Motherhood can be thought about in stages, beginning with pregnancy itself or the adoption process - that wonderful time when mothers spend time dreaming and planning, preparing and nesting, queasy and craving. And while I haven't lived through the adoption process personally, my guess is that all of those things apply to adoptive mothers as well, including the queasiness from time to time!
Then we get to these other stages....
· Mothers of young ones – those who
breastfeed and those who do not; those who are so committed to nursing that
they pump while they are at work. I have a special place in my heart for those young mothers since I did so with my first born – back in the day when it wasn’t cool to breastfeed much less pump, and there weren’t rooms at the office with locked doors or even electric breast pumps. That’s right, baby! I am one touch chick, pumping these girls
with a hand pump! (Is that TMI?)
· Mothers of school-aged children – those who home school and those who send their children to private school and those
who send their children to public school.
Each avenue requires diligence to know what each child needs. And that can and very likely will change from
year to year, sometimes even day to day.
· Mothers of college students –
the "kids" have left home, but they haven’t left home.
And you cry because they've left home.
And you worry about them, but you’re also proud of them. I believe that I cried for the first solid
hour driving back home after dropping S off at school in St. Joseph, MO,
because somehow I knew that she would be one who would never move back
home. And sure enough she didn't. I also cried because she was another “parent”
in our home – another parental-like “heart” if you will, because of our particular
circumstances. I couldn't have
articulated all of that at the moment B & I walked out of S's dorm, but it
was all part of those tears. We
mothers? We cry – for our children. Sad tears.
Angry tears. Good tears. Even tears we don’t always understand, but
it’s all part of what makes us who we are.
· Mothers of adult children – be
they married or not; be they well established in their careers; be they
struggling to figure out where they belong.
We never truly stop parenting, but somehow we need to stop simply
because we know it’s no longer our job. We've done what we could – right or wrong – and usually bits of both. But it's a transition stage like all of the others.
· And finally grandmothers – just
about the ultimate reward for all of the other stages! We get to do those things with our
grandchildren that we never had time to do with our own children. We grandmothers don’t hear the clock ticking in our head
24/7. The clock stops when those
grandchildren are around - or maybe it reverses. We can’t seem
to cram enough time in with our little ones as we’d really like – we can’t get
enough snuggles and kisses, can’t get enough tickles and laughter, can’t get
enough wonder and joy from everything being new, can’t get enough of reading books
and bedtime prayers. It’s never
enough. For we – perhaps because we can
look back and remember – perhaps because we feel younger on the inside than we look on
the outside – we get just how quickly each stage appears and disappears into
the next one.
For all
these reasons – I've been thinking about all the good things that mothers
deserve.
For all of the tough days,
mothers deserve something that makes us melt – or that at least almost melts in
our mouths. And a little bling added in
with that melt is never a bad thing. For
this, I give you Lemon Snowballs – or more affectionately known as Lemon Bling
from the glitter! Can you see the glitter?
If you'd like the recipe for these, here is the recipe for Lemon Bling! These really are a nice blend of tart and sweet that just about melt in your mouth!
For all of the sweet
days, mothers deserve something that celebrates that sweetness even more. For this, I give you Amaretti – two
ways!
One way – the original – in all of
its delicate sweet glory – for those days that are sweet from their
simplicity. And the other way – covered
in dark chocolate and extra sliced almonds – for those days that are sweet from
an adventure. (PS - these are one of my favoritest cookies!) It is a SUPER easy recipe (as long as you have a food processor...) amaretti cookies - and if you don't have a food processor, then I can highly recommend the amaretti that my friend offers on Etsy by Nonna Vincenza - or really ANY of her traditional Italian cookies!
For all of the grown up
days – or those days when mothers see glimpses of growing either in themselves
or their children (or more likely both), I give you Cheese Straws – full of
sharp cheddar cheese and peppery spice to bring a slight amount of warmth to
the back of our throats – just the sort of thing to make us ponder and appreciate
the complexities of life.
I will share the recipe and step by step of this one tomorrow along with the comments from today. These were a real hit!
And simply
because all mothers deserve diamonds every now and again – just because! – I
give you Crystal Diamonds – a sweet, slightly chewy, slightly citrusy, rather
addictive little treat well suited for garnishing ice cream sundaes. All together now…sigh. I will share these on Saturday. These are a keeper!
Yes, mothers. Can we ever honor them enough? Of course not. That's why we celebrate Mother's Day every year and not just once every 50 years. It is the most rewarding and joyous and difficult and painful and exhilarating and amazing adventure a woman could ever hope to experience. And mothers LOVE to see cookies from their family made with love and spice and bling!
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you come back soon for the cheese straws and crystal diamond recipes! Or perhaps get inspired for another something to bake for the mothers in your life!
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