After a long day fixing IT problems, it is nice to come home and play with dinner. To top it off, my 14 month old daughter started walking on her own tonight. What a dessert to see your child walking, smiling, and laughing as they explore and find something new in their life.
Of course I also enjoyed dinner, which was pork loin rubbed with a mixture of lemon pepper, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder. After searing the loin, I placed it in the oven at 400° F until it reached an internal temperature of 170° F. While waiting for the loin I made a quick salad of sliced cucumbers and tomatoes covered with a vinegar & EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) dressing. Add a little salt & pepper and we were all set for dinner. Tasted good and wasn’t heavy on the stomach. It was also quick & easy.
After dinner, dessert was of course, the surprise of seeing my daughter walk 6 steps to me without falling. What a thrill, I’ll never forget it and I have video.
Remember, Anything Goes for Dinner….
Filed under: Family , cooking and food
I read an article online tonight before dinner that unfortunately made the dinner I had prepared taste a lot less enjoyable. That article was about a two-year-old boy who was riding home on Easter with his mother and some other relatives in the Bronx, when someone shot at someone else. They missed, hitting the boy in the chest with a stray shot. Unfortunately, the boy did not live and the person that fired the shot disappeared.
As I read this article, I cried, thinking of how the family felt losing a child. I am not a fan of guns; I don’t like them at all. This child didn’t have a chance and because of that, tonight I hugged my daughter and said a prayer for those who have lost a family member because of a bullet. Maybe someday we won’t need to worry, but I doubt I’ll see it in my lifetime….
Enjoy your family every moment……
Filed under: Family , Family Matters
I haven’t written in the last few days because I just haven’t got to the computer to do it. I’ve been enjoying the moment with my daughter, who is learning new things daily. When she presents me with something new, it’s just a wonderful feeling.
At the dinner table or while I’m cooking she has amazed me the last few days. While she was eating some Talapia for the first time she decided it was so good she had to ask for more. My wife and I have been teaching her sign language since she was 6 months old, so I was just overjoyed to see her do the signs for “more please”. The next day after getting some banana for dessert, at the buffet we were at, she decided that she would say thank you. Now the sign for thank you looks a lot like blowing a kiss to a baby, so I’m sure that we might have that one confused. But then again she had no reason to be blowing a kiss at that point….
Tonight I cooked alfredo sauce to go with egg noodles in my anything goes version of fettucine alfredo. My daughter ate all of her dinner and her dessert while I cooked for my wife and I, but she couldn’t resist asking for some of the noodles alfredo since it was something that she didn’t have. After eating a few bites she reached out to me asking for a hug. It was like, “Wow thanks Dad, I want to give you a hug to tell you how much I liked you feeding me good food”.
It’s a moment I’ll never forget…. Remember, Anything Goes for Dinner….
Filed under: Educational technology , Family Matters
April 11, 2006 • 10:21 pm
When I was a kid I used to take Spagettios® and Tomato soup to make a lunch on a weekend with my Dad. I liked the plain Spagettios®, but I could be talked into the meatball ones. I’d also make grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with the Tomattios soup as we called it. This was just the type of fun that is missing in the kitchen today.
Although my daughter is just 13 months old, I still safely park her where she can see what I’m doing and talk her through every step I take in cooking the food. I think that this helps us bond, helps her learn to talk and understand conversation. But, I also think that as she gets older she will want to help instead of being parked in a highchair, or playpen.
Families aren’t families anymore with both parents having to work, or one spouse working more than one job. We need to take the time, no matter how small it is and use it to bond as a family. Tonight I taught my daughter how to make a stew/soup from 2 cans of different soups, some fresh mushrooms, a can of diced tomatoes, some salt, pepper and onion powder. In less than ten minutes and we have dinner and some fun cooking with my daughter.
Remember, Anything Goes for Dinner….
Filed under: Family , cooking and food, Family Matters
It took me a few times to figure out that my wife and I could enjoy a meal out with our daughter if we took her to the park first. Have you seen the commercial of the brother who takes his sisters kids for the day and wears them out by taking them everywhere? When he returns the kids, the parents are amazed that the kids are so calm and wonder how he did it. I laugh now that I see that, realizing that it really works.
With that in mind we took our daughter to the park, letting her play, crawl around and go on the swing with us. In the 45 minutes we had her there I’m sure she crawled at least a mile. When we left she sat quietly in the car seat and even more relaxed at the restaurant. I gave her some Cheerios, her juice and a toy after we sat down. We then enjoyed a complete meal without any fussing from the little one. Maybe we’ll need to do something like this at home too.
Remember, Anything Goes for Dinner….
Filed under: Family , cooking and food, Family Matters
