This is the Way We Brush Our Teeth . . .

This morning, the 2-year-old girl I take care of surprised me by repeating a "game" that we accidentally invented last Friday. When I handed her her toothbrush on that day, she absentmindedly put the handle end in her mouth. I grinned at her, shook my head, and said, "Nooooooooooo." She looked at me quizzically for a moment, then realized that something didn't quite feel right, so she turned the toothbrush around and put the bristle end in her mouth. I nodded my head in an exaggerated manner and said, "Yeeeeeeeeeees." Then, with a twinkle in her eye, she turned the toothbrush around again the wrong way, which of course brought a head-shaking "Noooooooooooo" from me. By this time, we were both giggling, and we kept it up for several minutes before getting down to business and really brushing her teeth. Well, this morning, when I handed her her toothbrush, the twinkle in her eye was back, and into her mouth went the wrong end of the toothbrush. :-)

Here is the recipe for the 13-Bean Soup we enjoyed tonight:

13-Bean Soup

2 cups dried 13-bean mix (I found it in the bulk section of our grocery store)
7 cups water
1 ham bone with some meat attached
1 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes
juice of 1 lemon or equivalent bottled lemon juice
garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to taste

Soak beans in water overnight. Gently boil beans for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Put beans (and water), ham bone, tomatoes (pierce to allow juices to escape), lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in crock-pot on low for 8-10 hours, stirring every few hours.