Shokufeh is... home

It's not all about the muffins

Last night, and a little this morning, I was beating myself up. "My child's not even two, and I'm failing him as a mother!"

Growing up, my brothers and I were blessed to have a mother who prepared cooked delicious, healthy meals. I feel lucky that she cultivated a love of fresh vegetables and whole grains. My high standards for food? A double-edged sword: good for my health and well-being, tough to satisfy in a fast-food world. And my idea of a good mother is based not just on what the media throws at me, but on living with a great mother - for the first eighteen years of my life, and now. Just ten days ago, as we were preparing to leave on our road trip, she whipped up some muffins for us to take. De-li-cious muffins. With pumpkin and nuts and wheat germ and oatmeal.... Muffins that MrMan gobbled down. (And then threw up, but that's another story. One I've already told.) Muffins that we gobbled down. Home-made muffins.

Muffins not dissimilar to the ones I anticipated making last night. My version probably wouldn't be so delicious, nor so effortless, but they'd be good. And good for you. And they'd fulfill the request that MrMan bring a muffin to school today. (They're focusing on the letter 'M' this week.) I had every intention of making those muffins. I looked forward to making those muffins. But after dinner, there was discussion about important matters. And then getting MrMan to bed. And then finishing up our taxes. And then, suddenly, it was 11:00 and I was realizing that I hadn't yet made the muffins.

So Sam went to the store and bought (ack! dagger in my heart! the sugar! the artificial flavoring! how can I feed my child this stuff?!) muffins. And I bemoaned my failings as a mother.

I felt a little better this morning when I dropped off MrMan and saw that other parents had brought store-bought muffins too. And even more better when my eyes fell on this article, listing ten things I'm doing right. No mention of muffins.

1. Giving hugs and kisses and saying "I love you."
2. Reading stories and singing songs, especially before bedtime.
3. Having conversations with your baby before he can talk.
4. Praising baby's accomplishments.
5. Teaching your toddler manners.
6. Admiring your child's artwork.
7. Answering your baby's cries.
8. Making regular trips to the pediatrician.
9. Encouraging your child to interact with others.
10. Celebrating special events as a family.