BaBy BoOt CaMp

Back before we had Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella went through rigorous training to be a big sister.  We called it Baby Boot Camp.    Princess Furry Pants helped her learn.

Proper newborn hold

 Kisses

 And here she is with her baby sister - October 2007

Now Cinderella can hold her cousin Little Prince

 Sleeping Beauty is now in training to learn to hold Little Prince.  Again, Princess Furry Pants will serve as our newborn.

Proper swaddling technique:

Now Sleeping Beauty is trying to catch up!

 Holding the newborn

See how happy?

Now Sleeping Beauty is being swaddled.  Not sure why,..

 And then Princess Furry Pants had had enough.  She wanted to hold Sleeping Beauty.

 Little Prince, we will be ready for you soon!!

Hop on over to see more Wordful Wednesdays at Seven Clown Circus!

It Was All Just A Very Bad Idea...

I'm back with yet another Cooking Catastrophe.  I have many.  It's why people love me.  Er, or not. Perhaps it is the reason why my children cringe when I enter the kitchen.  I jest.  But not really.   I actually overheard Sleeping Beauty asking Cinderella the other night, "I wonder what gross thing Mommy made for dinner tonight?"  It doesn't hurt my feelings and I do laugh about it.  I am learning new things every day and am doing better than anyone thought I would in the kitchen.  But, there are still stories I have to share - just for a laugh and I hope you do enjoy.  We laugh about this particular dish A LOT.   Anyway, this recipe is a what I call a Hall of Famer.  A Hall of Famer Recipe in my kitchen is not a good thing.  It means it went straight from the oven, stove or slow cooker to the trash can.  Do not pass go, do not stop at the kitchen table and serve it to my family.  


Meet what I call "I Would Rather Die Than Eat It Maple Dijon Chicken with Sweet Potatoes."  We didn't eat it.  I couldn't even entertain the idea.  Hindsight is almost always 20/20 and still I cannot believe I did not see the disaster that this would become.


The word "Dijon" made me think of "Pardon me, do you have any Grey 
Poupon?"  It was all very posh.  Very now.


And as my husband says, "Uneatable." 


The food I wasted:
-3/4 pounds chicken breasts
-1 onion chopped
-3 chopped up garlic cloves
-3 Tbs maple syrup
- 2 Tbs dijon mustard
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
-1 c. chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves


The steps I took make it horrid:
I put the chicken, onion, garlic, Dijon mustard and maple syrup in the slower cooker and stirred it all up.  Then I put the sweet potatoes on top and poured on the broth and topped it with the bay leaves. I cooked it for 6 hours on low.


...And then I threw it away.


Again, I should have seen this one coming...It was all too reminiscent of the "Friends" episode where Rachel makes a trifle with meat, jam, custard and lady fingers, etc.  Joey eats it and says, "What's not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good!"


Maple syrup and dijon mustard and an onion?  Bad, bad, bad! 


People, none that live here mind you, seem to like it.  I have seen similar recipes all over the web.  It just all went very wrong.  The onion was overbearing.  The Dijon and the maple syrup were just weird.  BLUH!


For lack of a better word, it was BOOOOOOOO!


When my husband went back to work the next day and told coworkers about it a lady said, "Those ingredients do not go together!!"  I wish I had realized that before I wasted all of that food!  It was NOT something we wanted to eat.  Ever.

True Love

It is often said that you will love your own child more than you can fathom.  It is true.  It is instant.  The only words I can think of to describe how I love my girls are unconditionally, completely and fiercely.  


It it endless. 


When pregnant with Cinderella I did everything right, ate everything right and listened to my doctors.  I ended up on bed rest for the last part of the pregnancy and had some complications during delivery.  It was THEN the momma bear instinct came out in me.  I would fight through and I would have her and I would have her safely.  Almost six years later, I feel like I just went through over a day of labor and three hours of pushing.  Yet, the pain is distant and right after having delivered her I said I would do it allll again in a heartbeat.  It took a lot to get us to that point.  We fought, we prayed and we cried our way to having that baby. Cinderella is my sweet, loving, creative girl.


Right before Cinderella turned two I got pregnant again.  No infertility problems like with Cinderella, she seemingly willed herself into existence.  Cinderella was the first person I told.  She was shouting "Baby!  Baby!" when I told her father.  I had more sickness and nausea with this pregnancy than the previous one.  Having a toddler to chase probably didn't help matters.  She came about two weeks early because of placental abruption.  This is life threatening for both mother and baby.  I would do it all over again a million times to have my sweet and spicy Sleeping Beauty.  The delivery itself was easy and, at the doctor's urging,  I reached down and brought her into this world myself.  Love at first sight all over again.  :)  Sleeping Beauty is a force to be reckoned with, does everything at 150% and has an infectious smile.  


A few days ago I learned this same fierce, complete, unconditional love to be true about my sister's baby as well.  I loved him from the moment I heard he was on his way - before we even knew he was a "he."  But seeing the picture my dad sent to me of my little sister holding her baby in the operating room - I lost my heart.


She and her husband finally had their baby boy.  I say finally because getting him here took a lot of wishing, hoping and praying.   Nine months later a big bundle of joy was upon us and we could not be more in love with him.  We have gladly handed over our hearts to him.  He is our little prince.  On my blog, this will be his nickname.  :o)  


Little Prince is adorable.  He has a lot of light brown hair, chubby cheeks and a chin dimple I could get lost in.  He loves being in his mommy's arms and eating.  That's about all we know about him thus far but that is enough.  I love him completely and would lie down in front of a train to save his life, no questions asked, just like I would for my own daughters.  (Dramatic?  Why yes, I am nothing if not dramatic.)  I, honestly, was not prepared for that feeling.  I assume my sister and her husband are shocked at how much love their hearts can now hold.  I know I was when I had Cinderella.  The heart is an amazing thing!  


Please go here and welcome my nephew!  Congratulations, Amy and Jon!  Thank you for giving us all a sweet, sweet boy to love for the rest of our lives.  You were both born to be parents, I have seen it in the way you are with my girls.  I love the three of you to the moon and back.  :o)

Me and my nephew

(I will post more pictures after they share theirs.)