Saturday, January 11, 2014

My Biggest Parenting Mistake

We have all made one.  Let's be real.  Let's be honest.

I believe as a parent, there is always a part of you that feels as if you are failing....maybe you are failing your kids, your expectations of yourself as a parent, or you are just failing life.  Chances are...you probably aren't!  Nobody does it perfectly and nobody gets it just right.  If you think you are, you are fooling yourself and nobody around you.

I think of the scene from Sex and the City.  Charlotte had it all.  It was perfect.  Until her daughter put her grubby little handprints on her white pants...on the butt!

 Charlotte broke down, went in the pantry, and had a good cry.  Luckily the nanny came.  Realistic?  Who wears white pants around kids under the age of five?  I live in Minnesota, not New York.  Plus, I can't afford a nanny.  I have in-laws.  Not realistic in that sense, but the point is, not everything is always perfect.  You need to have a good "crying, while pulling out your hair, with a glass of wine in the other hand" type moment.  That's ok.  You are human.   You are a mom.  We all do it.

An example...Last week, I was sick and my kids were eating cereal for dinner with re-heated bacon and using large soup spoons, because nothing else was clean.  My worst parenting moment?  No... but I felt pretty crappy.  Way to start 2014...mom of the year.

This actually leads me up to my worst parenting moment thus far.  It happened right before Christmas.  Now, if you aren't familiar with my life, I have two kids.  Natalie is six and Eli is three.  Eli is going through the "I don't have to listen to you, I'm just going to take down my pants and fart on you stage."  He's gross.  I still love him though.  Except on the day I am about to tell you about.

Dealing with holidays,  Christmas break, lots of fighting, trying to "get over" depression and family issues, I was already feeling stressed and tired.  My husband was working a run of night shifts, so he was sleeping.  It was 11:00 a.m. and I already wanted to trade my kids in for a couple of gerbils.  Then it happened.

They were supposed to be playing.  I heard a crash.  Ran from the kitchen, to the living room and what do I see?  The goldfish flopping on the wood floor, the clock across the room, the fish bowl with a  hole in the side and rocks and water spewing onto the nearly dead fish.  I lost it!  But first!...I grabbed a bowl and saved the fish, then I lost it some more.

I yelled at Eli in a way I have not yelled in a LONG time.  I was hoarse afterwards.  What were you thinking, I asked?  He told me he climbed up the stairs to grab the clock off the wall and he dropped it on the fish bowl by accident.  I knew it was an accident.  I couldn't help myself though.  I needed a release and he was the only one there.  I yelled so loud, I woke my husband.  Ross went into Eli's room, who at that point had been punished and all Eli could say was "Momma's really mad at me."

I of course calmed down and we both apologized, but as of late, that is my biggest parenting oops.  I don't like being angry at my kids like that.  I love them.  I want to enjoy them.  Most days I do enjoy them.  I enjoy them, because they make me happy!  They make me smile.

Last night I was going on 14 hours straight with a migraine.  I was lying on the couch in tears.  What do my kids do?  Natalie gets an ice pack and they both crawl up on me and give me hugs and kisses and tell me they love me and tomorrow will be so much better.  Little stinkers.  I'm doing something right!  The sense of compassion they have for others!

Being a mom is tough.  No joke. I am a stay at home mom and it is the hardest thing I have ever done.  If men could be pregnant and push out a baby, I would let them, so we could share some of that responsibility (mad props single dads), but we all know why they can't.


Just remember, we all have those days.  You are not alone.  Cheers to you parents!  It is a tough job, we chose to do it and just be thankful that you end everyday with your kids still alive!   That, my friends, is a good day!  A good day to me is getting out of sweat pants!  Just keepin' it real!  


What is your worst parenting moment?  Share below!

MarianneB.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Quesadillas and Fiestaware


In the above photo, there are three of my favorite things.  Can you guess?

1.  Homemade Salsa
2.  Homemade Cheese Quesadillas
3.  Fiestaware Dishes

I have already shared the salsa recipe and my mom was kind enough to tell me that my food photos looked crappy on my brown dishes.  Cue my Christmas present...Fiestaware!  I have the fancy Canon camera, now I have the beautiful dishes too!

Finally, the quesadillas.  So easy, you are probably wondering why I am even sharing the recipe.  Cheese and tortillas right?  Right!  I also wanted to show off my new dishes :)  Quesadillas are a "go-to," family favorite that guarantees my kids will be cleaning their plates.  Lunch or Dinner, either way, the perfect meal that tastes good and is good for you!

All you need is a hot pan, two tortillas (whole-wheat works great) and your choice of shredded cheese.  If my husband and I are eating, I fry up some chicken and onions too, making them taste even better!

Once the cheese is melty and the tortillas are crispy, you can top the quesadilla anyway you want.  We choose to eat them with lots of veggies, sour cream, and salsa.  In this instance, we had corn and black beans!  So good!



Whats your "go to" meal that is easy and everyone loves?



Marianne

Monday, January 6, 2014

Arctic Freeze 2014

The Great Arctic Freeze of 2014
Done Minnesota Right!


When I woke up this morning it was -24 below zero.  That is not in the positive, people.  When you mix the air temp with the wind, it actually will feel like anywhere from -40 to -50 below today.  That's cold.  How cold?  The Governor of Minnesota called off school for today....on FRIDAY...in preparation for this cold snap.  A Governor hasn't done that in our state since 1996.  Brrrr......

To give you an idea, for you lucky SOB's who live in a warmer climate, when you walk outside and step on the snow, the snow actually sounds like styrofoam.  When you breathe, after roughly ten seconds, your nostrils stick together....Gross.  Another sign it's cold?  Your jacket makes that crinkly noise.  Or?  Your car just doesn't start.
 
So, what do we do to beat the cold on a day like today?  Number one?  We stay INSIDE!  Except when the dog has to pee and I can honestly say I have never seen her pee so fast :)  Number two?  We get creative!  So far today, we have played Tinkertoys, Play-Doh, built a fort and I actually took a shower...all before 8:00 am!








Number three?  There are always the every day activities, such as laundry and cleaning.   We will also toss in some baking, some CindyBlue Designs work, puzzles, reading time, I am distressing a shelf...who knows!  A nap sounds nice too!!!

What are you doing to beat the cold? heat? boredom?

Marianne