My eight year old made this mostly by herself so it's not too hard.
about 1/2 cup olive oil
about 1/2 cup chopped basil
about 1 1/2 pounds of sausage removed from casing (I used mild Italian Chicken sausage)
about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley
2-3 large potatoes (I used left over oven potatoes and added them a bit later)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
Put the olive oil, basil, and sausage in the crock pot for about half an hour, or until the sausage is a little cooked, but don't let it stick. Put the potatoes and parsley in with 1/2 cup of milk. Let it cook for a while on low, I left it for about 4 hours, but my potatoes were already mostly softened. About fifteen minutes before you serve it add the other 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of cream. Let it cook for about fifteen minutes and serve.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Why I Quit Working
I used to get paid real money to go to a building and be an engineer. I decided not to do that anymore. That decision probably shocked everyone who ever knew me, including myself. That was almost four years ago but lately a few people have been asking me why I did it. I guess they finally decided it wasn't just a phase I was going through. I sat down then and made a pro/con list because I was well, an engineer. Lately though I've been thinking about how to best answer the question truthfully and hopefully helpfully. The strangest thing happened about the time I turned 30, I grew up. I don't mean this in any earth shattering way, and I still like to color, but I mean that I decided to be myself. One day the idea hit me that I shouldn't live my life as someone else, worrying about whether I am doing things "right" but I should do things the way they make sense for me. When I was growing up I compared my Mom to other moms and to my grandmothers and I decided I liked the way my Mom did most things, so I tried to copy her. When I thought about staying home with my children I always thought about doing it in a way I had seen other people to it. I never thought about it as something I could totally personalize. I thought I would be expected to do things certain ways and I just couldn't imagine myself doing things that way. I'm sure this is what other people thought too when I told them I was going to stop going to work every day and stay home and work. You know June Cleaver I am not. This likely caused the shock. In trying to answer the question about why I quit my job it came to me that the main reason is that I finally saw myself staying home with my children my way, not as June Cleaver, or some other unattainable for me method. Here is a list of things I do my own way, which may or may not be your way, but will hopefully help you see why I can stay home to work.
1. I do not always have dinner on the table when my husband gets home. He likes cereal.
2. I do not worry about keeping the house clean all the time (that's a whole different post).
3. I don't fold socks.
4. I let my children play, a lot, with the clean sheets. We may or may not make forts and castles in the living room on a regular basis. It may or may not be required to do reading lesson in a castle.
5. I may or may not make my children get dressed every day, sometimes it really doesn't matter.
Once I starting living life my way, I made a new pro/con list.
Reasons for me to stay home:
1. I have really comfortable pjs and I like my yoga pants.
2. Homeschooling my children allows for more ski days.
3. I really enjoy doing laundry every day, not just all evening and all weekend.
4. I love teaching my children sarcasm. They use it well.
5. Teaching my children gives me a unique insight into how they think and what they need from me on a daily basis.
6. I get paid in hugs.
7. I choose what I do and when. This is especially important when I feel like scrambled eggs and bacon for lunch.
8. I have more time to exercise, and yes, that means chasing my children, dancing with my children, and playing silly games in the kitchen.
9. I like to have plans that I throw out the window when they don't work. I like throwing plans that don't work out the window without having a planning meeting with other people who think the plans still work.
10. Watching my children understand new things is more fun than anything else I've ever done. Being the reason for the understanding is like winning a gold medal.
Reasons to go to work:
1. I get to close the door to the bathroom, while I 'm using it and not worry about anyone needing stitches.
2. Fewer dishes.
3. More travel for work.
4. Meeting doughnuts.
5. Snazzy work clothes, and cute shoes.
6. Holiday potlucks
7. Having conversations with adults.
8. I apply fewer bandages.
9. Solving more well defined problems.
10. Time alone.
So, after looking at the lists I again decided that I like my pjs and chose to quit working, which is actually way more work, but also more fun, and the pay is much better. Make your own list and make your own decisions, live life your way, because then it's more fun.
1. I do not always have dinner on the table when my husband gets home. He likes cereal.
2. I do not worry about keeping the house clean all the time (that's a whole different post).
3. I don't fold socks.
4. I let my children play, a lot, with the clean sheets. We may or may not make forts and castles in the living room on a regular basis. It may or may not be required to do reading lesson in a castle.
5. I may or may not make my children get dressed every day, sometimes it really doesn't matter.
Once I starting living life my way, I made a new pro/con list.
Reasons for me to stay home:
1. I have really comfortable pjs and I like my yoga pants.
2. Homeschooling my children allows for more ski days.
3. I really enjoy doing laundry every day, not just all evening and all weekend.
4. I love teaching my children sarcasm. They use it well.
5. Teaching my children gives me a unique insight into how they think and what they need from me on a daily basis.
6. I get paid in hugs.
7. I choose what I do and when. This is especially important when I feel like scrambled eggs and bacon for lunch.
8. I have more time to exercise, and yes, that means chasing my children, dancing with my children, and playing silly games in the kitchen.
9. I like to have plans that I throw out the window when they don't work. I like throwing plans that don't work out the window without having a planning meeting with other people who think the plans still work.
10. Watching my children understand new things is more fun than anything else I've ever done. Being the reason for the understanding is like winning a gold medal.
Reasons to go to work:
1. I get to close the door to the bathroom, while I 'm using it and not worry about anyone needing stitches.
2. Fewer dishes.
3. More travel for work.
4. Meeting doughnuts.
5. Snazzy work clothes, and cute shoes.
6. Holiday potlucks
7. Having conversations with adults.
8. I apply fewer bandages.
9. Solving more well defined problems.
10. Time alone.
So, after looking at the lists I again decided that I like my pjs and chose to quit working, which is actually way more work, but also more fun, and the pay is much better. Make your own list and make your own decisions, live life your way, because then it's more fun.
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