The Easy Way Out

As I was making tacos for the kids last night, a departure from the usual "Mom and Dad are going out mac and cheese", I recalled seeing a recipe for taco filling in Mom's cookbook.  Can you imagine making taco filling from scratch?  Did they not have the prepackaged taco dinner in a box when I was a kid?  Honestly, the most effort I exert when making tacos is opening that box and shredding some lettuce.  How in the world did my mom do this - and with six kids in tow?

Mom used to always opine about the ridiculous nature of all the "gear" kids required these days - boppy pillows, bouncy seats, bottle and wipe warmers.  When Regan was born, she was quick to point out the silly nature of these items, which were littering our apartment and taking up more space than the furniture.  She would reach for a freshly warm wipe and laugh, "You have got to be kidding me!  How did I ever raise six kids without a wipe warmer?"  Indeed.  How did she do it?  Do all these gadgets make our lives as moms easier, or have we only complicated our lives to a level that seems out of control?

When I was a kid, I walked to school every day - two blocks - and I came home for lunch. Mom would make me a homemade lunch every single day of my life, K through 6.  Grilled cheese, soup, peanut butter and jelly on saltines, maybe even a taco here and there. She didn't rush in the morning to fill a lunch box with pre-measured, prepackaged 100 calorie snack bags.  Do you know you can even get pre-cut carrots packaged in snack size bags?  I do.  I've got them in my fridge right now.  And I don't think these things make my life any easier.  They may shave some time off my morning rush, but they certainly don't make me feel like I'm living up to Mom's expectations.  I think that we are a generation who has made our lives so difficult and hectic, that the only way we can come to terms with that is to have someone else package our kids lunch snacks for us.

I grapple all the time with how crazy and competitive life has become for us and our children.  Sports at the age of 3, and not just one sport but several sports.  Music class, a class which I took with my kids before they could even walk or talk - Mom had a field day with this one!  Playgroups, playdates, carpools.  Everything I have done has been in the interest of streamlining the life that I have created to be so completely hectic for my kids, and for me.  If they don't play the right sport at age 5 then they won't make the travel team in 4th grade and they won't play varsity in high school and they won't get into the right college and they won't get into the right graduate school and they won't make enough money to care for me when I am old because I spent all my money on their grade school activities.

There are days where I wish I had a job to go off to so someone else could deal with the craze of my day.  Don't get me wrong.  I wouldn't trade my life for anything else, and I am half-heartedly poking fun at myself.  But I do wonder how to get back to the simple way things were when I was a kid.  I realize that's not entirely attainable, but maybe I can get back some semblance of the easier way.  So, we've started walking to school.  We only live two blocks from school but, more often than not, I'm flying out the driveway in the car to get the kids there on time.  Admittedly, not the best time of year to undertake this initiative as we have to dodge five foot snowbanks, but it's a small step.  I've pared down the sports my kids play - if they aren't interested in it, then we're not going to do it and I'm not going to worry too much about their future varsity career.  I've stopped participating in the ginormous soccer carpool.  It makes my life a little tougher, but it's really nice to have only my kids in the car and converse about their day for a few precious minutes while we drive to the field.  I can't promise that I'll make taco filling from scratch every time, but I will start to cut up my own carrots.

Taco Filling

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1/8 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
4 oz tomato sauce

Brown meat with onions and pepper.  Add spices and tomato sauce.  Cover with water and simmer for 45 minutes.