag whole wheat egg noodles OR one box (12 oz.) whole wheat rotini
1 head fresh broccoli, chopped, OR 2 cups frozen broccoli
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 head bok choy (including leaves), chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz.) block Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 LARGE handfuls fresh spinch, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Rub olive oil on potato skin and bake for 45 minutes, or until soft. Peel off skin and mash in a bowl. Mix in 1/4 cup of the milk. Set aside.
Boil pasta according to package directions. Add chopped broccoli for the last 2 minutes of boiling. Strain and set aside.
Melt butter in a large pan on stovetop. Do not overheat- butter has a low flash point. Add onions and bok choy, and sautee until softened. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the sauteed onions and bok choy, and cook for a minute or two. Slowly, and whisking continuously, pour in remaining 1 1/4 cups milk. Stir until smooth and cook until slightly thickened. Mix in the sweet potato/milk mixture, frozen peas, and chopped spinach, and bring to bubbling. Let it bubble for a minute or two.
Turn off heat (DO NOT BOIL ONCE CHEESE HAS BEEN ADDED!!). Mix in cheese (note: I like to shred my own cheese to make mac 'n cheese. The bagged shredded cheese often has fillers like potato starch in it to keep it from sticking together. While I don't have a problem with this on an OH NO CHEMICALS level, I don't like the way it makes a sauce kind of grainy. So shred your own cheese (unless you don't have the tools). It's worth it.)
Stir in cooked noodles, and add salt and pepper to taste.
(Optional: you can eat this now (which we usually do because we're hungry), or you could put together a mixture of a little butter and some panko bread crumbs, top it off, and pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes to get a brown on the crumbs. I'm not sure it's worth the extra effort, but hey, whatever.)
(Optional, also: I'm going to try adding tuna someday. I love tuna mac, and it'd add that much more protein!)
(No, seriously, another optional thing: You can sub lots of veggies. Adding red peppers in at the onion/bok choy stage adds a welcome pop of color, I find. Add some diced green chilies for a different flavor. You could probably get away with some celery and a blob of mustard if you want to go all French on this thing.)
Wildly adapted from here.
Yup, that's all it takes sometimes. And there's more than one reason to hope Lukie doesn't sneeze. Shrapnel.
Lately, it's been a little rougher than it used to be. Cottage cheese seems to be all he'll eat sometimes...though he really likes eggs poached in tomato sauce. I've tried lots of other things lately, and all I can get into him is fruit!
Lukas does, however, seem to have a serious love of pasta, and if I give him a bunch of pieces of pasta in a sauce, he tends to concentrate for longer and more intensely on eating. Granted, they end up in his hair, in my hair, in the dogs' hair...but still, a good majority of them get INTO his body.
Now, I'm not nuts about the idea of stuffing him with white pasta with nothing more than cheese on it. However, I've figured out some great ways to get veggies and whole grains into a Lukie-pleasing meal. And, on top of that, Mommy and Daddy get some veggies, too.
The first recipe I shared here was one of those recipes. See this post, in which I shared a recipe for roasted veggie pasta. This one is another one. To be honest, I like this macaroni and cheese better than regular old butter-laden, cheese-soaked, white noodle-filled mac and cheese. The sweet potato, especially, does a great job thickening the sauce, so you don't need to use even a fraction of the butter and flour you would use in regular mac and cheese sauce!
Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Veggie Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
1 1/2 cups milk
1 bag whole wheat egg noodles OR one box (12 oz.) whole wheat rotini
1 head fresh broccoli, chopped, OR 2 cups frozen broccoli
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 head bok choy (including leaves), chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz.) block Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 LARGE handfuls fresh spinch, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Rub olive oil on potato skin and bake for 45 minutes, or until soft. Peel off skin and mash in a bowl. Mix in 1/4 cup of the milk. Set aside.
Boil pasta according to package directions. Add chopped broccoli for the last 2 minutes of boiling. Strain and set aside.
Melt butter in a large pan on stovetop. Do not overheat- butter has a low flash point. Add onions and bok choy, and sautee until softened. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the sauteed onions and bok choy, and cook for a minute or two. Slowly, and whisking continuously, pour in remaining 1 1/4 cups milk. Stir until smooth and cook until slightly thickened. Mix in the sweet potato/milk mixture, frozen peas, and chopped spinach, and bring to bubbling. Let it bubble for a minute or two.
Turn off heat (DO NOT BOIL ONCE CHEESE HAS BEEN ADDED!!). Mix in cheese (note: I like to shred my own cheese to make mac 'n cheese. The bagged shredded cheese often has fillers like potato starch in it to keep it from sticking together. While I don't have a problem with this on an OH NO CHEMICALS level, I don't like the way it makes a sauce kind of grainy. So shred your own cheese (unless you don't have the tools). It's worth it.)
Stir in cooked noodles, and add salt and pepper to taste.
(Optional: you can eat this now (which we usually do because we're hungry), or you could put together a mixture of a little butter and some panko bread crumbs, top it off, and pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes to get a brown on the crumbs. I'm not sure it's worth the extra effort, but hey, whatever.)
(Optional, also: I'm going to try adding tuna someday. I love tuna mac, and it'd add that much more protein!)
(No, seriously, another optional thing: You can sub lots of veggies. Adding red peppers in at the onion/bok choy stage adds a welcome pop of color, I find. Add some diced green chilies for a different flavor. You could probably get away with some celery and a blob of mustard if you want to go all French on this thing.)
Wildly adapted from here.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
One Year Old!! And a Trip Home!
I know this is half a month late...but here it is anyway:
Our baby boy is one year old! It's amazing how much he has changed...this photo collage is a year in the making!! (Click on it to make it bigger in your browser.)
(I might just have to continue doing this for the rest of his childhood. it's kind of ridiculous how a year's worth of growth is made so obvious when you do a comparison like this!)
Little Buddy had a great trip to Illinois! I'll be honest, I was really nervous about the trip itself. We left at 3:30 a.m. each time, and each time, Lukas slept until about Cincinnati, stopped for half an hour to eat breakfast at about 8:00 a.m., watched a movie for an hour or two, fell asleep for another hour or two, and then watched the rest of his movie and played with Mommy in the backseat. There were (almost) zero tears each way! What a trooper!
In central Illinois, we went to a family reunion and spent lots of time with my mom and dad. Then we went north to Hinckley, Illinois, where Pete is from, and spent a few days with his family! It was a crazy week, and truly, Lukie had HAD it with traveling, being in new places, meeting new people, and being closely tailed the entire time. We were glad to go, but also glad to be home in a baby-proofed place where Lukie could run around like a crazy man! Here are some pictures from the trip.
Lukie had a fun time playing with his cousin Eleanor, who is just a few weeks older than him. True to form, I didn't take any pictures of them playing...but thank goodness my sister-in-law Lynessa is better about that stuff than I am. I'll have to get her to give me some of the files.
The last three photos were taken on a particularly fussy evening when Lukie wanted to ride the tractor. We've noticed he is OBSESSED with lawn mowers (the second-from the bottom is a photo of Daddy trying to remove Lukie from the lawn mower...it wasn't going so well), so he got a new birthday present from Mommy and Daddy when he got home...
Things are pretty much back to normal. It's been great to be home again...we miss Illinois so much, but it's a lot less stressful to be in our own house with our own stuff. And Lukie, who was a picky eater on vacation, is back to eating like a hog...
That's a sippy cup full of whole milk. Let the transition to cow's milk (and off bottles) begin!
Our baby boy is one year old! It's amazing how much he has changed...this photo collage is a year in the making!! (Click on it to make it bigger in your browser.)
(I might just have to continue doing this for the rest of his childhood. it's kind of ridiculous how a year's worth of growth is made so obvious when you do a comparison like this!)
Little Buddy had a great trip to Illinois! I'll be honest, I was really nervous about the trip itself. We left at 3:30 a.m. each time, and each time, Lukas slept until about Cincinnati, stopped for half an hour to eat breakfast at about 8:00 a.m., watched a movie for an hour or two, fell asleep for another hour or two, and then watched the rest of his movie and played with Mommy in the backseat. There were (almost) zero tears each way! What a trooper!
In central Illinois, we went to a family reunion and spent lots of time with my mom and dad. Then we went north to Hinckley, Illinois, where Pete is from, and spent a few days with his family! It was a crazy week, and truly, Lukie had HAD it with traveling, being in new places, meeting new people, and being closely tailed the entire time. We were glad to go, but also glad to be home in a baby-proofed place where Lukie could run around like a crazy man! Here are some pictures from the trip.
Lukie had a fun time playing with his cousin Eleanor, who is just a few weeks older than him. True to form, I didn't take any pictures of them playing...but thank goodness my sister-in-law Lynessa is better about that stuff than I am. I'll have to get her to give me some of the files.
The last three photos were taken on a particularly fussy evening when Lukie wanted to ride the tractor. We've noticed he is OBSESSED with lawn mowers (the second-from the bottom is a photo of Daddy trying to remove Lukie from the lawn mower...it wasn't going so well), so he got a new birthday present from Mommy and Daddy when he got home...
Things are pretty much back to normal. It's been great to be home again...we miss Illinois so much, but it's a lot less stressful to be in our own house with our own stuff. And Lukie, who was a picky eater on vacation, is back to eating like a hog...
That's a sippy cup full of whole milk. Let the transition to cow's milk (and off bottles) begin!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
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