Spinach Basil Pesto

I am not known for my cooking greatness (read here), but I do like to try to new things in the kitchen.  Since Evie has started eating what we eat, I feel compelled to make a wholesome, homemade meal each night.  I like to try out a new recipe every week or so. 

I decided that I would try to make fresh pesto.  Evie loves noodles, M like Italian, and I just want them both to eat what I cook!  This one actually worked out pretty well. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup almond slivers (you could also use pine nuts, almonds are cheaper)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves of garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

 Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor.  Blend until almost smooth. 

I mixed the pesto with 16 oz of whole wheat rigatoni pasta.  It was enough for dinner for the three of us on Sunday, and leftovers for lunch for me on Monday and Tuesday!

M and I really liked it.  Evie wasn't so sure about it.

What is this green stuff, Mom??  I'd rather eat grapes!

She didn't eat a ton of it, but kids are finicky.  We'll just have to try it again sometime!

Teaching vs. Parenting

I began teaching fresh out of college at the ripe old age of barely 23 years old.  I learned a lot in my first few years, but becoming a parent has taught me more about my job that I ever thought it could.  I'm sure that as Evie begins school and I have to deal with teachers from a parent's perspective, I'll learn even more. 

So far, here are a few examples:

• I don't sweat the small stuff as much as I used to.  (This one is a work in progress.)
• I feel more confident talking to my students' parents because now I am a parent myself.
• I am more organized.  I have to be.
• I know how my students' parents must have felt about them when they were babies.  This makes it easier to be compassionate.
• I am not as quick to judge my students' families.  I truly believe that every parent is doing the best they can with what they have.  I have to trust that each family is doing the right thing for themselves, even if I don't agree with their choice, or it's not what I think I would do. 

On the contrary, being a teacher did have a impact on my choice to become a parent, and also how I will raise my child.  I imagine that everyone thinks, "I'll definitely do/not do fill-in-the-blank  when I have a kid," but teaching has shown me that it doesn't always work out that way.  No one can control anyone else, even (or maybe, especially) his/her own child.

•  Teachers (or coaches, etc.) can give you a fresh perspective on your child.  I mean this both positively and negatively.  Some parents have a jaded view of their child as an angel or a devil.  If a teacher tells you something unexpected about your child, go home and talk to your child about it.  You might be surprised.
• Evie is fortunate to have everything she needs, two loving parents, and a stable home.  This helps when it comes to education, but it doesn't equal a ticket to the ivy league.  She is not entitled, nor does it mean that she will automatically be a good student.
• I know what to expect if Evie is eligible for services for exceptional needs.
• I will speak to her teacher as though they are the expert in their own classroom.  If/When we disagree, I will be respectful of him/her as a professional.  
• I will try to be realistic in my expectations of my child.

I'm proud to be a public educator, and Evie will attend a public school.  We're still not sure if it will be in the district where I teach, or in the district where we live.    I hope that being a teacher will help me have a balanced outlook on her education, and I'll probably even learn a thing or two about my own job in the process! 

Saturday in the Sun

It's was a beautiful day here, and Evie and I spent most of it outside.  I want to enjoy these last nice days.  Once it's cold in Wisconsin, it doesn't warm up until April...or March if we're lucky.  :)

We went to a play group lunch.  After her nap, we went to the park, and then played in the yard for a while.   It was a relaxing day. It was exactly the type of day I've needed since going back to school. 

She figured out how to push her car by herself.
I was tempted to sit in it and let her push me for once!

...and she figured out how to get into the car by herself.

Days like today make me wish that I could be home with her all the time.  I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be home with her during the summer, but since the school year has started, I've been wishing that I could stay home full time.  I love my job and I know that our finances could not support me staying home, but it's fun to dream.

Oh, Mom, stop taking pictures and play with me!!

The grass is always greener on the other side.  M and I get along better when I'm working.  I think I need that outside contact.  Sometime I just feel like I'm missing out.  I guess that's the way all working moms feel at some point. 

I hope the weather holds out for a couple more weekends and we have a few more days like today.  

Confessions of a Reality TV Viewer

For the first time, I am publicly admitting my love for reality television.  Since the beginning of the fall TV season, our DVR has been full of terrifically terrible shows that I can't wait to watch.    From "Jersey Shore" to "Millionaire Matchmaker" to "Sister Wives," I watch way too much TV right now.  It's currently in its off-season, but I also watch "Teen Mom"...both of them, and "16 and Pregnant." I'm actually a little ashamed of that one.  At least I can say that I've never been sucked into any of the "Real Housewives," and I only dabbled in "The Hills."

Currently, M and I have a standing Friday night date with "Jersey Shore."  We put Evie to bed, and watch the show from the night before while M has a couple of beers and I have some wine to keep it classy.   ;)   We watch quite a few sit-coms too.  We have been into "The Office," "30 Rock," "Parks and Rec," and "The Big Bang Theory" pretty much since they began.  We don't watch many dramas, but we do like "Mad Men." 

I used to use Evie's nighttime feedings to clear out our backlog of DVRed shows.  I'd nurse her and watch whatever TV was available to me.  It sure beat Magic Bullet informercials!  Now that I don't feed her at night, our DVR has been so full I have been missing shows....maybe we have a problem.

I guess the first step is admitting it. 

Oh, and one more thing: I vote for DVR as the greatest invention in human history.  Sure, the wheel and electricity are great and all, but seriously, DVR rocks my world!

Wordless Wednesday - One Year Pics

A co-worker friend dabbles in photography as a hobby, and she's always looking for new subjects to photograph.  She has taken Evie's one month, six month and one year pictures.  (The one year pictures were taken more around 13 months...oops!  Oh well!)  I couldn't be happier with the pictures she's taken of Evie over the past year!

Here are a few of my favorites from her one year pics.

This one is my favorite of all of them!!  I LOVE the face she's making!