Dr. Maureen is showing her pay-it-forward loot and starting a new contest, and because I am SO DIM, I forgot to post about this until the DAY the contest ends, but Maureen is merciful and says she’ll accept comments even after the deadline. Well, not FOREVER. But within reason. And I REALLY suggest you enter, because one of the things in the prize package is going to be a Small Secret that we will be using soon to play a game! And that’s all I’ll say for now.
This is one of those “All the coffee in the world couldn’t…” mornings. But I’m an optimist, so I’m trying the coffee anyway.
I’ve started getting up BEFORE Paul so that I can have some hot water. Upside: hot water! And not having to rush through my shower because Paul used 35 minutes of our shared 40 minutes of getting-ready time! Downside: getting up at five o’clock in the morning, and having my early rising wake the children Every Single Time, so that by eight o’clock I have already logged THREE HOURS of Cherishing Every Moment. Well, 2 hours and 45 minutes, since Paul is technically in charge of the children while I’m getting ready.
It’s unpleasant, and I haven’t adjusted yet to losing the 45 minutes of sleep, but I know, I know, some of you would consider five o’clock SLEEPING IN, and also it’s worth it to avoid starting every day trying to figure out whether my husband doesn’t love me or if he’s just an inconsiderate jerk.
I’m still eating baked oatmeal nearly every morning, and this has led to a canned pineapple kick at our house: the recipe only calls for a little bit, so I was having the kids help me finish off the can before it went bad, and now they’re eating canned pineapple as part of their food rotation. And by the way, not to embarrass anyone, but a Certain Baby has had Certain Issues very much assisted by the addition of pineapple to his diet.
Where was I? Oh, yes, the pineapple. Canned pineapple is packed in unsweetened pineapple juice, and do you know I was POURING IT DOWN THE SINK? I just wasn’t THINKING about it. I’m used to canned fruit being packed in syrup, I guess, and I’m used to draining cans of tuna, legumes, etc. But pineapple juice is YUMMY and made of JUICE! And I have a Certain Baby who is supposed to drink more juice! And also I will note that SOME people enjoy the taste of pineapple juice mixed with vodka after a long day. And stores SELL pineapple juice! For money! But you get about 6 ounces of it FREE in a can of pineapple! This has been a very exciting discovery.
It really is the little things sometimes, isn’t it? Enjoy your pineapple screwdrivers.
LOL – that sounds yummy. I would not like getting up 45 minutes earlier, but I guess hot water might be worth it.
And you can save the juice to replace it in your recipes for cake instead of water. It gives it a little sweet moistness to the cake.
I forget if this was discussed but could you shower at night? I hate and despise getting up earlier than I have to. But maybe the children use the water at night? Hmmm. Anyway I’m sorry, I do wake up at 5:00 most days with my unruly daughter and I feel for you.
I was about to ask about showering at night too, only because that’s what I do. When I’m sleeing well, I like to wait until the last possible minute to wake up (which doesn’t bode too well for someone who’s trying to become a parent) and the shower rotation has gone much easier since I started it. Also in the winter I’m a wimp about showering in the morning when I’m cold.
I do sometimes go through times when I shower at night, but then it cuts into my kid-free time, and I hate to give any of that up. Still, pretty soon I’m going to have to go to sleep earlier because of getting up earlier, and that cuts into that same time.
5:00 a.m. is early.
And I understand the reluctance to give up kid-free time, even when it means you are tired the next day. I often stay up too late reading, just because I really treasure the quiet time.
I’m guessing that it’s not the BABY who likes vodka with his pineapple juice. Ha!
5 in the morning sounds awfully early to me. I feel for you.
I use 30 minutes of my kid-free time every night to take either a relaxing bath or a shower followed by a relaxing bath. I have a hard time sleeping without it, and my day goes much better in the morning if I feel somewhat clean.
Also, my husband thinks that, yes, your husband is being an inconsiderate jerk about the shower situation. He may love you, but most people when they love someone, they work to make sure the person they love has enough hot water to shower with in the morning. Just our own unsolicited 4 cents. Enjoy! :)
Glad to see you figured your own solution out!
i like to mix my pineapple juice with some soy sauce, salt, pepper, ginger, garlic and a dash of hot sauce for a terrific marinade to pour of chicken and bake…then you have a great Polynesian flavor.
I think you should install a giant boot in the shower, that will boot him out when his time is up! Or pick a time before kids go to bed, when all is chaos, and announce that you are going to go hop in the shower.
But you are probably a nicer person than I am and wouldn’t even consider these solutions.
Oooooh. You could make THIS. I think I’d use more coconut. And vodka.
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups banana chunks (about 3 medium bananas)
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup orange sections (about 1 medium orange)
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate
1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Serve immediately.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Ohhh, I love pineapple juice. And I just might have some vodka in the house. Hmm, I’m going to have to try this baked oatmeal recipe…and soon.
I hear you on not thinking about whether a husband is dumb or inconsiderate. I’m paraphrasing, of course. My husband always seems to sense when I’m right at the edge of blowing up and doing just enough to make me decide he’s just dumb. :)
Congrats on the pineapple juice discovery!
raising my hand to join the “5 AM is most certainly not sleeping in club.”
Man, baked outmeal has made my mornings so much better! Warm breakfast that is ready to eat as soon as I get up! I love it.
I haven’t added pineapple, but I think I will start.
Also – enjoy those pineapple screwdrivers. You’ve earned them, lady.
Happy Friday to you!
but if you do find me awake at 5 AM, i’m glad that i have the canned pineapple screwdriver recipe.
I’ve been getting up early to shower and have coffee and have a little ‘me’ time without a kid hanging off my leg or my boob and you know what? BOTH of my kids have been getting up early as well.
I hate that getting up early to take a shower wakes up the kids. HATE IT. It doesn’t seem FAIR.
I have a (cough cough) FRIEND who sometimes opens a can of fruit for her kids for dinner and then drinks the juice with a shot of vodka. It’s SO yummy. (Or so she tells me.)
I also get up before my husband, so he gets the “cool” shower. Also, then he has to squeege the shower dry! He probably thinks I’m an ass. I think I am smart. So many great ideas for pineapple juice. I must get some.
I need to get some vodka in my house- clearly. Also, I need to make that baked oatmeal ASAP!! God bless you for getting up even EARLIER. I am supposed to get up at 5:45 to get ready for work and can barely swing that.
I made baked oatmeal but I used OATMEAL, not oatmeal (the kind that’s from Ireland and comes in a can) so I think I need to add about 5 times more milk next time. That stuff can really suck it up. It was good though, I only had frozen pineapple but next time I’ll be more prepared.
Heh. An added bonus of getting up early is that you figured out the pineapple juice thing — more time for your brain to wake up before making the baked oatmeal?
And mmm in vodka, huh? I’m sooo going to remember that one.
I finally succumbed and tried your baked oatmeal and O.M.G. I’ve been telling EVERYONE to try it! It’s like eating cake! For BREAKFAST!
May I ask (because I’m afraid I’m gonna eat too much of this good stuff in one sitting), how many servings you get from a 9×9″ pan?
Thank you ever so much to directing me to this wondrous breakfast food! :)
Chibi- From a doubled recipe, I get breakfast for about a week. It depends on how hungry I am each day, and whether I skip a day or two, but it seems like I need to make a new batch each weekend. I estimate I get 5 servings.
Thank you! I had found a couple of similar recipes on a website that stated a 9×9″ pan yielded 4 servings, but those seemed like huge servings to me. I’m getting 6 servings if I use it for breakfast and 9 if I use it for snacks, but I wanted to compare notes with an expert. ;)
Thanks again!