High Maintenance Mom

Today a friend sang "O Canada" to N's preschool class and then we had a "traditional" BBQ at home. For dessert, I covered graham crackers in ice cream and decorated them with strawberries to make the Canadian flag. I was told the dessert was a little messy but it seemed to be enjoyed. Before B was born, I spent several hours making a template for the American flag using card stock and an exacto knife. I then made brownies and sprinkled powdered sugar on them using the template. It required a lot of work and I'm happy to now have faster, but equally effective, holiday dishes. One of my favorites, that I will use again in a few days, is whipped cream and berries. Waffles make a great medium for flags and do not require as much work as cupcakes or cake. Plus, you do not need as many berries to make them colorful.

Yesterday my kids and I went to the Matzah Factory at our synagogue. A local rabbi came in with an oven, rolling pins, and wheat. We talked about how when the Jews left Egypt, they had to leave quickly so their bread didn't have time to rise. Then we all got to thresh the wheat (we rolled our small piece on the table) and then added our seeds together. My youngest helped grind the wheat, which was then passed around for everyone to see. Afterwards, we mixed store bought wheat with water and then had 18 minutes to roll it and bake it...

Happy Thanksgiving. I'm planning to serve the turkey around noon tomorrow so we can go for walks or play in the park afterwards. My kids don't like turkey but they do love cranberry jello (I just updated the recipe after making it again) and pumpkin pie, which I make with soy milk so I can eat it. My kids also love pumpkin bread with dates in case you want more pumpkin - I can't get enough pumpkin and will be experimenting with a pumpkin pudding this week too.

I was recently introduced to a wonderful new online stationary store just in time for my 2nd baby's birth announcements to be created. Link to the site via the Scoop & Skinny logo we posted on the left side of our home page for a special offer for highmaintenancemom.com readers. Scoop & Skinny is a greeting card and stationery company specializing in everyday and special occasion greeting cards, premium stationery and exclusive invitations and announcements.

Happy Thanksgiving. Our plans for this year do not involve travel, which is relaxing. We will go to the zoo in the morning and then watch tv, play outside, and eat for the rest of the day. I'm hoping the kids will enjoy part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - it's the parade's 80th anniversary...

I am very excited about Mother's Day this year. Mainly because it will be my first Mother's Day as a Mom but also because I think I deserve it. Ok, I know that sounds a bit high maintenance....well, at least I found the right web site! My husband is the most wonderful man (aside from my father who passed away 2 years ago) in the world but he travels so much that sometimes I feel like a single Mom. I have new respect for single Mom's.

There were very few women in my science doctoral programs who had any household knowledge that couldn't be learned in a chemistry book. So one of the shocks for myself and my husband is my current need to have a more presentable house. It's as if one year a biologic clock went off that said I needed to have kids and a few years later another clock went off that told me to clean the house and learn something about cooking.