as inspired by souleMama; one photo from our week, no words. only an image to sum up our time as a family, one that captures a moment in time and is a visual reminder of where we were at this moment. feel free to leave a link from your moment this week.
it is so confusing to me how one week the kids will love one food, and despise it the next. it is all so random and probably not even about the food, but about power instead.
last night, i made a super-duper fabulous coconut milk & shrimp stir-fry, which bear refused to eat. as soon as he got to the table he started his repetitive dialogue of “i hate this”, “i don’t like this”, which is a pretty common mantra around here recently. but, it’s frustrating because last week he gobbled up a similar stir-fry. all week he’s been at his rude, and last night, well, i had had it. i told me very calmly that it was time for him to change his attitude, eat up and be grateful. he didn’t take my suggestion, so he was sent to his room.
i quite enjoyed the stir-fry and am happy to share the recipe with you!
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium yellow onion
2 carrots
1 large handful kale
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 block of firm tofu
3 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 braggs soy sauce
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp oregano
1 sprinkling of fresh ground black pepper
1 package of pre-cooked frozen shrimp* (i took the tails off, as it’s easier for the kids)
1 can coconut milk
brown rice (how ever much you like to eat!)
DIRECTIONS:
1. chop onions, cube tofu and carrots into desired sizes. finely chop garlic and chop up kale.
2. start cooking your rice in a separate pot.
3. heat sesame oil in your wok or pan on a medium heat. do not over heat.
4. add onions and keep stirring until lightly browned.
5. add garlic and salt.
6. add tofu and braggs/ soy sauce. the pan will steam and spatter if it does this, turn your heat down. keep stirring the tofu so that it doesn’t stick or burn.
6. add carrots, turmeric, oregano and cumin.
7. let the ingredients stew together. if you have lid for your pan, put that on.
8. once the ingredients look nicely browned, softened and cooked, add coconut milk and shrimp. stir thoroughly.
9. let the sauce stew on a low temperature for a while.
10. serve the shrimp coconut sauce on rice.
*check the thawing instructions on your shrimp package. i tossed my shrimp in a colander and ran them under cool water.
i personally love me a good stir- fry. look at all of the beautiful colours and textures; makes me hungry just looking at the final product! we eat at least one stir-fry a week. i use whatever veggies i find in the fridge.
so, eventually bear apologized to me for being rude, but he still refused to eat his dinner, so it was straight to bed. he actually asked to go bed, which i understand. after three days of school he is always tired, super tired.
i hate dinner time battles. i take them personally as i am always thinking of the kids while preparing their meals. i think, “oh, lion loves tofu in this shape so that’s what i’ll do” or “bear was so excited last week when we had shrimp, so i’ll throw lots into this stir-fry tonight.he’ll be so happy”. silly me, i suppose!
what are your kids like at dinner? how do you deal with these kinds of power struggles?
here’s hoping tonight’s dinner goes more smoothly!
oh, my lion roars a loud roar when he wants to show off, but sometimes i forget that he really is so sensitive inside.
today, on the rainiest and greyest day of the season, i decided spontaneously to get random workout gear on, throw a few diapers and a banana in a backpack, and head to the Y. i’ve been slacking, BIG TIME, but with bear is school, my days are longer and by the time evening rolls around i’m ready to hit the couch for some tv time! i used to always hit the Y in the evenings for some zumba, kickboxing, pilates or yoga, but since september i just haven’t been able to find the motivation. i have spewed every excuse out there, which is totally embarrassing and wasted my dear hubby’s hard earned cash, while at it! terrible!
so now, there’s a new plan. i will work out while bear is in school and i can leave lion in the child minding at the gym. tuesday, yesterday was our first day of the new plan. i was feeling good about going, and was so proud of my guy as we sat at the front desk of the Y signing him up for his very own membership. he needs a membership so be in the childcare. when we walked into the play room, lion was fine. in fact, he was thrilled to see so many new and fabulous toys! he checked things out a little, while i chatted with the staff. then it was time to say good bye.
oh, his little face looked so sad when i kissed him. big tears rolled down his cheeks, but i just kept walking. i blew lots of smiles and kisses to him from the door, which is what we do in our family, and off i went. my heart was aching, as i knew my little guy was in the room crying, but i felt optimistic that he would calm down, so i headed for the elliptical machine. i stayed there doing my thing for 30 minutes, constantly looking over at the doors thinking i saw the staff coming to get me. but, lion didn’t have an epic scream fest that needed me immediately, instead he did cry a little off and on according to the staff.
we both survived, right?
at home, we snuggled on the couch, ate some lunch and watched elmo dance on tv. then it was nap time. lion fell asleep quickly and like clock work, woke up at the end of his first sleep cycle. he was crying, so i ran to him and lay down next to him as he fell back asleep. just as he was drifting his little hand came up, waved gently and he said “no, äiti, don’t go”. i kid you not. that’s when i started crying as i watched my sweet little boy sleep. how could i traumatize him so deeply, by leaving for only 30 minutes; all sorts of irrational thoughts filled my mind!
i had initially felt so good about his 30 minutes in the childminding, a little cocky in fact! yes, he cried, but it wasn’t dramatic and my kids are criers when we separate. but, now i see that this will be harder than i first thought. sigh. wish me luck on thursday as i will be hopefully leaving lion in the childcare room as i go and watch bear do his swim lesson in the pool!
oh, boy!
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i will sign off today with a birthday wish to the loveliest 7 year old gal i know! i remember the day this wee lady was born so well, dear hubby and i paced the floor of the waiting room in the hospital as we anxiously waited for news.
lots and lots of LOVE and HUGS!
happy wednesday to you all!
what are you up to today?
Welcome to the October 2012 Simplicity Parenting Carnival: Holidays
This post was written as part of the monthly Simplicity Parenting Carnival hosted by The Lone Home Ranger and S.A.H.M. i AM. This month we are discussing how we simplify the holiday season. Be sure to read to the end to see a list of the rest of the excellent carnival contributors.
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i am already planning for christmas 2012. if you know me personally, i’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that! yes, it is only october, but the holiday season is around the corner and i like to be as organized as possible! christmas is my favourite time of year. i get super excited, super psyched and super stressed. you can read all about the x-mas rage i experienced last season!
as my kids mature and start to feel and understand the excitement of the christmas season, i try to make a point of discussing the magic of things rather than the consumerism of things.
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i grew up in finland, and once december rolled around, kids were reminded of very sneaky “joulutontut” or christmas elves, who travel around spying on kids to see who is naughty and who is nice. the tontut are small little elves, who poke around corners and peek through windows to see what kids are up to, and will eventually report back to joulupukki or santa with a detailed report. as an adult, i have the skills to recognize the tontut and last holiday season i saw the tontut out of the corner of my eyes and told the kids; they believed.
that’s what christmas is about to us. the mystery and the magic.
each year the four of us love to get creative and make lots of gifts for people. one year i made big mason jars of soup. annually, we make a huge mess in the kitchen as we bake a large assortment of cookies, the kids make all sorts of art, we make our own x-mas cards (one year i drew each card by hand individually), we make wrapping paper and re-use gift wrap from years passed, and sometimes jazz up the old with potato stamps! there is a lot we do and in doing these things, we are kinder to mother-earth, gentler on our bank account, but most importantly we are teaching our kids an invaluable lesson : christmas is about giving, not about receiving. and specifically, it is about giving love, sharing love and being with family.
at four (almost five) i recognize that bear has inherited his mummo’s desire to create various things as gifts. he is eager to make art, both abstract or something practical for people he loves. his wee bro lion, is also very artistic and eagerly follows whatever project bear has on the go.
this year, i have some projects ear-marked that i can’t mention here, not yet anyway! there are some crafts that the boys and i will get to as we get closer to the giving season. we will make our annual batch of salt cookies, paint them and make garlands from them. we will re-make our christmas wreath on our door, make ice lanterns and maintain other finnish traditions. i will start playing festive music early and i am already collecting various items for the wall hanging advent calender i made the boys last christmas. bear is still talking about it!
sure, we talk about asking santa for things in our annual letter, but i always remind bear that just because he’s asking, doesn’t mean he’s receiving it! yes, we will buy the children presents, but as in years past i will buy lots of things second hand or we will make things ourselves. yes, we will buy gifts for our family and friends, but again, with frugality and the environment in mind. so, honestly, this holiday season will not be a buy nothing x-mas, but it will one which will include more baking and more crafts!
ho! ho! ho!
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Thanks for reading the Simplicity Parenting Blog Carnival! We hope you’ll take time to read these other great contributors’ posts: 
Thanks to all the fabulous writers and readers for being a part of our simplicity parenting community! Stop by The Lone Home Ranger and S.A.H.M. i AM to see how to join us for a future carnival.
fall is the perfect season for enjoying a bowl of yummy soup! this particular soup is a family favourite and has been in on our regular dinner rotation for years. it’s fast, delicious and there’s always room for creativity! we started with the original recipe from “the joy of cooking”, but through the years we have modified it to fit our tastes better. the recipe below is ours.
INGREDIENTS:
3 medium leeks
7-10 medium yellow potatoes
4-5 cups water/ broth*
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 sprinkling of ground black pepper
3 cloves of garlic
DIRECTIONS:
1. wash and peel potatoes. cut in to quarters.
2. wash and chop leeks.
3. chop garlic into desired size.
4. heat olive oil in your soup pot on your stove, but do not let it get too hot.
5. add vegetables and garlic. let them sautee at a medium heat. then add the salt.
6. add broth and let the veggies soften.
7. once the potatoes are soft, take pot off the hot stove top and with an immersion blender puree until smooth. sometimes i add a little water if i think the consistency is too thick. you could also add a little milk.
8. serve with fresh ground pepper and a dollop of sour cream on top.
* we only use veggie broth as we are vegetarian. some use a chicken broth. i prefer to use a homemade broth, instead of the bouillon cubes, as they often tend to be full unknown additives.
** today, i added a medium bunch of fresh kale to the mix. just before i blended the soup i finely chopped up the kale and added it to the pot. it’s a quick and painless way to add dark leafy greens into the family diet!
enjoy!
happy monday everyone!
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lastly, i want to mention that i’ll be participating in a blog carnival soon… can’t wait to let you guys know the exciting details!
we are not new or immune to the tension between the boys.
as of late, our house has become a popular place for sibling squabbles and brotherly fury! bear has become verbally quite aggressive towards his little brother saying things like “you’re garbage” or “you’re the worst brother ever” or “you’re stupid”. lion understands that these verbal attacks are exactly that, attacks, and responds by pushing his hand at his brother screaming and repeating “no garbage”. (on a side note, it is shocking how many kids shows say the word stupid! have you noticed?)
it’s exhausting and so upsetting to me. i get pretty mad when i hear bear say mean things like that, and now i just resort to immediate consequences, instead of dishing out any warnings. i’ve decided i can’t tolerate that kind of intentional meanness, even if it’s expected and normal between brothers. it’s not ok. and bear knows it. so does lion, even though he’s barely 2 years old. but, it’s not just about what someone says, it’s how they say it and their body language, which i think is why lion gets so worked up.
we talk a lot about being mean around here. because, being mean is behaviour that is purposefully hurtful to someone else. bear tells me that some kids at school are mean, providing a platform to talk about the feelings surrounding meanness; those belonging to the attacker and those of the target.
about two weeks ago bear told me he felt bad that lion gets to stay home with me, while he goes to school. bear’s mean behaviour has exploded and coincided with the start of school this fall. this new boom in his meanness has led us to talk about jealousy as well. it’s a tricky conversation to have with a four year old, but one that i think i’m getting better at. since bear has verbalized feeling left out, i have tried to make a conscious effort to spend a little bit of one-on-one time with him every day. even if it’s five minutes, because i think that’s better than nothing. sometimes we just chat about life, other times we’ll work on a craft, or watch a little tv and snuggle on the couch.
dear hubby and i are on a learning curve as parents when it comes to dealing with sibling rivalry. as long as we are consistent with our expectations and with the discipline equally with both kids then i think we will be able to cope with things better. it’s tough tho, it’s survival of the fittest and each child is fighting to be seen and heard, while knocking the other guy out of the game!
it’s all about even-steven around here; note that for this post i have included the same number of photo’s of each boy, just in case they check!
most importantly for me as their mama, the key is to recognize each child as an individual with different interests, different ways of learning or achieving things, and acknowledging that they express their needs in their own unique ways. it’s so easy to lump the boys into “the kids”, while forgetting they are bear and lion.
i missed blogging yesterday, i know. i’ve been at it daily for almost two months, and although i love my time blogging, i do get tired and feel like i need time away from this space. it’s not so much a question of writer’s block, but more about laziness!
hope you had a wonderful weekend!
we sure did. lots of visiting with all sorts of family and friends!
: ANNOUNCEMENT : ANNOUNCEMENT :
there is some business i would like to take care of. facebook now requires page administrators to promote their updates if we want our content to be seen by our fans. If we do not promote our posts, only about 10% of the fans receive the updates on the facebook home page feed.
To keep RECEIVING ALL POSTS FROM BEAR & LION you have to hover the mouse on the “Like” button near MY name BEAR & LION. a drop-down menu will appear and select “ADD TO INTEREST LISTS“. then create an interest list (and you can make a nickname for your favourite sites). when you select that interest list you will see ALL of my posts and you won’t miss anything important!
follow the above instructions for ANY facebook page you care about, so you can continue seeing all the posts from the pages you love.
thanks and please share this info with others!
as inspired by souleMama; one photo from our week, no words. only an image to sum up our time as a family, one that captures a moment in time and is a visual reminder of where we were at this moment. feel free to leave a link from your moment this week.
