So we have pretty much been the luckiest parents ever when it comes to sleeping, and crying. Both kids not criers and big sleepers... 9 months so far! BUT
Last night went something like this
8:59pm Poppy goes to sleep (2 hours late)
10:30 baby wakes
12:00 Awakened by Poppy screaming (growing pains)now she is in my bed
1:30ish Awakened by husband coming home
2:30 Awakened by baby(teething)
3:15 baby sleeps
4:30 awakened by baby again (keep in mind it takes me at least 30 mins to get back to sleep)
6:30 awakened by Poppy who wants breakfast, wakes baby.
8:30 first huge knockdown crazy tantrum. (wrong pancakes)
10:30 second huge tantrum(I moved the candy)
1:30 next crazy tantrum (I moved her shadow!?)
4:30 WHAT!... another freaking huge tantrum(I made the wrong dinner, which she loved once she ate it)
Still up (10:00pm) after doing groceries, crafts, making bread, 3 loads of laundry and 3 bathrooms. Just finished dishes. Pop. Yes that was the sound of a bottle of bubbly wine which I will now try not to drink all of. Hehe. We decided at bedtime tonight that instead of getting mad and using "yucky" voices we would just stop when we felt annoyed and sing a funny song. Lets hope tomorrow brings a different set of challenges. Skida marink a dinky dink, skida marink idoo, I love you.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Comfort in a hurry
Mmmm mini meatloaf... yes you can have meatloaf in 40 or so mins.
My gang loves meatloaf. But I rarely make it because it takes forever to cook.That is probably because when I really want to make a meat loaf I get beef, veal and pork... lets just say it is very large. Then there is gravy. You get the idea.
Well today I decided to put the meatloaf in a cupcake pan and bake mini meat loaves. OOOhhh why didn't I think of this before. For a weeknight dinner I also like to add veggies into the meat and... well they love veggies but I can get an extra serving in by adding a few things. Heres what is so great all of us can have the same dinner. The baby will eat all of that without needing to puree or mash it. SO it is a whole family meal.
So give it a try. They were moist, tasty and cooked really fast. Perfect with the mashed potatoes/parsnips and the broccoli. Yay for mini food.
Oven 350º
Recipe.
1lb of extra lean beef
2 carrots
1 onion
1 cup Broccoli stems from the broccoli you serve with dinner otherwise you can use a zucchini or leave it out
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup flax seed meal
2 eggs
1/4 cup ketchup
4-5 splashes worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tsp dried parsley or fresh if you have it or any other herb you like
generous shake of 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
An additional 1/4 cup of ketchup and 4 big splashes of worcestershire mixed together, keep to the side
Put the oatmeal and the flax seed meal in a food processor and process for 30 seconds or until it breaks up a little ( you can do it more if you like). Add to a large bowl.
Put the onion, carrot, broccoli in a food processor and process until it is VERY fine.
Add to the oats. Stir.
Add the meat, eggs, seasonings and sauces and gently smush with your hands until it is mixed.
Form the meatloaf or minis and smear the remaining ketchup mix over the top.
You can make one big loaf or 12 cupcake size ones. One large one will take 1.5 hours at 350º cupcakes about 35-40 mins. Please get them to 160º
My gang loves meatloaf. But I rarely make it because it takes forever to cook.That is probably because when I really want to make a meat loaf I get beef, veal and pork... lets just say it is very large. Then there is gravy. You get the idea.
Well today I decided to put the meatloaf in a cupcake pan and bake mini meat loaves. OOOhhh why didn't I think of this before. For a weeknight dinner I also like to add veggies into the meat and... well they love veggies but I can get an extra serving in by adding a few things. Heres what is so great all of us can have the same dinner. The baby will eat all of that without needing to puree or mash it. SO it is a whole family meal.
So give it a try. They were moist, tasty and cooked really fast. Perfect with the mashed potatoes/parsnips and the broccoli. Yay for mini food.
Oven 350º
Recipe.
1lb of extra lean beef
2 carrots
1 onion
1 cup Broccoli stems from the broccoli you serve with dinner otherwise you can use a zucchini or leave it out
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup flax seed meal
2 eggs
1/4 cup ketchup
4-5 splashes worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tsp dried parsley or fresh if you have it or any other herb you like
generous shake of 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
An additional 1/4 cup of ketchup and 4 big splashes of worcestershire mixed together, keep to the side
Put the oatmeal and the flax seed meal in a food processor and process for 30 seconds or until it breaks up a little ( you can do it more if you like). Add to a large bowl.
Put the onion, carrot, broccoli in a food processor and process until it is VERY fine.
Add to the oats. Stir.
Add the meat, eggs, seasonings and sauces and gently smush with your hands until it is mixed.
Form the meatloaf or minis and smear the remaining ketchup mix over the top.
You can make one big loaf or 12 cupcake size ones. One large one will take 1.5 hours at 350º cupcakes about 35-40 mins. Please get them to 160º
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Caterpillars and such
As a mom I have found there are certain go to items you have in your bag of tricks... this became very apparent when my daughter was wanting to make the same craft AGAIN today. This particular craft is caterpillars made with craft sticks, colorful pompoms, googly eyes and pipe cleaners. Basically a dollar tree one stop shop craft. Some how we always have these things on hand and when she was about 2 I came up with this idea and well... I guess we have made it dozens of times. Guilty! I even took it to pre school once as the small group activity. They loved it. 
But it got me thinking what else am I doing that we ALWAYS do??? I think we all have some dinners we know our kids will eat (in our house cheese fondue is a winner), books we know will calm them down songs or movies. When we were in Seattle we went to the Zoomazium (or pandemazium as I like to call it) now it is the Atlantis Aquarium, but I know it is a winner every time. So I am wondering about other moms and their "go to" lists. Things that will make you and your kids happy. Is it a special park, the beach, library? Kids are hard but they like routine and repetition which is so funny because they get bored so easily. Why is it they will do something over and over again and still want to do it some more? Hello...how many moms know every word in the Aristocats or Finding Nemo? I honestly don't know how we stay sane, I really did not want to make caterpillars today. lol.
For this craft you will need a bag of colorful pompoms, some craft sticks(colored ones are better), pipe cleaners, googly eyes and craft glue. Stick the pompoms to the stick add eyes. Cut a pipe cleaner in half and then fold it in half and spiral the 2 ends with your thumb and middle finger till you get a curly Q. Glue this on last and do not move it for at least an hour if you have a clothes peg laying around clip it on to the antennae to hold them while the glue dries but not essential. Think about doing a whole learning pod with this... caterpillar, cocoon with cotton wool or paper mache, then butterflies(I will cover this one later) read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and then get yourself one of those kits where you can watch a butterfly emerge from a cocoon... so cool
You can buy all of this at your local Dollar Tree or a Michaels. Good luck.
But it got me thinking what else am I doing that we ALWAYS do??? I think we all have some dinners we know our kids will eat (in our house cheese fondue is a winner), books we know will calm them down songs or movies. When we were in Seattle we went to the Zoomazium (or pandemazium as I like to call it) now it is the Atlantis Aquarium, but I know it is a winner every time. So I am wondering about other moms and their "go to" lists. Things that will make you and your kids happy. Is it a special park, the beach, library? Kids are hard but they like routine and repetition which is so funny because they get bored so easily. Why is it they will do something over and over again and still want to do it some more? Hello...how many moms know every word in the Aristocats or Finding Nemo? I honestly don't know how we stay sane, I really did not want to make caterpillars today. lol.
For this craft you will need a bag of colorful pompoms, some craft sticks(colored ones are better), pipe cleaners, googly eyes and craft glue. Stick the pompoms to the stick add eyes. Cut a pipe cleaner in half and then fold it in half and spiral the 2 ends with your thumb and middle finger till you get a curly Q. Glue this on last and do not move it for at least an hour if you have a clothes peg laying around clip it on to the antennae to hold them while the glue dries but not essential. Think about doing a whole learning pod with this... caterpillar, cocoon with cotton wool or paper mache, then butterflies(I will cover this one later) read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and then get yourself one of those kits where you can watch a butterfly emerge from a cocoon... so cool
You can buy all of this at your local Dollar Tree or a Michaels. Good luck.
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