My recipe box was beginning to look dreadful. It had gotten so bad that I couldn’t find my favorite recipes, things were misfiled, and whenever I needed to think of what to make for dinner the box didn’t lend itself to pursing the various meal categories. Over the last two nights I set upon the task of organizing my recipes into a more accessible book and am pretty proud of the results. Ajax helped by tossing all the little scrapes of paper and found this game to be quite enjoyable. What a little helper. On a side note although I know the Doctor said his ear was improving, he’s still been in a mood and a bit frustrated. I’m hoping that he starts to feel better soon and hope he’s not coming down with a cold or anything.
My poor little recipe box. Over worked and under paid.New and Improved.This allowed me to get in touch with my inner scrape booker.
Ajax and I made homemade cinnamon buns. This was my first time making cinnabuns, I always thought they were too fancy and complicated to make, but they were really quite easy! I of course got the recipe from Family Circle and you can find it here. It’s way to long to copy but I didn’t change a thing in making it. It even made enough for me to freeze a batch for later.
Lately we have been trying to teach Ajax that stairs are not a toy and you shouldn’t play on them. We are trying to retire the baby gate and don’t feel comfortable doing that until Ajax has this lesson mastered. My child is smart and this is not a difficult concept; however, stairs do hold an appeal.
One of his favorite games involving the stairs is to put his Zu Zu on them and then watch as it topples down. Ajax has also learned that he can lay on his stomach across the stairs and thinks this is pretty neat too, so long as he doesn’t lose his balance and fall over. Anyways, it’s still a work in progress and the gate hasn’t been moved to the basement yet.
Another new concept we’re introducing to Ajax is potty training. Ajax will tell you when he has gone to the bathroom and I thought, well, it he can tell us that, we should bring up the potty and at least put it in the bathroom so that he can begin getting used to it. This has had mixed results and we’re certainly not pushing the thing. Generally before bath time we’ll ask Ajax is he has to go potty or if he wants to sit on his potty. Sometimes he says yes, other times he says no. It can go either way depending on his mood. Most times he likes to just shove things in it, for example his silkie, which took us forever to find this morning, but the dream of not having to buy diapers is a powerful inspiration so the mini-potty remains in our bathroom next to the hamper.
This morning Dave and I took Ajax to the doctor’s office for his last shot of antibiotic (rocephin). The Doc checked his ear and said his ear drum looked excellent and that the infection was already significantly improved. This made Dave and I very relieved. To say that Ajax was unhappy to be getting a third shot would be understating it, however, after the shot he rebounded well and the three of us sat in the waiting room eating veggie sticks. Ajax spotted a tiny nino, probably about two months old, and chatted away at him. We had to wait twenty minutes before leaving so that a nurse could check the injection site to be sure there were no signs of an adverse reaction and then we were cleared to leave.
When we got home Ajax took a nap, we had lunch, and then we all headed outside to shovel the driveway. What a great family activity. Well, it was a great family activity as far as Ajax was concerned. For some reason he finds this truly exciting and loves to help outside. He held his little blue shovel and trailed after Dave and I up and down the driveway. He was very serious in his chore. We even explored the back yard a bit, but the snow was a bit deep for him and he didn’t fight to much when it was time to go in.
After our hard work Dave treated everyone to hot chocolate and donuts. Now as a mom, I would not give a toddler crumbly donuts on the couch, but dads are a different story. While Dave was setting Ajax up on the couch I was trying to zip through the house with the vacuum. No sooner had I completed the living room and moved into the kitchen than I heard Dave say, oh no… umm… we may need to hit the living room again with the vacuum. Yes, powdery white donut sugar over the couch and floor. Dads and toddlers.
Also I would like to report that Ajax has a new Zu Zu pet, courtesy of his aunt Theresa and uncle Tim. Thank you very much!
Ajax and his new Zu Zu.Shoveling the driveway with Mr. Dave.What a long way to go.Taking his job serious.Ajax loves his little blue shovel.Enjoying his snack from Dad. Pre mess.
Ajax is one dancing baby. If Ajax could talk and you asked him, “Ajax what is your signature dance move?” He would definitely tell you that dancing is all about elbow movement. He would say, “You must jut your elbows out to the side while sidling left and right to the music. Elbows. All about the elbows.” I wonder if he picked up this little dance move from me? I am the worst dancer ever and kind just shift from one foot to the other. I have only seen Dave dance one time circa February 2003, so I’m sure Ajax hasn’t picked up any of his dance moves. Anyways, regardless of where the nino picked it up, he is now dancing and entertains us with his cool moves at night.
The doctor told us that she wanted to see Ajax again after he finished up his second round of antibiotic, so yesterday I took him back into the office for our third visit since December. The doctor asked how he’d been and I explained that Ajax had been a bit of a pistol and wasn’t sleeping well, but no fever. She checked his right ear and sure enough it was still infected. Ajax is now on a three day injection of a very strong antibiotic. It was a pretty major shot into the muscle, poor little man. Dave has to take him back on Friday and then again on Saturday. I am afraid he will begin associating the office with shots and pain; so far he has no problem going to the doctor’s office and thinks its fun to play with the little chairs in the waiting room and talk to the nurses. The doctor said that there are no ill effects of being on three rounds of antibiotics, since he hasn’t been on them constantly. But I’m still a little concerned. She also said that the down side is that this bacteria is becoming very resilient. I asked if he needed to see a specialist or if he would need tubes and she said it was a little premature for that, but if these continue he will need to see a specialist. I must admit it was pretty upsetting hearing that little guy has been suffering from an ear infection for over a month now, which would explain his head hitting, frustration, and troubled sleep. I again asked the doctor if there was anything we could do differently, or that we weren’t doing good enough and she assured me that there was nothing we could do, that unfortunately it was just the shape of his ear. Again, still pretty hard to hear.
Ajax was trying to cross his legs like me. It was pretty funny.Enjoying a snack.
Ajax loves dogs and is generally pretty good with them. While he was out at my parent’s house this past weekend he had a blast playing with Kaisa. Kaisa is so gentle with him and even allowed for a few games of chase around the table. She’s a good sport. She was even patient enough to allow him to squish into her favorite sleeping spot with her. Now I’m not sure if you can tell from the below picture- but the sleeping spot is between the couch and step into the kitchen. It’s not very large, probably less than 17 inches across. And as you can see Ajax made himself quite comfy there with her.
Poor little Zu Zu. He gave the world his all and we were grateful for the joy he gave to Ajax, but last night the poor lil guy just tuckered out and his little wheels would turn no more. Ajax was crushed. Dave performed emergency surgery, with Ajax zipping back and forth between the kitchen and living room bringing Dave the necessary tools – screw driver- check!- triple A batteries – check! But it did no good. Ajax just couldn’t understand why his Zu Zu wouldn’t go anymore and we had to keep explaining to him that Zu Zu was all done for now. We texted Dara right away to find out where she got it and how much they cost. Do not fear Ajax will have a new Zu Zu within the week!
Ajax is also going through a phase where he loves photographs of friends and family and has certain photos that he likes to carry around, pointing out the people. Because of this new interest, I made him a photo book through Kodax going through the different colors. Ajax loves it and has fun pointing out all his family members. The book was only $1.99 online and I will keep an eye out for this deal again as it was strongly pointed out to me that these would make excellent grandma books.
Playing with his tractor.Ajax's idea of helping with the laundry.Ajax's color book.Blue!
I say this every single Sunday, but weekends are just too short. Although we did have a great weekend, so I certainly can’t complain. Let me back up a little-
On Thursday night my mom stayed the night as she was in town seeing a patient. I made us one of the worst dinners ever, it was so horrid that no one touched it, Ajax had mac and cheese, and we all ended up having a snack before bed. Oh well, they can’t all be winning meals recipes :)-
On Friday my mom took Ajax for the day and then out to her house for the night. My mom, dad and nana babysat Ajax and said he did very well. He played well with the dogs and helped throw Frannie hay. He chased his Zu zu all over the place. My dad pulled him around on the sled, but he wasn’t too sure he enjoyed it (Ajax is a pretty cautious kid). My mom did say that he woke up at about 11 pm and was up for about 2 hours. What can I say, he’s still a little nino and he sometimes has bad dreams.
With our time, Dave and I ended up ordering in and watching Deadwood (an HBO series that ended years ago… Dave and I have been into Westerns lately). On Saturday morning we dropped my car off at the shop for new tires and then went to see a movie- yes, you guessed it, another Western – True Grit. Dave and I also swung by the mall as we had a Macy gift card to use and were home just before my dad rolled into town with Ajax.
Ajax was worn out from his adventures in Brooklyn and was in quite the mood. He went to bed early, not really by his choice, but he needed to get to bed early.
Today Dave, Ajax and I headed over to my grandpa Nader’s house as it was his birthday. Ajax was a little crabby, but once he started playing with his cousins he warmed up. On our way home we stopped by Best Buy and Dave bought me a new camera. Mine completely died on me, but I probably took about ten thousand pictures with it (Dave’s estimate).
Tonight Ajax helped me fix the drain in the bathroom as Dave inadvertently broke it this morning. Ajax held the flashlight and screwdriver for me and only once tried to climb into the tub to see better. He was such a help.
Ajax also has a new phrase – “don’t scare me!” I think he picked it up a week or two ago, and loves to throw it out when he and Dave are goofing around. Ajax will shout and laugh and then proclaim – Dad! Don’t scare me! It’s so funny.
Ajax and his Froggie.Helping test the new camera.Showing us silkie vs. froggie.Dave picked out this hat at Macy's and I do believe he looks very handsome.Just one more pic with Froggie.
I’ve been trying to get a video of Ajax playing with his Zu Zu pet because honestly it is the cutest darn thing ever. He will chase it all over the kitchen and living room and just chatter away at it. I let him take it over to Ms. Karen’s house today and she said that he and Brandon (a three year old that she watches also) had so much fun chasing it around the house, she said it was hilarious.
Tonight I was able to take this video and just thought I’d share –
You know when you have to think of something for dinner and your tank is just on empty and you’re all out of ideas? You kind of stare blankly at your pantry and wonder if you can get away with feeding your family cereal… Well that’s how I felt last night when I stumbled across this magical recipe. I found it in Family Circle and at first I must admit I was not immediately won over. In fact, I thought- well, that doesn’t look terribly appealing, but I do seem to have all the ingredients…
Now I know I’m not really selling this meal, so let me throw this out there – it was awesome, easy and foolproof. I kept thinking – this is better than it has any right to be. And you know what? It was even better today for lunch. Dave fully agreed and seconded the “better than it had any right to be” thought. Ajax also thought it was tasty and ate quite well.
I must admit of all the magazines I get Family Circle is the one that consistently has the best recipes that work for my family. So here I am sharing! I put my changes in italics to do with as you please!
Ingredients
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 small onion chopped
8 ounces mushrooms (cleaned, chopped)(I didn’t add mushrooms as Dave isn’t a fan)
2 lb boneless beef chunk, cut into pieces (be sure to cut them into really small pieces, they’ll be more tender)
4 tbs all-purpose flour
2 tbs olive oil
1 can beef broth
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs country-style Dijon mustard
3 carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Cooked egg noodles
Directions
Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and mushroom and cook 5 min. Transfer to a bowl.
Meanwhile, toss beef w/ 3 tbl spoon flour (I also added a dash of garlic salt, powdered mustard, and black pepper). Add 1 tbl oil to the pot and increase heat to medium-high. Add half the beef and cook 2 min, browning on all sides. Transfer to bowl w/ onions and mushrooms. Add remaining tbl oil and second half of beef to the pot. Cook 2 min, browning on all sides. Transfer to bowl; reduce heat to medium.
Add ¾ cup of beef broth to the pot. Whisk in Worcestershire and mustard (I substituted spicy brown mustard for Dijon and added another squirt of yellow mustard), scraping up any brown bits on bottom of the pan. Add mixture from bowl back to the pot along w/ remaining broth. Cover and simmer on low for 15 min.
Uncover and stir in carrots. Cover and cook an add’l 45 min.
In small bowl, sitr together 2 tbl water, the remaining tbl flour, rosemary (I used basil), salt, and pepper. Stir into stew and cook 3 min, until thickened. I also added about 1/2 – 1 cup of frozen corn. Serve w/ noodles (I used long grain rice instead of noodles and it was great!).
