Chris again

Today we went to the Science Center so that our children could see the t-rex exhibit.  The process goes like this... go to bank and take a second mortgage on your home so that you can pay for the parking, drive to the museum, realize that you have no diaper bag.  What a rookie mistake!  No diaper bag?!?!  Come on, we are in our 41st month of parenting, have we learned nothing?!?!? 

So we knew going in that this would be a quick trip.  Between the van and the restroom, we asked Toby approximately 381 times whether or not he had peed his pants.  Thankfully he did not.  We got in line, bought our tickets and in we went.  Toby loved it.  He went to every t-rex exhibit they had there.  This all took approximately 6 minutes.  Which average about $68 per minute for the trip.  Abby on the other hand was less than thrilled with the large dinosaurs.  And by that I mean that she would have preferred to have been throw from our van, while it was moving, while having her hair combed, and eating broccoli all at the same time, as opposed to being taken within 100 yards of Sue the t-rex.  Abby's apparent dislike for animals that could swallow her whole, combined with us having no diaper bag, and the boy having finished touring museum in less time than it took for us to buy the tickets... all of this meant we were back home pretty quickly.  So the moral of the story is never leave the house.... at least not with the children.

Happy Anniversary

Today my grandparents have been married 57 years! Now that's something to brag about :-)

Yay Bob and Wallie, I love you and the legacy you have left for all of us.

Teach them to suffer well

We just finished a study with our small group called "Effective Parenting in a Defective World" by Chip Ingram. It was really good, Chip Ingram and his ministry Living on the Edge (www.lote.org) really resonates with me. I also love that I can listen to it on my iPod. 

There were many great points from this study but the one that is sticking at this time is the lesson on teaching your kids to suffer well. In other words, instead of shielding them from life's disappointments and sorrows, teaching them to turn to God when times get hard. This is a challenge to do even as an adult much less imposing it as a parent. However, I can see the importance for us and for friends and family this year. 

Last night we had an incident with Toby. He didn't get a nap and was a little restless. We were watching our Cosby show before bed and he kept jumping and rolling around the couch (not watching the TV at all). So after a couple warnings, he was sent to bed. However, he was very unhappy and overtired and the fit that ensued was so disheartening. He was literally screaming and trying to pinch, hit, or kick us. I spanked him but then decided to just hold him down until he settled down. He finally did and I comforted him and told him how sad I was at the way he was acting. He was most upset because Abby got to stay up and he had to go to bed. He felt left out and though I felt bad for him, we stood our ground and did not let him get out of bed. In the end he was sad, he was sorry, and he still loved us too. 

I am not sure if this how Chip would approached it but I am confident that we need to continue to let them suffer whether it be with discipline and punishment or lessons about life and death. Not only to suffer but to turn to God in prayer with their hurt and questions. Even though it hurts us when our children hurt, this will better equip them to grow into adults that can deal with life's troubles through a relationship with Jesus. 

Poor Peanut

Though the "peanut" is sick with an ear infection she remains spunky as ever. These are the new shades we got them on our weekend away. They both wore them to the doctor's office yesterday and it was very cute to look back at the two "cool" kids.

Weekend Away

Chris and I went to a marriage conference at the Lake this weekend and though I was suffering from a cold we had a wonderful time! The conference was good but also it was good just to remind each other that our marriage is a big priority and we do have to nurture and care for it. We did many things but a few of the highlights were: romantic dinner overlooking the lake, writing love letters, Chris "shaking" me up on the dance floor, and hanging out with our new friends the Pitraks!

Now if I could only find our picture from our last "Strands" weekend. It is driving me crazy. I have been through several tubs of loose pictures and albums and am starting to grow annoyed. Even more though I am starting to realize the huge need to purge some of those materials. So I guess this is my next project. If you have any tips on organizing clutter (especially loose pictures) please let me know.

Turkey Sausage and Spinach Pasta

12 ounces whole wheat short pasta such as shells or twists
8 ounces hot (or sweet) Italian turkey sausage links, remove from casings
3 cloves garlic, chopped
8 cups baby spinach (or arugula)
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more to top
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta until tender 9 to 11 minutes. Meanwhile, cook sausage in skillet over med-high heat, cook through, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and tomatoes. Stir often until greens wilt and tomatoes cook down a bit. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.

Combine 1/2 cup cheese, pepper and salt in bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup of pasta water; drain the pasta. Whisk the cooking liquid and oil into the cheese mixture, toss with sausage mixture to combine. Serve the pasta topped with the sausage/cheese mixture and grate a little cheese on top. If you use real Pecorino Romano it adds a lot of flavor.

This is some sort of carb heavy runner's recipe but I just think it's pretty good stuff!

Just too cute!