Banana Bread and bits of randomness

Lainie has her first real illness of the school year, at least as far as I can remember. If she's been sick since August, it must have been minor enough that I didn't take off school for it. And, just by bringing her home before lunch, a lot of juice, fruit, Dora the Explorer and reading books, and one hefty 3 and a half hour nap, she already looks a thousand times better than she did last night. That makes me a very happy mama.

I'm more than a little paranoid at any illness Lainie picks up. And I wonder if I'll ever stop being that way. Probably not.

Updated to add: or maybe not. A trip to Manhattan confirmed that it's just a virus, not influenza. And Lainie punctuated my poor judgment in running her to the doctor by vomiting all over my car at the Tuttle Creek - Anderson Ave intersection. Never a dull moment. 

Updated again to comment: probably not the best idea to post a recipe and vomit story in the same post.

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I have one cousin at 34 weeks gestation with twins, on bedrest, and another cousin 36 weeks gestation, on bedrest. It's a sprint to the finish, if by sprint you mean waddle race, and I'm so very excited to meet all three bambinos!

Bedrest is a lot more fun from this side -- the lame advice side -- of things, and not so much from the couch-side of things.

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Katie's been struggling with how to deal with a difficult personality lately, and my advice had been to avoid her or just ignore it. But then a friend posted this quote on facebook:

A Rattlesnake, if cornered, will become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is - a biting of oneself. We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves. ~E. Stanley Jones

It got me thinking, a lot. Suppressing her frustration is probably not the best course of action, but neither is confronting this bully. I don't have the answers, and that is tough for a mom to admit. Right now, the best I can do is try to show Katie what difficulties this young person is going through, a possible explanation for her rudeness. I can hope Katie won't stoop, but will instead rise above all this. But in the end, Katie will do what she needs to do, make her own decisions and actions, right or wrong.

Either way, mean people just suck.

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Tomorrow is Saturday, and I'm not studying. Take that, ATI test! I am going to cram like crazy on Sunday and the rest of the week, but tomorrow is Girl Day. So far, our to-do list includes pancake breakfast, making sugar-free banana bread, putting on fake tattoos and painting fingernails. Oh, and laundry and dishes and bathroom cleaning and all that boring stuff. But, for tonight, I'd rather just focus on fun stuff tonight:

• 1 1/4 cup ripe Chiquita Bananas 
• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Splenda brown sugar
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, regular or reduced fat
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray one 9.5-inch loaf pan. 
2. Place oil, buttermilk, Splenda, vanilla and mashed Chiquita Bananas into mixer. 
3. Mix on low speed for two minutes. 
4. Add flour, baking powder, salt and carrots and mix for one additional minute. 
5. Pour batter in pre-greased pan. 
6. Top with walnuts or pecans (optional). 
7. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick pulls out clean.  
 

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Ash Wednesday is just 5 days away, and I'm planning to try to attempt to maybe possibly if I can manage give up pop for Lent.

... I'll wait until you stop laughing in disbelief. ...

I might as well try, right? But I also have 2 1/2 two-liters of Diet Coke in my house right now, and we certainly don't want that temptation staring at me next week, do we? So, if you see me in the next few days and notice a jittery, I-AM-CORN-HOLIO* level of hyperness, now you know why.

* this is a beevus and butthead reference, for those unschooled on such juvenile television.