Couscous Salad

Recently, in preparation for pregnancy, I have been doing a lot of pregnancy research (in part to distract me from not being pregnant).  Since I am overweight currently, the dietary aspects of pregnancy have been the most interesting I have found.  I know how important a healthy weight gain is during a regular pregnancy, but since I am already overweight then a healthy weight gain is even more important.  I know what you are thinking..."but Lisa is terrible at dieting and eating healthy."  True as that may be, I think I can do it!  If (when) I get pregnant I will continue to share recipes as I find them!  For now, enjoy this one that I love!!

Couscous salad with chickpeas and vegetables

(Pregnancy benefit: Protein, iron, vitamin C, folic acid and fiber)

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked couscous (3/4 cup uncooked)

2 Tbsp wine vinegar

1 sm clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp olive oil

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup diced red peppers

2/3 cup chickpeas

2/3 canned artichoke hearts, quartered

1/2 cup olives, any variety (I used black olives)

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (I did not include this)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup finely sliced scallions

fresh lemon juice, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Cook couscous according to package directions.  Transfer to large bowl and allow to cool.

2.  Make dressing in small bowl, mix the vinegar, garlic, and mustard until well blended.  Add olive oil and mix well.  Set aside.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except lemon juice and salt and pepper, to couscous.  Mix.  Add dressing and mix gently until well combined.  Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning.  Serve! 

4. Keeps for 3 days refrigerated. 



Cutest Little Boy in the World!

I know I am a bit bias, but I really think Logan is the cutest boy ever!

Throne Away

Eric's band, Throne Away, had a show tonight with their new, official line up.  He's been really excited for his show and it went great!   "Like" their facebook fan page.  Shawn took some video and it will be posted on their facebook fan page soon.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

Mouse Trap

Earlier this year, Eric brought home two mice from school.  They had used these mice in psychology class for a training experiment.  He named one mouse (Franklin) and I named the other (Taco Grande).  They have been living happily in a cage in his room.

Mom has never been overly happy about the mice in the house.  She is not a huge fan of rodents, but Eric really wanted to keep them so they stayed.  They have lived with us for a few months now.  We have discovered that they are incredibly stinky.  Like really stinky.  I don't know how Eric sleeps in the same room as those mice!

Now for the story.

Yesterday morning I was trying to leave for work.  It was about 5 til 6am and Marcie was desperately trying to get at something under the couch.  She does this fairly often...usually it is some toy or a ball or something.  I got down there and tried to see what was there so I could get it out for her before I left.  I was afraid she would starting crying and wake up the family if she couldn't get to it.  I didn't see anything and so I just left for work with her still trying to wiggle under the couch.

When I got home from work last night I was informed that Taco Grande was missing from his cage.  Ah.  So that is what Marcie was trying to get under the couch!  The mystery was solved.

Now Mom was totally freaking out!  There is a mouse roaming somewhere in our apartment!  Oh no!   Mom thought maybe it had gotten out of the house during the day when we had the door to the porch open.  Maybe.

Maybe not.  This morning I was woken up suddenly by Marcie banging against the stove.  Loudly.   She was trying to pull open the drawer under stove.  Then I heard it.  The mouse!  Taco Grande was hiding under the stove!  I woke up Mom and Eric and we pulled out the drawer just in time to see Taco Grander run back behind the cabinet toward the fridge!  He's still alive and well!  Now...how do we catch him?? 

I know Marcie won't give up!

Animal Lover

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I am an animal lover.  Cats I can do without...but any other animal I love!  I even like rodents (that was for you Theresa), reptiles, and insects. 

I'm kidding about the cats by the way.  I have never had a cat I loved or been around one that I felt any strong attachment to, but there's still time for me to love a cat.  Shawn would probably say I love my dogs too much...he's crazy though!  You can't love a dog too much!  They are able to add so much to your life if you let them!  No other creature on Earth will love you as much as your dog does.  It just seems like giving even a portion of that love back to them is worth it.

Mostly, my love of animals come from the dogs I have had through my life.  One of my earliest memories is of my dad calling me (when I was in kindergarten) to tell me that he had to put our dog to sleep.  His name was Mac.  He was an Irish Setter.  He was my first best friend.

My dad has many, many stories to tell about me and Mac.  I don't really remember him, but I know my love of dogs stems from my relationship with him from the day I was born.

When I was in elementary school we had a dalmation.  His name was Spot.  Clever, right?  I would like to point out that Mom and Dave named him, not me or Mimi.  He was a bit crazy but we loved him anyway!  I remember many times I would get my roller skates on and tie his leash around my waist and we were off!  Mom didn't like when I did that.  He was never really trained very well though and when Sara came along he just didn't fit with our family anymore.  Mom was worried that he would unintentionally hurt her, so he went to a new home.

When we moved to Indiana and got our house, Dave brought home a dog at Christmas from the animal shelter.  Unfortunately, Mom and Dave decided to let Sara (that 5 year old) name her.  She chose "Christmas Tree."  Mim and I were obviously dead set against that name though!  So we all agreed on Angel instead.  This was a pretty good compromise I think.  Angel had a litter of puppies when she was only about a year old (I think) and the one we kept was named Fergie.  He was named by Mimi but we all loved him.  His daily care was largely my responsibility so that go pawned off on Mom when I went away to the Academy.  I still remember the day she called me at school to tell me that he had been hit by a car.  He is buried beside the barn at our old house.  I still remember the heartache I felt.  He was Eric's first dog, although he was too small to ever remember him.

Now we get to the real doggie love...my Chandler.  He was the first dog I had that was truly mine.  He was  gift from Leif and I LOVED this dog.  I had him during college, when I was a full-time student and working almost full-time as well, so needless to say he was not trained properly.  I did take him to personal doggie training sessions with a man that had previously trained dolphins, but I didn't have enough time to devote to him.  When I moved back home after college he did not fit with my family dynamic and since I was not financially in a place to move out on my own, he had to find another family.  I put an ad in the paper and interviewed people.  I visited their homes to make sure that he would have the best home possible and would be loved.  I remember the day I dropped him off at his new home and left.  I cried for several hours that day, and for several days afterward.  He was such a beautiful and smart dog.  I still miss him.  I checked up on him for the next year then I decided I needed to let it go.  I will always love my Chandler boy.

Now on to my sweet Marcie!  Considering that I blog about her all the time, you all know why and how much I love my girl!   She's such a good girl and she's so good with Logan!  They really are best friends...no matter what Ian says!  He loves Marcie best :)  Anyway, Marcie was a shelter dog and I am pretty much convinced that I will never get a dog from a breeder ever again.  Shelter dogs need homes.   When we got Marcie she was on death row at the shelter!  She'd been there for 6 weeks...they only reason she hadn't been euthanized yet was because she was so cute, they felt sure she'd get adopted any day.  Thank goodness we went to find her when we did.  It makes me sad the number of animals that live in animal shelters.  They need loving homes!  Everytime I think of the 6 weeks Marcie spent there before we found her it makes me sad and makes me want to spoil her a little bit more!  So I do :)

All of the dogs I have had through the years hold a special place in my heart.  Dogs are only with us for a short period of time but the happiness and joy they bring to our lives during that time far outlives them.  I have many, many happy memories of my dogs and although there is pain that goes along with it, I think the pain of losing them is dulled by the happy memories.



Time to swim again!

It started warming up here a few months ago...well, it really never cooled off!!  The last month has been in the 80's at least everyday so the pool water is finally ready.  Shawn has been chomping at the bit to get Logan back in the pool, so we finally did a few days ago.  A friend of mind suggested a type of float vest that she used with her son that she thought was great and it was available at Costco for less than $15.  Turns out, Mimi had just read about the same one, so she got one for her house and I got one for mine and it was time to swim.

Arrival at the pool with swimsuit on and rock in hand.  Logan always finds a rock when we're outside.  He is checking out the pool but not quite sure if he wants to go in or not.  Luckily Uncle Shawn has just arrived (see Superman swim trunks).

Logan wasn't quite sure about the swim vest...but he's in the the water with Uncle Shawn.   Step 1.

Now some swimming time with Mom.  He accidentally splashed then he remembered how much he likes to splash!  The laughing and splashing begins!

We took of the swim vest for a bit and passed him around.  He was splashing and kicking!  I got some video of the kicking, but I have to get it uploaded.

Overall, he had fun at the pool but when he was ready to go he was ready to go!  We'll go swimming again soon!



Finally...Sue's Marvy Cheesecake Squares!

When I was a kid, I spent every summer with my dad.  During my early years, he was married to a woman who made the most delicious snack-style dessert of all time!  Sue's Cheesecake Squares were was she would call "marvy."  They sure are marvelous and once you get a taste you definitely will want more!

I have made them over the years for friends, coworkers, family functions...and they are always a hit!  My little sister, Sara, used to request them for her birthday.  My husband's coworkers love them so much that in the Christmas White Elephant Gift Exchange this past year we gave a card with 3 vouchers for Cheesecake Squares as a gift and people were fighting over it!  I also made some for a friend when I visited her and her baby and she has been asking for the recipe, so Bree, this is for you!  These are very easy to make so get baking!

Cheesecake Squares

Ingredients:

2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

2 - 8 count Pilsbury crescent rolls (the generic don't work quite as well)

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

cinnamon/sugar mixture

optional:  chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease 8x13 baking pan (I use some sort of cooking spray).

2. Lay 1 package crescent rolls along bottom of pan.

3. In medium mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla with electric mixer until smooth.

4. Spread evenly over crescents in baking pan.

5. Lay 2nd package crescent rolls over cream cheese mixture.

6. Sprinkle top with cinnamon/sugar and top with chopped walnuts, if desired.  I hate nuts on my desserts, so I never use the nuts.

7. Bake for 35 minutes.

8.  Cool completely then refridgerate before serving.

Are your kids riding safe??

I spent this past weekend at Dell Children's Hospital in Austin working with a group of people from the Safe Kids Worldwide organization.  A coworker and I were taking a class to become certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians.  What did we learn?  Everything you could ever want to know and more about car seats, automobile air bags, seat belts, etc.  I was really kind of shocked at how little I knew about car seats.  A car seat...a piece of equipment that is designed to keep our children safe while riding in cars. 

HOWEVER, CAR SEATS ONLY DO THAT IF THEY ARE USED CORRECTLY, AND 4 OUT OF 5 PEOPLE USE THEM INCORRECTLY!

4 out of 5 people use car seats WRONG?  Yes.  Let me explain this with an example.  When I finished the class, I checked Logan's car seats in 4 cars and a friend at work...

My car:  Correctly installed, but did need to be tightened slightly.

Mom's car:  Seat belt installed through the wrong belt path (fed through path for rear-facing seat, but he is forward facing).

Mimi's car:  Belt locking clip being used when not needed, and being used incorrectly.

Ian's car:  Seat belt installed through incorrect belt path.

Friend at work:  Using seat belt AND lower latch hooks in car, but not using the top tether strap.

So there you have 5 people and 4 incorrect car seat installations.  I can't give you the entire dos and don'ts to car seat installation, but I can give you a few tips here to be sure you children are riding safely in you car, just in case you get in a crash.  Remember, just because you are a good driver doesn't mean you won't get into a crash.  There are a lot of terrible drivers out there and they don't know that you have precious cargo in your car!  If you are really unsure about the installation of your car seat, you can check out the Safe Kids website to find a Car Seat Check Event in your area.  They will check your seat to be sure your child is riding safely.

Quick Car Seat Installation Tips:

1. The American Academy of Pediactrics (AAP) and Safe Kids recommends children ride rear-facing until they are 2 years old, and a rear-facing seat should NEVER go in the front seat.

This seems crazy to stay rear-facing for 2 years and I thought so too until I watched some of the videos of crash testing done with rear-facing vs forward-facing.  My kids will be riding rear-facing for sure!  YouTube these videos...seriously.  You hear people complain that the child's legs are too long.  Not a big deal!  They can sit with their legs crossed if they want...the moral of the story is that broken leg = cast it, broken neck = casket.

2. In a rear-facing seat the shoulder straps of the harness should be BELOW the shoulder, while in forward-facing seats the shoulder straps should be ABOVE the shoulder.

This is very important in a crash.  The seats will not protect the child as they should if the are not placed in the correct slot on the seat.

3. The straps should be TIGHT and the chest clip should be at armpit level.

You should not be able to pinch any slack on the straps. You basically should be able to get one finger between the strap and the child's shoulder.

4. For correct installation of the car seat you must READ THE MANUAL OF THE CAR SEAT AND YOUR CAR!

The car manual has an index, use it!  Look up the section on Child Safety Restraints and Air Bags.  Your manual will tell you if there are any special considerations concerning the placement of car seats in your car and how to use the LATCH system (those are the hook at the base of the seat and that hook in the back behind the head rest.)  Many people do you realized the the LATCH system in every car has a weight limit!  If you car manual doesn't specify a weight limit then DO NOT USE IT IF YOU CHILD IS GREATER THAN 40 POUNDS!  The car seat manual also has great information about the proper use of the car seat.  For example, in baby carriers there is a typically a specific position that you should keep the carrier handle while the car is in motion.  Did you know that?  You might be doing it wrong...READ YOUR MANUAL!

5. If you use the LATCH system DO NOT also use the seat belt.  One or the other!

If you have a forward-facing seat always use the top tether strap (the long strap dangling from the back of the seat near the head...it attached somewhere behind the headrest or at the back base of the seat in a hatchback).  Always use it if your child is forward-facing!!  That strap could be the difference between a head injury and being safe!

6. Texas law states that a child must be in a booster seat until age 8 or 4 foot 9 inches tall.

To many people this seems ridiculous, BUT until your child is 4'9" the seat belt doesn't fit right.  It really doesn't matter how old they are...you should keep your children in booster seats until they are 4'9" or the seat belt fits properly.  For the seat belt to fit properly the child MUST be able to sit in the seat with the butt where it should be and the knees bending at the edge of the seat (the calves can't be sticking out) and at this seating positiong they seat belt should strap should be across the shoulder (not hitting them in the face...not tucked behind the back or under the arm.)  This is for their SAFETY!  If your child is not in a booster and the seat belt is lying on the face then guess what will happen in a crash.  Well, don't guess because it is not good.  On a side note...keep your children in the back seat until they are over 12!  Yes, until they are teenagers.  You would be amazed the pressure that an airbag can exert on a child's body.

Are you all confused?  Did you realize what all was involved in child passenger safety? I didn't either, but I do now!   That means I will be doing my best from now on to be sure that every child I know is riding safely!  If you have any questions, send me an email or give me a call!

Here is a video I found on youtube about the importance of rear-facing car seats.  It is great...watch it please and pass it along!