I think the mommy world can feel a little bit judge-y and competitive at times. This is somewhat supported by social networking sites like Facebook and Pinterest. Both provide a steady stream of mostly perfect or desirable images, cheerful status updates, and recent holidays and purchases. This can leave us wondering things like "Why don't I have the time/energy to spray paint pumpkins for Halloween?" or "Am I a horrible mother because I haven't signed my child(ren) up for a second language course/piano lessons/toddler expressive dance?" or "Why haven't I made a decortative box to store my nail polish in?" or "How come I'm not out for a super fun girls night?". To combat this self-doubt/anxiety I try to keep clear the things I like and the things I don't. The things that bring joy to my life and allow me to feel fufilled are: -spending time with friends and family -recipe reading, cooking, blogging -talking, laughing and hearing people's stories (and telling my own) -working outside the home a few times a week -reading; specifically fiction and Macleans magazine -epidurals -trivia games -clean, clutter-free kitchen counters -pedicures The things that I don't enjoy and seem to drain my energy or patience are: -cloth diapering -decorating my house for any holiday other than Christmas -crafting with very few exceptions -gardening and yard care -yoga -working out at the gym -being super outdoorsy The things that I am hoping to one day enjoy: - having a chaise lounger in our master bedroom -kayaking -knitting This helps to remind me that I have things in my life that I love and that I am good at. There are things outside the realm of motherhood on my list. Being a mother isn't my only role or the only place I find fufillment. Once I admitted to my list of don't enjoy I was off the hook. No need to feel inadequate in those areas because I tried and they are not my thing. I also have some stuff to look forward to on the last list. Makes it real easy to keep my priorities straight. Of course I still love Pinterest. I just like to point myself in the right direction, which is how I found the recipe for Cheesy Quinoa Bites. Ingredients: 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 2/3 of a cup dry quinoa to 1 1/3 cups water) 2 large eggs 1 cup shredded carrot 2 stalks green onion, diced (I didn't have any so I added 1/2 cup of shredded spinach instead) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 Tbs all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Mix together quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese and flour. 3. Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top. 4. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Adapted from here. This was popular with the whole family. Two and a half year old and seven month old devoured them. I got close to 24 bites. Great as leftovers and easy to double and freeze.
I hope you can take more joy in the things you love and drop the things you don't and feel good about it. I want to make it real clear it is not Martha Stewart Living over here....like you ever thought it was.
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Tiffany McFadden, RDRecipes
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April 2018
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