DEEEEElicious

Delicious Vegetarian Burrito that Even Paul Likes

Now, it isn't easy to please a hard core carnivore like my husband, but this burrito that I made last night did the trick. I totally stole the idea from one I had at Vine Street last Saturday but my redo was quite tasty if I do say myself.

You are going to do this:

Assemble:

Jasmine Rice

Black Beans

Frozen Corn

Red Pepper

Cilantro (Fresh, you will want to chop up a couple of bunches-maybe 1/4 cup total? you will know when you see it).

Sweet Potato

Avocado

Mango Salsa-I like the one from Whole Foods in the prepared food section by the produce.

Mozzarella Cheese (trust me)

Spices:

Cumin (approx 1 TBLS)

Paprika (approx 1 TBLS)

Salt

Tabasco

Pepper

Now what to do:

Cook Rice

Put your Black Beans in a pot and add some cumin, paprika, fresh cilantro and start cooking. Then when it starts to bubble add some fresh cilantro, 1/2 red pepper and then simmer. Cook the pepper and then add frozen corn. Turn off heat as not to overcook and/or burn (just a rule of thumb).

Whilst doing this you can cook your sweet potato/yam. Either nuke it in the microwave or bake it. Either way, once done, peel the skin off of it and chop it up. While you are at it, chop up your damn avocado already and shred your cheese.

Once this is all done, you can assemble your burrito. I am not going to instruct you on this as you should be able to figure it out (rice/beans/veg/sweet potato/avocado/cheese). Then top with mango salsa....DEEEELICIOUS!

Things to Worry About

There are many things that I worry about when it comes to Jack. Is he growing right? Is he happy? Am I stimulating him enough during the day in order to set him up for future success? I worry about driving the car and other people on the road when he is in the backseat. I worry if his diaper rash is going to go away. I worry that I am filling up the landfill every time we toss a disposable diaper out and then I worry that I forget to put out the dirty cloth diapers on time for pick-up. I worry that he is going to pinch his fingers, or get a splinter or break an appendage. I worry that eating that one piece of dog food will reek havoc on his little digestive system. I worry that he might get food poisoning from bad milk, or cheese or broccoli. I worry that he is gets not enough sleep or too much sleep. I worry about putting him in child care, I worry that we should have done it sooner. I worry that I am not working and I worry that I am taking too many things on with classes and other activities. I just worry, worry, worry.

However, the one thing I don't worry about is how much I love him and how much he loves me.

Big Time Adult Decision Making and Musings

Yikes.

We have decided on a child care option for Jack come fall. In order for me to do some classroom observations for school, I need a happy place to put the boy for a few hours each week. The place I found is not close to home but convenient enough and open a bit later than most early education schools. They have a super cool stroller that they take toddlers and babies out for walks in and they will do cloth diapers (sold). But more importantly they follow a "learning through creative play" curriculum that I like. I think he will dig it and I will be able to double down on classes so that I can get this teaching license, a job and then we can move to our fictional "big house." Oh you know the one...4 bedrooms 2.5 baths, 2 car garage, front porch, laundry room where we can stash the cat box and finished basement.

It won't be easy to leave the little dude, but the time was going to come eventually. Plus I think that he will have a lot of fun mingling with other little kids. I have mommy guilt about the whole thing but why is that? Plenty of moms and dads go off to work and their kids go to day care and baby sitters and they all turn out ok.

It is a BTAD or a big time adult decision. I run into these from time to time and they are always exciting challenges. I spend 88.5% of my day hanging out with a 1 year old and playing, our biggest decisions involve whether or not we should read the counting book in English or Spanish at this moment or whether making muffins or play doh is a better way to spend the afternoon. After basically working for $$ since I was 15, it is a nice departure-I'm not going to lie, but I do miss the daily grind from time to time, the cliche of "grass is greener" and whatnot.

I think the trick is to live in the present, like they try to teach you in yoga. If you don't hold onto the moment, it is gone and you are left with "remember whens." These are fine, but I think you will yield more out of life by giving into the moment and remembering "now" rather than "when."

Dear Jack...a short note and small request.

Dear Jack,

You are 15 months old and obsessed with dinosaurs, dogs, birds and cars. If you should choose to grow up, please do not do it too quickly. I want to make sure that we sing one million songs about silly birds in trees and you are also required to master the maracas before any further growing occurs.

Now, some people might say that you will grow, that you must grow, but I beg to differ. Some might think that you need more teeth-not necessary as you have managed to master broccoli with the 6.5 that you currently have. Some might say that you need to get taller, but all of your books and toys are within reaching distance, so why bother? Some might say that you need to learn how to talk, but I understand what you are saying without speaking an actual "word."

Just a small request...give the growing a rest.

Love,

Mama