Now, if you know me, and those who know me well know this - I do NOT get worked up about clothes. I do everything I can to not have to think about what I'm wearing, which means I wear my "uniform" and I keep things very very very simple. I don't want to fuss over my outfit, thinking about what looks hip or even bother with keeping in fashion. Mostly I just want clothes to make me feel comfortable, cover all the vital parts, and allow me to move in anyway I need to move. BUT Son is cut of entirely different cloth. (I'll interject right here that he's his father's Son and not mine, and you can draw your own conclusions.) He has only CERTAIN things he wants to wear, and even with a drawer full of different tshirts and shorts (many many hand-me-down items) he'll search for the one thing that he wore the day before that is currently rotting in the laundry basket. When he can't find it, he'll throw all of his other clothes from the drawer onto the floor in his quest to find it and it drives me bonkers.
This morning he asked me to help him dress for church and I got pretty excited thinking that he'd wear something I chose for him. As I casually chatted with him about the schedule for the day, he noticed what I had put on him and he flipped out. The whines led to cries, which lead to screams and yelling and I just walked out of the room. I said, "Dress yourself. I'm not helping a boy who doesn't want my help." For about 10 minutes he sat and yelped and yelled for MOMMY and I didn't budge. I had had it and I was done. Finally, somehow he managed to dress himself after I started the engine of the car to go to church and he got his act together.
This afternoon was another series of tantrums over his clothes after his swim lesson (which he cried and had a fit at as well - so you can tell I was not in a good mood.) I brought him home, told him that I didn't want to see him for a while and shut the door of my bedroom and lay down on the bed. Daughters figured out that Mommy was not in a good place so THEY went into their own room and shut the door and worked on their own project. (Lovely daughters - their project was cleaning up and organizing their bookshelves which is something I've been asking them to do repeatedly.) Son meanwhile decided to lie on the floor in front of my bedroom door and cry and wail projecting the sound of his cries into my room. I could hear every single sniffle, every single wail, every single whine from my spot on the bed, but I just let him go...for a long long while. Finally he grew quiet and I heard drawers of his room opening and closing. He quietly knocked on my door and showed up with a smile on his face and the EXACT outfit I had put him in the morning which he had rejected. I literally had to bite my fist in order to stop screaming in frustration.
"Hi Mommy. I'm happy now."
"All the crying made you happy?" I asked.
"I like to cry. I'm happy now. See? I like these clothes. I'm happy now." He started giggling and laughing.
I smiled at him and said, "Someone needs to say sorry to Mommy."
"I'm sorry mommy. I'm happy."
It sure was a lot of noise to get him to his happy place. I'm not sure I did it the right way, but it was the best that I could manage given the day I was having.
When I am hit with these hard hard days I don't even feel like cooking. I feel like leaving the house altogether and seeing what happens. As I have no wish for CPS to be called on me, I force myself to refocus and try and do something for dinner. This dish is my simple simple dinner that really doesn't require much and I came up with based on what was left in my fridge. It was delicious, and the kids gobbled it down, including picky son who managed to smear it all over his favorite tshirt. He didn't have a fit though because he was too happy eating his noodles.
Spaghettini with Spinach, Garlic and Lemon
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 lb spaghettini, angel hair or spaghetti pasta
6 tablespoons olive oil
8 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
10 oz bag of baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a skillet heat, 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and cook for 10 to 12 minutes to gently cook the garlic. Add lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta well and transfer to a large bowl. Immediately add spinach and garlic lemon oil and toss everything together. Mound the pasta on a large platter and serve.
Printable recipe
Serve with rotisserie chicken. Ahhh...mommy's happy now too.
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38 comments:
Ms. Choi - I love your blog and ALL the stories you share with the rest of us. It's nice to see that you are a real person and have everyday stresses like everyone else. Everyone has their own way of "venting" and this is healthy. You're a positive person who strives everyday to be the best for her family and I have so much respect for you. I hope in the future when i'm a mom, I could have as much patience as you!Keep up the good work and remember your blog is titled "Good Cooking For People With Too Much On Their Plate" .. Don't change any part of your blog!!! Thanks
This looks AMAZING!!!! I am going to try it for dinner tonight thanks for the recipe!
Just started following you looking forward to more recipes!
http://chickswholovetoeat.blogspot.com/
As an American who struggles with cooking with more Korean flavors for my Korean husband, I have been loving your blog...and as a mom, I love this story! Honest, real, and I find myself nodding and snickering. Love it and keep up the good work! (as a mom, blogger AND cook!!) : )
Dear Anonymous #1, thanks for your comments. It seems to me that you are entirely free to simply scroll down to the wonderful recipes, which are always at the bottom of each post, complete with pictures and step-by-step instructions. You are under no obligation to read what you perceive to be someone's venting or negative comments. Raising young children often is difficult and all-consuming, so if the sharing of such experiences on this blog creates a bad vibe for you, then you are most welcome to simply skip the narrative and consume just the recipes. Does that suit?
Thanks for your posts! Whenever I cook something new now, my husband says, "Is this from that woman's blog again?" AND i can totally empathize with all that you share about raising little ones...it ain't easy!
One question: i vaguely remember you saying in one of your posts that you always try to think of a protein, vegetable and carbs for every meal. What kind of protein do you include in meals such as this one? And what about an Asian noodle dish, such as the spicy noodles?
Thanks for all of your comments everyone!
On the question regarding protein for this dish - I did it with rotisserie chicken this night, but it would be great with asian salmon (on the blog) or even just some quickly grilled sausages. The flavors are pretty gentle so not that hard.
The spicy asian noodle salad - grilled chicken is a great pair with that and even a steak tastes good. I've eaten it with some plain salmon on top and it was delicious. As the Asian noodle salad has more pronounced flavors, it might be better to go with something a bit milder in the protein...something with less spice.
I personally love this - and I love the venting too! Our blogs are our creative outlets, and if we can't vent on our own personal property - where can we? Keep on doing what you're doing!
By the way, this spaghetti looks fabulous, and I might just have to make it for lunch =)
Oh my goodness! This is one of my all time favorite meals and I had forgotten all about it. I am putting it on this week's menu now. Thanks for the reminder!! (Love your blog, btw, I will be back)
Do you sauté the spinach? Or put it in with the pasta during the last minute of cooking? Or just add it uncooked?
you don't need to do anything to the spinach. Residual heat from the other cooking helps wilt it and make it really lovely to eat.
Wow, just made this. It is delicious and easy to make. Thanks for a great idea.
Kind of a fail! Followed it to a T, bland all the way. Added more salt and goat cheese to give it SOMETHING, and then it was okay.
Sorry it didn't work out for you anonymous. I don't specify salt and pepper amounts so that families can cook it for their preference.
It is a simple dish, with few ingredients, so the quality of the olive oil, pasta, and freshness of lemon do affect over all taste and experience.
This was so good! Will definitely make this a regular.
Oh my goodness! Ran across this recipe (and your blog) on Pinterest. I made this tonight and I am in LOVE with it! Very appropriate for Valentine's Day :) I have never had lemon with spinach or pasta and it was just a taste of heaven! I can't wait to try more of your recipes and to read through your blog. Thanks for making my night!!!
Just made this tonight rather than the usual Friday night take-out and it was ABSOLUTELY delicious!!! Paired it with grilled shrimp a nice glass of wine and it was the perfect meal to end a not so perfect week. Will definitely make again AND will definitely follow your blog!
Loved it!!! Will be making it a lot!!!!
I found your blog through Pinterest, and I'll be back! I saw you have an allergy friendly section. As someone who is allergic to trees (and everything that comes from them... aka: nuts, fruits, etc.) I am SO limited with what I can eat. Can't wait to check out your blog some more. Great work!
I am totally making this for lunch!
Though, I am going to use a bag of frozen spinach, as I don't have baby spinach. I'm sure it will come out about the same way! I might add some parmesan cheese to it too!
This looks fantastic! I'm going to make it for dinner tonight and top with grilled shrimp.
www.thehungryattorney,com
This recipe was absolutely awesome! The husband thought it was wonderful also. I did add shredded Parmesan cheese. I think this dish would be great to serve to guest for a fancy dinner party - even though the ingredients are simple. Thanks for posting!
Your son sounds like an obnoxious brat!
Oh lordy...how old is your son? Sounds EXACTLY like my son from about age 5 up to age 12 or 13!!! Now he's 15 and in that "I'm too cool to speak to you" phase. They DO grow out of it!
perhaps you should try taking away his activities. if my children ever threw a fit like your son does, all of their extras would be taken away. your spoiled brat seems to run the show. send him to his room and take away his fun, i bet child rearing would be a lot easier if your kiddo knew you were in control.
Sometimes kids have tantrums, and you just have to ride it out. You're doin' a good job, mama.
Loved this recipe! I used whole wheat pasta instead and added some feta cheese just because I had it laying around. You could use this recipe with just about any meat. I ate it with tortilla crusted tilapia and chicken breast another night. Thank you!
Why is it that people who write really mean things always do it anonymously?
I get just as many nice comments as mean ones that are anonymous - but the mean ones are almost always anonymous. That's okay. People think that the internet is their "freedom of speech" so that they can criticize, ridicule, and hurt people who put out content. There is a face behind this blog post, there is a person who writes it, and there are emotions and feelings that are personal.
That being said, this blog doesn't represent the whole of who I am, either as a mother, a person, or as a woman. If people have a problem with a single incident of parenting, and let's be realistic, I've chosen to write about the most frustrating one, and they want to judge, so be it. I'm not bothered tremendously. For as many negative comments, I have triple or quadruple the positive comments. For as many negative comments, I get supportive ones too - those who relate, those who have experienced, and those who know that being a mom, on the best of days, is trying. :)
Making this tonight. I am not a very good cook I'll let you know how it was. Adding some mushrooms sounds good too . Jackie from NJ
Wow, sometimes I am amazed at the things people will say. Your son is not a brat, hang in there. This too shall pass. I do think that when you write a blog you do open yourself up for comments, complaints and critics - but also for encouragement, compliments and fans. I love your attitude regarding this. I am really looking forward to trying this recipe - looks yummy!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I followed your recipe exactly and loved it. Perfect amount of lemon and garlic. The whole family loved it!! So easy and delicious!! Thanks for the recipe! Found you on Pinterest.
Screw mean, anonymous commenters. I mean...really??? Your response was very classy.
Love this recipe and love your site. Keep up the good work and enjoy your sweet family.
I ran across this and it is really good...I used three cheese tortellini instead and I place a pork loin pork chop on top with 5 cheese Italian blend...Soooo good! Will be playing with different proteins for sure!
How do I subscribe to your blog? Would like to get it all the time:)
Hey there! I love this recipe because it's so fresh and light and healthy! I want to invite you to come to my link party to post this for other to see! http://home-styled.blogspot.com/2013/04/link-party-show-your-style-sunday-3_14.html?showComment=1366038325350&m=1#c7138100353209300384
Hello. I did not read all of your post but saw that you went in your bedroom & closed the door when your son was having a tantrum. I don't have kids but have always heard that you ignore a kid when he is having a tantrum. That's exactly what you did. And you made him apologize when he settled down. I am shocked at the nasty comments people make on the internet. I see your blog the way I view my FB page. It is mine & for my pleasure. I post things I enjoy & hope others will, too. If you don't like it, don't come. It really annoys me when people come to my party with all my friends & make a snide remark about a post. I have defriended a couple of people but you can't do that. Thanks for the recipe. It looks so easy & healthy. Will try it soon.
I am so glad someone else has a kid like my 3 yr old. The temper tantrums over which stockings, dress, shoes...
Her one year old sister is a very picky eater but she will (generally) eat pasta and spinach so I'm definitely going to try this recipe out!
I still remember when my son was that age. I took him to his swimming lesson and he stated, " You can make me come to swimming lessons, but you cannot make me get in. "
He is now grown and can swim quite well, but he was correct at that time. Good luck and try to enjoy the good times :)
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