mother's wonders

I cannot believe I let so many months pass by since I last wrote a post here. It has been a crazy time–crazy and motherhood go hand-in-hand. Not having a consistent paycheck for the first time in a long while has left my mind frazzled at times. However, it has been so great to be able to be such a big part of my kids’ days, in school and out. Even though our bank account occasionally goes in the red, it always goes back to black and, in reality, I have never been happier.

The great thing about the new year is the opportunity to press reset, at least figuratively, on the things in our lives that we want to change or improve. Resolutions are often based on changing our physical beings–stop smoking, lose weight, get off the couch. Believe me, eating better and moving more are definite goals for me but those are ongoing, not something I begin at the start of the year. I am going down a different route this year. I am focusing on being present. Being here, now. So often, I find myself stressing about our financial situation or worrying about something I have no control over when, instead, I could be enjoying my time with my children. This hit me when I went to create my annual photo calendar and could not find enough cute pics of my beauties. To help me avoid this problem next year, I bought myself a really good camera–the Nikon COOLPIX S6100. Seriously, I love it! It is so compact but still takes amazing pictures. I keep it in my pocket all the time and have been capturing so many moments in the last few days–when you look back on them, even the most seemingly mundane moments can be wonderful memories.

Every year, as we get closer and closer to Independence Day here in the United States, the sense of dread in me begins to build. Obviously, I am very glad we are a free, independent country and I want everyone to celebrate it. However, it’s the way it is celebrated, at least around these parts, that I just cannot stand. Despite the economy, people in this neighborhood have plenty of money to buy fireworks. This is not a wealthy area but the expense of illegal explosives does not seem to be an issue. And the blasts begin in the middle of June. Yes, JUNE! And they don’t stop until, if we are lucky, August. At some point every night during this period (June-August–almost our whole summer!), someone in this neighborhood lights off a few firecrackers, usually nice loud bombs. The next four nights are the worst, to the point where my kids cannot sleep unless the air conditioner is on in their room. In some ways, the hardest part about it is watching my poor dog. She freaks out every year and goes into a complete panic. We have to feed her early because she won’t eat once the noise starts. And she is blind and diabetic, making the whole situation that more sad and pathetic. She needs to eat to get her insulin and she can’t see and bumps into things while she panics.

I don’t understand the appeal of lighting fireworks in the street. It’s illegal and dangerous but it is still done. There are plenty of professional shows to enjoy. What’s the point? I just want to enjoy our country’s independence in peace.

It’s been a long while since I have posted but I think I will have much more time on my hand. The reason? Along with the heat and humidity, this summer brings me unemployment. As a teacher, I would have had this time off anyway but, as of now, I have no job to return to in September. Obviously, it would be nice to have some sense of financial security and stability and, hopefully, I will find something else soon. But the fact is that the place I worked was toxic for me and I had a huge sense of relief after I left school for the last time last week. I will try and write and make money freelancing and I am hopeful that I can enjoy this extra time with my kids. Maybe I’ll get a chance to be class mom this fall?

My son loves soup. Always has. However, he is very picky (shocking!) with his soups. He doesn’t like “stuff” in his soup. His definition of “stuff” is anything that is not a matzah ball or a noodle. Forget greens, beans, or veges. Brothy soups are his favorite and it’s easy to get the “stuff” out with a strainer. Chicken soup is the obvious choice but since I am trying not to cook meat and no one eats the chicken anyway, I have been making a very simple no-chicken soup. The flavoring comes from the vegetables and the herbs. Other things can be added but for a classic tasting soup, you need the parsley, dill, and parsnip along with the usual trio of celery, carrot and onion. To add some protein, I add some diced tofu towards the end. It’s one of the few “stuffs” that my son will eat.

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into ½ inch pieces

1 celery stalk, sliced into ½ inch pieces

1 onion, cut into 1/8s

1 leek, split in ½ lengthwise (wash well to remove sand and dirt)

1 parsnip, peeled and sliced into ½ inch pieces

1 small turnip, peeled and sliced into ½ inch pieces

4 clove garlic, smashed

½ cup fresh parsley, stems attached and washed thoroughly

½ cup fresh dill, stems attached and washed thoroughly

Salt, as needed

½ block of silken tofu, diced into 1 inch pieces

Put the vegetables and herbs in a large soup pot and fill with water until about 2 inches from the top. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to keep the soup at a constant simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and continue to taste as the soup cooks, adding more salt as needed. Cook soup for about 50 minutw; add tofu and cook for 10 more minutes.