I'm not proud to admit that I used to be the type of mom who would forget about the laundry in the washer only to find it with a musky, pungent smell emitting from the clothes that I would have to inevitably rewash. At my worst, that memory lapse was worsened by a busy schedule that was costing me double the amount in laundry detergent. The positive outcome of that was I was finally forced to recruit my 10 year old daughter to help me. I was now willing to let her assist me beyond her daily chore of taking the trash out and sweeping the kitchen floor.
My daughter Shyloh is very capable and smart and certainly could have been helping me around the house but my controlling protective personality refused me to allow her to. I was not ready for her to feel the sting of growing up in a household with single mom who was overwhelmed with juggling work, life and raising them. I knew that even if her father had been in the house we would have been issuing her several more chores to teach her responsibilities and a sense of self-reliance. But looking back now I recognize that I was over compensating for my guilt of not providing her with a two parent home by spoiling her. I recognize now that I was of course doing her a disservice. Only the odor of 2 day old wet clothes could trigger me out of such a bad choice.
Now a year later, Shyloh can sort, load, fill detergent and run the washer. You can see the pride in her eyes when she announces to me that she's thrown a second load in the washer. Most of all she loves having the feeling of being helpful to me and that we are a team working together. She has now moved into the kitchen where she helps me to chop onions and is a very observant prep cook. She can even take over dinner once a week, she makes killer tacos on her own!
I can now appreciate that my letting go of the control I felt I had to have is going to have lasting benefits not just for her but for myself. I accept that allowing someone to come in and help me is not a sign of weakness but also allows me to step back and take much needed time to decompress and properly feed my body and soul which translates to me being a better mother.
When I want to feel fed myself
internally I eat a salad. I genuinely love salads. Sure they are healthy and packed with nutrients so the fact that I enjoy them is a bonus! The variety of textures, the crunch, the juiciness and the freshness and colorful array of vegetables and sometimes fruit is so satisfying. You can throw in any combinations of fruits and vegetables, add a protein or don't. Keep experimenting and you will be surprised at how beans, plants, herbs and even squash and pumpkins can all work together to create a fulfilling bowl of goodness!
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