Sous Chefs

Get your Fresh Made Pizza here!

Here is a very easy idea for some family time. It almost always results in every one laughing, participating and having a great time.The kids love making pizza and we love to do this with them. My husband takes the reigns on this one. He loves to show off for them, flipping the dough high in to the air and they hang onto his every word. We like to buy the pre made pizza dough from Wegmans.You can find everything right outside their pizza counter. They have a section that sells everything you need to make semi-homemade pizza right in your own kitchen. One dough, one container of sauce and two containers of pizza cheese mix will make you about 2 size mediums pizzas, it costs just a little bit more than $10.

We don't usually get too creative with toppings, this time we just used cheese, but they are more likely to eat what they make, so sometimes we add meat and even try some veggies. Looking for a whole grain option? They also sell whole wheat dough. We've tried it and it's pretty good. 

They love every bite and always have a great time doing it.

Here's my husband and his very special sous chefs hard at work:

First, flour the surface....

Using your hands, get the dough ready to be rolled out.

Most importantly, stop to pose for the camera.

And then roll out the dough.

Add the sauce.......

Spreading over the entire surface.

Now add the cheese..we love cheese!

Ready to put in the oven....

 And the finished product....

My Husband, My Hero.

What do you get for Father's Day for a husband that saved your father's life?

We are always down at my parents house, Christmas, Thanksgiving, mother's day ,father's day, birthday's and just because. The kids love running around with Grandma and my dad hanging out with George watching sports and talking politics, he's like the son he never had. Last June, when I was about 4 months pregnant with John, as usual we all headed to my parents house to celebrate Father's Day. The weather was beautiful and my dad, instead of cooking up our usual chicken and sausage, decided to throw some nice cuts of steaks on the grill. After cooking them, we all settled down to our dinner in the traditional American way, adults in one room, kids and chicken nuggets in another and everyone in front of the tv, talking, alternating between rooms. My dad had dished his plate and settled down in the back room to watch some tv and dig in. 

While we were still in the kitchen preparing our plates, we look up and my dad is staggering into the kitchen, his face turning a deep purple, holding his throat in the chocking position, muttering words that were barely understandable.

I felt a sense of panic wash over me and I approached him trying to figure out what was going on.

As he got closer, barely unable to walk, let alone speak, I realized he was muttering the word Heimlich.

My heart stopped. I started to panic and shouted, "Someone give him the Heimlich", as I searched for the phone about to call 911.

My dad was choking on a piece of steak.

My dad started turning blue, his wind pipe had become completely blocked. My husband, the resident RN in the family, calmly stood behind him, wrapped his arms around my father's 6'4 stature, took correct placement with his hands in fisted position and in what seemed like hours, firmly, precisely and calmly, administered 3 blows.

The first blow barley dislodging the stubborn piece of meat.

                                 

                            The second moving it up his windpipe.

                                      
                                             The third expelling the piece of meat.

The color immediately returned to my dad's face and he braced himself against the counter top as he caught his breath, inhaled and oxygen filled his lungs. I'm not sure if it was the hormones, the event that just took place or the reality of the situation, but I started to shake and couldn't stop crying.

My husband had just saved my father's life.

Although this may seem like a regular choke and save situation, it is everything but.

My father suffers from Congestive Heart Failure. Diagnosed about 14 years ago, he has been on a heart transplant list, hospitalized multiple times and just about knocking on death's door. He had already outlived his original "time-lined"diagnosis, his heart rebounding to the stronger of the heart failure levels. But in my father's quick thinking, he knew that if he had passed out and hadn't made it into the room, hadn't tried to sputter the words that ultimately saved his life,that because of his heart condition, we would not have assumed he was choking, we would have assumed it was his heart and called 911.

He wouldn't have made it.

All the years of worry, by my father, my mother and his family, us wondering at times, if our father would make it another day or night and him wondering how he would just gather the energy to speak or attend his daughters sporting events, and be present in our lives. Years of his "roller coaster heart health. And in the last couple years, due in strong part, I believe, because of his optimistic attitude and his propensity to push on and live life, my father's heart had actually improved. And to think his fight for life, his fight to survive heart failure would have been lost against a piece of steak.

After my father caught his breath, and emotionally thanked George for saving his life, he joked about the situation, joking that for saving his life, he would give George his first born, me. Then he went into the other room, sat down and finished his piece of steak.

And my husband, who treated his extraordinary feat like another day at the hospital, a scheduled surgery, sat down and joined him.

My husband who has given me the 3 most beautiful children ever, had also just hand delivered the best gift a husband could ever give a wife, her children and her mother, my father's life.

So, what do you get for Father's Day for a husband that saved your father's life?

I know this much, we won't be eating steak.

                                                                               

                                                        My dad with Sophia, June 2009.

Maybe Father does know best....

I went grocery shopping last night and came home to a quiet house, my husband had put the kids to bed, including the baby.

It was beautiful.

But when they awoke this morning, bushy tailed and bright eyed, I realized what my husband's definition of pajamas were: my son came down in the clothes he'd wore all day yesterday and my daughter came down in a sundress and pajama bottoms.

My husband is an amazing father but our parenting styles differ slightly.

Where I always need to give them a bath and have them put on PJ's, he doesn't mind if they wear the clothes they had on all day to bed.

Where I try and clean up messes as they occur, he'd rather them sit until the end of the day.

And where I try to stick to a strict schedule preventing best I can any issues and conflicts, he'd rather just go with the flow, tackling issue as they arise.

Granted, I have relaxed a lot since having our third baby, because some things just aren't worth the time and frustration, such as my daughter tri-weekly request for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast, my son's desire to bring his favorite trains to bed, and a big one, i turned our dining room into a play room (I know... more information on that later).

Although I know that my kids thrive off predictability, maybe we could all benefit and learn a lot if I just chill a bit. It's not that I'm an uptight parent by any means, but I'd rather have a set schedule that we operate on, a clean house and ideally a limited amount of chaos, but in reality, I know that all these aren't totally possible, especially the chaos with the 3 kids, and the clean house, which I am learning more to accept.

So, at breakfast this morning when my son veered from his usual bowl of Life cereal for some Breyers Lightning McQueen yogurt and requested he have his favorite cereal for dinner, I said, no.

Then I looked at my husband, took a deep breath, and let go of the meat, veggie, and fruit servings I would knew they would get a dinner time, exhaled and said, "Sure why not, after all, it is Sunday".