Recipes from the Bean

The Bean is quite the chef around here these days. She is always whipping something up for her "friends" (i.e., her stuffed animals) or Mommy, Daddy, and Bubs. Usually she serves these delectable dishes at a tea party or a picnic. The other day I asked her to share some of her recipes with me. Here's what she told me verbatim.

The Bean's Fruit Salad

• delicious candy
• banana
• sour sauce
• ice cream
• milk
• forkus (what????)

Directions: First put food in bowl. Get a spoon. Stir the food. Then you eat it.

Chocolate Chip Bread

• banana
• yogurt
• chocolate chips
• ice cream
• milkshake
• pink lemonade
• hot dog
• chicken leaf

Directions: Put food in bowl. Stir it up and eat it. And microwave it.

Bon appetit!!

The Frog

The Bean's bunny wanted in on the frog-touching action too!

The other day a little tree frog snuck in our screened-in porch while we were out there playing. Both of the kids loved it and wanted to touch it. This was a very friendly little frog, and he'd sit still for just a second while the kids touched it. Once it jumped up into the Bean's hand on accident...it startled her a little bit, but she wasn't scared. Bubs was the antithesis of scared, and kept trying to grab the poor frog in his hand and succeeded several times. In fact, Bubs liked the frog SO much, he kissed the frog. Yep, that's right, he kissed the frog. And the dumb frog sat still for it too. Bubs kissed the frog three different times. He was very upset when the frog hopped under the door and left. For the record, the frog did not turn into a prince. :)

Phone calls from the Bean

Some of you may not know it, but the Bean calls you regularly. :) She will get one of our play cell phones and walk around, just talking your ear off. The following is how a few of her recent conversations went. I have not embellished anything, and I pretty much wrote down verbatim what she said as fast as I could dictate...



A "conversation" with Mimi:

Mimi, what do you want? An egg? Sorry, we ate them all gone. You could eat a play egg. How about a banana? Ok. I'll let you go. See you later. Bye bye.

(But she continues her conversation even though she has said bye bye.)

Evan is still sick so he can't come over. How is Sarah Grace? Does Uncle Drew still have poop all over him? What did you say? I am making dinner in my kitchen. You can call me anytime. Ok. I'll let you go. But I think I'm going to your house today. But I'm lost. What did Jesus promise? Ok, well, bye bye. I'm driving on my way. Ok Mimi, you can come here. You are fine. You are just the right size. It really is sin. Do you know what sin is? Everything you do, do to others as you would have them do to you, 'cause this sums up the law and the prophets. If God was, I would hit Jesus. But Jesus would not hit Mimi. Who made us? God made us. Mimi, I really don't want to talk on the phone anymore. You are not cooperating.

A "conversation" with Grandpaw:

Hi Grandpaw! What was Mimi doing? You are getting me some new shoes? I have a bunny you would like. I love you. I have to let you go.

A "conversation" with Daddy:

Ok. Hi, Daddy. What are you doing at your office? Working on some pants? No, you're not!

A "conversation" with her friend, Little I over at The Robertson Reporter:

Hi, Little I! Do you love me? You do? Well, I will come to your house now. We are waiting on Daddy to come home.

Who Needs Elf on a Shelf?

On the stairs

On the kitchen counter

On the kitchen table

Who needs Elf on a Shelf when you have toddlers and a nativity set? During the Christmas season, Bubs and the Bean moved Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus around more times than I can count. I didn't take pictures each time, of course, but I found them in a different place pretty much each day. The Bean liked to put baby Jesus in the "loft" of the barn b/c as she said, "Kids sleep upstairs and Mommy's and Daddy's sleep downstairs." (At least that's how our house is laid out, anyway!)

Is it really Fall??

"Whew!! That's cold!"

(*Note that he is holding it by the popsicle itself and not the stick. He held it that way the whole time!)

Today the Bean asked for a popsicle. Is it really Fall? Bubs had to join in too and have his first ever popsicle. Seriously folks, it's 80 degrees outside! And it's practically November!

What happens when your husband gets the kids ready for church...

The other outfit RR offered to the Bean...very tempting! Cute and comfy!
The outfit Bubs was supposed to wear to church...

What the Bean chose to wear to church...exactly what I'd laid out for her! Good girl!

What Bubs end up wearing to church...his jammies shirt, cargo khaki shorts, and his Teva sandals.

I just recently rejoined the praise team at our church after a 3 year hiatus of having babies, being pregnant, nursing, etc. When we sing we have to be at church early, which leaves RR w/ the responsibility of getting the kiddos ready for church. This past Sunday was my first Sunday back on the praise team, so it was RR's first time (that I can remember) to get both the kids ready to go anywhere really, much less in church clothes and all. Of course I wanted to make it as easy as possible on him, so I laid out their clothes, shoes, socks, hairbow, combs, diaper bags, the whole 9 yards, the night before. So I got up and left Sunday morning, and RR arrived about mid-way through the early service. He had been planning on coming to SS and the late service, so I was really impressed! I actually turned to him and asked, "Are the kids here or did you leave them at home?!?!" After the service, he told me the "story" of the morning. He had taken one look at the outfit I'd laid out for Bubs (a button-up shirt and smocked overalls; shoes and socks were optional) and decided it was too complicated. I think RR used the phrase "like 100 buttons" to describe the outfit (there are 9 buttons, just for the record). So he just left Bub's jammies shirt (yes, jammies) on him and added the first thing he saw in Bubs drawer that matched...khaki cargo shorts. And to complete the outfit, Bub's Teva sandals. When RR brought Bubs into the Bean's room, the Bean said, "Daddy, why is Bubs in his day clothes and not his church clothes?" So as not to leave her out, RR gave the Bean a choice between the church clothes I'd laid out for her and "day clothes." And the Bean chose her church clothes - that's my girl! So she looked pretty good, except for a couple of small things. RR decided her hair was way too tangled to try to comb (it WAS very tangled), and instead of her church shoes, he put on her regular socks and Keds (not that big a deal). Also, he pulled her socks all the way up to her knees (in his defense, this is the way Bubs usually wears his church socks). But by the time they got to church, the Bean had folded her socks "the way Mama does." For breakfast, the Bean had chips (yes, chips), and Bubs had animal crackers and 1/2 a granola bar. Both of them ate their breakfast at the church. Once they got to the church, RR dropped Bubs off first. And then he couldn't find the Bean's room (again in his defense, they've just promoted to new rooms about a month ago). He finally had to go ask somebody at the nursery desk where the Bean's room was! Anyway, to make a long story short, RR did things a little differently than I might have, but the kids were both clothed and fed and present. And we were both dying laughing about the whole thing. Not bad for his first time!

Veggie Tales

Ha ha - so the title is kind of a joke, since this is a post about veggies. A Tale about Veggies...get it? (I think I've had too much coffee this morning...forgive the dumb joke!!) We don't eat broccoli much at our house b/c RR doesn't like it. But he has given me the green light (no pun intended - ha,ha) to serve broccoli every now and then so that the kids will eat it. (I like it too, just for the record.) So I made chicken and rice the other night and steamed some broccoli to go along w/ it. No cheese sauce, just plain steamed broccoli with a little salt and lemon pepper seasoning. When I told the Bean what we were having for dinner, she immediately said, "I don't like broccoli." I said, "Have you ever tried it?" (Which she had, but it had been a while.) So she tried it. And boy did she like it!! She kept on asking for more and more and more. I had made one large bunch of broccoli, thinking that I needed to go ahead and use it up b/f it went bad, but never thinking that we'd actually eat it all. But we did! The Bean only ate about two bites of her chicken and rice (a kid favorite, right?) and ate probably 1/3 to 1/2 of that large bunch of broccoli, and Bubs ate his weight in it as well! His little mouth was covered in bits of broccoli after dinner was over. So maybe I'll make broccoli a more regular part of our menu from now on!

"Child-proof"

You know how medicine bottles are supposed to have "child-proof" caps? Well apparently they didn't give much thought to the rest of the bottle. Bubs was in the Bean's room tonight while I was getting them ready for bed. He was rummaging around and found a Motrin bottle in the Bean's bathroom drawer. I saw him walking around with it, and I didn't really think much about it b/c I didn't think he could open it. The Bean warned me that this was not a good idea (Mama!! Bubs has my medicine bottle!! Get it!), but I didn't heed her warning (It's okay, Sugar. Bubs can't get it open.). A couple of minutes later I heard the Bean say, "Mama! Bubs bottle is leaking!" Sure enough, it was leaking. I thought, how in the world did he get that cap off?? Well, he didn't. He BIT THROUGH the bottom of the bottle, and it was leaking out the bottom. What in the world!?!? Who has ever heard of such a thing? So I learned my lessons: 1) Don't let your children walk around w/ medicine of any sort, and 2) Listen to your kids. Sometimes they are right!

Side note: Bubs didn't drink any of the medicine, if you are wondering, and it didn't leak too badly. The Bean caught it pretty early, and most of it went on her bathroom floor which was easy to wipe up.

Conversations w/ the Bean

Here's how a conversation w/ the Bean went this morning:

Bean: I like your earrings, Mommy.

Me: Thanks, Bean! I got them for my birthday.

Bean: Did you get them at your party?

Me: Well, no. I didn't have a birthday party this year. I just bought them for myself.

Bean: Nobody gave you any presents?!?

Me: Well, Mimi and Aunt Pat gave me some money so that's what I bought the earrings with.

Bean: Are you sad that you didn't get a party or cake or presents?

Me: Well, maybe a little bit, I guess.

Bean: Aww, Mommy. Don't be sad...don't cry. (She hugs me.)
(I am not anywhere near crying at this point, btw.)

Bean: I know what will make you feel better, Mommy!

Me: What's that, Bean?

Bean: A Diet Coke!!


My daughter knows me well!

And for my next trick...

This is how Bubs looked when I went in to get him this morning. Not a snap was undone on his jammies, but he had gotten his arm out. My little Houdini!

Google Fun

A few of my friends have done this, so I thought I'd do it just for fun too. You Google your first name, then a verb (likes, hates, eats, etc.) and see what comes up. Here are a few of my faves:

Amanda needs to pee.

Amanda hates feet.

Amanda hates good music.

Amanda likes to distract herself with silliness.

Amanda likes to write.

Amanda eats pandas.

Amanda eats airplanes.

Amanda thinks yawning is funny.

Amanda thinks she's a banana.

Hope you thought they were amusing too!

Hide and Go Seek

Proof that he's under there! This was taken after I lifted up the bumper and had unsnapped half the top sheet.

Where's Bubs??? Bubs' feet are under the blanket, and his head is down toward the right. Diagonal lump.

Up near the top of the crib toward the right is Bubs' head.

It often takes Bubs a while to fall asleep in the afternoons...so today was no exception. I went upstairs after about 20 min of "nap protest" and turned his music back on, and then after another 20 min of the protest had gone on, I went up to check again and to turn his music on. Only when I went in the room, I looked in the crib and there was no Bubs. I knew I had heard him on the monitor, so I knew he was there somewhere! I looked under his blanket in the crib - no Bubs. And then I noticed a diagonal-shaped lump under his top sheet. (We use one of those "Ultimate Crib Sheets" that snap onto the crib...they're awesome...if the baby wets/poops/spits up on the sheet, just unsnap it and there's a fresh fitted sheet underneath. No need to take the bumper out, change the fitted sheet, etc. Again, AWESOME if you don't have one. The Bean uses one too, and this is the first "incident" we've had w/ it in 2 1/2 years.) I thought, "No, he couldn't have crawled underneath his top sheet!" I mean, it snaps to the crib slats in 6 places! But Bubs found the one opening big enough to fit through, and he wriggled his way in there 'til you couldn't see one inch of him! It was hilarious, and being Mom of the Year, I immediately went for my camera instead of taking off the top sheet. Incidentally, he did fall asleep afterward.

My #1 fan

I think that the Bean may like music and singing just as much as her Mama. She has always loved to listen to music since she was born. Now that she's a little older, she is starting to learn a few simple songs and "sing" along with them. By "sing" I mean she gets about ever 4th or 5th word right. Since she "knows" so many songs, she randomly will pick a word in it for the title. For instance, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is just "'star," and "The B-I-B-L-E" is Bible, etc. When we were potty training, we were looking for things to pass the time sitting in the living room all day long, so I made the mistake of letting her watch Barney. I say mistake b/c she immediately took a liking to Barney, and started asking to watch him all the time. So I DVR'd two of his shows. Well, to get through potty training week, let's just say we watched them a lot. She knows EVERY song on them and has made up her little one-word titles for them. So she wants Mommy to sing them to her, oh, about 1,000 times a day!! Literally, she's constantly (and I do not use that word lightly) saying, "Mommy sing Special." "Mommy sing I Dwove You." "Mommy sing Twistin." "Mommy sing Essa." (Her word for Fiesta.) And the list goes on. Thank goodness she doesn't ask me to do the choreography. Wouldn't y'all like to see that? Scary. But you may see me walking around Wal-Mart or somewhere singing Barney tunes. Oh, the things we do for our kids!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

The Bean and I had a funny conversation this morning...as a side note, I can carry on real conversations w/ her now, which is fun. Anyway, she just started real Sunday School this past week, and she brought home a coloring page w/ Adam and Eve on it, so I assumed that is what their lesson was on. So here's how our conversation went:

Me: Hey Bean, did you learn about Adam and Eve in Sunday School yesterday?

Bean: Nyes (She says her Yes w/ a nasal sound.)

Me: Did the teacher tell you that God created Adam and Eve?

Bean: Nyes

Me: You know Adam and Eve did a no-no and disobeyed God. He told them not to take the fruit from the Tree, and they took it and ate it anyway. They disobeyed God. That's called sin.

Bean: Spank

I guess she thought Adam and Eve deserved a spank! :) Seconds later she was talking about the Mine-o-saur in a book she has, so our little conversation was short lived. Funny stuff.

Love these stupid lists!!

Jess knows how I love these lists...can't resist 'em...

You're feeling: worn out
To your left: my clothes since I'm in my closet office
On my mind: hoping the clean undies get done b/f the Bean wakes up, errands I'll have to run after the kids go to bed tonight
Last meal included: a ham and cheese lean pocket and baked cheetos
You sometimes find it hard to: be cheerful
The weather: who knows? i haven't been outside and won't be for the next several days!
Something you have a collection of: collections are useless dust-gatherers, in my humble opinion
A smell that cheers you up: buttercream icing
A smell that can ruin your mood: flatulence
How long since you last shaved: three days - I pretty much only shave for Sundays nowadays.
The current state of your hair: ponytail/knot thing
Largest item on workspace (not computer): clock
Your skill with chopsticks: not so good
Which section you head for first in a bookstore: fiction
Something you are craving: a weekend away w/ my hubby
Your general thoughts on the presidential race: HATE politics - it all seems fake to me
How many times have you been hospitalized in the past year? 2 days - ahh the room service and well baby nursery!
Favorite place to go for a quiet moment? I'm here - my closet office during naptime
You've always secretly thought you'd be a good: Broadway dancer/singer/general ham
Something that freaks you out a little: selling our house/buying a new house
Something you've eaten too much of lately: pizza
You have never been: shy
You never want to: get fat (-er???)

Anybody else out there love silly lists? Then join in the fun!

Warning: PG rated blog post!!

This may be a bit risque for some readers, so read on at your own risk! Today the Bean walked out to get the mail w/ me, and we ran into our neighbor Jennifer. Here is how our conversation went:

Jennifer: Bean, what did you have for dinner tonight?

Me: Bean, tell Jennifer what we had for dinner.

Bean: Lunch

Me: Bean, tell Jennifer that you had a sandwich for dinner.

Bean: (silence)

Jennifer: Bean, what did Baby have for dinner tonight?

Bean: (silence)

Me: Bean, tell Jennifer what Baby had for dinner...it's what Baby always has.

Bean: Mama boobies mish*

*Mish is her word for milk

Oh dear. That's right. Out of the mouths of babes, right? Thank goodness we were talking to a girl!

Two funny stories

Story #1: The Spectacle

The Bean and I were in Chick-fil-a the other night b/c RR had to work late...we were having a girls night out. :) (FYI, the Chick-fil-a on 280 in the 'ham has Family Night every Tuesday night, and when you buy an adult combo, you get a 4 pc kids meal free. Even through the drive-thru!) So there we were eating our dinner. I traded in her kids toy for an ice cream, (Also something Chick-fil-a does.) and we were about to head home. When I picked her up from her high chair, the back of her pants were soaked. And from the smell, it wasn't #1. So I took her to the bathroom to change her diaper and clean her up. Without being too gross, let's just say that I knew I couldn't put her back into her clothes...even her socks. And of course, I didn't have a change of clothes for her in her diaper bag. So I get her cleaned up, put her in her cardigan sweater (thank goodness it was cold that day and I had her in layers) and her shoes (no socks) and her diaper. I went to the counter and asked for a bag to put her clothes in, and the two of us walked out to the car...me and my pregnant self w/ a peg leg to boot, and the Bean w/ her diaper and naked legs for all to see. What a spectacle. :)

Story #2: The Near Calamity

Today at church it was just the Bean and I, so we go to get in the car after church and of course, I put her in first and shut the door. But b/c she was squirmy, I just let her crawl around the back seat instead of strapping her into her car seat while I hobbled around to the other side to strap her in. When I got to the other side, I realized that she had locked the doors. And of course, I'd already thrown my keys into the driver's seat and tossed my purse (w/ my phone) into the passenger seat. And since I'm so slow these days, it was 12:40 pm and the parking lot was pretty much cleared out. So what's a pregnant-broke-kneed mom to do when her child locks herself in the car??? I looked around for someone w/ a phone, and there was no one, so I started trying to instruct the Bean on how to open the door from the inside. She actually tried to pull the knob several times, but couldn't quite get it. Finally a friend (w/ four kids of her own in tow and no hubby w/ her that morning either) walked by, and I told her to call RR. But he didn't answer his phone b/c he didn't recognize the number. So I tried again: I told the Bean to go to the front seat and push the button on Mama's keys. So she did, but instead of pushing the unlock button on the keys, she takes the key and tries to stick it in the window to get the door open. By this time her little cheeks are turning red b/c it's 70 degrees outside and hot in the car. So I told her to try the knob thing on the front door, and voila!! It worked!! The moral of the story: always have some way of unlocking your car on your person at all times. Or hope your 18-month-old follows instructions as well as mine did today!