Potty Training: Day 3, 4, 5, and 6

Day 3: Was AWESOME.  Reece woke up in the morning with dry "nighttime underwear" again.  We went to Grady's soccer game Saturday morning.  Reece stayed dry all day.

Day 4: Sunday he woke up dry again.  We went to our coed soccer game and Reece told me at the field that he needed to poop and he held it tell we got to the bathroom.  He did have a accident at the game, but other then that he had a good day.

Day 5 & 6: I have been trying to give him more freedom and not watch him every second of the day.  So he has had a couple wet underwear but most of the time they are just a little wet and then he tell me he needs to go potty.

We are so proud of him, he is doing great in his big boy underwear.

Amazon Melissa & Doug Puzzle DEAL

I am not sure how long this deal will last but I just got the Melissa & Doug Playful Pets Jigsaw (12 pc) for  $4.55.   That is an AWESOME price.  They are normally sell on amazon $8.

So if you have any 2-3year old birthdays coming up or need to stock up for gift closet this is the perfect item. 

Potty Training: Day 2

Reece had another AWESOME day.  He woke up with dry "nighttime underwear" this morning.  He pooped in the potty and only had one accident.  He had 4 wet underwear but 3 were just a little wet.  

 Reece wearing his boxer briefs like Keith and Grady.

 We made energy balls (for fiber) and Oatmeal cookies today.

He also woke up from nap with dry "nighttime underwear."   We are so proud of Reece and how is showing us what a big boy he is.  This is going way better then I thought it would.  Since he is doing so good we will be bring him out to Grady soccer game tomorrow so we will see how good he does when he is not home :)

Potty Training: Day 1

We (Grady and I) started Potty Training Reece today.  Grady is off from school this week so I decided we would stay home and start potty training since Reece started to show a lot of interest in January.   We are using the same 3 Day Potty Training method that worked for Grady (except for pooping).

We already had a ton of underwear from Grady but we still let Reece go pick out a pack at the store yesterday, he picked Cars2.  I also stocked up on high fiber food and juice.

Grady was so excited to "help" potty train Reece that he woke him up at 6:40am.  After I shower and got ready, I let Reece pick up the underwear he wanted to wear.  Reece was so excited and proud to be wearing big boy underwear.  The 3 Day Potty Training method tells you to stay right by your child for the 3 days to make sure to catch them in the act and run them to the potty.  With this method you do not put them on the potty every 15mins you just remind them ALL day to tell mommy when you need to go potty.

Reece did GREAT.  He had 3 accidents, 6 wet underwear (3 were just a little wet, he stopped himself) and 4 pee pee's in the potty.   Grady was huge help and so supportive for Reece.  After Reece pee pee'd the first time Grady told Reece "Ok Reece that was the first level now the next level is harder that is pooping on the potty."

The book also recommends not EVER using pullups not even at nap/night well we tried that for a LONG/WET month with Grady and then started using pullups at nap and night.   I put "nighttime underwear" (what we call a pullups in our house) on Reece for nap and he kept it dry.

Reece did not poop today but I really think he needed too he tried to go a ton of times tonight and was holding his bottom.  We will see if he goes tonight in his "nighttime underwear."

Pray for us to have another wonderful potty training day tomorrow as we did today. 

Click here if you want to read about Grady's Potty Training 

Happy Mardi Gras!!

We went to the Covington Parade Mardi Gras Day and then to Shay-Shay & Papa Andy's for hotdogs.  We started doing this 2 years ago and it is a perfect Mardi Gras Day activity for our family.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Carnival Time.  Now it is time to slow down and prepare ourselves for Lent.

Cheesy Pearl Couscous with Roasted Broccoli

My sister got me a subscription to EveryDay with Rachael Ray Magazine.  I found this Cheesy Pearl Couscous with Roasted Broccoli  recipe in last months issue.

I did not have couscous so I used orzo.  It was really good, it is definitely a recipe we will making again.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I made these Turkey Stuffed Peppers that I found on Pinterest last week from Gina's Skinnytaste.com blog.  They were really good but I think they could use a little more spice or kick.   We will be making them again :)

Insta-Friday

Saturday 

Good Morning Mom & Dad.  We had a wonderful Saturday with a trip to Home Depot then to pick up a new bed for our bedroom.  That afternoon we went the Krewe of Mystique Parade in Baton Rouge with the Jarreau's.

Monday

Reece's 1st visit to the dentist!!  Reece did a wonderful job, the hygienist said he was the best 2year old patient.   If you are looking for a Pediatric Dentist in Baton Rouge we love Dr. Johnnie Hunt at Pediatric Dental Specialists

Tuesday

Valentine's Day at Jumpy place.  I made these red velvet crinkle cookies I found on Pinterest.  We had Filets and Crab Cakes for supper. 

Wednesday

"Cleaning" my car before library storytime 

Thursday

Reading in the morning 

King Cake Tips

UPDATED RECIPE 2/10/2013: Hoffman King Cake

Today was the third time I made a King Cake from the recipe I adapted... and I wanted to explain and describe some steps better and give a couple tips I have learned along the way.   I also changed some wording in the original recipe post.  

First thing I found that a half recipe is a better sized king cake for our family.   The last two times I made the king cake I have made the whole recipe and then split the dough in half after it has risen and made two cake one for us and one to give away.  

As you knead the dough for this Mardi Gras cake, watch for it to begin to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If that doesn’t happen (because the moisture content in flour fluctuates with the humidity), add a spoonful or two more flour.  For a whole recipe I used about ¼cup added one spoonful at a time and I needed more for a half batch.

The next problem I was having was finding an easy/airtight way to store the king cake.  I wanted to store it in my cake server/keeper but the first time I made it to big.  To make sure I make the cake the right shape and size now I trace the shape of the pan I want to store the cake in on parchment paper.  Then flip the paper over and shape the dough on the parchment paper.  

Do NOT half filling or icing if making a half batch.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down.  Roll the dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle.  Cut dough into three long strips with a pizza cutter.

Spread the filling on each strip of dough.

Fold the strips in half covering the filling and gently stretch from both ends.

Pat dough down firmly so the dough will stick together. Press the tops of the strips together and braid the strips.

Press the ends together at the bottom. Gently stretch the braid so that it measures 20 inches again.

Shape it into a circle/oval and press the edges together.  Gently lay the braided dough on a parchment lined or nonstick cookie sheet and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.

I make the decorative sugars before I make the icing.  I use about a 1/8 cup of sugar for each color purple, green, and gold.

Don't forget to cut a slit under the cake and hide the baby.  The person who gets the baby (Baby Jesus) has to bring the next King Cake.

I hope you get a chance to make a King Cake, let me know how it turns out.

Broccoli Beef & Cucumber Salad

Last week I made another recipe by Bee Yinn Low who wrote the Easy Chinese Recipes Cookbook that my sister introduced in her cookbook club.  I found the recipe for Broccoli Beef on her blog.... Rasamalaysia.com.

I found the Cucumber Salad recipe on one of the preview pages for her cookbook on Amazon.  So I am not going to post it.  But they were both really good and easy.  Next time I want to make meal with these and her Chicken Fried Rice I made the other week.

Broccoli Beef Recipe
Serves 4 as part of multicourse meal

8 oz (250 g) beef tenderloin, flank steak or flap meat, cut into pieces
6 oz (175 g) broccoli florets
Water, for boiling
2 ½ tablespoons oil
2-in (5 cm) ginger, peeled and sliced

Marinade
½ tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine or sherry
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
1 tablespoon corn starch

Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
4 tablespoons water

Marinate the beef with all the ingredients for the Marinade, about 15 minutes.

Bring the water to boil and add a few drops of oil. Blanch the broccoli florets in the hot water, about 10 seconds. Remove the broccoli immediately with a strainer or slotted spoon, draining the excess water. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the beef until 70% cooked. Dish out and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Transfer the beef into the wok or skillet and stir-fry until the beef is cooked through and the center of the meat is no longer pink, about 1-2 minutes. Add the broccoli and then the Sauce, stir to combine the ingredients well.

As soon as the Sauce thickens, dish out and serve immediately.

Grow grow grow

Another thing I found on Pinterest... I know I am crazy with all the pins but I have learned a ton of cool  and useful things.

I put took this picture after the green onions had been in the water for one day.

Here is what the pinner wrote about this... The next time you have green onions, don't throw away the white ends. Simply submerge them in a glass of water and place them in a sunny window. Your onions will begin to grow almost immediately and can be harvested almost indefinitely. We just use kitchen scissors to cut what we need for meals. I periodically empty out the water, rinse the roots off and give them fresh water.

Shrimp Roban

I found a link to this recipe on Pinterest ....  I was so excited to see a recipe from one of my favorite restaurants as a child, Semolina's.  We used to go to the first Semolina's in Covington when we were younger then they opened one closer to our house in Mandeville.   I think at first we would get Chicken Parmesan with angel hair pasta, then as we got older we started to eat Shrimp Roban.  I love Semolina's and would go to the one in Baton Rouge once I started school at LSU.  But slowly all the Semolina's but the one New Orleans have closed.  So you can see why I was so excited to see the Shrimp Roban recipe.

I made it for dinner last week and it was GREAT!!! It is definitely a recipe we will be making again.


Crawfish Roban
Makes 6 servings

Crawfish Roban:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 pound Louisiana crawfish tails, fresh or frozen
2 cups Roban sauce
1 1/2 pounds pasta shells, medium sized, cooked
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped

Roban Sauce:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup garlic, minced
1 cup green onions, finely chopped
1 quart  heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon Chef Paul’s blackened redfish seasoning (you can buy it or use the recipe below)
to taste  salt and white pepper

Melt the butter in a 12-inch or larger heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the garlic and green onions and cook over a medium fire until the garlic releases its flavor, about 3 minutes.

Pour in the heavy cream, reduce the heat, and cook over low heat. The sauce will be very thin until the mixture is reduced by nearly one-half. Stir the sauce often and do not allow the mixture to stick. The sauce is reduced to the proper consistency when it is thick enough to heavily coat the back of the spoon, about 20-30 minutes.

When the sauce is ready, add the blackened redfish seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat. Drain any liquid from the crawfish tails and add tails to the saucepan. Simmer over low heat, about 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and pour over the cooked pasta. Toss to completely coat the pasta with the sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Garnish with finely chopped green onions. Serve immediately.

Note: Louisiana shrimp may be used as a substitute for Louisiana crawfish. In fact, almost any combination of seafood with the Roban sauce and pasta is spectacular.

Chef Paul’s blackened redfish Seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
(preferably cayenne)

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Insta-Friday

Saturday

Firetruck Grady and Keith made together 

 Tuesday

Waiting in the car for Hobby Lobby to open

 Reece "driving"

Then we went to the baton rouge Zoo with our friend Brooks and Jana.

Wednesday 

Painted and hung now I need to get the pictures... 

 Here is a hint of what pictures I am putting in the frames

Grady doing some math work before bed

Thursday

 The plants and animals think it is spring 

Painting more door knobs