Yawwwn.

I'm exhausted. In the last week I've seen my husband probably less than 5 hours and that's not exaggerating. And those 5 hours were at meeting or breakfast. I was looking so forward to our little mini vacation to Jellystone this Thursday-Saturday but it got postponed until next week. Which is fine...I'll just be all the more exhausted! I cannot even begin to imagine what being a single parent must be like. Although you would get a break from the kids at work....not that that would help the tired issue.

Oh well, on the upside Nolan is pretty much trained =) He went 2 1/2 days without a single accident. I can actually take him out of the house in underwear now and not worry about him wetting.

Avrie is just all over the place and into everything.

To Rinse or Not to Rinse?

So I had an observation today. I wonder how much you can tell about a person from how they load their dishwasher? A lot I'm sure! I'll have to see if there is a quiz floating around out there. I, for one, have NEVER rinsed a single dish that went into my dishwasher. I have been known to wash a single spoon in every load for a month before finally taking it out and washing it by hand to get the little stubborn spot off (it was avocado chocolate pudding). And then there are people who practically wash their dishes before putting them in. Some people have specific places they put their dishes to maximize space. I just throw them all in and when it's semi-full I run it. I usually run it 2 times a day. Sometimes more. Although I do cook quite a bit so I usually have 2 pretty full loads.

I heard on the radio today that Disney is launching a new line of clothing: Wedding dresses. Yup. They aren't making enough money off the kids apparently. There will be an Ariel dress that has subtle mermaid shaping and shimmer, a Cinderella dress and a Beauty dress from Beauty and the Beast...don't know her name. So that adult women can get in touch with their inner princess. I don't consider myself anti-Disney but I'm definitely not pro either. I just don't see what the fuss is all about. What happened to wooden blocks and playing outside and Imagination? Kids have trains that are all battery powered and they watch them go around the track instead of pushing them themselves around homemade scenery made from shoe boxes, etc. Now, I know as a kid I wanted the new stuff but I did make my own Barbie houses, etc. I had water beds made out of Ziploc bags and my Barbies went on field trips to the bathroom sink, which was an ocean or a big pool.

Well, both kids are napping so I'd better go get some sleep too. Oh, my verdict on the dishwasher thing...it must mean I'm lazy. Better live up to it!

Spring Fever

Absolutely gorgeous outside! We went for a long walk this morning and hardly needed to wear a coat. Both kids loved the stroller ride and Nolan played in the backyard for almost an hour after we got back. He had a blast shoveling what was left of the snow into his dump truck. HE WAS 100% DRY YESTERDAY!!! He's been dry today so far too, even during our walk! We did make a pit stop at the grocery store to use the bathroom.

Avrie can now go from her tummy to sitting. And since she decided she likes carrots she's decided other food isn't so bad either!

Jenny requested this recipe...you all could benefit from it...it is delicious and so easy.

Black Beans in Mango Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 3-inch jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 large ripe mangoes, minced
freshly ground black pepper to taste
minced fresh cilantro (a must!)
squeezable wedges of lime (optional)

Saute the onion and the garlic, chile, ginger, cumin seeds and salt in the oil for about 3 minutes
Add the black beans and 1/2 the lime juice and saute for 5 more minutes or until everything has mingled nicely and the beans are heated through. Mash the beans slightly and transfer to a bowl.

Stir the remaining lime juice and the mangoes into the hot beans, mashing the mangoes as you stir. Grind in some black pepper, then cover and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the sauce develop.

Serve warm, at room temp, or even cold, topped with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

There's a Rabbit in the House!

Wearing a summer dress that will definitely not fit in the summer! Avrie hasn't taken much to table food yet but she decided this morning that she loves carrots! So we had bunny breakfast!

Potty News: Last night I was having a discussion with Nolan about accidents and how they are okay, etc. He was sitting on my lap and looking into my eyes when he decided to be cute (he always acts cute when he's getting a lecture). He started to tickle me under the chin and make kissy lips at me while trying to wink. How am I suppose to keep a straight face?? Yesterday was hit or miss. Today is 2:2 so far!

Monday Schmunday

Isn't she a doll!? Here's my real eye...I know you've all been anxiously awaiting it...haha.
You know, I'm surprised that none of my family have brought up the library eyes story!

We started potty training today. Nolan has gone twice in the toilet and only had one accident. I think that's pretty good for the first half of the first day! He has an Elmo Potty DVD and he loves to talk about "woo woo, wee wee, doo doo and number 2". What ever happened to pee and poop!?!?

My Obviously Fake Eye

Eye'm watching you. I was cleaning out the linen (if by 'linen' you mean junk) closet and came across a few pairs of my old contacts. I never liked them because my pupil was never big enough to fill the gigantic hole. As you can see. They don't look bad from *far* away but up close it's not so pretty.
My beautiful kids playing together! The pretty blanket was crocheted by Grandma Char. The cute monkey outfit was bought with my limbs.

We went mall walking with Tara and Jaden today. Actually worked up a sweat! Stopped at a store that was closing and I bought Avrie a fishtank for her room. I'll have to take a picture when I get a fish...it's pretty cool.

I asked Nolan what he wanted for lunch on the way home and he said "chicken, ketchup and fries". So we went to Buffalo Wild Wings. Talk about a Hen in the Rooster house. Oh my. Ladies, if you are single and looking, just head on over to the local wing joint at noon hour. I was the only female in the place aside from the waitress. I wasn't leered at with two kids in tow, but I'm starting to think guys have a thing for women who eat chicken wings with abandon. I realized as I got the check that my credit card was in the car. Maybe I should have used my weird, alluring eyes to buy our lunch, ha! Has anyone eaten a meal and then realized they didn't have any money?? I wonder what a person would do in that situation...and with a couple kids?

Been Busy

Haven't taken pictures lately...better get on that. Avrie has discovered dolls and just loves them. She didn't know there was anything other than trucks and trains and tools!

We've spent the last few days with Darren and Amy and Ryan and Megan. Nolan and Ryan love playing together...Ryan is one of the, well, the only kid, that Nolan actually plays with. Otherwise he has turned into a loner. We went to a Mom's brunch on Friday and he was perfectly content to play by himself or "around" the other kids....not 'with' them like he does with Ryan. But then he sees Ryan every week too so that could be why.

Went to the library this morning and got all the Curious George's that we haven't read yet and read them all when we got home. I've got to say....there are some reeeealllly dumb children's books out there. I got a couple books of the same series because they had awesome artwork...but the story was horrible.

Don't know much else. Looking out the window at our neighbor walking his cat. Yup. Three times a day. It goes potty outside. Brilliant really.

Excerpt from 'Gluten Free Girl' too awesome not to post.

The way we eat around here.
Furtively, the Chef and I glance in other people’s baskets and gesture toward each other. “That one has Fig Newtons, Oscar Mayer hot dogs, and bottled spaghetti sauce,” he whispers to me. “Yeah? Well that girl has twenty little containers of the yogurt with the gelatin and food dye in it. She’s also buying nonfat cheese, six boxes of low-fat cookies, and a twelve-pack of diet grapefruit soda.” “Ewwww,” he shudders against my shoulder. To be clear, the Chef and I are not making direct judgments about the people with the baskets. Honestly, we never look at their faces. If we did, we would see their stories, and then we couldn't play the game. More, we both have an autonomic response to this kind of bad, packaged food.You have to understand — I grew up eating all that stuff, even more than most people. It made me sick, all my life. When I look at bad packaged cookies and quick preparation foods, it evokes a visceral reaction in me, like I'm looking at people buying Drano for their kids.The Chef sees it that way too. But he also knows the joy that comes from cooking from scratch and feeding people with those tastes. Nothing compares.Convenience is over-rated. The Chef will eat almost anything, made from scratch. He doesn’t turn up his nose at any food. (Well, with the exception of lima beans, which warms my heart, since that is the one vegetable I cannot stand.) Pork belly, sunchokes, sweetbreads, celeriac — any food that other people might think looks knobby, funny, or just plain gross? He jumps at the chance to eat them. He knows that great food doesn’t always look pretty. Really, for someone with such a fine palate, he’s not picky. There are only two foods he refuses to eat. If I want to make him shudder and shake his head in disgust, I only have to say two things: tofu. And American cheese. The tofu thing? Well, he’s a straight guy. I have to admit — I haven’t met many straight men who like the stuff. He’s fairly well versed in Asian cuisines, having cooked them many times. The flavors and techniques of various Asian cultures have filtered down into his dishes. But he just cannot stand the thought of tofu. I think it’s a texture thing. And American cheese? That stuff is just plain disgusting. One part of my book is a kind of horrified nostalgia for the food I ate as a child: everything wrapped in plastic and dyed, the ingredients list a dozen names I never knew how to pronounce. We all ate that food, or most of us did. Remember Crunchberry cereal? Twinkies? Canned chili with Fritos crunched on top? I lived on the stuff as a child. Now, however, the sight of endlessly packaged foods in other people’s grocery carts turns my stomach, just a bit. What are we doing to ourselves? How is this any way to feed each other? I have to admit: before I went gluten-free, I still ate some pre-packaged foods. Sometimes, the exhaustion of not feeling well caused me to buy boxes of macaroni and cheese. And I remember one time, late at night (more near dawn), my friend Gabe and I sat on the counters of his Seattle apartment kitchen, swinging our legs and eating a bowl of Cookie Crisp cereal. We still talk about it, however, since it was the first and only time either one of us had eaten it. Simultaneously, we lay aside our bowls, because we could not stomach the sweetness. However, once I went gluten-free, I was liberated from packaged foods. Oh sure, at first it seemed like a loss. What would I eat? But over time, and fairly quickly, I came to see what a gift this celiac diagnosis truly is. Since most packaged foods contain gluten, I had to start cooking. My life has never been the same. I have never eaten better than I have since I went gluten-free. After the Chef entered my life, my eating improved twelve-fold, because he is astonishingly talented, plus he expresses his love through the meals he makes for me. But it’s more than that. One afternoon, a few months ago, I said to him, “You know, if you’re going to make the restaurant gluten-free, I really have to investigate every product you have in the kitchen, just to make sure there isn’t any hidden contamination. We don’t want anyone getting sick.” He agreed. It took me about three minutes to realize that this would be a short task.The Chef never uses anything packaged. What is in his kitchen? Boxes of fresh produce. Chickens ready to be cut down. Veal stock he has made from scratch. Butter. (What restaurant kitchen could exist without butter?) Spices ready to be ground. Exquisite cheeses from around the world. Rice. Polenta. Cream. Milk. And so on. There was absolutely nothing in his kitchen that would require a phone call to a major corporation. He makes it all by hand. I know that’s part of the reason his food tastes so damned good. He makes it all by hand. Those of you reading who are recently diagnosed? Take it from me — throw yourself, gleefully, into the world of cooking and baking food from scratch, and your life will improve, irrevocably. This weekend, Michael Pollan published an incredible article in The New York Times magazine, called "Unhappy Meals," about how we have done ourselves damage with the way we eat. I encourage you all to read it. He breaks it all down, fairly simply, especially the nine guidelines he gives at the end of the piece. Following every fad, terrified of fat, then carbs, we are perpetually worried about food and what it does to us. We regard food as the enemy, and we are allowing it to kill us. The longer I live with food and write about food, the more convinced I am — we are pretty screwed up in this country, when it comes to food. I especially loved this paragraph: "This brings us to another unexamined assumption: that the whole point of eating is to maintain and promote bodily health. Hippocrates' famous injunction to 'let food be they medication' is ritually involed to support this notion. I'll leave the premise alone for now, except to point out that it is not shared by all cultures and that the experience of these other cultures suggests that, paradoxically, viewing food as being about things other than bodily health — like pleasure, say, or socializing — makes people no less healthy; indeed, there's some reason to believe that it may make them more healthy. This is what we usually have in mind when we speak of the 'French paradox' — the fact that a population that eats all sorts of unhealthful nutrients is in many ways healthier than we Americans are. So there is at least a question as to whether nutritionism is actually any good for you."That has been the biggest discovery for me, since I went gluten-free: the ineffable pleasure of eating. Living gluten-free is no loss.

Randoms

Made a batch of dairy-free hot cocoa for Nolan and I this morning. Wonderful!!

1 can whole coconut milk
1 cup water
2 Tbs cocoa powder
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together over low heat until hot. Delicious! Thick, rich and creamy!

My New Year's Resolutions were pretty lame this year...but I've been doing great! Just two...squeeze the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube and have cooler showers. My showers are usually just the hot water...I literally scald myself. And it's been really hard on my skin and hair. So I've gone cooler and it's kind of refreshing. I'm sure my skin and hair will thank me.

I've been trying to stay motivated the last two weeks. My motivation this morning was a pot of Caribou's original. I cleaned my fridge out this morning. It was disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. I took everything out and put all the shelves and drawers in the shower. There wasn't anything "growing" in there but lots of crumbs and lint, etc. So now it's all sparkly clean.

Kids Say the Darndest Things: Last week I got out of the shower and put my robe on, which has a big embroidered heart on the back. Nolan got a big smile on his face and said "Mommy, you Tenderheart!" (The CareBear).

Avrie is off and crawling. Waaahhhh...My baby has grown up way too fast.

The Cutest Little Piggie Ever!