Hi everyone! Just a quick post to say we are starting out strong with a happy, healthy breakfast. After yesterday’s post, Closing the Sweet Shop I needed to begin with a bang! Gia and Arianna were so giddy with happiness to get their smiley breakfast. I tell ya, it doesn’t take much, just do something so simple like make a raisin face with a strawberry smile and they are in heaven…
This was plain Greek yogurt, mixed with mashed bananas, and a little honey. A whole grain waffle and a side of strawberries… Yum!
Later on today, the girls were thrilled to have simple graham crackers…Ahh, I am feeling calmer already…Way better than Cheez-Its and frosting…
I actually had to say good bye to Cheez-Its a while back but forgot to post about it!
They don’t seem to be missing any oatmeal raisin frosted cookie bars…
I just want to put some closure on the subject of Baking.
This is so hard for me to write about because I haven’t wanted to face the music, I have wanted to carry on like I have been, people thinking I am fine, writing my humorous posts and baking for everyone and their mothers…in the past three weeks, I have baked for the last music class, the last dance class, the last gymnastic class, the last day of school, barbeques, friends, family, and even store associates – Gazde- if your reading this, I loved baking and bringing you cookies and I love my cookies and I love making people happy with my sweets so don’t feel bad! BUT, and this is a huge BUT…
I can’t do this anymore, the constant flow of chocolate chips, licking of bowls, muffins, frosting, baking craziness- runs to the store, snacking or buying of treats for my girls, thinking about what everyone would like, what so and so likes – the oatmeal ones or the chocolate ones – what Gia’s teacher likes – frosting, and what my family likes… It’s become out of control…I am not a baker by profession, nor would I ever have chosen to be surrounded with frosting and crumbs, remember- food issues here…kind of like an alcoholic working at a bar… this isn’t my job (although it seems like it has been recently- even Gia said the other day when I ran out of flour- “Mom, you’re not even like a Mom anymore, you’re like a baker.” Yikes- isn’t that food for thought…
I feel as if baking gave me an identity, a sense of purpose, and the comments were impossible to ignore, “Jill, you’ve outdone yourself…she’s the best baker, thank you so much…the delight in people’s eyes when they eat a cookie…we love Jill’s cookies…you should start a business, how do you find the time? (That one I love the most, (sound familiar Kris?) etc…” Hard to stop bringing the goods when you feel special and important…
The truth is I am not doing “well” with baked goods and snacks. It’s just not the lifestyle I am happy living. Excess wheat and sugar seem to be aggravating anxiety and my Arianna is growing up with chocolate as a fifth food group. Nothing wrong with a bit of chocolate here and there but she hears the crinkling of a plastic bag, and is like “I want chocolate chips!”
I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I’m ready, this time – for good. The shop is closed. I love my friends and family, my kids’ teachers, and I love how it felt to bake and deliver, but I can’t be the happy, chocolate wagon anymore.
I’m setting sail for fruit islands…I may serve up a low sugar banana bread…but besides that, I am taking care of me and focusing on this family of four.
I was thinking long and hard about this snacking dilemma…from yesterday’s post
less snacks (I know what your thinking- Jill, just shut up about this already) and I know what my Mom is thinking (ok Jill, give them less treats and give us all a break and don’t talk about it anymore!) Hell, even I’m thinking it but I have to write this post.
I remember this story about a boy caught with cigarettes. His dad wanted to teach him a lesson so he made him smoke like five packs or something crazy like that. Wheels rolling…
“Come here Gia…you have a lot of sugar to eat…”
Ughhhh…
KIDDING!!!
I couldn’t really do that! Solution #2
We’ll analyze Arianna and see what happens to her (kind of like a this is your brain on crack scare tactic, remember those commercials?)
Let’s see what happens…
You should have seen the little one after 100 lollypops, she was like a pinball on fire. She ran around the house for two hours straight…in fact, she’s still running…
Again, KIDDING- Don’t call child services on me…yet.
What I did come up with was all of these reward plans, one where I had ten paper pieces of a donut and I was going to staple together every time Gia ate a meal. Then I had this jar, where I would put in a gem in when she followed directions. I also had one for brushing teeth…I am feeling stressed just writing this, in fact, today, I completely forgot which jar was for what and what the plan was..
Aghhh!!! I am such a try everything mess. It took me so long to pack for today’s outing, with these jars and staplers, and I ended up forgetting what everything meant!
Later in the day, Gia was like, “Now where does this go,” about something that she did right. I looked at her, bewildered…no idea.
Something just hit me then and I started laughing…this is ridiculous. The hoops sometimes we jump through for basic life stuff. We’re not talking about getting kids into Harvard here, just eat a sandwich and not get a donut every time we’re out!
STOP THE MADNESS
There has to be a better way!
Remember back in the day when NO was enough!
Remember when kids ate three meals a day, a snack or two, and getting an ice-cream cone on a hot day was just a simple pleasure of life.
Remember when a kid just brushed teeth with a no frills brush. Now they light up, buzz, are personalized, have stickers to decorate, and even talk to you. So do some potty’s by the way, just went on a potty run and am amazed at these flushing, talking potties…” “Hurray, you went potty.”
Hurray!!! I quit.
Why am I and millions of other Moms making parenting a project?
I have this image in my head of me standing on a long line of weary moms, waiting to hand in a thick portfolio to the boss (a mix of an imaginary Mother Theresa and Martha Stewart ). This boss person looks through the arts and crafts scrapbook of wonder, the eating section(organic, made from scratch, well thought out meals, creative and cute), stimulating activities, the organized day, the spotless house, the proper discipline, the “right” activities, Mom’s knowledge of the latest brain building exercise, etc).
Mom waits with bated breath, Do I pass? Do I win? Do I move on to the next level?
SHE DOES- she wins! She gets a trophy, she looks around to show her kids- they are gone.
They ran off. They’re playing at the neighbor’s house.
They are laughing, smiling, and playing with some kids and their relaxed, just happy to be a mom, getting on the floor and being silly, no frills mom.
The Girly Reports 