Pattern Block Puzzles

The Y received a Mellisa and Doug pattern block puzzle set a few months ago.

It says it for ages 2+. Y loves puzzles, so she immediately gravitated toward this gift. She figured out how to put all of the puzzles together after about two tries. She's known the name of the basic shapes (circle, oval, diamond, rectangle, square, and triangle) since she was about 20 months old. She's learning more complex shapes with the use of this toy:

 She's learned about pentagons, hexagons, octagons, trapezoids, parallelograms, etc. with her clock toy. She spends quite a bit of time taking them out, turning the pieces over, and putting them back into place. She quickly learned that the parallelogram is the only shape that cannot be put in backward!

Now that she's mastered her basic pattern block set, she started using pattern blocks for what they are meant to be used for - putting the individual shapes together to make larger, more complex shapes and designs.  One morning she was playing around with her pattern blocks, and she declared, "Look! I can put two triangles together to make a square!"





It's amazingly fascinating and rather satisfying watching the Y explore and discover in her own way - without an adult telling her what to do and how to do it.

Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

I love Tex-Mex food. I'm not quite sure why. I think there may be a few reasons. I think the primary reason is that I love most of the common ingredients found in Tex-Mex cuisine - cheese, beans, and roasted vegetables. Then there's the strong commonality of spices between Tex-Mex cuisine and Indian food (especially the cumin and cilantro). Regardless, one of our family favorites is our Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas.

The Y loves the quesadillas, and she really loves vegetables. If you ask her what her favorite foods are, she'll always include peapods, "kacha" (which means "raw") broccoli, and "kacha gobi" (which is raw cauliflower). She will literally eat a plate full of raw broccoli and cauliflower. She even gets excited when I'm chopping red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, and she'll munch on them before they're cooked. So many of my friends are shocked with they see how much the Y loves vegetables, and they often tell me stories about how their children refuse vegetables. I guess that happens with some children - they just don't like them. But, I also wonder how much of it has to do with what the children eat at home and, more importantly, what they see their parents eating. I'm nearly a vegetarian. I rarely eat red meat (maybe three times a year, if that), and when I do eat chicken or fish, it's probably twice  month at the most. The Y's papa, on the other hand, is a "hard core" carnivore. Meaning, he loves, loves meat. The Y eats every meal with me, thus she sees how much I love vegetables. And even when I cook meat for the Y's papa, there's always a vegetarian alternative (which I eat). Since the Y was born, she's been surrounded by so many vegetables, and I really think that's why she loves them so much. Regardless of the "why" she loves vegetables, I'm just so happy that she does. I'm hoping it will influence her eating habits throughout her life.

Evidence of the Y's desire to eat veggies. Here's her booster chair tray at the beginning of dinner:



Here it is 15 minutes later:



On with the recipe for the Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas. I rarely use specialty ingredients in my cooking, but I think the single ingredient that makes these quesadillas so savory and unique is the use of smoked Spanish paprika. It brings a smokiness and depth of flavor to the vegetables after roasting them for a mere 25 minutes. You can find it at Whole Foods and on the internet.



Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:*
3 bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange are our favorite. We don't like the green ones because they have a much harsher flavor)
2-3 medium sized zuchinnis
2 medium sized summer squash
1 8oz container of mushrooms
1 medium red onion

(honestly you can put any vegetables you like, sometimes we add jicama or sauted spinach)
10 whole wheat flour tortillas
Shredded cheese (we like the cheddar-jack cheese combo)

For the black beans:
2 8oz. cans of black beans
1/4 red onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon of corriander
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste


For the guacamole:
2 avacados
1 small clove garlic - minced
1/4 of red onion chopped, fine
1 tablespoon tomato chopped fine
lime juice to taste
salt and pepper to taste

For the Spice Rub:
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon regular paprika
3 teaspoons chili powder (NOT cayenne pepper, rather the spice mix with cumin, paprika, etc.)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Condiments:
Sourcream
Salsa
Chips

Directions:
1 - Preheat the oven to 425 F. Chop the vegetables so they are bite-sized, and try to make them uniform in size so they will cook at the same rate.Mix the spice rub in a small bowl. Place all the vegetables on a baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil, and sprinkle spice mix and salt over vegetables. Mix the vegetables to coat all of them with the spice rub. Place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.



2 - While the vegetables roast, make the black beans and saute the mushrooms (and spinach if you are using it). For the black beans, saute the onions in a bit of olive oil and saute until they are soft but not brown. Add the cumin and corriander, and cook until you can smell the spices (about 30 seconds). Drain and rinse the beans.  Add them to the pan and mix. Since the beans are already cooked, simply cook them long enough to absorb the flavor of the spices and onion. After about 3-4 minutes, add the lime juice. Mix and cook for a minute or two longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. For the mushrooms, slice them and saute them in a pan with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set the beans and mushrooms aside while the vegetables finish roasting.



3 - Once the vegetables come out of the oven, make the guacamole. Mix all the guacamole ingredients, and taste to make sure there's an adequate amount of lime juice and salt and pepper.

4 - Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Do not put oil in the pan and start assembling the quesadillas. First place the tortilla in the pan, then add shredded cheese to half of the tortilla. Next layer on the roasted vegetables, mushrooms, and black beans. Top with more cheese and fold the tortilla in half. (I like placing the cheese right next to the tortilla because the melted cheese acts as a glue to hold the quesadilla together). Once the tortilla is brown and crisp on one side, flip it over, and allow the other side brown. Remove from heat, and place on a cutting board. Cut the quesadilla into thirds. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and chips.

*If you want to add chicken to the quesadillas, an hour before cooking, marinate 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the juice of one lime and olive oil. Heat up a grill pan. Before placing the chicken on the grill, sprinkle it with salt and some of the spice mixture for the vegetables. Grill for about 7 minutes per side (the cooking time depends on the temperature of the pan and the thickness of the chicken). Once the meat has been removed from the grill and rested for 10 minutes, slice into bite-size pieces, and add into the quesadilla.

Potty Training - Day #2

It's below zero outside. The wind is howling. Why not potty train? I know it sounds like a non sequitur, but there's some logic behind my thinking. I'm sure there are tons of valid ways to potty train a child, and my general philosophy toward parenting is: "Do whatever is right for your child and your family." That being said, after some reading and a lot of discussions with my two sisters (who have eight children between them - seven of eight who are potty trained), I decided to stay home for the next seven to ten days (!) while we potty train.  That way I can avoid the use of pull-ups or diapers during the day.  Thus, the winter time is perfect - we can't really spend a lot of time outside and we're already relinquished to activities at home, so why not be productive with the potty training?

The Y has actually been using the toilet since she was about 18 months old. She started to tell us when she had to pee and poo at 12 months, so her pediatrician suggested we start putting her on the toilet before her shower. By the time Y was 18 months old, she peed and pooped on the toilet every night before her shower. So, the potty training has been going pretty smoothly - no fears about flushing or pooping on the toilet. She actually has a revolving stack of books by the toilet to keep her company. The only hick up in the training is that she doesn't want to stop playing to sit on the toilet.  So my solution has been to put her on the toilet (no questions asked) every 15 to twenty minutes.

The Y has a toilet seat that fits over the regular toilet seat.  It has her favorite sesame street characters on it: Elmo, Dorthy, Ernie, Rubber Ducky, Oscar, Slimy, and Cookie Monster.  She also has one of these:

I have to admit that I'm getting crazy staying at home. I never realized how much we value being out and about on play-dates, in nature, or even going to the grocery story! In an attempt to keep myself from going crazy we are working on a few projects - an alphabet book, baking, and I've been knitting some fruits and vegetables for the Y's shopping cart.



This is how she received her shopping cart on Eid morning. When she saw her shopping cart, she started clapping, screaming, and running around in circles. She'd been asking for a shopping cart for the past six months or so. But, it couldn't be any shopping cart. She specified that it had to be like the Trader Joe's one - "hard" and "silver." Basically she refused to have a plastic cart because as she put it, "those aren't real shopping carts." In the bottom of the cart you can see some knitted apples, lemons, and eggplants. While we chat in the bathroom while the Y "reads" and tries to poop, I've been knitting some pears to add to the cart. Hopefully I'll post a whole blog entry on the knitted fruits and veggies once they are complete.

I'm hoping that ten days from now we'll be pretty much diaper-free in our household. Now only if we can get through the next eight days without going crazy from cabin-fever!

Y's First Snow Adventure

The Y and I love, love being outside, but since we live in the upper-midwest, the we have limited time outside for three months of the year. I don't mind snow, but it's the wind and the frigid temperatures that keep us indoors. So on December 5th, when we had our first snow of the year, we couldn't help ourselves. We had to go outside and play. Y was bundled up in a long-sleeved undershirt, wool long underwear, a sweater, fleece, and snow jumper. Her legs were also layered: wool long underwear, fleece pants, legwarmers, socks, boots, and her snow jumper. Here she is trying to balance in the snow:



Needless to say, her snow outing was filled with laughter, excitement, and creativity. She built her first snowman, who she named Chasenall. Chasenall is also the name of a game the Y created where you run around in a circle with a ball of yarn trailing behind you, yelling "Chasenall! Chasenall!" She loves playing Chasenall with her Papa and Aunt. She wanted Chasenall (the snowman) to have a carrot nose and chocolate covered blueberries for eyes. After playing outside for about 45 minutes, the snow turned very wet, and it was getting too cold. After stripping off our wet layers, the Y enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and a Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's cookie. (If you've never had one of a Candy Cane Joe Joe, you are missing out on a scrumptious treat.)



We have yet to experience another snowfall with actual accumulation because it's been too cold outside. But when the next snow storm comes (and I'm sure they'll be many more this winter), I know the Y will chomping at the bit to play outside, and I'll be right there with her!

Hmmm...how many different colors can I make?

I'm sure you all know that annoying friend who finds a song she/he loves, and they keep playing it over and over again. You don't want to ride in her/his car because the music selection will be an issue (do you really want to listen to Party in the USA on loop?). Well, my friends, I am one of those people! Thank God iPods were invented because now I can be addicted to my own songs, and I can shut out everyone else's whining. These days, I'm obsessed with Angus and Julia Stone, particularly their song "And the Boys." So, amazing.

My obsession with replaying songs I love can sometimes carry over to certain culinary creations that are adored by my friends and family, and on occasion the same can be said about knitting patterns. Especially those patterns that are easy (knit in the round with an easy-to-memorize pattern), functional (the person receiving the gift will actually wear it), and beautiful. That can most certainly be said about Elvira by Sanne Bejerregaard (you can also purchase the PDF pattern off of Ravelry).

This is the version I made for my friend's daughter. It isn't blocked, so please, ignore the slight crinkle in the yarn!



My favorite part of tunic/dress are the buttons. Little Y chose them. She was only 18 months old when I asked her to choose buttons that matched the dress (she already knew her colors by then). So as we sat in the huge button isle of a mega fabric store by our house, she giggled at all the buttons shaped like animals and grabbed for the ones sparkled like resin poured into a rhinestone mold (wait, that's exactly what they were - cheap rhinestone buttons). Then she laid her hands on the ones she finally chose. They look like stained glass, and they match perfectly without it being too perfect.



I will definitely be making this dress again, now all I have to do is decide which colors...

Dreams and Poop - not Dreams of Poop

 Raising a little one is honestly the absolute pinnacle of a meaningful and fulfilling life-long job. I guess the reality is that the Y won't be "a little one" forever. Okay, if I'm going to be really honest (eeks!) the Y won't be "a little one" for much longer. Her second birthday is around the corner (less than a month away), and my husband and I often spend evenings looking back at the Y's photos from her birth. No matter how many times we look at the photos, we are thoroughly amazed at how much she's grown - physically and cognitively. She's her own person, with her own ideas and agenda. Yes, she's not even two, and she has her own agenda. She knows what she wants to get done and how to get it done. Aaah, the wonders of the growing and developing brain. Her growth is amazing, and we feel blessed to witness and be a part of it.

This morning, when the Y called out from her crib, "See mama!" that was Papa's cue to snatch her up from the crib. When he walked into the room, the Y did her usual happy dance around her crib. Marching around the perimeter of her crib mattress while her neenee cloth (sleeping cloth) rested on her shoulder, trailing behind her like a flag. (The reason I know this is because the Y has a video monitor in her room). En route from the Y's bedroom to our bedroom, I heard a lot of chattering between the Y and her Papa. (There's no video monitor in the hallway, so I had no idea what was being discussed. All I knew is that they were engrossed in a full on conversation.) Upon entering the room, after the Y bounced over to me for a hug and cuddle, her Papa let me know what they discussed. When he picked her up from the crib, as the traveled down the hallway, she said, "I want to see Mama in the kitchen. She's making mamosas." When my husband asked why she thought mama would be in the kitchen so early in the morning, the Y responded, "In my dream. Mama making mamosas downstairs." My husband responded, "You mean she's making samosas in the kitchen?" "Yes Papa. Making mamosas." So thus the little Y revealed her first dream. Dreams. I didn't even know that she knew what a dream was - I mean it's a relatively abstract concept. Yet she used the term "dream" in a very appropriate context. As my husband says, "I can see the wheels in her head turning." Thank God for the wheels turning...

From the cognitive, to the physical. When I say physical, I mean physiological. I'm talking about poop. Since the Y was about 15 months old, she started telling us when she was peeing and pooping. "I do poperly (properly) poo poo." So her pediatrician, Dr. Hall (who she calls Dr. Hallway), suggested that we start putting her on the toilet before her nightly bath. Like clockwork, before each bath, the Y does pee pee on her Elmo toilet (her toilet seat has Elmo, Dorthy, Ernie, Rubber Ducky, Cookie Monster, and cookies - which is sort of gross. Cookies on a toilet seat. Yuck.). This evening when she was seated on her toilet seat, I heard a few farts escape and echo in the toilet bowl. I asked her if she had to poo, and she said, "Mama it's just gas. Just gas." After chatting for a bit, I inquired about her status, and she didn't reply. Instead the Y had a look of intense concentration on her face, and before any more words could be exchanged, it happened. "Plop. Plot. Plop." Three plops in a row. With a huge smile across my face, it was like the Y could read my mind. She said, "I did a good job. I did it Mama!" She was so proud of her accomplishment, and I was in awe. No, she's not potty trained (not even close), but she did her first poop in the toilet. Three little turds. What a huge accomplishment for the little Y. I gave her a huge hug while she sat on the toiled, and showered her with words of encouragement. Before I could get even more carried away, the Y pointed to the toilet paper and stated, "That. Mama use that to clean me!"

The Y. What else can I say about our little Y? We love her more than words can ever describe. We love you Y. Always know and remember that. Always.

Swimmy and the Big Bad Tuna

I love reading. I'll read almost anything - fiction, biographies, current events. Anything. My parents have always been readers - my dad and his newspaper, and my mom, amazingly enough, even with four kids would manage to have a book tucked away in the kitchen or in the side of the minivan door. Over the summer my mom would load us all up in the car to spend an afternoon checking books out in the small library in our town (which now, by the way, is an amazing state of the art library with resources, DVD's, CD's, magazines and books galore). There was a period of time when reading became so frenzied for my sister and me that we would even bring our books with us to breakfast, devouring the pages of our Archie comics, Ramona Quimby books, and Judy Blume titles while consuming large bowls of cereal. I remember one morning my dad insisting that we clear the table of our books and instead talk to each other. My sister and I are best friends, so engaging in conversation was absolutely no problem (even to this day, our husbands wonder why we need to talk to each other multiple times a day). But we were so obsessed that we took to reading the inane puzzles and facts on the cereal boxes.

When my nieces and nephews were born, I re-entered the world of children's books. And I fell in love. I would spend hours at Borders and Barnes and Noble searching the children's section for old titles only to stumble upon new treasures. I think that it was my love for children's books that eventually drew me into the field of teaching. Now that I'm a mother, my love for reading is something I truly hope to pass down to my daughter.

The very first book I read to her was Pride and Prejudice. I found that breast feeding wasn't only a full time job, but it was tedious and mind-numbing. So, I thought I'd read one of my all time favorites to pass the time, and I decided to read it out loud to her. She seemed to enjoy hearing my voice, and I relished reading Jane Austin's classic out loud - bring her words and characters to life for my daughter (even though she was only a few days old!). We continue to read - a lot. And like an indulgent mother and a bibliophile, little Y's book collection keeps growing. I try to save buying new books for an occasion - father's day, mother's day, birthdays, etc. But sometimes I just can't help it.

I keep a spread sheet of books that I come across (either in the library, books store, or through recommendations) plus my own childhood classics that I think little Y would enjoy. The database is roughly divided by picture books and chapter books. I predict that it'll soon be subdivided by age. Little Y has already gone through a whole slew of favorites - Dr. Seuss's ABC's, Silly Sally, The Sleeping House, The Foot Book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Papa Please Get the Moon for Me, Madeline, Hush Little Baby, Imogen's Antlers, and A Color of His Own. Usually when little Y gets a new book, she shows very little interest in it. I preview the book with her, but then she'll often neglect it in favor of the books she that she's read dozens and dozens of times. Without fail, she eventually and independently shows interest in her new book.

Little Y is now 23 months old, and her current obsession is Swimmy by Leo Lionni. The reason I love Swimmy is because it's a very subtle story that teaches the importance of creativity, perseverance, and it touches on the subject of loss. The illustrations are phenomenal - conveying the feelings of a vast ocean full of beautiful and mysterious creatures. Today she read the book eight or nine times with her Papa. When it was time to leave for a birthday party this afternoon, she said, "Mama, wait five minutes. I want to read Swimmy." And she shimmied herself on to the couch, with the book in her hands, and opened it up.  I reminded her that we had to leave for her friend's birthday party, and when she asked if she could bring the book in the car, I promised her we would read it upon our return home. She reluctantly agreed, and our drive to the party took longer than usual because of summer traffic. During the car ride we never discussed Swimmy, and little Y fell asleep about fifteen minutes into the ride. When we arrived at the party, my husband and I announced our arrival, and the Y woke up. Still half asleep, with her eyes fluttering open, she looked over at my husband as he was taking her out of her car seat and said, "Tuna not eat Swimmy. Swimmy escape." My husband couldn't decipher what she was saying, so I responded to her by reassuring her, "Yes sweetie. Swimmy escaped." She responded with a smile and an affirmative nod, repeating, "Swimmy escape." When we got home, after washing up for bed, changing into her pj's, the Y retrieved Swimmy from her bookshelf and asked Papa to read it again for her. She smiled as Papa retold the story of a clever fish who persevered in the vast ocean.

Later that evening, after the Y went to bed, my husband and I discussed what seems to be Y's intense interest in Swimmy and the big, bad tuna. My husband expressed his concern that she may be afraid of the tuna, and I think he's probably right. I think the Y's is preoccupied with the fact that the tuna almost ate Swimmy that's why she has to constantly reassure herself that Swimmy escaped. I also think that her desire to re-read the book is a way for her to embrace Swimmy's determined perseverance; a trait that I truly hopes she develops and embraces.