We played (and lost) the fever game over the weekend at our house. Ira came down with a fever Saturday evening, not really many other symptoms, maybe some sniffles, and it broke overnight. Sunday he seemed okay, but towards late afternoon, he started seeming just not quite his usual self. Sunday evening the fever returned. Overnight that night, we were sure it had broken for good. He had soaked through his jammies and had to change, and his sheets were wet too! But hence, Monday evening the fever returned again. (Seriously, has anyone ever heard of a fever that had broken (TWICE) coming back again and again?) This morning, one of the times I went in to check on him because he was moaning in his sleep, he felt like a freakin' oven, so I took his temp again. 104.3 was enough to make me call the doctor at 8:00 to schedule and appointment. When he got up at 8:30, once again he was sweaty and didn't feel warm anymore. Fever broken again? Not wanting to take chances of it coming back again tonight, I went ahead and kept his doctor's appointment. It was a good thing I did, apparently he has a sinus infection (which wouldn't clear up on it's own.) So we got him some antibiotics, and the fever hasn't reappeared (and HOPEFULLY won't !)
Fevers are truly like some kind of sick game if you ask me... they're here, they're gone, here, gone.... etc... And having a sick kiddo is kind of a sick game too. I HATE it. I LOATHE it. I DESPISE it. I just hate not knowing for sure what's going on, what hurts/doesn't and if/when we should go to the doctor. I am a worry-wart, I'll admit. So that doesn't make things any better... me laying there playing the worst-case scenarios over and over in my head. It is truly a helpless feeling!
Yeesh, if you'd only read my most recent posts, you'd think this parenting stuff was (gasp) hard stuff! It is certainly filled with the most abundant rewards though, too!!
Right now my house is: kind of messy, go figure!
Right now on my mind: why does my head hurt so bad?!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Reflections
Reflecting... introspecting... self-evaluating... Such an important facet of parenting. Such a constant in the life of a parent. Something that I don't think our children understand. Certainly not now... hopefully when (if) God blesses them with children of their own some day. Then they will hopefully understand how much thought and worry and concern, and reflection went into their upbringing.
Last post, I blogged about putting Ira down for quiet time without lunch. The whole time he was in quiet time, I was wondering if it was the right thing to do. Even though we'd discussed doing it, it was much harder to carry out live and in person. When I went to get Ira up, he tearfully told me he was hungry... and we talked about why he was hungry. He did realize that he was in "trouble" for throwing a fit... so that's good - he too did some reflecting apparently. His fit throwing has improved some, but I'm not sure that that's a strategy that I want to use again for awhile. I don't know that it was the wrong thing to do, I just don't know that it was exactly what he needed at the age/stage that he's at.
That night at dinnertime, he started to throw a fit again. But this time, Andy and I both talked to him about his fit throwing. About how when he throws fits, he's not really communicating very clearly. We talked about how it wasn't really that he didn't want to eat dinner (he said, "No mom, I really am hungry.") We talked about how really, he was just frustrated that he had to stop playing his drums to come to dinner. We practiced what he could say to accurately convey his feelings next time. "Aw MAN! I don't want to stop playing my drums!!" About what he could do: ask calmly, "Dad, would it be alright if I come to dinner after I finish this song?" And we talked about how sometimes we would probably say that that was alright, and sometimes, we might say it's not. He seemed to appreciate us taking the time to talk to him about his feelings. It just felt right. Much more appropriate for his age/level of understanding.
Since then, he's used the strategy we talked about once. And the fits are getting a little better. We also are giving him more advance warning and more frequent reminders before mealtime. That seems to be helping a lot! (Thanks Monica!) It is hard for me to take parenting advice. It humbles me. And that's a good thing.
Parenting is a journey. One that is FILLED with decisions. I am so grateful to have a patient, understanding husband to share the journey with. Grateful that God made kids resilient. Grateful for reflection.
Right now my house is: lived in... It's almost 11 o'clock and the dishes aren't loaded in the dishwasher, there's a bowling alley in the walkway that runs from where I sit to the back door, a bouncy seat on the bar, a carseat on the table and shoes... oh shoes! (Not on the table of course! well, at least not that I can see...) The babes are asleep, the hubby is tinkering in the garage. And yet, right now, I actually don't care. My house may be a mess, but it's a blessed mess!
Right now I'm: wondering if my rambling about reflections made sense to anyone but me. I just can't seem to word it right. It's what happens to me when I try to write deeply. I get all bumble-brained and fumble-fingered.
Last post, I blogged about putting Ira down for quiet time without lunch. The whole time he was in quiet time, I was wondering if it was the right thing to do. Even though we'd discussed doing it, it was much harder to carry out live and in person. When I went to get Ira up, he tearfully told me he was hungry... and we talked about why he was hungry. He did realize that he was in "trouble" for throwing a fit... so that's good - he too did some reflecting apparently. His fit throwing has improved some, but I'm not sure that that's a strategy that I want to use again for awhile. I don't know that it was the wrong thing to do, I just don't know that it was exactly what he needed at the age/stage that he's at.
That night at dinnertime, he started to throw a fit again. But this time, Andy and I both talked to him about his fit throwing. About how when he throws fits, he's not really communicating very clearly. We talked about how it wasn't really that he didn't want to eat dinner (he said, "No mom, I really am hungry.") We talked about how really, he was just frustrated that he had to stop playing his drums to come to dinner. We practiced what he could say to accurately convey his feelings next time. "Aw MAN! I don't want to stop playing my drums!!" About what he could do: ask calmly, "Dad, would it be alright if I come to dinner after I finish this song?" And we talked about how sometimes we would probably say that that was alright, and sometimes, we might say it's not. He seemed to appreciate us taking the time to talk to him about his feelings. It just felt right. Much more appropriate for his age/level of understanding.
Since then, he's used the strategy we talked about once. And the fits are getting a little better. We also are giving him more advance warning and more frequent reminders before mealtime. That seems to be helping a lot! (Thanks Monica!) It is hard for me to take parenting advice. It humbles me. And that's a good thing.
Parenting is a journey. One that is FILLED with decisions. I am so grateful to have a patient, understanding husband to share the journey with. Grateful that God made kids resilient. Grateful for reflection.
Right now my house is: lived in... It's almost 11 o'clock and the dishes aren't loaded in the dishwasher, there's a bowling alley in the walkway that runs from where I sit to the back door, a bouncy seat on the bar, a carseat on the table and shoes... oh shoes! (Not on the table of course! well, at least not that I can see...) The babes are asleep, the hubby is tinkering in the garage. And yet, right now, I actually don't care. My house may be a mess, but it's a blessed mess!
Right now I'm: wondering if my rambling about reflections made sense to anyone but me. I just can't seem to word it right. It's what happens to me when I try to write deeply. I get all bumble-brained and fumble-fingered.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
Here's the recipe for the cinnamon rolls as promised. Enjoy!!
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
1 c. plus 2 T. warm milk
3 T. canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 c. sugar
4 c. flour
1 t. salt
3 t. bread machine yeast
Filling:
4 T. butter
1 1/3 c. brown sugar mixed with
2 T. cinnamon
Icing:
1 t. milk
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 T. (or less) butter, softened
1 t. vanilla
Directions:
Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, dump the dough out onto the counter (I usually have to add some flour at this point because the dough is pretty runny.) Roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with the butter cut into the brown sugar and cinnamon (I use a pastry cutter, alternately, you could melt the butter and mix it all together.)
Roll up and cut (dental floss works great!) into 1 1/2 inch rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. If you have time, let them rise, covered, in a warm place until they double in size. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.
You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.
The baked cinnamon rolls also freeze well... not that we often get to that point in our house. They're usually gone in no time!!
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
1 c. plus 2 T. warm milk
3 T. canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 c. sugar
4 c. flour
1 t. salt
3 t. bread machine yeast
Filling:
4 T. butter
1 1/3 c. brown sugar mixed with
2 T. cinnamon
Icing:
1 t. milk
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 T. (or less) butter, softened
1 t. vanilla
Directions:
Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, dump the dough out onto the counter (I usually have to add some flour at this point because the dough is pretty runny.) Roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with the butter cut into the brown sugar and cinnamon (I use a pastry cutter, alternately, you could melt the butter and mix it all together.)
Roll up and cut (dental floss works great!) into 1 1/2 inch rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. If you have time, let them rise, covered, in a warm place until they double in size. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.
You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.
The baked cinnamon rolls also freeze well... not that we often get to that point in our house. They're usually gone in no time!!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Weird Monday
Happy weird Monday to all my readers out there. (ha!) I call it weird Monday because the weather (along with the weathermen's predictions) are just weirding me out. It has been hazy/misty all day and they're predicting strong storms tonight. Hopefully they're just blowing smoke, but they've got me concerned nonetheless. Okay, let's get straight to the updates:
Friday, Ira and I spent most of the day baking. We made a strawberry-creme jellyroll for Andy's mom's birthday, which was really cool by the way. I've never made a jellyroll before, and the process intrigued me. You separate the eggs then beat the tar out of the yolks (plus vanilla) until they are fairly thick, then you do the same to the whites until they have stiff peaks. Then you fold them together, sprinkle flour and baking powder over the top, and fold it all together. There's some sugar in there too somewhere. It came out of the pan alright, but not without a fight. That was okay though because it was the inside of the roll that got all bungled up.
After the jellyroll, it was on to cinnamon rolls. We make cinnamon rolls a lot at our house. Like twice a month at least... yeah... It's an awesome recipe that I'll have to share in another blog post. After cinnamon rolls, we made "Make-Ahead Butterhorns" which are like the yummiest rolls you've ever had. You make them all up, then freeze them unbaked, so that you can pop them out of the freezer whenever you want for a quick side! I made some of them really big so that we could use them for sandwiches. Let me just say they were DELICIOUS with chicken salad!! Another recipe I'll have to share sometime for sure!
Saturday we spent all day outside planting the garden. We're getting sort of a late start this year because of Miss Ruby's arrival. So if the garden is a flop I am TOTALLY blaming her. We started tomatoes, green peppers, poblano peppers, jalapenos, eggplant, and broccoli inside shortly after she was born, so it was just ready to plant outside now. Andy had already planted potatoes, green onions, onion sets, peas, cauliflower, and the lettuces/spinach towards the end of March. In addition to those things, we also planted: green beans, cantaloupe, pumpkin, zucchini, butternut squash, cucumbers, and okra. If all goes well, we should have a great harvest this year!! (That is if it doesn't get blown down by the freaky weather we're supposed to have tonight.) Ruby was awake most of the day Saturday (I'm serious) so that made for kind of a rough time getting her down for bed. (I think from noon until midnight, she slept about 1.5 hours total.) She was pretty exhausted yesterday, as were Andy and I!
Sunday I awoke to Belgian waffles with strawberries and fresh whipped cream. What a sweetie my hubby is! We got to go see my mom for awhile, then went to Andy's parents' house for dinner. I've decided that maybe I need to "wear" Ruby to help her sleep better. I wore her in the Ergo carrier while we were at Andy's folks' and she slept pretty much the entire time! Hooray!! And last night, she went to bed at 9:15. Hooray!
Today, I've been wearing Ruby most of the day, and you know what, she sleeps REALLY well in the carrier! Thank goodness I was able to buy this Ergo. It makes it very comfortable to wear her for long periods of time. At lunchtime, I had to do something really hard. Ira has been throwing fits at the drop of a hat lately (like for the last few weeks or more.) Everytime it's mealtime, he throws himself on the floor and says he doesn't want to eat. (This is despite giving him a choice about 5 minutes prior to mealtime about whether we should "eat now or in 5 minutes.") We've been talking to him about the fits, but that hasn't really done any good. So Andy and I talked about what to do, and decided that the next time he throws a fit, we're going to "give him what he's throwing the fit about." Namely, if he says he doesn't want to eat, then he's going to go down for quiet time without lunch. Now, before you turn us in, we did eat breakfast around 10 this morning, and I'll offer him a snack when he gets up here in a little, but we have just HAD IT with the fit throwing. It's ridiculous and uncalled for, and he doesn't even do it because he's not hungry. I don't know why he does it, probably because of the change in activity from what he's doing. He was pretty upset when I laid him down for quiet time, so hopefully he's had some time to think about things and he'll do better at dinner time. Because if he throws a fit then... aye yi yi!! I don't want to think about it! I'll let you know if things improve.
Right now my house: looks like playful children live here. There are markers, trucks, paper, blankets, and baby toys strewn all over the floor.
Right now I'm thinking about: how spicy that last bite of barbecue sauce was!! Yikes!
Friday, Ira and I spent most of the day baking. We made a strawberry-creme jellyroll for Andy's mom's birthday, which was really cool by the way. I've never made a jellyroll before, and the process intrigued me. You separate the eggs then beat the tar out of the yolks (plus vanilla) until they are fairly thick, then you do the same to the whites until they have stiff peaks. Then you fold them together, sprinkle flour and baking powder over the top, and fold it all together. There's some sugar in there too somewhere. It came out of the pan alright, but not without a fight. That was okay though because it was the inside of the roll that got all bungled up.
After the jellyroll, it was on to cinnamon rolls. We make cinnamon rolls a lot at our house. Like twice a month at least... yeah... It's an awesome recipe that I'll have to share in another blog post. After cinnamon rolls, we made "Make-Ahead Butterhorns" which are like the yummiest rolls you've ever had. You make them all up, then freeze them unbaked, so that you can pop them out of the freezer whenever you want for a quick side! I made some of them really big so that we could use them for sandwiches. Let me just say they were DELICIOUS with chicken salad!! Another recipe I'll have to share sometime for sure!
Saturday we spent all day outside planting the garden. We're getting sort of a late start this year because of Miss Ruby's arrival. So if the garden is a flop I am TOTALLY blaming her. We started tomatoes, green peppers, poblano peppers, jalapenos, eggplant, and broccoli inside shortly after she was born, so it was just ready to plant outside now. Andy had already planted potatoes, green onions, onion sets, peas, cauliflower, and the lettuces/spinach towards the end of March. In addition to those things, we also planted: green beans, cantaloupe, pumpkin, zucchini, butternut squash, cucumbers, and okra. If all goes well, we should have a great harvest this year!! (That is if it doesn't get blown down by the freaky weather we're supposed to have tonight.) Ruby was awake most of the day Saturday (I'm serious) so that made for kind of a rough time getting her down for bed. (I think from noon until midnight, she slept about 1.5 hours total.) She was pretty exhausted yesterday, as were Andy and I!
Sunday I awoke to Belgian waffles with strawberries and fresh whipped cream. What a sweetie my hubby is! We got to go see my mom for awhile, then went to Andy's parents' house for dinner. I've decided that maybe I need to "wear" Ruby to help her sleep better. I wore her in the Ergo carrier while we were at Andy's folks' and she slept pretty much the entire time! Hooray!! And last night, she went to bed at 9:15. Hooray!
Today, I've been wearing Ruby most of the day, and you know what, she sleeps REALLY well in the carrier! Thank goodness I was able to buy this Ergo. It makes it very comfortable to wear her for long periods of time. At lunchtime, I had to do something really hard. Ira has been throwing fits at the drop of a hat lately (like for the last few weeks or more.) Everytime it's mealtime, he throws himself on the floor and says he doesn't want to eat. (This is despite giving him a choice about 5 minutes prior to mealtime about whether we should "eat now or in 5 minutes.") We've been talking to him about the fits, but that hasn't really done any good. So Andy and I talked about what to do, and decided that the next time he throws a fit, we're going to "give him what he's throwing the fit about." Namely, if he says he doesn't want to eat, then he's going to go down for quiet time without lunch. Now, before you turn us in, we did eat breakfast around 10 this morning, and I'll offer him a snack when he gets up here in a little, but we have just HAD IT with the fit throwing. It's ridiculous and uncalled for, and he doesn't even do it because he's not hungry. I don't know why he does it, probably because of the change in activity from what he's doing. He was pretty upset when I laid him down for quiet time, so hopefully he's had some time to think about things and he'll do better at dinner time. Because if he throws a fit then... aye yi yi!! I don't want to think about it! I'll let you know if things improve.
Right now my house: looks like playful children live here. There are markers, trucks, paper, blankets, and baby toys strewn all over the floor.
Right now I'm thinking about: how spicy that last bite of barbecue sauce was!! Yikes!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Another new one
I have a feeling this is going to be random, so consider yourself warned! Ruby was up late last night, and I haven't even made my coffee yet.... now that's dedication!
Tuesday was laundry day around here. I don't really dislike doing laundry, I guess we just have too many clothes or something, because I only do laundry about once every 10-14 days. When we were rolling the laundry cart out to the utility room, it proceeded to fall apart. (It's tube-metal framed and has 4 sacks. I keep it in my closet and use it as a hamper so that come laundry day, I don't even have to sort the clothes.) The thing has been a piece of junk since we bought it at my favorite store (NOT) Wal-mart. It never stood up very well (Andy said it needed some cross-bracing.) So it just fell completely to pieces (stripped the screws out of the pipes and everything.) It seriously made me so mad that I wanted to bend the pieces in half like the Incredible Hulk. I refrained, thinking that might not be the best thing to teach Ira. Andy's diagnosis - it's toast for good. Ugh... For now our clothes will be in piles on the closet floor... Ugh
Yesterday, Ruby slept good during the day, but once evening came she didn't really sleep much at all. So she was up until about 1:30. Poor dear. Poor me. I really need to take the advice of my much more logical, level-headed, and apparently mature younger sister who had a baby 3.5 months before Ruby who said, "I just have to tell my self, 'It's okay to get up and still be tired.'" Yeah, whatever. Thank God for coffee is all I can say!
For my free shopping this week, I managed to get 3 bottles of Nivea Women's bodywash, a bottle of men's Nivea bodywash, a bottle of Irish Spring bodywash, and 2 rolls of tape for 1.52 out of pocket at Walgreens. I finally "bought into" the Register Rewards program there last week. (Spent $16, got $16 in Register Rewards - essentially gift certificates for Walgreens that expire 2 weeks from when you print them.) So I actually spent 7 of those yesterday, but I got 7 more back. That's my goal now, to just keep rolling them over and accumulating free stuff and getting the same amount (or more if possible!) of RR back. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me! This is how big of a nerd I am, I laid awake Tuesday during the night pondering the deals I could get at Walgreens this week with my combination of coupons, sales, and RR deals. Yep, I am a card-carrying, bonafide dork. So sue me...
Later gator!
Tuesday was laundry day around here. I don't really dislike doing laundry, I guess we just have too many clothes or something, because I only do laundry about once every 10-14 days. When we were rolling the laundry cart out to the utility room, it proceeded to fall apart. (It's tube-metal framed and has 4 sacks. I keep it in my closet and use it as a hamper so that come laundry day, I don't even have to sort the clothes.) The thing has been a piece of junk since we bought it at my favorite store (NOT) Wal-mart. It never stood up very well (Andy said it needed some cross-bracing.) So it just fell completely to pieces (stripped the screws out of the pipes and everything.) It seriously made me so mad that I wanted to bend the pieces in half like the Incredible Hulk. I refrained, thinking that might not be the best thing to teach Ira. Andy's diagnosis - it's toast for good. Ugh... For now our clothes will be in piles on the closet floor... Ugh
Yesterday, Ruby slept good during the day, but once evening came she didn't really sleep much at all. So she was up until about 1:30. Poor dear. Poor me. I really need to take the advice of my much more logical, level-headed, and apparently mature younger sister who had a baby 3.5 months before Ruby who said, "I just have to tell my self, 'It's okay to get up and still be tired.'" Yeah, whatever. Thank God for coffee is all I can say!
For my free shopping this week, I managed to get 3 bottles of Nivea Women's bodywash, a bottle of men's Nivea bodywash, a bottle of Irish Spring bodywash, and 2 rolls of tape for 1.52 out of pocket at Walgreens. I finally "bought into" the Register Rewards program there last week. (Spent $16, got $16 in Register Rewards - essentially gift certificates for Walgreens that expire 2 weeks from when you print them.) So I actually spent 7 of those yesterday, but I got 7 more back. That's my goal now, to just keep rolling them over and accumulating free stuff and getting the same amount (or more if possible!) of RR back. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me! This is how big of a nerd I am, I laid awake Tuesday during the night pondering the deals I could get at Walgreens this week with my combination of coupons, sales, and RR deals. Yep, I am a card-carrying, bonafide dork. So sue me...
Later gator!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Freezer Cooking
The month before Ruby was born, I got very into the practice of freezer cooking. He he he that just sounds funny when you write it out... as if you could cook with a freezer... Anyway, before Ruby was born, I cooked about a dozen meals and a few pans of cinnamon rolls, and a few loaves of zucchini bread. It made the month after she was born INCREDIBLY easy as far as cooking went. I could just take a meal out of the freezer (in the morning if I remembered, usually right around dinner time was when I finally got around to it though) and pop it in the oven and voila! We had a nice meal!
I've continued the freezer cooking since she was born. In April, I basically grocery shopped for 2 months on my big shopping trip (yes, I like to only grocery shop once a month and just pick up the necessities: eggs, cheese, potatoes, lunchmeat, etc. as needed.) Every time I cooked a meal, I just doubled (or unintentionally tripled...) the recipe and put one in the freezer. One rainy day I really felt like cooking so I started around 10 AM and by 4 PM, I had about 12 meals ready to go in the freezer. Ira loved helping me cook and Ruby slept the day away riding in her swing.
If you dread the drama of dinner time, freezer cooking is something you should definitely try. I'll even share a great recipe that we LOVE and is super easy. It's a recipe from my favorite blog, tweaked just a bit to make them even more economical.
BROWN BAG BURRITOS
Makes 30 burritos
2 c. Uncooked Rice
2 lb. Ground beef
2 cans refried beans (14.5 oz cans)
1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. dried minced onion
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, whatever)
30 flour tortillas (burrito-size)
Prepare the rice according to the package's directions. Brown ground beef; drain. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked rice and stir until well mixed.
Spoon 1/4 c. (ish) beef mixture down the middle of each tortilla, fold in both sides, and roll up.
Refrigerate or freeze.
Now here's where you need to decide what exactly you want to do with them. Andy takes them in his lunch, so I wrap them in a paper towel, then in foil, then freeze them. That way, he can grab 2 in the morning, take the foil off at lunch, and heat them in the microwave in the paper towel. I also hold some of them back for us to eat for dinner. Those you could just wrap in foil alone and stick them in a ziplock bag and freeze.
To reheat them in the microwave, just remove the foil and heat for about a minute and a half. You could also put them in a pan altogether and heat them in the oven. Or.... you could be really healthy like we are and nuke them in the microwave to get the filling warmed up then pan fry them in oil so they end up like chimichangas... I'm just sayin'... Then you can top them with lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc. and they are a fast, delicious meal!
Enjoy!
What my house looks like: relatively clean and picked up. Both babes are in bed! I did notice today that I need to dust...
What's on my mind: wondering why my right knee has been bothering me. I guess I'm just getting old...
I've continued the freezer cooking since she was born. In April, I basically grocery shopped for 2 months on my big shopping trip (yes, I like to only grocery shop once a month and just pick up the necessities: eggs, cheese, potatoes, lunchmeat, etc. as needed.) Every time I cooked a meal, I just doubled (or unintentionally tripled...) the recipe and put one in the freezer. One rainy day I really felt like cooking so I started around 10 AM and by 4 PM, I had about 12 meals ready to go in the freezer. Ira loved helping me cook and Ruby slept the day away riding in her swing.
If you dread the drama of dinner time, freezer cooking is something you should definitely try. I'll even share a great recipe that we LOVE and is super easy. It's a recipe from my favorite blog, tweaked just a bit to make them even more economical.
BROWN BAG BURRITOS
Makes 30 burritos
2 c. Uncooked Rice
2 lb. Ground beef
2 cans refried beans (14.5 oz cans)
1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. dried minced onion
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, whatever)
30 flour tortillas (burrito-size)
Prepare the rice according to the package's directions. Brown ground beef; drain. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked rice and stir until well mixed.
Spoon 1/4 c. (ish) beef mixture down the middle of each tortilla, fold in both sides, and roll up.
Refrigerate or freeze.
Now here's where you need to decide what exactly you want to do with them. Andy takes them in his lunch, so I wrap them in a paper towel, then in foil, then freeze them. That way, he can grab 2 in the morning, take the foil off at lunch, and heat them in the microwave in the paper towel. I also hold some of them back for us to eat for dinner. Those you could just wrap in foil alone and stick them in a ziplock bag and freeze.
To reheat them in the microwave, just remove the foil and heat for about a minute and a half. You could also put them in a pan altogether and heat them in the oven. Or.... you could be really healthy like we are and nuke them in the microwave to get the filling warmed up then pan fry them in oil so they end up like chimichangas... I'm just sayin'... Then you can top them with lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc. and they are a fast, delicious meal!
Enjoy!
What my house looks like: relatively clean and picked up. Both babes are in bed! I did notice today that I need to dust...
What's on my mind: wondering why my right knee has been bothering me. I guess I'm just getting old...
Breakthrough
Thanks to all for your suggestions on the sleeping front! I guess I needed to clarify just a bit - Ruby sleeps great DURING the night. It's just getting her to sleep for the FIRST time of the night that is such a struggle, because she screams and cries and is very difficult to soothe. I think I will give Mary the prize on the whole "sleep begetting sleep" comment. Expect nothing in the mail promptly.
I think that by the end of the evening, Ruby was just exhausted and then REALLY had trouble going to sleep for good. I have been indulging little Miss' sleepy head, letting her sleep as much/as late/as long as she wants and let me tell you what... she went down last night at 8:30ish and woke up at midnight, four, and 7ish to nurse. She is currently still sleeping!!!!! HOORAY!!!!! Saturday night was pretty good too... Enough so that I think this is the beginning of a trend perhaps! Only time will tell I guess, but right now I am thrilled!
Saturday we went to the zoo for most of the day which made for two very tired kiddos by the end of the night! It was such a nice day as a family. I feel like since Ruby's birth, we haven't done much as a family (it's either Andy and Ira or me and Ruby.) And last week was a long week for Andy because he's closing out his current project, so he was working 10+ hour days every day. It was certainly a nice respite to get to spend time with each other! Andy was even kind enough to give the Ergo carrier a try so that I could have my hands and body baby-free so that I could help Ira. It was a really nice break. Not that I don't love my little miss to pieces. But she has shown herself to be quite the momma's girl (read: she's not in love with other people holding her) but she loves the Ergo so much that she was fine with Andy holding her for the better part of 3 hours!!
And now... for your patience.... I'm rewarding you with cute kid pictures! They are out of order because Blogger is being stupid.
I think that by the end of the evening, Ruby was just exhausted and then REALLY had trouble going to sleep for good. I have been indulging little Miss' sleepy head, letting her sleep as much/as late/as long as she wants and let me tell you what... she went down last night at 8:30ish and woke up at midnight, four, and 7ish to nurse. She is currently still sleeping!!!!! HOORAY!!!!! Saturday night was pretty good too... Enough so that I think this is the beginning of a trend perhaps! Only time will tell I guess, but right now I am thrilled!
Saturday we went to the zoo for most of the day which made for two very tired kiddos by the end of the night! It was such a nice day as a family. I feel like since Ruby's birth, we haven't done much as a family (it's either Andy and Ira or me and Ruby.) And last week was a long week for Andy because he's closing out his current project, so he was working 10+ hour days every day. It was certainly a nice respite to get to spend time with each other! Andy was even kind enough to give the Ergo carrier a try so that I could have my hands and body baby-free so that I could help Ira. It was a really nice break. Not that I don't love my little miss to pieces. But she has shown herself to be quite the momma's girl (read: she's not in love with other people holding her) but she loves the Ergo so much that she was fine with Andy holding her for the better part of 3 hours!!
And now... for your patience.... I'm rewarding you with cute kid pictures! They are out of order because Blogger is being stupid.
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