Baked Spaghetti

I've been looking to add creative ideas to our normal house menu. Like many moms of toddlers, I struggle trying to find a great new recipe that everyone in our home will enjoy, that won't end up being thrown on the floor, and won't be the basis of yet another dinnertime argument between Banner and his parents. SO, I've been researching and trying out some new things. Tonight, we had this meal, and while it's not the healthiest, it was AMAZING. (I did use low-fat ingredients, but still - it's very, very cheesy!) Try it out! I bet it freezes great, too!

Baked Spaghetti Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti, cooked
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 (24 ounce) carton ricotta cheese OR cottage cheese (we used cottage cheese)
1 pound ground beef
1 (25.75 ounce) jar Italian-Style spaghetti sauce
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray (coat well).
3. Combine hot cooked spaghetti with butter; stir until butter melts and coats spaghetti.
4. Add ½ cup Parmesan cheese; stir to coat. Arrange spaghetti in an even layer in foil-lined pan.
5. Spread ricotta cheese over spaghetti. Sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
6. Brown ground beef, drain; add pasta sauce and heat until bubbly. Spoon over cheeses.
7. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.
8. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.
9. Remove foil cover and continue baking 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with tossed salad and warm Italian bread.

Enjoy! :)

Credit to: http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/baked-spaghetti.html

16-Month Newsletter: Quinn

Dear Quinn,
This has been a month of ups and downs. At first, I would have said way more downs... but we turned a corner sooner than I thought, and now we're on a high. Although, every time I say that, we take a turn again and things go downhill quickly. Mostly, your health is always a concern to me. You're always congested, always sounding and looking clogged up, but I'm pretty sure these are side-effects of your laryngomalacia, and one day - I hope soon - you will outgrow it all! I have to remind myself often that you have a weak breathing tube and that accounts for various things: the way you breathe and how it sounds, reflux, irritated nasal passages, and congestion because of that. You will always sound worse than you really are, but when things are good and you are doing great, I forget that you even have this issue. Then, you have a bout with allergies or a cold, and I have to remind myself all over again. So, I think that's the root of why we have these ups and downs of sleeping, of eating, of feeling cranky, etc.

If it weren't for these issues, I would otherwise say you are easy-peasy! You have the best personality - so eager to learn, so playful, and so incredibly loving and sweet. You have a great sense of humor and enjoy making us laugh! You've become quite independent and enjoy exploring places and things on your own. You're still pretty attached to Mommy and Daddy, and you don't like us to leave, but I think your time away from us every now and then helps you build confidence that we will always come back to you!

What else have you been up to this month?

• You gave up bottles completely. This was definitely a trying time for all of us. Dr. B had instructed us to only give you milk in your sippy cup - no water whatsoever until you learned to drink at least 16 oz of milk per day from the cup. I knew this would be a challenge for you - used to getting your milk from bottles regardless of how many times we offered you milk in a cup. You NEVER took it that way. But, you took the challenge to a whole new level. I completely understood why Dr. B wanted us to follow his rule, but after 4 days of you only sipping about an ounce or two of milk from a cup, I called the nurse at Dr. B's office. I asked their advice, and I wanted to know exactly how long was I supposed to play this little game with you when you walked around all day saying "wah-wah" (water), and wanting to eat all day long, yet never eating anything (probably because you lacked the calories you were once getting, and probably because you were thirsty not hungry really). It broke our hearts, raised my anxiety, and pissed me off - to be totally honest with you. The nurse (after checking with Dr. B) said to stay the course and not deviate from the plan whatsoever. In tears, I got slightly angry with the advice. I said something to the effect of, "I just want to make sure I understand and that I'm not in danger of abusing and neglecting my child by depriving him of water when he refuses to drink the milk. I have family and friends who are giving me c-r-a-p because of this decision, and I want to be sure you really mean to tell me to withhold water from my toddler." She said something like, "Yes, ma'am. I know it's hard. I know. Just keep going with this plan, it will work. Don't give in or he will own you." HA. Well, I quickly got off the phone, called Daddy and vented to him in a fit of tears having to decide to follow this advice or not. Daddy reassured me that this plan was awful and wasn't right for our family. So, that night, we gave you some water at dinner, and you guzzled it like you'd been wandering the desert for 40 days with nothing to quench your thirst. Your eyes rolled back, your mouth wouldn't release the cup, and our eyes teared watching you. I put in a call to Aunt Erin (who is finishing her residency in pediatrics this year), and got her opinion on the matter. She put out minds at ease by reassuring us we should follow our guts, not pick battles over food with you, and offer you other choices (like lots of yogurt or cheese) if you weren't going to drink milk. We talked about other things, too, including how she's never heard of this kind of advice before. You can bet we both Googled the topic and read about it on BabyCenter, and the information we found was mixed. So, Daddy and I moved forward by offering milk at meal times and water in between. Lo and behold, two days later, you were guzzling milk from a sippy cup (just like you had from your bottles) and we were all finally satisfied. I'm SO glad I followed my gut; I'm SO glad you finally drink enough milk to make us all feel relieved. Now, you happily take milk or water from a cup throughout the day.

• Your naps suck. Truly, I don't know what happened, but you only sleep for 30-75 minutes (75 being on a miracle day). Please change this. 

• You had a cold, followed by a double ear infection. You're still on antibiotics for the ear infection. This could have been the reason your napping has been awful, but I'm not convinced because the awful napping has been going on WAY too long.

• You're saying so much more! Since last month, you've added "nack" (snack), hot, baby, this, hat, cookie, bread, and knock.

• When Banner was a baby, he used to cry whenever he heard "Hush Little Baby" being sung or played. Well, we found "your" song this month. Daddy bought the book What a Wonderful World for you because he wanted to have a special book just for you and because this song reminds him of his mommy. It has also been a special song between my dad and me for as long as I can remember. Well, one night I was putting you to bed, and I wanted to see how the song was turned into a book. I read it through once, and then I decided to go back and sing the words. By the last chorus, you were whimpering, and then you were putting your bottom lip out and your eyes were teary. You were shaking your head no, but at the same time, you were signing "more." I stopped once, but you signed "more" again. So, I kept singing, and then you whimpered again. At the end of the book, I decided that was enough, even though you continued asking for more. It was a very special moment for us, though. I hugged you and told you it was okay, and we danced to your first lullaby on the play list before I put you in bed. Just to be sure that is what was making you have this reaction, I sang it again two nights later. Same thing happened. Daddy also sang it to you once, and he reported to me that you "started wailing." Sweet boy. It's both awful and heartwarming to see this reaction.

• You have two new teeth - the upper sides - bringing the total to 6 now (4 top, and 2 very stubborn ones at the bottom that haven't completely finished growing tall). 

• You LOVE to be read to. You bring books to us - mostly to Daddy - and say "this, this, this." 

• You parallel play with Levi and Banner so well! You even follow Banner around and copy him a bit. It's not unusual to find you driving a Hot Wheels car or a fire truck while you make a noise or a siren sound. 

• Today is your first day with a nanny/babysitter. You will still be at Grandma's twice a week while I work (long-term part-time counselor sub), but one of those days you will have Paige stay with you. You have met Paige a couple times and have loved your play time with her - you're even a little bit of a flirt. I'm hoping you are really happy with her this semester!

• This was a month full of time with family and friends: Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's Eve/Day, and all that accompanies those events: Candlelight, parties, presents, new toys, yummy food, fun games, and being off schedule a lot. You handled it well given not feeling well much of the month. We also went to a few fun places for the first time (or your first time): the Children's Aquarium, Play Street (you LOVED it here!!), and Nickelmania (you loved playing the game where you hit the crocodile heads as they peep out of the hole).

Quinn Redding, I love you so much it hurts! As I rocked you to sleep tonight, I just couldn't get enough of your sweet smell, your cuddly body, your chubby little hands, the warmth of your personality! You are just so delicious, and I love watching your personality continue to unfold. One of my favorite things now is reading to you at bedtime, pointing out all the things on the page, watching you try out your own language while you try to copy me, seeing so much of the vocabulary click for you! It's such a fun age. Sure, there's lots of "No, Quinn," going on around here - as you try to pull things out of the trash or put things in there that don't go, as you swat your food from your tray to the floor, or as you forget to be gentle with Levi or get revenge on Banner's antics. But, you're still pretty obedient, truly hate to be in trouble, and love a good reassuring hug. Daddy and I love watching you explore the world and test things out. We always knew you were smart, but watching you develop that brain of yours even more is awe-inspiring. Seriously, you are like a gift we get to keep opening every day!

Happy 16-months, My Love!
I love, love, love you!
Love,
Mommy

your "funny face" - copying me and Daddy at dinner one night had all of us cracking up!

This was taken yesterday... very into hats/helmets/kipot.

Gone But Never Forgotten

Earlier today, Banner, Quinn, and I went to see a puppet show at the library with Randi and Ella. After the show, we decided to go grab a bite to eat. Our wait was rather long, but the kids did great passing the time with fun chatter. At one point, Ella and Randi were telling us about an outing Ella had with her Bubbie. Several minutes later, after that conversation had ended, Banner said, "My Bubbie. . . . my Bubbie.... my Bubbie disappeared." He stuttered through the sentence, probably trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to say.

"Disappeared?" I questioned him.

"Well, she... she...," he started, trying to think of the word. "She died."

"That's right. She died," I helped him.

"I know, Banner. I'm so sorry about that," Randi replied.

Banner continued, "When she was, when she was, when she was... when she was ..."

"Alive?" I suggested, not knowing what he wanted to say yet.

"Yeah, alive. When she was alive, she was my best friend," he went on to tell us.

At this point, I had to busy myself with tending to Quinn while still trying to listen to Banner. I wanted to remember every word, I wanted to soak in this whole conversation to report back to Sam, to record here in this blog, to inscribe it on my heart... but at the same time, I wanted to cry right then and there. I could feel Bubbie there - and I have no doubt that Bubbie would have told Banner that all the time: "We are best friends," she would most certainly have whispered in his ear, just like she did with Miles. In my head, I was immediately hearing and seeing her pull her only grandchild (at the time) close to her telling him they were best friends when Miles was about Banner's age. So, I held back tears and tried to look distracted, even though Banner would look over at me for reassurance every now and then. I didn't want to distract Banner from saying whatever he wanted to, so I just tried to listen in without saying much.

Randi did great. She kept the conversation open, offering her condolences and sympathy. She mentioned that Banner is lucky to have stories about her and pictures. He agreed, and he then seemed to want to console Randi. He continued on, "But, it's okay. I have lots of people, I have lots of family, I have.... I have lots of people who love me."

Oh, my sweet boy. You have no idea!

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah

Once upon a time, I wrote a blog post with a cute little ditty for Banner's first Hanukkah. It was to the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas." But, time is limited now, and ain't no one got time for that! :) So, I'll cut right to the chase and give a little tidbit from each night of our Festival of Lights holiday:

Night One:
Banner was super-excited for the first night of Hanukkah. We lit candles on our dinner table, and we sang the prayers together. After dinner, the boys were playing peek-a-boo around a dining chair while Sam and I cleaned up; they are getting much better at playing together, and it was definitely my Hanukkah gift to hear their laughter and to watch them play and be silly together. Then, it was time to give them their first gift of the holiday. Quinn really liked playing with the wrapping paper and trying to help Banner unwrap his gift. Banner got a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajama set and a Batman PJ set. Quinn got a tub of Color My Bath tablets. So, after a blue bath, the boys got ready for bed, and Banner wore his TMNT "jajamas."

Night Two:
We had Banner's class Hanukkah party at the end of his school day. He got very generous gifts from a classmate and from his teacher, and then Ms. Hedy passed out gifts for the kids to give to their parents. Banner requested that I wait to open the gift until later, so Sam and I opened it right before we lit candles. Perfect timing because it was a hand-made chanukiah/menorah with Banner's name on it. I love it! Then, after candles, prayers, dinner, and clean-up, it was time for the boys to open another gift. Quinn's gift is a little more for the future than for now - it's a "Super Q" cape and mask to go along with one Banner received at his 2nd birthday party. Banner often puts his cape and mask on, and we didn't want Quinn to feel left out, so we got him his own! We tried to get a picture of both of them wearing their capes and masks, but Quinn wanted nothing to do with it. He wanted to help Banner open his toy instead, which Banner didn't seem to mind. Banner was ELATED to open his gift: a Rescue Bot transformer named Heatwave. He's been wanting these toys, and he's been asking for them for a long time! I was super-excited to finally give him this special toy. And, Banner did NOT disappoint. He talked to Heatwave through his bath, he made sure Daddy didn't splash Heatwave or knock him over, he stopped me from reading every few pages to say, "It's okay Heatwaver, we're just reading," and he wanted Heatwave to sleep next to him on his nightstand. Definitely a nice present for ME to see him so attached to this little toy!

Night Three:
We opened gifts before dinner this night. Banner was so excited to open his gift as he said, "Come on, Heatwave! Let's see which of your friends we're opening tonight!" Unfortunately, when Banner opened his gift, he didn't find a Rescue Bot friend and looked sorely disappointed. Instead, he got some Leap Readers (Letter Factory and a Ready to Read book set). He didn't seem too excited about this gift, but once we downloaded the audio files onto his Scout reader, he seemed more interested by bedtime. Sam read 3 of the Ready to Read books with him, and Sam said Banner really liked them, especially the music that played on the front and back covers. Quinn got to open his present before dinner, also - a personalized place mat. (Quinn wanted to wear Banner's kippah from last school year, which fits him perfectly - and I must say he looks so cute in it! So, that's why he has that on in these pictures.)

"Sweet" Menorahs for Banner's teachers

Night Four:
This night was kind of a disaster. The boys were hot messes by dinner time - so when Banner decided to play with his rice all over his chair and both boys refused to eat their dinners, our evening went downhill and there was simply no time for presents. So... we had to wait for the morning to open gifts. We did light candles, but I did not take any pictures this (awful) night!

Night Five:
It was Saturday, and it was time to get ready for our family Hanukkah party. But first, we got to open presents in the morning, which actually ended up working better for everyone. Banner opened a Hanukkah gingerbread house kit, and we got right to work building it! Quinn opened a special CD made just for him! (Banner has one of these with his name in the songs, so we felt that Quinn should have his own CD. The best part is that this is an entirely new album so both boys have special songs.) We listened to Quinn's CD while we built the gingerbread house. Then, later that night, we went to Aunt Jacque & Uncle Freddy's house for the party. SO MUCH FUN! Yummy dinner with latkes, play time with cousins, fishing for prizes, lighting a gazillion menorahs, opening so many generous gifts! The boys left with some seriously fun loot - a microphone, gift cards and money, clothes, toys, Banner's very own framed picture of Aunt Jacque (hehe), and some very special experiential things for Quinn! We are so grateful for all these fun things - but more importantly, for the fun people we get to call family! The boys also gave Grandma a "special" gift - a container full of Hershey's kisses and hugs because when Banner asked Grandma what she wanted for Hanukkah, that's what she told him: "Lots of hugs and kisses."

Night Six:
We spent all day playing with new things from the Hanukkah party. Later in the evening, Banner opened what I thought would be his most "boring" gift. He opened a gift bag with several things I thought he wouldn't get that excited about: the first issue of a High Five magazine subscription (the preschool version of Highlights magazine), a Talking Words DVD (the "sequel" to The Letter Factory), and two light switch extenders. At first he wasn't thrilled, but once Sam installed the light switch extender, the boy lit up (pun intended!). :) He felt so liberated being able to turn on the bathroom light by himself. I honestly wasn't going to give him this as a gift, but I just threw a couple of them in his gift bag, and viola! he was super-impressed! I think it's more of a gift for Sam and me, because we get sick of getting up (usually from the dinner table) to turn the light on for Banner to use the restroom. Later in the evening, Banner and I read through a good portion of the magazine, and he didn't want to put it down. It was a good change of pace from a typical book. I think the variety held his interest - a cartoon comic, a story, a hidden pictures, an illustration to explore. Pretty neat. Anyway, Quinn also had a great night. He opened a Gymboree bubble set. If you know anything about Gymboree bubbles, you know they are the best ones - they last so long and don't just pop when they hit the floor. We had some fun before bath time just blowing bubbles in the kitchen watching bubbles land on heads or on the counter. Lots of giggles from my boys!

Night Seven:
The boys got a surprise visit from Grandma who brought over some gifts for them! It was such a treat to have her here and to share some more Hanukkah time with us. Quinn opened two pairs of jeans, a onesie, and a set of name labels. Banner opened a Transformer (Bumblebee) and several sets of warm, cozy pajamas. Then, Banner showed Grandma how well he sings with his new microphone - performing 3 different Hanukkah songs ("Sivivon," "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah," and the Driedel Song). Before she left, we lit the menorahs altogether. Banner had a rough time saying goodbye to Grandma; he made sure she knew, "Grandma, I'm gonna miss you," and then he cried as her car drove off and he couldn't chase it any farther. Such a sweet boy who loves his Grandma SO much. After dinner, Banner got to open one more gift - a LeapFrog Scribble and Write Tablet.

Night Eight:
On the last night of Hanukkah, we borrowed my friend, Laura's, idea to take special treats to the police department, fire station, and library. So, after baking some chocolate chip and some peanut butter cookies, we waited for Daddy to get home from work to join us making deliveries around town. Then, we headed to the library. Banner and I hopped out of the car to deliver a tin full of cookies to the librarians - thanking them for story times and encouraging us to keep reading and learning. As we turned away, I heard one of the librarians say, "That is so sweet!" I thought the same thing - which is why we took Laura's idea and applied it to our own neighborhood. :) Then, we went to the police station. The officer who accepted the plate of cookies gave Banner a special teddy bear with a police badge. Finally, it was off to the fire department, definitely where Banner felt most "at home." A couple firefighters gave Banner a chance to sit in the fire trucks; they even turned on the lights for us. (Banner was a little worried they were going to turn on the sirens and became a little jittery about it. Luckily, they didn't do that!) The firefighters gave the boys each a fire chief hat and some sticker badges to keep. They were all very appreciative of the cookie plate we brought them, and I know Banner felt good about this activity!

When we got home, we hurried to get dinner on the table and light the last candles of the holiday. After dinner, the boys got their final Hanukkah presents: Quinn got a personalized piggy bank, and Banner got a monthly calendar which he was really excited about. Quinn, on the other hand, was more excited about the box his piggy bank came in. :)

Whew! That's it! Another Hanukkah in the books! The boys have plenty to keep them entertained, clothed, and learning! I'm so grateful I got to watch them open exciting presents and share the joy of the festival of lights. My favorite has been listening to Banner (and the occasional chime in from Quinn) singing Hanukkah songs and watching them adore the glow of the candles.

 

Happy Hanukkah to all, and to all a Good Night! :)