Stress Cooking

It's the wonderful holiday season with my adopted and prenatally exposed children. Oh let the wildness begin! I have to admit it started much later this year. It usually starts around Halloween and continues until around President's Day. This year the chaos did not totally start until after Thanksgiving and boy has it been gathering steam over the past few weeks. Now in the past few days I've had F bombs and other terms of "endearment" said to me, along with being informed I'm ONLY an adoptive mom and not a real mom. I clearly understand that at this moment there will be no silent nights nor is there any peace on Earth or good will towards man in my house by my older children.

On my path to better health, both physically and emotionally, I'm desperately trying to not emotional eat. As the days have become more stressful, what do I do instead? Stress cook. The young man that stocks the shelves in the baking aisle at the store now knows me and my husband on a first name basis. One day was especially bad and the end result was 3 baked pumpkins pureed, two batches of pancakes for freezing (one chocolate chip and one eggnog), a batch of pumpkin spice waffles for freezing, and a ham, scalloped potato and leek casserole. I also found recipes and printed them to make pumpkin soup, chai tea eggnog cookies and figgy pudding. Which, as the days have been going, will get made very shortly, but not before another trip to visit the nice young man in the baking aisle who will greet me with yet another smile and ask, "Back again? What are you making now?"

On a positive note my 6 y.o. is able to read all the fractions on a measuring cup, can tell the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, and knows what scalded milk is and how to tell if it's done. I also have people placing orders to have tins of baked goods or jar mixes shipped to them all over the nation which they are happily paying for. Since I modify almost every recipe I try, I started putting together a cookbook for my own use. A friend has suggested publishing it as an ebook when I am done. That could be an interesting adventure but that means I actually have to stop cooking to take the time to do it. Another positive is there are so many dishes, bowls, and pans to wash that my husband and I are getting time to talk while he washes and I cook. The kids are also welcome to help when they are being pleasant. I've done a lot of cooking on my own lately.

This too shall pass as it always does. Life will become quieter again, I won't be covered in flour and spices, and the stock boy at the store will soon forget this crazy baking lady and her husband who seem to be at the store constantly.