What's For Dinner?

I had a few snafus last week, so the first couple of night's meals are hold-overs.

This week looks to be less harried. And that's nice.

Sunday: chicken & mushroom quesadillas, black beans, warm tomato-corn salad, pico de gallo

Monday: chicken with feta and olives, sauteéd chard with parmesan

Tuesday: pizza margherita

Wednesday: pesto pasta, bread

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: hamburgers, oven fries

Saturday: grilled flank steak, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes

The links for Sunday and Monday's meals can be found here.

Cherry cobbler has been calling my name. This might be the week that I answer back.

Thank you for all your kind, thoughtful, full of love comments about The Boy. It warmed my heart. You peeps can't be beat...

You are even better than cherry cobbler. And that's pretty darn good.

A Sunday

When the rain stopped, and the clouds parted...






Not pictured: cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming & mopping the floor, going to the grocery store, doing laundry, picking up dog poop, packing lunches, and making beds.

But this is what I choose to remember.

It is much more photogenic.

In Case You're In the Mood For Something Sweet...

If you are in a baking mood, this just might hit the spot.

It's a blend of various oatmeal cookie recipes. A franken-recipe, if you will.

Dark Chocolate and Cherry Oatmeal Bars:

The original recipe called for an insane amount of butter. I cut it down to 3/4 cup and added another 1/4 cup applesauce.

Soften and beat with a mixer.

Add a cup of flour. I used whole wheat and it turned out great. Most oatmeal-based recipes can withstand the heaviness of whole wheat.

Also add a cup of brown sugar...

...an egg, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Beat until thoroughly combined. Add another 3/4 cup flour. Stir in 2 cups rolled oats.

Add a magic ingredient: about a hand full...or two.

And the other magic ingredient. It's dark chocolate. I'll let you decide how much.

Mix well.

Bake at 375* until the edges are golden.

Let cool.

Cut.

Put on a pretty plate and enjoy with a cup of hot tea.

Or hell, eat them out of the pan first thing in the morning like I've been doing all week.

Like I said, if you are in the mood for something sweet, this hits the spot.

The Struggle

I've been reading to The Boy since before he was born.

When he arrived early, laying in an incubator with tubes attached, I read to him.

Cloth books, board books, picture books. They were always present from infancy through the toddler years and beyond.

Imagine my surprise when The Struggle began.

In hindsight, there were signs all along. Signs that were attributed to developmental readiness, immaturity, and just "being a boy".

By the middle of first grade The Struggle was taking its toll. Here was a child who was smart. He was engaging, articulate, creative, imaginative. But he was not learning to read. He was falling further and further behind. And he knew it.

Second grade. The Struggle takes over.

Despite good grades, The Boy still couldn't read. His problems started to seep into other areas. Spelling. Math. Comprehension. Recall. Reasoning.

It was becoming impossible to keep up.

Homework. Damn homework. An exercise in frustration. For both of us.

I'm a teacher. I am supposed to have patience and understanding. Why was I so lacking with my own child? Why was I failing him? It didn't seem to matter how much work we did at home. We were spinning our wheels. Always playing catch-up. Never able to catch a breath.

Pay attention. Quit being a goof. You have to focus. Work harder. Don't be lazy.

Exhaustion. Fatigue. Stress. Anger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And then it happened. The moment of realization. And it was ugly.

The Boy came home with at least one whole day's worth of unfinished work.

Are you kidding me? What have you been doing in class?

I made him stay home and finish his work instead of getting the Christmas tree with his daddy, something he did every year.

We trudged through the sheets one by one.

We came to a math worksheet. Tens and ones. It should have been easy. A review of previously taught skills.

I don't get this.

What don't you get?

I don't know which is which.

This continues....#1, #2, #3, #4...

Finally, I slam my hand down on the table. I yell.

Dammit, pay attention! How can you not know which is which? We have done a thousand of these!

Ugly. So ugly. A very low moment. The look on his face. It haunts me still...

It was then that I knew. There was something wrong.

I couldn't sleep that night. I knew. I knew this was more than being a goof, or lazy, or not paying attention.

There was a real problem.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My gut was right.

There is a real problem.

The Boy was tested.

Dyslexia as well as a processing deficit with his short term memory. This affects many areas of learning, most notably with The Boy: reading comprehension and math reasoning.

The fact that he's kept his head this far above water for as long as he has is a testament to his smarts.

Now we know.

We know that The Boy's brain does not work like yours or mine. He sees things in a different way, therefore he learns things in a different way.

The Struggle isn't over. It is something that we will continue to live with. Something that we will be learning to deal with on a daily basis.

But we will be learning together.

And together, there is no struggle that we can't overcome.

Oh, Spring...

Oh, spring. I have such mixed feelings about you.

Spring is that odd time of year that, for me, is a no-man's land in many ways. I'm so eager for it to get here and even more eager for it to pass.

I tend to do more planning in spring rather than doing. Plans abound. Plans keep me awake at night. My mind is a flutter.

I want to give container gardening a go (again) this year. Last year was a total bust. I was very unlike myself and just jumped into it without doing a shred of research. That works for some...never for me. I'm not making the same mistake this year. I bought a couple of books that have been recommended all over Blog Land: this one has stunning photography to go along with the information that's shared, and this one's author has a gardening blog as an additional resource.

We are starting small this year. But we have a grander vision. We are a family that's meant to grow our own food. I feel guilty for not doing so. Our backyard will eventually be transformed into one large growing space: vegetables, flowers, and the like.

I'm so excited over the prospects this brings. I can't wait to get a composter and build raised beds, and expose The Offspring to the thrill of growing and eating food that they grew themselves. I remember that feeling. I want to pass it on.

My plans extend past the garden.

There are projects to sew and crochet, things to create with that paper from Japan, decorating, organizing, baking, cooking, preserving, and traveling.

But most of all I'm planning to enjoy the season to come. To enjoy living the life I would like to live 365 days a year. To enjoy The Offspring with the patience and humor that I'm often lacking during the school year. To welcome The Mr. with an easy smile and laugh about the day's events. To go at my own pace. Our own pace.

Oh, spring. I welcomed you with open arms. But I won't cry when it's time for you to depart.

I'll know that my beloved summer has arrived.

Evolution of a Bubble

BEFORE:

AFTER:


And life will never be the same again...

What's For Dinner?

This week I mixed some old favorites with recipes that are new...

Sunday: fish tacos, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes (rescheduled from last week)

Monday: spaghetti, sautéed squash & zucchini, whole wheat bread

Tuesday: chicken with feta and olives, sautéed swiss chard with parmesan

Wednesday: cowboy beans, salad

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: hamburgers, oven fries

Saturday: chicken & mushroom quesadillas, warm corn-tomato salad

Tuesday's main dish was found here. I love cooking with chicken thighs. They impart such flavor. I find that we end up eating less meat because of it. Plus, they are cheap.

Wednesday's meal was inspired by the link found here. My mom used to make something similar that she called cowboy beans. The Boy will love it.

I did some baking today. I'll be sharing later in the week.

I had a field trip on Friday and returned home with a fever, raging sore throat, and overall ick. I'm on the mend, but don't feel as if I've had much of a weekend.

What's that I hear? Violins?

Here's hoping that this week finds you healthy and well-fed.