when we have the twins.

Nap Time with Ben

Fresh Picks March 14

Two heads of butter lettuce, carrots, cauliflower, crimini mushrooms, 2 zucchini, collards, spinach arrived on my doorstep this afternoon.

I was excited to see cauliflower, as my friend Jennie just told me that her husband loves it steamed and mashed with avocado. I tried it. Absolutely delicious. And so easy to do.

Carrots are the only vegetable in our house that EVERYONE eats. Normally all I have to do is steam them, sometimes I add a bit of butter and salt for flavor. Those will go no problem.

Zucchini is going into Paula Deen’s Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. I usually cut the white flour in half and replace it with whole wheat pastry flour. I also cut out 1/2 cup of the sugar. Saves me two mornings of figuring out what to serve for breakfast.

Crimini mushrooms and spinach will be sauteed with a little garlic and added to dinner tonight. I bought grass fed beef sirloin steaks. Mmmmm.

The collards are going into my favorite vegan recipe, Hottie Black Eyed Peas, which I mentioned a few weeks ago but never got a chance to make. The black eyed peas are still in the cupboard.

Wow, that only leaves two heads of butter lettuce. This is actually Adam’s favorite kind of lettuce. And since the weather has been so warm I’m pretty sure I can serve it twice without complaint. I had an amazing salad for lunch today at the gym, a Mediterranean chopped salad that I want to recreate. Salami, Asiago and provolone cheese, roasted red pepper, tomato, chopped roasted turkey, chick peas, artichoke hearts, grilled portobello mushrooms and lettuce with an oregano vinaigrette.

I must have looked very tired and uncomfortable when I saw my friend Hedy on Monday night because the very next day, out of the blue, I received a Gift Certificate from Exhale Spa.

It was from both Hedy and another girlfriend I met through her, Elissa.

It was one of those complete random acts of kindness. It was not my birthday or any other holiday. I did not just give birth, find out I was pregnant, or suffer from any sort of trauma where one might consider giving a gift.

For some reason, they just wanted to make me feel special. And you know what? It worked.

I worked the gift for all it was worth. Adam wanted me to cab it both ways but I left early and took the subway. Part of the fun of getting out of the house and away from the kids is feeling the city around you. I wanted to walk on the streets, peer into the bars and restaurants, eavesdrop on other people’s conversations.

The pre-natal massage was one where you lay on your side with a big pillow to snuggle (as oppose to the table with the hole in it for your belly). I actually found it more comfortable this way this time. My masseuse, Amanda, used just the right amount of pressure. As a surprise bonus, the table was actually heated when I laid down. It was all over way too soon!

After all that walking, I did decide it would be best to cab it home. I’m really getting big and uncomfortable. When I stand and walk, I can feel a lot more pressure then I ever did with my other pregnancies.

People always talk about terrible twos. Jack’s terrible two stage happened when he was closer to three. Ben, however, is getting very mischievous at 2 and 1/2. Perhaps since Jack has broken me in, I don’t find it terrible anymore, or maybe Ben is just a more easy going kid.

Either way, lately it’s like following a tornado around the house every day. While I’m cleaning up the mess down stairs, Ben will run upstairs and throw every stuffed animal (they have about 20 each), pillow and duvet off the bunk beds. Cleaning up the bunk beds? Ben will move to the book shelf and remove all the books in 10 seconds flat.

Ben has also developed a bit of a potty mouth, using the words, “stupid, “idiot”, “I hit you” (suppose to be ‘I hate you’) and “shut down” (suppose to be ‘shut up’). No amount of warnings, time outs, or taking of special toys away can seem to stop him.

Another one of his favorite things is to take bottles of liquid soap and dump them everywhere. Just today I followed him upstairs to find him about to dump an entire bottle of Aveeno Baby, Costco size into the shower.

Though I often reprimand Jack for tattling on Ben, I often find out from Jack when Ben is dumping soap or some other offense. Yesterday while we had a play date with my friend Vonda, we found out through Jack that my expensive L’Occtaine hand soap, which comes in a large rectangular box, was dumped all over the bathroom. Twice. Ben!

So you can imagine my surprise last night when I opened up the bathroom door to find Jack, not Ben, inside dumping my rectangular box of soap! I wondered how often Ben was actually the dumper?

I know that lying is quite common at Jack’s age. But framing? Now that’s a whole different level of brain power. I wasn’t sure if I should be angry or proud. In the end he was scolded.

Just another day of crazy at the Calisoff house. I just keeping thinking every day, this is as calm and in control as it will be for a long time.

And now I must end this post, Ben is throwing his toys across the basement and I need intervene.

Last night, midway through watching a movie we heard the pitter patter of running feet on the floor above us. Adam quickly ran up to investigate. He found Jack standing in the kitchen, peeing on his shoes.

Incredibly, this is not a freak occurrence. This is the second time we’ve found Jack in some place in the house that is no where near the bathroom, completely asleep and peeing.

My first thought was of a roommate I once had in Hong Kong, who got so drunk one night he did the same thing all over his wife’s closet. When I heard the story I laughed hysterically. She didn’t think it was very funny. And perhaps because it was Adam’s shoes and not mine I again could not stop giggling, it took Adam a little more time to find the humor in the situation.

I’m not even sure if there is a way to deal with this sort of behavior. He’s not conscience and doesn’t even realize it’s happening. And depending on where he decides to pee, it can be easier to clean up then a wet bed.

In other potty news, I’ve been sitting Ben on the potty most days around the time he poops and he normally can produce a poop for me. Otherwise I think I’ve admitted defeat, I will most likely have three kids in diapers for some time period in my life. Because of the pregnancy, there are a few hours every day where I need to sit on the couch flitting in and out of sleep, to tired to have the vigilance that potty training requires.