Having the time to do things I want doesn't seem to be in the cards, any deal, any day, any game. Perhaps it's because I'm really not playing. I bet if put my mind to it I could accomplish so much in a day.
When I was working, I commuted an hour each way, worked 8-10 hours, and still managed to make a nice dinner, get some laundry done, do some cleaning, watch a TV show, have some quality time with my husband, and if I were motivated, a small work-out. Then, after all that, I'd get at least 6 hours of sleep.
How did I do it?
On a good day I put fresh clothes on, get the kids in fresh clothes and out of PJ's, feed everyone breakfast, do a bit of straightening, put a load of clothes up in the washer and head out to the park. All before 9:30am.
On a bad day, everyone stays in PJ's all day, food is served as needed, no one goes to the park, and I sit, when I can, on the couch watching as the house gets taken apart one board book at a time. I complain that Big D has too much energy, and put him in timeout for doing things he should be doing outside. I feed Little D jarred baby food and don't prepare anything fresh for the week ahead.
There has got to be a better way.
How about I give myself an allowance for doing things I should do... yeah, that's it, whenever I get dressed I get $5, if I go to the park, another $5. If I make babyfood, I get $10. You know, like...wait....dare I say it: like a job!!
Sure, sure, who's going to pay me? Me? My husband? How about some government program somewhere that pays mothers for being good mothers instead of paying someone else to watch bad mothers' kids. That makes sense, right? I'm raising the future of America!
Thinking about it like that makes me think that perhaps just being a good mom without getting paid is my job. I'm supposed to be active, I'm supposed to keep my kids engaged and active. Getting dressed, making healthy foods, keeping the house clean, are just a few of the things that are in the job description. I knew that when I accepted this job, but lost sight of it somewhere down the road.
I've been looking for external motivation and, not surprisingly, didn't find any.
I have to do this myself.
I can be the best mother I can be.
I can get my sorry, saggy, saddlebags back in shape.
I can...damn, I just made chocolate and toffee covered matzo for Passover, no more room in the fridge for a week. I'll start then.
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To make up for a couple of weeks of no posts, the Messes of the Day are brought to you by:
Iams Cat Food:
Crayola / Bic
Ingredients:
-1 Box of Matzo ( I like the lightly salted ones)
-2 sticks (1/2 lb) butter (I like salted, but it's up to you and your blood pressure)
-1 Cup Brown Sugar
-1 Bag (8oz maybe) chocolate chips ( I like milk choco. but I bet dark would be good, too)
-Nuts as desired (I like some boys, some girls..you know...some with nuts, others without)
How to:
-Cover baking sheets entirely with foil (it gets messy)
-Lay out matzos breaking as necessary to cover entire area
-Over a medium flame boil butter and sugar until melted then an additional 2-3 minutes, until it coats spoon
(Careful , that sh*t is HOT!)
-Brush caramel as evenly as possible over all maztos ( I find this amount makes three trays worth)
-Bake in 325 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until bubbly
-Carefully remove from oven and place on flat heat proof space.
-Sprinkle generously with chips
-Wait 2 minutes or so, and with the back of a turner (spatula) spread the now melted chips
-if desired, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top lightly
-if desired, cover with chopped nuts ( above I used walnuts)
-while still warm, use large knife ( I used my cleaver) to score and cut into bite sized pieces.
-put in fridge to harden
-Deeelicious...and you don't have to celebrate Passover to love them either!
UPDATE:
A reader suggested she do this with Pretzels !!! Genius! To do this, instead of brushing the pretzels, dip them. Then, once baked, dip them in pre-melted chocolate (use double boiler method if you can.) lay on parchment paper in fridge - oh, I can hardly wait to try this!!!!
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