Priorities

I have a professional degree, I spent 8 years in school and was six figures in debt then spent the next 7 years working 60 hour weeks paying it off.  The last year of that we adopted our son as an infant and I never saw him.  Then I lost my job and we moved to another state so my husband could actually pursue his career.  Now I'm a mostly stay-at-home mom and we adopted again.  I thought I could be the professional woman with a family on the side, but I can't, I'm a mom with a side job.  People look at me funny though when I say I'd rather be home with the kids than off pursuing my career, as if it is far more socially acceptable to work so I can pay someone else to watch my kids than to raise them myself.  I've been the career woman and it leaves you empty and cold.  Your coworkers and boss and colleagues don't care about you or your life unless it interferes with your work.

Kids are stubborn, noisy, messy, destructive, frustrating, and often inconvenient, but so am I and so are you, it comes of being human.  But amidst all that, there's a joy, a fun, a mirth, a purpose, a contentment that 10,000 years of being at the top of my profession could never equal.  And no, pets don't even come close.  You are raising a person, shaping an individual that will last forever, a very shaper of destiny, what could be cooler or more epic than that?

It is rather a sad commentary on our culture that says work is more important than family, busyness better than relationships.  When I was a kid, daycare was a sad necessity but now I'm weird because my kids don't go!  But to paraphrase C.S. Lewis, none of that matters, it will all fade to nothing, only souls last forever.  Other people are the greatest investment of your time and talents, at least if you are looking for eternal dividends!  And even if you don't have your own kids, you can be a positive influence in the lives of the kids in your extended family, church, or neighborhood and let's not forget to thank all the teachers, daycare providers, coaches, etc. that touch so many young lives too!

Bonus Article!

Be prepared to cry, but this is a beautiful story about life in its most vulnerable form.

Oat flour sourdough starter

The answer is yes, I don't care what your question is, the answer is yes...well, that isn't quite true, but if your question is 'can you use oat flour for a sourdough?'  Then the answer is a resounding yes, I still can't make actual sourdough bread, but it is a nice substitute for buttermilk in quick bread recipes (muffins, pancakes...).  I combined 1 part water, 1 part oat flour, and one part sugar  and a tsp of yeast and let it bubble for a couple weeks and it has done even better than the wheat flour version, but alas, no gluten means no beautiful bread, just faint imitations.  But it can be done!

Notes from a real mom!

Here's a wonderful little article on the phenomenon of mom-shaming from a former offender, it's a very encouraging read whether you have kids or not.  Enjoy!