BlogHer Book Club: Slow Love

Have you ever read a book where you spent the majority of it nodding in agreement? That was my experience while reading Dominique Browning's Slow Love. She tells the tale of her life after her company closes and she finds herself without a job. The transition from crazy hours to having nothing to do is not something to be taken lightly. Depression is a common occurrence in these instances and in her book Browning describes the downhill battle she experiences. One of my favorite lines in the book is her son's response to her selling their family home, "My son is right: time for that new Museum of Happiest Moments" (pg 86.) What a great way to look at a tough moment and turn it into a positive.

The story line is very relevant right now because of the state of our economy. As the unemployment rate reaches max limits in history, many people are finding themselves in similar situations to that of Browning. At one point she explains “one of the side effects of unemployment, for me, was such a sag in self-esteem that the antidote was to feel constantly needed, and to judge that by the ringing phone” (pg 106.) I think anyone that has abruptly stopped working has felt this at one point. The tale unwinds as she spends the year following her departure from the workforce finding her new happy place. And while it might be very different than what she might have once imagined, it is her new reality. Anyone in a similar situation can learn from her journey because while the stops might be different, the destination is the same. At the end of the day we all want to be happy.

Please join me at the BlogHer Book Club page HERE for more discussions about this book.

This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

Donut Muffins

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I decided to let Daddy sleep in while we made something yummy. I asked for opinions and the first thing they came up with was donuts. Since we didn't feel like getting out of our pjs to go grab some, we decided to make the next best thing: muffins that taste like donuts. Enter Pioneer Woman and her "French Breakfast Puffs". Recipe here.

These were very easy to make. The kids enjoyed the gathering of ingredients, the careful measuring and had a blast mixing it all up. I did the post-baking dipping since we didn't want to wait for the muffins to cool. They were a hit and so fun to make on a Saturday morning.

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WFMW: Mix Once, Bake Twice

My daughter started Kindergarten yesterday! Although both her and her brother have been to preschool, it felt like yesterday was the first day of real school. We had to shop for uniforms, supplies, learn all about the carpool lane and dismissal procedures. Almost as important was deciding what treat would be included in the lunch box. After much deliberation my daughter finally decided she wanted chocolate chip cookies. Remember these, the best chocolate chip cookies ever? Yep, that's what she picked.

I waited to bake the cookies until after putting the kids to bed. I do some of my best thinking while baking, and I had a lot to think about that night. As I pulled out each ingredient from the pantry I contemplated how our lives would be changing as our oldest child entered elementary school. It's at that point that I decided it might be best to mix two batches of cookies and freeze one for later. That way I'd just have to pull out the cookie dough out next week and bake. Fresh homemade cookies in less than 15 minutes? Sounds good to me. So in the same time that it takes to make one batch of cookies I made two and I rolled up half of it in wax paper, twisting the ends like candy. I then popped those tubes in a freezer storage back and threw them in the freezer.

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I still have a lot to learn about being a mom to an elementary school kid. The early mornings might kill me, but at least she'll have homemade cookies in her lunchbox (along with a note reminding her how much I love her!)

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