Heart in throat.

Today's lesson is if it doesn't feel right don't do it. We were a little behind this morning as the daughter was not into eating her breakfast or getting dressed of brushing her hair or teeth or anything else that needed to get done before heading out the door. Thus we arrived at the intersection near our schools at exactly 8:00. This gives me 16 minutes to be ready to go for the day. As we approached the intersection I was trying to make the, "walk her all the way to school or watch her walk the last 75 meters from across the road" decision. Our friends had crossed the intersection on the previous light and I thought if she caught up to them it would be okay. So when the light turned green I said, "run along and catch up to your friend and his mom." So off she trotted with the light. On the other side she got onto the side walk and headed down the other side of the street towards her school. She waved and said hi to the teacher she knew coming the other way and then turned up the side street beside the school. Now as she turns up this street, which she has to cross to get to the school playground, I see a red truck getting ready to make the right up the same street. The kid keeps running up the street about 20 meters, until she passes a parked van and then turns behind the van to cross the street. Now in her defense this is how we always walk to the school and we always cross at that point. However, the red truck has now turned the corner and is heading up the street as she runs out from behind the parked car all the while my heart is in my throat and the cry of my daughters name is lost in the roar of traffic that is humming by on the busy street. Long story short the guy in the red truck was moving really slow as it was a school zone and my oblivious daughter ran into the playground and caught up to her friend as I told her. However, I am still slightly reeling from how close that could have been. Obviously my cavalier attitude to crossing roads where I wish and the thought that she is old enough to be on her own near what can be heavy traffic both need to be wiped out of my brain. I am sure there will be other close calls in her life, I just do not need to be the cause of any more. Like sending my little sister flying over the cliff on that toboggan. Sure a good push will make the ride faster but there might be too much momentum at the end. Lets hope that is a lesson I will not have to relearn with the kids.

Tonights dinner was almost as exciting as all that. The wife made a rice and chicken casserole.
Now some of your are probably tilting your heads slightly at this one but I am telling you she hit it out of the park. Onions and chicken sauteed. Eggplant slices sauteed. Simple white sauce of flour, oil and milk. Rice is covered and then mixed with onions, chicken and white sauce mixture. Eggplants are laid on top and the whole thing is covered with cheese. She said she added cumin and some other spices but wow. No dry tough rice, just the perfect consistency on that. The flavour was out of this world, I mean is she using msg and just not telling me. This was one that I wish I had videotaped as this could be made again, heck it could be made for guests. Just the look on their faces as they go from, "your serving me casserole" to "can I get the recipe" would be worth it. So yeah I pull major bone head stunt number two of the week and get rewarded with awesome dinner number four. For those of you doing the math at home I am way ahead. I wonder what I am making for dinner tomorrow. Only time will tell.