Tea time with Coconut Scones

We have been having difficulty exercising good table manners at home lately. Forget about going to a restaurant - that is completely out of the question.

So we've been coming down pretty hard. Forcing the issue. The kids are old enough to have enough discipline at the table to use polite manners. And I want to have a nice meal.

So my solution? We started having daily tea after school.  At least that is one component of the solution.

This is not a pretend tea party. A real after school snack where we all sit at the table together. I get out the fancy-but-not-too-fancy dinnerware and bake a plate of scones or put together little sandwiches or some fresh fruit.  The kids don't drink tea (we are careful not to let them have caffeine), but they will usually have milk or water.

It seems to be working. They have something to eat that they like. They are hungry. And it's a short duration-maybe 10 minutes. They tell us about their day. It's fun!

One unintended benefit (to my surprise) is that dinner is pushed back to 6:30-7. Much later than we used to eat (used to eat at 5 or 530).  Since they are older and going to bed later now, there is plenty of time for bath and stories after dinner. A later dinner hour also gives me more time to cook dinner and I don't feel so rushed. I love it.

By the time dinner rolls around they are hungry again. Then its much easier to enjoy dinner because it seems they are able to retain some of what we practiced at tea.

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Coconut scones

Baking anything without butter or egg and getting the same result as a dairy baked good is very difficult. No - its impossible.  I guess when you decide to go vegan you have to accept that your baked goods are just not going to be the same.  But I thought these coconut scones were pretty good. Not the same, but still really good. Pretty dense. And the coconut flavor was not too intense. Thats either a plus or minus depending on your affinity for coconut.

With only 2 tablespoons of sugar, they are not to sweet either.  I like that.

Serve them with a little pineapple jelly or whipped coconut cream (for directions on how to make whipped coconut cream, see my blog entry on Strawberry Shortcakes).  I like my tea served with light vanilla soy milk and maybe some honey for added sweetness if I'm in the mood.

Lego Mania & Almond Quinoa Muffins

Big Boy is becoming quite the builder of Legos.  All three of mine love them.

We like them too, its a quiet creative toy. Not cheap though. So when they started asking for some of the more expensive sets we had to get creative.

Queue the chore chart.

I don't like to call them chores though. The term 'chore' to me means a thankless job.

I like to say that by doing jobs around the house they are 'contributing to the family'.  Which implies more of a team effort and belongingness.

So my oldest boy wanted the Museum Break-in: A $70 lego toy. My daughter likes the Lego Friends - her wish list item was a little cheaper - only $30 I think.   I wasn't just going to run out and buy it. They had to earn them.

My son had a lot of work to do to earn that toy. I was worried he'd run out of gas and lose interest, so I had to devise a program where he could earn the toy he wanted so badly, but still contribute to the family.  AND - it had to be something that I could keep up with.

So, we had to fake it a little, but it worked. They each got a point for every job they did to contribute the family. Each point was worth $1 (generous I know, but I wanted them to be successful their first time so they wouldn't get discouraged and quit).  I wrote their point goal on their chart. Then they were off. I had to do a fair amount of reminding them of the reward at the end "points accumulation", but overall they did a fairly good job of helping out around the house.

Then it came time to pay up. They love going to the lego store, but its too far away. It pretty much kills the whole day to go to there.  So I have been trying to find a good day to go when, on the Target mobile I found their Legos on sale!!!!  CHA-CHING!

Like 25% off!  That's unheard of!  So ordered them and told the kids.  They have been waiting so patiently. Checking the front porch for any deliveries.  Then, as luck would have it, UPS delivered them a day earlier than expected!

They were so excited.

I'm letting them keep their extra points to apply toward another purchase sometime in the foreseeable future.

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Almond Quinoa Muffins
from www.wellvegan.com

Oh, these were quite yummy.  Easy to make. They kept well in the fridge, but they didn't last too long.   I like that they contain quinoa.  My eldest has always been a picky eater and trying to get protein in that child is a challenge.  But she likes these so we will be having more of them.

Joys of Raising Boys & Cocoa Pancakes

I find myself wondering if I'm a good 'boy-mom'. I have two boys. My youngest is still only 2. He still is very sweet and cuddly, loves his Mama.  My oldest is nearly 5. High energy. Stubborn.

And loves toilet humor.

All the time.

Poops.
Toots.
Butts.
Penises.

Just the word makes him bust into laughter.

At home.
At the store.
At the table.

It makes me crazy.

Now, I have to admit, sometimes I think its funny - like maybe 1 out of 50 times. But I can never let my hair down and chuckle with him because my husband thinks toilet humor is extremely funny too and struggles to control his own laughter. So I find that I have to be the bad cop.

If ever I had to summon that old Calgon commercial its been in the past 3 years.

Calgon Take me Away!

I don't even think they make Calgon anymore, but even if they did, it wouldn't help.

So what do I do?  I remember that even for all his toilet-humor loving ways, my son makes me proud every day. And he knows it, so he will keep doing things to make me proud:

Does favors for me, likes fetching something for me in the other room.
Sets and clears the table.
Unloads the dishwasher
Helps his little brother.
Makes his bed, folds his clothes and puts them away.
Cleans his plate and then says "This is good Mom, can I have more?"
He doesn't like shopping, but never complains about what I bring home for him.  He told me once: "I like everything you pick out for me, Mom"

He is going to be a very fine man one day.

I just wish he didn't talk about poopy butts at Target.
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Cocoa Pancakes
(from Vegetarian Times)

Sometimes you get sick of cereal and soy milk.  And then there are days you also need chocolate (at least I do).  This is from Vegetarian Times.   They were very good. Rich and thick. Not so much fluffy like you would get with a pancake that has egg in it, but its dense quality is made up for in its rich chocolate flavor.

Try these.