Mommy Books - A Review

The book market is full of parenting books and it seems a new genre has emerged. I would label the genre "bitching books." I am really not a fan of the word bitch. It seems supremely degrading to women but I just can't help myself but give this genre the name. Two books I read recently that fit into this category are Confessions of a Scary Mommy by Jill Smokler and My So Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife by Sara Horn.

On the surface the books could not seem more different. The first is secular and full of potty mouth. The latter is Christian and proclaims to be inspired by the beautiful Proverb describing a Biblical wife. Smokler is a stay-at-home mom and Horn is a working mother. Neither are worth your time or money.

My belief is each of these women submitted book proposals to publishers with a grand idea of getting real about being a wife and mother with a promise to be witty and a tab bit provocative. Maybe these authors had a gem of an idea but they both failed royally. The books were cheap and the humor was bad. Both women spent pages complaining about their husbands, whining about motherhood and bitching about the unfair expectations for mothers.

Give me a break. Why is being honest about motherhood all of the negative stuff? From where I am sitting I rarely hear gratitude from women about the privileged lives we live. And I am one of the worst offenders. If either of the books offered anything positive it was that it made me realize how I am part of the problem and makes me never want to complain about my life again.

It seems a provocative and innovative book about being a wife and mother would be one that focuses on the blessings. I get that parenting is hard. I get that being a wife requires compromise. I also get that being a wife and mother are the absolute most important things in my life. They are truly the most beautiful aspects of who I am. Looking back at my full life it seems everything I have ever done has lead me to this time and place and helped shaped me to do this job.

Is it hard work? Yes it most certainly is but it is good work. Books like these that focus on the negative are not redeeming to women. They cheapen our role. They compromise our grace. They weaken our image. I am proud to be a wife and mother and even on its worse day I wouldn't trade it for anything. I think we would all be wise to remember that our lots in life could be much worse. It makes me feel a little sick to see privileged women whining about their privilege.

Cooking With My Kid

Many of my friends love to cook; it is their passion. I am not that mom. I do cook but more out of necessity than desire. I cook because I like to eat. However, Jack and I actually do enjoy cooking together. He is so cute trying to stir, measure flour and crack eggs. Often more food ends up on the floor than in the bowl but we have fun trying.

I also cook because I want to feed my family well. Handing out processed pre-packaged food is much easier than preparing snacks from scratch. My family certainly eats the processed junk but I try to supplement the unhealthy processed stuff with homemade items.

Here are two easy recipes I make for my kids often: pancakes and green smoothies. The internet offers a million and one pancake and green smoothie recipes and here are my versions adapted from various other versions.

Jack's Green Smoothie

1 banana
1/2 cup frozen peaches, mangos or pineapple
1/2 cup fresh spinach or kale
1/2 to 1 cup water
a few pieces of ice

Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into cup with lid and straw and let your kids enjoy.

Note: Jack's favorite color is green and he thinks this is a super treat. I try to only offer this to my kids a couple of times each week and every time I act like it is super special like ice cream.


Pancakes


1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.

1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup pumpkin puree, pear baby food, or other mashed up fruit like a banana

Mix these three ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Heat griddle or pancake pan on stovetop over medium heat. Spray pan with cooking spray. Pour pancake mix into small pancakes in pan and cook until bubbles start to form. Flip pancakes and heat for about another minute until cooked through. Serve with butter, maple syrup or whatever toppings your family enjoys.

Note: A friend taught me that pancakes make a great snack the next day for hungry children and they travel well. Let leftover pancakes cool, put in a snack bag and place in the refrigerator. Just grab and throw in the diaper bag for a snack on the go.

I hope you enjoy the recipes. Seriously if I can make these things, you can too.

Big Bootie

Jack is potty trained, an easy process compared to my beliefs regarding potty training. He basically trained himself over the last year and a half. He wears his big boy underpants and goes potty as needed with the occasional accident. Accidents seem to happen especially when he is playing hard or like a few weeks ago, prior to an illness. Overall he is very successful at managing the potty.

Given the potty training success, last week Jack decided it was time to start wiping himself and pulling up his own clothes. It may sound weird but this kind of makes me sad. Yes, it is nice to have one less butt to wipe but it also demonstrates his constant maturing. I want to freeze time and hold on to my babies.

The potty process also lets Jack's sense of humor shine. He is so funny. He likes for me to sit in the bathroom with him so that we can have "conversations" while he poops. We talk about trucks and Christmas and friends. He makes the most astute observations while on the potty.

Last week after a trip to the potty Jack was attempting to pull up his underpants and out of the blue says, "how do I get this big bootie in here?" I laughed so hard. I hope his humor gets your Monday off to a great start.

A Trip Home

The kids and I recently spent two weeks visiting family and friends. The bulk of our visit was to Gaffney, South Carolina - my childhood home - with a short trip to Hendersonville, North Carolina to visit my in-laws. Prior to the trip I was nervous about traveling alone with my two kids, especially the plane ride; however, both kids behaved wonderfully. Overall the trip was a success and I will definitely be back to visit again soon.

I know what everyone really loves are the photos and here are a few of the highlights from our travels.

Grace swinging at the park in Gaffney.

Jack sliding at the Gaffney park.

Jack sitting in Uncle Jim's new car.

Grace taking her turn in Uncle Jim's car.

Jack at the goat farm while visiting Grannie Annie and Pop.

Grace at the goat farm. She isn't walking yet and I didn't want her crawling around in goat poop.

Jack and Grace looking at goats. We got to see a hour old goat.

Jack and Grannie Annie dancing in the rain.

Grace with my Nanny Hollifield. Grace was named after my grandmother, Florence.

Jack fishing for the first time.

Jack reeling in his first fish.

Me and the kids at a Harris family gathering.

Grace playing in the South Carolina red clay.

Jack digging in the red dirt.

Before this trip I had not been home since August 2010, the longest I have ever gone without a visit. It felt so good to see my family and friends. I was happy to introduce Grace and show how big Jack has grown. Even with two weeks on the road I still felt it wasn't enough time to see everyone, but we definitely put our best effort forward to visit and spend time with our loved ones. 

That red clay is in my bones and some may say my attitude. Gaffney will alway be home and the people I leave there I carry with me in my heart. 

Easter

Easter weekend was beautiful this year. The weather was absolutely perfect and my family enjoyed every aspect of our time together. Here are a few photos to enjoy.

Hope you all had a beautiful Easter!