Moments of rest

One year olds are exhausting!

I realize that I am one of the fortunate few out there who have a husband who likes to cook. Not only does he enjoy cooking, he's rather good at it, and he has agreed to do it on a semi-consistent basis. Yay! So, two days a week he rushes home from work to cook dinner for the family. This is wonderful and amazing.... However, it creates a problem of its own. If he is cooking dinner, who is watching the baby?

On the nights that Derek cooks, the responsibility of entertaining Addison before dinnertime falls on my shoulders. Now this may not seem like a very challenging task - I have no problem taking care of her all day, so what's different about the 45 minutes before dinner? There is a difference, let me tell you.

It may be difficult to understand, but my mental clock for the day revolves around Derek's schedule. At about 4:30pm, I find myself calculating how many minutes until he gets home. And although this is certainly in part due to my excitement to see him, it is also about getting a reprieve from my motherly duties. I love spending my days with Addison, but unlike an office job, I don't have business hours. The clock never stops. So, the times when someone else is watching out for her so I can focus more than 50% of my attention of something else are precious. Even if that something else is dinner.

Addie and I relaxing together

So, Derek and I are still trying to find that balance between him helping with the household duties (cooking, cleaning, bathtime, etc) and me finding a chance to take a breath and de-mommy before bedtime. I'm not sure we've figured it out yet, but I have the confidence that we'll get there. And talking to other friends of mine who are mothers, it seems that this is not a unique struggle; just one that everyone has to go through themselves since each solution is unique.

So in honor of those precious moments of relaxation - whether they come first thing in the morning, or just before bed, I want to share my recipe for banana bread. It's pretty easy to do, and the results are very yummy. Something to enjoy when you have a quiet moment to sit and take a breath...

Mommy's helper in the kitchen

Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter, soft but not melted
1 cup sugar
3 ripe bananas, broken or sliced into pieces
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1. Cream the butter and the sugar until they are well blended together

2. Add in bananas and mix

3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing in between.

4. In a separate bowl, add baking soda and salt to the flour and blend well

5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients

6. Pour into a greased bread loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour (until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean).