Easter Chatter

If I told you how many times I answered the question, "How many days until Easter?" I'd have to admit that I can actually name a number higher than infinity. I don't want to admit to such a thing, so let's just say I have answered the question ALL OF THE TIMES. PLUS TEN.

Mila was REAL excited about the Bunny visiting and leaving behind eggs and candy. The Bunny would have been more excited about the whole thing if it hadn't rained all night because it's more fun to leave things outdoors, but we take what we can get. Eggs were stuffed (and not hidden because my children wouldn't be able to find their noses if they weren't attached to their faces) and baskets assembled and at 1:00 am, the Bunny went to bed.

Given the level of excitement that had led up to the day, I was expecting Mila to wake up at 2:00 am ready to hunt. She did, in fact, wake up at 2:00 am, but she mostly snarled at me and then right back to sleep. HOORAY!

And she slept.

And she slept.

And she SLEPT.

I heard the other kid wake up at about 7:00, but I ignored that because the Big Kid is plenty old enough to entertain herself while waiting for her little sister. I'm sure she was ready to scream since she thinks hunting eggs and baskets is THE BEST and she knows not to do it alone, but whatever. The other kid was asleep! Rejoice! Let Alexis suffer while she waits!

FOR THREE HOURS.

At 10:00, I finally woke Mila up because I was worried that Alexis was going to bust out of her skin if she had to wait even one second longer.

Let's pause for a moment and enjoy the glory that is a 4-year old sleeping until 10:00 on a day when it's totally convenient for her to sleep until 10:00. It was amazing and wonderful and so many good things. I'd call it an Easter miracle if it weren't weird to call it an Easter miracle. We'll just go with MILA IS MY FAVORITE NOW.

Or she was.

Mila woke up at 10:00 am. At 10:01 am, she started talking. She did not stop until she finally fell asleep at 10:00 pm. Basically, every thought that passed through her little brain fell out of her mouth. She talked and she talked and she talked and there are no words left. She used them all. Game over, people, the kid talked us out of business.

It was cute at first.

It was very NOT cute by the end of the day. Not even a little bit.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Tomato Spinach Risotto

I have no idea how exactly how much sugar my children consumed today, but I know it's a lot. A LOT. Easter ranks right up there with Halloween as a "free day for candy" holiday and both girls took full advantage of it. That means I had to make a REAL dinner because balance.

Both Mila and Alexis will happily eat risotto every day of the week. It can compete with candy when it comes to winning over there hearts, so I shoved some spinach and tomatoes in it so it would have some semblance of nutrition.

It worked.

I guess I can sleep soundly tonight. Mila may have been powered by chocolate all day, but she did eat something worthwhile.

Tomato Spinach Risotto

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup arborio rice
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups baby spinach (you can substitute frozen, but reduce the quantity down to 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Toss the vegetable broth in a small saucepan and heat it over medium heat.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and then saute the onions until clear. Add the rice, stir, and saute for 1-2 minutes. Then add the garlic, oregano, and tomatoes, stirring some more.

3. Once the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated, begin adding the broth about 1/2 cup at a time. Stir constantly and let the liquid evaporate before adding more each time. It will take about 15 minutes to go through it all. The rice should be pretty much al dente at that point, so go ahead and add the spinach and cheese. Stir thoroughly.

3a. I added Morningstar Chik'n Strips because I'm not kidding when I say the girls ate no other real food all day. I cooked them separately and just stirred them in at the last second. You can do the same with regular chicken, but the rice doesn't really need it to be good.

4. All done! I know risotto has a reputation for being a pain, but really it's not. It just requires you to stand there and stir. It's not hard and BONUS! It's a valid excuse for not doing other stuff.

Here Comes the Bunny