30 Days of Motherhood: Day 1

In honor of my sweetheart's upcoming 2nd birthday, I thought I'd share the ideas, images, and quotes that have inspired me as a mother.

Day One:

"I'm always available if he needs me, period."

~Alanis Morissette, about her son, Ever

When I am having one of those crazy days - the one where you're going non-stop from sunup to sundown, when nothing goes right, and the cat pukes in the middle of the one load of laundry you managed to finish - I try to remember to just breathe.  Breathe, and focus, and be present for my child.  It is all too easy to get caught up in the "have to's" of every day.  Sometimes, you just need to chuck it all out the window, snuggle up with the kiddo, and read "Little Blue Truck."

Motherhood Is Not For Sissies

Motherhood is not for sissies.  The end.

Just kidding...that's not really the end.

Before I had a child, I looked at other parents struggling with their children and would roll my eyes with disdain. I often thought to myself, as those without children do, "I will be able to handle my kids so much better than that."

Your brain tells you those kinds of lies, so that you will, in fact, procreate and make your own offspring.  It must be some form of evolution.  Any first-time parent will tell you: "I had no idea what I was getting myself into."  And that's the truth.  Motherhood, or parenthood, is not for the weak, the lazy, the feeble.

Of course, we all know at least one parent who couldn't care less what their kid eats, or where they sleep, or even who raises them.  I don't actually consider those people parents.  Parents, in my book, give a shit.

Your child will hit, bite, and kick you.  Your child will slap you across the face and then scream at you in the middle of Target.  That same child will keep you up all night, because she doesn't feel like sleeping.  Or, after keeping you up all night, will fall asleep at 5 a.m. just as your alarm goes off to get up for the work day.  Your child will throw food at you and go on hunger strikes.  She will pluck hairs out of the cat and swing the dog around by his tail.  She will refuse to sit in her car seat, instead hanging over the back of it, while saying "No" ever so sweetly.

Small children are kind of like pimps.

But after all of that has occurred, usually on the same day, that child will climb into your lap, snuggle into your neck, hug you tightly, and whisper in her baby voice "My mama."  And that makes you forget all of the crap she's put you through.

My beautiful baby will be two years old next month.  Time has flown, truly.  As her personality blossoms, as her language develops, as the twinkle in her eye gets even more twinkly, I'm just amazed that we've all survived thus far.  This shit is HARD.  

It's also awesome.  No matter how bad it gets, and it does get bad, I am always, always grateful for my child.  For who she is, and for who she makes me.  I never knew how strong I could be.  I never knew my capacity for not giving up, or giving in.  I never, ever knew how big the feeling of love and protection could be.  The word "love" doesn't even seem to encompass the feeling I have for my child.  It's too small, too simple a word, to describe how overwhelming it is to be someone's mother and to feel those thousands of feelings every day, every minute.

Thank you, my baby.

Groovy Recipe: Cheeseburger Macaroni

You see the title, and I know what you're thinking: "That sounds suspiciously like Hamburger Helper."  No way, dude.  Not in my kitchen.  Don't get me wrong - Hamburger Helper is delicious.  Salty, fatty, processed deliciousness.  In my late teens and early twenties, when I was starting out on my own, many a spoonful of Hamburger/ Tuna Helper made its way into my mouth.  But I'm a grown-up now and I have a child to feed as healthfully as I can.

This recipe was totally an experiment, the result of my missing two ingredients for meatloaf with macaroni and cheese.  It came out so unbelievably good, and my picky vegetarian toddler ate it all up, including the meat.  She even helped herself to my bowl, and then her Daddy's.  Then, she licked the serving spoon.

Mama wins!

Cheeseburger Macaroni

6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 package whole wheat elbow macaroni

3/4 lb grass-fed ground beef (the grass-fed isn't necessary, but that's what we do)

1 small yellow or white onion, petite dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup minced carrot

Several dashes Worcestershire Sauce

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2/3 cup butternut squash puree

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

1 tsp ground mustard powder

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Method

Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions, in a large pot.  Drain and return to the pot.

Drizzle olive oil in a frying pan and heat over medium.  Add onion and cook for five minutes.  Stir in the carrot and garlic, and cook another five minutes.  Shove the onion, garlic, and carrot to the side of the pan, then add the ground beef to the empty side.  Cook the beef until browned, then stir everything together and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Season with the Worcestershire, salt, and pepper, then cook for a few more minutes.  Drain the fat, then add the mixture to the pasta.

In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour to make a roux.  Cook the roux for a couple minutes, stirring constantly, until it is an almond color and smells like buttery toast.  Whisk in the milk; bring to a slight simmer.  Whisk in the squash puree and season with salt, pepper, and the mustard powder.  Let the sauce simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and whisk in the cheese.  When the cheese is melted, pour the sauce over the pasta and meat and stir well until everything is well-combined.  Serve in wide bowls.  Grub.

GMO: You Need To Know

I eagerly followed the trail of California's Proposition 37 in the recent election.  In short, the passage of it would require all food containing genetically-modified organisms (GMO) to be labeled as such.

It seems like a "gimme" that it would pass, right?  Doesn't everyone want to know what they're eating?

It didn't pass.  That makes me cry a little.

I will assume that, by now, you know who Monsanto is and what they are doing to the farmers and consumers in America.  Google it if you don't.  It's important.  Watch "Food, Inc."

The United States is one of the few developed countries in the world that does not already require the labeling of GMO foods.  That's just crazy.  Even China requires those foods to be labeled.  Come on, America.  Let's get our act together.

Why is it so important to label GMO foods?  You need to know:

• the DNA of these crops have been genetically-engineered, primarily to resist the harsh pesticides with which they're sprayed.  Corn, soy, and cotton are the most modified crops, engineered to be "RoundUp-Ready" (that stuff you buy to kill the weeds in your yard - imagine that sprayed all over your salad and corn on the cob).
• the DNA of your food affects your DNA.  You know what happens to mutated DNA?  Cancer.
• genetically-modified crops are unstable and their nutrition levels cannot be guaranteed.
• it's a slippery-slope: genetically-modified corn and soy is fed to cows, chickens, farmed fish, and pigs, which alters the animals' DNA, which alters your DNA when you consume them.
• furthering the slippery-slope: the pesticides get into our soil, into our water supply, and therefore into our bodies.
• infants and children are greatly affected by GM foods; their rapid development is stunted, hindered, and influenced by it.  Multiple studies show that consumption of dairy products containing rBST leads to digestive disorders, bowel obstructions, allergies, hormonal shifts (think breasts on infants and boys, early onset of puberty), the list goes on and on.

Several people have told me that they cannot afford to buy organic food.  Sure, it can be more expensive than conventional food.  Here is something to keep in mind: we are a single-income family and believe me, that income is not very large.  How do I manage to purchase almost all organic food for us, without breaking the bank?  Healthy food is a priority in our budget.  We save money in several other areas of our household:

• we don't have a full satellite TV package - I pay about $40 a month, and that provides plenty of channels for us.
• we own our vehicles outright - they are not brand-new or fancy, but they run well (knock wood) and serve our purposes just fine.
• we are conservative with our utilities.
• we live in a small house, which translates to a small mortgage, lower homeowner's insurance, property taxes, utilities, etc.
• our out-of-pocket medical expenses are minimal most of the time - because we put better food into our bodies, our bodies are healthier.
• we eat at home most of the time; I cook fresh foods, rarely using processed or packaged items.

In a nutshell, we live simply.  We are not concerned with the latest trends, we do not worry about keeping up with The Joneses.  What we have is enough.

If you are not yet familiar with The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen, check out those lists to help you determine what is most important to buy organic and what you can skip.  Keep in mind that the lists do change periodically, so check it regularly.

Photo Credit: http://www.definebody.com

A Big Ol' Minus Sign

Life has not been great lately here at The Groovy Homestead.  We've been plagued by months of illness and injury.  Babydoll had two back-to-back ear infections, began teething the two-year molars, and swallowed a penny, which became stuck in her esophagus and she had to go under general anesthesia at the ER to have it removed.  Most recently, Babydoll's Daddy fell and broke his hip.  For real.  And no, he's not THAT old.

To say I've been stressed out is an understatement.

While venting to my mom one night, she told me something she had heard on the radio recently.  A man was on the morning show, talking about negative energy and asked the listeners if they knew people who'd had one bad thing happen after another.  He claimed that there was a lot of negative energy on the planet, and it's affecting a great many folks.

Well, hell.

My mom told me I ought to think about my karma and consider any "bad" actions that may be affecting my current situation.  I do believe in karma, and I do believe in good and bad energy.  I've been thinking about it a lot lately, as my stress levels (and blood pressure) rise.  I'm not always the nicest person.  Sometimes, I am downright mean.  The ideal me would be kind, generous, open-minded, and patient.  I am far from the ideal me.  Very far.

Back in the day, before career and domesticity claimed me, I practiced a bit of Wicca and was constantly cleansing myself and my home of bad energy.  It's been so long since I've done that, I couldn't even remember the basics of what I used to do.  I had to Google it.

Starting this week, I am going to work on becoming the ideal me.  I'm going to begin by cleansing my home of the negative energy, because I can feel it as soon as I come home.  That is no place to raise a child, nor nurture an adult relationship.

• Remove all the clutter
• Burn a white candle in every room
• Smudge sage, in a counterclockwise direction throughout the house
• Sprinkle a bit of salt in the corners of each room
• Keep positive thoughts and images in my mind as I do all of the above

It occurred to me recently that when we bought and moved into our home, I never gave it a spiritual cleansing.  Dumbass!  The house was a foreclosure, so naturally, there was a lot of negative energy in the space.  I've often felt "something" in Babydoll's room and experienced some mischief in there (things have gone missing, toys that I know have been turned off will make noise in the middle of the night, the cat is fascinated by her room).

For myself, I'm going to try breathing more and reacting less.  I think it may just be that simple to diffuse a bad situation.  I hope.