Be nice to yourself

Being nice to ourselves is one thing we moms don't do well.

We take care of everyone else from the minute our feet hit the floor to the second they are back under the covers, and I do remember quite a few years where my "me" time was spent sleeping.

What I realized was that we have to take ourselves and put us at the top of the list. When we're rested and feeling good, then we can be our best for all those we love. We're better parents, better partners, better coworkers and generally nicer to be around.

This week has been crazy. I have not gotten as much writing time as I would like on the second book, we've had early holiday deadlines to deal with at the day job and I know that I need to get my act together as far as hosting our family Thanksgiving.

You never need yourself to be nice to yourself more than during a busy week. Write that down.

So today, I sprinkled some cinnamon in the coffee grounds before I brewed it, and now I have a nice big travel mug of cinnamon coffee with me at my desk.

My hands felt dry so I got out the really nice lotion and moisturized all the way up to my elbows. And I took 15 minutes to read before battling traffic. And I decided that I will not beat up on myself for not being Wonder Woman every second. And I let myself sleep a little later than normal (and everyone still got to school and work on time!).

These were little things that didn't cost a dime this morning, but they made me feel better. Figure out what makes you feel better and do it, especially during these stressful holidays. Your family will thank you.

Comfort food and wake-up cats

So last night at our house, it was Poppyseed Chicken night. All you Methodists will probably stop reading now, because this is a frequently seen recipe at just about any church gathering or potluck. I think it is nearly impossible to be a member of a United Methodist church for any length of time without eating this at least once and/or making a batch for anyone who's sick or having a family emergency.

It's easy. It freezes well. It's not expensive. It is comfort food. There is just about nothing not to love about Poppyseed Chicken, and it is also a huge favorite with my kids and their friends. If I make a batch, they will all but lick the casserole dish.

So here it is, and I suspect this will be seeing us through quite a few evenings as I work on being a features editor by day and an author in the early morning hours.

Boil a pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders. Chop or shred. Meanwhile, mix a cup of sour cream with a can of cream of chicken soup and 1-2 tsp. of poppyseeds. Mix in cooked chicken. Crush about a sleeve or so of Ritz crackers and mix this with about 2-3 Tbsp. of melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken mixture, which has been poured into a casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Or don't bake, cover with foil and freeze to thaw and bake later.

My kids love this so much that the oldest Dear Son once ate some before it was baked. And pronounced it delicious. I told him it is much better when it has cooked!

So after a plate of this and some green beans, I konked out before 9 p.m. Only to be awakened by our cat Honey. She wants me to succeed in writing so to get me up and going at 5 a.m., she bit me. That's some love. Either that or she wanted cat food.

Just do it, already

So Friday night, I get a text from my publisher that he likes the premise of my second book.

Hooray! Being a Sartoris Literary Group author is something that makes me want to jump up and down and squeal like the middle-school girl who lives in my psyche somewhere.

Now I just need to finish writing the second book.

It's a daunting thing, taking on a big project. I have several that are at least in my mind or farther. The Gentleman Friend and I have some going on at the house that probably will not happen until after the holidays as I don't want to tear the kitchen and upstairs bath up until then, and I have been wanting to redo the Dear Daughter's room only to repaint the walls, sew curtains and hang shelves will first involve cleaning the room to the point where the floor shows. And that is a big project.

I promised her the redo if she would clean the room first. Hasn't happened.

But here is the deal. Sometimes you look at a project and think it will take forever. And it really just takes an hour.

Or you take on a project only when you have enough time to finish it. And you never have that much time, so you never start.

The trick to finishing these things is to do a little bit at a time. I wrote the first book, "Because I Said So: Life in The Mom Zone," in lots of sittings, none of them longer than three or four hours and most about 30 minutes to an hour.

So today, I am thinking about just doing it, like the Nike ad. Just start. Just keep plugging away once you start.

That goes for the book. I still don't want to take on the DD's room, putting in new kitchen counters or fixing the upstairs shower until after Jan. 1. The holidays are chaotic and messy enough without three more projects under way.