Mama Writing So I Don't Go Crazy

Carborama With a Side of Sauce.

I'm not Italian. However, I must have some Italian recessive gene hiding in my body, because I LOVE Italian food. Carbs are my friend (except when they are setting up residence on my hips). The one thing I can count on my Little Man eating for me is pasta, so I'm always on the lookout for new pastas and sauces.

So when the ladies at Mom Central asked if I wanted to try Ragu's new Fresh and Simple All Natural Sauces, well, there was no twisting of my arm needed.

With my crazy work schedule (I commute 4 hours round trip a couple days a week), I spend a lot of time in the car. Add to that the shuttle service that I have become as a mom, and sometimes dinner is the last thing I want to think about.

Enter Ragu. I got them last week, so I decided to get some help tasting the Garden Veggie and the Tomato, Onion and Garlic flavors. I have a friend on bedrest with baby number three, so I called and asked if she wanted me to bring over dinner and be my guinea pig.

I didn't have to twist her arm either. So I stopped at the store after picking up Little Man from school and had him pick out a box of pasta and some garlic bread and dessert. We went to her house and got to work.

Let's talk about prep time.

Almost nothing.

Try 90 seconds.

Yep, you read that right, 90 SECONDS.

Just snip open the package and pop it in the microwave for 90 seconds and the sauce is ready.

Know what's even better about the prep time of this sauce?

Lean in a little closer so I can whisper in your ear...

*There's no sauce mess to clean up inside the microwave!*

That was enough to make the pregnant mommy and myself do a little dance of joy right there in the kitchen.

After everything else was ready, we set the table and sat down to try this sauce.

Before I tell you what we all thought, maybe I should tell you what's in the sauce.

Better yet, let me tell you what's NOT in the sauce.

No preservatives or additives, and no added sugar.

You got your tomatoes, your garlic, your veggies and spices. Nothing on the ingredient list that will make you run for a dictionary.

But what about the taste, you ask?

Well, to quote someone on the Food Network:

"Yum-O!"

The Tomato Onion and Garlic is a smooth sauce that's full of flavor. I liked in on the pasta, as did my friend's husband and their kids.

The Garden Veggie was chunkier and not as garlicky. I loved this sauce for dipping my bread into. I also like the vegetable flavors. It tasted fresh, like I had cut up the veggies myself that afternoon and put them in there. I think I would have liked it more if there were more garlic in it. But hey, I can always mince some garlic and throw it into the bag before sticking it into the microwave, right?

We had two thumbs up from all around the table folks.

You know what that means?

It means we're going to buy some more for our families.

It also means you're going to visit http://ragu.com/ for yourself. Check out the recipes. And go buy some sauce.

Go on...

Then come back and tell me what YOU think of the sauce.

M'Kay?

Picasso, Rembrandt, Degas, Little Man

I got the coolest gift a mother could ever get yesterday. And it wasn't even my birthday.
Little Man's teachers put together these books for each child in their class. The title of the book was "Discovering   ____," with the child's name.

Back in August, they interviewed our Little Man, asking questions like,"What is your name? How old are you? Favorite and least favorite foods, favorite color," etc. Most of his answers back in August were, "I don't know." There was a page with a self portrait, another with a coloring sample. Then they included hand and footprints. Each month they did a special art project with their hand prints. August was a butterfly, October, pumpkins, etc. Then this month they repeated the interview, hand and footprints, self portrait and coloring page. It was a wonderful way to see how he had progressed during the year.

The little bugger even went so far as to tell them his least favorite food was cookies! (fibber)

I love this book, and now I must hide it so he doesn't get into it.

And a Cherry On Top

It was a beautiful day outside today. Nice breeze, sunshine. And the Little Man woke up at 4am and whined for the next three hours.

He didn't want to sleep. Then he wanted to sleep on the couch. Then he wanted ME to sleep on the couch with him. Then he was hungry. Thirsty. Hungry. Thirsty. Whine whine whine.

This doesn't help when I have to be up at 7:00 to go to work. It makes me very grumpy. I would rather go sleep outside in the car than listen to whining at 4 am.

Now he is hyper due to no nap. He's run into various pieces of furniture due to the fact that he'd prefer to not listen to us.

Sigh.

It's a good thing my Mom's group meets tonight. I'm leaving in five minutes. Tongiht we're having ice cream sundaes.

Bliss.

The Wheels on the Bus...

My baby got accepted into the Montessori program that our local public school district is starting in the fall. He was on the waiting list. But when I got the mail today, there was a letter stating that he was no longer on the waiting list.

This is going to be a really new experience for me. See, I'm a graduate of the local Catholic schools. I never set foot in a public educational institution until I went to college (Go Purdue!)

Hubby, however, DID graduate from the same school system that our baby will now enter.

I'm a little nervous. Schools just ain't what they were back in our day. (do I sound OLD?!) And I'm always reading crap about stupid things that kinds are doing in schools today. It's not just about drugs and alcohol anymore. Now we have to deal with violence. And I know private schools aren't immune to these things. But compare how often we hear about public schools compared to private schools? Can you see how I might be a little apprehensive?

Really, this is a test for me. I'd rather we try this out now, while he's still young, and find it's not the right fit, than later on, in the middle of some school year. This way, I can put a back-up plan into place. just.in.case.

So he's starting Montessori preschool in the fall in a mixed-age class (3s 4s and 5s). In a public school. Not at the church preschool program where he's been for the last  year and a half. This is a whole new ball game.

Thank goodness he doesn't ride a bus yet.

I'm not quite ready to clip *those* apron strings.

It's The Face...That Beautiful Face

Here's something I wrote a while ago. I'm a bit tired tonight, so I'm reposting this here. Kind of a "need to remind myself about what's important" post.

I had to work today. I got up at an ungodly hour and went in to work while it was still dark out. Stood in a tent for eight hours while people wandered in, drinking alcohol and spending hundreds of dollars. I don't mind working, it keeps me sane. I think if I were a full time SAHM I would probably drink. The four walls would close in on me, and that would be the end.

To keep this from happening, I work various jobs here and there. Know what I love best about working? (besides the paycheck) When I come home, park the car, and look up into my son's bedroom window. He was standing there today, looking out at the cars, and I waved at him. He saw me, and that face, that beautiful face lit up from the inside. He got the biggest smile on that beautiful face, and I could see the word "MOMMY!" come from his lips. Over and over he called to me,and then he left the window.  As I walked up the first step to our third floor apartment, I could hear him banging on the inside of the front door, calling to me.

That, my friends, is love.
Too bad we all couldn't live life with that exuberance.

Umasaurus Rex Found!

So we took a little family trip to Indy this weekend. Since the Little Man is now three, we figured he'd enjoy a trip to the Indianapolis Children's Museum.

We left on Saturday, and drove the three hours to our destination. *note* I now have Veggies Tales songs stuck in my head. You can imagine how a three year old was feeling after three hours in a car and *no nap.*

I knew we may be in for a treat, and possibly not a happy one at that. So I said a little prayer under my breath as we walked across the parking lot to the entrance.

One of the employees was out working near the pond, and called out to us as we walked by. We went to the fence to check it out.

Cool Moment #1:

Baby Turtles.

We went inside, got out tickets, and decided it would be a good idea (3 hour car ride and all) to hit the restrooms before entering the exhibits.

I MUST say right now that  Indianapolis Children's Museum deserves kudos for the child -sized toilets in some of the stalls, plus the child-sized sink. Potty training ain't easy, especially out in public with those "great big scary toilets."  Little man happily sat right down on that pint-sized seat and peed his little heart out with a big grin on his face.

Okay, enough about that.

Life with a 3 year old boy revolves around the following things: Trains, Curious George, Construction Vehicles, Getting Into Mischief, and Getting Dirty. So please allow me to condense these into a couple of photos:

Cool Moment #2:

Trains

Cool Moment #3:

There are more photos, but you'll have to check them out in the photo album once I get them uploaded.

We had a couple of time-outs while we were there. What trip wouldn't be complete without time-outs, right? The whole idea of not-running-away-from-mom-and-dad+stranger-danger just doesn't compute yet.

2 1/2 hours later, we were exhausted and hungry and walking in the end of the day parade toward the exit. It was a pretty fun time for all of us.

What happened later that evening is another story entirely.

no nap+ exhaustion = 3 hours of bedtime hell in a hotel.

Need I say more?