We are in a transition time with the twins and there is no time like the present or a fresh start to a New Year, to begin down a new path with our two year old twins: Mamie and Fenley are being potty trained. They are doing pretty well and I have not succumbed to the theory of staying home a weekend, naked, and indoors to train them either. That would be horrible for all of us, and we would lose our sanity. Good job, munchkins. You are doing great.
We are also knee high in the midst of figuring out what to do about "big kid beds". Mary Ellie escapes the pack n play and BOTH kids literally climb from their iron cribs and scale the plantation shutters to watch the neighbors. Very dangerous but also very funny (from our point of view, probably not the neighbors). We are now attempting to let them each try the "big kid bed" in the guest bedroom until we can buy new twin beds and really solve the problem. Yesterday, we charged forward with this plan and let Mary Ellie sleep in the queen sized guest bed with new toddler rails. Mary Ellie climb out, dug in the desk, found an orange marker and made her mark....all over the room and herself!
I was taking a nap when her father found her. She ran into my room, flung open the door, and hid in the drapes {opening the door is also new and horrible AND playing in my drapes a no-no}. I prayed she would just go away since she had not spotted me curled under the duvet, but Fenley ran in the room directly following his sissy and he was followed by his father on the trail to hunt down the offender. Joe gave me away by telling me what she had done, and Fenley found me crouched in the duvet and giggled "Hi, mama". Nap over and hiding spot found, surveying the damage began {to clarify, everyone was asleep until the ruckus began with our graffiti artist and set off the chain of events. I was not sleeping with everyone else created havoc in my home with one parent}. Mary Ellie got in BIG trouble and after clean clothes and a wipe up, I "discovered", because she proudly displayed, another area she had marked that I had missed, her belly.
Two Goals of the New Year off and running:
1. Potty Training {decent start}
2. Big Kid Beds {very rocky start}
 |
| The artist/escape artist proud of herself ironically wearing a new t-shirt that has Jeremiah 29:11 on it "For I know, the plans I have for you..." |
 |
| Showing off some handy work |
New Years Day has a list of prerequisite food items you are supposed to eat. We do not eat collard greens around here, but we do eat the mandatory black eyed peas. I wanted to do something a little different this year and possibly get the munchkins to eat a little too because we could all use a little luck! Here is the recipe I found:
Hoppin' John Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large ham hock
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
- 1 quart chicken stock
- Bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
- Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
- 3 cups steamed white rice
Directions
Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.
This recipe was delicious and full of flavor. I omitted cayenne and added a can of Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chiles. I also used Texmati Long grain Rice which is the best brand of rice & couscous in my humble opinion. Served this with a side of cornbread {use two boxes of Jiffy box mix, double the recipe and add a 1/4 cup of sugar} and honey baked ham. It certainly is not going to help you lose weight if that is your resolution but you can at least feel lucky when you start off your year because it was yummy on a cold day. SHOCKINGLY, my chicken nugget and french fry loving children gobbled this up and shouted "Poppin John" in yelps for more. We tried and tried to explain it was Hoppin' John but arguing with the twins is usually a lost cause as was this futile debate. They won. Please pass more Poppin' John please.....
Our three little eaters got to have a few bite sized cookies given to us by our friends for Christmas in an adorable jar. This was a treat for them for clearing their plates but just tiny enough to loose them under our fridge if rolled correctly. Who knew? It was a three person job to try to save the cookies and a fourth helper, Joe, even joined the campaign. Bear rallied the troops with a New Years' blower and horn but the cookies were forever gone. Off to the tub.......
This kick off to 2011 left Joe and I in desperate need of an adult-only date night to also set the right tone for the year. We went to see our third movie this week {yep, THIRD, we have taken advantage of some holiday downtime and help to see all of the movies getting Oscar buzz} and saw Black Swan. Interesting is all I will claim as a movie critic. Some scenes I could have done without but the music and costumes were beautiful. Natalie Portman did a wonderful job being....interesting. The rest you will just have to see and decide yourself.
 |
| I forgot to take pictures along the way but here are the picked over leftovers. Not much left!! |
This recipe was delicious and full of flavor. I omitted cayenne and added a can of Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chiles. I also used Texmati Long grain Rice which is the best brand of rice & couscous in my humble opinion. Served this with a side of cornbread {use two boxes of Jiffy box mix, double the recipe and add a 1/4 cup of sugar} and honey baked ham. It certainly is not going to help you lose weight if that is your resolution but you can at least feel lucky when you start off your year because it was yummy on a cold day. SHOCKINGLY, my chicken nugget and french fry loving children gobbled this up and shouted "Poppin John" in yelps for more. We tried and tried to explain it was Hoppin' John but arguing with the twins is usually a lost cause as was this futile debate. They won. Please pass more Poppin' John please.....
Our three little eaters got to have a few bite sized cookies given to us by our friends for Christmas in an adorable jar. This was a treat for them for clearing their plates but just tiny enough to loose them under our fridge if rolled correctly. Who knew? It was a three person job to try to save the cookies and a fourth helper, Joe, even joined the campaign. Bear rallied the troops with a New Years' blower and horn but the cookies were forever gone. Off to the tub.......
This kick off to 2011 left Joe and I in desperate need of an adult-only date night to also set the right tone for the year. We went to see our third movie this week {yep, THIRD, we have taken advantage of some holiday downtime and help to see all of the movies getting Oscar buzz} and saw Black Swan. Interesting is all I will claim as a movie critic. Some scenes I could have done without but the music and costumes were beautiful. Natalie Portman did a wonderful job being....interesting. The rest you will just have to see and decide yourself.
A Few Light-Hearted Resolutions:
 |
| actually read the books on my nightstand |
 |
| work on the baby books |
 |
| learn how to keep a house the right way |
 |
| try the crafts, projects, ideas, & recipes in my stack of magazines |
 |
| use my awesome new kindle The baby is up, Fenley is roaming around now, and I do not want anyone to disturb Mamie's nap. I will sign off with a quote from my new Kindle Winston Churchill quote book: The whole theme of motherhood and family life, with those sweet affections which illuminate it, must be the fountain spring of present happiness and future survival. |
No comments:
Post a Comment