Intrepid Murmurings

I wish I had a picture for you, but alas.  I never think to take pictures, and my food pics often come out poorly anyway.  But this is a super easy dinner, that turns out great every time.  I don't do much measuring when I cook this way, so its definitely a rough guide.  Check this post over at the Foster Family blog for more easy dinner recipe ideas!  

Ingredients: 

One can diced tomatoes (fresh would be fine too)

1-2 cans small white beans (or other, your choice. Dried can work too, I think, with added liquid and time?) 

3-4 sausages (its really good with spicy ones, but any will work)

1 medium onion, diced 

(optional) 1-2 cups chopped veggies of your choice -- carrots, celery, leafy greens?   

One large box/can of chicken broth (or equivalent), plus water to stretch it if you'd like 

crushed garlic, to taste (2-4 cloves?)

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

salt, to taste (I would check and add at the end - I rarely need any thanks to the salt in the sausage and broth) 

one bay leaf

other herbs, fresh (chopped) or dried, to taste.  I like tarragon, basil, parsley or rosemary... 

Directions:

You can just toss everything in, turn on the slow cooker and it all will turn out well!  I often use frozen sausage, thaw it just enough to slice, then brown it (with the onions and garlic) in a pan (or IN your crock on the stove if you have the Versaware one that I have!!!) before tossing it in.  I have also tossed the sausages in whole and frozen, and pulled them out to cut at partway or all the way through cooking.  

For cooking time, I usually do it on low for 4-6 hours, but my crock seems to run somewhat hot.  If I am using frozen meat it needs to go longer -- then I often put it on high for 2 or so hours an then turn it to low after that.  I am generally home all day to check on it, so I am not very aware of cook times!  If you can experiment a few times before leaving it alone all day, that might help. 

I like this served with lots of crusty bread and a salad, but its nice with pasta added as well!  Yum!

About 3 weeks ago I lost my camera.  It was a little point and shoot one, nothing super fancy, but still worth enough to be concerned when it disappeared.  Its the one I take out with us (fits in my backpack or pocket easily) so I've not been taking as many pictures as usual.  

But now its found!  Woo hoo!  It was in the pocket of my (much detested) raincoat, that I tend to avoid wearing unless absolutely needed . The last time I wore it was when we went to the park together as a family.  It was sunny afternoon (after many dreary wet days) so we got everyone ready and packed up....only to find it raining when we stepped outside.  Ah well, life in Seattle.  So we went to the park in the rain, anyway, and had lots of fun.  And it did stop raining again, for a bit!  

These aren't the best shots (some are kinda blurry), but I like them anyway.  So glad to have my camera back!  

Lest we forget who is the boss around here...

I couldn't help myself in taking these pictures, at various points this morning.  It was  a great sunny day, the girls were in a pretty good mood (Emma was at school) and the outfits were just too cute!  Delia is in blue, Elsie in pink.  They are L.L. Bean raincoats, kate quinn organics kimono dresses (gotten for a steal on a Mini Social sale -- if you need an invite, let me know!), and BabyLegs.  Love them all!  

 Little people.  Appearing all over the house.  Frozen in little scenes, after someone has wandered off.

Breastfeeding, and those baby cuddles where they burrow their face into your neck.

Goldfish crackers, string cheese, Cheerios 

Lullaby music 

Footed pajamas, tiny little socks, Babylegs

The happy sounds of little ones:  singing, shrieks, giggles 

Thanks to Sarah of Two Wooden Spoons for the inspiration for this post.  

Now, go post one of your own!  And let me know in the comments so I can go check it out!  

....dropped yesterday.  Both ears.  I knew it!  Delia was awake for hours the night before, and then was feverish and just cried and wanted to nurse constantly all morning (which gets old fast, when trying to get breakfast for the others and everyone ready and out of the house, let me tell you!).  She barely ate all day long, too.  Luckily I was able to get an appointment while Emma was at school and when the Dr. saw us he laughed because I had told him he'd be seeing us again in a few days.   

Now though, everyone is back in good spirits.   Antibiotics work fast!

Not too good in the blogging department this week -- life is getting in the way!  

Everyone still in various stages of recovery from this nasty cold.  Emma was gloriously happy to go back to school after a missed week, but I had to keep the babies home from a twins playdate because they slept like CRAP last night and needed an AM nap.  As did I, but organized and cleaned up the spice cabinet (aka random stale spices in a sticky ocean of honey) and did online price comparisons for overnight diapers (so worth it!) instead.  FUN!  And they slept for almost 2 hours!  Ran out to pick up Emma from school, and then around lunchtime Elsie became a sad, screaming mess thanks to an ear infection*. Luckily I was able to grab a 5:30 Dr. appointment, fed everyone first then got to the appointment, got the required meds (thank you modern medicine, especially numbing ear drops because ibuprofin wasn't touching it!), and then literally was home for 15 min before heading out again (leaving Lonnie with three screaming kids at bedtime, yeeps!) to arrive half an hour late to a parenting class.  Halfway through the class I realized I left my phone in the car, and called home to check in and they were all asleep.  Whew.  

For two hours every Tuesday night I am taking a class on Positive Discipline at Emma's preschool.  LOVING IT!  Its really great (except for the part where I have to ROLE PLAY, OMG) and I will post more about it soon.  

I've also been tackling various housecleaning and organizing projects (in small chunks, since thats all I can handle) and thats been good.  So much more to do, but it feels like progress.  

Right now I am eating ice cream and listening to silence.  Heaven.  

*as for the ear infection, its actually great that we've made it this far through the winter without more problems, since last year both Elsie and Delia were getting them with every cold that came through.  This is the first since early last spring!  No more talk of tubes, at least for now.   Of course now I am waiting for the other shoe to drop, since in the past if one had it the other always got it too.  So far Delia seems fine (though she was up a lot in the night, too), so we'll see.  I'm guessing its about 75% likely I will be back to the Dr's office within the week for her... 

Its been that kind of week, food wise, and I am writing this post both to vent and maybe to prove to myself that its not actually as bad as it seems. Ha!  Here's our list, in no particular order:

Fruits: apples, strawberries**, grapes, dried mango, raisins, frozen blueberries (not fresh)

Vegetables: peas, corn, edamame, raw carrots, beets, artichoke (fresh & with mayo only), potato in some forms (mostly fried, occasionally mashed) 

Dairy: cow milk, soy milk, cheddar cheese, string cheese, cream cheese, butter, cottage cheese*, ice cream

Meats/nuts: hot dogs, ham, turkey/chicken deli slices, plain roasted cashews

Grains: crackers, sliced bread, english muffins, bagels, chips & pretzels, Cheerios,  Rice Krispies, Kix*, granola*, popcorn*, plain pasta*, white rice*, pancakes or waffles*

Prepared or mixed/multi ingredient foods or recipes: box mac 'n cheese, ramen*, quesadillas*, granola bars, cereal bars*.  I honestly can't think of anything else that she will eat that fits this category

Treats: plain chocolate and M&Ms, some types of cookies, ice cream, cake* 

Foods of note she Will Not Touch:  most fruit & veggies, beans or any type meat (beef, pork, fish, chicken, even nuggets!), yogurt, applesauce, dried fruit, pudding, hamburgers, pizza,  most pasta, homemade mac and cheese, spaghetti, peanut butter, smoothies, muffins or pastries, any sauce, any soups, stews or casseroles.  Also most candy or kid vitamins.  

 *these foods she'll eat occasionally, but not often/always  **she's mildly allergic, so we can't really offer them much 

So obviously she's not starving, and it could be a lot worse.  There is enough in each food group that we manage.  But GAH! I am so tired of her pickiness!  The problem lately is that while we no longer pressure her to eat anything (even a one bite try -- she won't do it so we don't even ask most of the time), we also don't cater to her, and if she doesn't like her options (usually 4 or so different foods per meal) she starts begging for other stuff or throwing tantrums.  We really never give in, so I think its more frustration than anything?  There is literally nothing she will eat in most restaurants (luckily we don't eat out much, but still!) and it definitely causes her stress when we eat anywhere but home.  

I am fine with her not eating if she is not hungry, but thats not the problem!  She is hungry but won't eat most of the foods we as a family eat and serve (and that a year or two ago, she loved) and then freaks out about it.  What's up with that? Please tell me this phase will pass!  Up until the past few years I assumed really picky eaters were made, not born (as in the parents somehow caused it) but I absolutely don't believe that anymore.  Geesh!  Anyone have tips for me, or at least an anecdote for me to cling to?  

So, this week has been a bit of a drag, due to the preschooler being really quite sick (cold, fever, odd aches and pains, general malaise, and now the little ones are getting it too, a bit more mildly) which has been keeping us out of our usual rainy day haunts.   The combo of staying home and rainy days can make for a little stir craziness for us all!

Here are a few things we did a few days ago that were a lot of fun.  Everyone enjoyed themselves, kids stayed busy for the most part (whew) and we had very few meltdowns!  We even got to get outside for a bit, and ate lunch outside at the picnic table, thanks to some nice sunbreaks and really warmish temps.  Yay!     

Anyway, here are the activities: 

1) I received this pasta beading activity via a toddler activity bag trade (where 12 folks made an activity for 12 others, then we all traded and got one of each).  Its just raw/dried pasta that has been dyed somehow, and ribbon with a pipe cleaner "needle" on one end and a metal loop on the other (to keep the pasta from falling off that end, and so you can fasten the pipe cleaner to it to make a temporary necklace).  I had never let Elsie and Delia try this before, but they actually had fun too!  I had to help them with the threading, especially with some of the smaller beads, and we lost a few that were chewed to bits (YUCK), but overall they had fun!   

2) After that success I felt emboldened to pull out the bean tub, which has been in seclusion due to the mouthy baby factor.  Just a washtub full of dried beans bought in bulk, and a lot of toys to play with.  Fun fun!  I had the brilliant idea to put it on a blanket, and tried to impress upon them the importance of keeping the beans ON the blanket to contain the mess a bit.  When the blanket was covered, everyone would get off and I would dump them back in and set it back out again.  It worked! Definitely took my keeping an eye on, but it was fun and not too big of a mess at all!  

3) Another boredom buster that often works for us is "mixing it up" -- combining toys or activities in ways we don't ordinarily try.  One thing I like to do sometimes is adding the girls play food (plastic/wooden/etc) and our real kitchen pots and pans Add in some mixing bowls and utensils and let them have at it!  Similarly, my girls enjoy playing with their regular toys (plastic people/animals or plastic play dishes/silverware) in the kitchen sink with some bubbles.  We have a learning tower which works great for one or two kids at a time.  

Another fun combo around here is blocks and little people or plastic animals.  Making buildings or roads for them, lining up all the people or animals on a long block or row of blocks, etc.  Maybe this isn't novel for most folks but around here the people and blocks tend to be played with separately so the combination adds intrigue when they are bored with their methods of play. And one last idea in this vein is to set out collections of little things (dominos, marbles, keys, etc) and some muffin tins and egg cartons (or other divided boxes or containers).  I generally set them out on a big tray so that the things are somewhat contained. Emma loves this, the babies don't get to do it as much (yet again due to putting things in mouth), but are getting there.  

4) And finally, there is magazine collages.  Lord knows we have enough old (and unread) magazines piled up around here!  I just started cutting out of pictures from a magazine (dogs, babies & kids and food go over REALLY well, as did a lot of holiday type items like santas, presents, cookies from a December mag) while they all pointed out and grabbed the ones they liked.   Then add paper and glue sticks and have at it!  I had to direct the little ones with the glue a bit, and had to assist in trading/sharing some of the highly sought after pictures, but it was mostly fun and easy.  And here are the results: 

What are some of your favorite rainy day activities?  We are always up for some new ideas!  

Yesterday Delia fell and hit her face on a little table.  She wanted to nurse, so I let her.  Elsie immediately wanted to as well, but I declined.  My general rule these days is if we nursing for a hurt, I only nurse the injured party.    

So then, Elsie went over to the table, and very gently touched her head to the table a couple times.  Then uttered a big fake cry, and hurried over to me saying "Mokie!  Mokie!".   Points for creativity, and acting skills taboot!  I succumbed.   

-------  

Lonnie (after smelling something's amiss):  "Who's poopy"?

In unison...

Elsie: "Dee Dee"

Delia "Eee-sie"  

Conclusion, after facts checked: both

-------

The following scene I happened upon a few days ago.  E & D were playing very quietly together over in the corner, with some of the dollhouse stuff.  They had the oven and stove part from the kitchen set, and a teeny tiny little pot, which lately has been forbidden for them since they always put it in their mouths (and have bitten the handles off several of them!).  It was out though, and they were having a great time opening and closing the oven door and putting the pot in and out.  They were totally doing it together and so pleased with it.  When I "caught" them, Delia totally gave me this look of guilty glee (because they aren't supposed to be playing with those tiny pieces) and I had to take some pics.  

Before they knew I was watching them.

Busted! Delia knows they're getting away with something.

Who me?  I'm innocent!  

Elsie checking me out.

Elsie showing me the pot.

Mmmm....drinking from the tiny pot. 

I just wanted to give a shout out to Carrie of Tubeless in Seattle -- she just posted a summery of her efforts to breastfeed her triplets and woo, I am impressed!  Sounds like she is doing great!  Yay, Carrie!  

I feel like there is such a lack of knowledge, understanding and support for nursing multiples (as well as birthing multiples, but thats a topic for another post!).  There can be so many obstacles early on, particularly if the babies are preemies.  The time factor with twins or more is huge.  Since breastfeeding is such a private, behind doors and wraps thing in our culture, I think going in many new mothers (me included!) have no idea how much TIME it can take in the early months, even with an efficient nurser or decent milk supply.  Its a big shock to realize how much of your life is about nursing for awhile there!  Add a second or third baby and its quite overwhelming!  But it is often so possible.  I think the "tribe" support is key -- which I was so lucky and thankful to have.   I am positive I could not have managed a toddler and nursing twins if it were not for my support crew.  Thanks everyone!  

What do your kids eat for breakfast?  I am feeling bored with our routine.  I've borrowed an awesome breakfast cookbook, which I really like, but I find 1) I am tired, lazy and uninspired in the morning and 2) a lot of the foods in there are a kind of a hard sell --  my kids are very stuck in a breakfast rut (at least the preschooler is)!

Usually they have cold cereal or toast/english muffin/bagels with cream cheese and some kind of fruit (pears, bananas, apple slices, canned peaches, applesauce).  Sometimes I add in yogurt or eggs (Emma rarely will touch either, the babies LOVE the yogurt and sometimes the eggs).  Waffles and pancakes go over well fresh, but are not as popular frozen and reheated (RATS!).  Oatmeal used to be a favorite of the little ones, but no longer...   

I've found my kids start out with a light breakfast (babies nurse before that) and then have one or two substantial snacks in the AM.  I'd much rather they eat a big breakfast and skip one of those snacks!  

Here are my breakfasters today.  Delia (in red) was in an awesome mood and was just so goofy and happy and  grown up I just had to get the camera...

Awhile back, and for a good many months, I was actually getting to read a fair bit.  Real books, I mean, not just snippets from magazines or all the wonderful bloggy goodness I get sucked into on the web.  The stars aligned with a combo of my routine of nursing the babies down (and them needing some time to get settled, so I was there for awhile), their need for two naps a day, in daylight hours (bedtime its too dark to read so I listen or play with my iPod).   

Elsie and Delia are actually really sweet when its bedtime, and I like to chat and cuddle and play with them a bit first.  Even though I have both of them there, tandem nursing, I find this is great one-on-one time.  Its hard to explain, because obviously the other twin is always right there listening/watching, but they are amazingly great at just chilling and nursing or whatever while I interact with the other.  Its sweet.  But after a few minutes of talking and interacting, I find its good to sort of "check out" mentally so that they get the message its time to sleep, and that is where I get my reading in.  Yahoo!  

But lately, I am finding less and less time to read!  Bummer!  I think its because we've dropped a nap (there goes 20 or so minutes of reading time!)  and that they are needing to nurse less (they actually rarely fall asleep nursing now) -- so after 10 minutes or so at nap and bedtime I really ought to just put them in their cribs. Waaaah!  No more forced reading time!  I realize this is a silly complaint -- I should just go sit down and read with my newfound spare time!  But once I am out of the chair and other things are calling, its easy to choose something else to do.  Ah well.  

So lately the books have been stacking up!  I really need to get cracking!  Here is a list of what's on my "to-read" pile (I don't own ALL of these, but the top 6-7 I do).   Not a ton of heavy literature, or much literature at all, I'm afraid!  I'm still finding I mostly want to plow through parenting books when I find the time....

Kristin's to-read book list

Kristin Hutchinson's favorite books »

Hey, if any of you are also Goodreads users (and not already on my friends list), let me know -- I'd love to see what you are reading! Many of the books on my list are from the suggestions of other friends. So many books, so little time!