I wanted to make sure to post a slow cooker recipe today.  I haven’t done slow cooking Thursday for a couple of weeks, and I just love this meme that Sandra has been doing as long as I can remember.  I love seeing new ideas for slowcooking, mainly because it is to me the easiest way to cook when you are living a busy life… more on the busy part after the recipe!

I made this last night, and it was DEElicious!!!

The ingredients…

6-8 boneless (butterfly) pork chops

1 onion

6 potatoes

1 can cream of mushroom soup

butter (optional)

I start by quartering the potatoes and placing them in the bottom of the crock pot, I salt and pepper them… lay the pork chops over them and then slice the onion and place it on top of the pork chops, salt & pepper again… spoon the soup over the top and I put a dab of real butter for flavor.  (Not much you guys, it’s no big deal!)

I cooked it from 11:30 a.m. until about 5 p.m. on high.  It was really really good.  I served it with broccoli, ww rolls and salad.

I’ve noticed a lot of buzz on the blogs about how busy we all are.  Mine included.  Last night at church we were talking about the way the devil gets in our lives to keep us from what’s really important.  It was like a lightbulb for me, and you know how you get these really profound ideas that slip your mind as quickly as they enter?  It was kinda like that for me.  I guess I have tried to figure out why life is getting busier and busier, we have a lot of conveniences that just were not there years ago… we should have more free time, right?   I guess I just could see so clearly how the enemy deceives us to believe that we are too busy for God.  I’m not, and refuse to ever be too busy for God.  (take that you devil!)

Easter is early this year.  That’s why I skipped putting out the GREEN and went straight into Easter decor…  I haven’t begun to find outfits for all the kids yet.  I saw this at Children’s place for Izzy, but the big sister dress is too small for Emelia! So sad she is getting so big, she’ll be 10 in March!!!  I am thinking of doing the black and white thing anyway… we’ll see.  When Easter is so early that it is still cold outside I always buy matching sweaters for the girls.

Tonight is the winterjam concert.  I’m hoping to get to go.  It starts early and ends late, so I’m not sure I can manage it yet… but I’m going to try!

Hope you have a great Thursday, and for more slow cooked meal ideas visit Sandra.

When women are forced to go back to work for financial reasons right after having a baby, or when they choose to resume their career, Infant Specialized Care is needed. Childcare advocates say there aren’t enough places in daycares, home or centers, to meet the need. AuPairCare’s new Infant Specialized Program was developed to meet the need for the increased amount of need for this service.

DEMAND FOR QUALITY INFANT CARE FAR OUTSTRIPS AVAILABLE RESOURCES

Despite 55% of U.S. Mothers with Infants In The Workforce, Childcare Providers Offering Specialized Infant Care Services Remain Rare

San Francisco, CA, February 26, 2008 – With over half of U.S. mothers of infants employed outside the home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, most must arrange for infant care. Experts agree that the first year in a child’s life is the most critical developmentally and requires a consistent, nurturing caretaker. With maternity leaves as short as twelve weeks, mothers are confronted with leaving their newborns in someone else’s hands. Unfortunately, with limited training for childcare providers and overcrowding in day care centers, what is a mother to do?

This month AuPairCare (www.aupaircare.com), a leading au pair agency, will begin offering Infant Specialized Care™, a program that provides families with a trained, live-in au pair who specializes in infant care and development, allowing working parents to provide their babies with consistent care in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Demand for this service clearly exists: Based on a survey sent to 400 AuPairCare host families, almost 2/3 of families with infants currently employing au pairs said they would be interested in an infant qualified and trained au pair if the service were offered and would be willing to pay for the additional training.
Infant Specialized Care au pairs receive over 40 hours of infant care training, covering topics, such as feeding, bathing, changing, soothing techniques and safety. Additionally, they receive specialized training in infant stimulation and development, infant massage, infant sign language and certification in Infant First Aid and CPR. This training is complemented by significant hands-on experience working with infants, with each of the Infant Specialized au pairs having at least 400 documented hours of childcare experience with children under the age of two.

“Having my au pair specifically trained to care for my baby will help alleviate some of my ‘mommy guilt.’ Just knowing that my baby is being well cared for and challenged developmentally will allow me to stop worrying and focus on my work,” says Kenna Norris, back-to-work mother of a 13-week old baby.

“With so many women with infants in the workforce and a clear lack of quality providers catering to this age group, developing a tailored au pair service that offers specialized infant training and experience was a priority for AuPairCare.” said Heidi Woehl, Vice President of AuPairCare.

AuPairCare’s Infant Specialized Care program launches this month nationwide.

About AuPairCare
AuPairCare is a leading au pair agency in the United States providing affordable, live-in au pair childcare. Designated by the U.S. Department of State since 1989 as an official au pair agency, AuPairCare has successfully placed over 30,000 au pairs from 40 countries with caring American families. To learn more, please visit http://www.aupaircare.com

Contact: Karie Stern
Tel: 415-608-9195
E-mail: kjstern@comcast.net