This is a great blog from the Huffington Post for my single mom readers… so true and had me laughing until the end. Enjoy!
Month: October 2013
It’s Official!!!
I am proud to announce that I have had my first blog published by the Huffington Post. After they featured our family as the Blended Family of the Week the Friday before last, they asked me to publish blogs on the Huffington Post Divorce site.
Here’s my Bio:
Please support my writing by going to the post and LIKING IT, SHARING IT, COMMENTING ON IT… WHATEVER!!!! 🙂 Sorry if you are receiving this multiple times through different social media sites. I am trying to get as much press as I can so they will feature the blog.
Just click on the photo below for my first post: What It SHOULD Look Like.
Stop and Smell The Roses…
I was in the shower last night when my husband walked into the bathroom and simply said, “Steve is dead.”
My mind raced as I tried to quickly figure out who in the world he could be talking about. Then it hit me. He was talking about “Steve the Stink Bug” who the girls brought in as a pet about two weeks ago. I must say that Steve lived about 10 days longer than I had originally expected (or hoped for that matter).
As I finished my shower, I thought about how although the girls only had Steve in their lives for two weeks, they enjoyed every minute of him. They built Steve a home in a hermit crab cage with sticks and leaves and water in a bottle cap. When my step-daughter returned from her mom’s house, the first thing she did was check on Steve. They were so concerned about his living conditions and his health. His life was fleeting, but they enjoyed him the short time he was around.
Children are so much better than adults at just enjoying the moment. All you have to do is watch them running on the beach to realize that. They are running carefree in the sand while we are sitting in the beach chair worried about sharks and jellyfish and sunburn and drowning in the undertow. A perfect example of this juxtaposition is feeding seagulls. I have threatened my children since they were old enough to understand that if they do not bury any leftover bread crust or Pringles on the beach, then I will be furious. I cannot stand seagulls. I think they are rats that fly… but the kids get so much joy out of throwing bread in the air for them to catch.
Whether it’s a jar full of fireflies, which you know will all be dead by morning, or a goldfish won at the fair who doesn’t stand a fighting chance to make it more than 48 hours. Or a stink bug found in the backyard. They relish in the moment. Children know how to stop and smell the roses.
My handsome boy smelling Dandy’s roses…
Adults have a harder time with this enjoyment of the here and now because we know what is to come. It’s like the fleeting moments when you realize that it has been a few days since there has been any drama with your ex. There have been no emails or phone calls or text messages to speak of. He/she may even be pleasant in your presence.
Rather than enjoy the moment, we tend to focus on the negative and wonder what Summons we may get served next or how he/she is manipulating us in some way. Instead, we should be celebrating the quiet time when we don’t have to have daily talks with our friends or family about any of the crazy going on. Trust me, they probably get tired of hearing it! When you are immersed in craziness, it is a relief to be removed from it, even for just a few days.
Kids see Steve… Adults see a STINK BUG.
Many of my friends have expressed their concern to me when their exes all of a sudden seemed to “get over it.” Their exes were combative and bitter and angry while trying to keep any semblance of control over them by not agreeing to anything even if it is something clearly in the best interests of the children… but one day it stopped. And that sudden calmness made my friends anything but calm. They confessed to losing sleep at night expecting a lawsuit or child support reduction, when all it turned out to be was their ex-husbands had started dating someone new. Rather than enjoy that brief time of peace though, they found themselves anxious.
We need to try to be more like the children. When things start going well with your ex, don’t just assume the worst. Maybe he/she has met someone who can take the heat off of you for a while. Revel in it! Enjoy it! Your kids will be better off with BOTH of their parents happy. Trust me when I say that your ex finding a relationship can be the best thing for your relationship with your ex!
I’m going to try to enjoy the little things more often without worrying about what is to come. I’m going to stop and smell the roses… and be thankful for any little bit of peace I am given. If we are overwhelmingly grateful for the little things, then just think about how exciting the big things will be???????
I may even feed the seagulls the next time we hit the beach. Nahhh…….
One of my favorite paintings by Sandy Vincent – click on it to like her Facebook page
What Co-Parenting SHOULD Look Like
It’s a typical Friday morning and Johnny wakes up to the sound of his alarm clock. After getting dressed, he goes to the kitchen where his dad is up already packing lunches and his stepmom is making eggs and bacon for breakfast. His step-brother comes in and pushes him jokingly – teasing him about a girl. Smiles abound.
Johnny’s dad reminds Johnny, “It’s your weekend with your mom, so if you have anything you want to take, you need to throw it in a bag now. She is picking you up from school, but we will see you tonight at your brother’s baseball game.” They load up the car and head to school.
Three class periods into school, Johnny realizes he forgot his lunch. He calls his dad, but his dad works too far away from the school to get there quickly. Johnny’s dad texts mom, “J forgot his lunch. Do you have time to run something to him?” After a minute or two his phone buzzes and Johnny’s mom says, “I can head there in a few minutes. No problem.”
At the end of school, Johnny and his brother walk out to see their mother’s smiling face in the carpool line. They haven’t seen her since they went to school Wednesday morning, but they have spoken to her each day and talked about their schoolwork and their after school activities. She has been a consistent part of their days even though they have not physically been in her custody. That contact is encouraged on both sides.
On the way home from school, dad texts Johnny saying, “How was your big science test?” So Johnny calls dad and proudly tells him about how well he did on his test. His dad tells him, “Tell your brother I love him and I will see y’all at the game.”
Later, when they pull up to baseball, their mother pulls into the spot next to their dad’s truck. Johnny’s brother runs to join his team while Johnny and his mother look for a place to sit. They see Johnny’s dad, his wife and Johnny’s step-siblings, so they go sit by them so that Johnny can sit with his whole family without feeling the anxiety of trying to decide who to sit with. They all laugh and joke and cheer on the team.
While this whole scenario may seem too unrealistic to you, it is absolutely possible and in the best interests of all of the children involved. As you know, this could have gone completely differently with only a few small changes.
When Johnny walked into the kitchen first thing in the morning, his father could have said, “You’re going to your mom’s tonight, but don’t take anything to that black hole, because nothing EVER comes back.” His stepmom would then hug him and say, “I love you Johnny. Sorry I can’t come to the game tonight, but you know how your mom gets…” Johnny would start his day feeling torn between his parents.
When Johnny realized he had forgotten his lunch, his call to his dad could have been brutal. His dad could have breathed hard and chastised him for causing trouble. It could then spawn a cruel text exchange between Johnny’s mom and dad as they argue over who will take the lunch – reminding each other of past ineptitudes and transgressions and fueling more anger for future arguments.
On the way home from school, when dad texts Johnny, his mom (still angry over the lunch exchange) could say, “Why is HE texting you? You have been with him for the past two days. Can’t you focus on us when you are actually with ME?” Johnny would feel terribly guilty for loving his father and would not feel comfortable calling because he wouldn’t want to upset his mom.
At the game, Johnny would have anxiety deciding who he should sit with. His brother would have to search the crowd twice to find his parents since they try to stay as far away from each other as possible.
Johnny’s day could go one of two ways and all too often parents poison their children and burden them with undue anxiety solely based on their anger toward their ex-spouse. It’s clear that everyone in the second scenario is angry. The worst part is the overwhelming anxiety that Johnny feels all because of his parents’ behavior.
WE control how our children survive following a divorce. You may call your friends and complain about how hard your divorce is, but the only true victims in divorce are the children. They didn’t ask for it and they are completely out of control.
There is no winner in this situation, but the one true consolation prize you can give your children is to be the best co-parents that you can be.
I Have Gone Quite Quiche Crazy…
Although I think I am a good mom, I have learned over the past couple of weeks that I am not a good “crisis mom.” I always think of myself as being so strong and confident. Even my son said to me once when I was wishing Joe would get home because I had a lot on my plate that afternoon, “Mom, you can do ANYTHING… I mean, you were a single mom for EVER.”
That’s true! I AM strong. I AM tough. I can do ANYTHING!
But apparently I CRUMBLE under pressure. Yes, crumble into a stuttering shell of a human being who just withdraws into myself and loses focus on anything and everything else.
So what do I turn to as a means to relieve my anxiety? Meds? Booze? Therapy? No. No. No.
I COOK.
Tasty Thursday came at the perfect time, because I can’t stop thinking about what I want to cook. When I am in the kitchen with the music turned up, I forget about all of my current external pressures. My worries go down the drain…
Something I have been craving a lot lately is quiche. I have gone quite quiche crazy. This is the best quiche out there (because I combined like four of the best recipes I could find to come up with this one). The kids even loved it. The recipe makes 2 – 9 inch pie plates.
Val’s Crazy Quiche
Ingredients:
Pillsbury pie crust or 2 frozen pie crusts
Filling:
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 Tbsp. butter
½ c. chopped onion
6 oz. ham, finely diced
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 c. chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
2 bags of shredded gruyere/swiss blend (or just swiss if that’s all you have)
Egg mixture:
2 c. heavy cream
9 eggs
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
1 c. cheese blend
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
I bought the Pillsbury roll out pie crust and put one pie crust in each pie plate. I shaped them and put them to the side.
Melt 2 Tbsp. of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and stir until onions are softened and beginning to carmelize. Add the ham, mushrooms, thyme and garlic to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until most of the moisture has cooked out, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool 10 minutes before putting in pie crust.
In one pie crust, pack the spinach on the bottom. Top the spinach with a cup of cheese. Finally, sprinkle the bacon on top.
Filling for Bacon Spinach Quiche
In the other pie crust, just pour the mushroom/ham mixture into pie plate and spread evenly on bottom. Sprinkle ½ c. of the cheese blend on top.
Filling for Mushroom and Ham Quiche
Next, put heavy cream, eggs, nutmeg and ½ c. cheese blend in food processor and blend well. Divide the egg mix between the two pie crusts.
This is what it should look like before you cover it in aluminum foil.
Sprinkle another ½ c. cheese blend on top of the mushroom mixture pie. I truly believe you can never have too much cheese or too much bacon… ever.
Now that’s a lot of cheese!
I have found that you need to cover the quiches with aluminum foil for the first half of the cooking so they don’t burn. I cook them about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven, but you may have to toy around with the time and the heat of your oven. If you pull the quiche out and it is still a little runny but looks brown enough, then recover with the aluminum foil and stick back in for a little while.
These quiches are heavenly and are absolutely perfect for a fall Saturday afternoon in the South.
Pour a screwdriver into your Ol’ Red Fancy Rednecks wine glass, take the big screen in the yard, light a fire in the fire pit and invite your friends over to watch some college football and eat some quiche. Sounds like a perfect day to me!!!!
Wait, what was I worried about again?
Life Got in the Way!!!
I am not one to ever wish time away. As a matter of fact, I often have that feeling of wanting to freeze time. I look in the mirror every morning (well, after I put on my glasses so I can SEE myself) and wonder where this 39 year woman has come from? I feel like I was 29 just yesterday… but ten years have just FLOWN by.
29 years young at the beach with my babies
And the kids??? How in the world have they gotten to be so OLD? My youngest child, who I feel like was born YESTERDAY, started cotillion a couple of weeks ago and is almost as tall as I am already! I feel like the past 10 years have just been a blur, so I now find myself just staring at her (which makes her terribly uncomfortable, by the way). I crave the moments we can spend together. I LOVE Tuesdays because it is the one night that I can focus all of my attention on her since the other children are all with their other parent. We can get sushi and just catch up on life…
On her way to her first 5th grade cotillion!
My first born is a full blown teenager now. He is growing every single day and will pass me in the next week (if he hasn’t already today). He is filled with that teenage angst and wants to argue with every single thing I say (while showing me how cut his abs are, of course), but I am still proud of him in everything he does. Even when he talks incessantly about things that I have absolutely no interest in! Some days he seems to put forth effort into his schoolwork and some days he absolutely couldn’t care any less about it. I try my best to be encouraging when he does well.
Throughout the years of their childhood I have often wanted to just yell, “STOP GROWING, NOW!!!!!!!” I have wanted to just freeze time so that I could enjoy that moment forever. Admittedly though, I am ready and willing to close the book on the last month of my life. September 23rd was my birthday, which seems to be when everything peaked. It has been DOWNHILL ever since.
My birthday celebration with my kids and three of my nephews… happy thoughts.
Since then, we have had strep throat, lice, unknown stomach pains (that still are not resolved), meetings about educational “issues” (results coming soon) and a spot cut from my temple (still waiting on biopsy results). I had a friend who had to have surgery on her wrist (so I cooked dinner for her family) and my son had a friend who unexpectedly lost his father. I ran the Bull City 5 Miler only two days after suffering a stomach virus and now two days later I am still having trouble walking (mental note: don’t run 5 miles when you haven’t even hit the pavement in a month). I know I looked like some sort of fool trying to walk down the stairs of my parking garage coming to work this morning. And there is no telling what kinds of germs I picked up since I had to use the nasty handrails in a stairwell that more often than not smells like the pee of the local homeless people.
Lately I have been able to relate to the new song, “Wake Me Up” by Avicii. The video is below:
The song begins with him talking about how he feels his way through the darkness. I too feel like I am “feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart.” The darkness is this new life as a blended family and just the fact that life is passing by so quickly. My sweet husband is so helpful in every single way and I can see how it pains him to see me struggle with my emotions.
I love our life and I love our kids, but I find myself in a constant state of worry over all of our kids because I want everything to go well for them. I am not the kind of person who will blindly walk through life and project my happiness on those around me. Instead I spend my time worrying that others are NOT as happy as I. So on top of the external pressures of the past month, I have also been putting a tremendous burden on myself to make sure everything is going well for the rest of the family. The death of my friend’s husband has also caused me to fear the loss of Joe. It took us 20 years to reconnect and I am counting on at least 30 more years of newlywed bliss with him. That has been weighing heavily on my heart.
Immediately following our 5 Mile race on Sunday… we can run together to stay healthy!!!
As with everything in life, I know that these crazy emotions will rise and fall like the tides I love so dearly at the coast. I know that this too shall pass.
I think the problem I am having right now though is that I do want to savor and enjoy every single second of this life with my handsome husband and our amazing kids, but lately life has dealt me some pretty crappy cards. And it upsets me tremendously when I don’t know how to handle what is put on my plate. I remember my grandmother saying, “I know the Good Lord won’t give me more than I can handle, but I sure wish he didn’t have so much faith in me.” Amen. And AMEN.
The song continues with, “I can’t tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start.” I know that I need to start TODAY. I need to focus on the good and not let the insignificant, petty things in my life affect who I am and how people know me. I am proud of the fact that I have an annoyingly positive attitude. I love that my friends know if they are having a bad day they can call me and I will make them laugh. I love that if either of my girls are feeling down, they know I am a few steps away with a big hug to help make things better. We don’t know where this journey will end, but we must make the most of each and every day before it’s too late.
25 sittin’ on 25 mil….
The next couple of stanzas of the song really make me think of my years as a single mom. I let life with my children pass me by because I was so busy focused on making money and trying to meet someone. Although I had friends who tried to tell me that I needed to prioritize, I thought I had all of the answers so I ignored them. I tried to “carry the weight of the world” because I had too much pride to just ask for help. Most importantly, I was looking so hard for something but in the meantime didn’t realize that I was lost to myself. I needed to be happy with ME before I could be happy with anyone else.
“Wake me up when it’s all over. When I’m wiser and I’m older. All those times I was finding myself, I didn’t know I was lost.” It’s unusual for me to feel this way, but I sometimes find myself at a loss – not knowing how to deal with my son or not knowing if the lice will come back or trying not to let ex-drama affect me. Not to mention that all of this chaos in my life has prohibited me from doing the one thing that I truly love – writing.
So starting RIGHT NOW… I am going to do three things daily to get me out of this funk:
1) Smile and focus on the here and now. I’m not going to let the actions of others bring me down. I will see those actions for what they are – sad attempts to take away the happiness I have in my life. I am going to spend every second I can with my kids so their memories of their childhoods are of US and not things I gave them. I’m not going to worry about them anymore, I am merely going to do everything in my power to make sure they communicate with us if something needs to be changed.
2) Write, write and write some more (daily)!!!! I have always been best when it comes to getting my thoughts and feelings on paper. Sometimes I have trouble expressing myself verbally, but if I sit down at my laptop then I can write for days on end.
3) Take care of ME. I need to exercise daily, take my vitamins and drink lots of water. It’s hard to feel down when you are at your best!!! Plus, taking care of myself will hopefully ensure many, many more happy years with Joe and our kids (and future grandkids).
With all that being said, sorry for my little break in blogging… LIFE GOT IN THE WAY. But I’m awake now and am thankful for every minute of every day (and have two more blogs ready to post!!!!).
Blended Family Friday
I am sitting in bed with a nasty stomach virus, but I am proud to share with my readers that my family was chosen to be featured today in the Huffington Post’s Blended Family Friday series.
I am truly proud of my entire family for making the best out of what could be a very difficult situation. Obviously, divorce is not ideal, but I think we sure are doing a fabulous job at picking up the pieces. God is GOOD.
Enjoy!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/18/blended-family-friday_n_4118310.html
Letter to My Kids Re: Divorce
To my AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL CHILDREN of whom I am so proud,
I am sorry.
I’m sorry that your father and I could not make our marriage last. I’m sorry that nine years ago at the young ages of 18 months and 4 years old I took you to a new home in a new town so that we would have the support of my parents while I looked for a job. My parents were kind enough to buy us a tiny house to rent from them so that we could “start new.” I know it was hard to be away from daddy.
I’m sorry that I had to go from being a stay-at-home mom to working long hours so that I could provide for you guys. I worked very hard so that I could buy that tiny home from Dandy & Papa Judge so that we would have it as our own. Everything I have done post-divorce has been for you.
I know you are still too young to completely get it, but I do hope that one day you see that although your father and I could not stay together, we tried to do everything in our power to make it as easy on you as it could be. I know that sounds far-reaching, but we really did. We both made you our #1 priority and we did everything in our power to work together to make sure you both knew that you would always be the center of each of our universes.
I hope that someday you do realize that although we moved away, I drove almost an hour one way to Wilson on Wednesday afternoons to meet your dad halfway between our homes so that you could spend a couple of hours having dinner with him. You guys would eat and then go play at the playground until it was time to head home. From day one, your dad was welcome in our home and I invited him to come for all important events – first day of school, birthday parties, trick-or-treating. You may not remember, but he was there. And if he wasn’t there, I would send him pictures. And you spent every other weekend with him as well.
Your dad called you every single morning and every single night from the first day of our separation. He has only missed one morning ever because he overslept on a business trip. I called his wife and his mother because I was concerned something had happened to him! So always remember that he has for over nine years now called you numerous times a day. He has never wanted you to ever equate his inability to be with you daily as an indication of his level of commitment to you.
I have worked hard to communicate with your dad so that we can both stay on top of everything that goes on in your life daily. As you know, we always have each other’s backs because as soon as I need his help with one of you guys, I know I can call your dad and he will help me. Not because he wants to help ME… but because he wants to be the best dad he can be to YOU. I would never take that away from him.
I don’t want you to ever feel like you have to choose between your dad and me. Although I know those days may happen, we have always tried to encourage you to love us both. We sit together at activities and have all eaten dinner together after basketball games – not because Joe and I are good buddies with your dad and Amy, but because we all share something very important. Our love for you both.
For nine years now I have tried to constantly remind you that we are still a family, but we just look different now. I have also tried to remind you that you are blessed with even more people now who love you immeasurably! Not only do you have mom and dad and our parents. Now you have Joe, your stepbrother and sister, and Joe’s side of the family and you have Amy and your little sister and Amy’s side of the family. These are more people who adore you and support you and want to do whatever they can to help you grow into some amazing people.
Now that you are older, your dad and I work together for you more than you are even aware. We email each other daily about one thing or another because your lives are getting busier and busier. Since we live so much closer to your dad now, we added the extra night a week for you guys to stay with dad and Amy so that you can spend more time with them. We always try to work out in our schedules anything we can for you guys – we swap and trade and add. It’s not always easy when you have as many different moving parts as we do now, but we do whatever we can for YOU.
I know divorce is a terrible thing. And when you were born and I cried while looking into your sweet innocent faces, this was not the future I would have ever dreamed or wished for you. Your father and I have worked very hard, but I do know that will never be enough. Although we tried to focus all of our energy on YOU BOTH rather than on ourselves, I am sure there were times you felt abandoned by us since we had given up on each other. Hopefully you will recognize though that even if we gave up on each other, we NEVER GAVE UP ON YOU.
Try your best to think about the good that has come out of the divorce. If your dad and I had not gotten divorced, then dad and Amy would not have gotten married. And hasn’t Amy been such a blessing in your lives? And if dad and Amy had not gotten married then you would not have your little sister. How can you question God’s plan in life when you see him make something THAT GOOD out of something bad? You also have a new step-brother and step-sister who love you and will always have your back. And Joe has been a blessing to us all. You know that God knew what he was doing when he brought Joe into our lives. Joe is such an amazing Christian leader in our home and he shows us all his love for us in every single thing he does.
We will all continue to do whatever we can to show you each and every day how much we love you. And we will do it together. As one big family. I can easily see every single one of us sitting together at graduations and weddings and births. We have already set the groundwork for that to happen. You will always be surrounded by people who love you. We are all in this together.
We all love you MORE…. I’m sorry we have put you through this, but we are working every single day to mitigate the effects. Maybe God couldn’t “fix” the mess that your dad and I made by getting a divorce, but He sure has made some good work out of the ashes.
Mom
Essential Tips to Being a Smart Parent in Divorce – Hot Topic Tuesday
I work for the Federal Government, so all of this shutdown nonsense is always right on the forefront of my mind. Thankfully, my office is considered “essential,” so it is business as usual for us right now, but that could change depending on how long this shutdown continues.
All of this talk has got me thinking a lot about what it means to be “essential.” The definition of essential on Dictionary.com is “absolutely necessary; indispensable.”
Since it is Hot Topic Tuesday, I thought a good topic would be to talk about what is essential in being a smart parent during a divorce. So many parents THINK they are doing everything right, but it’s hard to see the true extent of the damage you are doing when you are too caught up in your own anger and pain to realize what is really happening.
In the words of Eminem in one of my new favorite songs, “Question is are you… smart enough to feel stupid.” I LOVE THAT LINE… because I have said many times that I believe the most dangerous kinds of people are those who THINK they are smart, but who are NOT. If you aren’t smart enough to feel stupid, then you are obviously oblivious to everything.
That obliviousness is clear in a lot of parenting techniques that are common right in the throes of divorce. However, below I have listed five tips that are the essentials you must do to be a smart parent in a divorce:
1) Put the children first. That means take your nose out of your iPhone and actually focus on listening to your kids. It’s hard to reassure the children of your love when you are constantly texting your friends or checking your Facebook. And THEY NOTICE. It’s very obvious to them when a parent is not a good listener.
Putting the children first also means not using the children as pawns. Yes, YOU. STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING!! This is probably the biggest mistake parents make when divorcing. Sadly, most of the time they may not even realize they are doing it. If you notice that most of your emails are complaining about things that your ex is doing during “YOUR time,” then you have already fallen into the trap. Whose time is it, really? It is THEIR time (the kids’) and they should be able to enjoy both parents without having to have a divisive line drawn based on what day of the week it is.
2) Communicate with your ex. I talk about this A LOT, but that is because communication is so important in every relationship – especially in a co-parenting relationship. Being willing and able to communicate with your ex is also an extension of putting your children first. You may not WANT to communicate, but you know that it is about the kids and NOT about your desires.
Do not ignore emails and/or pick and choose what you feel deserves a response. Refusal to discuss issues does not help anyone and is merely a trick used by intellectually feeble people who are attempting to look smart or better than someone else. Just respond and move on. It feels much better than to have something hanging over your head.
3) Try to be consistent and give the kids the structure and routine they need. A lot of times when a couple is newly divorced/separated, the parents do whatever they can to be the “fun parent.” They may allow the kids to stay up ridiculously late, eat out all the time, or let them skip their commitments and/or homework. While this kind of behavior can be temporarily fun (and communal living can give a parent a nice therapy session with friends while the kids play until all hours) it is only doing your children a disservice if you are not teaching them responsibility and modeling good habits.
Structure and routine is very important at this crucial time anyway to help get the kids through any anxiety they may feel due to the divorce. I know when we were newly separated, I made a calendar for the children to look at so they could see just how many days it would be before they would see dad again, etc. That structure was just what they needed to feel secure in an otherwise chaotic time.
4) Encourage the kids’ relationship with the other parent and foster love and respect for that parent. What happens so often is a mom or dad will be having a few drinks with friends and they fail to realize that the kids can hear them as they lament on how awful the other parent is. You have to be very aware of avoiding those kinds of situations.
I remember my young children going to their dad’s house for the weekend and they would always say something about leaving me and I rather than go on and on about how much I would miss them or how sad I would be, I would just say something like, “You are going to have SO MUCH FUN with daddy this weekend!! You are such lucky kids to have SO MANY PEOPLE who love you! What do you think your favorite thing you will do this weekend will be???” Crisis averted and the kids would feel encouraged and not scared to discuss what they do with their dad.
If you do everything you can to encourage a loving, engaging and healthy relationship with the other parent, then they will always remember that. They learn about forgiveness and love through seeing our interactions with the other person they love more than anything in the world.
5) Finally, and this may be the most important essential considering it makes a difference in how you react and handle the rest of these on the list… TAKE CARE OF YOU. If you are not in a good place since your divorce, then seek help. You cannot possibly be the best parent you can be if you have nothing left to give your kids. If you think you are too angry or you are depressed, seek help. Even if it is just seeking out a friend or two who you can bounce things off of. Just find something.
Just like happiness begets happiness, misery begets misery. If you are incurably unhappy, then you are going to share that unhappiness with your kids. This in no way gives you the right to be selfish. There is no place for selfishness in parenthood. Sure you sometimes feel like a taxi cab driver and a line cook and a housekeeper and a dry cleaner… all with NO gratefulness from the kids… but that is called BEING A PARENT. You may have to miss the big ball game for a dance recital or you may have to miss a fun concert because your child has a fever. But that’s just life. So you have to learn to deal with the hand you have been dealt and take care of YOU.
All five of the tips above are essential to being a smart parent. Don’t suffer from the double curse – performing horribly as a parent, while being completely unaware of your incompetence. You must be smarter than that and admit when things aren’t working. Take a hard look at how you are currently handling things and you may realize that there are some things you need to change. You may take a hard look at your life and realize that you are inept at giving routine and structure. You may feel like an idiot, but that just means you need to work harder. At least you are smart enough to recognize it.
Eminem would be proud of you for being smart enough to feel stupid.
Val’s Chipotle Pasta with Crab Cakes – Tasty Thursday
As you have probably surmised through my posts, I am a stress cooker. Some people like to eat or drink or smoke…I cook.
Yeah, I COOK.
A LOT.
And not necessarily for myself. I can’t even begin to tell you how much time I spent in the kitchen when I was in law school as a single mom at 35. There is no better therapy to me than turning up the music and cooking.
And I absolutely adore seafood. I cannot even begin to imagine what life would be like without shellfish. It makes my heart hurt to think about it. I think it would be like being allergic to bacon… DISASTROUS.
Some of God’s little gifts for my belly.
So the other day I decided I wanted to try to recreate one of my favorite dishes from a great restaurant in Atlantic Beach, NC. I knew in my head what I wanted to make, but I wasn’t sure where to start.
I found one of Paula Deen’s recipes for crab cakes, so I decided to start there. I love to make crab cakes, but I have never actually used a recipe. It usually has just involved stale hamburger buns and some crab meat because I make them at the river and stale hamburger buns are always around for some reason.
Crab cakes before mixing
This recipe uses Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs. Definitely worth making. I used a red pepper rather than a green pepper in mine. I read a lot of the reviews and saw that a lot of people complained about the crab cakes being too runny. I followed the advice of some who said not to add more crackers. Instead I shaped the crab cakes and put them in the fridge to congeal a little before frying them. They came out beautifully and I would not change a thing.
Frying them up in peanut oil.
Now for the fun part of the dinner… I made pasta with a chipotle cream sauce. And it turned out absolutely PERFECT.
How perfect? Joe actually ate a little and said, “THIS is why we never need to go out to dinner again.” Yes, it is expensive because of the crab meat, but well worth the money and I ate the crab cakes for DAYS. So here it is…
Val’s Chipotle Pasta with Crab Cakes
Pasta – Cook a box of Penne Pasta until al dente and drain.
Veggies for Pasta – Chop up half a red onion and half a red pepper. Cut the corn off of two ears of corn.
Heat about a Tbsp of oil (I used about 2 Tbsp of bacon grease I had leftover from breakfast instead – YUM) in a pan and saute veggies until tender and set aside.
Prepared veggies for the pasta
I cooked the spinach WITH the veggies and think they wilted too much… I will do it differently next time.
Sauce for Pasta – Heat three Tbsp of butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute two small minced shallots in butter. Take a can of chipotle peppers and seed & chop 5 chipotle peppers. Add peppers, 1 Tbsp of the chipotle adobo sauce, 1/2 a glass of dry white wine, and 2 cups of half and half. Let simmer and stir constantly until it thickens.
When sauce has thickened, add veggies and continue to stir. Add a container of uncooked spinach (I think my container was 4 oz) and stir until spinach has wilted to your liking. Add pasta and a handful of chopped cilantro.
Perfection…
Serve with crab cakes for an AMAZING DINNER!!!! I have to say that I outdid myself on this one. I can’t wait to have a dinner party soon so I can serve this to my friends!
Life in a Blender... 