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Avocado Angst

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Avocado sandwich

Avocado sandwich (Photo credit: Niklas)

I have mentioned before how I am having trouble with my avocados in my lunch.  I am still loving my avocado-hummus-cucumber sandwich, but it is really kind of ridiculous what a mess I am making each morning with the darn avocado.

I tried mashing them, and that seemed to work, but then my friend brought in lunch for us for the next few days, and the avocado mash, well, started to look like something meant for the bathroom rather than the kitchen (did I go to far, there? Um…  Sorry).

I have tried leaving the pit in for some stability.  I have used a regular sharp knife, and I have used an avocado knife, all to no avail.  I am still on the hunt for a solution.  Reader Holly, suggested slicing it, and leaving the skin on until placing it in the sandwich.  I am going to try that next.

Any other suggestions?

Lock Laces: The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

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The Boy is 10, soon to be 11, and he cannot tie his shoes.  We have tried over the years to show him how, but he’s just not interested.  And when he’s not interested, he’s not going to learn much.  … Continue reading →

Questions

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Lots of questions today.  As usual, in the car.

The Boy:”Why is it just you and me?”

Me: “What do you mean?  Are you asking why your dad and I got divorced?”

B: “Yeah.”

M: “Your dad and I just didn’t get along anymore.  That happens sometimes.”

B: “Are you going to change your last name?”

M: “If The Man and I get married, that will probably happen.”

B: “Will my name change too?”

M: “That’s up to you.  Do you want it to change?”

(no answer)

B: “Are you and The Man going to have any more kids?  Will I get a brother?”

M: “Nope.”

B: “Why not?”

M: “The Man and I are too old to have any more kids.  So it’ll be just you.”

B: “I’m going to have a bunch of kids.  A whole pile.”

M: “Don’t you think you better check with your wife first?”

B: “I’m going to have a lot of kids.”

—

This entire conversation took place in the space of about one minute.  Such heady stuff for a 10 year old.  I sometimes find it difficult not to let my surprise (that he’s asking about these things) show.  These are, of course, things that we have talked about before (OK, maybe not the “pile” of kids thing, but the other stuff).  I think he finds comfort in the consistency of my answers.  That’s my theory anyway.  I hope he does.

A Poet in My Own Mind: “Autism”

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I enjoy writing.  Always have.  I took a creative writing course in college and had a great deal of fun, especially with poetry.  Fun does not necessarily translate into good, so I apologize in advance.  I’m not the type to subject my poetry on others, but when I ran across this poem that I must have written in a desperate moment, I’m guessing about three years ago (based on the Wubbzy reference), I thought it might resonate with others going through similar desperate moments.

Autism

Short

definition:

A neurological disorder…

Long

definition:

Something not quite

right.  Speech delay

Speech therapy, Occupational

therapy (hypersensitive, hyposensitive,

Gross motor – Gross like large not like

yucky, fine motor) From flashcards

to reading two years ahead

Obsess, obsess, Obsession

for months (Pizza rolls every single

night for dinner) (Wubbzy AGAIN?)

laughing, joking, never gets

old.  Still no empathy.

Logical, linear, Spock-like, must

follow the rules, follow the law, follow the

schedule.  No deviation, no changes, no

surprises, no fire drills or we derail.

anticipate, anticipate, anticipate

lay the clothes out, take the meds, follow the

schedule.  Nothing dirty, no holes, no stains,

hide the clothes when they get too small.  Still

might come back to bite you,

kick you, pull your hair, scream, cry, lie

down in the middle of the aisle

suffer the stares, the whispers, the grandma shaking her head, “Mm, mm, mm.”

(must learn that Vulcan death grip – what happens

when he gets bigger?)

What happens next? One day

One day at a time, one day

one day

Breathe, exhale and relax.

Back to Bento: Avocado & Hummus Sandwich

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Avocado

I have been using my bento for lunch just about every day.  My go to sandwich so far (and I must tell you, I’m not a big sandwich fan) has been my ACH Sandwich: Avocado, Cucumber, & Hummus.  I based it on this recipe from Real Simple — I was actually going to make the white bean spread, until I had to use half of my can of beans for something else, and didn’t think I’d have enough to make the recipe.  Then I spied the hummus in the fridge, and substituted it, and a star was born.

I usually put it on some French or Italian bread (I know I should go whole wheat, but I’m Italian!).  It has real staying power, meaning I am not hungry until dinner.  According to Wikipedia a trusted internet source, the hummus acts as a complete protein because it is on bread, and the hummus and the avocado are both good sources of monounsaturated fat (the good kind of fat), and fiber (all kidding aside, I also checked Livestrong and some other sites, so there are very real benefits to eating these superfoods).  The cucumber just adds crunch to what would otherwise be a pretty mushy sandwich (cucumbers go in the middle to avoid making the bread soggy, by the way).

The hardest part?  Slicing the avocado.  It’s a pain — if anyone has a solution to that, please, PLEASE let me know in the comments.  My experience has not been pretty…