What are you reading?

 Let me make a list of places I have/had library cards to:

• Sgt. Bluff
• Sioux City
• Ames
• Orange City
• London
• Urbandale
• Johnston
• Grimes
• Des Moines Public

And if we throw in school library cards, I also would have ones to Northwestern, Iowa State, London City Metro Colleges, Gonzaga. Basically I collect library cards. I collect library cards like some people collect passport stamps. Fortunately, library cards, not counting library fines, are cheaper than traveling abroad :)

Needless to say, if I bought books I could potentially avoid piling up the library fines that I'm currently accruing at DM Public. And if Lance ever stops working downtown, I'm going to have to find someone else to make my twice a week library run. Lance has been working downtown for eight years, except for a short two month gap a few years ago. He loathes my library runs because he always feels like he's picking up or returning the oddest things - like I've Got Your Number by Sophia Kinsella (don't read, it's really a poor read) or the latest Justin Timberlake cd The 20/20 Experience. I like broad range of topics as illustrated below. I've made my way through most/parts of all these books and here's what I think.

1. Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures. Great laugh for those with toddlers or those who have been through the parenting game. There are some language things, but when your toddler just dumped pee all over the floor (again) or sneezed his nasty strep throat germs all over you (again) or your husband managed to somehow to sleep through the crying baby for the second night in a row, some language is warranted.
2. Bebe Day by Day. I'm still not convinced that French kids eat sardine mousse at the age of 18 months. In fact I don't know any 18 year-olds that would eat sardine mousse. But I didn't feel like I had any huge revelations, especially after having previously read Druckerman's Bringing up Bebe. Again, don't immediately go to babies when they are crying at night; PAUSE and see if they are truly in need of something. My second learning was that french daycare is AWESOME - cheap, supportive and they all have a personal chef. I might even consider moving to France for that very reason (despite a very apparent lack language skills - parlez-vous anglais?
3. The Condition.  Okay, I didn't read this one. I'm not sure I started it. Perhaps I did and found it depressing. But it must have been due before I really had a chance to dig in. Another day.
4. The Reason for God. Oh Tim Keller, you stretch me. We read this for our small group's "summer book club" and it was thought provoking and challenging. Basically it lays out all the reasons for people who have disbelief about Christianity and dispels each one of the reasons and then Keller gives the reasons why you should believe in Christianity. It's not a light read by any means. 
5. Calling Me Home. I really, really liked this book. It reminded me a bit of The Help in it's setting and era. It surprised, saddened and made me hopeful all in one setting. It's an easy read and enjoyable.
6. Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style and Everyday Fun. I miss daytime television. Daphne Oz is the author of this book and on The Chew. She's stylish and lovely and uber-healthy. It's not so much a cookbook as it's more of a lifestyle book. Which is fine if you like that sort of stuff, but I was looking for food and her recipes were a bit fussy and filled with ingredients that I doubted my family would like. I really wanted to like it, but it fell a bit flat.
7. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Another blogger gone cookbook author. As a general rule I enjoy bloggers gone "authors." Perlman's pictures are beautiful and her recipes are lovely, but they were not where this family is at. I try to introduce adventurous items into the L&L's diets (lest they become picky Todd family eaters *shudders*) but I found that the recipes had "adventurous" ingredients and a long prep time. Not for this busy momma.
8. The Picky Palate Cookbook. Blogger author (have you noticed a trend in my reading patterns?) I think that I should check this one out again. Author Jenny Flake had a lot of good, practical recipes for families that seemed "normal." I didn't get a chance to do more than just flip through this one because it was due back to the library.
9. Garden Rescue. Not a book about food! Or chick lit! Probably my favorite thing about the summer is our garden. I love eating (yes, I know more food) fresh food picked in my backyard. What I don't love so much are the bugs and fungus that occasionally infest our poor plants. In our seven years of owning this house and our subsequent six gardens, we've learned a few things but we have a long ways to go in figuring out most of our garden issues. Lance hoped that this book would contain a magical solution to our terrible grass, but it didn't. I would tell you that solution is fertilizer and regular watering. Bam. Grass and lawn genius. Someone pay me $100 for my consultation fee. But I digress. This book had some helpful solutions and insights. Nothing earth shattering though.

These are just a few things I read this summer. I also re-read the entire Anne of Green Gables series, The Secrets of Happy Families, The Tao of Martha, My Berlin Kitchen and a few others. I'm trying to get Lance to finish reading Parenting with Love and Logic. Because we need to figure out the best way to parent Lucan and not screw him up :)
What's been on your nightstand?

Toilet Training - I need a Trainer!

I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to potty training. Zero.

And the internet doesn't do anything except make me feel more conflicted about how to approach this endeavor. I've read blogs, parenting websites, watched youtube videos. I still know nothing about potty training.

Case in point: I've been trying to have Lucan run around the house without pants and a diaper. Lots of peeing on things that aren't the potty. One day I changed his shirt because it was soaking wet and he insisted on wearing a onesie. A white, Iowa State onesie in which he then insisted that get snapped at the bottom (I tried to leave it unsnapped but he kept doing head stands and somersaults in trying to button the snaps himself. It was pretty funny so I finally took pity on him and snapped him up). Two minutes after snapping the buttons, Lance asked me if I smelled poop. At the time I didn't. Then Lucan entered the room and announced "poop!" Lance proceeded to ask Lu if he needed to poop, but it was too late. Lu had already pooped in his onesie and used the snaps as a poop hammock. That was a fine moment in potty training.

But here are the few things that we're doing and I have no idea whether they are right or not.

• I bought a frog potty a month back when he started being interested. I figured it couldn't hurt. He had been taking off his diaper for a long time at this point. 
• At daycare Lu saw everyone using the potty and he wanted in on the action. 
• At daycare he will go on his own, by himself. He won't do this at home. I have to basically beg for him to use the potty. 
• On the flip side, at daycare Lucan has been caught trying to flush an entire roll of toilet paper. Twice. He doesn't do this at home. Daycare provider's exact words "He's sneaky, fast." Yeah, I know. 
• If he successfully uses the potty, Lucan gets three M&Ms. 
• We've installed an order to pottying - first potty, then dump potty, flush, wash hands and then TREAT. Lu understands the concept of treat pretty well. He likes to run around the house yelling "TREAT!" at the top of his lungs. 
• At home we let Lucan go diaper-less and pant-less. This is supposed to help lessen confusion and help them understand when their body is telling them to go. All I've seen is an increase in pee puddles. 
• If Lucan poops, I give him extra M&Ms. Because poop is worth a party full of M&Ms.
• Positive reinforcement only. If Lucan has an accident, I don't scold him. That being said, Lucan peed on the floor intentionally the other day. Lance made him mad and Lu looked him square in the eye and started peeing. Awesome.
• We still diaper during naps, at night and if we're going somewhere or have people over. This probably isn't helping Lucan learn. 

OKAY. Someone tell me what to do next!!

Favorite Gifts for a First Birthday

I had the pleasure of spending some time last weekend hanging out with some old friends of my parents. They are getting ready to celebrate their first grand child’s first birthday asked for some ideas about a good gift for the occasion and it got my thinking cap going. Granted, they were working around some pretty tight guidelines (no clothes, no toys and no books) and I wasn’t able to come up with too much, but here are a few things that I came up for those who don’t have such stringent restrictions:

1.       Cozy Coupe – hands down Lucan’s favorite present he got when he turned one. I love that the newer ones come with a removable floor board so littler kids won’t fall out the bottom. Perfect for parents who are going to be the ones pushing the coupe around until the child is old enough to move the car with their feet.

2.       Melissa and Doug puzzles. Actually most of their toys are fantastic. I love the workmanship, the story behind the company and quality of their products. The majority of their toys has some sort of education spin to them and made out of wood. Love, love, love.

3.       Ball Popper toy. It’s noisy and throws balls into the air. Lucan thinks this toy is the best and whenever we’re someplace that has this toy, he makes a beeline for it.

4.       Stacking cups/shape sorter. Lucan still loves playing with this toy. I think it gives him a thrill to get everything in the right place. It’s also a good way to practice learning shapes and colors. Stacking allows Lucan to work on his spatial coordination.

5.       Mega Bloks! This is a timeless gift that will engage kids for hours. Lucan loves building towers and knocking them down to the ground. That might just be a boy thing J Mega Bloks are great because they are large enough for toddler fingers to work with them easily.

6.       Musical instrument set. Because every child should have the opportunity to make music and irritate their parents at the same time J

 

7.       A swing. Not a baby swing, but a real life swing. I wish we had a place at our house for one because Lucan loves swinging and we would probably spend a majority of our time outside swinging if he couls.

8.       Push/ride-on-toys. We have a tricycle that we borrowed from a friend and Lucan loves playing on it. I love that it has a handle, so we can push him around. Now if only we had more sidewalks and ones that didn’t end by running into a hedge … Daycare had this particular toy and Lu enjoyed it immensely.

9.       Singing stuffed animal. My aunt gave Lucan a version of this for his first Christmas and he still enjoys hugging the puppy and singing along with it. Kind of adorable.

10.   Kitchen items. Lucan’s friend Bridget has this musical teapot. If he wasn’t playing with her ball popper, he was pouring tea for everyone. Lu also has a mini kitchen for him to concoct creations as well as a mixer. What can I say, momma is a foodie!

And with all of these things, you better ask for a bigger house because you’re going to need it once you get all of this!

31 Things I'm Grateful for in August

1. Our beloved county fair and our much-adored Iowa State Fair.
2. Bauder's peach ice cream and the fact that Lu ate half of mine.
3. Fall-like days. There, I said it, I like fall. 
4. Fresh picked, vine-ripened tomatoes
5. Emails from friends during the work day. 
6. Zumba classes that make me smile and sweat. The perfect exercise combo. 
7. Long conversations with friends after supper at their house.
8. Gourmet cheese.
9. Fun neighborhood parks and splash pads!
10. 9th anniversary of Lance proposing at the Iowa State Fair - we're 4-H kids.
11. The movie "Despicable Me" - we might be a couple of years late, but this movie is a hoot!
12. Homemade margherita pizza - with all of the ingredients out of the garden.
13. Perfect cherries.
14. Pool parties that result with kiddos with blue lips and chattering teeth
15. A sister-in-law who will babysit for date night at the Iowa State Fair
16. Tenuous family connections that allow us to pick their sweet corn for free and put up enough freezer corn for the upcoming year.
17. Sitting atop the Giant Slide at the Iowa State Fair and being more than a little afraid to go down it. Then feeling shamed by the five-year-olds screaming in delight.
18. 6 year friendship anniversary with dear friend Erika. Our husbands swore that we would get along. Boy, were they right!
19. Family get togethers with wild toddlers.
20. Soft, plush green grass - my dad's not our crunchy version of grass.
21. Tractor rides.
22. College friends who babysit in exchange for produce - thanks Em!
23. Chocolate zucchini cake, the best use of zucchini. :)
24. Clean bill of health at my annual physical and great physician referrals from friends.
25. Swapping nursery rooms with friends to use church nursery as a gab session.
26. Friends who read my blog and take us out for supper as a thank you.
27. Lance's mechanical abilities.
28. Women's ministry events through church.
29. Thirtieth birthday parties for neighbors.
30. New babies and meals for their parents.
31. PAYING OFF THE TRAVERSE! One paid loan closer to financial freedom.

So much to be thankful for.

Eating Out – A Frugal Luxury

If there is anything I love, it’s eating out. My idea of a good vacation includes eating at some cool new restaurants and sleeping. Maybe shopping. But for someone who considers herself a “foodie” I love not cooking, not cleaning up and not having to figure out something everyone will eat and enjoy. But if there’s something I don’t love, it’s the price tag. (Or the squirmy toddler threatening to toss his food on the floor)

I have a couple of rules to eating out:

1.) If I’m going to spend the money eating out, I’m not going to eat fast food crap. I’m not going to eat at McDonalds. I want Panera or a #4 Turkey Tom with avocado from Jimmy Johns. Lance says this makes me a princess, but he agrees with the notion that we eat out infrequently enough that we shouldn’t waste our money on food that will just give us a gut-ache afterwards.

2.) Find a coupon, groupon or a deal. It’s pretty much a surefire way to get me into your eatery.

3.) Dining out is preferable without child in tow. Or if said child is in tow, eating out becomes an art. The art of arriving at the restaurant early enough to avoid a long wait, picking one with kid friendly atmosphere – i.e. one that doesn’t have fine china or cloth napkins and finding something Lucan will eat.

4.) If we are going to go some place “nice” and without Lucan, we savor the experience. We linger at the table, we don’t rush and we exhale. As adults we relish in conversation not punctuated by “Careful! Leave your bib on!” Or “Lucan – NO.”

Eating out easily costs a minimum of $20 at a cheaper place. Easily. And that’s for two adults and one toddler. Just imagine having two more kids or teenagers that are hungry. Make that amount closer to $35. I just spent $45 at the grocery store for 10 pounds of chicken breasts and the rest of our groceries for the week. Spending almost half of what I spend on groceries on a single meal isn’t cost efficient. And considering that most of the meals we have at home are better for us, eating out isn’t very cost efficient or healthy.

That being said, I still loving eating out. It’s just a frugal luxury that I’ve learned to savor the few times we do go somewhere! What are your frugal luxuries?

What to do when Your Toddler Throws a Tantrum – Humor

1. Take a deep breath. This isn’t as bad as it seems. People aren’t staring.
2. Take another deep breath because your child just took a deep breath in order to increase his own volume.
3. Attempt to ignore the tantrum and pretend this isn’t happening – in a very public place.
4. Try reasoning with your tiny tantrum thrower. Come to understand that toddler terrorists don’t negotiate.
5. Try threatening with warnings of discipline and bodily harm. Get kicked in the shin instead.
6. Walk away. Pretend it’s not your child and wait for someone to call DHS on you because you just abandoned your toddler in a busy building.
7. Try bribery. Depending on the bribe, tantrum might stop. And then you can stop feeling like a decent parent because you just bribed your child with Dove chocolates and a pony.
8. Try waiting it out. Then come to realize that your toddler is going the distance with this tantrum and that “waiting” is going to last a good half hour.
9. And when all else fails, bodily haul your tiny terrorist off the premises and ignore all the dirty looks people are shooting in your direction. Those naysayers will have a good dose of karma coming back their way.

We were at the Iowa State Fair when Lucan threw a massive fit about not being able to play with the water in the hot tubs (we were probably only a tantrum away from him stripping down and trying to swim in the hot tubs). I tried to pretend Lucan was fine. I tried walking away. I tried bribery with a warm chocolate chip cookie (he crumbled it and threw the pieces at me) and finally we gave up and hauled him out to the car and home for a nap. Sometimes the only thing that will fix a bad mood is a nap! 

Love you little one

For a Little While

Just for a little while

We are the center of your world

The people you can’t live without.

The people that make you smile the most.

Each milestone achieved is one step closer to being independent

One day closer to not needing us.

You wrap your small arms around my neck for a hug.

You wave goodbye as I drive away

And laugh with glee

Cry in anger

And flail in frustration.

Just for a little while

You are little.

I love you more than you comprehend. 

Goodnight and Sweet Dreams Little One

When I was pregnant, I had visions of sleepy, cuddly babies and peaceful kisses. For the first month, bedtime was nothing but pure anxiety - worrying about how long Lucan would sleep whether or not we would have to get up during the night to soothe him. But we found a routine and bedtime became that peaceful vision I had imagined: sweet kisses and the most adorable toddler "nigh-night." Then Lu's second birthday happened and like everything, life changed again. More often than not, bedtime is a battleground. Because the precursor to bedtime is going to bed. Meaning: pottying, diapering, wrestling into pajamas and the much hated - teeth brushing. It's not my favorite time of the day, but I would like it to be. Lucan has become an expert at stalling - "drink! drink! blankie! sheepie! pillow! lights! birdie! song! brrr... TC cold" (this is Lucan's MN Twins baseball bear that has clothes. Lu likes to undress TC and then announce that TC is cold and needs us to dress him. AGAIN. Last night Lucan got one of TC's socks stuck on his own foot and cried hysterically until I came in to take it off.) It's a never ending parade of demands and needs. And still, Lucan fusses and often cries and cries. It's exhausting. But like all things in which we think we can't handle any more of, we just need more. More Jesus.

I've been praying this as Lucan's bedtime prayer since he was a wee babe, but last Sunday's sermon was a good reminder:



May the Lord bless you and keep you;
Make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

Lucan just needs more Jesus so he can better behaved for his tired parents. Or perhaps it's just a case of his parents needing more Jesus. :) This too will pass.

Homemade Taco Seasoning: One Huge Batch

 

I have a bad habit of doubling recipes and doing the math wrong. Most of the time this happens when I'm on the phone talking to someone or I'm distracted by the little man pulling on my leg to "see, see!" Lucan routinely wants to get a glimpse of what's going on and is interested in what he might be having for supper. I had wanted to make homemade taco seasoning for quite sometime, but had been waiting until our large container had finally run out to replace it. In true Kara fashion, I only wanted to go through the hassle of dragging everything out and measuring once - so let's double the recipe! I had mathematician Lance help me out and had him convert the recipe from teaspoons to tablespoons and from tablespoons to cups. If there's anything I am worse at than converting recipes, it's keeping track of whether I did 4 tablespoons or 5 of salt. 

I am really enjoying my homemade taco seasoning for several reasons: 

1. I can control what goes into my seasoning and tailor it to my preferences. Do you like yours milder? Cut back on the chili powder. Do you want a little more burn? Add more red pepper flakes.

2. It's cheaper. A LOT cheaper. An individual packet of taco seasoning is usually around $1. A giant canister is priced around $10 at Costco. Making my own? Around $4 after I bought my spices at Aldis. 

3. It's a little bit zippy-ier than most taco seasonings, which suits me just fine.

4. Hello - no preservatives! 

5. Watching your sodium intake? Reduce the amount of salt in the recipe. 

Without further adieu, my gigantic batch of taco seasoning recipe!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 cup and 1/4 cup chili powder

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons cumin

1/2 cup salt

1/2 cup fine ground pepper

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons onion powder

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons oregano

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons paprika

Mix well to combine and store in an air tight container. My old taco seasoning canister held my giant recipe perfectly and now I won't have to make taco seasoning for a couple of years. Double win - money saved and time saved!

To use: Over medium heat, brown 1 lb. of ground beef and drain. Add 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix and ¾ cup water to the ground beef. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the beef, and there is not much liquid left.

31 Things I’m Thankful for in July

More thankful than a little boy with a bag of popcorn and a balloon sword to hit his mother with repeatedly from the backseat!

1. An awesome trip to Michigan to visit friends!
2. Antibiotics – I have strep throat and am thankful for medicine.
3. This baby’s improved health. He’s gotten to spend long periods of time at home with his parents and sweet sisters.
4. Cooking club. Such a fun group of gals who love to cook and love marketing (about 65% of us work in marketing)
5. Adoptions
6. Brief respite from the heat!
7. Trips to CherryBerry with the family
8. Lucan’s first Iowa Cubs baseball game – all three innings of it (my kind of baseball game!)
9. Hummus. Lucan loves hummus. How weird is that?
10. Farm fresh blueberries
11. Clean trip to the dentist – not so much for Lance who popped an old cavity out two days before his visit. Lance is averaging 1.5 emergency dental visits per year. Maybe I’m thankful for dental insurance instead? :)
12. My anniversary iPad from hubby. I was flabbergasted by my husband’s generosity.
13. Making budget this month so getting to spend the blow money on whatever I want!
14. Garden vegetables: one zucchini and several cucumbers. We also have lots of baby green beans, a few peppers, a couple eggplants and green tomatoes, so fingers crossed.
15. This book – Calling Me Home
16. Giant inflatable bounce houses. Not so thankful for the tantrum that ensued after having to leave the inflatables.
17. Free family fun – parades and family fun fests at churches.
18. The continued search for a new head pastor.
19. A great husband who takes Lu on long bike rides or short trike rides around the block
20. Gummy vitamins. One might call it bribery, but let’s not point fingers here.
21. Potty training? Totally not on my radar, but apparently it’s on Lucan’s!
22. Play dates with friends at the park
23. Reconnecting with college friends that live way too close to be seeing them as infrequently as we do
24. Doug & Melissa markers are water soluble as Lance has caught Lucan coloring our tan couch not once, but twice in two weeks (why isn’t daddy babysitter more vigilant?)
25.  Clean water. The other day a water main had to be replaced and so they turned off our water from 8-5 pm. Of course it was one of the days I was home sick. Bad timing.
26. 3 for $1 roses at Hy-Vee. Because sometimes there’s no occasion like a sale to buy yourself half a dozen roses.
27. 4-H. I can bake a mean pie and I can sew. All thanks to 8 years in 4-H! I should preface to say that 90% of my time in 4-H I hated the organization. But the life skills I walked away with (and the husband) are undeniable.
28. A husband who has an innate ability to find hidden ingredients in my pantry and fridge.
29. A daycare who takes Lucan on fun outings: Adventureland, the Blank Park Zoo, the Science Center of Iowa, the library, Chuck E Cheese, Jester Park and Pump It Up! I won’t lie, I’m totally jealous of his field trips. But I think I’m more jealous that I wasn’t the person to take him on these trips. I’ll get over it.
30. The movie Despicable Me. I laughed, but not as much as Lance. He has the sense of humor of an eight-year-old.
31. Free Chik-Fi-lay and dressing like cows – we have no shame :)