To Continue?

So here it is, four whole days past the 16th and no month update has been posted. Although we have been busy and our sleep schedules seem to be undergoing another upheaval, this is mainly because I can't decide if I want to continue the monthly updates or not. On the one hand, I really like having the photograph each month and some written reminder of what Milo is doing and what we've been up to. On the other hand, I seem to be repeating myself quite a bit because at this age toddlers build on skills rather than come up with something totally new. If I do continue, I'll change the format a bit. I'm thinking bullet points and picture rather than a whole post each month and I'll stop counting by month (I can't imagine saying he is 25 months old - the boy is two, very two).

Go Ahead and Touch

As the mother to a curious two-year-0ld, I spend a lot of time saying don't touch. I don't particularly like saying don't touch, but many things in life aren't for touching and some objects are just plain dangerous. So don't touch it is, at least most of the time. One afternoon after nap, I thought we would do an activity particularly made for touching and tactile exploration.

Several of the blogs I read are really into sensory boxes, so I thought I would give it a try. A sensory box is simply a container full of various textures - typically dry rice or beans and then whatever else you want to add (I used felted wool balls, quarters and larger beans amongst green split peas). To be honest, at first I really didn't see the point of these types of activities (plus I don't like the idea of food - no matter how cheap - going to waste). Milo wasn't a fan at first either, but the more we played and talked about the different objects we were feeling the more he liked it. The part he liked most though was getting a spoon and stirring it into a "soup" and then dividing into smaller bowls. While also an interesting activity, it didn't meet the goals of sensory, so I tried to direct him back to using his hands and searching for the different objects amongst the split peas.

All in all, it was a fun way to pass an hour, but I'm not sure sensory boxes will be a mainstay at our house. I'll keep trying to incorporate new textures and perhaps he'll come to like the activity more as he gets older. In the meantime, I am trying to think of a new craft to use all those split peas.

Meatless Dinners

In late high school and college, I flirted with being a vegetarian. I didn't really like eating meat and when there was an option, I chose veggie, but I didn't go out of my way to be consistently vegetarian. Eventually I came to like meat and became more comfortable with preparing it so that meat is often consumed at our house. However, there are many people who believe you can't really be a yogi and eat meat (it goes against the principle of ahimsa or non-violence). I'm not ready to ditch the meat entirely, but it's not a coincidence that I planned two meatless dinners for us this week when coming off of a weekend spent at yoga teacher training. Here are those two meals:

Pasta and Kale and Olives

1 box whole wheat pasta cooked according to package directions

1 bunch kale

1 can of fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves

small container of pitted green olives from the grocery store olive bar, chopped

Parmesan cheese

olive oil

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add rinsed and chopped kale, tomatoes and olives. Steam covered until kale is softer and a more bright green color. Season to taste with salt, pepper, dried basil, red pepper flakes. Add cooked, drained pasta to pan, drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Top with grated cheese.

Verdict: Chris and I loved this one! So yummy and so simple. If you want more veggies, you can double the amount of kale. Milo happily ate a large serving of this and then asked for meat. He's a carnivore, that one.

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 can black beans or 2 cups cooked dried beans

1 cup taco sauce

1/2 cup salsa

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

Any desired add ins: frozen spinach, onion, corn

Flour tortillas

Cheddar cheese

Combine rice, beans, taco sauce, salsa and sweet potato (plus any add ins) in large pan. Cook until potato is tender adding liquid as needed, about 20 minutes. Spoon filling into tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish. Top with more taco sauce and desired amount of cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese is bubbly about 15 minutes.

Verdict: This is a hit here: we've been eating it almost once per week throughout the winter. I love that I can up the nutritional value by adding various ingredients and it keeps the dish from being the same each time. I've done this with corn tortillas also, but they don't stay together as well in the pan. The key to this recipe is having the rice already cooked. Typically if we have a stir fry with rice on Monday, it means we are going to be eating this on Wednesday because I just cook extra and save it.

So two nights of eating meatless this week means we're having cheeseburgers on the grill tonight!

Free Range Spring

Last week the bright pansies Milo and I planted on Monday were covered in a surprisingly large amount of snow by Wednesday.

Today there was rain and thunderstorms. In between showers we pulled on rain boots and headed out back for puddle jumping and splashing. As long as Milo holds my hand, I let him play in the alley that runs behind and beside our house. The best puddles are there.

A woman walked by with a disapproving look and muttered how brave I was. Brave for letting my son play in the rain? For letting him be a kid and jump in water to see how it splashes around his feet? I don't think that qualifies as brave, just as a fun way to pass the hours on a rainy Spring morning.

Monkey Chatter

My little boy is climbing back down the evolutionary path and acting positively primate like. He is a climbing machine! Up and down chairs, tables and any other structure that will hold still. On playgrounds he is reaching higher and higher heights.

A few months back I wondered why he was content to stay on the ground when his peers were already climbers. Clearly he was just biding time and improving his climbing skills because he is now scampering around tall platforms like it's his job. And scaring his Mama just a bit in the process.

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In yoga we sometimes talk about the monkey chatter that takes place in every one's head. It's that feeling of voices in your head going from thought to thought to yet another thought. In some lights, yoga is a way to still those thoughts and instead focus on just one thought. It's harder to do than it seems and we all need practice at just being. We are not our thoughts and our thoughts are not us.

Sick House

We capped off Milo's birthday party weekend with a Sunday night of him throwing up in our bed. It wasn't pretty and resulted in more than a few loads of laundry as sheets needed to be washed and jammies changed repeatedly. Milo had never thrown up before. Not only was it uncomfortable for him, but it seemed to scare him.

What I was hoping was an isolated incident - maybe he ate something off - turned out to be a week long virus that so far has gotten me, Chris and my Mom, too. I hope it stops there, but this bug seems to have some legs and knows how to get around.

Today was the first day any of us here really felt like eating. Chris went straight for a Graffiti Burger and fries. My stomach wasn't up to that, so Milo and I stuck with frozen waffles, apple sauce and soup.

We've all been drinking too much juice, watching way more Elmo than is appropriate and spending plenty of couch time cuddling. In fact, other than the whole throwing up part of it, I don't think Milo has minded being sick at all.

TWO!

While this might look like a mug shot, the only thing Milo is guilty of is being a super cute and sweet little boy. I can't quite believe he is two! And, so far at least, two is great! Some special things to note about my two-year-old:

• He gives the best hugs. Especially before bed, Milo is a very tight hugger. I love the feel of his little arms around my neck. He's also a fan of hugging his friends good bye. We're working on this because some of his friends are not huggers. He looks at them like they are crazy while I explain hugging isn't for everyone.
• Milo is really enjoying craft activities. He loves to paint with water colors on his easel. Play dough is a super fun play treat. And watch out when I get out the glue, because Milo thinks it is wonderful to squeeze out.
• Thanks to silly Uncle Tony, Milo now has a fondness for pirates. He thinks they are hilarious and will erupt into crazy giggles if we mention a pirate flag at the bottom of the ocean.
• Milo is getting more concerned about others. He gets worried if Pa is coughing too much and asks if he is "otay." He also doesn't like it if I say ouch.
• As always, Milo is very interested in feeding animals. Lately he has been offering every animal we see fries. Cooking is still Milo's favorite game.
• My little climber is becoming more and more self assured on playgrounds. He can now use the ladder type apparatus which has me both proud and a little fearful. I don't need to follow him around on playgrounds anymore because he has a much clearer idea of sudden drops.
• Milo makes up silly little jokes which are primarily answering questions wrong and then laughing. For example, he thinks it is super funny to say that Pa and G live at our house. If you ask Milo how old he is, he says three and then giggles. Not so fast Buster, I think two is going to be something we both want to enjoy.