Purring Alarm Clock

There is this thing that happens each and every morning.

Alexis is wide awake in her bed (yes, she does in fact have the greatest bed ever made) and Max climbs up her ladder, crawls in bed with her, and snuggles.

It's why I can't get Alexis up and dressed every morning. She's awake, but her purring alarm clock demands that she stays put.

The only problem is that for some reason, Max doesn't go in Alexis' room on the weekends. Ever. That means Alexis is up and out of bed and looking to be entertained at Way Too Early o'Clock every weekend.

I'd like to ask Max a question and that is -- WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL? Throw me a bone, cat.

Confuzzled

There is a law written somewhere that says I'm not allowed to read any books unless I'm on vacation or on a plane or similarly unable to accomplish anything productive.

I wrote the law. In blood. Several years ago.

I banned books from my life for a very good reason -- I can't stop. AT ALL. I'm one of those people who picks up a book and five hours later finds herself reading "just one more page." That's followed by twenty more pages and an all nighter because I can't stop. If I sit down with a 500-page book, I'm reading the whole thing.

OCD much? YES. Especially when it comes to books. In my head, if you start a book, you finish the book. THAT DAY.

Which is why I was completely confuzzled as to how it was that Alexis was reading at least 10 chapter books simultaneously. She was lost in Judy Blume's world, reading about secret gardens, and deeply involved in a few mysteries all at the same time.  The only book she had read all the way through was The Doll People (her current favorite -- she has raved about it nearly daily since she got it for her birthday). She was re-reading it. While reading the other books. ALL OF THEM. AT ONCE.

But she wasn't finishing much of anything.

Just thinking about it hurts my brain.

For the most part I try to stay out of Alexis' reading world. I check over books before I let her have them, but other than that, she's on her own. She can spend as little or as much time reading as she wants (she'll spend a lot of time reading anyway, so there's no point in encouraging her). She can pick which title she wants to work on. Whatever. She can do whatever.

But the not finishing books thing started to make me twitch, so I asked.

It turns out my kid reads the last chapter of a book FIRST to decide if she she read the beginning. She doesn't feel the need to finish books because she already knows what is going to happen.

WHO DOES THAT?

The same kid who sometimes rolls down hills to entertain herself, that's who.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Without the Chicken, of Course)

In the most shocking turn of events since it snowed in Pittsburgh in January, a whole bunch of you mentioned "Chicken Noodle Soup" as your go-to meal when treating the sickies in your house.

I was hoping you'd say that!

Did you ever stop to think what vegetarians eat when they're sick?

Well, just pretend you have because I have and I have the answer.

Chicken Noodle Soup.

Without the chicken.

No, seriously. A good soup recipe is a good soup recipe. I can substitute out the bird and end up with a really fantastic soup that happens to have significantly less fat and fewer calories than the original. It doesn't necessarily taste like Chicken Noodle Soup exactly, but I'd say it's better. The focus is on getting the herbs right, which means the hearty vegetables end up taking center stage. It has all the warmth and coziness you want when you're sick, but it's lighter. Friendlier. Less birdy.

It's just plain yummy.

Vegetarian Chicken (-Less) Noodle Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
3 bay leaves
4 teaspoons thyme (about 8 sprigs if using fresh)
1 package extra firm tofu, chopped and drained
2 32-oz boxes vegetable broth (not tomato-based -- look for one that is primarily root vegetables)
1 12-oz bag of dried extra wide egg noodles
1 tablespoon dried chopped parsley (about 3 tablespoons fresh)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prep the tofu. Start by chopping it into little squares and draining the liquid. Then take four paper towels and fold them in half on top of a plate. Put the tofu on top of the paper towels. Place a few more paper towels on top of the tofu and then put a plate on top of the whole thing. Press firmly for a minute or two. The process gets some of the liquid out and helps the tofu cook better.

2. Place the olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves, and thyme in a large skillet and sauté over medium heat until softened. The goal is to cook the vegetables, not brown them, so make sure you stir as needed.

3. Place the noodles and broth in a large saucepan. Cook on medium high heat for about five minutes. I know they're not done. They will be by the time we add the vegetables and tofu, though. Let's avoid mushy noodles, mmkay?

4. Dump the vegetables into the broth and keep cooking those noodles.

5. Place the tofu in your skillet (it should still have olive oil from the veggies) and sauté it lightly for one or two minutes. Again, you don't want to brown it, just make sure it is cooked.

6. Put the tofu in with the noodles. By now your noodles should be perfectly cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Add your parsley.

Alexis seriously loves this soup. Of course, she loves vegetables and she loves tofu and she loves egg noodles, so it makes sense that she's a happy camper when I make it. She might even try to fake sick once in a while so she can try to convince me to conjure up a little Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup.

I'm working with Mucinex and BlogHer on a series of posts about dealing with the sick, so now would probably a good time to mention that there is another giveaway at the end of this post. First, though, a little something about Mucinex.

Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold 

When your child has a bad cold, you both can feel miserable. Children's Mucinex is the #1 children's brand for relieving congestion* and provides fast acting relief from your child's worst cold symptoms. Try Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold if your child needs relief from stuffy nose and chest congestion. Always use Children'sMucinex Multi-Symptom Cold as directed. (*Based on IRI unit share data for the 52 weeks ending November 2012.) 

Children’s Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold is my friend, and it can be yours too. Go here to print a $2 off coupon!

Got it? Got it!

Now for your chance to win a id="mce_marker"00 CVS gift card. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what you're willing to fake sick to get. Alexis will do it for this soup, but maybe you dare to dream bigger? A day at the beach? To stand in line for a movie opening? Whatever it is, leave your comment.

The rules!

No duplicate comments.

You may receive 1 total entry by leaving a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 2/6/2013 – 3/31/2013

Be sure to visit the Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!