I Am SAHM, Hear Me Roar

This weekend, I made my own Declaration of Independence.  Independence from the full time working world, that is.  As long as fate... and our bank account play along, I want to be a Stay At Home Mom.  "Aren't you already a SAHM?", you ask.  Well, yes, but back in the Fall of 2007 when I stopped working, it was always with the intent of going back to work once the kids hit school age.  Over the past year or so, I've had moments of panic, moments where I've thought, "I really need to start looking for a job NOW so I don't have a hard time finding one when the time comes to go back to work."  I'd throw my resume out on Monster and Career Builder, then get all worked up when no one was biting...or worse, when someone would bite and then eventually pass on hiring me.  A couple of times, I got really close to actually getting a job, at which point I'd start getting antsy about the reality of having to stick the kids in daycare for long hours and not being able to see them for more than a few hours on weekdays.   All along I've had mixed feelings about the choice in front of me.  The longer I stay home with the kids, the harder it is to transition back into the working world.  As a SAHM, I'm depriving the family of a second income, the chance to save for the kids' college and retirement or for big, family vacations.  On the other hand, I'm getting a chance to have a direct influence on their young lives and their development. 

All of these considerations have had me "on the fence" about rejoining the work force and I'll be honest, my job search has been half-hearted.  Just last week, I was contacted by a recruiter who found my resume online and wanted to consider me for a job opening.  The torn emotions were stirred up, yet again.  Finally, The Man put it on the line as he saw me stewing over the possibilities.  "Do you want to work or do you want to stay home?"  The truth...the real truth is, I want to stay home for the long haul.  My Mom went back to school when I was about 8 and finished when I was in high school, then went straight into her new career field.  My Dad was in the Navy and was away from home a lot, sometimes for months at a time.  I never resented the hard work they were doing to give us a good life, but at the same time, I missed having them there.  I watched in envy many times when I'd have an activity going on and other kids had family there to cheer them on...and I didn't.  I remember being the "latch key kid" and having my older brother and sister begrudgingly babysit me.  I don't want that for SweetPea and Lil Buddy.  I want to walk them to school...to be there during plays and dance recitals...to help them with their homework...and most of all, help them grow, learn and develop into the grown people they will be someday.  The world is a lot scarier place compared to when I was younger and it seems to me the threats to kids these days are easier avoided by having at least one parent around after school to make sure they stay as safe as possible.  So, I made the commitment to make staying at home work.

In a couple of years, both kids will be in school and I'll have a little more time on my hands.  I may decide to try to find part time work during the hours where they're at school, just to bring in a small bit of extra money.  I'm making a point to search for something right now that I can do from home that might generate a little income.  In complete honesty, my Etsy store is not doing it right now.  I'm facing the reality that it may never be more than a hobby that brings in some money from time to time.  I would love to leverage my writing skills into something that pays, so I'm concentrating on beefing up my blog and on doing some freelance editing work (right now I'm a beta reader for a friend who's writing a novel).  Time will tell how it will work out for me.

My declaration has been made and I'm hoping like crazy that I can remain a SAHM for the long haul!

The Hard Questions

Brayden, my 7 year old, is at that age. You know the one where he is finally old enough to question everything and actually know the difference between being told the truth and getting fed a heaping spoonful of this is what I want you to hear.

It's pretty terrifying.

So when Brayden asks me questions that are important to him, questions that he wants answers to, questions that he will pester me with until he gets an answer that he deems as acceptable, I walk a fine line between giving him the truth and giving him enough information that is appropriate for a seven year old.

My example being last week when he asked where babies come from. My answer was a simple one,

Me: "God. Babies are a blessing from God."

Brayden: "Okayyyyy. But how do they get them out of the moms stomach?"

Me: "They go to the hospital."

Brayden: "Well what do they do once they are at the hospital?"

And this is how Brayden came to know about a very very very (can't stress that one enough) PG version of what a c-section entails (because I wasn't about to go through what a vaginal birth entails with my son). And let me tell you, I was sweating bullets through out that entire conversation.

I thought that perhaps the worst was over. I mean, could it possibly get worse than explaining the dreaded baby question? Why yes, yes it could.

Brayden has always been interested in airplanes. With his father working at our airport and working with and on airplanes each and every day it was sort of inevitable. So the other day when I spied Brayden playing with a fleet of paper airplanes I didn't think much of it. But the closer I got the more horrified I got. You see, all 10 or so of his little paper airplanes had drawings on the sides of them. German insignia drawings. World War II era swastikas to be matter of fact.

Me: "Brayden Anderew, why would you draw that on your paper airplanes? Do you know what that stands for?"

Brayden: (Rolls his eyes - Oh how I HATE that) "Yeah mom, it means they are German planes."

Me: "How do you even know that?"

Brayden: "Video Game. The German planes are the cool ones."

Me: "Buddy, I'm sure that the planes were neat and all, but that symbol is a very very bad symbol and is not something that you should draw on things or use when you play planes."

Brayden: "Why not?"

And that was how Brayden came to learn about a very very (stressing that one again) PG version of the Holocaust, which was most defiantly a talk that I certainly didn't think I would have to have with my child any time soon. It was hard, and balancing on that fine line of honesty and appropriateness was one of the hardest things I've ever done. And I'm sure as time goes on there will be more tough questions and situations that call for truthful talks.

So mom's, how do you get through the hard questions that your children ask?

A Frozen Trio of Red, White, and Blue (sort of)

I opted out of the traditional 4th of July grilling posts that have been popping up all week. Mostly out of laziness (it's a lot of work to gather links and old photos together.) If you want a collection of grill recipes, then click HERE. Knock yourself out.

So this isn't quite a red, white, and blue trio. It's close, though. OK, maybe not. If I had a choice, I'd choose one of these cool frozen treats over a slice of dry, artificially-colored flag cake. Any. day. 


Each recipe has its own commentary, so I divided that up among the recipes to let things flow better. May I present to you, Strawberry-Watermelon Smoothie with Ginger, Pina Colada Granita, and Blueberry-Pomegranate Granita.


Have a great 4th of July weekend, my lovely Americans!


(And Happy Canada Day to you lovely Canadians, TODAY! I love Canadians.)

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We're big smoothie drinkers here. My 3-year-old watches for the blender to come out of the dishwasher and begs for smoothies until breakfast, when I finally cave. There's not much to say about these besides how delicious they are. I love the interesting addition of ginger in this one. I think it adds a refreshing bite to it. This smoothie would be great with or without ginger, in case fresh ginger makes you nervous.





Strawberry-Watermelon Smoothie with Ginger
from Bon Appetit June 2010

3 cups 1-inch cubed seeded watermelon
2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Divide smoothie between 2 glasses and serve.

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Granita? Just a fancy word for shaved ice. Or snow cone. This recipe was an experiment after I made the one below. These are the exact ingredients I use to make Pina Colada Sherbet. I simply changed the method. I love the addition of toasted coconut, and the flaky shaved-ice-like texture, but this one froze quite a bit harder than the other granita. I'm not sure why. I think I would opt for throwing it into my ice cream maker and making sherbet instead, but for those who don't have an ice cream maker, this is an excellent alternative.

Pina Colada Granita
adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

1 whole pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1 15-oz can of coconut milk (not light)
juice from half a lime
pinch of salt
sweetener, if needed (agave, honey, Stevia, etc.)
toasted coconut for garnish, if desired

Place pineapple chunks, coconut milk, juice and salt in a blender. Process until smooth. Taste to see if it needs to be sweetened. Add sweetener to taste and blend again. Strain mixture and remove as much liquid from the pulp as you can. Discard pulp.

Pour mixture into a shallow 9x13x2 metal or plastic container. Cover and place in the freezer for an hour. Using a fork, break up large chunks and scrape down the edges. Return mixture to freezer and let it sit for another 30 minutes. Break up the large chunks again with a fork. Repeat every 30 minutes for an hour or two, until mixture is mostly frozen. Let it freeze overnight, then stir, breaking up chunks once again. If at any time it gets too hard, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes, stir, then return to freezer.

Serves 8-10.

Nat's Notes:
1. This particular recipe froze harder than expected. I'm not sure why -- it could be the coconut milk. I took a bit of work with a sturdy serving fork to get it to the consistency in the picture.
2. To toast coconut, place shredded coconut on a baking sheet and bake on low broil for a few minutes until it turns golden brown. Watch it closely -- it burns very quickly. Not all the pieces will turn brown, either. I like the variegated colors it creates.


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I was lucky enough to receive more free samples of pomegranate juice from POM Wonderful. This is one of the ideas I had simmering in my head, but the other ideas may have to wait. I can't create faster than my family can drink that juice. It's way too tart for me to drink alone, but my husband and kids can't get enough of it. I don't usually give my kids fruit juice, but pomegranate juice is one, very healthy exception.


This was my first attempt at a granita. I was always skeptical when I read granita recipes, expecting a giant chunk of ice instead of a flaky, snow-like consistency. This icy treat was the bomb. WAS the bomb. It only lasted 3 days in our house.

Blueberry-Pomegranate Granita
by Natalie

2 lbs of blueberries, rinsed
1 cup (8 oz) pomegranate juice
1/4 cup raw, turbinado sugar (white sugar is fine)
squeeze of fresh lemon
pinch of salt
whipped cream for garnish, if desired

Combine all in a blender and process until smooth. Strain mixture and remove as much juice from the pulp as you can.

Pour mixture into a shallow 9x13x2 metal or plastic container. Cover and place in the freezer for an hour. Using a fork, break up large chunks and scrape down the edges. Return mixture to freezer and let it sit for another 30 minutes. Break up the large chunks again with a fork. Repeat every 30 minutes for an hour or two, until mixture is mostly frozen. Let it freeze overnight, then stir, breaking up chunks once again. If at any time it gets too hard, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes, stir, then return to freezer.

Serves 8-10.

Nat's Notes:
1. I highly recommend the whipped cream. The granita is a bit tart (for me . . . I'm sensitive to tartness), and the cream took care of that very well. And there aren't a whole lot of treats that wouldn't benefit from a dollop of whipped cream. Especially freshly whipped cream.

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