Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day, a day we have to remember our mom and say "thank you" for all she has done for us. We usually go about with buying a super sappy card that makes a person cry in the card aisle. A card filled with with thanks, love, memories of a devoted mother and the desire to be "just like her". I, myself, always find myself tearing up when reading these cards thinking of all that my own mother has done for me. It brings out such emotion because most of us have such a strong love and appreciation for our mothers.


My mom, sister, and I enjoying our Mother's Day.




As I was looking through cards, I thought of my own experiences as a mother (my mere 3 years of it that is) and thought of what the younger and more inexperienced mother might want to read on her Mother's Day card. I feel this card would be slightly different then the ones I spoke of before...for this card speaks to the newbies.

The card may read something like this...

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Today is the day to say thank you for all you do for us. We would like to applaud your ability to "keep on keeping on". You never let little obstacles get in your way. Mom, here are some reasons why you are great!

~ When you are sitting in the back seat of a hot van nursing the baby while the older child is watching Finding Nemo for the 100th time, you simply sit back with a smile on your face. When, said baby, decides to have an explosion that would put Mount Vesuvius to shame...in the midst of you changing a diaper...you simply offer your favorite jacket as a buffer between the explosive lava and your tan cloth seats. Although, my recollection of this moment is a hot and sweaty me frantically trying to contain the orange staining liquid from getting on her clothes and my back seat.

~ When you are running to the bathroom with a baby latched on (nursing) because your potty-trained child is calling for you...telling you to "hurry" and upon arrival you hear "Wook! 2 big poops and 1 little poop. 3 poops, Mommy!"...you simply smile and say "That is right, 2 and 1 is three, good job"! Although, the reality would be the realization of my inability to multitask while trying to feed a baby.

~ When you are up at 2:00 in the morning and you have just finished nursing the baby (are we seeing a common theme here), changing her diaper, getting her settled in and asleep...and you finally lay your head down to sleep...you hear the bubbling sounds exploding into a "just changed" diaper. You simply drag your weary body with eyes half-shut and change the diaper...which will most likely lead to steps 1-3 again. Although, this is when my sleep deprived self cries inside and begs for just one night of sleep.

~ When at night, you look around at your massive king size bed and you find yourself hanging off the edge to accommodate the weary husband, the child who is sleeping with you because of "the mystery" that is in his room, and the newly arrived baby who only finds the comfort of sleep being next to mommy...you simply curl your body up to enjoy as much of the bed as you can and go to sleep, because you know it will only be moments before you are up nursing the baby again. Although, secretly I am contemplating adding on another room just so I can have my own bed to sleep in

Mom, for all these things and more...we thank you.

Love, Us.

Now, me being the mom, would read this card with puffy eyes (due from lack of the appropriate amount of sleep in the last six weeks) and simply smile. For within all those harried moments are great ones.

I would also remember -

A little boy who speaks of his love for me and has proceeded to tell me "Happy Birthday" everyday since my birthday...a month ago.

Staring, for what seems like eternity, into my daughter's eyes and falling even more in love with her.

Chasing pirates and solving mysteries with an energetic little boy.

Smelling the wonderful newness of my little girl as we snuggle together.

Making "panpapes" (pancakes) with my 3 year old chef.

Watching my spirited little girl discover the joys of smiling.

Hearing my sweet boy telling me that I am his best friend.

There is no card that can really capture what speaks the most to a mom. It is our memories of love lived out everyday that speaks the most to us. I find myself incredibly blessed to be called "mom"...in the crazy moments as well as the endearing ones too.

A typical night.



I am glad everyone else can sleep...at least I get to stare at my sweet girl.



Happy Mother's Day...I love my babies!








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No Oats About It...

My mom, in her unforeseen wisdom, shared with me this great recipe. It is from the blog Strangers and Pilgrims On Earth.

This recipe was a lifesaver for me right after I had my second child. She is definitely more...umm, high maintenance if you will, than my other child. Between caring for a newborn, a 3 year old and all the other stuff life throws your way, I found myself never finding the time to eat. If you know me at all, you know that this situation will not work for me. I like to eat. So, I decided to make something that I could eat in a hurry, with one hand (if needed), on-the-go, at home, yada yada...you get the picture. I remembered my mom sending me this link for homemade granola. I thought filling, yummy, nutritious...yeah, sure, I'll try it.
During a well planned nap time, I quickly gathered all my ingredients and made, what I consider to be, the best granola ever. I did not follow the recipe verbatim. I eliminated some ingredients I don't care for, added a couple extra anti-oxidant ingredients and altered some of the measurements (initially by mistake, thankfully my mother helped me fix it.)

My altered recipe:

I mixed the following ingredients together:
*use a large bowl*
6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups of roasted chopped almonds
2 cups un-sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups wheat germ
1 cup chia seeds
1 cup flax seeds
2 cups dried blueberries
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Set this bowl aside

Then, in a sauce pan, combine the following ingredients:
*cook on medium heat until boil, then remove from heat*
1 1/2 cups of coconut oil
1 1/2 cups of honey
1/3 cup of water
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
11/2 tsp. fine sea salt

Once I completed the above steps, I followed the rest of her directions:

* Pour sauce into the dry ingredients.
* Mix until everything is evenly coated.
* Place a single layer on cookie sheets (I used wax paper to prevent sticking) and bake in batches (275 degrees) according to how much you want to have on hand. (You can freeze the rest and bake later)
* It usually takes about thirty minutes (it took mine about 40 minutes) and needs to be stirred twice
* Remove granola once it is a golden brown, then let cool on a cooling rack
* Store in an airtight container.





Yummy! I now have enough granola to last me quite awhile. I enjoy it as a cereal, mixed in with yogurt, or I grab a handful to munch on as a snack.




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