The turkey was good. : ) (Thanks Mom, Shelley, and allrecipes.com). It was big. There are a lot of leftovers. I am now making soup and we had sandwiches today. Tomorrow I'm going to make the sides again and we will have Thanksgiving dinner, the second. Complete with the items we missed from our own homes.
For Jessica I will make yams with marshmallows. For me I will make pumpkin pie. And for all of us, I will make good gravy. (Good grief!)
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Give Thanks
It's Thanksgiving tomorrow. And you know what that means. The season for eating too much is upon us.(Pun, as always, intended.)
Tomorrow I will attempt to cook my first ever turkey (by myself). Sure I've watched/helped my mom do it a million times, and I was pretty confident a month ago when I offered, but now I'm nervous. This thought now consumes me, "What if I totally mess it up?!"
You might think I'm neurotic, especially if you know me well. And that's OK. I accept that this label sometimes fits me (better than my pants after the Thanksgiving meal!). But before you pass judgment, let me at least explain the reasons for my neurosis.
1. I agreed to cook a vaguely "large" turkey. I was thinking in the neighborhood of 15-18 pounds--I'm pretty sure I mentioned this. The turkey I was given to cook is 22 pounds. HOLY COW (or should I say turkey?)...that's bigger than Liam.
2. I was planning to cook this turkey the way my mom does, in the oven. But my oven is terrible, it doesn't heat evenly, which is sort of important when it comes to cooking meat. So I'm cooking it in an electric roaster, which I have never before used.
3. This turkey is "pre-basted" I have no idea what that means. I will google it shortly because I'm not sure if I should still add a rub or not?
4. The buyer of said turkey did not realize that it needs to defrost 5lbs per day in the fridge and did not deliver it until Monday--frozen--it's been in my fridge ever since. So now I'm going to have to do the cold water bath for the last part, and pray that it stays cold enough, but not too cold, so that it defrosts but doesn't give the whole group food poisoning.
Did I mention 22 pounds!?
So here's where I do some deep breathing, remember the family motto, and tell myself the truth about the situation.
1. This is Adventist Thanksgiving, so if the turkey isn't good, there will be a vegetarian roast to eat.
2. I have cooked things before for the first time, and they were fine.
3. The internet and my mother are no match for any new kitchen obstacle. By their powers combined I can conquer the huge turkey in my fridge. (Mom, if you are reading this, send me tips or I will call you having a meltdown tomorrow. Consider yourself warned)
4. It's just a turkey.
5. I have a meat thermometer (proud aren't you dad?) so as long as I get it to 168 degrees, people will not be sick.
I will post an update once the bird is cooked and let you know if I have conquered the turkey or if it has conquered me!
Tomorrow I will attempt to cook my first ever turkey (by myself). Sure I've watched/helped my mom do it a million times, and I was pretty confident a month ago when I offered, but now I'm nervous. This thought now consumes me, "What if I totally mess it up?!"
You might think I'm neurotic, especially if you know me well. And that's OK. I accept that this label sometimes fits me (better than my pants after the Thanksgiving meal!). But before you pass judgment, let me at least explain the reasons for my neurosis.
1. I agreed to cook a vaguely "large" turkey. I was thinking in the neighborhood of 15-18 pounds--I'm pretty sure I mentioned this. The turkey I was given to cook is 22 pounds. HOLY COW (or should I say turkey?)...that's bigger than Liam.
2. I was planning to cook this turkey the way my mom does, in the oven. But my oven is terrible, it doesn't heat evenly, which is sort of important when it comes to cooking meat. So I'm cooking it in an electric roaster, which I have never before used.
3. This turkey is "pre-basted" I have no idea what that means. I will google it shortly because I'm not sure if I should still add a rub or not?
4. The buyer of said turkey did not realize that it needs to defrost 5lbs per day in the fridge and did not deliver it until Monday--frozen--it's been in my fridge ever since. So now I'm going to have to do the cold water bath for the last part, and pray that it stays cold enough, but not too cold, so that it defrosts but doesn't give the whole group food poisoning.
Did I mention 22 pounds!?
So here's where I do some deep breathing, remember the family motto, and tell myself the truth about the situation.
1. This is Adventist Thanksgiving, so if the turkey isn't good, there will be a vegetarian roast to eat.
2. I have cooked things before for the first time, and they were fine.
3. The internet and my mother are no match for any new kitchen obstacle. By their powers combined I can conquer the huge turkey in my fridge. (Mom, if you are reading this, send me tips or I will call you having a meltdown tomorrow. Consider yourself warned)
4. It's just a turkey.
5. I have a meat thermometer (proud aren't you dad?) so as long as I get it to 168 degrees, people will not be sick.
I will post an update once the bird is cooked and let you know if I have conquered the turkey or if it has conquered me!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
"Play date"
I went to the park today for what moms now apparently call a play date. Of course, it wasn't really a play date since Liam can't play on the toys yet. But we went for a walk in the park together and then my friend's two-year-old son played on the toys with his mom while Liam and I walked around the equipment watching him. It was a fun time.
But let me back up for a second.
Has anyone who does not have children ever heard of a play date? OK, maybe you've heard this term on a TV show or something. But seriously, there are a LOT of terms that I had never heard before I got pregnant with Liam. And most of them, I am convinced, were created recently by magazines like Parenting and websites like Babycenter.
Here are some examples. If you don't have children, or haven't had them recently, I bet you don't know what some of them are!
Co-sleeping: Sleeping with your baby in your bed. Highly controversial. Doctors say never do it. But many families do it anyway.
Baby wearing: This cracks me up. Like they are an accessory. It means people who use slings or front packs almost all the time when their children infants. They say it promotes bonding. I say it stunts development. (I do love my front pack, but let's be reasonable.)
MOPS: Mothers of preschoolers. A mom's group that meets to do mom things while someone watches their children. AKA sanity for stay-at-home moms.
LLLI: Le Leche League. The breastfeeding zealots! They have good resources and will send out a lactation support person to your house if you need help.
Cruising: This one I just learned. It's a term to define the time when your baby isn't walking, but is holding onto furniture and getting around the room from one piece to the next.
Tummy Time: Otherwise know as torture, at least Liam thought so when he was under four months old. Putting your baby to play on their stomach so that they can earn to lift their head and push up, and eventually crawl.
Attachment parenting: Dr. Sears method of parenting. He basically says that children form strong bonds when they are babies with their parents, and during this sensitive period need to feel emotionally and physically safe. It often includes things like natural childbirth, not letting your child cry, and altered shot schedules.
Cry it out (CIO): The opposite of attachment parenting. (Ha Ha.) I have been attacked by numerous people for letting Liam CIO--which really translates to fuss it out--when learning to put himself to sleep. But I'm a better mother and Ryan is a better father because Liam learned--in two days--to sleep through the night at three months old. He is a happy, healthy baby and I don't think we have damaged him by letting him fuss to sleep. That's the thing about parenting, everyone gets to do it their own way. And this was our way.
Extended nursing: Breastfeeding until your child is older than 3yrs. I will not be participating, thank you.
Demand feeding: Breastfeeding anytime your chid cries or looks remotely interested in nursing. Works for some people. I did this for Liam when he needed to gain weight in the beginning. It is hard.
And don't even get me started on acronyms used on baby websites and boards!
Here are a couple common ones. Can you guess what they mean?
DH
SO
SAHM/WAHM
DD
DS
BFP
BF
LO
SSTN
EBF
CD
You need a resource guide just to learn all this stuff! As if we mothers don't have enough to do.
But let me back up for a second.
Has anyone who does not have children ever heard of a play date? OK, maybe you've heard this term on a TV show or something. But seriously, there are a LOT of terms that I had never heard before I got pregnant with Liam. And most of them, I am convinced, were created recently by magazines like Parenting and websites like Babycenter.
Here are some examples. If you don't have children, or haven't had them recently, I bet you don't know what some of them are!
Co-sleeping: Sleeping with your baby in your bed. Highly controversial. Doctors say never do it. But many families do it anyway.
Baby wearing: This cracks me up. Like they are an accessory. It means people who use slings or front packs almost all the time when their children infants. They say it promotes bonding. I say it stunts development. (I do love my front pack, but let's be reasonable.)
MOPS: Mothers of preschoolers. A mom's group that meets to do mom things while someone watches their children. AKA sanity for stay-at-home moms.
LLLI: Le Leche League. The breastfeeding zealots! They have good resources and will send out a lactation support person to your house if you need help.
Cruising: This one I just learned. It's a term to define the time when your baby isn't walking, but is holding onto furniture and getting around the room from one piece to the next.
Tummy Time: Otherwise know as torture, at least Liam thought so when he was under four months old. Putting your baby to play on their stomach so that they can earn to lift their head and push up, and eventually crawl.
Attachment parenting: Dr. Sears method of parenting. He basically says that children form strong bonds when they are babies with their parents, and during this sensitive period need to feel emotionally and physically safe. It often includes things like natural childbirth, not letting your child cry, and altered shot schedules.
Cry it out (CIO): The opposite of attachment parenting. (Ha Ha.) I have been attacked by numerous people for letting Liam CIO--which really translates to fuss it out--when learning to put himself to sleep. But I'm a better mother and Ryan is a better father because Liam learned--in two days--to sleep through the night at three months old. He is a happy, healthy baby and I don't think we have damaged him by letting him fuss to sleep. That's the thing about parenting, everyone gets to do it their own way. And this was our way.
Extended nursing: Breastfeeding until your child is older than 3yrs. I will not be participating, thank you.
Demand feeding: Breastfeeding anytime your chid cries or looks remotely interested in nursing. Works for some people. I did this for Liam when he needed to gain weight in the beginning. It is hard.
And don't even get me started on acronyms used on baby websites and boards!
Here are a couple common ones. Can you guess what they mean?
DH
SO
SAHM/WAHM
DD
DS
BFP
BF
LO
SSTN
EBF
CD
You need a resource guide just to learn all this stuff! As if we mothers don't have enough to do.
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