Toddler Time

This week has been hard for me. I've had to compromise more than I am comfortable with because I was simply overbooked. I'm not good at saying, "no" even to myself and especially when it comes to doing all I can do for Emily while also working full-time. So, this week I skipped my monthly "book" club on Monday, didn't pick up Emily's Valentine photos as scheduled on Tuesday, and ordered take-out for dinner on Monday and Wednesday. I DID pick up a prescription on Monday night, bake cookies on Tuesday night, decorate cookies with Emily's class and make a sausage souffle for teachers on Wednesday. Something's got to give right?

So, today was a teacher work day, and Emily and I were home all day. Maybe because I was exhausted from the beginning of the week or maybe because I just hadn't thought too much about what we'd do today, we spent the day on Toddler Time instead of rushing frantically through the day. We slept in until nearly 9 (a full 3 hours extra) and then headed out for a breakfast date at Chick-fil-a (aka "the chicken place"). Emily loves their "tiny tator tots" and had a blast talking (albeit a bit loudly) about all the cows ("MOOOOOO") on the plastic placemat they gave her. We sauntered down the mall toward JC Penney to pick up the pictures I had neglected to retrieve on Tuesday. The mall wasn't quite open yet, so there was no reason to rush. I think it was the first time in a long time that I just let Emily walk at her own pace, pointing out things in shop windows and eyeing the dragon decorations up around the mall for the Chinese New Year. We wandered in a few childrens' shops to browse the sales racks. Emily said she didn't need a sweater because she has one already; I bought it anyway as it's for next year. We mosyed out to the car and cut her pictures apart so that we could put them in Valentine cards she made for grandparents. Her cards turned out really cute, I think -- I just had her stamp red hearts on some plain white cards and I wrote on them when she was done. They took on a modern flair with her wild stamping technique. Finally, we headed out to the post office to buy heart stamps and post her Valentines. She had a blast standing on the counter and putting the cards in the mail slot one-by-one. I don't think the lunch hour post office customers were so amused, but I was so relaxed from a morning on Toddler Time that I didn't care.

Sausage Souffle

1 lb bulk sausage

6 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

6 slices crustless bread, I used 4 slices with crusts, cubed

1 tsp salt

dash of oregano

1 tsp dry mustard

1 cup grated sharp cheddar

Brown sausage and drain well.

Combine other ingredients, add cheese, and sausage

Pour into casserole. The recipe calls for a 9x9, but I used a 8.5x11.2.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Best when refrigerated overnight before baking.