What I've Learned About Mothers

Today I'm taking a little break from recipe posts to write about Mothering in honor of Mother's day.

As Mothers, we are all in different stages of our journey.  Some, have adult children and are realizing that finally being able to sleep in again would gladly be exchanged for just one more day having their babies back in their nest as tiny ones who need them.  Some Moms are in the throws of the teenage years contending with the drama and the life choices and they feel pain letting their child choose a path they wouldn't have chose and are trying to cope.  Some Moms are in the elementary stage and they're busy.  There's homework and soccer practice and PTA meetings and volunteering at school and you want to fit in and keep up and still be the best you can be but you're tired.  Some Moms, and I am this Mom, are in the throws of toddlerhood contending with attitudes and tempers and a testing of authority all while holding a baby on the hip who wants to rip your earrings out and is crying for attention.  And some Moms are waiting.  They're ready to get the parenthood process going but their young one hasn't arrived.  Their hearts may be hopeful and the days of waiting may be long, but their blessing is coming and so are each of the aforementioned stages.

And no matter what our stage, we're all connected.  We're all laced together by our houses always littered with clutter no matter how hard we try to keep it clean, our kitchens that seem to reproduce a dirty dish at a rapid rate, our fight to lose baby weight or be a little healthier, our want to have friends who understand, our days we feel inadequate... we are all the same.

Before I was a Mom, I thought I'd be so different.  I thought I'd maintain a clean home, my children would have a 30 minute TV limit, my dinners would always be delicious and extravagant and ready for Josh when he got home.  I couldn't understand why you'd put a kid on a leash.  I couldn't image being so tired you'd fall asleep once a week at 9.  I couldn't imagine kids effecting a marriage or anything hard.  It seemed so easy even though I still knew it would be hard.  And then kids came and for nearly two years I've eaten my fair share of humble pie.  I now attempt to withhold all judgement from my fellow Moms because we're all in this same ship where we steer through storms and calm waters alike and hope that when we find land and our children are grown we will have steered correctly and they will be great.  And we're all just trying so hard every day to do the very best we can do to keep our kids safe, healthy, and happy.

Being a Mom has been an extraordinary treasure and gift.  And as I mentioned, it has been so very humbling.  There is no quicker way to unravel and expose all of your flaws, fears, selfishness, and pride than to Mother a child.  Each day you are stretched and broken and through it all you smile not because you have to, but because you want to.  Because even though this is the hardest job you'll ever have, it is the best job you will ever have and you are so very grateful and you feel so blessed.

I truly believe we all feel this way as Moms.  I believe we all share this bond together of knowing; knowing each other's battles at each stage and having compassion for the hardships and joy over the triumphs because we've been there and we know it always gets better when it's bad and the good moments get even better too.

So I'm thankful for today; this day we celebrate Motherhood.  I'm thankful, not only for the sleeping in and the break from diaper changes and the flowers and the beautiful mug from Anthropologie, but also for the reminder of who I am as a Mother and how blessed I am to be living this role.  I'm reminded of how grateful I am for my beautiful sons who I sometimes feel completely inadequate to Mother as much as they deserve to be Mothered and also so blessed to love and call my own.  I'm thankful for my husband who lifts me up daily when I feel weak or inadequate and who celebrates our children with me and who doesn't mind a house that looks like a toy bomb exploded in.  I'm thankful for my village; for family -- especially my own Mom -- and friends who support me and who love on my children and pray for them and are a blessing to us all through being in our lives.  And I'm thankful for the bond we all share as Mothers.  The Mommy Wars are ever prevalent within society between the working Moms and the SAHMs or those who co-sleep and those who let babies cry it out or those who do homeschool and those who do public school or those who... there's always a war.  But deep down inside no matter how we believe about the little things, we're all connected by this bond of Motherhood and the fact that some little person loves us, depends on us, and needs us and we love them, need them, and fight for them daily with all the ferociousness we have.  In that, we are all the same.

Happy Mother's day, my friends!

(All images today taken through Instagram and are images of my own Mother's Day.)

Sweet Tea

My Dad is a sweet tea guru and he taught me his method when I was very young.  When I was older, only I knew the secrets of my Dad's sweet tea and was often in charge of making it for my family.  I found out early on in my dating relationship with Josh that he was not a fan of sweet tea; he liked it plain. After getting over the shock of this I just determined that we'd work together to find a tea that works for us.  So, I've spent the last several years finding a balance.  I'd make un-sweet tea and gag.  I'd make my family's very sweet tea and he'd gag.  And somehow, we've found a balance and we can now enjoy tea together without me having to make two pitchers!  So today, I'm bringing you the secret of my sweet tea.  (Which I think is better than any sweet tea I've ever purchased and is so much cheaper to make at home!)

Ingredients
1 gallon jug
6 tea bags (I love Luzianne brand)
1 cup sugar

Fill a pot of water and throw in your 6 tea bags.  Turn on your burner and let that tea boil.  I usually let it brew about 15 minutes.  You want this tea to be strong, but you don't want the bags to break.

Turn the heat off and drain the tea from your bags.  I do this by hand if I'm feeling especially fearless but that's really stupid and I always regret it.  The best way to do it is to take two spoons and softly press the tea bag between the spoons before throwing it out.  Be careful not to break the bag!  This isn't necessary, but it's going to make your tea stronger and strong tea is good when you're making it sweet!

Now for the most important thing -- and this is the thing my Dad taught me so he gets all the credit (thanks, Dad!) -- pour your 1 cup of sugar into the hot tea while it's still in the pot!!!  Your sugar will melt into the tea and it will be so much better.  I promise.  Give the sugar a stir for about a minute or two until you feel it's dissolved.

Grab your empty gallon (we have gallons of water for those times we need formula and for this I just used one of those) jug or pitcher and pour your tea through a funnel on into the jug (funnel not needed if you're using a pitcher!).  At the end of the pouring you'll be pouring in caramelized tea sugar.  Pour in as much as you can.

Fill the pot back up with warm water and send it through the funnel.  You're basically adding your water and rinsing the last of the sugar out of the pot at the same time.  Now continue to fill the pot (now with cold water) and dump it into the jug until it's almost full.

Give that jug a good shake (or give your pitcher a stir) and then top it off with water.  Put it in the fridge and feel free to enjoy time and time again!

Weight Watchers info: 2 cups = 3 pts plus (More volume and less pts than a can of soda! Win!)

I hope you enjoy this recipe and it helps you!  I feel like it took me years to perfect sweet tea and I couldn't have ever done it without my Dad's tips and guidance!

Baked Green Beans

Today's post is my green bean revelation.  I've always loved green beans and grew up eating them out of the can.  They've been my go-to veggie because buying a can, throwing it in a pot of water, and letting it go has been so easy.  Josh HATES green beans.  He made that abundantly clear at some point when we talked about veggies and has never backed down.  Until now!  When we were at Disney World, he had green beans with an entree at one of their amazing restaurants and loved them.  I realized in that moment it wasn't the veggie he hated, it was the texture and flavor.  So, I started buying fresh green beans and playing around with them and I finally stumbled across something that works and that my husband loves. Now I fight him for green beans because he wants to eat them all.  Go figure!

Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp pepper
3 cups fresh green beans

Weight Watchers Info: Serves 3, 1 point per serving -- I usually take half and call it 2 pts!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees*.

Cut the ends off your fresh beans, wash, and dry them (my beans are starting to have brown spots-- brown spots are not ideal, but they're not bad either).

Put the beans in a bowl.  Pour 1 tablespoon of oil over the beans and mix the oil all over giving them a good coat with your hand.  Pour on about 1 tbs garlic salt and anywhere from 1/2 to 1 tsp pepper and then salt depending on how spicy/salty you want them.  I eyeball it, but I'd say I use about 1 tsp pepper and 3/4 tsp salt.  Sea salt is even more ideal!  Now give your beans another good toss with your hand (it'll be oily and gross) and then dump them onto a baking sheet or dish lined with foil (not necessary, it just makes for easier clean up).  Pop those babies into the oven and let them cook 20-30 minutes depending on how crunchy you like them.  I like them less crunchy but still with a little bite and let them go 30 minutes.  You may have to check on your beans about halfway through and give the pan a shake.  Your littlest ones may brown a bit, but maybe you have someone in your life who likes browned things who will eat those?  For me, that's Josh.

I hope you enjoy these green beans!  I LOVE them and we eat green beans all the time now.  I serve them with casseroles, chicken... they pair nicely with so many things!  And, as an added bonus, Joel likes them too and I'll cook any veggie over and over again if that means he'll eat it!

*I don't ALWAYS cook my beans at 400.  If I'm baking something else I throw them in with it and just adjust my times by keeping an eye on them.  I find 350 generally takes more like 40-45 minutes and 425 can take 15-25 minutes.  Just use your judgement and don't be afraid to taste as you cook!  That's the best way to figure out how you like things and what flavors/textures work for you!