Comparison

With two small children, it is hard to keep myself from comparing them.  They are so close in age that I can remember their infant time easily.

JT at 3 months

Thomas at 3 months

I catch myself saying "wow, Thomas, you are huge!" on a very frequent basis.  I have to keep reminding myself that Thomas was 50 percentile across the board.  He is average while JT had a bunch of hurdles to overcome.

When I think about the first few months of JT's life, I am grateful that we have had very few issues with Thomas.  Those first couple of months were a hellish experience with JT and I am glad I kept my mind open to the option of having a second child.  We are so blessed to have giggly Thomas.  That is not to say that we are not blessed to have JT - just that JT's beginning makes me cherish the "normalcy" of Thomas's entrance into the world.  Little or big things like pumping to help keep JT healthy in the NICU to Thomas eating cool formula from the fridge; waiting for JT to put on enough weight be big enough to sit in the bouncer to Thomas growing out of clothes like it is his job; or how it took nearly 6 months to get JT to sleep through the night whereas Thomas sleeps 9+ hours at 3 months.  I think the pictures below are a better match then their monthly age:

Thomas at 3 months

JT at 6 months

They are totally brothers.  There is no doubt about that.  Also no doubt - that I love them to the ends of the earth!

Chinese Food

We have had a rough time finding reliable inexpensive Chinese food out here.  Luckily, my mom shared a recipe with me a few weeks ago that I think will cover our Chinese food urges while we continue to hunt for "the chinese food place".  She sent along this great slow cooker recipe.

Slow Cocker Sweet Garlic Chicken

from Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients

4-6 chicken breasts
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons water
Rice or noodles, cooked
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Steps

1.  Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken (frozen, thawed or fresh) inside slow cooker. Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper together. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
2.  Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker (mine basically fell apart) and pour remaining sauce into saucepan. Place saucepan over high heat. Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan, and mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down).
3. Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top if desired. This can be served over rice or noodles, I also like it with a baked potato on the side (It's good on top of the potato too!)

Finished Product
This was really tasty.  A few things to note - I used 1 pound of thawed chicken tenderloins and cooked on low for 6.5 hours.  This left my chicken pieces dry.  I would really recommend using some big chicken breasts so that they stay moist.  The sauce was super yummy.  I think next time I might switch out the lemon-lime soda (I used 7up) for an orange soda.  I did not sprinkle the red pepper flakes on at the end.  The hubby likes his spicy - so we just add to our individual servings.  I served the chicken over basmati rice, which I have taken a real liking to lately.  A definite keeper and big thanks to my mom for passing this one along.

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

With long class days on Mondays and Wednesdays, I have really come to rely on my slow cooker.  So is have been adding new recipes into my rotation with success.  This week I decided to try baked potato soup from the Crockin' Girls.

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

from Crockin' Girls

Ingredients

6 Large Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Large Onion, diced
1 Quart Chicken Broth
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 Cup Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Cream (Half and Half Okay)
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Steps

1.  Combine all ingredients except for cream/ half and half, and cheese.
2.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours (potatoes should be tender).
3.  Then you will need to mash potatoes until coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened.
4.  Stir in cream and cheese. Garnish with toppings (bacon, chives, sour cream, cheese).

The Final Product
I apologize that I am lacking a picture.  The soup was good.  But I could tell that is was very different from usual baked potato soup.  First, it seemed to not be on the really creamy side.  It may be due to the fact that my 6 potatoes were not all large but I also used less chicken broth that specified (two 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth).  I also used about 8 oz of cubed velveeta cheese - next time I plan on using a mexican shred mix.  Give it a little more flavor that just cheddar.  At the end, since it lacked thickness, I put the slow cooker on high for another 15 - 30 minutes.  This helped a bit.  It turned out to be a good alternative to my usual baked potato soup.

Personal Goals

I have been spending a lot of time getting the boys - JT and Thomas - into a reasonable routine.  While Thomas naps throughout the day, I can expect to get both boys down for sleeping for up to an hour and half in the afternoon everyday.  A glorious hour filled with  letting the dogs out, prepping dinner, and everything else I didn't get done before.  That being said, I am starting to get antsy that I am not in great shape anymore (and I still have preggo weight laying around my joints).

So I am committing myself to a couple of things-

Short term: 30 Day Plank Challenge
After 2 c-sections my abdominals are a mess.  My core is more aptly a bowl of jelly.  So to whip my belly into shape, I am following along

I have done day 1.  My abs could manage the 20 seconds barely.  My arm muscles on the other hand, ouchies!  I thought my mommy arms from lugging around my 12 pound and 25+ pound children would have helped me out here.  I hope completing this will help my two longer term goals.

Long term: Pilates
Pregnancy really messes with your joints.  So I have slowly starting doing my old floor routine again.  I am only doing about 5 exercises right now but every week I start to add another exercise into the rotation.  It provides a good stretch and allows me to strengthen and tone my entire body.

Long term:  Disneyland Half Marathon (August 2014)
After JT was born, I chose to work my way to completing a 10K (6.2 miles) race, which boasted free beer and pizza at the finish line for participants. It was a lot of fun and it kept me motivated to work out - even through the 6 mile workouts pushing JT in the stroller.  This time I have upped the ante.  Maybe someday I'll even try a full marathon.  Thankfully this one is about a year away.  I have a bit more time to get mileage under my belt and ensure that I don't injure myself.  Right now, I have a 1, 2, and 3 mile walking route with the boys and there are still 3 more months before I can safely run with Thomas in the double stroller.

Just keep plugging away!

Pork Loin with Italian Herbed Pepper Rub

I found another nice rub recipe for pork.  My fondness for pork is growing because of this.  I did a slight adaptation to the original recipe which comes from the Pork be inspired website.

Pork Loin with Italian Herbed Pepper Rub

adapted from the National Pork Board

Ingredients

3 pound pork loin roast, boneless
2 tablespoons black pepper, cracked
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
4 - 6 tsp Penzey's Italian Seasoning Mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Steps

1.  Pat pork dry with paper towel. In small bowl, combine all rub ingredients well and apply to all surfaces of the pork roast.
2.  Place roast in a shallow pan and roast in a 350 degrees F. oven for 1 hour (20 minutes per pound), until internal temperature on a thermometer reads 145 degrees F.
3.  Remove roast from oven; let rest about 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Serves 6-8, with leftovers. 

The Final Product
As a note to the reader, I had 2 loins that together weighed just over 2 pounds.  The hour in the oven was more than enough.  I used grated pecorino romano cheese instead of parmesan.  For the heck of it, I also added in a handful of Sargento's 6 cheese Italian shred.  This provided a neat crispy top to the roast.  Another yummy addition to my cookbook.

Pasta with Turkey and Broccoli

We are on our way to somewhat healthier less costly eating.  I have been trying to cut down on the red meat (I'll be honest - I still love a good steak) by incorporating leaner protein.  We tried this recipe from Real Simple in the past couple of weeks.

Pasta with Turkey and Broccoli

from Real Simple

Ingredients

3/4 pound orecchiette
2 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
kosher salt
Parmesan, for serving

Steps

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the broccoli during the last minute. Drain and return the pasta and broccoli to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, garlic, fennel seed, and red pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes; season with ½ teaspoon salt.
3. Toss the turkey mixture with the pasta and broccoli and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Serve with Parmesan.

The Final Results

I was surprised at how tasty this turned out.  The turkey was flavorful and the broccoli not to soggy.  I think the fennel seed and the red pepper really made this dish.  I was tricked into thinking I was having sausage with the pasta but it was turkey.  Definitely, try this one out for a quick meal.

Big Brother moments

Since Thomas joined the crew, I have noticed a few cute little things happening:

• JT will bring a binky to Thomas if he is crying.
• If Thomas is out playing, or more aptly laying on his tummy, JT will bring over his taggies to share with Thomas.
• When we are in the car and Thomas gets a bit cranky, JT goes "shush" and puts his finger over his mouth.
• If I ask JT if he wants Thomas to come play with him, JT pulls down Thomas's play blanket and gets it set up on the floor.

I love my big boy.  Here he is getting ready to feed his prairie dog breakfast just like mommy feeds Thomas breakfast.

Duty for Dooty

I'll be totally honest. There are very few days in my home where doing "Number 2" is not subject number 1 of our conversations. With Thomas' arrival, the boys' closets look like an aisle at Target - Cruisers size 5, Overnights size 6, a half plastic sleeve of Swaddlers size 1, a box of Swaddlers size 2 (for when the 1's are done), a box of Swaddlers size 3 and Overnights size 3. (You may think I am crazy to have 3s all ready to go but when you find a sale for these big boxes -$20 is awesome!- you might as well buy them early.). It is a little depressing, not to mention the extra costs.

So, we are slowly trying to get JT ready to leave the diapers behind. We have done a couple of things to get the process started:

1. I plan on reading Potty Training for Boys. I am almost done with the second book on India that I purchased many moons ago and this book is next in the queue. I am hoping this short little read will provide some insight into getting this done quickly and with as few messes as possible (HAHA!).
2. I have been trying to get JT to be more proactive in dressing himself. It is somewhat frustrating though. What I know will take me three seconds to do has now become a ten minute charade. I hope that as he becomes more adept at getting clothes on and off it will make the "pulling down my pants to use the potty" action easier.
3. Another hurdle is getting JT to use his words. He has a growing vocabulary but is torn between using them or screaming to get what he wants. I have been trying to convince him to use the words "poop" and "pee" as preludes to changing his diaper. Then he will hopefully use them to know when he has to go to the bathroom.
4. Wet vs Dry: another battle is trying to get him to recognize the difference between wet and dry. Right now I have been using all the instances when JT is drooling, or sticking his hands in his mouth to indicate wet. I hope it will help.
5. Easy Ups: On our recent diaper buying spree, I picked up a small box of potty training pants.
6. Got a potty. We bought a simple potty at IKEA. JT seems intrigued by it and has on a couple of occasions gone to just sit on it. Trouble is we have 2 bathrooms. Doi - silly mommy moment. We need to get one more before we begin this...adventure.

I'll update if we or when we have success. It might be a while. :-/

Posted with Blogsy

Early Morning Feedings

Getting up early in the morning leaves me with a good half hour or so of quiet quality time.  I have been keeping myself and Thomas in the dark during these feedings to make it easier for him to get right back to sleep once he is done.  In the dark, my mind wanders:

1.  How much stuff can you stuff in a stuffies til your stuffies stuffed enough stuff?
We have started watching PBS' Sprout network in the evenings with JT.  Inevitably this commercial comes on at least 2 times during our viewing.  It has caused much pondering.  So much so that we have even considered buying a Stuffie just to answer this question.  Thankfully on their website provides this useful diagram.

2.  Michel Mercier
Yet another commercial on Sprout that has garnered a bit of my quiet time.  This professional hair stylist has come up with a special detangling brush.  It has 428 bristles of varying sizes.  This apparently is source of great pride - 428 is the exact right number of bristles to detangle hair and not have your hair end up on the brush.  My mathy brain wants to know how this guy chose 428.  Does the efficiency of the brush decrease significantly if you add just one more bristle?  I'd love to read a study if they did this.

3.  Minivans are more "Sucky"
Totally in a good way.  Now I am the first person to say that I hate minivans.  But the Honda Odyssey comes with a built in vacuum cleaner.  Every time I see the commercial it makes me want to drool.  Why did it take the minivan people so long to come up with this awesome feature?  I want a minivan now!

4.  Volvo
I want this concept coupe!

Grilled Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin

We are settling into a rhythm here.  But it has been a month from Thomas' arrival and I got the urge to try something new.  Now it isn't anything super crazy.  It didn't take me hours to prepare - actually, I got to bring in my heavily underutilized hubby to do the cooking.  I had a pork tenderloin set in our meal plan but I didn't want to do the old lemon herb marinade or do all the cooking in the house.  So, I did a quick search and found this intriguing recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod.

Now, I am not a huge fan of honey mustard sauce.  As an option for chicken fingers at a restaurant, I would rather eat them plain then get honey mustard sauce.  Why not try something a little different?  So we did and the verdict was very pleasing.  There was just enough sweet and peppery to make it work.  We both enjoyed it very much.

Grilled Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin

from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin

Steps

1. In a large bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, mustard, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper.
2.  Place pork tenderloin in zip top bag.  Pour mixture into the bag.  Seal the bag and make sure the pork is covered in the marinade. Chill in the refrigerator overnight, turning occasionally.
3. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before grilling. Discard marinade. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill tenderloin, covered with grill lid, 8 to 10 minutes on all sides or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150° to 155°. Remove tenderloin from grill, and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.