Monthly Munch: July 2015

Somehow we seem to have got through another month!  This whole work thing sure makes the weeks fly by.  I've been enjoying it, but I feel like we're still adjusting to the new dynamic, trying to find the right balance.  At the moment it's been more like: leeeeaaan one way - leeeeaaaan the other way - ohhhhmygoodness will we all fall into the net - up! up! up! we're just about hanging on - maybe? maybe?  But we're still putting one foot in front of the other, and even managing to have a bit of fun along the way.

Toby

- finished preschool!  They gave them a grand send-off, with a day trip to the zoo, and a nice ceremony with lots of presents in a handmade personalised bag.

Sports day beanbag race.  The aeroplane pose was his own idea.

- took us on yet another trip to A&E, this time for a damaged toe.  He couldn't walk on it the whole day; we took him to the doctor, who wasn't sure and referred us to the hospital; the nice A&E nurse gave him a dose of paracetamol for the pain; by the time we left he was jumping up and down on both feet!

First time he's been in a pushchair for a while!

- has started testing our scientific knowledge.  In one lunchtime we had: Where does the rain come from?  When you push or pull something, what makes it move?  How does the electricity go along the wires?

Quotes

"That's an old toy, I haven't seen that one for ages.  Since about the 1980's."

Graham: "If you sit on my lap, I'll tickle you."
Toby: "Why would you do that to a nice person like me?"

Bookworm boys.

Theo was tapping Toby's chest: "Theo, I'm not a drum!  I'm not a bungalow drum... or whatever it is."  (Bongo, perhaps?)

Theo

Mr Cool.  With cake.

- can climb up and go down the rather tall slide at the local playground (eek!).  He is much more adventurous than Toby was at this age.

- uses his semi-words with great meaning and emphasis.

- enjoys giving people things.

Especially this book.  He will pin you down and force you to read it.

- makes a big fuss (usually short-lived) if you take him away from whatever trouble he's just found, eg: taking lids off pens; putting things in the toilet; removing all the tissues from the box; eating unripe strawberries; using green paint as lipstick.

Thankful for:

- discovering St Mary on the Bridge in Derby, a tiny medieval chapel which just happened to be open when we walked by.

- our next door neighbour, who fixed our lawnmower

- a nice long visit from my parents, which included my dad accompanying Toby and me to the hospital.

- family silliness!

Dressing up...

...and doing silly dances.

Recipe of the Month: Black Bean Burrito Bowl

I've made this recipe several times already since I found it in the March edition of the Tesco magazine, and it has disappeared extremely quickly, lending support to my theory that Mexican-style cooking is, for some reason, ideal children's food.

150g / 5 oz rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 small red pepper, finely diced
1 x 400g / 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
250ml / 1 cup vegetable stock
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
crumbled feta or grated Cheddar
natural yoghurt
chilli sauce
tortilla chips

Put the rice in a pan with 300ml / 10 fl oz boiling salted water.  Bring to the boil, turn the heat right down and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan.  Cook the onion and celery until softened, then add the garlic, paprika and cumin.  Stir for a minute.  Add the red pepper, black beans and vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add seasoning to taste.

Scoop the rice into bowls and ladle the bean mixture over the top.  Put all the extra bits on the table so that people can add whatever they like.  Serves 2.