Just takes time...

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!