And Let the Potty Training Commence....

We hadn't really planned to start potty training. Sure, we've had the baby bjorn potty for a few months now, and he'd gone on it a couple times here and there, but it was never in the form of any serious potty training. We just figured we'd ignore the issue until he decided it was time. Well, it seems like that time has come. A couple weeks back when I was getting Kai ready for bed, we had the following conversation:


Me: "I'm going to put your diaper on now."
Kai: "No diaper, Mommy."
Me: "Well, I have to put your diaper on for bedtime... unless, you want to go peepee on the potty."  
Kai: "I have peepee coming now."
Me: "ok, so do you want to go to the potty?"
Kai: "ok!"


And that he did. Followed by a poop! He was very proud of himself. And so he got a reward in the form of a treat. A (grain-sweetened) chocolate chip. I don't really know what's being said out there about potty training rewards, but its working for us. The second day he didn't wear a diaper the entire day, all peeing and pooping on the potty. A couple of times he didn't even ask for a treat after. He was also excited to show his other toddler friends how he goes on the potty when they came over for a visit.


Since that first day he has definitely made progress. He is still wearing diapers most of the time for sleeping and when we go out, but at home he usually always tells me when he has to pee or poop, and he's still asking to go in the potty. He even enjoys bringing the potty bowl over to the toilet to dump it in! I'm not really sure what the next step is. I do have some "big boy undies" and a cloth potty training pull-up, but don't know if he's quite ready to be wearing them full time yet, although he does ask to.  If any seasoned moms out there have some advice about potty training, please feel free to offer it up!

A New York Weekend!

~Birthday tickets to see the musical Hair!
~My lovely sister, Jessie, meeting us in the city to hang with the KaiGuy. They Central Park'd it up!
~Yummy falafel sandwiches from Maoz Vegetarian to kick off the weekend.
~Graham and I seeing an incredible, hippie dippie, sexy, hopeful, anything but conservative show on Broadway! 
~Going to dinner at a delicious vegan restaurant called Red Bamboo.
~Hearing Jessie tell us about how she so gracefully and perfectly put an uptight woman in her place when she and Christian took Kai out to dinner. 

     The Woman: (under her breath but so they could still hear her without

     saying it directly to them), "I just hope he's well behaved."

     Jessie: (hearing this and definitely not being one to let someone get away

     with talking about her nephew) "Well, he is very well-behaved, and we were

     ALL children once."

   

~Awesome Sunday brunch at the Village Natural Restaurant in the West Village with some great company- Graham, Kai, Jessie, and her friend Christian.

~A beautiful community garden... stumbled upon, while looking for a place to change Kai's diaper.

~Quick trip into FAO Schwarz (only looking, no buying!), and a visit to the giant floor piano. (Unfortunately, Kai, who is semi-cripple at the moment after a playground fall, could only sit and watch!)

~A flawless, exciting, fun, yummy food-filled weekend! Thanks, everyone!

Here are some pictures:

 *At Red Bamboo there were these delicious Buffalo wings, complete with a wooden "bone" inside. Strange, but true!

* For my meal, I had the most authentic tasting "chicken tenders". The potatoes and veggies were nothing to write home about, but who needs them anyway when you're having "chicken tenders" for the first time in almost 2 years! Graham's meal was yummy too, black pepper "steak" or something like that.

~And for the real treat, an incredible mocha "cheesecake". Even though I was already stuffed and couldn't envision taking one more bite, I managed to just about finish this off. So delicious!  I definitely wouldn't want to eat this way everyday; I much prefer a whole foods diet to a processed one (which surely fake "meat" is), but every once in while I think it's ok to indulge. And it makes it that much more special when you do! Vegans and non-vegans alike would thoroughly enjoy this restaurant!

*At brunch the next day, Jessie and I shared this yummy tofu rancheros- scrambled tofu on a corn tortilla with onions, salsa, guacamole, chili beans.  

*And delicious vegan buck wheat waffles! Oh, and some sweet potato fries!

Back in the Kitchen

Ever since we returned from our travels, I feel like I've been a real slacker in the kitchen. I'm admitting it. Gulp. For a few weeks, I've been lazy and reverted back to buying some of the food necessities... (necessities in my kitchen that is), which I had finally gotten accustomed to making before we left. Almond milk. Cereal (granola). Chreese Dip. Hummus. Snack foods. Sigh. Sigh. Well, slowly, but surely, I'm getting my mojo back. 

The granola came first. I always make the Mom's Granola recipe from this book, and I currently have a big batch sitting on the counter. Next, came the hummus, even though store bought hummus always tastes so much yummier and creamier. Then, today, I finally re-conquered the "power balls", aka fruit/nut balls that are high in fat and protein which my son will actually eat and enjoy eating while hopefully packing on the pounds! My awesome friend Christina was actually the first one to attempt to make these snacks, in the form of bars, and of course once I started making them, Kai still preferred to gobble hers up over mine any day. 

So, today, Kai and I set out to get back in the kitchen, and make some yummy snack food. Granted I did most of the work, but Kai did help me transfer each ball from my hand to the plate! And he even popped a couple in his mouth as he worked. Here's the recipe:


Power Balls


1. dried fruit (I used approx. 5 dates, 5 apricots, and a handful of cranberries). Place in hot (almost boiling) water for a minute or so just to soften. Then mash up with blender or by hand with knife.
2. nuts (I used a mix of almond slivers, cashews, and walnuts). Chop into powder in the blender.
3. oats- approx. 1/4 c. Chop with nuts in blender.
4. dried coconut flakes- approx. 1/4 c.
5. peanut butter and almond butter- approx. 1 spoonful of each
6. molasses- 1 spoonful (good for iron)
7. brown rice syrup or maple syrup- a small pour
8. ground flax seeds- generous sprinkle
9. carob powder (or cocoa powder)- 1 spoonful
10. Just mix everything together in a bowl, (or use a food processor), and roll into toddler bite-sized balls!


So simple, so yummy, so healthy. It tastes like a healthy cookie dough, except one that you can happily eat raw! Here's to hoping Kai still enjoys them tomorrow....

Maybe next week we'll conquer the almond milk.....

Dance- A Haiku

A toddler dancing

Following his mama's lead

Smiling together

*This post was inspired by Mama Knows It All's Haiku Tuesdays. 

Eco-Tip: Compost Your Food Scraps!

'Tis the season for starting a compost pile. Or really just a bag of food scraps (you know, leftovers that sat in the fridge until they have started to grow mold, fruit peels, veggie scraps from chopping, etc.). And here's why:

As is commonly thought, food that has been thrown away doesn't just decompose naturally.  But food is a natural, organic matter, so how could that be? Well, landfills are devoid of the proper air and light that food waste needs to break down, so instead the food quickly rots and releases methane gas into the air, which goes into the atmosphere and helps to pollute our earth.  Methane gas is one of the most potent greenhouse gases and landfills contribute 20% of methane emissions (primarily because of this food waste)! The rotting food also produces another toxic chemical that seeps into ground water. According to the EPA, the US generates more than 34 million tons of food waste annually, and only a staggering 3 percent of that is recovered or composted! Today, food waste has become the number 1 component of municipal solid waste in landfills! This has huge impacts for our environment, our health, and our economy. Read about it in the link above.

So what can you do? Well, if you have a garden you can use your nutrient rich food scraps for fertilizing your plants organically, by turning it into compost. You can even get a tiny in-home compost bin such as this one. But if you are city dwellers like us and don't have the space for a garden of your own, you can still help gardeners and farmers turn your food waste into compost.  It's so simple, how could you not do it!  All we do is store a brown paper bag in the freezer and add the food scraps to it.  It usually takes us about a week to fill it up.  When it's good and full we simply take the bag to the farmer's market (where we are lucky to have access to a compost stand, but most likely any farmer will be willing to take free food to turn into compost!), or on non-farmer's market days, to Whole Foods (they also have a compost bin).  You also should even be able to find a neighbor or a local urban garden who would willingly take your food bag, just search online.

Our food scraps filled bag in the freezer.

But what about using a garbage disposal? Well, this may be better than throwing the food into the trash (and thus the landfill), but it uses a huge amount of energy and most likely water (if you are running the tap while you dispose). Composting is your best bet! 

Things That Made Me Smile :)

1. A late evening stroll accompanied by a sleepy-eyed, pajama-clad little boy falling asleep in his stroller while clutching tightly to his bear.


2. Two friends chatting while watching two little boys romping around on sofas and pillows, giggling and chatting in their "secret" language.


3. Graham coming home with a vegan, chocolate cupcake.


4. Watching Kai collect compost at an urban garden.


5. The most incredible baby hugs from little Grayson.


6. A batch of fresh, homemade granola.


7. Reading to Kai at the end of the night.


8. Tickets booked to California and Alaska!


9. Listening to Kai play the harmonica and seeing his excitement when he tells me that the sound he made was "like a violin".  It really did sound like a violin!


10. Thinking about taking the train home in a couple days to see my mom, grandmother, Jessie, and Rebecca in her dance performance.


*After a sequence of a few frustrating things happening at the end of my night, I needed to remind myself that I have had lots to smile about today... and these are the things that really matter.

Fun at the Farm... Sanctuary!

Kai loves farm animals.  He talks about goats, chickens, horsies, ducks, and all the rest on a daily basis.  Ask him what a duck says, or a chicken, or a cow, and he clucks, quacks, or moos away.  His favorite songs... Old MacDonald and Baa, Baa Black Sheep. We love taking him places where he can see real, live farm animals. I definitely think the best way to learn is to be out in the real world, seeing and doing, so for this we have discovered the joys of the farm sanctuary. These are wonderful places; safe havens, for farm animals that have been abused, misused, neglected, or abandoned.  Living on a farm sanctuary is their chance to retire and live out their days in peace. Usually these sanctuaries are open to the public as a way to raise the funds necessary to shelter and care for the animals.  Since living in Rhode Island, we have visited two farm sanctuaries, Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary and Maple Farm Sanctuary.  They are both wonderful places. The animals are always friendly, happy, and well-cared for.  Today we visited the Maple Farm because they were hosting a FarmFest complete with free music, food, crafts, and of course, animal petting. Kai and his best buddy, Parker, had a blast, dancing, chasing chickens, and enjoying a special treat (for the second day in a row...whoops!) of vegan ice cream! So here is my plug for the farm sanctuary: Go find one in your area! A sanctuary is a wonderful place to visit with your family. Children (and adults, too, of course) will love to see and touch the animals.  I really prefer exposing Kai to animals at a sanctuary then say, at the zoo, because I know the animals have been rescued and live happily, rather than forced into captivity and made to live in habitats that are neither big enough nor natural for them. I have a love/hate relationship with zoos these days. Of course I loved visiting the zoo as a child, and I know there are zoos out there that are doing positive things like breeding endangered animals, but I still can't help feeling guilty and sad whenever I see an animal that is meant to roam and run free living cooped up behind a glass wall. So, the next time you are in the mood for some animal viewing, visit a farm sanctuary! This website shows where some (but by no mean all) farm sanctuaries are located around the country.