{TT #2} In Praise of SAHM

For a while I've been wanting to blog about a book I am reading...its SO great.

Thanks goes again to Tanya for introducing me to Dr. Laura. Everyday that I get a chance to listen to her on the radio (& try to apply what she says) I'm a better mom and person.

Because the decision to give up my career (which I loved) and be a SAHM (stay at home mom) wasn't an easy one, I thrive on reading about the benefits of our (Bob and my) choice. This book has just reaffirmed how important it is for kids to be raised by their moms at home, and had made me even more grateful for the decision we made.

Here's a taste of what you'll get in this book...

-After being interviewed by Katie Couric she (KC) said that working and doing important things is great role modeling for children, and it gives them something about their parents to be proud of.

Dr. Laura's response was, "You don't have kids to have an approving audience. You have kids for their sakes, not your own. Children have very specific emotional and psychological needs, best met by a loving parent, not hired help...I believe a child needs to know that a mother loves him more than she loves a job, career, fame, power, money, prestige, or celebrity...No, our children are not there to be our cheerleaders; we are to be theirs.

-"I have never, and I mean never, in 32 years of radio, had a nanny, full-time babysitter, or day-care center worker ever tell me that after her job experiences she would ever turn her kids over to nannies, day care centers, or babysitters!"

A few other things that Dr. Laura has reminded me of...

-I did not give up my career to just cook, clean, do laundry, and maintain a house. I would have had to do all of that anyway. I'm a home to BE THERE FOR MY KIDS. This has helped me keep my focus where it should be.

-No one will treat my kids better or be more in tune to their needs than me. Not grandparents, friends, nannies, etc. I WANT to be the one to comfort, love, & be there for my kids.

-You can't get moments back, & you have to have a quantity of time to have quality experiences. "Quality time" isn't enough...You can't plan out when your kids will do something new, say something funny, or just need you to be there.

Yesterday as Bob was leaving for work, Aidan tried to say "Bye" for the 1st time. He tried to wave by wiggling his fingers , and said "BAA" at the same time. It was so sweet & I was so happy & grateful to be there to see it. So Kudos to all of you SAHM's!! And I'm so glad, like Dr. Laura, that I AM MY CHILD'S MOM. And if you'd like a good read...here you go!

TT: Bake your Bacon Baby!

AS A KID I remember running through my Grandpa's garden planted with tall green corn. There was so many rows that we could play hide and seek for hours. (Remember that all you Johnson/Anderson cousins out there?!)

I mentioned to Bob's Dad that I'd like to have a little garden (in my mind it meant someday when I got around to it), and the next thing I knew he showed up to our house with everything to make a square foot garden & even bags of the best planting soil ever! (Thanks again Will & Claire!)

Ethan may not be able to run through our garden's little rows, but we not only GREW something, but ate it too! Here's the story of how our garden actually produced something edible...

Since my father-in-law went to all of the trouble to help us build a garden, I figured the least I could do is throw in a few seeds. (Half heartedly I might add...my history of "gardening" usually included things turning brown instead of green.)

My mother-in-law also donated a few "starts" of tomatoes and lettuce. (Which, I might add, was appreciated since all 12 of my tomato starts I had already planted, grown, & subseqently killed.) I thought my cause was hopeless when only 2 of Claire's 6 lettuce plants survived my wrath. BUT THEN...

Wow. Are you kidding me? Never mind my bedhead from the Sunday nap I just took...check out this lettuce! Its the size and shape of my very own face! Hmmm, so now what should we do with this lettuce? Make the best BLT ever of course!

My gardening helper Ethan picked the lettuce for our BLT dinner & the rest is history!

Toad's Tip: Bake your bacon in the oven to let the grease drip off and to minimize the "bacon" smell in your house & hair. Also, use turkey bacon...its cheaper and alot less fattening! Bake it at 400F for about 10-15 minuntes...depending on how you like it!

And although its hard to get a "good" picture of food, here's our final product! It was so yummy...and we'll be having them again soon if our tomatoes turn out as great as our lettuce!

3 Cheers for square foot gardening, not killing everything, and actually eating homegrown food while living in the city!! I feel like a "real" adult now. Maybe I'll even start canning and making my own jam one day...okay, I better not push it.:)