Mirror Mirror on the wall....

I am my mother after all.

I fight and fight not to but it happened anyway. My mother pouts when she doesn't get her way. So do I. She gets angry at the wrong people. Me too. Isn't the first step admitting that you have a problem?


As our gift to one another this Holiday season, she had my children for the majority of their winter break. They got out of school on Friday and they were delivered to her on Sunday. I went back to pick them up the day before they went back to school.

My house was very quiet. Half the time they were gone I got up at 6 - 6:30. I slept like a baby. Now that they are back, I can't sleep for checking on them in the night and they have to practically roll me out of bed to check their chores out before they leave for school.

When I went to pick them up I made sure to spend some one on one time with my mother to see how she enjoyed the visit.


She gushed about how helpful my daughters are and how they cooked and cleaned and took such good care of their baby brothers. I mentioned to my mother that my daughters don't often cook at home.

She said, "That's because you don't let them." to which I responded, "You said that I make them do too much."


That stopped that.


When she stayed with me for 4 weeks, she complained that I make my children do too much because they have chores that have to be done, daily. My home currently has more order and structure than it ever has and I like it that way. If I can only catch the trolls that are eating my spoons and leaving the mystery spots on the carpets, I'll be a happy woman!

I don't make them cook because I like to do it, but I will have them assist me. I also encourage them to experiment, but warn them to be careful. "You have to eat your mistakes". We have very little "quick" food in my house. It is part of the plan to eat like we have some sense. There is preparation that has to happen before you can eat. So hunger must have an imagination. If you have no idea what you want to eat then you must come up with something because there's no microwave dinner in the freezer. I find that it makes food a lot more personal. I have even decided to start to make our bread. It is so much cheaper and the kids like the taste. I can also experiment with different flavors and textures.

I was recently blessed with a bread machine and that is going to make the process easier all the way around. I just have to make sure to measure correctly. It is still a work in progress.

More to come...