Puffed Pancakes

September 26, 2010

3 Eggs

1/2 Cup Pamela's Baking Mix (or other GF baking mix)

1/2 Tsp Salt

Pinch of Sugar or a Couple of Drops of Agave

1/2 Cup Milk

Beat eggs until light.  Add milk and continue to beat.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve to hungry family with toppings of choice (fruit, maple syrup, honey, etc.).  Enjoy!

I Broke Our Number One Rule in Parenting - Find Out Why

May 26, 2014

It had to happen.  Okay, I won’t lie, it’s happened before, but this time it happened on a big scale.  I gave in to a screaming child.  Actually, screaming is putting it mildly.  Screaming, kicking, irrational, absolute hysterics.  Unless you have seen my little Moon in a full blown tantrum, you really cannot grasp what this means and very few people have actually been witness to this (and fewer folks believe she is even capable of such behavior – shows what they know).

It began last year.  We moved her from a small private school where Goodwill grunge is all the rage, status symbols are hybrids, and parents try to keep their children as young and innocent as possible to public school where maturity among 7-year olds is king (or queen if you prefer).  She noticed immediately that there were some differences between herself and her new peers.  The two that stood out the most were the lack of earrings and the inability to sleepover with friends.  Despite the differences, the year progressed, she made many friends and we made it to first grade without too much stress.

First grade  came and was even better than the first with two exceptions – the pesky issues of not being allowed to sleepover and being as of yet unpierced.  We stood firm on both.  I had great experiences sleeping over once I was in middle school, but due to the differences in parenting and what available for kids to see on both the internet and the television, we are just not budging in this issue.  In regards to the piercing, however, I continued to wonder if we should let her go for it.  She didn’t know this, of course, but I did.  And then my resolve crumbled.  No, that’s not true.  I changed my mind.  Back to the tantrum.

I picked her up from school on Friday and we headed to the other side of town to collect The Sun from school, meet a friend for dinner, grocery shop and run other random errands.   Arwyn was tired and hungry and refused my offer of a Vitamin Water, which I keep in the car for children in just such a state.  She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and requested to go home and change, which I denied for several reasons.  I was taking a chance and well, I lost. The tantrum set in which quickly devolved into every wrong doing that I have ever committed against her, namely not letting her spend the night with friends and not letting her get her ears pierced.  Here we go again.  After 45 minutes of sheer hysterics she finally managed to convey a few things to me which is where my mind was changed.
I want to preface the following with letting you know that this child can make her own breakfast (she makes a healthy blueberry smoothie for herself each morning), make her bed, help with the laundry and do many more things that most kids simply cannot or will not do.  Here is what she said, “Mommy I know you think I am a little girl, but I’m not.  I’m a big girl.  I promise to take care of my ears so they won’t get infected.  I don’t like being sad or mad.  This makes me sad and mad that I cannot get my ears pierced.  Mommy, I don’t like being different from the other girls and I just want to be pretty.”  Sigh.

I can remember being the youngest child of older parents and often feeling and being different from the other girls.  In fact, like The Moon, who was born with a cleft lip and palate with the results being quite visable, I was born with a facial defect and never quite fit in.  Life is different now for kids in both good and bad ways and the other children welcomed our girl with open arms, but peer pressure is still and always will be part of growing up.  If I can give her any small opportunities to feel special and pretty and the same as the other girls so that her differences are not always emphasized, well, I’m going to.

There are times as parents when we have to stand our ground and there are times when we owe it to our kids to be open to changing our minds.  This was one of those times.  After a quick consultation with my wonderful hubby who was in full agreement and a lovely dinner of  Greek food, we headed to the nearest Clare’s.  I now give you The Moon, complete with pierced ears.

“To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while. “~Josh Billings

The Gospel According to Arwyn

May 16, 2014

Last night the Moon told us she played “telephone” in her 1st grade classroom.  Her teacher (teacher of the year to us) taught the kids this great games.  Of course, she wanted to demonstrate it at home.  This is how the conversation went:

Arwyn:  Let’s play telephone.

Us:  Okay.

Arwyn:  I’ll be the gospel.

Us:  What?

Arwyn:  I’ll be the gospel.

Us:  baahaahaahaahaahaa…………………..

Arwyn:  What’s so funny?

Me:  I think you mean the gossiper.

On Zoobooks and Marriage

We love Zoobooks.  They are beautiful and educational.  Zoobooks make our 8 year go wild when she realizes her monthly subscription has arrived in the mail.  But, I didn’t realize the added power of Zoobooks when I placed the order.  Distraction.  Last night, my little Moon came into the bathroom for her bath and was holding her newest Zoobook in hand.  This is the conversation that ensued:

A:  Mom, I have to go potty before my bath.

Me:  OK.

A:  You may think it’s strange that I have this book but I am going to read it while I potty.  That’s a little weird too, I know, but it helps get my mind off (wait for it….) getting married.

And there you have it folks.  Zoobooks help distract girls from planning their weddings….when they are eight years old.

I Did It

April 16, 2014

It has been a long time coming.  Whispers in the back of my mind.  Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks at a meeting in December when I realized I was swimming upstream with my job…against a current of apathy and perhaps lack of understanding.  And then, he asked.  The son, our twelve year old, asked to be home schooled.  Again.  He has asked many times before and I could not bring myself there with him.  The idea began to grow in my mind and by the end of January I had made my decision.  Nathan was on board but the loss of income scared us both.  Not a huge loss.

By the time we make our commute, eat out two times per week, pay for private school for one kid and afternoon care for both…what is left?  Not much.  Once I made the decision, got Nathan fully on board, told our little Moon and attended a national home school conference, the signs began to come.  I cannot list them all here but I can tell you my ears perked up and I began to hear the murmurings from so many of my parent peers.

“I work so the kids can go to school here.”  “By the time I pay daycare costs it’s almost as if I should not work.”  “It seems like I am working to pay someone else to raise my kids.”  Is this really where we are as a society?  My mind began to reel.  Yes.  It is.   I wanted to run away these last few weeks.  Throw in the towel.  But, I didn’t.  I made a commitment to myself to go to the end.  The end of the school year.  The end of our giving season.  To meet my goals laid out a year ago with my job.  I hung in there through the biggest charity event of the year for my organization.  And then….on Monday….I said four little words……

“This is my notice.”

The weight of the world  was lifted from my shoulders and I can finish the year with light joy knowing what awaits me at the end.  My family.  My sanity.  The joy of making each day count with those I care most about.  It won’t be perfect every day but each day will be perfect in its own way.

Media Free in Today's World

March 28, 2014

When the Sun was born, the hubby and I were normal folks.  Though deeply emmersed in a spiritual practice, I was a news junky and when home if we were not listening to jazz, I had CNN going full blast.  There were the occiasional nights when we relaxed on the couch and watched Monster Trucks or some DIY show, but something was always on.  Not long after we had our bundle of joy, we recognized the need to protect him from the greater world.  As parents, we were already on the fringe compared to those living around us in our neighborhood (though we were surrounded with friends who parented in much the same way we did), so turning off the cable seemed like a normal progression.  There was no Dora, no Blue’s Clues.  Sometimes, even with our “fringe” friends, we felt a little odd or a little bit like we were depriving our son of something great.  Truthfully, we may have disconnected from the cable as much for our own well-being as for his.  We were addicted to the screen and knew we would all too easily find ways and excuses to sit him in front of it instead of interacting with him.  I am not going to say that never happened, because, well, it would be a lie.

As he grew and we entered the Waldorf world, it was a breathe of fresh air to find others who limited screen time for themselves and their little ones and that is a path that we have more or less stayed on these last 10 years.  Eventually, though we did not turn on the cable, we did succumb to Netflix – a necessary evil with the disappearance of the video store.  Now, we are embarking on a new stage in our life as a family.  As of April 11, Netflix will also be gone and we will be spending the summer without the fall back screen.  Not to say we are totally eliminating it.  We can still receive videos and we’ll be using the computer for news.  But, the streaming, the round the clock availability that makes it all too easy for someone like me to say “yes, you can watch ______” will be gone.

I know.  You will say I am weak.  I should be able to tell the kids “no” when they ask.  Then why even have it in our home?  I broke the news to the Sun, new age 12 and he was devastated.  The Moon doesn’t know and it may be quite unpleasant when she finds out.   But, I know as we move into the next stage as a family (I know, it’s torture, right?) this is the right decision.
Peace Out.

St. Patty's Day - An Explanation

March 9, 2014

I feel I must explain.  It’s not that I hate St. Patrick’s Day.  I don’t.  Really.   I may or may not be of Irish heritage (or maybe I am), but truthfully, despite having access to my ancestry, both of my parents have been here since the 1600′s, so I am not sure where Ireland fits into my gene pool.

 With that said, I LOVE all things Irish.  We frequently have Irish music playing in our home.  I am drawn to shamrocks, leprauchans, and Irish stories of mystery and magic.

But, I am many years away from going out for green beer and all of the things that come with SPD.  And, as an adult, I looked into the deeper spiritual significance of this highly celebrated day and realized it is not in alignment with my own spiritual journey.  It was, however, in seeing from a parent’s point of view and from the point of view as someone who is saddened by the continuous consumerization (that’s a word, right?) of EVERYTHING that I took a stand.  It seems I am not alone.

I could rant right here about why I became very frustrated with this very green holiday, but I read a great article in the Huffington post that said it so succinctly.  Read on, friends, and leave the green to those with real Irish heritage.  When all is said and done, I leave you with what I find so beautiful about Irish traditions in the form of a blessing for you.

It's A Snow Day - Make It Count

January 7, 2014

Two nights ago it snowed.  It didn’t snow a lot – one to two inches – but it did snow.  We knew before going to bed on Sunday night that every school in town – public and private – would be closed on Monday.  Not only did it snow, but prior to the snow, rain set in.  And, as the rain set in, the temperatures dropped.  When we went to bed we were looking at temps around eight degrees and knew that the wind chill factor on Monday would be around -11.  What?  On Monday morning we kept all of the curtains closed to keep out the drafts in our 60 plus year old house.  The central ran on auxiliary and the space heater downstairs never shut off.  Not only was it C-O-L-D, but the Moon (a girl who could give Tigger a run for his money), laid on the  couch with a low-grade fever from the time she woke up until around 5PM.  So, here we were, Mom and kids, in a dark house for the entire day never once venturing outside to enjoy this gift of a sunny snow day.  Sigh.

But, each day is an opportunity to begin anew.  The Moon was still out of school today but the Sun reported bright and early for the Spring semester.   After school today, when we were all here once again, dinner was cooking on the stove, the Sun’s homework was completed and he said, “I think I’ll go sledding.”  As has happened far too frequently in my career as a Mother, I said “okay” and watched him for a few minutes out of the back window.  And then, I remembered that my promise to myself in this new year is to be fully engaged with my kids each and every day and with myself and with life and I quickly grabbed my coat and boots, yelled for the Moon to grab hers and we spend the next half hour dragging the sled up and down our little hill until our fingers were too cold to continue gripping the sled.

Make every moment count.

“In seed-time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” ~William Blake