There is nothing more eye-opening than being a first-time parent. From newborn to preschool and elementary to college, those experiences that come with your firstborn are nothing you can prepare for. And our featured article has a letter to those precious firstborns who became our parenting guinea pigs. We love you, and we hope we didn’t screw up too much.
Scroll to the bottom for a personal note to my firstborn, Matias, in Just Sayin’. <3
And of course, give yourself a break from the stress of dinner planning with our yummy Recipes of the Week. Enjoy!
Dear Firstborn, Thanks For Letting Me Screw Up
By Angela Anagnost-Repke
Dear Precious Firstborn,
I had no freaking clue what I was doing those first few months after you were born, and you just kind of hung in there for me. For example, you were so damn hungry all the time, and I just thought you were an ornery baby. Because you wailed and wailed, I just figured you were colicky.
Lucky me, I thought. But it turned out you were just hungry, really freaking hungry.
Thank you for putting up with all of my neurotic behaviors as a first-time mother.
You slept in the Rock n’ Play next to my bed and I still used a monitor just to be sure you were breathing. What a nut-job. What about my goal to make you the smartest preschooler in the world? I thought someone would give me an effing trophy if I read to you all day long, taught you the alphabet, and had you talking in full sentences by 18 months.
As a teacher myself, I’d say I was a little over-the-top. Luckily, I learned to just let you be a kid — the kick-ass kid you are today.
Thank you for putting up with my all organic meals.
Oh, the food. Only organic for my baby boy! I bought strictly organic and made all of your food from scratch. Ha, if only I could have looked into a crystal ball to see you eating McDonald’s after a soccer game today . . . that first-time mom would have cringed.
Thanks for tolerating the fact that I was super strict about sleeping and eating schedules.
Following those routines when you went to sleep at night and at nap time made everyone in our house a little crazy. Good ol’ Mom would never let us stay out at a summer barbecue to eat those s’mores because of bedtime (I suffered through so many eyerolls from your father regarding this one).
But over time, I’ve learned to loosen up a bit and simply let the good times roll, despite the fact that I know the next day will be a shit-show. Sometimes, the cranky days ahead are actually worth the long nights before.
Thanks for teaching me to trust myself.
There was the kindergarten debacle — to red-shirt or not? I hemmed and hawed on that one for a solid two years. But I should have known all along that you would do just fine with either decision. That’s probably the biggest lesson you’ve taught me in motherhood — to simply trust myself and to follow my intuition.
Thank you for not only making me a mother, but for teaching me to act confident in this role.
I started off with some pretty heavy guilt right away because nursing you was so tough. But once I gave you that sweet magic of formula, our bond grew deeper — and right away. You taught me that you loved me no matter what. You felt that I was merely doing my best, and more importantly, that was good enough. It will always be good enough.
Today, thanks to you, I stand as a confident mother. Yes, I’m still learning as I go, but you gave me the precious ability to be proud of my decisions and to stand by them as a mom — as your mom. And we all know how much I need that confidence with your feisty little sister. Otherwise, she’d eat me alive.
Thank you for always accepting me and loving me no matter what.
I’ve made plenty of parenting mistakes and I’m certain I’ll make more. That’s how it goes. But thanks to you, I know you will always be by me every step of the way, due to the simple fact you know I’m doing my very best — my best for you.
I love you always,
Mom
RECIPES OF THE WEEK:
Change things up a little with these five amazing dinner recipes. Your family will love them, and everyone will appreciate something new and delicious in the dinner rotation. (The Parmesan Zucchini Pasta is calling my name!)
Chicken Tabbouleh Bowls
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
For the tabbouleh:
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup mint, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
For the rice:
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water or chicken broth
Salt to taste
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water or chicken broth to a boil. Add 1 cup of basmati rice and a pinch of salt.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and set aside.
Preheat a grill or skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Grill or cook the chicken for about 6-7 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes, then slice into strips.
In a large bowl, combine the parsley, mint (if using), green onions, tomatoes, and cucumber. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
Divide the cooked rice among four bowls. Top each bowl with a portion of tabbouleh. Add sliced chicken on top of the tabbouleh.
French Onion Pork Chops
Ingredients: