I’ve been a momma for almost 5 years now. I know it doesn’t seem
long but I have learned a few things along the way. The first of which is that
being a mom is hard! Long days… late nights. It truly is a 24/7 job. With that
said, we all know it is one of the most important jobs in the world and one of
the most rewarding. For me being a mom means unconditional love and
forgiveness, enjoying the simple things, and finding joy in everything. Kids are
amazing and smart! They pick up on everything… good and bad. It’s truly a
blessing!
I have 4 children… 4 and under (two sets of twins). They
are with me all day long… everyday! I love it but I can get burnt out (especially
in the winter). During the summer we basically live at the playgrounds in
Central Park. But the winter…. oh the bitter cold winter… we are stuck in our
750sq foot apartment most days. During these endless winter days I have come to
realize it doesn’t take much to entertain my children. Legos, books, Barbie’s,
super heroes... that all keeps them pretty busy. The other day I had them sit
on my bed (we try to keep them off/out of our bed so it’s a treat when we let
them on it) and look at their recent library books then we ate some homemade
bagels. They had a blast all cuddled up next to each other describing their
books to one another and taking about how fun it is to try new foods (they’ve
never had bagels). Then today I sat on the floor with them and colored for
about 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes… that’s all it took. They were just as happy
as could be to sit and color with me. After that they went on to play something
else. Then it hit me. It doesn’t take much to make children happy. Yes it takes
time to raise kids… to meet their needs but to make them happy it’s just so
simple.
I feel like as
moms we can get wrapped up in making sure our children have all of the “things”
they want that we miss what they really want… us. I had a bit of a wakeup call
a few weeks ago when my son told me I always have my phone with me. I asked him
how he felt about me “always having my phone” and he said that it bothered him.
I have since tried to only look at my phone at certain times (limited times) a
day. I am trying to be more in the present, to give my children my time and not
so many things. I try to plan out 15-20 minute activities to do with them a few
times a day and that has seemed to work well for them/us. Their need of my
attention is met and I am still able to get the things on my to do list checked
off. Coloring, reading, building forts, playing Legos… simple things that mean
the world to a child.
On a side note, I know we all have a child that for
whatever reason likes to play hardball and make the simplest of tasks a
nightmare. My children take turns being “that” child. I have found that if I
spend one on one time with them (even just 5 minutes) or set them up in their
room with some toys/books and let them have alone time it makes a world of difference!
So when it comes to our babies let’s keep it simple.
Bagels-
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups white/wheat flour
Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water. Let sit for 5
minutes. Stir in salt. Now add 3 cups a flour and start to knead it (I prefer
to do this by hand but a mixer with a dough hook works fine). Add the last cup
of flour a little at a time until the dough is no longer sticky (you might need
more flour if your dough is sticking to your hands). Knead for about 10
minutes. Spray large mixing bowl and ball of dough with cooking oil (lightly). Place
dough in mixing bowl, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes. After the dough has
doubled in size separate into 6 balls. Then shape into bagels. Cover and let
rise for another 30 minutes.
In a large pot bring about 5 inches of water to a boil. Place
bagels (a few at a time) in the water and let simmer for 1 minute on each side.
Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!
I made some date paste to spread on them and topped it
off with sliced pears. Delicious!
