Quotable Quotes

I was in the car with one of the boys the other day.  We were chatting away about I don't remember exactly something sorta important that was frustrating the boy that was with me, I don't remember which one it was my child.  I started to rattle off one of my favorite sayings - "into each life some rain must fall" and that got me thinking about the motherly advice that we are prone to dispense to our kids during what we might hope are "teachable moments".

I started thinking  - will this be a quotable quote that my son will remember mom saying when he's all grown up and reflecting on his childhood?  Will this be one of those "I remember" moments that will help mold him when he is grown up and searching for mom's voice and wisdom when she's not sitting in the car next to him?

I hope so.  I have been reflecting on my 'mother actions' a lot since Christmas.  I have this deep desire to be the kind of mom that will mold and shape and influence her boys in a positive fashion that they will carry throughout their adult lives.  I want to be the kind of mom that the boys reflect on and say "I remember when mom used to make homemade buns; they were sooo good".  Or "mom always told us _____________".  Or mom listened, mom helped, mom encouraged, mom advised, mom played, mom taught us.... 

I don't want to be SUPER Mom.  I just want to be a super mom to Andrew and Ben.

That got me thinking about my own mother.  (By the way, she DID make awesome homemade buns and the smell of those buns baking in time for after school snacks will never leave me.  She listened, helped, encouraged, advised, played.....)

But my mom was also full of anecdotes and quotable quotes.  I've been thinking about them for a few days.  Here's a couple of her favorites:

"FIRST WE WORK AND THEN WE PLAY"

Just what every child wants to hear, right?!!  But she taught me that it's more fun in the long run to get your work done first (and quickly) for then there's more time to have fun.  There's almost a sing-song rhythm to the anecdote that, for me, took the bite out of the reality of getting our work done first.  It also taught me the necessity of work and helped teach me a good work ethic.

"A GOOD CRY WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER"

Yeah, that was always so encouraging.  Go cry your eyes out and then everything will be okay.  Huh?  But, seriously, as a developing hormonal adolescent, that was good advice!  I remember feeling out of sorts regarding 'who knows what' and seeking solace in the hayloft of the barn and having myself a good boo-hoo all alone.  By the time I had bawled my eyes out and dried my tears up, I usually did feel better.  It is a smart woman who teaches her daughter to embrace her emotions, no matter the spectrum.  As a grown up who doesn't cry easily any more, I often wish that I could just have a good cry and release the tensions that come with bottled up emotions.  A good laugh, a good cry - both helpful, right?!! 

"IT TAKES PAINS TO BE BEAUTIFUL"

The longer I try to explain the wisdom of this one in the year 2013, the harder it is for me to remember the teachable moment here.  Hmm.  Well, back in those days, beautiful hair came via bobby pin curls, sleeping on rollers, washing out blemishes with Ajax (don't ask) and bravely and thankfully accepting hand-me-downs from whoever and wherever.  I guess the bottom line lesson is that, if you want something good, it often requires hardship/pain/sacrifice.  If you wanted to be beautiful, you had to be willing to suffer through some silly things, back in the 1970s and 80s. But hopefully the end results of your work were worth the effort.  Still truthful today - all good things are worth working for.

"MY MOTHER TOLD ME TO 'CHEER UP, THINGS COULD BE WORSE.'  SO I CHEERED UP AND, SURE ENOUGH, THINGS GOT WORSE."

Oh, these quotes are getting sillier and sillier.  This was a favorite quote of my mom's.  She was ever the optimist and really lived by the notion of "cheer up, things could be worse".  But she loved saying the full quote and every time she did, she had a good fit of giggles while she said it.  Speaks to me a lot now, that in times of adversity, she knew that good humor went a long way in overcoming hard days.   

I'd love to hear some of the anecdotes that YOU grew up with!  Elaine, remind me of some of mom's other favorites, please!  And what might be some one-liners that you'd like YOUR kids to remember when they are grown?

I cooked a "Make Again" meal for supper today.  Part of the recipe also reflects another of my little quotable quotes that I think of whenever I return yet again to the grocery store and spend my hard earned money - "to save money, you have to spend money".  Buy your groceries when they are on sale and keep staples well stocked (at sale prices).  Today, I was able to reach into my cupboards and make something on the spur of the moment using things that I had on hand. 

My recipe today was Chicken Fajitas made in the slow cooker.  This new favorite could very well show up on the picnic table when we camp this summer.  Easy preparation and good flavors to boot.

Slice 1 medium onion and 2-3 peppers (I used one red, one orange - next time I would do at least 3 peppers, they cook down a lot).  Lay the slices in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Season 3-4 raw chicken breasts with taco seasoning* and lay on top of the sliced peppers and onions.  Cook on high for around 4 hours (or on low for 5-6 hours).  Shred the chicken and serve the chicken/veggies in a soft taco along with grated cheese, sour cream, lettuce or other fajita toppings of your choice.

Taco Seasoning Recipe - THIS WILL SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY!!!

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

This will make you the equivalent of one envelope package of store bought taco seasoning.

Thanks, Mom, for the life lessons.  Thanks for saying some of these things over and over and over and for making sure that my values and understanding of life reflected these simple truths.