Summer Sips

Although the kids have been out of school for a few weeks now and the temperatures around these parts have been hot, hot, hot, today is the first official day of summer! Yahoo! With that in mind, LeMOMade is bringing you a pitcher of sweet summer goodness ~ Strawberry Lemonade. It takes a little effort but if you have some kitchen helpers like I do, it mixes up lickety-split!

Click play to see how to make this refreshing summer drink

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food, June 2012.

Sue's Chef

I am so excited! I have a little chef in the house. My daughter Miss O enjoys helping out in the kitchen. She will chop veggies, she will stir pasta, she will bake cookies, and much more. One Saturday morning a few weeks back, she made pancakes for all of us - a little bit burnt, but overall a good job. Then a week or so later, we baked a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie together. She cut all of the strawberries and the rhubarb for the filling - awesome!

Miss O likes to eat healthy, and she loves flipping through my Everyday Food and Real Simple magazines to find new recipes to try. Her latest dish, Herbed Ricotta Pasta with Corn and Zucchini, came out pretty tasty. She did most of the prep and cooking herself with the exception of grilling the zucchini. She gave that job to her daddy. She refused all my offers for help, just like when she was a little girl. "I do it myself," she used to say. Kids change in so many ways, but in many ways they stay the same.

Later in the evening on the day Miss O made dinner, my husband was reminding the kids about being kids for as long as they can, and to avoid acting grown up too soon. "OK," said Miss O. "Tomorrow, I am not cooking dinner."

If you would like to make Miss O's pasta dish, here is the recipe from the June 2012 issue of Everyday Food. She omitted the dill, used frozen corn instead of fresh (she just let it thaw a bit before adding to pasta), and bow tie pasta instead of campanelle.

Herbed Ricotta Pasta with Corn and Zucchini
Serves 4

• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 pound short pasta such as campanelle
• 1 3/4 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving grilled zucchini, chopped. (about 3 small to med. sized zucchinis
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

To prepare zucchini: Slice thinly lengthwise. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Chop into bite-sized pieces.

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook past 3 minutes less than package instructions; add corn and cook until tender, 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup pasta water, ricotta, and Parmesan. Add pasta mixture, zucchini, basil, and dill and toss to combine. Add more pasta water if necessary to create a light sauce that coats the pasta. Season with salt and pepper and top with more basil and Parmesan if desired.

Do you know some kids who like to cook? Do they have a yummy recipe that they like to make or try? Do share ~ send me email, just click the tab in the left sidebar.

Plenty of love to go around ~ a guest post

With the magic of modern-day technology, I’ve been fortunate to connect with moms from around the country who are an inspiration. Kelly B. from Florida is one such mom. A former high school classmate of mine, she has lovingly opened her heart and her home to children in need. Right now, she and her husband have five children under six in their care including their young son Isaiah. They welcomed him as a baby into their lives through adoption more than five years ago. This is Kelly’s story in her own words:

Growing up, Mother's Day was just another day on the calendar to do something nice for your mom, give her a card and tell her, “I love you.” Some of the same things that you would do on any day of the week. After one failed marriage that ended at age 29, I often wondered what it would be like to be a mom and if I would ever have that opportunity. I remarried and went through several years of fertility treatments, disappointment, and heartaches. We finally decided on adoption and that too was disappointing. We were finally matched with a young couple and a month before the baby was due, she changed her mind. That day was the worst and the best day of my life. Later that evening, I received a phone call after celebrating my 40th birthday with family and friends. The voice on the other end of the phone said they wanted me to raise their son. She wanted him to have everything she never had. That night I became a mom to a five month old boy.

My son is the greatest blessing! I will forever be grateful to his birth mother for making a brave and unselfish decision for her baby. He is now 5 1/2 years old, and it astonishes me as to how the time has flown by. He will start kindergarten in the fall. It is a joy to wake up every day and see his smiling face and for him to tell me, "Mommy, I love you!" or "Mommy, you are the bestest mommy in the whole wide world!" He also has a nick name for me and calls me "Mama doll" and I call him my "Baby doll".

Last July, we made the decision to become foster parents. I resigned from my job as a medical biller at a chiropractor’s office and we started attending training classes; while I reorganized and prepared our house for additional children. We became licensed right around Thanksgiving of last year and had two young boys placed with us. We've also had a few others in between that have come and gone. The boys are currently still with us; as well as a new placement.

It is a rewarding job being available to mother these children. To love them, comfort them, provide structure, guide them, teach them and so on. Nobody ever said it would be easy. With love and patience though - it's such a joy to see them smile, hear their laugh and giggles and see a sparkle in their eyes. More kids to call me "mommy”. It's taken some adjustments for my son to not be the only child. I have pointed out to my son that I will always love him and that we can love many people; that there is plenty of love to go around. I cherish our moments together! I also am blessed to share these memories with my mother and my grandmother. They are the two most important women in my life. I may not have been blessed with the ability to have biological children of my own but God guided me to be a mother - where I was needed.

I want to thank Kelly for sharing her story on leMOMade. She is truly an example of a woman who has turned lemons into lemonade by making the difference in the lives of many children. Do you have an inspirational story to share? Send me an email using the link on the left, and I will send you the details about how to do so.

Just laugh

Sometimes life as a mom gets hetic! It's busy right now with the end-of-the-school-year stuff and the anticipation of summer vacation. At such times, it's good to just stop, take a breath, then LAUGH!

Here are a few quotes about parenting that make me laugh:

When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out. ~ Erma Bombeck

That's just like staying in the bathroom for much more time than you need to just so you can have a minute or two to yourself!

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ~ Phyllis Diller

Where does all the stuff come from, and when you put it away, why does it show up again later?

The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. ~ Lane Olinghouse

This happens more often than not - "MOM, can you . . . ?"

In the book, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms" author Kristine Carlson devotes a chapter to this very topic. She writes:

On those days when everything seems to be going wrong - or does go wrong - you just have to step back and laugh. Laughter is a great healer. It lets out pressure and stress, and restores perspective.

I just finished reading Carlson's book, and I wrote a review about it on my other blog - 2friends3things1blog. If you would like to WIN, yes WIN, a brand-new copy of the book (I'm keeping mine), you can post a comment here, on the 3 Things blog, or follow LeMOMade on Facebook - see the link in the right sidebar. A winner will be chosen at random on Memorial Day!

Quote of the Week

Some wise words from one of my favorite stuffed-with-fluff character and his friend Christopher Robin . . .

“What I like doing best is Nothing."

"How do you do Nothing," asked Pooh after he had wondered for a long time.

"Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it, 'What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?' and you say, 'Oh, Nothing,' and then you go and do it.
It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."

"Oh!" said Pooh.”

~ A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Take a tip from Pooh and friends, take a moment to do Nothing today.

The Mommy Wars

There's been a buzz in some media circles about the latest issue of Time magazine which features a provocative photo of a young mom "nursing" her almost 4-year-old son on the cover to illustrate an article about attachment parenting. I say "nursing" in quotes because I've never seen a mom nurse a baby or a child in quite that manner - ever. She is standing staring at the camera with her tank top pulled down on one side, while her son stands on a chair to nurse. The mom in the photo stated during a recent Today Show interview that she does not nurse her son like that at home. Really? Big surprise. The photo in and of itself is alarming, and its meant to spark controversy, but the headline "Are you MOM enough?" makes me angry, and from what I've been reading around the blogosphere, I am not alone.

Why? Because once again the media prompts mothers to second-guess their judgement about how to be a good parent. Breastfeeding vs. formula feeding? Co-sleeping vs. babies sleeping in their own cribs? Homemade baby food or food from a jar? Cloth diapers vs. disposable? Stay at home or go back to work? The list of parenting choices goes on, and on, and on . . . but the bottom line is that a mother has the right to make the choices that work for her child and her family, and she should be respected for those choices by other mothers even if they disagree.

Now before I go on, I am not in the attachment parenting camp. I did not wear my babies in a sling or let them sleep in our bed for more than an occasional nap. I did not nurse my children for more than a few weeks. I tried, but was not successful for many reasons, most of all because my supply did not meet their demand. With both of my children, I needed to supplement with formula to be sure they were getting properly nourished to thrive and grow. After several frustrating weeks of trying to feed my son this way, it finally took a good friend to tell me, "If it is not working out, just stop and use formula. It's OK." When I heard those words, it was like a huge weight had been lifted. She was right. It was OK to use formula. I did not have to feel guilty, frustrated or worried that I was not doing the "right" thing for my baby. I needed her support. I needed a fellow mother to say everything would be alright.

More than 10 years later, my kids are alright. They are happy and healthy, and all around good kids. They are not perfect, but neither am I. As my children change and grow, I will continue to seek the support of friends when new parenting challenges arise. That's why the headline on Time's cover bugs me so much. We don't need the media filling our heads with more self doubt and worry about whether or not we are good enough at raising our children. Mothers have so much in common despite different parenting styles or child-rearing choices. We need to build each other up, not tear each other apart. We need to motivate, support, and inspire each other. One mother is not "more" of a mother because she does things differently from another. All mothers who love, nurture, and keep their children safe and healthy are mom enough, don't you think?

Let's Hear it for the Moms!

Being a mom is hard work, no doubt about that. I came across this commercial on You Tube recently that honors moms and their commitment to helping their children follow their dreams, in this case, Olympic dreams. It's a touching ad that hits home for me as a parent of a gymnast and a soccer player who have to be here, there, and everywhere for practice, a meet, or a game. Not only do they have to be there, they have to be there on time with clean leotards, warm-ups, uniforms, gear, water, snacks, and confidence.




When we attended my daughter's first National YMCA gymnastics meet last summer, the speaker at the opening ceremonies, 1984 Gold Medal gymnast Peter Vidmar, had all of the gymnasts in the stadium stand up to applaud their moms (and dads too) for taking them to and fro to compete in the sport that they love. It was awesome!

All moms, dads, and caregivers should be applauded for all they do for their children, Olympic contenders or not. I give a big hand to my mom, a mother of three girls, who was a Brownie leader, a PTA mom, a swim team fan, a marching band booster, and much more. As a band booster, she not only chaperoned overnight marching band camp in a dusty old high school in the middle of a cornfield, but travelled back and forth with a busload of teenagers in the band so they could perform at Disney World duing spring break. To his credit, my dad also served as a chaperone for that same trip, but he elected to fly from Chicago to Orlando and home again. (I'm not sure how he worked out that sweet deal, but it was quite clever on his part.)

A few weeks ago, one of my husband's co-workers asked him why he takes our kids around the world so they can participate in all of their activities. My response to that person would have been "Why not?" As a mom, as a parent, you just do it. That's why!

So here is a little shout out to all the dedicated moms out there - thank you for doing what you do, be it cheering on the sidelines, washing stinky socks and uniforms, making snacks for the team, re-heating dinner for a tired child, and taking your kids here, there, and everywhere to help them follow their dreams.

*If you enjoyed P&G's 2012 Olympic's commercial, here is another short, but sweet advert sent to me from my big sis who lives in London.

Happy Mother's Day! Love, Sue