A moment my child will never forget

My husband swears that I am wrong when I tell him I remember things that happened to me when I was very, very young that I did with my mom.  I do not want to argue with him so I let it go.  My mom died several years ago so I cling onto those memories and at the same time I find myself trying to create memories with my young child that they will never forget.  Today is one of those memory days-both for my child, for my husband and for me. I grew up in an area of the country where I never saw snow and now live in an area that was covered by almost a foot of snow today. From the moment they woke up this morning my child was begging to go outside and counting the moments. Our child's practical parents (one of which grew up in an area where it snows 9 months of the year) convinced our child to wait until after lunch which for them was the equalvent of Chinese Water torture but for us was the delay of the inevitable being cold and changing into clothes and drying and hanging up of clothes.  Finally after lunch we delayed the inevitable and walked outside with our puppy, our young child, our video camera, our camera and our recent acquisition of a sled that a wonderful friend of mine gave me yesterday with the mere request that my child would enjoy it.  I was honestly dreading the cold-although I now live in an area of the country where seasons are the norm my blood still has not realized that and I chill easily. My child though was like a child at Christmas who could not wait to get on the sled that my husband "McGuvered" (okay you children of the Eighties know what I mean) up so it had straps and a pull cord- (he was so proud). So dad and child went up the hill in the neighborhood and slid down the hill in the sled and I honestly do not know which one of them was more childlike-my young child or my husband. We had so much fun and daddy and our child even made snow angels and then we went inside and had hot chocolate.  So as I look around my kitchen several hours later and see wet coats, hats, gloves, shoes and scarves I look at everything as not an inconvenience but a memory that my child will tell their spouse someday that their spouse will doubt the accuracy but my child will never forget!

You only have one....

Let me start by saying I love advice from my mom friends.  But I am so tired of hearing one statement which I heard today for the millionth time that infuriates me which is "you have it easy, you only have one."  Yes I only have one child who I would give my life for but I do not have it "easy."  Moms of mutiple children have different pressures than I do-yes. But moms of only children still have pressures. I am my child's sole playmate at home, entertainer, friend and confidant. Most days I love that but on days when I need to get some things done around the house it is not an option to tell my child to go play with their brother or sister. We desperately wanted more than one child but circumstances do not allow that to happen so we put all of our love into our one child who we were blessed and lucky to have.  I do not have it "easy"  I just have it different.  Please remember that the next time you talk to your mom friends who have only children.  Although you act jealous of how they have it "easy" until you walk in their shoes do not judge their lives.

My child told a lie not an "untruth"

We have all been there as moms. We are running around in the morning attempting to get out of the door. It always seems that no matter how hard you try you always run. This morning was my normal running routine-take a 3 minute shower (1 minute longer than I usually get) get my child up for school and get myself dressed, her dressed, feed everyone including the dog breakfast and run to school for my child and work for me. I call it the "mom blinders" when I am so focused on the finish line of the front door that I forget or ignore the hurdles in the race to get to the finish line. This morning there was a big hurdle. I asked my child a question and I knew the answer that I received back was not the truth. So knowing I was not being told the truth I asked two more times and received the same response. I was furious but wanted my child to admit that they were lying and not have me tell them that I knew they were. So an hour went by and then my child finally admitted that they had not told the truth. I was livid but still had to get out the front door. Although my child was remorseful I did not want the lesson that lying was wrong not to be taught so our conversation on the way to school and after school was how lying was wrong. I told the story to one of my mom friends who said it was wrong to tell my child that they told a lie-I should call it "an untruth" and that she thought I was being too hard on my child. Although I appreciated my friend's advice I wanted to call a lie a lie. I think that our children are being taught political correctness enough already and I refuse to let political correctness enter into my discipline. I do not want my child to think it is ever acceptable to lie no matter how big or small. Lying is never acceptable at any age. There are too many examples in society and the media where lying is seen as acceptable (John Edwards, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods) just to name a few and I do not want my child to ever think lying is okay. Lying is not an "untruth" it is a lie.

The Daily Mommy News: Is it a new Vacuum or a diamond?

The Daily Mommy News: Is it a new Vacuum or a diamond?

Is it a new Vacuum or a diamond?

As I walked in last night from walking our dog I heard my young child excitingly telling my mother in law "we got a new vacuum!" Wow! My mother in law said "your mommy will love her new vacuum!" The tone of my mother in law's voice indicated that she thought I had just won the lottery but in fact the only thing I had won was a new vacuum which is apparently "mine." Although in fact I just used it for the first time and I do "love it" when did it become assumed that when a new household appliance is purchased it immediately becomes the wife's? I am exteremely lucky to have a very domestic husband who I proudly but somewhat embarrassingly admit is more domestic than me at times. He gets right in there with me and helps and cooks and cleans whenever he can and does an amazing job at everything around our house. Yet we refer to our cars as our cars although he drives one and I drive the other. Still when we purchase a new vacuum it becomes mine according to my mother in law. Interesting. You would think I would have gotten a diamond instead of a vacuum with how excited she was with my news of our most recent purchase. Well I had better go-my new diamond calls, I need to use it on the upstairs carpet.

Not wedding planning-marriage planning!

I remember when I got married several years ago.  Once that beautiful rock was on my finger I could not get to the store fast enough to buy every brides magazine I could get my hands on.  Then for months the most important thing to me was invitations, what color flowers and bridesmaid dresses and the most important decision of deciding what appetizers we would serve at our wedding during cocktail hour.  After months of planning the day arrived and it was perfect and went off without a hitch.  Then we were married and went on an amazing romantic honeymoon and then the wedding part of our marriage was over.  Now on to the stuff I saw on The Brady Bunch and Ozzie and Harriet as a kid-a perfect marriage.  Well what no one tells you is that you should not worry about the flowers and the dresses and the appetizers that after your wedding day are long sense forgotten-you need to know how to have a happy marriage not a happy wedding day.  That takes work.  Although I married the man of my dreams and I am more in love with him today than I was the day I married him, there are good days and bad days in a marriage and no one tells you that when you are planning a wedding. The reality is 2 people meet who are from different backgrounds and different opinions, they fall in love, decide to get married and after the wedding romance is over life happens.  Life-marriage is what needs to be planned for.  In less than 2 years of marriage we dealt with cancer (mine), childbirth, a job change, moving and many, many more life issues. That is what marriage is all about.  Life is never boring and now that we have been married for several more years and life has dealt is with more curves I have concluded that instead of investing in all of those brides magazines which now sit on a shelf collecting dust, I should have invested in marriage magazines because that is what wedding planning should be about.  I cannot remember what appetizers we picked for our wedding but I can remember the last meal we ate together as a family yesterday which was delicious because we were together.

Mom What Are We Going to Do Today?

"Mom what are we going to do today?"   Those 8 words first thing in the morning before I have had my morning coffee.  I would love to say "I do not know" but to my young child that is not an option. So as I struggle to be the social director while I am still in bed and my young child has sweetly jumped into bed with me I think.  I am tired, worn out for the week but those emotions are the equalvent of saying "I do not know" so the fact that I am tired is not even worth verbalizing.  So I grab the tv remote and turn on the weather channel to see what Mother Nature has in store for my family.  It is going to be sunny but I have what I call a cold threshold where I do not enjoy being outside playing so I see if the temperature meets that threshold.  Sadly it does not. I cannot wait until Spring!  So as I have this cute pair of eyes looking at me still waiting to hear an answer to my question I come up with a bright idea.  I ask that cute pair of eyes what they would like to do today.  Very simply the answer is "mommy I just want to spend the day with you."  All of my social director anxiety went out the window and I again realize that it does not matter to my child what we are doing but that we are doing it together.  I look back at my childhood and I do not remember a lot about places I went.  What I do remember is being with my mom and I hope that my child's memories are the same someday also.  What are we going to do today-be a family.

Stay at home moms do work!

Today I was asked by a woman when I was at the store with my child when was the last time I worked?  I looked and answered  several years ago which was when I was working full time before we decided to have children. Although I was angry at first I looked back to the days when I envied stay at home moms.  I had always relished the days when I could call in sick from work and stay home and always wondered what moms did all day. The next day when I returned to my job after being sick I fantasized about staying home one day. I thought about the luxuries of not having to punch a clock and deal with a boss.  Then life happened and I became a stay at home mom with a full time boss who does not give me lunch nreaks, reviews and I do not have a clock to punch because my clock is a 24 hour a day clock. I am a wife, mother, teacher of values, morals, the alphabet and numbers, a cook, a cleaner, an errand runner, a budget maker, party planner and the list goes on and on. I cannot remember when I had my last day off unlike when I worked full time and got a paid vacation.  But you know what, I would not trade my job for the world. I am shaping the future of my child through all of the jobs I do every day.  I get to see my child grow up and be there to experience it. I have the best job in the world-I am a mother!  So my answer to the woman today who asked me when the last time I worked was should have been I am working right now, every minute of the day in the most important job of the world-I am raising the future.

Daily Mommy Friendly recipe

Hello, ever have one of those nights where you as a mom are trying to think of a new way to serve up the chicken which you have made for the millionith time and your husband is saying "chicken again"?  Here you go!  My husband and family (even my mother in law) love it!  Enjoy!!  Little mess, healthy and delicious!  3 wonderful things as a mom!

Oven Baked Barbeque Chicken with Stewed Tomatoes

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
14 ounce can Italian stewed tomatoes
KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce
1 Cup Shredded Sharp 2 percent Cheddar Cheese
Garlic Salt
Cumin
Cilantro (optional)

Spray Pam (saves cleaning time as a mom which I love) in the bottom of a glass Pyrex pan.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Puncture small holes in chicken breasts. Pour enough barbeque sauce in chicken to cover chicken completely. Sprinkle with garlic salt and cumin. Drain one-half of liquid from can of tomatoes.  Place tomatoes on top of chicken breasts. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove chicken, baste with liquid in pan. Sprinkle cheese on top of chicken. Top with Cilantro. Bake another 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Welcome to The Daily Mommy News!

Hello and welcome to The Daily Mommy News!  I am new to this blogging business but love 6 things-, being a mom,being a wife, cooking, politics, history and writing so I decided to combine all of my 6 loves in one place.  I hope that you enjoy The Daily Mommy News!  I plan to write about my daily life, thoughts, ideas, advice and commentary and also include mommy friendly recpies.