Big Helper Series: Cleaning

Atticus has become my big helper. That's what I tell him. When he was very little he would pick up little things off the floor that I didn't want him to have and he would hand them to me. I wanted to encourage this behavior, specifically the not putting these found objects in his mouth part, and so I would say "thank you, that is so helpful!" Pretty soon he was handing me things and saying "helpful."

He is learning to be helpful in other ways now too. Which jobs he does has been led largely by what he takes an interest in. I try to pay attention and quickly find a way for him to participate in household chores as much as possible. It takes some work sometimes, but frequently the payoff of a toddler engaged in a task for even a minute can be huge.

This is the first part of a series I'll be doing on my big helper. This first installment is about cleaning. It's really the first way he started engaging in the work of our home. His first job he tackled was cleaning his high chair tray. As you can imagine, he learned by watching me and was overjoyed to be given a chance to imitate me.

Here he is dusting. This was our old tv, for a while he got really dedicated to keeping our new tv dusted. (This video also features our office mid-organization, so please excuse the mess. It's not done yet, but it sure doesn't look like this!)

Mopping and quite on the move.

Vacuuming. He also likes to take this vacuum apart and put it back together and usually forgets the filter.

While setting his table (with real stoneware and glass dishes) for us to have a snack, he spilled some milk. No problem! He ran to the kitchen where he got a rag from the rag box, came back to the living room and cleaned up his mess, then put the rag in the laundry basket in the dining room.

Here he is sorting silverware. For now he just sorts by type and not size. We just started this back up again. We made an earlier attempt about a month or so ago and he started running off, fork in hand, tines up. Not okay. He's been more responsible about it this time around. Obviously this is a great sorting activity and I don't have to scrounge up anything to make it happen!

On that note, he has also been helping me unload the dishwasher in other ways for several months now. He puts things on his shelf (like his bowls, cups, and spoons) and in his cupboard (particularly the wooden spoons and citrus juicer). I take the plates and bowls out of the dishwasher, stack them and bring them into the dining room. Then Atticus hands them to me one by one and I put them away in the buffet. Afterward he gets to close the cabinet door. It has become a good routine for us. A little after breakfast I just have to shout that I need help and Atticus comes running to help unload the dishwasher.

It's funny, as much as having a toddler makes everything more complicated and exhausting, it can also provide many motivations to get the housework done!

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Midsummer Night's Quiche

It's been pretty mild in Wisconsin this summer, particularly compared to last summer. There was only a short stretch of actual heat, and I don't think it would have felt so hot if it hadn't been so cool all the rest of the summer. And while Facebook has been taunting me with beautiful farmers market produce since May, our farmers market only just this week hit a point that even comes close to that kind of excitement.

My lettuce is finally producing at a rate that suites our family, but some of it has started to bolt. I've said before that I like to blanch and freeze bolted and less tender arugula. My arugula bolted so fast this year that I hardly got any leaves. I'll be planting a second round probably in the next week and will hope for better results.

However, I took some inspiration from Jacques Pepin, and decided to try cooking other kinds of lettuce. I had one variety out of a mix bolt into tall stalks. I don't like bitter greens so I thought that cooking them might temper the bitter similarly to the arugula. I gathered some herbs and some lettuce for a side salad and I was ready to throw together a quiche. The recipe below is how I made it, but you should adapt it to make the best use of your own produce.

Who doesn't like a basket full of garden produce?

I made my usual shortening pie crust except that I did half whole wheat flour. You could use whatever you like as long as it isn't sweet. A store bought lard based crust would work really well.

Get your onions sautéing first in whatever you like to use. I did mine in butter and olive oil because it is heavenly. I wouldn't stress about getting them perfectly caramelized or anything. As long as they are very soft, just cook them for as long as it takes you to get your other ingredients prepped.

Set your onions aside and use the same pan to cook your tomatoes down a bit and wilt your lettuce. Put a cover on the pan and check periodically until you get to a point you are happy with. Now is a good time to get the pie crust in the pan and grate the cheese if you haven't already.

Now layer.

Pour the egg mixture on top (pictured) and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Serve with a salad or fruit or both! And a toddler mom tip: it's a pie.

 

Midsummer Night's Quiche

1 recipe pie crust for 9 inch pie (you only need half, so reserve the other half for another use), prepped in pie pan

Butter and extra-virgin olive oil

1 small or medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

Bolted greens, torn

1 Roma tomato, chopped

1/3 lb gruyere cheese, grated

Generous handful fresh basil and oregano, coarsely chopped

6 large eggs

Scant 1 cup heavy whipping cream (there are many dairy options for making quiche, this is what I had on hand and it made for a great texture, light and moist)

Pinch of salt

Dash of black pepper

A couple generous dashes of nutmeg (I LOVE nutmeg!)

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until very soft or caramelized, lowering temperature as needed to prevent them from getting crispy. Transfer to a bowl.

Return pan to medium heat and add tomatoes. Once they've released some moisture, add the lettuce and cover, stirring occasionally until the lettuce is wilted and less bitter and the flavors start to come together. Remove from heat.

Begin to layer the quiche. On the bottom of the crust add 1/2 the cheese, then the onions, then the lettuce and tomatoes. Add a sprinkle of cheese then top with the herbs.

Beat together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Carefully pour over the layered ingredients. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake in the oven about 25-30 minutes, covering the edges of the crust at the 20 minute mark if you are concerned about over-browning the edges. It is done when it no longer jiggles and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to rest a few minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

 

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Willow Branch Garden Structures

(This post has been a long time coming because I thought I had more pictures. I don't. So here it is!)

A couple months ago my in-laws' willow tree at the parsonage where they live suffered some serious ice damage. It was really a shame because it is the focal point of many pictures for all of us, and it is just so amazing. During our church's yard cleanup day, the mess got cleaned up and the branches cut down to a manageable size. The tree is still there, but no longer in its former glory.

It wasn't all bad, however. I had had various trellis and arbor projects in mind for my garden but the materials I had hoped to use had turned out to be impossibly expensive and that was by using the cheapest materials. So I had an idea to use the downed willow branches. Best part, this plan was almost free! (screws, nails, and twine aren't free, but we already have them around so it feels like it) Collecting the branches proved exhausting because they had been bulldozed into a pile precariously at the edge of a gully dumping area. It was not easy to get them untangled without falling to my death. But here I am.

First I wove an arbor over my lettuce bed. I used larger pieces for the basic shape and support by screwing them into the sides of the beds and then used the long rope-like pieces to connect it together and create more lattice for the plants to climb on. I used a variety of methods to use the thin pieces - braiding, twisting, and wrapping. I held it fast with twine. I'm hoping it will eventually harden enough to go without the twine.

 

My plan for this bed is that as the summer gets hotter, my pole beans will fill in over the lettuce bed, filtering the sunlight and extending my lettuce growing season. As it cools down, the beans will peter out and I can cut them down and let the lettuce have full sun again. That's the theory anyway. I was going to do it last year, but with the drought and the hungry bunnies it brought I didn't get any lettuce or beans.

Next, Zac screwed some more branches to the sides of the other beds. I'll be running twine between these for the other beans to climb. I've also got peas now going up some of these willow lattices.

I was a bit nervous at first that it was looking tacky. And I think that the next time I build an arbor I'll have a better idea of how to approach it. But now that it's done I actually think it looks quite nice.

 

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Superfood Molasses Sourdough Muffins

Atticus rarely eats meat. It is a little annoying at times, but I also realize it isn't necessary that he does and that he'll probably get around to it eventually. In the meantime, however, I've been in a bit of a scramble to make sure he gets non-meat sources of iron as well as vitamin C to help with absorption. It isn't as easy as I had assumed.

To help with this, I've developed a superfood muffin that provides a generous helping of minerals and other great for you things. These were a big hit. They are very soft and airy, not particularly sweet.

I'll admit upfront, you might not have these ingredients in your pantry, but I think they are well worth picking up and keeping on hand. Also, this recipe calls for unfed sourdough starter. I pulled mine straight from the fridge.




Superfood Molasses Sourdough Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
heaping 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp turmeric (this adds a boost of health, but if you don't have it don't worry about it)
2 eggs
2/3 cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses
1 cup unfed sourdough starter
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup chia seeds

Grease a 12 muffin tin with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (I do 325 with my dark nonstick pan.)

Whisk together the dry ingredients (except the chia seeds) in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, molasses, sourdough starter, coconut oil, lemon zest and juice, and chia seeds. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until well incorporated.

Spoon batter into the muffin tins. Bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before serving. They go great with milk.

Recipe adapted from this recipe at cate's world kitchen.


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So this post is a long time coming. Probably one proof that my life is greatly in need of some organization. We are settling into routine and for my little family that is a big deal. Ever and always changing has been the theme of my life since marrying Eric. But after five moves in four years I can safely say we are at least staying in the home we have had for almost a year... another six months. I know that doesn't sound like a lot but for us... It's a long term commitment.
My life is different in many ways from my sister's. We do not have a big house and none of my home projects include renovation of any kind. We rent a two bedroom condo and my projects mostly include making due with what we have and making things work the way they are. This has involved borrowing (we still need to buy our own) a wagon for the long hauls with groceries, baby gear, ect. from our garage to our condo. Utilizing every nook and cranny for storage. Once again ridding ourselves of things we don't need. And rearranging furniture numerous times.

Projects on the horizon, hopefully:
*Installing shelves in our hall closet (so I can make myself a pretty pantry)
*Installing a shelving system in our garage (so we can rid our house of boxes we have no where to store)
*Beautifying our patio and making a play space for Esmond outside
*Turning the second hall closet from a catch all to an organized office closet/ art space
*Finish Esmond's room
- he has no lights...
-installing bookshelves
-making a seat/storage system

Below is a project I can say I have finished. Hurray! For four years Eric and I have been talking about having our very own coffee/drinks bar. We have finally done it. My parents got us the Delonghi espresso machine and my grandma the vintage bar/cabinet which we painted black. This wall was incredibly blank and lacking in purpose and is now a space to entertain.

House Projects Beget House Projects

We've been working on installing a new vinyl floor in our kitchen. We started last Saturday and got back to it today. Well, we got back to prepping the other side of the kitchen to finish but we never actually laid any of the tiles. That's because, in response to an offhand comment by Zac about how much he hates that cabinet, we decided to replace one of the cabinets!





This is Zac starting to tear off part of the countertop to allow us to remove and replace the old cabinet. It is eventually our intention to replace the whole countertop, now we are committed.





Here you can see where the cabinet was. I can't explain why there appear to be two different walls back there. It's an old house. One thing to note is that the corner isn't square. We don't like this as it makes for a weird cabinet and reduces counter space (which is scarce), but our original plan had been to just install a square countertop over the weird cabinet and leave it at that. This was to save money on new cabinets.

However, I made the delightful discovery that a cabinet of drawers we had brought down from the kitchen upstairs (the house had been a duplex) would fit perfectly in that space. Moving it from where it was isn't a problem because we need to install a pantry in that space anyway.





So here is the "finished" product! Mismatched for now, but it's in place and we can worry about painting it all later. One nice feature of this cabinet is the pull out cutting board. When we get the new countertop installed we will replace the cutting board and give the kitchen a little more prep space.

So we didn't finish the floor, but we actually did all the prep for it so we are hoping to get right to laying tile on Monday evening. Plus I feel really great about fixing a problem I didn't think we would be able to fix. That's a great Saturday.

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Chalkboard Highchair Tray

I got bit by the chalkboard paint bug. I've got a few projects in mind, but this first was an original so I thought I would share.

First, a little background: our highchair tray, which is removable, has another tray layer which is also removable. We used to use the top tray and then we wouldn't have to remove he whole thing to clean it after meals. However, during a bought of teething, Atticus started biting it and making it pop off, so we just stopped using it. This led to the discovery that it was really almost just as easy to clean the big tray. So the top piece just sat around collecting dust. Until recently!

I decided to put it to better use and give up on the idea of ever using it for food again. I painted it with chalkboard paint!






I used a sponge brush and painted two layers. Note that I did not paint meticulously. I'm sure you could, but if I had set up that kind of standard for this project I never would have started. So squiggly edges it is for us! Also, the surface isn't smooth, it actually has a very brushstroke texture to it. However, following the advice on the can of paint to rub a piece of chalk all over it first, then erase it all, to prime the chalkboard really seemed to mitigate what might have been a texture issue. As an eraser I used a scrap piece of felt.





Atticus took to it pretty quickly. He colored much in the way he does with crayons right now, mostly lines with the occasional scribble. I was mostly just glad that he wasn't breaking or eating the chalk. He also picked up on he word "chalk" almost immediately, so that will be interesting.





I suppose it will eventually crack. The tray is plastic and made to bend, so it seems inevitable. So far so good though, and maybe if we are careful we can get a good amount of use out of it. I plan to use it primarily to give him something to keep him busy while I'm cooking.

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Lentil Stew

I've been working to incorporate more legume based meals into our diet. There are so many health benefits, plus they are a great source of inexpensive protein. In particular, I've been exploring the possibilities with lentils. One of my new go-to meals is Lentil Stew. It's easy to keep the ingredients on hand and can be modified with whatever ad-ins you happen to have on hand. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of wine.





I like to use Trader Joe's Red Split Lentils, but any lentils would work, you just need to adjust cooking times and may need to add more liquid depending on how thick you would like your stew. I took my inspiration from the recipe on the back of the lentils bag; it recommends sweet vermouth and I have found that it adds a great flavor element, a little sweet. The recipe below is how I happened to make it most recently, but I've included variation suggestions as well. Enjoy!





Lentil Stew

1 T. bacon grease
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 small carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1/4 cup sweet vermouth
1 cup red split lentils, rinsed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste (Don't omit this! Even if you only add enough for a little flavor but no heat.)
1/2 cup frozen spinach
2-3 slices bacon (I like to use nitrite free), fried crispy and chopped

1. Heat grease and oil in stew pot over medium heat. Add carrots first, and sauté, then add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until vegetables are fragrant.
2. Add thyme, bay leaf, stock, water, and vermouth. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer until carrots begin to get soft.
3. Add lentils and simmer partly covered until they are tender, about 12 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. During this time you will likely want to add some water. The goal is to cook the lentils and have a consistency that appeals to you.
4. Add spinach, bring stew back to a simmer to heat spinach through.
5. Dish it up and serve garnished with bacon crumbles.

Variations:
Omit the bacon, or sub Italian sausage and use the drippings from browning in place of the bacon grease.
Add diced celery, sweet potato, or turnip.
Use leeks in place of or with the onion.
Try rosemary instead if thyme or pick another favorite earthy herb.
Substitute vegetable stock.
Use white wine in place of vermouth.
Use French green lentils if you would like your lentils to hold their shape.
Use any green you like wilted. I love to use frozen arugula from my garden for dishes like this. But don't limit yourself to frozen greens, fresh would work also.
You could even throw in some frozen peas or frozen cut green beans at the end.

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Potty Training, pt. 2

So I said I would explain why we started training when we did. I read a post on domanmom.com that made a lot of sense and resonated with me, so I decided to give early potty training a try. I was also emboldened by talking to my mother-in-law and her mom who both potty trained their kids pretty early, with almost all the kids being trained well before the age of two. Genetics was on my side!
Basically I wanted to catch him while he was still very aware of his bowel movements and before he would be unwilling to stop his playtime to use the potty. We seem to be entering that sort of transition right now so I think I caught him just in time.



So today we started by sitting on the potty, with no results. Then I put him in his new cloth training pants. He seemed pleased. However, after three accidents in the space of 30 minutes, I needed a new approach. He was very upset when he wet himself, so that was good, but to get repeatedly upset wasn't what I was going for. I don't want this to be agonizing for either of us.
Approach #2 was the naked baby method, so he was wearing a shirt and socks but no underwear or pants. Additionally, I put him in the kitchen to play where he would be right by the bathroom. (It's an old house, weird layout.) That worked so much better! He went an hour with no accidents. When he needed to pee he quickly crawled to the bathroom and I helped him get on his little potty. He went twice in that time and had a couple false alarms.
Things fell apart when I had to put him in his playpen for a minute (fortunately I had a towel under the sheet left from when he had the flu). He peed in the playpen and then he had a series of accidents that made him really upset. He also didn't want to use the potty. It didn't take me long to figure out the problem: he was tired and needed a nap so I put him down for one and we let the potty training take a rest for the day. He didn't ask to go anymore, so I didn't put any pressure on it and I just kept him in the Easy Ups for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow we'll work on it again, but I'll start right off with the naked baby method and I'll get him into a pull-up before he gets too sleepy. I'll also try to keep the training up throughout the whole day as long as he seems receptive to it. Because he had already been coming along so well before we all got sick, I'm optimistic about this next phase. Watch for updates!
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Potty Training, pt. 1

We began potty training Atticus back in November. At that point he was around 14 months old. Prior to that we had laid the groundwork a little by teaching him words like "poop" and "pee" and drawing attention to his bowel movements by telling him what he was doing. We also brought him into the bathroom occasionally so he he could see how it was done.

I picked him up a colorful and noisy potty seat and we started by having him sit on it clothed when he was having a BM. For a little while that would just result in him stopping altogether, so I was glad I had prepared mentally that it could take some getting used to.

The next step we took was to get a book about going potty. This was a hit (although not with my husband who finds it extremely boring). The book is My Big Boy Potty by Joanna Cole. After looking at the different options at Barnes and Noble I decided that this one had enough detail to help me teach the concept and create excitement but not so much detail that I wouldn't want it in the living room. I was prepared to get the more detailed exposes if necessary, but so far I haven't found it to be so. For Atticus the highlights have been noting that the boy has many similar toys and that on one page he can see the stream of pee going into the potty.

So, how we got really underway: I waited for a time when he would likely have a BM. Then I put him on the seat bare butted and read him the book. If memory serves, he went on the second try. Point is, success came quickly, much more quickly than I had expected. As a reward, he got to flush the toilet which was EXTREMELY exciting. At this point my only goal was to teach him to poop in the toilet. The plan was to be pretty casual about the whole thing and he was still wearing diapers.

Taking him in for the occasional poop was easy, much easier than changing those diapers. And while doing that he would pee from time to time, which I of course encouraged but I didn't think, since he was still in diapers, that he actually knew when he needed to pee. I was wrong. Thanksgiving Day, at our house, he began asking to go potty just to pee. (It went something like this: "potty! potty! potty! potty!) At first I didn't even believe him, I thought he was just saying it. A few rounds of this proved me wrong, however, and we started spending a lot of time in the bathroom.

What was difficult was that I needed more cooperation from him. This was difficult to get because he wasn't walking and he wouldn't stand on cue. Even when he finally did start walking he wouldn't necessarily cooperate and stand up in a public restroom. If I had it to do over I might have waited until he was more sure on his feet, but only because of how quickly he picked up on the whole thing.

Somewhere along the way I picked up some Pampers Easy Ups. I hadn't planned to use those kind of training pants, but since he frequently knew when he was peeing in his diapers I figured we wouldn't be setting ourselves back at all and I wasn't actually ready to get serious about pee training. The Easy Ups are just much easier to change in a bathroom.

Another challenge we encountered, that I was not prepared for, was that he hated using regular sized toilets (at his size I can't really blame him), but would still insist that he needed to use one when we were out. One time we ended up at Culvers and he was urgently shouting "potty" so I took him and reluctantly put him on the seat where he touched everything in reach but he refused to go yet kept begging to go "potty." Not my favorite moment and I found myself several times begging him to pee in his pants. Irony, for sure.

What helped a TON with this problem was a portable potty seat. It has revolutionized using public restrooms. Not only is he happy to use it, but it also helps keep his hands off the public seat. Another plus: it was $11. Win Win Win.

Then in December we both caught a cold. He didn't want to sit on the potty and I didn't want to take him so we stalled a bit. Then it was holiday craziness and then we all got sick, Zac and Atticus with the stomach flu. So for a few weeks his use of the potty was much more sporadic. And that catches us up to today. He's over his diarrhea and so today we started back up for real. In the next installment I'll report on today's adventure in early potty training and explain a little more about why we decided to train at this stage.


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Welcome

Yes this is another mom blog! We decided to do this as much for our own benefit as anyone else's, but we hope you enjoy it. Look forward to home organization projects, baby food recipes, home renovation projects, crafts, thrift, and much more. Really whatever we want! To preview some of the fun here is a picture of my own latest fix-it project:





Long story short, the drain was unhooked on a leaking sink. This little fix of mine slowed the leaking just enough to allow my husband and I to run to Menards to get the parts to turn the sink off without the sink overflowing. I'll do a whole post in our upstairs bathroom renovation soon.

-Kristen

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