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mousmeFor the record, coffee does NOT do to me what is has done to the cat in the icon. I often wish it did, because I feel like I'd be a lot more productive.
First off, in baking news,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pdaughter made Valentine's cupcakes for her French class. We also got cupcakes. Look at this image and tell me you are not jealous. Yes, the chocolate heart is made by hand too, because she's just that awesome.
We had a much better night last night. The night before we were up every hour on the hour for what felt like half the night, sometimes more, because from 23:00 to about 3:00 Bean woke us up with blood-curdling screams. It was, from what we could tell, just nightmares. He never woke up himself most of those times, just us. So yesterday we were both slightly zombified. Also, Bean was in a heck of a mood during the time he was home. In the morning he decided that "passive resistance" was the answer to all his problems, and simply flopped whenever we wanted him to do things like go to the bathroom or put on his winter clothes (although, I'll take that over what I like to call his Exorcist re-enactment anyway).
In the evening, I thought it would be a nice idea to make a special Valentine's Day occasion of it. I think I mentioned it in yesterday's post, but I don't remember for sure and I don't think it's important enough to warrant my checking it. Anyway, I decided on a simple but fun dinner that I was 99% sure Bean would eat.
My surprise was not a surprise, since the snowy day meant thatpdaughter got home well over an hour earlier than she usually does when bringing Bean home from daycare, and actually got home before me, so I wasn't able to set things up the way I'd wanted. Bean greeted me at the door with: "Dah-dee! What did you bring for me?" which was cute if ill-mannered.
I put up the few Valentine's decorations that I had brought, and Bean helped me set the table. He was in charge of the cutlery.
The Table
The Table Setting
It wouldn't be Valentine's Day without a wee present of chocolates, am I right?
And, finally, this was the Valentine's Day meal that I settled on. French toast with strawberries and whipped cream. I cut out the centre of the bread with a heart-shaped cookie cutter (which broke in the process, which makes me a little sad, but I'll get another as they're not exactly expensive), filled the void with sliced strawberries, and topped it with a little whipped cream.
It went over mostly well. Bean ate all the strawberries and whipped cream and demanded more, then balked a little when we told him he'd have to eat the French toast part too. Mind you, I had cut the slices a little thick, so it was difficult to cut. He didn't want help cutting it, though. "No! Me do it by my own!" Eventually it had to be taken away because he first tried to use his hands to eat it like a sandwich (which, at nearly 4 years old, is no longer good table manners), then decided his utensils were toys and started waving his knife around in a way that all but guaranteed eyes would be lost by the end of the meal.
Then he decided that running around with one of the Valentine balloons and twirling while looking up at the balloon and not where he was going was a great plan. It's actually a terrible plan, since the house has an open plan and he kept backing right up to the stairs without looking where he was going.pdaughter gave him a choice: either he held the balloon quietly while we watched a movie, or else the balloon would be kept in his room. He kept running around with it, so she confiscated the balloon, and there ensued tears and screaming. Bean seems to think that shrieking "BUT ME WANT IT!" will magically change our minds about things. Alas for him, this is not the case.
We started watching Sleeping Beauty, because the plan had been to watch a movie and have some family time, but Bean was mostly bored and fidgety (though he was mesmerised by the one scene in which Aurora follows the green light sent by Maleficent to lure her to the spindle).pdaughter took a shower, because we can't do that after Bean has gone to bed, since the bathroom is right next door to his room and the running water keeps him up even longer than he usually keeps himself up. By the time she was done, so was Bean. He was way past the "bedtime crazies," running in circles and giggling and physically dodging any attempt to get him into diapers and pyjamas. I did finally coral him without too much difficulty, and he bounced pretty willingly into bed. Honestly, after a rough night for everyone and a pretty rough day all around, I think he was happy enough to get some down time in a dark room. He didn't fall asleep right away, but he stayed in bed, and that's just fine.
pdaughter and I watched an episode of The Following, which I will admit makes me flinch and turn away every time they do something horrible onscreen. Which means I do it a lot. :P I'm curious to see where they're taking this season, but if Ryan Hardy keeps being a ridiculous ass, I might not last the full season.
First off, in baking news,
pdaughter made Valentine's cupcakes for her French class. We also got cupcakes. Look at this image and tell me you are not jealous. Yes, the chocolate heart is made by hand too, because she's just that awesome.
We had a much better night last night. The night before we were up every hour on the hour for what felt like half the night, sometimes more, because from 23:00 to about 3:00 Bean woke us up with blood-curdling screams. It was, from what we could tell, just nightmares. He never woke up himself most of those times, just us. So yesterday we were both slightly zombified. Also, Bean was in a heck of a mood during the time he was home. In the morning he decided that "passive resistance" was the answer to all his problems, and simply flopped whenever we wanted him to do things like go to the bathroom or put on his winter clothes (although, I'll take that over what I like to call his Exorcist re-enactment anyway).
In the evening, I thought it would be a nice idea to make a special Valentine's Day occasion of it. I think I mentioned it in yesterday's post, but I don't remember for sure and I don't think it's important enough to warrant my checking it. Anyway, I decided on a simple but fun dinner that I was 99% sure Bean would eat.
My surprise was not a surprise, since the snowy day meant that
pdaughter got home well over an hour earlier than she usually does when bringing Bean home from daycare, and actually got home before me, so I wasn't able to set things up the way I'd wanted. Bean greeted me at the door with: "Dah-dee! What did you bring for me?" which was cute if ill-mannered.I put up the few Valentine's decorations that I had brought, and Bean helped me set the table. He was in charge of the cutlery.
The Table
The Table Setting
It wouldn't be Valentine's Day without a wee present of chocolates, am I right?
And, finally, this was the Valentine's Day meal that I settled on. French toast with strawberries and whipped cream. I cut out the centre of the bread with a heart-shaped cookie cutter (which broke in the process, which makes me a little sad, but I'll get another as they're not exactly expensive), filled the void with sliced strawberries, and topped it with a little whipped cream.
It went over mostly well. Bean ate all the strawberries and whipped cream and demanded more, then balked a little when we told him he'd have to eat the French toast part too. Mind you, I had cut the slices a little thick, so it was difficult to cut. He didn't want help cutting it, though. "No! Me do it by my own!" Eventually it had to be taken away because he first tried to use his hands to eat it like a sandwich (which, at nearly 4 years old, is no longer good table manners), then decided his utensils were toys and started waving his knife around in a way that all but guaranteed eyes would be lost by the end of the meal.
Then he decided that running around with one of the Valentine balloons and twirling while looking up at the balloon and not where he was going was a great plan. It's actually a terrible plan, since the house has an open plan and he kept backing right up to the stairs without looking where he was going.
pdaughter gave him a choice: either he held the balloon quietly while we watched a movie, or else the balloon would be kept in his room. He kept running around with it, so she confiscated the balloon, and there ensued tears and screaming. Bean seems to think that shrieking "BUT ME WANT IT!" will magically change our minds about things. Alas for him, this is not the case.We started watching Sleeping Beauty, because the plan had been to watch a movie and have some family time, but Bean was mostly bored and fidgety (though he was mesmerised by the one scene in which Aurora follows the green light sent by Maleficent to lure her to the spindle).
pdaughter took a shower, because we can't do that after Bean has gone to bed, since the bathroom is right next door to his room and the running water keeps him up even longer than he usually keeps himself up. By the time she was done, so was Bean. He was way past the "bedtime crazies," running in circles and giggling and physically dodging any attempt to get him into diapers and pyjamas. I did finally coral him without too much difficulty, and he bounced pretty willingly into bed. Honestly, after a rough night for everyone and a pretty rough day all around, I think he was happy enough to get some down time in a dark room. He didn't fall asleep right away, but he stayed in bed, and that's just fine.pdaughter and I watched an episode of The Following, which I will admit makes me flinch and turn away every time they do something horrible onscreen. Which means I do it a lot. :P I'm curious to see where they're taking this season, but if Ryan Hardy keeps being a ridiculous ass, I might not last the full season.