Growing up

We were driving home from dinner tonight..I was in the passenger seat so I could turn around and talk to M. The conversation was pretty standard (a few knock-knock jokes, a few Dora or "M" stories created by me etc.) But then I looked back and M was picking her nose...for the nth time I said, "M, please don't pick your nose..use a Kleenex. It's disgusting!" Her usual response is "I don't need a Kleenex" and she quickly removes her finger. Tonight, however, my quick-witted child quipped "Then don't look!" I almost died laughing (maybe not an appropriate response, but I couldn't help myself)!!! How did she get to be so grown up!?!?!

What's Cooking Wednesday no. 4

A dinner perfect for when you're in a rush....Quick Fix Spaghetti..my next contribution to What's Cooking Wednesday

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 c. onion, finely chopped

2 1/3 cup (18 oz) tomato juice

8 oz tomato sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

dash of hot pepper sauce (optional)

1 pkg of spaghetti (454 g package)

Brown ground beef. Add onion and cook until onion is translucent. Add remaining ingredients, except spaghetti, plus salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Add uncooked spaghetti, pieces broken in half. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir often.

Serves 4-6.

Sensitivity is a virtue...

So I was putting my son, N, to bed tonight, when I heard sobbing out side by door and what I thought was the word "pee"...so I quickly plopped N into bed and ran to check what was wrong. In the hall was my daughter, M, clutching the deflated remnants of a white balloon dog (the kind you get from clowns at special events) in her hands, sobbing "puppy." When I asked her what the problem was, she looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, my doggie is all gone...I really liked my doggie..."

Man, we're in trouble if we ever get a real pet!!!