Threenagers

Is it weird to be in the midst of the Threenager stage and want to run around telling all of the other Threenager parents to enjoy these days? Because, man, I keep running into people who are about to jump off a bridge about the hardness of Three. On one hand, four is worse! Don't wish it upon yourself so soon! On the other hand, Threenagers are SO FUN.

For real.

They're fun.

I say this as someone who has dealt with a fit every morning for the past ... I don't know. Fits are just part of our morning routine. I ask Mila what she wants for breakfast, she answers, and then I get yelled at for supplying exactly what she asked me to supply. Sometimes I end up with a pancake flying across my kitchen, which COME ON. That's funny! It's funny for a little person to feel so deeply that they would commit to throwing food that they requested! Unless it had peanut butter on it. Then it's not quite as funny.

Still. The feeling deeply. That's what Three is all about. Everything three-year olds feel they feel out loud. The bad, the ugly, and the good. I ran through Walmart with Mila this evening and she spent the whole time with her head spinning as she kept finding things she loved. "Look at that plant! I love it!" "That pillow is so beautiful. I love it!" Right now she's sitting in Alexis' lap looking through a magazine and declaring, "Wow! That's so awesome!"

It's pretty outstanding.

It's also my motto for surviving when the mood swings the other way. As Mila yells, "I don't want pancakes!" and starts sobbing, I reply with "Wow! That's so awesome!" because why not? I do manage to tell her that I understand what she's saying and all of that. The important validating that her feelings and blah, blah, blah. I'm not a monster; I just find the joy in the fact that she can get mad about her plain white socks being on the wrong feet, the fact that Penny is looking at her, and that her waffle doesn't have enough "spots" on it.

Enjoy your Threenagers, internet. They're entertaining little people if you just pause long enough to see it. Also, they eventually grow up to be tweens and LET ME JUST TELL YOU.

Ahem.

I Said No. All of the No.

I'm convinced that second children come equipped with an abundance of persistence because obviously you're already weaker than you were the first time around LET'S EXPLOIT THAT WEAKNESS. If my theory is wrong, don't tell me. I need to believe that there's a good reason Mila NEVER gives up. Her superpower is persistence and I should probably have that made into a shirt. Except, she won't wear shirts right now because only dresses are "outfits" why don't you understand?

Anyway.

Mila is not a quitter.

That is why it quickly became a problem when we had to be at Pittsburgh Mills at OMG ARE YOU KIDDING ME o'clock for a cheer thing. Alexis had a tumbling clinic and for some reason it started before the mall was open.

Oh. Wait. Who am I kidding? Pittsburgh Mills has like 4 stores at this point. It no longer qualifies as a "mall." It has plenty of odd sports complex-type places, though.

And candy machines.

OMG.

There are approximately 235130948 candy machines spread all throughout the place, including a giant one right next to the cheer/tumbling place. It was a weird giant candy machine that lets you pick out three kinds of candy and puts them in a cup, but only after shooting them through a bunch of tubes and such. It was very fancy is what I'm saying. Fancy with flashing lights and music and basically it was a Mila Device of Torture.

I'm not sure who was more tortured - her or me. She couldn't handle that I wouldn't buy her any candy and I couldn't handle that she wouldn't stop asking. Eventually I gave up on sitting and watching Alexis tumble because that stupid candy machine was about to be the byline on my tombstone.

So Mila and I went for a walk through the "mall." But none of the four stores were open, so it was just us and the long line of candy machines that apparently cover every square foot of the dumb place. Just as I was done saying "no" from one machine, another one would appear. And then another. And then another.

I set the world record on the most times a person has ever said "no" in less than an hour.

The good news is that some day all that persistence is going to pay off. I just have to survive it long enough for Mila to point her superpowers at someone else.

Sausage Pepper Soup

This started out with me trying to replicate a recipe that I saw while I was in Germany, but I can't just leave things be so I not only vegetarianized it, I done screwed it up by adding stuff. Which, YAY! It worked! Alexis has repeatedly asked for me to make it again and again. Considering that it's super easy, I'm in.

Sausage Pepper Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, sliced
1 medium yellow onion
1 package Italian sausages
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 cup precooked pasta (your choice on the shape)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Big pot. Medium heat. Oil then red pepper then onion then sausages. You're goal is soft peppers and clear onions. Do that thang.

Speaking of sausages, these are my favorites of the veggie sausages.

2. Slice up those sausages now that they're cooked. Toss them back in.

3. Add the broth.

4. Add the spinach.

5. Add the precooked pasta. At this point, the broth should already be boiling. If it's not, let it.

6. Salt and pepper to taste. I didn't think it needed but a dash of both, but you do you.

7. Serve with bread. It's so good for dipping. So very good.