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When my firstborn was six weeks old, she went down for a nap. I had 45 minutes to choose between taking a nap myself, taking a shower, or preparing something healthy to eat. I chose the shower--and while in there, wished that someone could prepare me a healthy meal and leave it on my doorstep. That's how Mothers & Menus was born, so named because every mother needs her own menu. Collaborating with a health-minded gourmet chef (also a mom), we developed an innovative organic menu that met our moms' needs, and delivered daily to their doorsteps. Our clients kept calling back for the recipes, so we published The Well-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook, offering meals and snacks that adapt to individual moods and palates.
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But as my daughter grew, and was then joined by another beautiful girl and later, a charming baby boy, I realized that my needs were growing, too. Of course, I still had to plan and prepare healthy meals to cook for my family, but suddenly, there was so much more: managing my work, caregiving, my kids' growth and development, family dynamics and just the busy-ness of daily life, along with the array of emotions that accompanied it all. I needed a bigger menu--a menu for living.
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I've always believed that healthy meals help keep you focused and energized, but that the access to inner passion and peace come from everyday living. So I put to paper the recipes for life that I was uncovering: potty training, dealing with temper tantrums, how to discipline, and later, tween battles and dwindling passion in my marriage. I found that these experiences, however challenging, offered a tremendous opportunity to connect more deeply with myself, my husband, and my children.
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I realized that these deepened connections were not the result of intense Buddhist studies on a secluded mountaintop, but rather the day-to-day challenges of family living. Now I say, "Bring it on!" Use these situations to explore your Self, and you'll uncover a simpler family life with more passion, connection and joy. And a lot fewer tantrums.
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