Spicy Stuffed Pepper Soup

My husband and I enjoy stuffed green peppers - the only drawback is that we have been on a spicy kick since Madi was born. So over the last couple of months we have worked at tweaking a recipe for stuffed pepper soup. Well this last batch of soup we made upped the spice factor compared to previous attempts, and I think that we finally have a good recipe. Unfortunately, the picture isn't the best as I had to reheat my bowl after feeding and wrangling Madi. The good news, it still heats up well. :0)

Recipe

* 2 lbs ground beef
* 1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
* 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
* 2 cups cooked long grain rice (about 1 cup uncooked = 2 cups when cooked)
* 2 cloves garlic
* 2 cups water
* 2 green peppers, chopped
* 1 1/2 habanero pepper, chopped
* 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 beef bouillon cubes
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* Mozzarella cheese, optional


Brown the ground beef and onion, then drain off the fat. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. (We brown the meat in the same pot that we will cook the soup in to save on cleanup.) Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Spoon into bowls and garnish with mozzarella cheese. My hubby and I enjoy ours with some bread - it is great for dipping in the soup.

Crying It Out

Since the fall Madi has been getting up in the middle of the night to eat, usually somewhere between 2 and 4 am. Generally, she was up for about 45 minutes till she would drink her bottle and fall back asleep. And I should state that Madi has to be held and rocked until she is sound asleep and can be put down in her crib. (Yes, this is totally the doing of my husband and I as we have held her till she was asleep since she was born.) Anyway, the last week or so Madi has been up for about 90 minutes in the middle of the night when she wakes up and has spent most of that time sleeping in my arms. When I would try to put her down in the crib she immediately stands up and starts crying, thus prolonging the nighttime feeding.

Needless to say, this mommy can't take any more nighttime feedings that take so long. So my husband and I decided to let Madi cry it out, again. I say again because we had started this process in September of last year, but we stopped when Madi got sick with a cold. (We couldn't stand letting her cry and have snot running down her face and in her mouth - too gross.)

The first night, Madi fell asleep sitting up in her crib hands gripping the bars, head leaning in corner after about an hour of crying. I was afraid that if I laid her down she would wake up, so my awesome hubby did it and she didn't even wake up. Even better, she slept through the night! The next day wasn't so good - Madi hardly napped because she wouldn't give into sleep. (At nap time we decided to only let her cry for an hour.) The second night, it took about 45 minutes before Madi fell asleep laying on her belly, butt up in the air. In the middle of the night, she cried for over an hour before going back to sleep after a bottle. Today (day three), Madi took two naps in her car  seat since we were out and about doing errands. Tonight, Madi only cried for 20 minutes before falling asleep. I can only hope that the middle of the night goes as smoothly.

Letting little ones cry themselves to sleep is a highly debated topic among parents and the so-called experts. Some believe that it fosters anxiety, specifically speration anxiety in youngsters and other anxiety disorders in adults. Others feel that it should be considered child neglect. The majority of people just have a hard time listening to kids cry. I fall into the last category. Listening to Madi cry when all she wants is cuddled and rocked to sleep makes my heart ache. But I keep reminding myself that she needs to learn to fall asleep by herself in her crib. So here's to a few rough bedtimes, in order to have easy bedtimes in the future.

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Comparing Kids

Over the weekend Madi had her first playdate. This was also the first time that Madi was around another baby that is so close to her own age. And let me just say it was so much fun to watch the little ones interact with each other. 

Seeing the girls together also reinforced how even at this very young (and innocent age) that they are unique individuals with different personalities and learning styles. Yes, they both love to chew on books and play with blocks; however Madi is an in your face explorer, while our new little friend is content to sit back and observe what happens around her before getting involved. One method is not better than the other - they are just different.

Yes - I have compared Madi to other kids. If Madi is 'behind' the comparison kid than I feel inadequate as a parent. If Madi is 'if front of' the comparison kid then I feel as if I have earned a gold star. So is the comparison for Madi's benefit or my own? I think that too many parents get caught up in comparing their children to other children they know and in doing so they forget that their baby is unique. All I can do is try not to focus on it because where does that get me?

Babies will reach milestones, grow, and learn at different rates. The important part is letting them do so at their own pace and loving them every step of the way.

Cleaning Up The Ick Factor

One of the things that the parenting books don't talk about is the ick factor that comes along with being a parent and how to clean up the ick factor. Of course I knew going into this that what goes into baby must come and that it would come out in various forms and that it would occasionally be very icky.

Well today was one of the days that had a high ick factor. But I will spare you, and teenage Madi, all the icky details. Instead I will say that Madi had on three different outfits over the course of the day. So it is a good thing that I was planning to do laundry today. Which brings me to my point of cleaning up the ick factor - Oxi Clean. I have always had Oxi Clean in my laundry room, but now with a pooping machine, I mean baby, in the house it is essential. Seriously, we should buy stock in this product - it gets every type of stain out of fabric (not to mention its many other uses). 

Just about every load of laundry that we do has some Oxi Clean in with it (to get rid of spit-up and formula stains that can be hard to see). But when we have icky messes like today, the worst gets rinsed off, then I put the clothes to soak in a shallow basin with a sprinkle of Oxi Clean. After the clothes have soaked for awhile (okay, sometimes they sit for a day or two) into the wash they go - and out comes perfectly clean and ick free clothes. I am happy to say that none of Madi's clothes have been ruined due to being icky and not coming clean.

A Blog Is Born

After much debating and lots of encouragement from friends - a blog is born. I forewarn you all that I have never done this before and I haven't read very many blogs either, so I have no idea what direction this blog will take. This is what I do know: I enjoy writing and hope that someone will enjoy reading what I write. I also hope that it will allow you to get to know, or stay connected to, my family as well as, the military lifestyle. If there is a topic/question that you want me to blog about please feel free to let me know in a comment. :0)

PS - I have no idea how to get rid of the highlight. Why is there not a box that says none??