Date Night

Daniel and I really lucked out this week and managed not just one, but two date nights. Saturday Daniel's sister, Emily, came to spend part of the weekend with us. Saturday night she hung out with Jack – they went to the Pumpkin Patch and out for Chinese food, while Daniel and I had a night on the town.

First up, we decided to try the Flying Squirrel (since we couldn't go in with a toddler a couple of weeks ago). We love the architecture of the Flying Squirrel, and were excited to check it out. Unfortunately for us, the main focus of this establishment was drinks and adventurous food in the form of tapas. We don't really drink and Daniel is not an adventurous eater. But this was a bit much, even for me. The menu had items like Sweetbread Po'Boys and Sambal Oelek. Daniel tried duck tacos – which were delicious, while I had scallops on a bed of quinoa and smoked mushrooms. The mushrooms were soaked in sambal oelek that sent me into a coughing fit.

While we enjoyed visiting and dreaming about elements of the architecture that we would like to incorporate into a house if we ever built one, we weren't dying to spend more money on interesting tapas. instead I told Daniel I could really use a burger from Five Guys. So, that's what we did.

When we walked out of the Flying Squirrel, we got to see a Tesla and talk to the owner. It was a very cool car. The owner said that one lady kept walking around it looking for the engine (the trunk and hood were both open). She didn't believe that there wasn't one! The car can go from 0-60mph in under 3 seconds, and 0-100mph in 10 seconds. It can also drive 300 miles on one charge. It was a very sweet vehicle.

 
After our expensive appetizer followed by a burger, we went to the movies at the Majestic 12. We saw Lucy which had some interesting ideas. I didn't love how the movie kept flipping back and forth to clips from nature and science, but it did have an intriguing premise.

When the movie was over, we decided to walk down to the riverfront to catch the end of the Riverfront Nights concert. The Chicago-based band Cornmeal was playing – their music is "jamgrass" also known as progressive "newgrass." After watching part of their set, we walked back to our car and happened to run into some friends from when we lived in Hollywood, which was a nice surprise.

It was lovely to go out together. Life has been hectic and we are grateful for the times we can sneak off on our own.

Play Date

This past Friday night we watched Jack's friends, Charlotte and Audrey, while the rest of their family hosted a big kids sports-themed birthday party at the park across from our house.

While the big kids were busy playing kickball, basketball and other big kid games, the little kids had fun playing games of their own.

From creating their own games in our playroom,

to reading books, these little guys had a blast.

Jack and Audrey enjoyed playing a toddler version of Red Light Green Light. We would say, "Green" and Jack would yell, "Go!" and Jack and Audrey would ride their toys. Then we would say "Red" and Jack would yell, "Stop!" and Jack and Audrey would stop riding). They did this round and round our deck for some time.

We also went outside and let the kids jump on our toddler trampoline – Jack and Charlotte loved doing bigger bounces...

while Audrey was more apprehensive and preferred jumping by herself or holding onto Daniel's hands while she jumped.

The girls also enjoyed riding on Jack's little four wheeler. 

In particular, Audrey really seemed to like it. We showed her how it worked and she took off up our driveway!

Audrey was also brave and followed Jack up one of the trails in our front yard.

I'm so glad that Jack has some good friends and that they play so well together.

Paddling: Chickamauga Lake

One of our friends from Daniel's TTU days recently started a Wednesday evening paddling group on Facebook. Normally Wednesday is church for us and Daniel rarely gets home before 8pm in the middle of the week. 

But yesterday, everything aligned – the congregation we worship with is having Tuesday night speakers instead of Wednesday for the month of August, AND most importantly, Daniel was able to be home in time for us to meet up.

We had originally planned to take Jack with us, but at the last minute a friend offered to keep him. We plan to take Jack another night, but it was nice to just get to go out on our own – you really can't turn down free babysitting once you are parent!

So we met up at Chickamauga Lake (above the dam) at 6pm. The weather was just about perfect – not too hot with a nice breeze. 

Evidently it was a great evening for sailing because we saw tons of sail boats on the water! It was a little choppy, but not too terrible.

We paddled out to where a family of osprey's had set up house on a post in the middle of the lake. The mama and daddy osprey were none-to-happy to have us so close and started circling above our heads. Fearing they might decide to dive bomb us, we opted to turn around.

As we paddled back to our starting point, Shannon started to tell us of a time she was at Dragon Boat practice on this same lake and a sea plane landed. As she finished her story, a plane started circling overhead head. 

We joked that it was going to land. And then it did. We weren't sure if it was aware that we were below, so we made our way closer to shore, just to be sure! We also got to watch it take off.

I love that something like a plane landing on water can fill you with wonder, even as an adult!

We ended up paddling about 2.5 miles. Nothing major, just an easy evening out on the lake with friends. I think this counts as a date night.

Motherhood: Potty Training

One thing I have learned in the last 3 years is that parenting looks different for every family. Every kid is different and every parent has a different way of doing things. It's like snowflakes – no child-parent experience looks like another child-parent experience (even within families with multiple kids I would venture).

When I was pregnant with Jack I read several books about parenting, but since his birth I have tended to rely on watching people who are a few years ahead of me in the parenting game, as well as trusting my own instincts. (Obviously Daniel is a part of this parenting process, but for the purpose of this blog post I will be writing from the first-person perspective.)

So how does this play into potty training? One of the main tips I read around the time we were wrapping up potty training was that being that before you start, the child should be ready. I agree with this 100%, but as I have mulled it over I think there is another component that is not addressed... I think the parent who is doing the main part of the potty training (in this case, me) needs to be ready as well. If you aren't ready to deal with the commitment to the potty training, I think it's ok to wait.

We didn't start Jack until he was 2.5 because, to be honest, I hadn't been ready. I dreaded the potential mess and having to constantly be on guard. So I put it off. In May I thought Jack might have a UTI so I took him to the doctor. They wanted him to pee in a cup. I was like, "No way. He isn't potty trained. It isn't going to happen." They asked me to try anyways and what do you know, my little guy peed in a cup. Twice.

I went home thinking it was time to start potty training. I waited a couple of weeks because I had just had a miscarriage and wasn't ready to deal with any extra work, but Memorial Day Weekend I knew Daniel would be home to help so we bit the bullet. I let the childcare at the Y know that the following week Jack would be in underwear. They kind of rolled their eyes and me and asked if I had tried potty training yet. I told them "no" but was confidant that the weekend would be enough.

We did one day in pull-ups, but treated Jack like he was wearing underwear. We excitedly told him he was a big boy and was going to pee in the potty like he did at the doctor's office. He was on board, saying "I pee in a cup?" and running to the bathroom any time he had to go. After that day, we went straight to underwear with pull-ups reserved for sleeping. The experience was exciting and he just seemed to get it. He liked to give us a thumbs up when he went or sing verses to us from Daniel Tiger's song about going potty.

Fast forward to the last several weeks... Jack appeared to become bored with the whole potty thing and regressed to having accidents at home. He almost NEVER had accidents when we are out and about. Not at church, not at the Y, not in the car. But at home has been another story. 

Initially this was really hard on me. For the first 2 months, I felt like I had gotten an unexpected pass and now it felt like we were starting over and that I had somehow failed. After talking to other parents and doing some research I came to the conclusion that when we started the process it was new and exciting but the excitement had passed and now Jack was bored. I also discovered that this type of regression is not uncommon. Plus, kids get busy playing and can be too distracted to stop what they are doing.

I spent about two weeks setting a timer for every 40 minutes when we were home. This is where the commitment on my part came in. I had to stop what I was doing and guide Jack to the potty EVERY time my timer went off. He was not a fan of this process, so I would remind him that we could stop doing the timer when he could remember to go on his own. I also gave a marshmallow for dry pants (though not when we are away from the house). He finally seemed to reach a turning point and started running to the potty on his own (again) and wanted to pee standing up like daddy (new things make everything exciting). We are no longer setting a timer. He still has the occasional accident but I think that is somewhat normal.

Anyways, like I said above, kids are all different. I have friends who potty trained at 4 months, 18 months, 2 years, 3 years, and everywhere in between. The kids always figure it out eventually. Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes they regress. Sometimes they don't. It's just a part of the process. I still feel like I got a bit of a pass with Jack. The cleaning up accidents phase is annoying, but it is still a million times better than changing diapers!

Also, I am very thankful for the childcare workers at the Y and at church who have really worked with Jack. They ask him when he needs to go and always take him, contributing greatly to this process. Every potty training experience is different. This was ours. Kid and mom were both ready to potty train and we have had fairly smooth sailing.

127 Sale, the longest yard sale in the world

Can I let you in on a little secret? I hate shopping. I also hate crowds. So I'm not sure what possessed us to tackle the longest yard sale in the world.

It probably had to do with the fact that it was literally only a few blocks from our house. The Hwy 127 Sale happens every August, with people selling used items all the way from Gadsden, Alabama to Addison, Michigan. The entire experience is kind of crazy! 

The other reason we braved the crowds was that Daniel took Jack on a four wheeler ride in our neighborhood and came back and told me that someone had a couple of church pews for sale. We lucked out and scored an 11-foot long pew for $65. It was a steal and it will look great on our long, front porch. Did I mention it was pouring down rain when we brought the pew home?

I must be really losing my marbles, because we went out on Friday and AGAIN on Saturday to see what there was to see at this sale. Thankfully being local has it's advantages and we knew some back roads to help us avoid the excessive traffic.

The best deal of the day (on Saturday) was finding a guy grilling burgers and hot dogs in his driveway. We bought 2 hamburgers, a hot dog and 2 bottles of water for $6. We also found a 7x10 rug for $40. I can't wait to get it set up in our bedroom.

A couple of other things we found were a Zoobs construction set ($3) and a slightly used pair of fireman's boots for Jack. We let him hand over the money in exchange for the boots – it is important to us that he learns the value of money, and age almost-three seems like a good enough time to start this process.

Jack has worn those boots non-stop for 3 days. I think that was $2 well spent.

The 127Sale Route {via}

A few of the other things we saw, but didn't buy:

Even though I hate shopping, I have a feeling we will be checking out this sale again next year. You never know what you will find!

What's Cooking?

I have decided to switch gears a little since my last "Cooking with Pinterest" post. I am still going to review recipes I find on Pinterest, but also share stuff I am cooking that might not have recipes. Each thing I try will include what I changed (if anything) as well as whether or not it was toddler approved. Also, I will include the flops – for some reason these always tend to involve rice when it comes to my cooking...

Grilled Chicken Kabobs, of the Hawaiian kind

Mushrooms, Peppers and Pineapple combined with chicken on the grill is a win in this household. I made this variation with a Hoisin, soy sauce blend. Jack loves mushrooms and pineapple, but still isn't a fan of bell peppers.

Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 4/5

Tacos with a side salad

We like to enjoy a good taco night every once in a while. Especially when we are short on time. If we have tacos, we prefer the Stand and Stuff kind since you can fit more in them and they don't fall over. Jack likes his toppings wrapped in a soft shell. I tried to sneak some fresh baby spinach into Jack's and he called me out and said it was yucky. Minus the spinach for Jack, tacos are always a hit at our table.
Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 4/5

Grilled Chicken with an Alabama White Barbeque Sauce via Buns in My Oven 
with a side of Grilled Mushrooms and Zucchini

Oh my, this was a great recipe! From the homemade rub to the homemade white barbeque sauce, this was delicious. I loved the flavors and it really wasn't that hard to make. 

Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 5/5

Oven Roasted Sausage and Potatoes via Recipes from the Big Blue Binder

For a twist, and to make this dish a bit healthier, I used half sweet potatoes and half russet potatoes. Daniel didn't care for the sweet potatoes, but I actually liked them better. Especially with the sausage. I thought this dish was quite tasty, Daniel and Jack were less partial to it.

Parent Score 4/5 | Toddler Score 4/5

Double Chocolate Banana Bread via Smitten Kitchen

We had some bananas that were very ripe (mushy as Jack likes to point out) so we made a batch of Double Chocolate Banana Bread. I don't think you can go wrong when you add dark chocolate to things. In this case I added dark chocolate cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips. We all loved it. And Jack is a happy camper any time I let him lick the beaters.
Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 5/5

Shrimp Boil Kabobs via Cook au Vin

This recipe was very similar to one I tried last month. This time I left out the chicken and marinated the kabobs as they cooked instead of just dumping the butter sauce on them afterward. Overall I love this dish. Daniel is a bit more ambivalent – mostly he just doesn't like that the sausage has such a high fat content. Jack and I enjoyed the sausage :)

Parent Score 4/5 | Toddler Score 5/5

Hoisin Chicken with Rice and Roasted Brussel Sprouts made up on the spot, by yours truly.

I literally just sautéed chicken in olive oil, added some Hoisin and soy sauce and a little brown sugar. Brussel sprouts went in oven at 425 for about 20 minutes. I covered them with olive oil, garlic powder and 3 garlic cloves that were in big chunks. Very yummy and quick! Jack and Daniel did not care for the brussel sprouts but enjoyed the chicken and rice.
Parent Score 4/5 | Toddler Score 4/5

Dark Chocolate, Zucchini, Oatmeal Cookies via Cooks.com

Jack requested cookies so I decided to make some that were semi healthy. To be fair, I did add dark chocolate chips to them. Daniel walked by and asked why there was green stuff in the cookies, but didn't complain once he actually ate them. Overall a win. We will be sharing these cookies with friends.

Parent Score 5/5 | Toddler Score 5/5

Lazy Stuffed Peppers via Cheryl Style
Flop. Flop. Flop. I think this would have been a really yummy dish but it was a flop because 1) I let the rice simmer at too high of a setting (my stove top is finicky and hard to get rice to absorb the water correctly) and 2) I used half white rice and half brown rice. The brown rice never got soft and the entire bottom of the pot burned. I don't toss out many dishes, this was a toss. I will have to try it again when I have enough white rice. Also, next time I will just cook the rice separately and mix it in at the end. The dish started out looking and smelling so good. I hate having to throw out food!

Not going to score this since we didn't eat it. Photo is pre-burning.