Easiest Microwave Applesauce for One (or one and a half)

That one bruised apple

Around here, there is always at least one apple that has been thrown or dropped or gnawed on, that you don't want to toss out, but can't quite present it as a lovely specimen of fruit, either.  I almost called this "That One Bruised Apple Applesauce" because that's the true origination of this recipe.  That, and on PBS Kids several times this week Sid the Science Kid was learning about "change" and "irreversible change"--for example, when you cook an apple, you can't change it back to a raw apple.  Like when you make applesauce. 

So, guess who suddenly craved applesauce after watching Sid?  Yep, and Lizzie thought it was a great idea, too.

Total time: 5 minutes.
Cleanup requirements: virtually nothing to clean up
Difficulty level: if you can nuke it, you can make this

Well, you peel the apple.  The easiest way is to lob off the top and bottom, then slice down the sides.

Then you cube it, so each piece is approximately the same size - I did dice-sized cubes.  Throw the cubes in a microwave-safe bowl.

Then you add a dribble of water.  I've done this with and without water, and it works out about the same either way.

Put it in the microwave for 2 minutes on high.

(Or 1:54 minutes, but that's up to you.)

 (Actually, if you use more than one apple, or if it's a big baking apple, like a Granny Smith, for instance, you may need to let it cook a little longer.)

While you wait for the microwave to ding, sing a silly song.  (optional)

Mash the cooked apple cubes with a fork, and add a dash of cinnamon. 

 

Once it's cool enough to handle, serve at once to your young scientist.

Enjoy!

Morning Coffee, How I've Missed You

It's almost a novelty, drinking coffee in the morning.  And when that comes with a bit of quiet, it's even more rare.

Today it is quiet at 9 AM because Sam has already left for work, and Lizzie was up until 11 PM.  Of course, that means I was also up long after that, but as long as she stays in bed a little longer, I can deal with it.  After all, I have my coffee.

Work is still going well for Sam.  He has been working a lot of hours.  A whole lot of hours.  He's secretly going for a week with enough overtime to double his paycheck before they realize what's going on and tell him to knock it off.  He gets to meet a lot of cool people (and a lot of oddballs, but that's what a retail position will give you), and he works in a field that he has a lot of interest in.  His interest makes him an excellent salesperson; yesterday he sold over $1200 worth of product and memberships.  He came home still stoked about that.

With all the extra hours, it's been a little hard for us to adjust.  There are some days that Lizzie barely gets to see Sam.  She misses him, but most evenings she is up late enough to see him.  I actually had a meltdown a few days ago, and said that I needed him to be home for dinner once this week.  Last night we had dinner together for the first time since Sunday.  It was great.  He helped with Lizzie's bedtime routine, and she climbed and played all over him.  Hence, the 11 PM bedtime.

Wednesday morning I had my 16 week appointment, and all is well.  Somewhere in the last few weeks I had gotten ahead of myself and really thought I was 17 weeks along.  But no, 16 weeks.  Baby's heartbeat is swooshing along nicely, and I'm finally starting to actually look pregnant, not just have a little pooch.  (I recently found that I can't tie my robe unless it goes either above or below the belly.)  We scheduled the 20 week ultrasound appointment 4 weeks out, and we'll find out what we're having!  I have a feeling that will be when it all really kicks in and starts to be very real.  And between now and then I'll be feeling the baby more, so I'll have a more constant reminder.  Aside from the general fatigue and loose joints and occasional lightheadedness.

Lizzie is hilarious as always.  She pulls words out of conversation and repeats them often.  She's saying about 3-4 new words every day.  Even while fighting a nasty head cold!  In fact, "boogers" is one of her words.  Yes, I taught my little girl how to say boogers.  And poop.  But hey, they're very useful.

One word that I taught Lizzie to say, purely for my own amusement, is "wonderful."  I've been curious what she thinks is "won-doe-doe."  For the record, everyone in the family--Daddy, Mama, Zizzie (Lizzie), Yay-yee (Lady, the dog), Max, and Leo (there are no phonetic transliterations for the way she says the cats' names)--are all wonderful.  Her Duplos, some foods (particularly blueberries and eggs), and Barney, are also wonderful. 

So that's all the "stuff" of life these days.  My heart has been trying to be heard again lately.  It had been sort of stifled for a while, I think.  There's something about being physically sick that makes it hard for me to make a priority of anything spiritual.  That is, anything beyond, "Oh, God, help," which I do believe is a perfectly valid prayer.  Having time in the mornings again has helped me not feel like I'm starting every day behind, and has allowed me to have a quiet time about half the time.  Today, I admit, I got on the computer first.  I still haven't had a bona fide quiet time, but I will.

Well, I think I've written about all I needed to, and the girl is STILL quiet in her bed.  Now for that quiet time.... And Second Breakfast.

Things I Should Be Doing

The minute I open the "New Post" window, my mind fills with Things I Should Be Doing. 

Never mind that I just spent an hour and a half on the computer, not doing the Things I Should Be Doing.  Facebook, Due In July 2011 forum, blog reading.  I've just exhausted my interest in those particular things normally waste my time, and now I think, "I should write a blog post." 

And here they come, like a flock of starlings, swooping in with their distracting cackles.

I should finish the last dish that's soaking in the sink.  I should clean the bread maker I just bought (at the Salvation Army store for only $13!).  I should track down a stapler and staple together the manual I printed online (double-sided and everything.  That only took me 45 minutes to figure out.).  I should straighten the living room.  Start the laundry.  Or at least sort the laundry.  Clean the bathrooms.  (You remember a week or two ago when I made a chore chart for myself?  Today I should clean the bathrooms and purge the fridge and start the laundry.  Oh, and sweep.)  I should start dinner.  I should get a snack. 

I'm back.  I ate a waffle.  And a glass of milk.  If there's anything I love about being pregnant, it's that I can eat a waffle nearly any time of day and enjoy it thoroughly.  After the first trimester, of course.

It's cold in here; I should turn up the heat.  I should try again to pay that pesky AT&T bill that never seems to accept our credit card the first time I try.  I should research cell phones to replace my dying, broken, taped-together phone.  I should figure out what is required to get my daughter's birth certificate, since she is, after all, 19 months old.  I should download the photos from the camera.  Then I should upload them for the relatives. 

I should just write a blog post.

Then I think, "I don't know what to write." 

Oh, I know!  I can sit down and write a list and a schedule and brainstorm new and fun topics.  And then I can chart them on a calendar and decide when to write which thing. 

No, I'll just go start on the Things I Should Be Doing, and see how far I get.  And before long, the little girl with the runny nose will be awake and wanting me to "hold you" for the rest of the evening.  

Hey, look!  I just wrote a blog post! 

Quick Snippets of January

Her first fashion statement: Red Cowboy Boots.  Every day. Every outing.  With every outfit.

Snow!  And lots of it!

She looks like she's describing something as big; she's not.  She's saying, "holdy! holdy!" (i.e. hold me!)

She's just too much fun.

Weekly Plan - I Finally Have One!

Confession time:
I have laundry that was washed 2 weeks ago that is still not put away.
I have not done a focused cleaning of the bathrooms since we had company over a month ago.
I cannot even remember the last time I mopped the kitchen floor.  
The house is kept to a standard of "sanitary" (after all, no one licks the kitchen floor, right?) but it is certainly not ready for company at a moment's notice.
This is, I believe, part of why "virtual coffee" is such a great idea. :)

About 2 years ago I was home, not working anymore, and pregnant.  Following Rachel Anne's Home Sanctuary blog, I decided to create a real housekeeping schedule.  I went a bit crazy with it, using Excel, and outlining pretty much everything I would ever do to run a tight ship, right down to separating the mirrors and the bathtub from the bathrooms in general.  It was quite successful.  And then, the baby came. 

There was a readjustment period, as you would expect.  But the readjustment period probably shouldn't have lasted a year and a half.  Seriously.

So here I am again: home, not working, and pregnant.  And my house is a shambles.  Part of that has had to do with having Sam at home.  I don't know exactly what that's about, but there's something that paralyzes me when he's not working.  Maybe I think it's a perpetual weekend.  Maybe I feel obligated to keep him company.  Maybe I use it as an excuse to be lazy.  I can't get anything productive done, and if I do, it's in spurts of about 4 minutes at a time.  That, and the kitchen was always a mess because there was another adult making food and not cleaning it up.  A minor complaint, but sometimes in my head it got really major.  Oh, the joys of pregnancy hormones.  But he's working again, and all is right with the kitchen. 

This week I was inspired to get serious about making a schedule again.  It is a very simple one.  It allows for ONE major item per day, and one or two other minor items per day.  Laundry is broken up into 3 categories and takes 3 days.  My Fridays' "major item" is "catch up" - allowing myself plenty of flexibility.  There is nothing written on the weekend days.  I want to consider those my "off" days, even though there are still the daily minimum requirements to making the house function.  This is a schedule I think I will be able to maintain after the next baby comes.

Housekeeping Schedule - 2011

Not listed are those daily things.  They are:
Dinner prepared/cleaned up
Pick Up (Minimum Maintenance - or some variation thereof)
Dishes (sink and counter clear by bedtime)
Sort mail/eliminate junk papers

These things alone will make everything less stressful.  Wanna know why?  Because I haven't even been doing them.  Granted, I was too sick to stand up for a while there, but that's over and we're done with that phase.  (Thank God!)

So I have been slowly but surely making my way to getting things picked up since Wednesday when I drew this schedule out on a piece of paper.  Yep, it's just a large page, no white board, no dates.  Simple as can be.

That's the way it's gotta be to work around here.

Now I'm off to finish watching Sid the Science Kid with Lizzie.  Sid is her latest TV crush.  Oh, she loves him.

{Top Ten} No, That Won't Hurt Your Baby

For the past couple of years, I have frequented an internet forum that is for expectant mothers.  During pregnancy, the women are grouped according to the month in which their babies are due, and friendships are formed.  I'm proud to say I'm friends with many women from the group I was part of when Lizzie was a baby.

Now there is a new group for women due in July 2011.  It has been a riot.  Being one of the ones who has "been there, done that" has made me laugh because there are so many questions by the first time moms.  Things like, "I pop my back when it bothers me; can that hurt my baby?"  "Can I use mouthwash that has alcohol in it?  Will that hurt my baby?"  "Can I eat yogurt? It has cultures in it, so is it safe?"  Really, people?

Now that most everyone there has made it out of the first trimester, or at least they're really close to it, the tone has gotten much lighter.  So I thought I would make a general list for everyone.  Maybe it would nip a few of the questions in the bud.  Enjoy!

• No matter how hard you push, prod, poke, or roll, your hand is not going to hurt your baby.  

• Having sex will not hurt your baby (provided you're not on pelvic rest per doctor's orders).

• Sleeping on your belly, side or back* will not hurt your baby - if you wake up in any of these positions, you haven't done something terrible, just roll over.  Once you aren't comfortable sleeping on one of the 'bad' ways to sleep, then find another way to sleep.*Lying on your back for extended periods after around 15 weeks is not recommended because the weight of the uterus and baby can press on an artery, which cuts your circulation; that's not good for either of you.  But that doesn't mean you've done irreparable damage because you woke up that way.
  
  
• Falling on your butt or your elbow or your back won't hurt your baby.  It'll give you a good bruise or sprain, but unless you suddenly have bleeding, cramping, or other signals of distress from your uterus, your baby is fine.

• That pasta sauce, beef roast, beer cheese soup, or beer bread, while cooked with alcohol, still will not hurt your baby.

• Strenuous exercise will not hurt your baby; it may hurt you while your ligaments and joints are stretching and shifting, which is why it's not recommended.  

• That hot dog, Subway sandwich, cup of coffee, stick of gum, Dr. Pepper, yogurt that expired yesterday, deli cheese, medium-rare steak, stale bread, or the butter-drenched and fabulous lobster tail that you ate will not hurt your baby.  

• Hot showers, warm baths, cozy fires, soft music, flowers, delicious meals, and chocolate, will not hurt your baby.

• Coughing, sneezing, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, flatulence, bowel movements, laughing too hard, screaming, dogs barking, dogs jumping on you in excitement, pets licking you, forgetting to take your vitamin, and the grocery store clerk looking at you funny, will not hurt your baby.

• However, car accidents, domestic (or other) violence, falling hard on your belly, signs of severe dehydration or illness or any unexplained pain that doesn't go away with a dose or two of Tylenol and rest and a bottle of water, among other things that your doctor has probably already warned about.... could be a sign of something more serious, and are definitely worth a phone call or trip to the ER.

          Happy, safe, healthy, and sane pregnancy to you all!

Are there any more that you would add? 

Starting Again

I'm not really one of those people who is inspired to "start fresh" with every new year.  Maybe it has to do with not being obsessed with numbers, maybe it's from being homeschooled and now being a stay-at-home-mom, where I don't deal with a calendar quite the same way that I did when I worked.  Maybe I am a non-conformist and just can't bear to do what everyone else is doing.  Maybe I'm afraid to make a list of resolutions that I can't keep maintained. 

At any rate, this year I feel different about all that. 

It's probably because I am just now recovering from my first trimester (did you miss it?  We're expecting a new Chen in July!), complete with morning sickness and the head cold from the pit of hell.  It likely has something to do with Sam starting work this week (thank you, Jesus!).  Sam really loves his job, by the way.  He comes home excited about it every day.  It is such a blessing to have him happy about work, and to have him busy.  I loved having him home, but there is nothing quite like having the house feel like my domain again.

To start with, I'm blogging again, and this weekend I'm hoping to chart out a bit of a plan.  I couldn't pass on joining you Company Girls today.  This is especially true since I'm finally enjoying coffee again!

One thing I am surprised that I'm excited about is getting back to menu planning.  I slacked off totally when I was too sick to even think about food. 

This morning I actually sat down with a cookbook and figured out several recipes that I could convert to meals that could be prepared in advance and frozen.  It is exciting.  I'll have to figure out whether to do one mega-cooking day (or weekend), or just build up a supply gradually by doubling or tripling recipes and freezing the extras.  I may do a combination of the two.  Alicia's post about once-a-month cooking and planning really got me thinking I could do it. 

Last week I sat down with my copy of Square Foot Gardening and figured out when the last spring frost is, and made a timeline of when we could plant things.  I think I could start in March.  My dad said one of our friends has an extra SFG frame that would be available if I wanted it.  I said, "Yes, please!"  Now I just have to find a place in our yard that would get enough sun to make it worth while.

I have a couple of odd projects to work on for my mom.  Her book, When Sparrows Fall, is coming out in May, and I'll be helping her with some office paperwork, mailing lists, etc.  I have some assignments to get busy with, and I'm finally feeling capable of adding that to my weekly routine.


Happy 2011, everyone!  I hear the short person singing to herself in her crib, so it is time to post and move on.