Homemade Granola Bars

I made some home made granola bars today. They taste great. If you try the recipe out I think they start out a little crumbly but if you refrigerate them for a few hours (after you cut and wrap them up) they are perfect. You can put a lot of different things in them. I added cranberries, raisins, a handful of chocolate chips, and chopped peanuts. I left out the sunflower seeds. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. Enjoy!

Granola Bars:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Gather your ingredients:

• 2 cups oats
• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup peanuts, crushed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• approximately 8 oz. dried fruit

To crush your peanuts, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a heavy mallet, measuring cup, or sauce pan. (I chopped them up using a dicing device.)

Then, mix the peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.

Meanwhile, prepare a glass baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray.

Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. (I forgot to take a picture of this step, but it looks so pretty!)

By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit. Oh, and turn off your oven, because you’re finished with it now.

Mix everything REALLY WELL because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything. Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.

Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.

Then, open the waxed paper …

And carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper.

Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like.

I wrapped ours individually in plastic wrap and then stuck them in the fridge. I got about 18 bars out of one batch. Enjoy!

I found this recipe on this blog.

Bath Time

Erik and Lainey took a bath together for the first time tonight. Erik was excited and kept trying to pour water over Lainey's head. Don't worry we didn't let him. Here are some cute photos...

Cute Baby Girl

"I'm So Cute!"
(at least that's what mom and dad tell me)

Good News!

This little watermelon loving boy can now eat eggs!!! Yeah!! I am so thankful! We had his allergy levels checked last week. It dropped from a high level three to zero. No evidence of an egg allergy at all anymore. We gave him a bite of cookie to test it out. He knew it had eggs in it. At first he was afraid it would make him sick. Once I reassured him that eggs were okay now he pointed to the cookie and shouted, " More EGGS!" Apparently, he thinks "eggs" are really baked goods. Pretty cute!

It does appear that he is allergic to walnuts (positive skin test and RAST) but we will see the allergist on Friday to verify this. He has never had a walnut so I am hoping the doctor will think it is safe to do a food challenge in the office. If he doesn't really react to walnuts I hate to have to tell everyone he is allergic to them. If he is allergic I won't complain too loudly because in the past two weeks we have been able to add eggs, peanuts, and all other tree nuts (except walnuts) back into his diet. What a relief!

Surprise!

Lainey and I went to Kansas this weekend to visit my Grandma, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Colin, and my Mom. After booking the trip we decided it might be fun to bring Victor and Erik along too -- as a surprise for everyone. GG and Grandma Kay sure were hooting and hollering when they came to get Elaina and I from the airport only to find Erik and Victor waiting for them. (Elaina and I were hiding around the corner.) We had a great time.

Here is a video of Erik having fun with Uncle Colin.


Victor and I didn't sleep much that weekend (got up at 3:15 am Saturday morning to go the airport, Erik was up for 2 1/2 hours in the middle of the night Saturday night, didn't get home until midnight Sunday evening) but we enjoyed getting away for a couple of days and spending time with family. Thanks for hosting (and feeding) us Barbara! It was great to see you.

10 week check up

I took Lainey in for her 2 month check up today. She is doing great! No concerns at all. She is still on Zantac which is controlling her reflux well. She got her DTP and Polio vaccines today. Hopefully, she will not be too crabby this afternoon.

Her stats at 10 weeks 1 day....

Weight: 11 pounds 15 ounces
Length: 23 inches
Head circumference: 15 1/2 inches

I found a percentile calculator that calculates the stats for the exact day (instead of months). Based on that calculation she is in the 64% for both Weight and Length.

Lainey has become a very happy, fun baby. She is smiling and cooing a lot which is a lot of fun. Here is a photo of my cutie pie...

new media resources / i can't sleep haiku

new birthday present
book all done i find kitty
i like daddy's foot

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

I am primarily posting this so I will have easy access to the recipe I used today but I thought someone else might enjoy it too. These muffins were great!


Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

• 4 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
  
• Chocolate chips (as many as you want -- I think I added about 3/4 cup)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix until moist. Makes 12 muffins. Bake for approximately 20 - 25 minutes.

YUM!!

Lunch Date

On Friday mornings, I have been taking Erik and Lainey down to Old Town Alexandria. I love old town so it has been a fun place to hang out. I am also trying to get Erik hooked on Cosi so I will win the argument Cosi vs Five Guys. So far I am doing well. Erik loves the bread there and likes to watch them make it in the fire.

I love hanging out with my little man on Friday mornings and will miss this outing when preschool starts in the fall.

Isn't my date cute!? I sure will hate it when he wants to take a different girl out for lunch! Oh well, he is mine for now.

On a sad note..... There is often a group of preschoolers at the playground Friday mornings. They are all 18 months - 4 years old. Very cute and friendly kids. Today an 18 month old was picked up early from the playground by a day care worker. Why? Because he has come to school three weeks in a row with different injuries (a cigarette burn, razor cut, and bite marks) so CPS had been called and they were taking him to do a full physical exam. Apparently, the mom already has another open case in the CPS regarding a different child. Poor babies!! I hope they get taken to somewhere safe. Meanwhile, I will give my kids an extra squeeze.

I hope you have a good weekend. I am going to Kansas with Lainey to spend time with some of my relatives so no blog updates from me. Maybe Victor will provide some haiku's for you!

2 months (and a day)

Well, my Mommy has been busy I guess since she didn't update the blog yesterday for my 2 month update so I will take over for her.

My first two months have been busy. I have met lots of people. I really like my big brother Erik. He is neat to watch. When I am upset he makes me feel better. He makes me mad sometimes too. He seems to really like to poke me in the eyes with his finger and today he threw a toy and it landed on my head. I let him know I am mad and mom comes and rescues me.

I feel much better now that I am on Zantac. Before that it sure stunk to be awake and all I could do was cry. Even though the medicine tastes horrible it makes me much happier. Now when I am awake I smile and coo or just observe my surroundings.

My mommy and daddy like to wrap me up really tight before I take naps and go to bed. I really like this and will often sleep for 2-3 hours in the afternoon. At night I try to give my mommy a break. I usually fall asleep around 10:30 pm get up for a snack around 3:00 am and then sleep again until 6:30 or so. I like to see my daddy in the middle of the night too so I make sure I don't fall asleep right away after my snack. He comes and gets me out of jail when I cry. My daddy loves me but his shoulder got sore from me sleeping on him and from being on the couch so now I have to sleep in my own bed. So far I seem to like it okay.

My parents keeping laying me down on the floor and trying to get me to pick up my head. I don't like this so I either scream loudly, suck on my fingers, or go to sleep. My brother seemed to comply with this but I figure I don't have to since I sleep so much better. It's only fair that I get to cause a little trouble of my own.

My brother the show-off when he was two months old (11/10/2007).

My mommy is taking me back to the doctor on August 25th for my official 2 month check up. I have to get more shots then. Yuck!! I sure hated my first ones but mom says I need them to stay healthy. At 7 weeks 1 day I was 10 pounds 6 ounces and 22 1/4 inches.

I'll be back to update when I am three months old. I have lots to do before then including my first plane ride, meeting more family, a wedding in Maryland, etc. Maybe I'll pick my head up by then too. Thanks for checking in on me.

Guide Dogs

Today we went to Old Town Alexandria and played at the great playground on Fayette. I can't go to old town without stopping at Cosi for lunch! The lady in line ahead of us had a dog with her. It was wearing a vest that said "Dog in training." The owner had no obvious disabilities but I assumed she was either training it or it was her guide dog. Well, the manager came up to her and asked to see the license for the dog. She didn't have one and was apparently completely offended that he requested to see one because she started yelling loudly at him. He left the room. The lady with the dog sat down next to our table. The manager came back a few minutes later and said something else to her. I didn't hear what he said but she started yelling and cursing loudly -- many four letter words were leaving her mouth. I got up to get Lainey out of the stroller and politely, but firmly asked the screaming woman watch to her language as I had two small kids with me. She immediately calmed down and left the restaurant a few minutes later (she actually apologized to me before she left). She didn't leave before getting a free lunch though (she demanded a refund but took the food with her --err)!

I feel bad for people who have disabilities and am thankful that I am healthy. I am certain there was a reason behind her overreaction however I think her behavior was terrible. The manager never raised his voice, was kind and polite, and was just doing his job.

After she left the manager apologized to the tables around her. He explained that guide dogs are required to have a license with them at all times. If they don't have a license he doesn't want them in the restaurant, in case there is an incident.

I looked the licensing up for guide dogs. In Fairfax county all guide dogs are required to have a license with them. Pretty interesting.

I hope that lady gets some help because clearly she must have some emotional issues and a different manager might not be so kind to her if she disrupts an entire restaurant during a busy lunch hour. Erik was actually cowering and covering his eyes with his hands while she was yelling.

On a more positive note ,what do you think of today's bow?

I'm So Pretty

Lainey likes to watch Erik play. I tried out this chair today. She wasn't so sure she liked it.


I have to have fun dressing her up now. If she is like me, she will want to make all her own decisions regarding clothing by the time she is 2. Until then, she may be spotted in hair bows, dresses, and tights. :)

Dance Party

Recently Erik has really been interested in dancing. Even without any music on he will jump and spin -- dancing. I think it is pretty cute.

Mmm Mmm Good!

Erik's first Trader Joe's Peanut Butter cup!

No hives!

Music To My Ears!

As you could tell in my post last night, I have been feeling quite frustrated with potty training. Well, today Erik seemed to have an "Ah ha moment!" Four times this afternoon he told me he needed to go potty. 3 of those times it was early enough that I could actually get him to the potty chair in time. Yay!!! He was so proud of himself.

We are now rewarding him with a coin each time he pees in the potty chair (thank for the suggestion Julie) which goes in his piggy bank. He doesn't have a clue what it means to have money but still seems to be excited by this. Pooping in the potty comes with the prize of a coin, juice box, and cookie. Hopefully, he will have a breakthrough on that front soon!

I am feeling much better about things today and just hope that Erik keeps it up tomorrow!

One thing I have noticed is that he seems somewhat confused by underwear. The only accidents he had today were when he was wearing underwear. I think he must forget that he doesn't have a diaper on or something. Hopefully, he will figure that out soon too because I can't take him out of the house naked.

Quote of the Day

This morning Lainey woke up around 6 am. Victor brought her to me and then went and got ready for work. I was trying to sleep while holding her in bed when Erik got up. Victor brought Erik into our room. I asked Erik to lay down next to me. He did for about 30 seconds only to pop his head up and say, " I awake Mommy! All done sleeping!" Time to start the day I guess.

Side note:

Erik's Stats (8/11/09 at the allergist)

Weight: 26.9 pounds (actually 26.9 not 9 ounces)
Height: 34 inches

Control

Of my head that is! Elaina is still working on this. She seems to be more floppy than Erik was at this age. Here are some photos of a very frustrated baby trying to pick up her head....

I have had enough Mom!

My legs work though!

Control

Potty training is still in progress at the Chen house. This cute little boy seen below has been somewhat resistant recently. When we started two weeks ago he contently sat on the potty chair, way longer than I wanted him to, and he would pee and poop without any problems. If we wasn't sitting on the potty chair and cued he would have frequent accidents but he didn't refuse to go on the potty chair if he needed to.

Two weeks in, Erik has gained significant control over his bowels. How do I know this? Well, he will hold his urine in for hours and hours. He really doesn't have many accidents when he is running around naked. However, after 2-3 hours of not using the potty chair he will start leaking. Then when he is sat on the potty chair he has no choice but to go. I do get him to sit on the potty chair for about 5 minutes every 45-60 minutes but if his bladder is not overflowing he will hold it in.

At this point I am still putting him in diapers when we leave the house. If he has been diaper free for an hour or two and hasn't conceded to the toliet he will squat down and pee within 10 seconds of putting a diaper on him. Err!!

Very frustrating. Part of me wants to just quit all training. The other part of me wants to throw away all of the diapers so he only has one choice -- the potty chair. For now I think I am going to keep doing what I am doing. Let him run around naked or in undies at home and keep the diapers for night and when we are out. If Erik seems more stressed out by it we will stop. If he is doing okay I will probably throw out all the diapers in mid September (after our next set of visitors have left and we are in a more normal routine).

I think this is the first time as a parent that I have felt quite clueless as to the right way of going about this. Poor Erik, already being experimented on! Any tricks you have found to work would be welcome.

Good News Bad News

Good News:

I took Erik to the allergist today. We know for sure he is allergic to eggs but a blood test a year ago indicated that he may also be allergic to peanuts. Today's testing indicates that he is NOT allergic to peanuts!!

Bad News:

Today's allergy testing indicates he may be allergic to walnuts (a tree nut). His skin test was positive.

Bad News:

The only way to verify the walnut allergy, other than a food challenge, is to draw blood from his arm, not a finger poke. :(

Bad News:

I described the welts that Erik had on his face, neck, and chest when he ate a few bites of a pancake a year ago (that had egg in it) and the doctor feels that Erik is at high risk to have an anaphylactic reaction if exposed to eggs at this time.

Good News:

Kids often outgrow their egg allergies. We will be checking this in his blood test as well -- to see if he seems more or less allergic to eggs than a year ago. I will still be carrying epi pens and benadryl every where I go for now.

Good News:

I was in the doctor's office for over 1 1/2 hours and Erik and Elaina both behaved beautifully!!

Playgroup

I love our playgroup! There are 5 of us that get together with our 9 kids ( all 2 and under) 1-2 times a week. To see some photos from this summer check out my friend Karen's blog.

Lainey Coos

Watching Daddy

Lainey started smiling a week ago and just recently started cooing. She is really alert and likes to look around at things. Here is a cute video from today...





I took Elaina into the doctor for a reflux follow up. She is doing much better. She still has reflux but she is more content so we are going to leave the medicine as is for now.

Her stats....

Elaina at 7 weeks 1 day old...

Weight: 10 pounds 6 ounces (25%)
Length: 22 1/4 inches (25%)

Erik at 7 weeks 3 days old was...

Weight: 11 pounds 14 ounces
Length: 23 inches

Elaina's official two month check up isn't until the 25th of August so we will see how much she is then. Elaina got three immunizations today -- HIB, PCV, and Rotavirus. She will get the rest at her next visit. I like to split them up in the beginning when they get so many at once. I wanted some done today since she will be on an airplane soon.

Sleep Talking

Erik has been talking in his sleep lately. I am sure he has said more but this is what I have heard over the monitor....

My Digger!

Baby stop crying!

Let's dump it! (referring to potty training)

It is interesting to think about him having dreams -- makes him seem like a big kid.

Family

Nothing much to say today. Here are some photos of my family from over the weekend. Being a mom (and wife) is great!

Genetics

Genetics is a fascinating topic. I think it is especially interesting in my mixed race kids. There is one gene on my side I was hoping to avoid. Can you guess what is was?

Nope -- not the bump in my nose that I inherited from my dad.

The dreaded gene was passed down from Great Grandpa Wayne L, Grandma Kay, Uncle Colin, and myself. What is this dreadful gene? Motion Sickness!

My childhood is somewhat scarred by images of Colin vomiting almost every time we were in the car. Well, now my poor baby Erik seems to have inherited this terrible gene. He has thrown up in the car twice recently only to go about normal business after getting out. This is going to be fun! All the more reason to fly back to the midwest instead of drive.