Inspired by a Book

From his second day of life, Ben has loved his pacifier. Loved it with all of his tiny being. Husband and I started calling it his “button” (short for mute button) on a whim and it stuck. For nearly two years, the button has been a part of him. At the hand-offs, caretakers always ask, “Do you have the button?” For nearly two years, he was his button and his button was him. Until today.

Baby Ben on his way home from the hospital with his first button.

Generally, when I think of being inspired by a book, I think of great literature and people over the age of 10. Today, Ben was inspired by a surprisingly graphic and sad Swedish-translated-to-English book called Benny and the Binky. I picked up the book yesterday when we went to the library and I saw the title and thought it had something to do with giving up your pacifier. Seeing as Ben is sneaking up on two at a rapid pace, I thought I might get it and read it a couple of times to get him used to the idea of giving up his button.

I didn’t pre-read the book to ensure it for quality, but I thought I’d give it a go anyway. It was horrifying. The book, as a whole, isn’t about getting rid of your pacifier, it’s more about growing up once you have a new sibling (no new siblings for Ben for a long time!).  This poor little pig gets a new brother, watches the brother get a binky, feels jealous, then takes the brother outside and steals the binky before going on a tour of town. On this tour of town, he gets mocked by a daycare saying that he is “too old” for a binky and then he gets punched in the nose by three bullies for having said binky. Then, when the pig (Benny), gets home, he gives the binky back to his brother and grows-up into not needing it. Horrifying. To make matters worse, in the course of the first reading, I changed the names to “Ben” and “button” to give the real Ben the message. Sadly (or, not so sadly), he got it.

This is a devastating book. The Swedes do NOT mess around with getting rid of pacifiers.

When we got to the last page, his little face crumpled into the saddest expression you have ever seen and said, “It’s gone.” On the spur of the moment, I decided to go with it and said, “Yes, honey. Button is gone.” He was devastated and wailed. For the rest of the day, he has asked for his button a couple of times and I have informed him, “It’s gone.” His expression changes to sadness and he repeats, “It’s gone.” After a few minutes or so, he resigns himself to his fate and moves on. It’s both sad and heartening to see how resilient a kid can be.

So far, this has been one of the most devastating things I’ve had to do as a parent. I’ve had to take away something that he loves in order to help him grow-up. It has been one of those days that feels both like a triumph and a defeat. I’m helping him become a kid, but erasing some of the vestiges of babyhood that I held so dear. Being a parent is both beautiful and terrible. In loving someone, you have to do things to make them sad (at least temporary) and it breaks your heart to do it, but you know that when he’s seven and no longer using a pacifier, he’ll silently thank you.

You Know You’re Another Mother Runner When…

You know you’re Another Mother Runner when…

…your almost-two-year-old says to you, “Mommy go run?”

…said almost-two-year-old has a “Go Mommy!” shirt that he wears to races (Thanks, Grandma!).

…you complete an inverted Toddler Triathlon by doing a solo run in the very early morning, going to Aquatots in the mid-morning, then “riding bikes” (or push a bike) all before naptime.

…the jogging stroller stays in the car on the off-chance that a run might present itself.

…you can’t wait to sign your kid up for his first race.

Indian Tacos

This summer, I have vowed to learn how to make South Asian cuisine in order to feed Ben. Part of that vow is to learn from his daycare ladies. The rest is trial and error. Today was a mixed bag. For lunch I tried to make some cholé and rice. Not that successful. For dinner, I made beet and paneer stuffed paratha with different fillings for tacos. It was awesome and very baby approved.

Notes on paratha:

For the paratha, I followed this recipe pretty closely. I didn’t have any cilantro, so I used the juice and zest of one lemon to brighten up the filling. Also, I upped the paneer quotient to about a grated cup. Speaking of grating, I wasn’t sure if the recipe called for cooked beet to be grated or raw. Raw worked just fine. Super good choices. A note for the non-Indians out there. When the recipe says to “gently roll” out the paratha. Gently is not a guideline. You must be really easy with the rolling pin or else you will get an exploding paratha. Not ideal.

Generally, though, these are pretty easy to make. Ben was a big helper.

Ben is pretty much obsessed with making dough.

For the filling, I made a meat-itarian and a vegetarian version and served them with Greek yogurt, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Garam Masala Turkey Tacos

(Baby approved! He ate it out of the bowl.)

Makes about 4 full tacos. Takes about 10 minutes.

1/2 lb ground turkey

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 garlic powder

1 Tb olive oil

1/2 cup water

1. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the turkey.
2. When the turkey starts to brown, add in the spices. Stir and allow the turkey to absorb the spices.
3. Add the water and cook for another 2-3 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.
   

   Not the greatest picture, but it was so, so good.

Vegetarian Filling

2 cups of baby spinach

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 salt

2 tsp cream cheese

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
2. Add in the spinach and spices and cook until wilted then add the cream cheese. Enjoy!

Ben enjoying his hard work! Notice the different shrapnel all over the plate. He ate more of this than anything in the past week other than raisins and Cheerios. True story.

Hello, Humidity

“Hello, Humidity.” Imagine saying that in the, “Hello, Newman” voice. This year, Mother Nature decided that Spring was for chumps and fast-forwarded to Summer. I’m not complaining, but the rapid shift in temperature can really hurt the running sitch. Today was my first semi-official day of summer and I decided to run all the miles! Not a genius plan when there was an orange air quality day and it was 80 degrees with 70% humidity at 7:30 a.m. Eight miles at slightly slower than race pace turned into seven and a half at “this is not how I want to die” pace. Here’s a really gross picture of how I looked when I got done.

I’m a sweaty beast. This is after I cooled off a little bit. I’m glad I already have Husband because no one would like me if they saw me like this.

Please note that my tank top was a much lighter purple pre-run. DC Summers are great for making you look like you went swimming in your clothes.

While runs make you hot and sticky, the only thing better than a shower and froyo after a long, sweaty run is a shower and froyo after a long, sweaty trail run. While there was no trails on today’s run, Ben and I still treated ourselves to a little froyo later in the day. We added “kinkles” (sprinkles), which was a HUGE hit. Highly recommended.

Kinkles 4 eva!

Don’t chase boys. Pass them!

This morning I got an email from Road Runners with the subject line, “Don’t chase boys. Pass them!” That subject line really got me thinking about the girls I coach. For some of the girls on the team, one of running’s draws is that it’s a coed team. There were many 8:00 a.m. practices in the height of DC summer (read: HOT AND STICKY) that featured girls in full make-up and hair. Not to say that I’m not vain (I am) and wear make-up most times when I leave my house, but watching the girls chase after the boys makes me pause. I want the girls to want to beat the boys. Nothing makes me happier than watching our top girl runners beat the boys in races or at practice. Heck, when I’m in a race, I like to find a middle-aged man and blow past him. It’s very gratifying to see a man’s face when a tiny woman beats him soundly. Running is wonderful because it is one of the few sports where men and women can compete equally. Elite men will always be faster than women, but below the elite level, women and men compete side-by-side. This next season, that’s something that I hope to impart upon my female runners: don’t run for the boys. Run for the joy of beating them.

Mommy Has a Problem

Hi, my name is Amber and I have a book problem. I’ve always been a big reader but haven’t had a ton of time due to grad school, first year of teaching, and then a baby. Now, summer is just about here and I have quite the reading list. I call 2011 the year I didn’t watch movies because I couldn’t stay awake due to being pregnant and narcoleptic or having a newborn and being narcoleptic. The year 2012 was the year I didn’t read because I had a very active baby who couldn’t play by himself. This year I’m making up for lost reading-time. Here’s a picture of part of my summer list:

Mommy has a book problem.

Husband knows me too well and got me most of these books for Mother’s Day. Also, I have awesome friends who lend me books. Unfortunately, Barnes and Noble and I are really tight. Ben and I like to go to story time at the old B&N and hang-out amongst the books.  One thing I hope to foster in Ben is a love of reading. What better way than to treat books like a fun event and to read them at home together?

Maryland Sweet Potato Burgers

Recently, I decided to give up eating land animals (you can’t give up fish in Maryland!). I never really liked meat and I, genetically, have high cholesterol, so it made sense. Husband and Ben are thankful that I’m not going to give up cooking meat for them, but I decided to try my hand at a vegetarian dish. In perusing for sweet potato burger recipes, I came across a bunch. They weren’t too my liking, so I came up with this one. The word “burger” is a little bit generous. They’re a little more of a crab cake consistency than a burger consistency. Therefore, I found it fitting to dress this one up like we would in Maryland.

The awesome thing about this recipe is that it’s packed with good-for you foods. There are lean proteins in the form of the legumes and the nutritional power house:the sweet potato. If you serve it with avocado, you get the added benefit of the “good fats”. Enjoy, my friends!

Maryland Sweet Potato Burgers

Makes 7-8 patties

Patties/Cakes

2 medium sweet potatoes, baked, peeled, and mashed

2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 ½ Tb Old Bay Seasoning

½ tsp Ancho chili pepper

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp cumin

¼ coriander

2 Tb Greek yogurt

1 egg

1 cup panko breadcrumbs (more or less)

½ cup all-purpose flour (more or less)

Sauce

2 Tb Greek yogurt

2 Tb Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1. In a large bowl, coarsely mash the sweet potatoes and cannellini beans together.
   

   Potatoes and beans, all mashed up

2. Once they are sufficiently mashed, mix in the spices, yogurt, and egg. The mixture will be pretty sticky.
3. Add in the breadcrumbs and flour a little at a time. You want to judge the consistency so they don’t become pancakes but aren’t blobs of goo. I used about a cup of each, but you might use more or less depending on how goopy your sweet potatoes and beans are.
4. Form the mixture into patties of roughly equal size. Allow the patties to chill in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes.
   

   These look a lot better than raw meat.

5. As the patties are chilling, you can make your sauce. Simply mix together the yogurt and hot sauce and adjust the proportions to your heat-liking.
   

   While Ben is a big help, he won’t quite make it onto Top Chef with his breaking down of green beans.

6. When the patties are done chilling, heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
7. Depending on how large your skillet is, place about 4 patties in at a time. Because the patties will be slightly sloppy, you should wait until you can easily flip them and they become golden brown. It will take about 5-6 minutes per side.
8. Enjoy! I added a little avocado as nature’s butter and served it with roasted green beans that Ben picked. 🙂
   

   Sweet potato burger with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce-Yogurt dressing and avocado

Holophrases: Out of the mouths of babes

Chatting with Ben is…interesting. In the development/language acquisition circles, he’s big into “holophrases”, or single words that stand for whole sentences. Unfortunately, holophrases are often misinterpreted, especially when you’re not using the right word for the phrase you would like to express. Here is an example of tonight’s bedtime convo:

Scene: A small bedroom in a Mid-Atlantic home. A mother is preparing her young son for bed.

Ben: (Holding out lotion) ‘Sage?

Me: No massage tonight.

Ben: Daddy?

Me: No, Daddy’s still at work.

Ben: Shirt?

Me: Let’s put your shirt on and go to bed.

Ben: (Something in Parseltongue)

Me: Would you like to read a book?

Ben: Book?!

Me: Yes. Which book would you like?

Ben: Truck! (Meaning The Little Blue Truck, which is one of our favorites)

Me: Ok, come sit by Mommy and we’ll read Truck.

Ben: No! (flings milk) Oh no! Milk!

Me: It’s ok. We’ll clean it up.

Ben: Oh no! Oh no!

Me: Ben, it’s ok. We have more milk.

Ben: Milk?!

Me: Yes, milk.

Ben: No! (Small temper tantrum and uncertainty about whether he wanted to sit on my lap while reading the book, on his rocking chair, or on the floor while reading the book)

Me: Ben, do you just want to go to bed?

Ben: (While pointing at the bed.) Monkey. (His favorite stuffed animal) Bed.

Me: Let’s go to bed.

Ben: (Nods.) Bed.

End scene

Holophrases, while useful in expressing some needs, can be challenging when you know there are words to express your needs, you just don’t have them.

Toddler “Me” Time

As adults, we don’t normally think of toddlers as needing “me” time. Generally, they like to be busy doing their thing and they like adult attention (unless they’re up to no good). Ben, however, likes to have his evening me-time. Often times he rushes us through the bedtime routine with an emphatic, “Bed! Bed!” while pointing at his crib.

However, he doesn’t yell for bed because he’s so tired he can’t handle life. He yells for bed to sing. Husband I will retire downstairs for grown-up time and Ben serenades us from his wooden prison. The songs are simple. They go a little bit like, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. Gramma, Gramma, Gramma. JACK! JACK! JACK!” (He always says Jack with emphasis). I guess everyone needs time to let his soul sing.

Sausage, Fennel, and Broccoli Risotto

As I’ve previously mentioned, Ben has a rather…interesting palate for a guy who doesn’t turn 2 until August. Tonight was a leftovers night, so he had a combination of leftover palak paneer and pizza. Totally normal diet. One thing that this kid likes is rice. Whenever he sees it he says, “Rye-sh? Rye-sh?” like the seagulls in Finding Nemo. Last night, I made risotto (“Rye-sh?! Rye-sh?!”) and Ben was pleased. He tapped his plate and said, “Morch?” We’re working on his Parseltongue accent.

Fair warning, it’s hard to make risotto healthy. I did my best. 🙂

Sausage, Fennel and Broccoli Risotto

 (Baby approved! 4-6 servings)

1 ½ cup of Arborio rice

5-6 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio), divided

4 Tb butter, divided

2 Tb olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped and divided

4 cloves garlic, divided

2 spicy Italian sausages (I used turkey), casings removed

1 bulb fennel, sliced

4 cups of broccoli florets

Juice of one lemon

1 tsp crushed red pepper

½ cup Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium-high heat, brown the sausage in a large pan. Set aside, add enough olive oil with the left over grease to get 2 tablespoons.
2. Add half of the onion to the pan with 2 cloves of garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the fennel and broccoli and coat with the olive oil, garlic, and onions. Add in about a ¼ cup of the wine and stir. All of the wine should be absorbed by the vegetables.
4. Season with salt and pepper and cook the vegetables until the stalks of the broccoli have become a bright green.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat the chicken stock over a medium heat. Reduce the temperature to keep it warm.
6. In a large pan, heat two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the ½ of the onion and 1 clove of garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes.
7. Pour in the rice and coat with the butter, garlic, and onion mixture. Stir in remaining ¾ of a cup of wine. Keep stirring the rice until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
8. Ladle the chicken stock into the rice a little at a time. Stir until all of the liquid has been incorporated before adding in the next ladle. The amount of stock can vary depending on your tastes. If you like a more “al dente” risotto, use less stock. If you like a softer risotto, use more.
9. Throughout the cooking process, gradually season the rice with the crushed red pepper, salt and pepper until you get to your taste.
10. When the risotto is done to your liking, add in the remaining 2 Tb of butter and stir until incorporated.
11. Before combining the vegetables and sausage with the risotto, add the lemon juice to the vegetables and stir.
12. Combine the rice, vegetables, and sausage in a large bowl and mix in the Parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately!

Enjoy with a delightful glass of wine