R says that C gets her brains from him and her dance moves from me. See what you think!!

Yummy Tummy!

I got to try out a new recipe today, and it was good enough to share! It is from Real Simple magazine, and I only made a few modifications.

Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce
12 ounces spaghetti (I use whole wheat)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 lb. ground beef
Kosher salt and pepper
1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (we didn't have fresh, so I used some dried)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic, and cook stirring occasionally, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add the beef, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper, and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

Serve the pasta with the sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

It was easy to make, and I like that it had the carrots, onion and garlic in it! It was well-received by two toddlers and two hungry mommies!

Need quick and easy bread sticks to go with? Take out the leftover hot dog buns from last weekend (you know you never use them all!) and slice them length-wise. Spray with spray butter or drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt or Salad Supreme. Brown under the broiler!

Sorry, I don't have any photographic evidence of the meal, but I promise it was DELICIOUS!!

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

Howdy, friends!

After spending M-Th in Austin for work last week, I was looking forward to some fun, family time over the long Memorial Day weekend!

Friday was C and Mommie day! We colored, went to HEB, colored some more, one of us ate a purple crayon while the other one was fixing lunch, watched a little Elmo, got in a good nap, and did some finger-painting! C was NOT a fan of finger-painting because it meant her hands would be dirty! We ate dinner on Friday night with Ryan's brother and his family at Texas Roadhouse! YUM!

C has started waking up around 5:45 in the morning, and Saturday morning was no different. I turned down the monitor really low (so I couldn't hear her conversation with her lovey, but could hear her if she started screaming!) and managed to get an extra hour before I went in and got her. My mom came north to spend some time with us, and my Aunt Tye and Gran Gran came south for the day. We had such a fun time! C was happy and enjoyed all of the attention! Here are a few pictures.

"Hi Tye" brought a bubble blower, and it was obviously a hit! The "Elmo Jammies" were the prize I brought home for C! To say she loves them is quite an understatement. I think I outdid myself on those!

Here is C channeling her inner Neal Sperry. She decided to test out the soil by rubbing it in her hair! For a girl who doesn't like to get her hands dirty, she didn't mind a scalp full of dirt! We had ring-around-the-tub after bath on Saturday night!!

Saturday night, R cooked some delicious fajitas and we shared them with friends and family. Dessert was ooey-gooey goodness! Have you ever made s'mores under the broiler in the oven? Oh my goodness. There was a display of s'more making material at HEB on Friday, and it sucked me in! Those advertisers did a good job. Man alive, they were good!

On Sunday, R and I went to a going-away lunch for a couple in our Sunday school class while Gam stayed home and played with C. I think they spent quite a lot of time out in the backyard! I don't think I've mentioned that C recently got a backyard playground. She L-O-V-E-S it! Basically, it is her 2nd birthday present from me and R, but she got it in time to enjoy it this spring, summer and fall. Here are a couple of pics of her enjoying the fun.

This is her "yide". So much fun!

Here we are on the "wing". There is a toddler bucket "wing" too, but she likes to "wing" with mommie sometimes.

We had some good family time today--just the three of us! We did a little shopping and a whole lot of playing and reading. I made quesadillas for dinner with the leftover fajita meat, and C gobbled up every bite of hers and then mooched some off of mine. She decided to forgo her veggies tonight and just stick with quesadilla goodness! We managed to get her to eat some grapes and strawberry, luckily!

And I will end with a video that cracks us up. This was taken this evening after dinner. C has an egg that plays the "Chicken Dance" music. She got it at Easter, and every time she plays it, one (or five) of us will do the chicken dance for her. Well, she's learned it and flaps her little wings and does her little hands and waddle...SO CUTE! Once the music ends, you'll hear her say, "gain?" which means, "play it again, daddy!" You'll see...

Have a fantastic week!

Advice Solicited & Appreciated

Okay, readers. I’m looking for some advice. I don’t care if I know you or not! I’m just hoping for some insight into a budding problem. This is, after all, my first child and she didn't come with a manual!

Little C is 16 ½ months old, precious, smart, and has a tendency to lay out on the floor when she doesn’t get what she wants. She drops to her knees and falls prostrate like she’s praying.

When this first began, we just ignored it. We would walk away from her, let her finish, and then continue on with life. We’ve tried picking her up and holding her upright until she will stand again, and then distracting her with something else. Lately, we’ve been taking her to her bed when she’s having a temper fit, but we’ve since decided that is more like a reward to her. In her bed she’s got 4 or 5 pacifiers and her Lovie. When she calms down and stops crying, one of us will go and get her. We did that last night and as soon as we got her out, she broke into another fit! We were at a loss on what to do next!

I know this is part of growing up, but I also know that we need to assert ourselves as “boss.” We’ve thought about creating a time out chair (or spot or mat…) to just be a place where we can put her when she has a fit. Is this a silly idea?

Here is the question…How have you nipped the temper fit issue?

*Disclaimer* We LOVE Little C like crazy, and we want to do what is best for her. I know most of you know that, but I had to put it in here just in case!