On Friday, I baked a cake. If you know me well, you probably know that baking is not really my thing. I make cookies with my kids and let them help me bake boxed cupcakes, because that's what moms are supposed to do. I don't really enjoy it that much. And baking from scratch...no.
It's too precise. I don't have the patience. Rarely do I have an hour or more to dedicate to the creation of sweet, baked goods.
But, last week was also my birthday. And this summer, my aunt gave me my grandmother's birthday cake recipe. In her handwriting. Framed. The most weep-worthy gift I can remember receiving in a long time.
And this cake...it's my whole childhood. It's part of every birthday, every celebration, every family get together. It recalls memories of gentle hand slaps as I tried to swipe the icing with my fingertip, smiles from my grandmother as she shooed me away, and laughter as we sat around enjoying the treat.
I had decided weeks before that I'd make it for my birthday. But just so happens that my birthday always falls at a bad time. Back to school. And this particular year...Back to School Night. So it had to wait a few days.
Friday morning, after dropping the kids off, I went to the store to buy real sugar, white flour, and Crisco. Things I haven't bought in a long time. And that afternoon I set out following directions to a tee. Sifting flour and cocoa together three times. Adding only one egg at a time until it was fully immersed in the batter. Adding baking soda to freshly brewed coffee and watching it foam up the sides of the measuring cup. Whisking continuously until the flour thickened the milk. Waiting 5 minute for the vinegar to sour the milk.
So many times I wanted to cheat. Is it really necessary to add eggs individually? Sifting? Really, is it needed? Sour milk? Wouldn't regular milk do?
But I didn't. I took every step as my grandmother had laid it out. Waited each time she asked. Alternated ingredients each time she instructed.
It took me an hour. An hour before baking. I'm not sure I've ever spent an hour baking one thing. Especially not a cake for myself. But as I was sifting and whisking and alternating I thought a lot of my grandmother. She was so patient and seemed to take her time with everything. At a time when conveniences and time savers were at a minimum, she seemed to enjoy the long tasks of shucking corn and canning vegetables. She could be found weeding her garden most spring days. If she wasn't home, she might be picking berries to make jam later that day.
I rarely have that kind of patience. I won't make a recipe that has more than 5 ingredients or takes longer than 30 minutes. My house is only kind of clean most of the time because I don't scrub grout with toothbrushes or dust picture frames. And it is a rare, RARE occasion that I move furniture to vacuum.
But Friday, I made myself enjoy it. And I did enjoy it. I performed each task meticulously and checked each direction thrice. Friday I had the time. Friday was my last day of unemployment. I had spent the last 6 weeks cleaning and organizing and playing with my kids and working out and maybe binging a few Neflix shows. And Friday was my last day of nothingness. The kids were all in school. No chores. I finished House of Cards on Netflix. So what else could I do but bake the perfect cake?
Tomorrow I go back to work. I go back to a previous employer in a town I used to live in. Tomorrow I go back to the craziness of juggling work and school and activities and me time. But Friday? Friday was all about the cake and making it just right and seeing to it that my grandmother gets to touch my kids life in some way. And after all of the instructions and time it took to create, it was perfect. Exactly as I remembered. And I know my grandmother would be happy to see me enjoy every moment it took to get there.
Showing posts with label new job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new job. Show all posts
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sick Puppies
This sickness has descended on us once again.
Freddie started it. He woke up with a low-grade fever on Saturday morning. This turned into a very high fever and full blown yuckiness on Sunday. But I took him to the doctor, no ear infection, no strep. Must be a virus. Wonderful! Nothing you can do for a virus but just wait for it to go away.
So Monday I stayed home. If you're keeping count, that is 4 sick days in the 10 weeks I've been working at this new job.
Monday his fever broke, so it was back to daycare on Tuesday. When I picked them up, Ainsley had a runny nose and I was informed that Freddie had not been himself all day. But no fever.
Yesterday morning, I woke to find Freddie covered in a rash. Ainsley, meanwhile, had picked up a cough to go along with her very runny, watery nose.
Freddie stayed home with Nanny yesterday. Doctor says he doesn't need to be seen and he's not contagious - Roseola. He was contagious before the rash broke out. Lovely!
Last night, Ainsley was up most of the night coughing...know what that means? Clif and I were up most of the night. Clif more than me. I had spent the previous three nights up with Freddie all night, so he took the bullet on this one.
So today, Ainsley is home with Nanny. Thank goodness for Nanny. Otherwise I would have been out of work all week.
And now, Clif and I...not feeling so hot. Maybe we're just tired. Maybe if the weather got over it's whole bi-polar disorder no one would be sick. Maybe this weekend we'll catch up on sleep.
Maybe...maybe...maybe...
Hope you all are feeling well. Happy Thursday.
Freddie started it. He woke up with a low-grade fever on Saturday morning. This turned into a very high fever and full blown yuckiness on Sunday. But I took him to the doctor, no ear infection, no strep. Must be a virus. Wonderful! Nothing you can do for a virus but just wait for it to go away.
So Monday I stayed home. If you're keeping count, that is 4 sick days in the 10 weeks I've been working at this new job.
Monday his fever broke, so it was back to daycare on Tuesday. When I picked them up, Ainsley had a runny nose and I was informed that Freddie had not been himself all day. But no fever.
Yesterday morning, I woke to find Freddie covered in a rash. Ainsley, meanwhile, had picked up a cough to go along with her very runny, watery nose.
Freddie stayed home with Nanny yesterday. Doctor says he doesn't need to be seen and he's not contagious - Roseola. He was contagious before the rash broke out. Lovely!
Last night, Ainsley was up most of the night coughing...know what that means? Clif and I were up most of the night. Clif more than me. I had spent the previous three nights up with Freddie all night, so he took the bullet on this one.
So today, Ainsley is home with Nanny. Thank goodness for Nanny. Otherwise I would have been out of work all week.
And now, Clif and I...not feeling so hot. Maybe we're just tired. Maybe if the weather got over it's whole bi-polar disorder no one would be sick. Maybe this weekend we'll catch up on sleep.
Maybe...maybe...maybe...
Hope you all are feeling well. Happy Thursday.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The New Girl
As I walked back to my desk I could hear my cell phone ringing. I dug it out of my purse just in time to see the "missed call" alert flash on the screen.
My desk phone began ringing and I recognized the number...Clif.
Hello?
Hey, it's me. Daycare just called. Freddie has a fever.
And just like that it happened. The thing I had been stressing over and worrying about was real and happening. Three weeks into a brand new job and I would need to leave early and take the following day off. I knew it was coming. Freddie's cough had started Sunday morning and had only gotten worse. Last night, in my semi conscious state, I thought he may have been warm.
This morning I had battled over what to do. Even without the fever, the cough and his clinginess were enough to keep him home...take him to a doctor. The fever only confirmed what I knew. And if I were in Richmond, I knew exactly what I should have done. I should have called into work and taken him to his pediatrician as soon as they opened. But we aren't in Richmond. Which means I haven't been at my new job long enough to accrue leave and we have no pediatrician. I haven't found one yet, partially because I've been too busy with other things and maybe mostly because I love our Richmond Pediatrician so much that I can't bear the thought of taking them somewhere else.
I gathered my things and apologized to my new boss. Getting out of DC to my sick child is not like leaving Richmond. In Richmond, I could be to the kids in less than 15 minutes. Not so here. We chose a daycare closer to my in-laws, mostly due to financial reasons. I wish that weren't what we had to base so many decisions on...where to live, where to work, where to send our kids. I wish money weren't such a deciding factor. So because the daycare is closer to the house and because I park 1/4 of a mile from my office (also a financial decision), it's almost an hour before I arrive.
It's 4:30 when I buckle the kids in and get back in the car, headed for...well, I'm not sure where. Clif and I had discussed just going to an urgent care. It could cost us a bundle, but how in the world could I possibly get in to see a pediatrician that I had never seen before so close to closing time? So I head for the closest urgent care.
I unload the kids and drag them inside. Freddie is miserable. They take one look at us and say "We don't see children under 5."
This is where I come dangerously close to loosing my mind and telling the woman behind the counter exactly what I think of her medical facility. My mind starts racing and I don't know what to do. There's a part of me that wants to get in the car and drive to Richmond and never come back.
I take a deep breath and ask them if they know of any pediatric facilities near by. They give me a number to a pediatrician's office...but now it's 4:50. So I strap the kids back in the car and call the insurance company. She was very nice, but she can't tell me if a place takes kids or not.
So I just start calling, because honestly, I haven't been to an urgent care facility since I was in high school and I have no idea if any of them take infants. Luckily, the first one I call does, and they're right around the corner from Kip and Denise's house.
So after a missed exit on the beltway, 5 o'clock traffic and my wallet forgotten in the car we are finally waiting to see a doctor. It's an ear infection. His first. Ainsley had had 4 or 5 by this age.
And that was that. We filled the prescription, got pizza and made it home by 9.
So the thing I had been stressing over and dreading happened and I made it through. I can't tell you how many times moving back to Richmond went through my head. I felt so completely lost and Richmond is just so comfortable. I know what to do, I know where to go. I don't have that confidence here. I'm always worried I'm doing something wrong...at my job, during my commute, with the kids...but I figured it out.
It kind of turned a bad day into a better day. So maybe this whole move will not beat me, maybe I'll still come out on top. For the last three weeks I have not felt that way, I've felt the exact opposite. I guess that's how it happens, little victory by little accomplishment until you forget that you were once the new girl. I just hate being the new girl.
My desk phone began ringing and I recognized the number...Clif.
Hello?
Hey, it's me. Daycare just called. Freddie has a fever.
And just like that it happened. The thing I had been stressing over and worrying about was real and happening. Three weeks into a brand new job and I would need to leave early and take the following day off. I knew it was coming. Freddie's cough had started Sunday morning and had only gotten worse. Last night, in my semi conscious state, I thought he may have been warm.
This morning I had battled over what to do. Even without the fever, the cough and his clinginess were enough to keep him home...take him to a doctor. The fever only confirmed what I knew. And if I were in Richmond, I knew exactly what I should have done. I should have called into work and taken him to his pediatrician as soon as they opened. But we aren't in Richmond. Which means I haven't been at my new job long enough to accrue leave and we have no pediatrician. I haven't found one yet, partially because I've been too busy with other things and maybe mostly because I love our Richmond Pediatrician so much that I can't bear the thought of taking them somewhere else.
I gathered my things and apologized to my new boss. Getting out of DC to my sick child is not like leaving Richmond. In Richmond, I could be to the kids in less than 15 minutes. Not so here. We chose a daycare closer to my in-laws, mostly due to financial reasons. I wish that weren't what we had to base so many decisions on...where to live, where to work, where to send our kids. I wish money weren't such a deciding factor. So because the daycare is closer to the house and because I park 1/4 of a mile from my office (also a financial decision), it's almost an hour before I arrive.
It's 4:30 when I buckle the kids in and get back in the car, headed for...well, I'm not sure where. Clif and I had discussed just going to an urgent care. It could cost us a bundle, but how in the world could I possibly get in to see a pediatrician that I had never seen before so close to closing time? So I head for the closest urgent care.
I unload the kids and drag them inside. Freddie is miserable. They take one look at us and say "We don't see children under 5."
This is where I come dangerously close to loosing my mind and telling the woman behind the counter exactly what I think of her medical facility. My mind starts racing and I don't know what to do. There's a part of me that wants to get in the car and drive to Richmond and never come back.
I take a deep breath and ask them if they know of any pediatric facilities near by. They give me a number to a pediatrician's office...but now it's 4:50. So I strap the kids back in the car and call the insurance company. She was very nice, but she can't tell me if a place takes kids or not.
So I just start calling, because honestly, I haven't been to an urgent care facility since I was in high school and I have no idea if any of them take infants. Luckily, the first one I call does, and they're right around the corner from Kip and Denise's house.
So after a missed exit on the beltway, 5 o'clock traffic and my wallet forgotten in the car we are finally waiting to see a doctor. It's an ear infection. His first. Ainsley had had 4 or 5 by this age.
And that was that. We filled the prescription, got pizza and made it home by 9.
So the thing I had been stressing over and dreading happened and I made it through. I can't tell you how many times moving back to Richmond went through my head. I felt so completely lost and Richmond is just so comfortable. I know what to do, I know where to go. I don't have that confidence here. I'm always worried I'm doing something wrong...at my job, during my commute, with the kids...but I figured it out.
It kind of turned a bad day into a better day. So maybe this whole move will not beat me, maybe I'll still come out on top. For the last three weeks I have not felt that way, I've felt the exact opposite. I guess that's how it happens, little victory by little accomplishment until you forget that you were once the new girl. I just hate being the new girl.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Jaime’s list of things to do before you go to bed on the eve of starting a new job
CHIRP!
1 – Pack bag for daycare. Include diapers, wipes, sippy cups, food, blankets, toys, extra clothes, picture of mommy and daddy and immunization forms. It probably would be a good idea…
CHIRP!
…to actually speak to the daycare provider as well. That way you’d know if your children were going to get breakfast in the morning, if they needed their own crib sheets and if you could come earlier than the 7AM opening. Instead, obsess over the fact that you didn’t call and create a mental list of all your excuses so you are prepared if said daycare provider questions you.
2 – Bathe children. Make sure they are super clean and smell good for their new school in the morning. Although, baths can be a pain. Freddie splashes like crazy and I end up all wet. Ainsley doesn’t listen and cries when I wash her hair. I’m really…
CHIRP!
…in no mood to fight with them over this and wow, is it 7:30 already?!?! No wonder Freddie is fussy. Okay, I will bathe children tomorrow night.
3 – Pack a healthy lunch. I’m going to loose weight and feel good and I’m going to start by packing a lunch of fruits and veggies and a light sandwich. Try not to forget that the lunch is in the refrigerator when you are leaving the following morning.
CHIRP!
4 – Do a dry run of your commute. This is especially important if you are working in a big city where you don’t know your way around because you haven’t worked there in 8 years. Most likely, it is best if you drive and not sit in the very back of the minivan where you can’t see the street signs or the GPS. It also would be wise…
CHIRP!
… to get parking taken care of before you actually start instead of feeling the anxiety in your stomach until the very moment that you pull in the next day. For future reference, most likely you will be able to park in one of the 5 million parking garages within walking distance of your new office. Very unlikely that they are all full at 7:30AM. Probably not necessary to worry about that.
5 – Go to bed early and…
CHIRP!
…get a good night’s sleep. Also, it’s a very good idea to get your 3 year old to bed early so she’s not a huge pain the next morning. It is probably not the best decision to allow her to be awake until 10PM when the alarm goes off at 5AM. On that same...
CHIRP!
...note, it would probably be best to have your children sleeping through the night and in their own beds before taking on the challenge of a new…
CHIRP!
…job. It probably wasn’t the best idea to just let the kids sleep with you whenever because you were too tired to deal with it. And maybe you should just suck it up and let them cry a little instead of rushing to their bedside at the smallest noise. Also, I hear Benadryl works wonders!
CHIRP! CHIRP!
Finally…
CHIRP!
...and this is really important.
CHIRP!
I mean it's probably the most important part of the checklist.
6 – CHIRP! Make sure your smoke alarms have brand new…
CHIRP!
…batteries. Or it’s possible the chirping will wake you up…
CHIRP!
…all night long.
1 – Pack bag for daycare. Include diapers, wipes, sippy cups, food, blankets, toys, extra clothes, picture of mommy and daddy and immunization forms. It probably would be a good idea…
CHIRP!
…to actually speak to the daycare provider as well. That way you’d know if your children were going to get breakfast in the morning, if they needed their own crib sheets and if you could come earlier than the 7AM opening. Instead, obsess over the fact that you didn’t call and create a mental list of all your excuses so you are prepared if said daycare provider questions you.
2 – Bathe children. Make sure they are super clean and smell good for their new school in the morning. Although, baths can be a pain. Freddie splashes like crazy and I end up all wet. Ainsley doesn’t listen and cries when I wash her hair. I’m really…
CHIRP!
…in no mood to fight with them over this and wow, is it 7:30 already?!?! No wonder Freddie is fussy. Okay, I will bathe children tomorrow night.
3 – Pack a healthy lunch. I’m going to loose weight and feel good and I’m going to start by packing a lunch of fruits and veggies and a light sandwich. Try not to forget that the lunch is in the refrigerator when you are leaving the following morning.
CHIRP!
4 – Do a dry run of your commute. This is especially important if you are working in a big city where you don’t know your way around because you haven’t worked there in 8 years. Most likely, it is best if you drive and not sit in the very back of the minivan where you can’t see the street signs or the GPS. It also would be wise…
CHIRP!
… to get parking taken care of before you actually start instead of feeling the anxiety in your stomach until the very moment that you pull in the next day. For future reference, most likely you will be able to park in one of the 5 million parking garages within walking distance of your new office. Very unlikely that they are all full at 7:30AM. Probably not necessary to worry about that.
5 – Go to bed early and…
CHIRP!
…get a good night’s sleep. Also, it’s a very good idea to get your 3 year old to bed early so she’s not a huge pain the next morning. It is probably not the best decision to allow her to be awake until 10PM when the alarm goes off at 5AM. On that same...
CHIRP!
...note, it would probably be best to have your children sleeping through the night and in their own beds before taking on the challenge of a new…
CHIRP!
…job. It probably wasn’t the best idea to just let the kids sleep with you whenever because you were too tired to deal with it. And maybe you should just suck it up and let them cry a little instead of rushing to their bedside at the smallest noise. Also, I hear Benadryl works wonders!
CHIRP! CHIRP!
Finally…
CHIRP!
...and this is really important.
CHIRP!
I mean it's probably the most important part of the checklist.
6 – CHIRP! Make sure your smoke alarms have brand new…
CHIRP!
…batteries. Or it’s possible the chirping will wake you up…
CHIRP!
…all night long.
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