Being a mother is a gift I treasure,

 the importance of lifework I cannot measure.

 Teaching the values and morals I believe in,

 hoping she can form her own system of reason. 

Growing and changing,

 improving herself,

 loving her body and enjoying good health. 

Being kind and forgiving,

yet not before self. 

Shaping a person that can be courageous,

 standing up for ideas,

to believe in oneself. 

To encourage dreams and the ethics of work,

to support all their faults as much as it hurts. 

To help them stand up when it’s easier to fall,

 to take a step back,

 but be there if they call. 

To watch from afar,

yet be by their side,

 to tell them you’re proud as long as they try.

Celebrate accomplishments, and learn from failures,

to take the lessons from mistakes,

to stay out of danger. 

To first learn to love and try not to hate,

 to see all the good,

to try and relate. 

To lead by example,

to learn from each other,

to take the high road because I am the mother. 

Love her entirely without any reserve;

give her the respect and life she deserves. 

Make sure she knows how proud I am;

tell her I love her as much as I can.

Creamy Pasta without the Cream

This is a go to recipe for me when I want to eat pasta without red sauce.  I am not the hugest fan of heavy cream sauces like Alfredo, however, I am not always in the mood for a tomato based sauce either.  This recipe is nice because it makes you think you are eating cream sauce, but there is no added fat to this dish, so dig in!  As an added bonus, you only need one pan.

2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
one chopped red bell pepper
about 4 cups of hot chicken broth  ( I put a carton of broth in a bowl and microwave)
one can of white beans, rinsed and drained
one box of angel hair pasta
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a very large skillet, heat olive oil.  Add garlic and oregano.  Cook for about 30 seconds. Add the bell pepper, and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Put the angel hair pasta in the skillet, and toast for about 3 minutes.  You need to move the pasta around a little while toasting.  Add two ladles of hot broth to the skillet, and stir the pasta.  Once the liquid has absorbed, add one ladle of broth.  Let the liquid absorb again, and add one ladle of broth.  Continue this process, adding one ladle of broth, stirring the pasta, and adding more broth once the previous liquid is gone.   Do this until the pasta is cooked, it takes about 10 minutes.  Last, add the beans, salt, pepper, and cheese.  Stir once more and serve.

Let me know what you think of this one after you try it!

Love

My blog is mostly recipes, some useful parenting advice, and money saving tips.  I am an educated stay at home mom who likes to share information, and blogging is my means.  Though I usually write about the aforementioned categories, every once in a while I like to write freely.  My writing roots began in poetry, and I often find myself going back there.  I also proclaim to be a chick flick junkie, and flowers and candlelight dinners are a guilty pleasure.  Today, I wrote the following non-rhyming poem for pure pleasure:

Love is an overwhelmingly amazing emotion.
It includes so much,
to fully describe it is near impossible.
With love comes enormous strength,
but also a deep weakness.
Love makes one blissfully happy,
yet incredibly sad.
With love one can be elated and carefree,
or sick with worry.
An all encompassing feeling,
it can make you do things you never dreamed possible.
Love is not easy;
it opens the heart to every hope, dream, fear, and truth.
It leads to self discovery, awareness, and improvement.
Shaping who you are,
and learning who you are not.
Love is very different for everyone,
yet so simply similar.
It is silly and serious, calm and excited, loud and serene.
Creating boundaries,
and setting one free.
Love is finding the best in yourself,
and showing it to others.
Blind and also sighted,
it sees parts no one knew existed.
Love takes courage, beauty, and honor.
Love is all.

Garlicky Pearl Cous Cous with Chicken, Broccoli, and Tomatoes

I made this scrumptious dinner last night, and simply had to post.  I used one pan, and it came together in 30 minutes.  It fed my hungry husband, myself, and daughter; and there were lunch leftovers!

One box of Near East pearl cous-cous
5 cloves of garlic sliced
one 14 oz can of reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup of water
one small yellow onion chopped
one cup of chopped brocoli
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes cut in half
1/2 of a red pepper cut into bite sized pieces
3 thin chicken cutlets
2 Tbls olive oil
montreal chicken seasoning
2 Tbls fresh parsley chopped

Heat a large non stick saute pan over medium high heat.  Add oil.  Season the chicken on both sides with Montreal seasoning.  Once oil is hot, add the cutlets, and brown on each side for about two minutes.  Reduce heat to low, and cover pan.  Cook chicken for about four minutes per side, or until done.

Remove chicken, cut into bite sized pieces, and keep warm.  Add olive oil to pan, and bring heat back up to medium.  Add the onion, and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add the peppers and broccoli, and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, water, cous-cous, and garlic, cover, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, uncover, reduce heat slightly, and let boil lightly for about 12 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Add the chicken, tomatoes, and parsley, and mix.

Tips to make this a true 30 minute meal:

While the chicken is cooking, cut the onion, broccoli and pepper.
While the veggies are sauteing, slice the garlic, tomatoes, and parsley.
While the water is boiling, cut chicken.

Corn Salad

I make this salad for many pot luck occasions.  It is so yummy, the dish is always eaten up!  The ingredients can be changed to suit your taste, and it is an affordable side dish when you have to serve many people.

Used as a side dish, this serves about 10 adults:

2 packages of frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 stalks of celery, minced
1/4 cup or so of red onion chopped finely

Dressing:
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/8 cup olive oil
2 Tbls Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup of chopped fresh parsley

Defrost corn, or cook according to package directions and let cool.  Combine the corn, bell pepper, celery, beans, and onion in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Mix well. While stirring, slowly stream in the olive oil.  

Pour dressing over vegetable mixture, and gently mix.

The vegetables can vary depending on individual taste.  For example, you can replace the peppers and celery with tomatoes and scallions, omitting the red onion.  The parsley can be swapped with oregano, and honey can be added to the dressing for a sweeter twist.

Contingent Kindness

My baby and I are out on the town all the time.  We go to the park, supermarket, library, shopping, beaches, and all kinds of fun day adventures.  I must honestly say that more often than not, we are face to face with thoughtless and inconsiderate bystanders.  People watch you struggle with ten bags, a stroller, and a kicking toddler, and literally bump into you.  My favorite act of indecency is the mindless door slam when you are just two feet away and trying not to drop your child on their head.  While this is crude, by the time my day is over, I usually forget all about these episodes; they leave no lasting impression.

Last week however, my heart was touched, my soul was warmed, and I cannot stop thinking about this one simple act of cordiality that literally changed my day.  Little one and I were at the grocery store, where of course, my toddler refused to sit in the cart.  Normal toddler behavior, I walked slowly around the store, while she helped me push the cart, and threw supermarket merchandise in every direction. When my daughter was finished with this activity, she wanted to be carried for the remainder of the trip. I have this new olympic maneuver which I cleverly named the "the one arm foot push."  I carry my flailing toddler in one arm, and use one hand and one foot to push, steer, and turn the cart.

After checking out in this fashion last week, my daughter and I were leaving the store, and about to walk through the exit.  The woman behind me asked if she could help me.  Being shy, modest, and stubborn,  I said, "no thank you." This incredibly kind woman inflexibly insisted on helping.  She handed her full grocery cart to her husband, and took my cart from me.  This gentlewoman then walked my shopping cart all the way to my car, which was at the far end of the parking lot.  As she gracefully walked away, I welled up inside.  This stranger selflessly took time out of her day to help another able bodied person.

During dinner that night, I told the story to my husband, as I said, I could not keep myself from thinking about this random act of kindness.  While reciting this to my husband, he guessed that my story was about another shopper pushing me out of the way, or being rude in one way or another.  I excitedly corrected him, and confessed that I usually forget all of the rude people I encounter, and those stories never make it to our dinner table.  That moment I realized that good really does conquer evil, and that one act of kindness overpowers multiple acts of barbaric behavior.

I found it heartwarming and soul strengthening that in all of our stresses and anxieties, one simple act of generosity  made my day better, and created wonderful dinner conversation.  It was fascinating and touching that altruism  turned my day around, and eraded meaningless negative events.  I hope that when I said "thank you" to this stranger, she could hear the sincerity in my voice.  My husband suggested that I blogged about this selflessly good deed, and so I also want to say thank you to him for the great idea.  The world needs more stories like this.

Keeping Toys (semi) Organized!

I love the abundance of toys my daughter has, and I personally feel lucky that she can enjoy so many play things.  Knowing that not every child is as fortunate assists in my appreciation for her games, dolls, puzzles, books, blocks, and all the other toys she collects.  Rather than wish my house was bigger, or her playthings would evaporate, I do my best to keep them organized.  I do believe that some amount of toy clutter stimulates and develops a child's imagination, so I do not go overboard.  I like to think of my home as "pleasantly plump!"  I am not embarrassed to have unexpected guests, however, there is a cozy and lived in feeling when you come in to my house.

First, I completely accept  that having little ones means that there will be toys in just about every room.  I keep 1-2 pretty baskets or bins in the master bedroom, a toy chest and a bin in my daughters room, some shelves in the living room, and an empty drawer in the kitchen.  My daughter also has a playroom where most of her toys are kept.

Next, my husband and I decided on a few house rules concerning which toys are kept in which places.  For example, in my daughters's room we keep stuffed animals and some of her books, since her room should be associated with sleeping.  In addition, we decided to only have the amount of toys that fit on the shelves in the living room.  We do not want two playrooms in our house!

The playroom is probably the most challenging to keep organized, but my system seems to be working well for clean up time.  Besides the large floor toys which are always out, I have a toy organizer and four bins.  Each bin has a "general" theme.  Next to my daughter's play kitchen, I have one bin to store all of her kitchen/home accessories.  One bin contains arts and crafts, like crayons, construction paper, sticker, and stamps.The other two bins are larger toys like trucks, shape sorters,and instruments.  My little one's toy organizer is on the small side, so I use those small bins for the little knickknacks she collects that would otherwise have no home :)

I should also mention that all of my bins, except for arts and crafts, do not have lids.  This makes it easier for everyone to take out toys, or put them away.  Furthermore, at the end of every day, my husband and I spend about ten minutes clearing the floors of each room, and putting my daughter's playthings in a bin.

With general rules for where toys are kept, and having containers in many locations,  cleaning up is a breeze.  In fact, my toddler understands where some things go, and can help put things away as well.  Rather than keeping everything in one area, spread it out, and keep storage simple!