Sausage and Cauliflower Gratin

Before the arrival of baby #2, I need to figure out how to do a meal plan once a week then stick to going to the store twice a week, without Charlie.  He thinks he gets a cookie every time we go to the store.  How do I avoid breaking him of this habit?  By not taking him anymore and when I do, he gets a special treat.  Is that bad?  I potentially have a VERY spoiled child on my hands.  My sweet little 2 year old.

I signed up for emeals.com through groupon and so far the recipes are working. 

I made this last night and my two picky eaters ate it.  Charlie just picked through for the cauliflower but at least he ate something other than breakfast food!

Sausage and Cauliflower Gratin 

8 cups cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (4-oz) links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 (26-oz) jar bottled marinara sauce (I think you should add less to taste, one jar was too much to me)
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (I would half this next time)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange cauliflower florets in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam cauliflower 2 minutes; pat dry. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; sauté sausage in oil 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in salt and marinara sauce; reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Toss cauliflower and olives together; arrange in a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Pour sausage mixture over cauliflower; bake 25 minutes or until heated. 

Here is a photo just to make this post more interesting (we are redoing our backyard, it's going to take about a month):  


The ivy is gone, the fence is new, and we have removed all the trees but two.  The rest were dead because the ivy grew up into the branches and suffocated them.  Ivy is evil!

Charlie LOVES the improvements.  Backhoes!  Excavators!  Dump trucks!  Rocks! He had an absolute melt down last night when it was time for bed.  "I want more running" was said over and over and over.

Still "Spirited" at almost two years old

I have been told over and over that Charlie is "spirited."  Is this what "spirited" looks like?

He was in a bad mood already but this particular spirited moment was because I wouldn't let him throw the dirt in the dust pan back onto the floor.

Charlie is nearing two years old and his mood swings are getting sharper.  I have started to re-read "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" to try and understand how to deal with him.  He is challenging to say the least but what makes it even harder is that his personality does not seem to be anything like my own.  I think this personality of his will be great when he's older (and it's fantastic when he's in a good mood) but right now it is really tough to deal with.

On a side note, I think I mentioned this before, the first time I tried to purchase "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" Charlie threw a tantrum in a long line at the book store so I had to put the book down and walk out.  Ironic?

Maybe he's just growing or maybe I need to feed him better or get him to sleep more.  Who knows, this toddler is quite an enigma.  A cute enigma though!

20 months old

Charlie is now 20 months old!  Last time I posted, he was 14 months, whoops! Today he weighs 31 pounds and is wearing size 7.5 shoes.

At his 18 month check-up, Charlie weighed 29.5 lbs (97th percentile), was 34.5 inches (98th percentile), and his head was in the 99th percentile!

Some mornings I treat myself and we go to La Boulange for a chocolate croissant:

I love going there.  Charlie loves it too.  He is so social and he says hi to everyone when we walk in, thank you when they hand us the croissant, and bye to everyone as we leave.  He loves attention.

He now has ALL of his teeth.  This last week the top two-year molars have been breaking through.  These have been the hardest and thank god they're the last!  He is having a hard time sleeping and everything is a battle.  Getting into the car, getting out of the car, putting on shoes, changing his diaper. I want the real Charlie back, not this sad, pouty one.

Charlie is obsessed with the garage (when he says the word, it sound like sha-sh).  He would be happy if he could spend all day out there with access to everything.  His most used word is "hammer" and he carries his hammer with him everywhere.  Yesterday he insisted on napping with it.  "Hamm-moo, Hamm-moo!"

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning we have playgroup with Miss Shelley.  This is what I look forward to most during the week.  It's a chance for Charlie to play and do crafts and run around while I get to sit back and talk to other moms (and sometimes dads) in the group.  Miss Shelly is awesome and patient and laid back and Charlie loves her.  He always hugs her and seeks her attention.  This class has helped him learn about group participation and it's helped me see what type of kid he is around other kids.  He is social and bright and energetic and I am happy to see how much he enjoys it.

In February we flew to Oregon to visit with Melanie's family at her in-law's house in Sisters.

 

Scott and Matt skiied while we stayed home with the children (of course).  Lots of eating and drinking wine was had.  Some snow play and spa time happened as well.  Oh, and there was a bounce house in the garage!

Besides spending time with Melanie, I think my favorite part of the trip was visiting the fish hatchery. We bought fish food and fed the fish and they jumped to grab the food and it was so thrilling to Charlie.  I didn't take any photos because I was too busy making sure he didn't jump into the water due to extreme excitement.

There's too much to update in this one blog post and it's 8:40 which means it's nearing my bedtime.  

In closing, I wanted to show what a bad-ass Charlie is becoming at the playground!

Look out Hap Magee!

Look out Sycamore Valley!

Look out Diablo Vista!

Look out Osage!

We are OWNING it at the park!