She Works Hard For No Money

Training a child in the way he (and she) should go is not easy. The constant reminding to share, be nice, be thankful, be obedient, be polite...is exhausting and the moment you slack off they (the children) loot you for what you're worth. BUT in those rare moments when you see or hear your children getting it, when you see them share a cherished toy without be asked to do so, when you hear them comfort each other and when they express genuine gratitude, it is all worth it.

Tonight on the way home from Wednesday night church, Easton and Finley were carrying on a conversation about their time in church. Finley told Easton about the marshmallows (cotton balls) that she had stuck on paper and Easton demonstrated how his paper bag puppet came to life. They spoke about the moon and the stars then Easton gently corrected Finley when what she thought was a helicopter, was indeed an airplane in the night sky. She told him, again, about the freshly painted "pogga gots" (polka dots) in her room and he said he liked them too. Then out of the blue Easton said, "Thanks for bringing us to church tonight, Mom." And of course, his echo repeated, "Danks for bwringing us to turch, Mom." How sweet were those words to a tired mom's heart. After a long and rainy day home with three kids, when all I really wanted to do was slip on my pjs open my book and relax, I loaded the two little (and healthy) ones up in the car and drove them to church. What a blessing I received. I think they're getting it.

What's for dinner, you ask? Pork Spare Ribs, Corn on the cob and Coleslaw. Pass the floss please.

Pork Spare Ribs (thanks Mimi for the cooking directions--they were delicious!)
I thawed the ribs in the fridge three days before cooking then covered the ribs, both sides, in a rub of garlic salt, pepper and creole seasoning. I wrapped the ribs in foil and left them in the fridge for two days prior to cooking. I place the ribs, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for an hour then covered them and continued to cook them for two more hours checking them every 30-45 minutes. When they were fork tender and the meat started pulling away from the bone they were ready. The last 15 minutes I uncovered them and spread bbq sauce over the top. Tender, juicy and fall-off-the-bone-finger-lickin good! Enjoy and goodnight.