Torture aka Dinner Time

This isn't what we had for dinner tonight, but this is what we had last Wednesday night.  The story I'm going to share though is from tonight.  I thought I'd find a picture of Eliana's dinner from last week just to get your senses moving in the right direction.  Eliana had beans, super tasty pork chops that Kyle made, carrots, peas, olives, and won ton noodles.  The olives, beans, and won ton noodles were from our salad toppings.  Eliana hasn't figured out yet that salads are good.  It took Kyle 25 years to figure that out.

I thought that Eliana getting her new tooth was the cause of the her eating habits being so picky.  I'd read months ago to have your little one eat lots of different types of foods between 12 and 18 months, because after that she can become quite picky.  Well, I think Eliana is simply being picky to put it kindly.

Kyle wasn't feeling well.  How he slept through the noise of dinner is beyond me.  I tried a new recipe for a meatball soup with homemade meatballs, garbanzo beans, bow tie noodles, stewed tomatoes, and spinach.  I have some Texas toast for French toast later some time in the next two weeks, but I splurged early.  Here is where the dilemma began.  Eliana was already up in her chair.  She'd been "starving", or so I'm sure she would have said if she had those words.  She'd been signing that she was hungry, but when I offered water while the soup cooked, she pushed it away.  The house smelled good, and I was excited to try something new.  The food was on the table, and I went back to get the butter for toast.  In the mean time, Eliana grabbed her whole slice and began trying to eat the giant slice of bread.  So, when I went to trade her the bread for her soup (the ingredients minus the hot broth), she clearly was upset.  I gave her a little piece of the toast, put it out of sight and proceeded to encourage her to eat.  She ate a little, seemed to like it, and then she refused to eat.  The noise, volume, tears, and anger that continued for quite some time would have made you think she was already two.  After a while, I had her get down.  She went straight for the fridge and signed eat.  I told her that her food was on the table.  The noise, volume, tears, and anger that continued were out of frustration as she was trying to get me to understand that the "good" food was within grasp within the fridge.  Sigh.  I held my ground since this display of disliking the food set before her in hopes of getting bread or something else has been around for more days than I have wanted.  She climbed up my chair and sat in my lap.  I offered her my soup. Nope.  That was not what she wanted.  I was frustrated.  She was beyond frustrated.  But, I held my ground.  There was food for her, and she had tried some of it and enjoyed some of it before all of the noise.  So, after I was done, I started clearing the table.  I left her food there for her to eat when she got hungry enough.  She read books while I did the dishes.  All that was left was her plate and cup.  Although I wasn't sure what was to come of our evening, I went to put her plate in the fridge for when she decided she was hungry.  She saw me and came over, ready (praise the LORD on high) to eat.  I let her pick what she'd like.  I was stunned to see the first thing to go in was the spinach since she had previously picked it off her plate and put it on the table aka I'm not eating that.  I sat on the floor exhausted from the display of her tantrum and leaned against the fridge.  Eliana came and sat in my lap, and to my great relief she continued to eat.  I told her about how I love her, and I want her to grow strong.  I told her that she needs to eat veggies and a variety of food to be healthy.  She listened, and got a book for me to read for her.  So there we sat reading, pausing for me to pass her more food, and enjoying each other's company.

I sadly know this won't be the last torture meal, but at least now I know more clearly where the battle lines are drawn.  I know there are parents who give into this battle, but I'll hold my ground in hope that one day we can share a quiet healthy meal together as a family.  I'm not sure how all of this will work out in public, but I'll cross that road when we get there.

Through the screaming, the following verse came to mind.
"Train up a child in the way he should go,
      And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
Yes, this was about eating healthy, but more importantly it was about obeying.  Did I want to hear Eliana scream like she was losing an appendage, no.  But, she does need to continue to learn to obey.  Just in case you're wondering about that bread that went out of sight.  After she had eaten quite a bit, she got some of the bread.  A little more soup, and then a little more bread.  

On a happier note, I made these apple scones yesterday.  They were a hit at our small group!  Thanks Kari for the recipe!

Things I Learned Making my First Roast Chicken

In an effort to save money, I bought a whole chicken to cook and then I'll use the left overs for a couple of chicken dishes.

Things I learned:
*I need to give the chicken more time to thaw to avoid needing to cook it an extra hour and a half.
*It is a wonderful thing to have a friend like Michele to answer some of my defrost chicken questions yesterday morning.
*Taking the giblets out is challenging if you have never done it before, and you're not quite sure where they are or how to get them out.
*Finding a video of someone taking out the giblets took longer than I expected.
*I should have found those videos the day prior, because the extra info I gathered would have helped in the defrosting dilemma.
*Prepping a whole chicken isn't nearly as challenging as I thought.  Butter and herbs under the skin and 1/2 onion cut up for the inside worked out quite well.
*I should always move the oven rack to a lower setting.  Although, even if I had lowered it, I still would have had the following problem.  I don't know if this happens to all pans, but I was using my favorite Pampered Chef Bar Pan.  It got so hot that the oils were popping up and hitting the top heating element.  This then caused smoke.  So, once I realized the problem, I moved the rack lower.  However, the oil was popping up so high that I still had a problem.  Well, I don't know if you have taken into consideration Eliana in the mix, but I figured out what to do with her.  Praise the Lord for the exersaucer.  She doesn't like it, but she gets to sit in it and read while I shower.  So, she got to read and take breaks to watch her mom turn on fans, open windows, pray that the smoke detector wouldn't go on, oh and scream initially for not being able to "help" in the kitchen.  I put foil over the chicken, and that took care of the popping oil.
*It is a good think Eliana didn't mind eating a sandwich while Kyle and I waited for the chicken to cook.
*The chicken was well worth the wait!
*Mashed potatoes keep their heat a long time.  The steamed veggies held up well too with the extra long steaming.
*Having Kyle go back for seconds and thirds delighted my heart.
*Kyle carving out the rest of the chicken for later said, "I love my wife!"
*Cleaning the Pampered Chef Pan took about 2 minutes.  Awe, I sure do love that pan.
*I used 1/2 of the left overs today in a chili verde chicken dish that was delicious!!!

October Photo

It was cool for a few days in October.  The rest of the time has been in the high 80-90s.  That means we are still enjoying walking without sweaters yet!

I have tons of stories and pictures to share, but not the time to share them yet.  I hope to update some more soon, but we'll just see.

Before I forget though, here are a few things Eliana is up to:

*climbing into her chair at the dinner table.

*signing dog, more, eat, milk, thank you, please, shoes, bread, hot, and we're working on banana, cat, car, fish, bear, doll, and a few others.

*LOVES to be outside, and is rather upset when we bring her back inside.

*has decided she hates her car seat (which made the 40 minute trip to a special pumpkin patch rather stressful).

*has her fourth molar coming through (thus she isn't eating too well).

*is learning to run (which is hysterical.... I can say that now since she hasn't run away from us in public... yet).

*loves when Rachel, Ruli, and Brice come over to play.

*loves talking to GramE on Skype.

*enjoys "reading" books and having us read them to her.

*has been calmed down from more than one tantrum while trying to have a diaper change by singing (some rather silly songs since I make them up as I go to get her to relax).

*loved the girls day out at the zoo with Faith and Zoe.

*can put things in the dirty clothes all by herself.

*sometimes would rather walk by herself than holding onto my hand or Kyle's.

*loved spinach quiche yesterday for lunch (which was a total shock since she hasn't been eating well while getting this molar and in general tries to hand me all green foods).

*still doesn't like tomatoes or bell pepper (takes after Kyle).

*loves olives, raisins, fruit, noodles, cheese, and chili verde enchiladas.

*doesn't like to be in grocery cart seat for more than about 10 minutes at a time (BIG sigh), but she does enjoy walking with Kyle to go get an item at a time while I fill the cart as quickly as possible.

*still makes strangers laugh, smile, and glow while we are out and about.
*knows where her belly, head, feet, nose, and ears are (which means she also found that there are finger sized holes in her nose... :) ).

Reasons September is Busy

Kyle has carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel surgery on September 7th.  

 Eliana and I enjoy the nice scenery outside of Kyle's physical therapy office.  He started out going three times as week and is down to twice a week.  I'm glad I'm home to help him get around!

 Kyle has learned to do all kinds of things one handed or with the help of his feet, head, or shoulders.  I've been amazed at all of the things he can still do.

I've said so many times this summer that Eliana is growing up so fast!  She is getting so big!!!  Last year at this time she was still such a wee babe.  During spring, she wore this top as a dress!!!

We've learned of some fun free places to go walk around near Kyle's physical therapy.  There is a great park near by, but it cost a couple of bucks.  This month we started Financial Peace University, and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone!  We're learning so much about how to manage our money.  This class is very timely as we continue to adjust to one income.  Our goal for this month is to cut our grocery bill to $200.  I'm hoping to just go shopping twice a month.  I meal planned 14 dinners for the next two weeks, wrote up the ingredients needed, stuck to the list, and made it out under $84.  Wahoo!

 

Eliana is learning so much every day.  She has learned to point at things, and it is quite cute.  She also figured out that food comes out of the refrigerator.  Now when she is hungry, she tries to open it!  She loves picking out books to read, and she'll even have a favorite for a couple of weeks at a time.  The time of loving the stroller is starting to wane.  Thankfully, she does like helping to push it and other type of carts around.  Today we made it about 3/4 of the way through grocery shopping when it was clear she needed to wiggle.  So, she helped me push the cart.  She beamed about being able to help!  She then walked with Kyle to find sage, a special ingredient that wasn't in the bulk section and at $5 wasn't in our budget.  He was able to find some fresh for cheaper, yahoo for my man being on a mission to find a good deal!

I've been taking lots of pictures this month, but between Financial Peace University, the Bible and Art Club, Bible Study Fellowship, and Kyle's surgery all starting up this month I'm just a wee bit busy.  

15 Months Old

Life is sweet when you read together!

Eliana and I were enjoying a book called Boom Town.  I loved using this story when I was teaching 4th grade, because it is silly, fun, and informative.  In summary, a little girl helps to start a boom town during the gold rush by baking pies.     

We celebrated Eliana turning fifteenth months old by going down to visit family and friends for the celebration of four birthdays: Tara's, Tanya's, Thomas's, and mine.  (Side note: Did you know that everyone doesn't agree about whether or not to put an apostrophe after a single noun that ends with an s?  Check out this link if you thought Thomas shouldn't have had an apostrophe s.)

 Kyle and I worked together to make Thomas a didgeridoo.  He loved it and didn't think a thing of me asking a few days before what his favorite colors were.

 Yeah for a visit with Grandpa Hal and Grandma Sue!!!  Eliana's curiosity meant a little extra cleaning.  She lifted up a very large bowl of water for the dogs and then wahoooooosh, there went a whole bunch of water under the refrigerator.  I'm glad is was water and not red soda.  It wasn't hard to clean up. 

The next four photos cracked me up.  My family is full of funny faces.

Thomas and me                                Kelly and Taylor

Jeff and Ashlee                                     Mom and Eliana

Now for some happy faces.

Kevin and Tara                                   Donald and me

Tanya and me

 Trisha and Zac

  

Mom and Dad

Abraham put Jesus in Mary's stomace

Yep, that is what I read today.  I had my sixteen Bible and Art Club students write down one thing they learned yesterday.  I chuckled when I read this sentence.  The good thing about the journals is that I read and respond.  I was able to clarify that Abraham was an ancestor of Jesus's, and the Holy Spirit put Jesus in Mary's tummy.  Apparently, my student was working closely with another student, because later I read, "Today I learned that Abraham put Jesus in Mary's stomach."

I realized during the lesson that talking about the genealogy of Jesus is hard with students who have never heard of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, or Solomon.  It would be one thing if they already knew those key men and I could enlighten them about Josiah or other not as well known kings.  I was able to capture their attention when I explained that God uses imperfect people like Abraham and Isaac.  Both men lied to a king and said their wives were their sisters.  The king thought these women were so pretty that he had them come live at his palace.  You should have seen their faces as they imagined this happening.

I'm looking forward to next week when we talk about the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1.  It will be easier to have discussion about what we read, because they won't need to have prior knowledge.

God Knows What I Need

God knows what I need.  I've known for a few weeks that I need to get up before Eliana in order to do my quiet time.  She only takes one nap now.  It ranges from 45 minutes to 3 hours.  Most of the time, it is around an hour.  That means I have a TON to do while she sleeps.  Trying to do my quiet time while we eat breakfast just isn't the same as when it was just me, or when she was nursing, or when I could put her down and she's stay in one spot.  The problem is that Eliana's wake up time ranges from 5:30 to 7.  For now, my goal wake up time is 5:40 (which is 5 minutes earlier than I woke up when teaching).  This morning I woke up and thought, "Should I really get up?"  Bad idea.  I should not have questions, I should have just got up.  The answer is yes, but my groggy brain might say that sleep would be much better.  I sat there and decided to think about it, and thus I promptly fell back asleep.  Eliana started to stir a little before 6.  I thought, "Rats, now I messed up my quiet time and I'll be off center all day."  Then, Eliana did a glorious thing.  She fell back asleep.  I was totally up this time and got out of bed.  I was able to spend until 7 reading my Numbers 23 and journaling.  Just as I was finishing up writing down my prayer, Eliana woke up.  God knew I needed Eliana as my second alarm clock.  God knew I needed a great hour of quiet time.
God knows what I need.  The Bible and Art Club starts up tomorrow!  For various reasons, I hadn't gotten to writing up my first lesson.  God has placed the book of Matthew on my heart to teach this year.  We'll be studying Matthew 1:1-17 tomorrow.  I knew that I'd have to make due with whatever time Eliana napped today as my study time.  She went down around 12 and still isn't up!  Glorious again!!!  I was able to make a calendar for the year, do some research on why it is important that Jesus came from both Abraham (Gen. 12:13) and David (Psalm 89:4), and really get ready for tomorrow's lesson.  God knew I needed some stretched time.  I'd prayed about it this morning, and he has allowed Eliana to take one of those rare naps that is nice and long.

God knows what I need.  I was checking email which is a rare thing now that Kyle is home recovering from surgery, and Eliana takes such short naps, when a friend encouraged me to go take 5 minutes with God.  These 5 minutes were to be just me and God.  No Bible, journal, electronic, notecard, or anything else.  Just me and God.  Awe, it was so good to sit on the floor and pray.  I had to sit on the floor and initially close my eyes, because I would probably get distracted if I were other places.  I'd notice the laundry, or dishes, or other to do things.  Once I was really focused, I opened my eyes and prayed while looking outside.  God knew I needed to be still and pray.

Is there a time you reflected and realized God knew what you needed?

As I am finishing up, Eliana is beginning to stir.  He knew how long I'd need to write this post.  He knows everything!

Friend Visit!

Katherine, Tristan, Eliana, and I got to hangout today!  Yahoo for a friend visit!

Tristan was fascinated by the water behind his mom.

 I felt like Eliana was saying, "Ta Da, here is my friend Tristan!"

Tristan will be seven months old tomorrow!  He has learned to clap!  Hooray!

It was close to his nap time, so he was giving me his handsome, serious face today.

  These two are nearly the same length when we laid Eliana down to compare height! It always cracks me up how little ones can find each other's hands.  We've been working on Eliana being gentle to friends smaller than her.

Awe, I love fountains.  I'm glad Eliana didn't decide she needed to go swimming!  When we were cruising through some stores, Eliana had had enough of being strapped in.  I went out on a limb, and it worked.  I got Eliana out, and she helped me push the stroller around.  She got a kick out of helping me push the basket in the back, and people thought it was funny to see such a small helper.  She didn't mind that she couldn't see where she was pushing the stroller.  Eliana's laughs got louder and more enthusiastic as she realized she had a delighted audience.  

                                    

Here are some updates on Eliana this week.  Eliana continues to grow in her climbing abilities.  The movie above shows her climbing into her stroller all by herself.  I was fairly scared the first time she did it, but she hasn't fallen yet while trying.  Yesterday, she learned how to climb into her booster seat.  She also learned how to drink out of a straw this week.  I was so impressed that I called Kyle in the middle of the day just to tell him!  For many months she has wanted to drink out of my travel cup, but she would just end up chewing on the straw.  I'm amazed, because you can't really explain to a small child how to suck up the water in a straw.  The wee one just have to figure it out.  Eliana has overgeneralized all animals as "cats", but she did learn the word bird this week.  You have to be very attentive because the "bu" sound she makes for bird is very similar to the "boo" sound she makes for book.  She is also signing all done, cheese (one of her favorite foods!!!), and shoes.  It is a little confusing though since more and shoes are very similar signs.  :)