Ten Roles of Motherhood

Every mother knows that to do her job well, you have to wear a lot of different hats. Some weeks we do more quick costume changes than others. This has been one of those weeks for me. Let me take you on a quick journey through my Mother’s Day weeklong reminiscences…

Monday 2:00—arrived at my son’s school to take him for a doctor’s appointment, only to discover that he’d chipped off ¼ of his front-left tooth. Scheduled dentist appointment from doctor’s office. Role #1: NURSE.

Monday 4:00—rushed to get daughter to “Hair Day” at ballet so she’d look like all the other girls in her class for the recital in two weeks. Role #2: HAIRDRESSER.

Tuesday 11:00-12:30—drove son with broken tooth 30 minutes to dentist then 30 minutes back to school again. Role #3: CHAUFFEUR.

Tuesday 7:00—assisted teenage son in tending our next-door-neighbor’s 3 month old son at our house. Changed diapers, walked the floor when he didn’t like his bottle, kept him happy. Role #4: BABYSITTER.

Wednesday 10:00-3:00—noticed my house was looking really scary. Dishes, laundry, piles of papers in my room, too busy tonight to cook, threw pork in crock pot. Role #5: MAID/COOK.

Wednesday 4:00—drove youngest daughter to her session of “Hair Day.” Reached for my camera as I watched her practice, like I had for her sister on Monday. Found I’d left it at home. Rats. Failed in Role #6: PHOTOGRAPHER.

Thursday 2:30—took two teenage sons and some friends to the Temple, like we do every week. Role #7: SPIRITUAL GUIDE

Thursday 5:30—drove three youngest kids to their school art show so they could show off their masterpieces, then watched as they demonstrated all their favorite stunts on the monkey bars. Role #8: FAN CLUB

Friday 6:30—attended Primary Talent Show and played the piano for both girls as they sang their solo pieces. Role #9: ACCOMPANIST

Saturday 2:00-6:00—helped 10-year-old daughter sew her first quilt; doll-sized, of course. Delighted in watching her discover she has a real knack for it. Role #10: TEACHER

If I thought a bit longer, I could probably come up with a few more. No matter. There will be other hats to wear, other roles to play in days and weeks to come. No job is more challenging, no career is more rewarding than that of being a mom. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

I’ve posted a lot of my maternal grandmother’s recipes and my adaptations here, but I haven’t done any of my paternal grandma’s. This has long been a favorite of my family since Grandma Doris first made it. It’s especially nice for those Sundays where you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but like to have a nice dinner in the evening.

Here’s the recipe as she first gave it to me:

¼ cube butter (2 T)
2 onions (minced)
1 T. garlic (pre-minced)
I pkg Italian dressing
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz bar cream cheese

Saute onions in butter until tender. Add Italian Dressing mix (dry). Add garlic. Fill crock pot with boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 lbs). Cook all day on low. One hour before serving add soup and cream cheese. Blend together and pour over chicken. Let simmer 1 hour. Can thicken gravy with cornstarch. Serve with rice. Delicious!

Over the years though, I’ve adapted even this simple recipe to suit my family’s personal taste. First of all, I don’t always have Italian dressing mix in my cupboard, and it’s actually a bit pricy in my opinion. Instead, I substitute pre-made Zesty Italian dressing for both the butter and the powdered mix (about 3 T). I also use fresh garlic (5-6 cloves) rather than the kind in a jar.
My family prefers to have less chicken in their dishes and a lot of sauce. I only use 2-3 lbs of chicken and use two or three cans of cream of chicken soup, then add only 4 oz. of cream cheese. Usually I find it gets really thick, so I thin it down a little with milk.

Once the chicken is soft, I shred it into small pieces, rather than serving up individual chicken breasts. (It also makes it go a lot farther.)

Enjoy!

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