the small successes

I think as Mothers we tend to be too hard on ourselves sometimes. I would say almost daily I plop myself on my bed after putting the girls down for the night and I lay there thinking of all the things I didn't get done, or moments where I should have been more patient, more understanding, or more fun.

Raising small children is no easy task. Duh. But how often do we sit back and say, "I did really good at this today" or "I did really good at that today"? I think not enough.

Today I actually had a proud Mommy moment. A moment where I felt, "Ok. I'm actually heading in the right direction. I don't totally suck!"

Before I had children I knew I wanted my kids to be good healthy eaters. None of this short order chef stuff, none of this dummying down adult food for kids. My kids eat what we eat. End of story.

For dinner tonight we had a meal we have pretty frequently; baked salmon with goat cheese and lemon, quinoa, and stemmed carrots. I was so happy to see my girls eat away with no complaints and such pleasure. And then I thought about all the things my girls eat that most kids don't;

Breakfast: Spinach smoothies, oatmeal.
Snack: Snap peas, red peppers, wholemeal crackers with goat cheese, yogurt and granola, tomatoes, (yes, Marisa can eat it like an apple).
Dinner: Quinoa, couscous, lentils, salmon, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, soups, and pizza with toppings like: black beans, red peppers, kale... not all those 3 at once of course, but name a veggie I have probably have put it on pizza, and the list goes on and on.

Some of my favourite go-to meals lately:
-Curry Rogan Josh: (Recipe from Jamie Oliver. Loaded with cauliflower and butternut squash. Mmmm.)
-Homemade Black Bean Burgers
-Sweet Potato Fries: (I adjust the ingredients so it is not so much oil and salt.)
-Salmon and Strawberry Salsa
-Flourless Brownies: secret ingredient, black beans!
-White Bean and Kale Soup: (Minus the sausage.)
-Pizza: (The sky is the limit when it comes to vegetables!)


And trust me, my kids were not born miraculously loving veggies, especially Natalie. It took being consistant and persistant on my part as a parent.
For example, Natalie has always hated veggies, especially carrots, even as a baby. But I have always put veggies on their plate and on the table during mealtime. No matter what. Even if I knew she wouldn't eat it and just throw it off her plate, the veggies were placed on her plate regardless. It wasn't until recently she got curious again, tried it again, and now hasn't stopped eating her veggies. No forcing, no pressure, just plain "this is what we eat and this is how it is".

So today I'd like to give myself a pat on the back. I think I'm doing alright.