I am really embracing the spirit of Halloween this year, and I have Brooke to thank for that. She is so very excited about it - she LOVES dressing up and LOVES candy. There's something about the difference between my boys' tween/teen attitude about Halloween (just not a big deal anymore) and Brooke's absolute enthusiasm for it. I don't know.. somehow it makes me appreciate this holiday all the more. So, I'm pushing aside my utter disdain for the crazy candy consumption that is imminent and focusing on the pure joy that these kids experience on Halloween.
It has been a while since my last post - and even longer since the post before that. Somehow I approached and then hit 40 and all hell broke loose. First of all, the ol' metabolism just isn't as spunky as she used to be. For years I have listened to women say, "Just wait til you turn 40... it all changes!" And by golly, I hit 40 and almost to the day, things changed! I get it now. So I am navigating through that because I like to feel good, have energy, fit into my clothes, etc. Now that I'm 40, I have to work a bit harder to achieve that. Then I've been going through what I think might be part of this thing called a "mid-life crisis." Now, crisis is a bit strong... but there's something about turning 40 that causes one to reflect on 40 years lived. Am I where I thought I'd be at 40? Where am I headed? What do I want to be doing or do that I've not done yet? These are all questions that in some shape, form or fashion have resonated with me over the past year.
I think I mentioned in my last post that my mom went through two major surgeries last Summer. In addition to that, my kids were all over the place - all the while, I was trying to hold down a full time job and be everything to everyone. Well, when you try to do that, it catches up with you. It's impossible, especially if you've neglected to care for yourself in the midst of the craziness. So, last Fall, I made the tough decision to step out of my wellness manager role and into a part time wellness role. Fortunately, Children's made that transition very easy for me which enabled me to have more time to focus on my family. It's what I desperately needed as it gave me time to re-evaluate things and sort of figure out what I/my family needed. That said, I've made another tough decision. I've made the decision to leave everything here and move to Africa.
Just kidding.
Over the past few months, I have been itching to get back into a management role - to work full time again. This helps out financially, of course, but it also helps me - as a person - as I like to be busy - go, go, go is a pace that is natural to me. So, I start full time in just over a week and I'm really really excited. I think it makes me a better person. And I have to say that I am really thankful for the belief that Children's has in me. It makes me want to do a stellar job - to rise to every challenge - to be the best I can be. As great as I feel at work, it has caused me to think about the way I make my children feel at home. I tend to be a touch critical of my kids and in this go, go, go pace that we're in, I often don't remember to take the time to praise them as much as I should. So, I am going to really focus on parenting my kids the way that Children's has "parented" me - with open arms, lots of love, demanding, yes - but full of praise as well.
I mentioned above that this morning, I have been enjoying making my meal plan for the week. As a working mom of three, I HAVE to have a plan when it comes to meals and food. My boys come home from school RAVENOUS. It's actually pretty amazing how hungry they are. I think there's a word for it - HANGRY. Sometimes they come home so hungry that they're a touch angry - hence HANGRY. If I don't have a plan, then we are scrambling, they are disappointed and the evenings don't go as well. I have some great dishes planned for this week, several of which are crockpot meals. One thing I made a couple weeks ago that is always a hit and the ultimate comfort food is potato/corn chowder with sausage cornbread. It's a light chowder that is healthy and colorful and when you eat it alongside a wedge of sausage cornbread, it's lights out good.
First, you cook a package of regular breakfast sausage. I'm sure you could use turkey sausage or something other than regular pork sausage, but I use good ol' Jimmy Dean because I like the way it tastes and I only have just a little bit :).
The sausage is what becomes the bottom of the cornbread. You set that aside (drain off some of the fat) and then mix together corn, corn meal, flour and some other things... pour it all on top of the sausage and put into the oven to bake.
For the chowder, you saute onion and red and green bell pepper.
Gorgeous, right? Then, you add the peeled and diced potato, little bit of cream, water, etc. And the chowder starts to come to life.
It doesn't need long to cook. By the time the cornbread is ready, the chowder is ready. Put the two together and... SHAZAM!!! You have a miracle occurring right there on top of your taste buds!
My chowder is pictures with a little bit of Sriracha on top. Mmmm mmm is this good!!! Click here for the recipe.
