The Princess And The Principal

I have always found it humorous how little ones, when they are learning words and conversation, can have words that come out wrong, but in their minds, they think they are saying it right. 

The other day my grandson was in my daughter's bedroom with her. While looking at one of their wedding pictures on the nightstand, the following conversation took place:

Grandson: Mommy, this was when you were a princess and Daddy was a principal.

My Daughter: You mean a prince?

Grandson: Yeah. A principal.

Well, alrighty then. Now that we cleared that up.

Fruitful Friday - Pizza

I am headed to a Ladies Cooking Night tonight!

This is a ladies cooking group, open to anyone who is interested in learning how to cook whether you're a beginner or pro. Come and join us for a fun girls' night out and learn how to prepare an authentic dish from a different country each month. For more information Email Lois.

Tonight I will be demonstrating Pizza.

I am using my Grandmother's Pizza Dough Recipe...sorry, family secret can't give it out. But here is a wonderful website with lots of really great recipes, ideas and information about homemade pizza.

For the blog though...I thought I'd share some of my favorite "cheater" pizza ways:

For the Crust - Boboli is always a good bet, but growing up we used Tortillas as crusts.
For the Sauce - Gotta admit - the jar Ragu isn't too shabby.
For the Toppings - Leftovers always work!

So the idea of a perfect after school snack growing up was a Tortilla with some pizza sauce out of the jar, some cubed chicken or ground hamburger topped with mozzarella cheese.

What are your "quick and easy" ways for a fast pizza?

Thankful Thursday

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name”

~ Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

Today I am thankful for:

• Another day of sunshine!
• Having grown daughters who like to hang out with me.
  
• Watching those daughters become the women God created them to be.
  
• All of the wonderful and amazing friends God has blessed me with.
• Finding old friends on facebook.
• Only three more weeks until my new granddaughter's expected arrival.
• Beth Moore bible studies.

What is it you are thankful for today?

Fruitful Friday - Penzeys Spices

In keeping my posts real...I am trying to share what's on my plate this week, rather than stressing out to contrive something out of nothing for you. So this week's food highlight came in the mail for me:

Penzeys Spice - Spring 2009 Catalog

Please know I am not being paid for this unsolicited endorsement, but they are just too good to keep a lid on. I get such a kick looking through this spice catalog, truly a joy for me when it arrives. It comes with tons of great recipes and information on various herbs and spices.

I learn so much about cooking and possible flavor combinations just by looking at the catalog!

And if you get a chance to visit their store (11322 SE 82nd Avenue) ... call it a "Mommy Field Trip"!!! They have more varieties of pepper, cinnamon and salt, than you knew existed. They have individual containers of practically every herb and spice imaginable. And that's only half the store. The other half is devoted to various blends and mixes. You'll walk away enriched (a little less wealthy) but with some goodies none the less.

Because I am charged with providing recipes for the blog...I will pass along one of my favorites from the catalog. Click here for an amazing looking Apple Pancake Recipe.

...I'll give away a CBC Cafe Gift Card for the first lady to try it an give us a review.

Daylight Savings Time

This Sunday, March 8th, @ 2:00 a.m. marks the start of Daylight Savings Time.

We moms know that this minimal loss of sleep can wreak havoc on children's natural sleep systems. 

In order to help the adjustment go as smoothly as possible, here are some tips parents can follow to ensure their children gain a good night's sleep despite the time change:

1. Make sure that your child is well rested prior to the change.
2. Maintain your child's regular bedtime and nap times. Resist the temptation to compensate for the lost hour by delaying bedtime or allowing your child to sleep in. This will increase the time it takes to transition. There may be some crankiness from being tired, but this should last only a day or two.
3. Make gradual adjustments. Some parents find it is best to try to start making adjustments on Saturday night rather than wait until Sunday, a school night. You can also make a slow transition by starting on Thursday night before the time change, moving your child's bedtime earlier by 15 minutes each night. By Sunday night you will be right back on schedule.
4. Make sure they get plenty of exercise during the day.
5. Avoid caffeine, as this can disrupt sleep.
6. No Internet or video games before bedtime as they are stimulating and can make falling asleep harder.
   
7. Do not use OTC meds such as Benadryl to knock them out, as you will interfere with their natural ability to change over time.
8. Begin the winding down process about an hour before bedtime. This gives plenty of time for hygiene, bedtime stories, prayers and so on without feeling rushed or stressed. A nice warm bath is a good way to help them relax.  
   

Remember, your child will adjust to the time change within a few days to a week.

Fruitful Friday - Dessert Spring Rolls

So the fast is over and I had a girlfriend over on Wednesday night for some "unfasting" goodies. I fixed a quick dessert I had been craving for months, that I thought I would share with you!

The concept is that of a Dessert in a deep fried Spring Roll Wrapper:

Take an orange Sweet Potato and peal the skin off with a vegetable peeler.
Click here if you are curious to the difference between Yams and Sweet Potatoes.

Cut the potato into pieces about 2 inches in length and about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick.

Place potato slice onto a Spring Roll Wrapper and add about 1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar on top of potato. (Spring roll wrappers tend to do better than egg roll wrappers, making them lighter and crispier.)

Fold wrapper over Potato and Sugar. Use a few drops of water to seal up the seam.

Heat Canola Oil (or your favorite frying oil) to a medium low temperature on the stove.

Place Roll in the oil and let cook, turning over half way through. The oil temp will need to be low enough to allow time to cook the potato without burning the wrapper (approx. 3-4 minutes).

Remove from oil and let drain in a metal colander. For a pretty garnish, you can sprinkle powdered sugar over the top.

Here is a link to a video showing you how to do this recipe using a Banana and Chocolate syrup instead. I have also done this recipe with a dab of Nutella. Just about anything would work...you can't go wrong with deep fried and sugar being the combo!

(Yeah...I know there's not a lot of physical health value in today's post...but its packed with yummy, delicious value!!!)

Ah, Quiet Time

It's 4:15 p.m. and I am sitting here smelling the wonderful aroma of Homemade Chicken Noodle soup as it simmers on the stove. Since it's cold and rainy out, (and since I can't stop thinking about it since Karen's post about Chicken Noodle Soup last Friday) it just seemed like the perfect night to make a pot. 

As I was preparing it I was remembering back to a time when I had young children at my feet and how chaotic it seemed to get at this time of day. It was that transitional time of day when I was trying to make dinner, pick up the messes and have a happy, peaceful environment for the Hubs to come home to. Only thing is, it didn't always work out that way. Some days it felt more like 'kids gone wild' than the peaceful setting I was envisioning. 

I was just remembering back to a particular parenting tip I received from Suzie Anfuso, a wonderful mentor who had a great influence on my parenting. This particular tip worked wonders in our home, so I thought I would pass it along to you.

It went something like this:

When it was almost time to start dinner the kids and I would work together to pick up any messes and put away toys. Then they would each get out coloring books and crayons or books to read. They would sit on the couch reading or coloring while I was getting dinner started. The rules were that they had to stay on the couch and there was no talking or playing allowed. Just reading or coloring. The purpose of the quiet time was two-fold: 

The first is the obvious - I could get dinner started without the chaos.

The second is that I was preparing them to be able to sit quietly in church.

I don't know about you, but all too often I would get frustrated that my children were so antsy and would have such a hard time being quiet and still during church. This parenting tip was a huge revelation to me that I had to train them to be still. Yes, I really was that naive in my early days of parenting.

Let me assure you, success did not happen overnight. I think we first started with about 10 minutes and worked up from there. Eventually, over the next few months, we worked up to an hour of quiet time each afternoon. Ah, finally, the peaceful setting I envisioned. 

Do you have a tip that has helped you keep peace during the transition time? If so, just leave a comment. We'd love to hear about it.

Gotta run....soup's ready.