A Cottage Pie Journey

Whoo whee!  2 posts in one day.  I'm on fire!  Ha!  I told you I've been doing a lot of scratch cooking lately.

Tonight's dinner is a kicked up version of something I've been making since my bachlorette days.  Y'all have heard of Shepherd's Pie, right?  Well, technically that's made with lamb.  I don't cook lamb on a regular basis.  In fact, I don't think I've *ever* cooked lamb.  But, I do cook a lot of beef.  So I make what's called Cottage Pie, which is the same as Sherherd's Pie but instead of lamb you use beef.

In my bachlorette days I didn't want to make a whole casserole dish of it, so I'd bake a russet potato, dress it with butter and ranch dressing (for added flavor vs. sour cream) and put ground beef over that and top it with canned corn.

I kept making it this way for my family.  Until tonight.  I decided to make an actual casserole dish of Cottage Pie.  Ooo!  Ahhh!  But, I didn't want to just put ground beef in there, I wanted to transform it a little.  So after consulting food network dot com, I decided to take inspiration from a couple of different recipes and go my own way.  Here's what I ended up with.

Karin's Kottage Pie (ha, ha, ha.  See what I did there?)

I first boiled the Yukon Gold potatoes (I think they make smoother mashed potatoes than russets).  Of course, as I get more accustomed to this blogging thing I'll remember to take pictures of each step...

After browning the ground beef and draining off the grease I added beef broth, tomato paste and chopped garlic.

Then after combining those ingredients I added some flour to thicken the sauce.

I used a lot of butter and some cream in the mashed potatoes.

I began to build the casserole by layering the ground beef mixture in the bottom of an 8x8 pan.

Then I spread canned corn (drained) over the meat.

Then I forgot to take a picture of the finished dish before putting it in the oven.  *sigh*

Ta-da!  The finished dish after some time in the oven to heat through and brown the potatoes on top.

Here's a slice view after we cut into it.  I definitely need to up the ratio of meat mixture to potatoes, but again, I'm calling this a success as it was yummy, flavorful and Camera Guy liked it!  Cub liked the potatoes, as long as he didn't have to eat a brown part on top.  *sigh*  He's 7.5, what do you expect?

Here's the recipe:

Karin's Kottage Pie

Meat Mixture
1.25 lbs ground beef (80-20)
1 cup beef broth
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pepper to taste

Potatoes
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 can corn

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add potatoes to water.  Boil until tender.

While the potatoes are boiling, brown ground beef in skillet, remove grease when done.  Add broth and tomato paste.  Whisk til incorporated.  Add garlic.  Stir.  Sprinkle flour around pan.  Stir to coat.  Lower heat to simmer.

While the meat mixture is simmering, drain the potatoes and mash.  Add butter and mix in until smooth.  Add heavy cream until creamy.  Set aside.

Layer meat mixture in 8x8 glass ungreased casserole dish.  Drain canned corn and spread corn on top of meat mixture.  Add mashed potatoes on top of corn and meat mixture.  With a spatula gently spread around pan, covering entire layer of meat and corn.

Put on foil lined cookie sheet and put in oven for 20-30 mins.  Turn oven to broil until top has a few golden brown spots.  Take cookie sheet out of the oven and allow to rest for 15 mins. before cutting into it.

Enjoy!

Karin's Notes: next time I'll add diced onions while browning the ground beef.  I left them out because I thought there might be more of a chance of Cub eating it if he didn't see onions.  No go.  He didn't like it anyway.  If it's not sauce on a pizza or ketchup for fries, he wants nothing to do with anything remotely having to do with tomatoes.

I'd also add the garlic with the onions and beef, allowing it time to develop it's flavors.  I might even try a splash of Worchestshire, again I left it out this time because to Cub.

Tonight's journey was a fun one that I've been wanting to take for a while, but time always seemed to get the better of me.  Today I set the time aside to do this.  I had all the ingredients already and was pleased I didn't have to run to the store "for 1 thing".

I also learned tonight that a lot of the pictures I take on my phone are blurry.  I journied tonight to the realization that for blogging purposes, I need to wear my glasses while taking pictures so I can tell immediately if it's too blurry and I need to take it again.  *sigh*  Getting old ain't for wimps.

A Journey with Blueberry Scones

Wow.  It's been almost 2 years since my last post.  I knew I'd been busy, but wow.  I didn't realize it had been that long.  I hope to correct that now and keep it from happening again.

Y'all know mostly what my family and I have been up to by following me on Facebook, but I decided to start posting pics of my scratch made food here now, too.  I've been doing a lot of it lately and what I made today really made me proud and I wanted to share it it with the blogosphere.

It was overcast and drizzly when I took Cub to summer camp this AM and I was contemplating stopping for a latte on the way home.  I decided against it, remembering I wanted to make scones instead.

After the requisite cleaning of the kitchen (which didn't happen after dinner last night (*sigh*)), I was ready to get started.

(Very) Blueberry Scones (I added the "Very" part to the title because I used twice as many blueberries as the recipe calls for)

(recipe from Tyler Florence)

Here is the cold, cubed butter before I cut it into the already sifted, dry ingredients.

This is the mixture after I cut in the butter and after I folded in the blueberries and mixed in the heavy cream.  I added 2 cups of blueberries, whereas Tyler's recipe called for 1 cup.  I had a lot of blueberries that needed to be used, what can I say.  Also, if some blueberries are good, more are better, right?  Right.  I'm glad you think so, too.

Pictures 3 and 4 are after I pressed the dough together and cut the scones.  I forgot to take a picture of the dough before I cut the scones and put them on the cookie sheet.  (Sorry.  I'll try to remember to take pictures of ALL steps in the future.)  I need to remember when a recipe calls for the item to be put on a "ungreased cookie sheet" I need to use my Silpats.  I've not done a whole lot of baking, so this item isn't stuck in my brain yet.  I bet it will be after I have to scrub the backed-on blueberry goo off my cookie sheets.

Then I brushed the tops with more heavy cream and sprinkled them with sugar for a little extra sweetness and they turned out GBD (golden, brown and delicious)!

Next time I'll try and press the dough into a little more of a uniform thickness and edges as I got various sizes and thicknesses in this go 'round.  They're yummy, but I think I'd add a tad more sugar IN the dough next time.  I'm glad I put in the extra blueberries as the help lift the sweetness left lacking from the measly 2T called for in the recipe.

All in all, I'm calling this a success!  We'll see what Cub and Camera Guy think.  If they don't like them, all the more for me!  Ha!

I encourage you to try making them.  They're easy-peasy, lemon squeezy!  Which reminds me, Tyler also lists a lemon glaze to top the scones with, but I didn't do that, so that part of the recipe isn't shown or listed here.

Here's the recipe (courtesy of Tyler Florence):

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
1 cup fresh blueberries (I used 2 cups and am very pleased I did)
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, but in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour.  The mixture should look like course crumbs.  Fold the blueberries into the batter.  Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.  Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream.  Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches.  Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares.  Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape.  Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown.


Karin's tips:

Use 2 cups of blueberries if you really like blueberries, or an extra tablespoon of sugar in the dough.  Use a Silpat or parchment paper to line the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle sugar on top of the scones after brushing them with cream.

Enjoy!

My journey today has been a pleasant one that let me get my hands floury, sticky dough under my nails and I expanded my repertoire of baked goods I feel comfortable making and that feels great!  Lunch with Camera Guy topped off a great morning!

Oh, and if you're new to reading my blog, the URL to read all the older posts, too, is journeyhalfthefun.blogspot.com.  If I recall there are some fun ones in there.

A Journey with Pixie Dust

What's a 40-something Mom and a 5.75 year old boy to do on a Sunday afternoon when there's nothing on the calendar that needs doing?

Go to Disneyland, of course!

Long story short, I didn't tell him where we going and by taking a circuitous route to get there, trying to throw him off, resulted in it taking far longer than it should have.

After we arrived I said I needed to go to the bathroom.  As we walked into the ladies' room I almost literally walked into a good friend of mine, Jen!  We pointed at each other and said "You!"  We laughed.  Ok.  *That* made the extra traffic and time on the road worth it.  If I had taken our normal route we never would've bumped into Jen and her family.  We had known the other would be there that day, but had totally different plans and didn't think we'd see one another.  How fortuitous to run into some of our favorite people!  We spent a little time together so Cub and her son could have time to play while the adults talked.  They went to their special event and we headed into Disneyland.

The first stop every time with Cub must be Star Tours.  It's his favorite ride.  Sorry, Camera Guy.  Attraction.  It was very crowded on Sunday.  An 8 out of 10 on the Crowd-o-Meter!  Needless to say, we didn't get on too many attractions.  When we got over to Haunted Mansion the line was extra long because of the overlay of Nightmare Before Christmas.  I asked the CM (Cast Member) at the end of the line how long the wait was and she replied "1 hour."  I turned to Cub and told him the line was SUPER long today and asked did he want to wait or go to the Pooh ride.  He said Pooh.  At which point the CM asked if it was just the 2 of us.  I replied that it was indeed, just the 2 of us.  She indicated for us to follow her.  She led us past the long line of people waiting and past the hearse, up the stairs to the front of the line!  We were escorted by another CM into the first chamber within a minute!  What a kind thing she did, letting us go up to the front of the line!  She didn't have to do that.  But, sprinkling pixie dust is a perk of her job.

Pixie dust is Disney-speak for creating magic for someone.  By her taking us to the front of the line and not have to wait, she made magic happen for us!  we didn't think we were going to be able to ride that ride.  It's not something the CMs are able to do for everyone every time.  That's part of what makes it special.  We floated through the attraction as if Tinker Bell herself had sprinkled us with her pixie dust and taught us to fly!

As we moved through the park after that we headed to the Winnie the Pooh ride.  The CM was just moving the rope across the entrance, closing it.  I asked what happened and she explained it was "down" (not working).  Ok, we said, we'd go wander through the store at the end of the ride (most Disney attractions have a store at the end that you have to walk through in order to get back out into the park) and see if the attraction was working again when we came out.  It was not.  However, Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore were in their Meet-and-Greet spots.  We hadn't taken pictures with them in a long time!  Cub was up for waiting to see them after we learned they were about to go on a break.

So wait and see them (except Pooh) we did.  When we got to the spot where Pooh would've been we were told his break was a little longer and they were sorry, but we couldn't wait where we were as it was a hazard.  Huh?  Um, how about if we wait over here to the side?  Another family in front of us got angry and huffy with the CM who was trying to explain to us the situation.  We got neither angry nor huffy and after that family left the CM let us stay, albeit a little more out of the way, for Pooh.  It would be about 10 mins. we were told.  15 mins. later, Pooh emerged.  Cub had been a trooper about waiting!  Of course, having the iPad along to play with helped.  :)

So I got pictures of Cub with Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore!  Hooray!  What luck!  Or was it more pixie dust?  I choose to believe the latter.  That's what it sure felt like, anyway.

The line for Buzz Lightyear attraction was shorter than we had seen it the whole time we were there that day, so we hopped in line and rode the ride, feeling pixie dusted not to have waitied as long as we might have earlier in the day.

I asked Cub if we could ride Pirates of the Caribbean before we left.  I know he's a little scared of the waterfall drops.  He was a little hesitant but said ok.  As we approached the queue I was shocked (shocked, I say!) to find it completely empty and not roped off!  It had just come "back up" from being "down" and there was no one waiting.  We almost ran through the queue to get to the front!  We were on in no time!  How lucky were we?  Wait, no, I think pixie dust was at work again for us, knowing that Cub was starting to wear down for the day, growing increasingly tired as we neared bedtime.

He snuggled in close and buried his face in my side as we approached the first, and admitedly, larger, of the 2 waterfalls.   I LOVED IT!  Having him still want to snuggle to me to feel safe, left me choked up.  Afrer the seond, smaller waterfall he rode the majority of the rest of the attraction with his hand resting on my leg.  I felt warm and loved.  This was my favorite memory of the day.  But, I knew he was done and needed to get to the car quickly when he lay down on the bench-seat of the boat and lay his head in my lap after we went up the waterfall to disembark.

My only disappointment of the day was I tried unsuccessfully to purchase a limited time only ceramic mug fashioned to look like Minnie Mouse as a pumpkin.  I was told they were out resort-wide.  That would've been the icing on the proverbial cake of my day.  But, upon reflection, and discussion with Cub today, we both really had a great day together, just us, no Camera Guy for a change, and made some fun memories, just Mommy and Cub.

It was by far one of my favorite days with Cub in memory.  Our journey was sprinkled with pixie dust from the minute we stepped out of the car.

A Prayerful Journey

A few weeks ago I started saying a prayer each night after Cub had climbed into bed and the light had been turned off.  I left a silence after I had thanked God for whatever I wanted to thank her for that day and I let Cub know that the silence before I said "Amen" was a time that if he wanted to say something he could.  He's not yet taken me up on that offer.

Fast forward to yesterday.  Cub had his last day of church camp.  He'd been there each day this past week.  The kids were divided up into groups based on their ages.  Cub was in the youngest group, this being the first year he was old enough to attend church camp, seeing as he's starting Kindergarten next month (gulp!).

Each age group put together a prayer to be read at the closing service on the last day of camp.  It was obvious that each child had gotten to add something to the prayer that they were thankful for.  The first line of Cub's group prayer was "Thank you for food."  The next line was "Thank you for Legos."  Yup.  That one.  That was the one I knew he had contributed.  My Lego-loving son.  When he's not talking about Star Wars, he's talking about Lego.  He prefers to talk about his Star Wars Legos.

Tonight after I turned off the light and started singing to lull him to sleep I got through a few songs and then he reminded me I hadn't given him a kiss good-night yet and I hadn't said the prayer.  Wow!  Really?  I had skipped it a couple of nights here and there to see if he noticed or cared and until tonight, nothing.  Great!  Get your face over here and let me kiss you good-night!  I did and then I asked him about the closing group prayer at church camp yesterday.  Had each child gotten to contribute what they wanted to say thank you for?  Yes, he told me.  And then, fully knowing the answer to the question I was about to pose, I asked, "Which line did you add?"  "Thank you for food.", was his response.  Whaaaa????  You could have knocked me over with a feather.  Seriously?  Yes, he told me.  Not the one about Legos?  No, that was another boy.  Wow!  Cool!  This from my kid who usually tells me he hates Jesus to get out of going to church.  Mind you, it doesn't work, but still, he tries.  I tell him Jesus loves him anyway.

And THEN!  He told me that he wants to start saying thank you for the food before we eat.  Excuse me?  Who ARE you and what did you do with my son???  Should we start start saying grace before dinner again, like we do every so often?  Yes, that would be a good thing, he says.  To thank God for the food.  Um.  Ok.  I like that idea, I say.  How about we take turns, I'll say it sometimes, you can say it sometimes and Daddy can say it sometimes, ok?  That sounds like a plan, he says.

And then that was it.  The end of that conversation.  But, I smiled and felt a warm glow as I sang the rest of my songs, rubbed his back and lulled him to sleep, thankful for this wonderful child who wants to thank God for the food.  During my prayer he whispered "And for Puppy."  I thanked God for Puppy, who is Cub's best friend and stuffed dalmatian.

Somehow I don't think I'll have a fight on my hands tomorrow morning to go to church.  And I doubt it has anything to do with the fact that his favorite friend is going to be there and he hasn't seen her in several weeks.  And I doubt it has anything to do with the plans we've already made to go to Starbuck's for croissants for breakfast before church.  But, if these come into his decision-making process not to make it a difficult time for me, I'm good with that.  As long as he goes.  And I know he'll thank God for the food.

My journey tonight has been one of prayer, thanking God for my son.

The End of a Journey

Here I am on the night before the last day of preschool for Cub.  Last.Day.Of.Preschool.  Ever.  After this summer it's off to (gulp!) Kindergarten.  Three years at this school, done.

I'm feeling old.  How did kindergarten get here so fast?  And yet, why hasn't he graduated from college yet?  I mean, it feels like he's barely been alive long enough to be finishing preschool and at the same time he's been around FOREVER!

The days are long and the years are short.

Leaving school today I passed by the piles of Emergency Kits outside the office that we're asked to put together each year with a spare set of clothes and a snack for the kids in case they have to shelter in place.  To be honest I haven't done one for him the last 2 years.  Oops.  But, I did find the one I put together for him his first year of preschool.  It's got diapers in it.  That made me smile, thinking back to those days.  Boy, am I glad those are over!  I have to admit it was a little startling and nostalgic to see that bag.  But, then I wondered, why didn't they get rid of that 2 years ago when I didn't claim it?  Seriously.

He knows how to whistle.  After Camera Guy and I each showed him maybe once how to do it he taught himself because he really wanted to know how to do it.  He dresses and undresses himself.  He's finally learning to take care of *all* his toilet experiences himself.  He is going to summer camp this year and Mommy and Daddy won't be around during the day to do that sort of thing for him anymore, or come August when (gulp!) kindergarten starts either.  He's still got training wheels on his bike.  That's ok.

I am so amzazingly proud of how far he's come in learning to do things.  I am so amazingly excited for the things ahead of him to learn in (gulp!) kindergarten.

I'm terrified of the things he's going to learn in (gulp!) kindergarten but, mostly because I'm going to have to help him with homework.  I mean, really?  Me?  I guess I'm fairly confident I'll be able to help him with homework through probably 3rd grade.  After that, I may have to get a copy of the Teacher's Manual for each of his subjects so I can brush up at least a day before I have to help him with a new subject.

He knows tomorrow is his last day of preschool.  He has said that makes him sad.  But, he hasn't said he wants to stay there either.  He's heard his friends name all the schools they're going to and that they aren't the same name of the one he'll be going to.  I don't know if he's made the connection yet.  He hasn't mentioned anything about not seeing these friends again.  We'll see when that reality hits him.

He's come with me to register him at the new school.  Poor kid has NO idea what lays ahead.  We've told him he's going to learn to read and write and do math, but I doubt he really knows what that means.  I'm very sad his days of playing all day are coming to an end.  At the same time I'm excited for the new learning ahead.

I'm melancholy tonight about the end of this journey through preschool.

A Halloween Journey

The time finally arrived.  It could not be put off any further.  If this thing was to happen on time, the time had come.  To get started, that is.

I refer, of course, to the beginning of making Cub's Halloween costume.  He had decided several (if not 12) months ago that he wanted to be R2D2 for Halloween this year.  I scoured the internet looking for a costume I could buy, to no avail.  The only costumes labeled R2D2 were for toddlers and were only a sack with blue lines painted on it.  That would not do for my pre-schooler who knows a thing or three about his favorite robot.

To make a long story short, I found a website with somewhat specific instructions on how to MAKE an R2D2 costume.  Was I really going to have to go that route?  Might I be able to talk him into something different, easier, purchasable?  No, he would not be deterred.  Shoot.

I realized that this being creative with my hands thing, not food-related, does not come easily to me so I had better get a move on.  About 2 months ago he and I went to several stores in our city looking for a specific type of trash can, one with a domed lid.  Once it was acquired we went to our local home & garden store and purchased the appropriate color spray paint and took it all home and promptly painted the entire thing white.  Feeling quite proud of myself for accomplishing two large tasks so early on, we went inside and allowed them to dry.

It was when they were dry that I remembered that the dome that is R2's head is silver, not white.  Shoot.  Ok, paint over it, right?  Wrong.  When I did that the paint crackled and wrinkled and didn't look right.  Ok.  So we went and bought another trash can and also realized we needed to do all the cutting of holes and whatnot in it before we painted it.  Huge props to Camera Guy's construction dept. on his TV show for doing all the cutting for us!  I wouldn't have been able to accomplish any of that on my own.  They rock!

Then came the sealing on the flippy part of the trash can lid so it would look like a solid dome and not a trash can lid.  Camera Guy handled that task with some latex putty.  Now that the whole thing had been prepped, the rest was up to me to make it look like the famous robot.

Following a pattern Camera Guy was given (again, by members of the construction crew, you rock!) I cut out contruction paper and double sticked tape it all over the place, including the domed head.

About the time the project came to the point that it landed in my court, I realized that while Halloween and trick-or-treating happen on Oct. 31, Cub's school Halloween party was Sat., Oct. 27.  And even earlier than that was my church's Mommy Group Halloween party on Thurs., Oct. 25.  Holy robots, Batman!  I'd better get the lead out!

Anywho, I all got done, a full 1.5 days early, too!  I just wish he'd been allowed to wear it to the school party, though, but their rule about no masks, faces must be visible rule excluded this particular costume.

Here is the final result.  I'm a little proud, actually.  

Thankfully he has chosen his next 2 costumes, Spiderman and an astronaut, and I'm fairly certain I'll be able to buy those off the rack!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Stay safe!

An Empathetic Journey

A few weeks ago we started a new tradition at Casa de Cub.  Many of you probably have a similar one.  Friday Night Pizza & Movie.  We pick up pizza from a local place and watch a movie at home.  The impetus was to introduce Cub to new movies in the safe, comfortable, non-threatening surrounding of his own home, with Mommy & Daddy flanking him for support, and to be able to fast-forward through any scary parts.

He's been reluctant.  He's even screamed and stomped about it.  I was expecting Star Wars to be his request for a couple of weeks now, but no.  Not yet.  So far we've stuck with Disney movies Camera Guy and I suggest.  

Although he's seen Dumbo before, it was a long time ago and I figured he wouldn't have remembered much of it.  When I suggested it yesterday I got agreement from him.  Score!  So he and I settled down with our pizza (Camera Guy had a meeting) and watched.  Now, as I am wont to do when watching TV or a movie at home with him, I talked to him about what we were seeing, what was happening and how the characters might be feeling about what's happening.  I'm sure it would totally annoy most adults and some kids, but for he and I, it works.  I promise to cut it out at some point in his life.  Like when he's 16.  Maybe.

It gets to the point in the movie that a beautiful bundle of joy arrives for Mrs. Jumbo and she is overwhelmed with love for her baby.  He has beautiful blue eyes, (as they all do) and a cute as a button nose, um, er, trunk, and he looks equally thrilled to be there with her.  And then the hateful, jealous, spiteful old biddie pachyderms start laughing, taunting and teasing the 2 of them because his ears are huge.  Poor thing, I say to Cub.  How do you think that makes him feel?  Bad, he replies.  We see Mrs. Jumbo and her baby stare in disbelief as the mean remarks continue to being hurled their way.  They wisely decide to keep to themselves.  Why are they being mean to him, Cub asks.  Because he's different than they are, I explain, and they don't care that he is an elephant just like them, and has feelings, too.

As the movie progresses, we learn that the elephants are to perform a tower, one on top of the other, with Jumbo Jr. (disaffectionately called Dumbo by the old biddies) set to climb to the very top with a small flag clutched in his trunk.  The obvious happens and he trips on his ears and collapses the whole pile and is ostracized and sent to go work with the clowns as punishment.

Jumbo Jr. is feeling horrible about the accident and goes to visit his mother, who has been locked up (if you don't know why, go see the movie, I'm not doing a review of it here, sorry) and reaches his trunk into her locked rail car to find her.  She can barely move with the chains around her feet but manages to reach her trunk out and touch and caress him.  I glance down at Cub sitting next to me and thought I saw the beginnings of his mouth turning down on the ends, as if in a frown.  Did I see what I thought I saw?  I keep glancing back every few seconds and when Mrs. Jumbo picks up her baby and starts swinging him and rocking him with her trunk, I again look at Cub and he's tearing up.  My sweet boy is starting to cry.  He understands the emotion, the overwhelming sadness at these 2 being separated and how much they want and need to be together.  Now he's wiping at the tears in his eyes and asks, a cry in his throat, why she's there and can't be with him.  I explain what we saw earlier and how she ended up in the rail car with signs on it that read "Mad Elephant" and "Keep Away!"  He openly weeps, albeit for a short moment, but weeps at the thought of them being kept apart.  I snuggle him closer to me and told him that even though they can't be together right now, she loves him very much and did what she did to protect him becuase she loves him so much.

As I have witnessed with my own mother, when I start to cry, she does, too, and now as my son starts to cry at the sight of mother and son being separated, I do, too.  He reminded me of his dad and the way he mists up at a certain point with each Disney movie (they really do get the best music/lyric writers to pull at your heart strings, don't they?), but especially during Toy Story 2 when Jessie sings "When She Loved Me", the song about her girl, Emily, he turns to mush.  I love that about him.

I hadn't stopped to think about the actual story of the movie we were going to watch, Cub and I alone.  The mother/son dynamic and the fact that we'd be sans Daddy tonight, but it was actually perfect.  It was truly a magical experience for me.  And when it was time for Cub to go to sleep, the irony was not lost on me of my reaching my arm over his bed rail to rub his back, to touch and caress him in a way only I, his mother, can, just the way Mrs. Jumbo did for her baby to reassure him and show her love for him.

My journey tonight was one of watching my Cub express the empathetic side of himself and the pride it brought me to know he understands and feels the emotion of the moment.  I'm a proud Momma.