Thankful

Ah, I missed posting about Thanksgiving or as I've come to think of it Thanks Giving. I tend to gloss over some of the facts of the first Thanksgiving, but I really do like the idea of sitting down to a meal together in celebration and preparing for hard days to come. If you can think of some reasons in your life to be thankful then all the better. Here are some of things I jotted down on a notepad (which I had to keep tracking down as a certain toddler wanted to also journal his feelings) throughout November for which I am thankful:

• Good, wholesome food that makes your body feel its best.
• Unexpected sunny days spent with friends at the park.
• Spicy Mochas from Caribou Coffee
• The power of a rejuvenating nap to turn a day around.
• A toddler helping to mix muffins while standing on a chair.
• The homey smell of those muffins while they bake.
• Grandparents who babysit and a little boy who asks for G and Pa constantly once they leave.
• And, of course, my husband and our marriage of three years.

Happy Thanksgiving: Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

You know what else makes me feel better and more in control around the holidays? Baking. Yep, baking. When I was in grad school and my life felt mind-racingly unsettled I baked a lot because I couldn't really screw up a batch of cookies. I've since turned to other methods of coping, but baking still holds a special place in my heart. Plus, now Milo can help stir! The recipe below is an update to my previous favorite pumpkin muffin with a vegan twist to accommodate Milo's allergies. These aren't overly sweet, but don't taste vegan either. We gobbled them down quickly!

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup hemp (or other non-dairy) milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

12 ounces of pureed pumpkin

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 bag (about 1 cup) of chocolate chips or raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together wet ingredients in large mixing bowl until pumpkin is incorporated well. In separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add dry to wet in small amounts until batter forms.

Fold in chips or raisins. Pour batter into muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until toddler decides he can't stand the wait any longer. Makes about 12 muffins. Enjoy!

20 Months

Is it possible in only four more months, we'll be celebrating Milo's second birthday? Goodness, the second year is moving quickly. Milo is mostly just a joy to be around these days.

He seems to be picking up new words each day (I realize I have said this before, it is still happening and is even more pronounced this month). New favorite words are hummus (joy for Milo because I found a tahini-free brand at Trader Joe's) and house. In addition to nouns, he is also starting use more proper names so GG is officially G, Grandpa is Pa, Uncle Tony is T and Mama and Daddy continue to be Mama and Daddy. He knows Sam and Prada (even though she hasn't lived here in months, if I say Prada he says cat!) are cats and he also knows the names of the cats around the neighborhood.

He points out the various parts of his body such as facial features, feet, hands, etc. Slowly he is getting more coordinated. He can run quite quickly and often takes off down the sidewalk to collect handfuls of leaves. If I ask him to stand like a flamingo, he will lift one or the other leg. My little yogi regularly practices down dog, cat and cow poses with me. Not being much of a climber in the beginning, Milo is now getting more comfortable pulling himself up / off couches, play equipment and chairs.

We've been part of the same playgroup for a year now. Milo and the other boys have grown up together and it is so interesting to see how they went from ignoring one another, to playing side by side, to now starting to tune into each other. At the end of each meeting there is a period of waving, hugs, and bye byes which is so sweet. I'm glad Milo (and I) have these friends to learn, grow and share with.

Holiday Plan

Thanks for your suggestions on dealing with holiday anxiety. Taking into consideration some of your advice (unfortunately a tropical vacation isn't in the cards this year), I've come up with the following plan of action to keep stress at a minimum and joy at a maximum.

• Enjoy myself! If I am having fun and am relaxed, those around me will be more likely to as well. Also, keep in mind that I can't control other people's words or actions, but I can control how I respond to them.
• Get main events on the calendar now. We're making a list of all the things we want to do over the next two months - concerts, tree hunting, lights viewing, shopping, caroling, worhsipping - and penciling those in now. That way it won't be December 20th and suddenly we realize we have no tree or presents under it (not that that happened last year or anything).
• Keep it all in perspective. At the risk of adding more things to my plate, I've signed up for a yoga / meditation home-based study. I think it will help keep me grounded.

Ah, Halloween

It strikes me that Halloween is quickly becoming my favorite holiday. There is candy, cute kids in costumes, good weather, and fun activities surrounding the main event (pumpkin patch and carving the pumpkins leading up to Trick or Treating). As a bonus to all the good about Halloween, what I like even more is all that is lacking about the holiday. There is no obligation to exchange presents, eat food you don't really like, or see absolutely everyone you are related to. Instead Halloween festivities are intimate and neighborhood centered. I like that.

Plus everyone just has fun and goes with the flow. Who has ever heard of Halloween guilt or families erupting into disagreements over what type of candy to give out? It just doesn't happen. It's not that serious.

Can you tell I am a little ambivalent about the upcoming holidays? I want the lightheartedness of Halloween to carry me through straight up until New Year's Eve. These pictures might help.

Do you have a favorite holiday or a tip to get me through the craziness of the next two months?

19 Months

Sadly, I am a few days late with this post...because a 19 month old really keeps a Mama busy. And they like to go a lot of places with other little rug rats who harbor viruses (I'm looking at you Cosi kid's area). Anyway, after a day under the weateher, I am back to feeling like myself again and ready to update on a 19 month old Milo.

Each day we're starting to see more and more personality and by that I mean, he suddenly has strong opinions on certain things (like where to eat his apple sauce). His favorite new word is NO said using two syllables and making a duck face with the lips. We try not to laugh, but truthfully we probably encouraged this phase. In the past couple of weeks, we would ask Milo if he drank coffee and he would shake his head and say no sweetly in his quiet voice. The game progressed to asking him if he drank wine or if he was tofu chicken. Each time he would reply in the negative and we would all laugh. Now he will mutter no for a good several minutes at a time.

This past month we have been doing a Tuesday morning tumbling class at our local rec center to get out some extra energy. Milo loves it! Each week there is free play to bounce around the mats and try out skills. Then we have circle time where we stretch and sing songs. Each week a new skill is introduced (forward roll, handstand, backward roll, hanging on the bar) and each child gets a turn. Finally we play with the big parachute. I love that Milo is learning exercise is fun. I also like that he gets to practice things I wouldn't teach him at home (um, handstand) and taking turns / waiting in line. It's been a great experience. Since I signed him up as early as I could have (the class is kids for 18 - 36 months), we'll be attending again in the future.

Even with Milo's seemingly boundless energy and strong opinions, he is just so much fun. He's a giggly, cuddly little buddy who is now learning to kiss back. Since I am, for now, the only recipient of those mushy kisses, I am appreciating each and every one.

What Goes with Chili

The last week or so has been rainy and chilly. We've turned the heat on and our outside play was confined to small bursts between sprinkles. It's not the ideal crisp air and sunny days of fall we long for in August, but it is the perfect weather for making a pot of chili.

People have strong beliefs about their chili - with beans, without beans, what type of beans, corn or no corn, five alarm or just a little heat. For this reason, I am not going to offer up my chili recipe (plus there isn't one as I just wing it every time I make it). I, am, however going to say the best accompaniment to chili is cornbread. Corn chips are an acceptable substitute, but please hold the spaghetti and (eww) rice.

With Milo being allergic to dairy and eggs, I didn't want to use the usual Jiffy mix I have in the past. Luckily it was very easy to find a super good vegan cornbread recipe. This stuff is so good and so easy that I don't think I'll ever use the box again. The original recipe is linked to above. My changes are below.

Vegan Wholewheat Corn Bread

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup bread flour

1 cup corn meal

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tbsp ground flax seed

6 tbsp warm water

4 tsp baking powder

1 cup rice milk

1/4 cup canola oil

Measure dry ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix with fork until combined. In separate small bowl, whisk together the flax and warm water. Add the other wet ingredients. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry. Scrape batter into greased 8 square inch baking dish. Bake in preheated oven at 355 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes.

This cornbread goes great with chili and would be nice with other bean based soups as well. It's also tasty the next day with avocado slices. Enjoy the fall weather - even if it is rainy!