Mother's Day Mayhem

This year for Mother's Day, I didn't get the usual. No breakfast in bed for me. No flowers or cards. No round of "thanks yous" or "I love yous". I didn't get to go to church and hear the primary children sing to their Moms and I wasn't among the well-deserving mothers who received an instrumental CD or potting plant from the deacons. I woke up on Mother's Day morning in the hospital after a very rough night of changing soiled mattress pads and offering tiny sips of water. I spent my day encouraging one very sick 5-year-old to "please take one bite". Heck, the whole week of Mother's Day was riddled with throw up duty and endless piles of laundry. Merrody first and then Jack was plagued by the worst stomach flu my mothering has ever weathered. My instincts were tested time and again as I weighed the decisions. "Should I take him in or ride it out?" "Should I cancel the birthday party he's been planning since February?" Finally, the party was cancelled and the little boy was taken to the emergency room. I spent my Mother's Day worrying about his withering frame and wondering if I would be able to get him to eat if they sent him home. I guess when you think about it, my Mother's Day was spent being a Mom. I was a Mom deep in the trenches of mothering on that special day.

Someday, some Mother's Day in the future, when I get all the "thank yous" and don't have to do all of the work. I know when that day comes, I'll long to have these days back. I'll long for the days when my children needed me more than anything. For the days when I could wrap them in my arms and take care of everything. Because, as it turns out, I would much rather be a Mother than celebrate motherhood anyday.

P.S. My Mother's Day gift to you are two of my favorite recipes. Do yourself a favor and try these:

Whole Wheat and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

yields: 25 cookies

1 stick salted sweet cream butter, softened (don't blaspheme these cookies with shortening)

1 egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup quick oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Ghiradelli all natural bittersweet chocolate chips

form into 25 balls. bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

Tortilla Soup

3 chicken breasts, grilled and shredded

1 can diced green chiles

3-4 cans of canellini beans (white kidney beans)

3-4 cans of dicedtomatoes with green chiles

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 box of chicken broth

1 small bag of frozen corn

1 small onion

Saute the onion, green chiles and one can of tomatoes in the chicken broth with the pkg of taco seasoning. Add the remainingingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips (I prefer Fritos), and TONS of lime and cilantro. P.S. 1 bowl of this soup without chips is only 188 calories!