Time keeps on ticking, alas

daphne on May 31, 2010

I’m sure you’d agree that it takes some serious mama skills to hit the bottom of the peanut butter jar on the very last day of school.

Timing is everything.

The kids wondered why I was chronicling my morning sandwich making.  They should have been wondering how their strawberries were going to taste doused in a thick layer of my tears.

I was teary-eyed because although my timing peanut-butter-wise has proven impeccable, I have yet to figure out how to halt the ridiculous sprint of time that puts my babies into this space aged time capsule —

and spits them back to me as a 2nd and 4th graders.  I am not ready.   I practically just graduated from high school myself.  It’s simply not possible that I am old enough to have such big kids.

As if to prove the calendar right, the girls went and sealed the deal–

Kira donated 8 1.2 inches of her long flowing locks, transforming herself from this young innocent,

Into this sassy thing

One look at her sister’s cool new look was more than enough, and soon Acadia was hopping up into that chair.

Time keeps on ticking into the future, and those dang seasons, they keep going round and round and I swear there is just one thing that is keeping me from singing folk tunes as I sob into my coffee and that’s this —

Flax. Flax makes me happy.  The color is so deep and purple blue that it can actually hold back the hands of time and freeze my babies at this absolutely delightful stage.

Flowers have loads of medicinal qualities.  Time manipulation is merely one of many.

There’s nothing like cinnamon in the morning

daphne on February 11, 2009

My kitchen smells amazing.   Unbelievably incredibly amazing.  And I’ll tell you, I don’t typically waste superlatives on things that don’t include chocolate.  In the interest of full disclosure, though, I probably should mention that I am writing this before my first attempt at homemade granola is ready for a taste test; at least this way I can carry on and on about the scrumptious smell even if the resulting snack comes out less edible than my exploding glass bread.

I’ve never made granola before, but the price of the stuff I buy at the store keeps climbing like an Ever-ready Sherpa.  And to hear my friends tell it, this stuff is even easier to make than pancakes from scratch.  So far, I’m a believer; I mixed up a batch in the time it took the girls to brush their teeth this morning.

Ten minutes to go according to the timer, and my house smells terrific. Forget lemon-scented cleansers, I may never clean again.  Close your eyes…could a house that smells this heavenly be dirty? I just don’t think so.

Speaking of smells, according to some new research pleasant odors, like peppermint or cinnamon, can increase alertness and reduce fatigue.  And, they found, it might even help with road rage.  I’m just saying, if you need a reason to mix up a batch of granola, think of your reputation:  you could be the most pleasant car-pooler out there.  Even without a mini-van.  And speaking of minivans, cinnamon is a powerful aphrodisiac too.  And it costs a mere fraction of the pricetag of a new car.

Therefore, in conclusion, here is is. . . My list of convincing reasons why you should stop everything and make  granola:

  1. These are tough economic times, homemade is cheaper.
  2. The sweet smell of cinnamon means an end to boring house cleaning.
  3. The sweet smell of cinnamon is the right spice for heating up a marriage.
  4. It’ll make you perky, alert, and happy behind the wheel.
  5. You can hide healthy stuff in there, like flax seeds
  6. You can hide healthy stuff in there, And THE KIDS WILL EAT IT.
  7. THE NUMBER ONE REASON TO MAKE GRANOLA (listed here at number 7)–it tastes really, really good.
  8. Really, it does.  I just tasted my first attempt at homemade granola.  And it is good.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…Super-Flax!

daphne on February 11, 2009

You should add flax to everything.

Not convinced? Oh, alright.  If you don’t want to save time and just take my word for it, here are some of the reasons why I think flax is great:

  1. It adds moisture to things like cakes, muffins, and quick breads. You can decrease the oil in recipes by substitute ground flax;
  2. It adds a great nutty flavor to things;
  3. A subtly, great nutty flavor that picky children don’t detect;
  4. It’s easy to hide–sprinkle ground flax seeds on everything from yogurt to ice cream, in granola or on peanut butter sandwiches;

And there’s a load of health benefits too:

  1. It’s high in omega 3 fatty acids, which have been found to benefit everything from the heart to lowering cholesterol to increasing brain power.  All good things.
  2. High in lignans, antioxidants associated with a reduced risk of cancer, including prostrate and breast cancer.
  3. It’s been found to lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure;
  4. It’s high in fiber;
  5. It’s been shown to be helpful in reducing incidences related to Chron’s disease;