Before I was a Mom

The other day one of my former students sent me a little email letting me know she was pregnant. We have kept in touch over the years, and I was (still am) very happy for her and her husband.  It got me thinking about what life was like before Duncan, and I found myself thinking over and over just how incomplete my life was. Then today-- from out of the blue (I swear this was karma) I was perusing pinterest (don't you just love nap time?) and this poem was there. It describes me perfectly. Enjoy...


Before I was a Mom -
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.
Before I was a Mom -
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Currently @ the Innes Family #2

I have begin to really love currently posts--I think it really gives a snapshot of what is going on our busy hectic lives, and that we are not alone in all the funny crazy stuff that many of us mommy bloggers do. So, without further ado....

Currently @ the Innes family I am....

Cooking--- well really not cooking, but prepping food for taco nite. A favorite here. I think I may just have to run out to the store for more avocado as you can never have too much guacamole.

Making lesson plans. Yes, I am in full lesson planning mode. It dawned on me yesterday that I have three weeks left until I return to work. I took a two week break or so, but now I really have to get cracking, revising, and thinking about what I want my students to learn. Having a new prep also makes it a bit crazy!

Working on cleaning/organization. I'm not talking about the everyday chores, although they really are beginning to drive me crazy and I would give my left arm for a house cleaner (sadly not in the budget) about right now. I'm talking about the organizing, pairing down, throwing away, making space kind. I try to do a bit every day. Right now I really want to get a big load out to our church thrift store. This may end up being a bigger project than I anticipated.

Reading four different books. 2 on boy /toddler behavior (can you tell what my life is like), one on the Supreme Court, and the last a Mary Higgins Clark mystery.

Listening to 106.1 the Corner. Very eclectic station here in C-ville. I really do like it a lot. I get to hear everything from Ingrid Michaelson, Michael Fronte and Spearhead, to the Civil Wars--and really everything in between.

So what are you currently doing? Why not create your own list and let everybody know?

Mini-Pineapple Upside Down Cakes--a birthday treat!

So this past Tuesday was my husbands "4043945th" birthday... (the actual number is in there--he would kill me if I announced his age to blog land), and I wanted to make something special for him. Anyhoo... the hubs is not a big cake fan but he does like pineapple upside down cake. Correction--he LOVES pineapple upside down cake. The problem? Gluten. So I set out on my quest to find a gluten free yellow cake recipe--which was not easy to find. What I ended up doing was going to the Betty Crocker Cookbook, using their yellow cake recipe but instead switched out the regular flour with some King Aurthur gluten free all purpose flour and added a teaspoon of xanthan gum. Now to add just a bit more confusion, I decided try out a pinterest idea and make "mini" cakes using my texas-sized muffin tins (the really big kind). Here's the lowdown...

Ingredients (cake)

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 4 large eggs 
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour** (I used King Aurthur's gluten free all purpose mix) 
• 1cup milk  
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum** (not needed unless you make your cake gluten free) 

 Ingredients (toppings)

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted (if you use a regular 9x13 cake pan you will need 1 full stick)
• brown sugar to taste (I used about 1/3 cup total)
• sliced pineapple (fresh is best but canned in juice is good too)
• maraschino cherries
• walnuts (optional)

Directions

• Melt 1/2 stick butter. Pour in each muffin tin and add brown sugar till it is mixed and completely covers the bottom (you can not use to much of either so have at it!)
• Add pineapple rings to the bottom of pan, place a cherry (and walnuts if you want) in the center then set aside.                                       

• Beat butter, sugar, baking powder, and vanilla in a large bowl with mixer on high 3 minutes or until fluffy.
•  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each.
•  On low speed, beat in flour in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, just until blended, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
• Pour into muffin tins or 9x13 pan if you use a pan. (This recipe yielded 6 giant sized cupcake/mini-cakes)
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Take a knife and cut around the edges to help get a clean break.   

• Place a cookie sheet on top of muffin tin (or cake pan), turn over and remove cake(s) from the tin. If you let it sit too long the sugar will harden and it makes it really hard to remove the cake. 
•   Eat and enjoy.  

This turned out to be quite a hit in our house. Everyone loved them. I will definitely be baking these again!