Snow Days, Not School Days

oh how i love snow days!  seriously, i love cozying up and hunkering down, cooking, cleaning, and spending time with the munchkins.  (although, i usually do a little happy dance when naptime rolls around.)  this morning was greeted with a 5:45am one call from the school district announcing the delay, to which i happily turned off my alarm.  then again around 8 i received the coveted cancellation call.  finally around 9 we all woke up and i casually made breakfast (cinnamon raisin pancakes - see recipe to follow) around 10.  don't judge.  we are generally not in a rush on snow days.  after all, where are we going? this was the gorgeous view from our table this morning.  i absolutely love, love, love it when the snow sticks to the branches.  i can't imagine a whole lot of other nature scenes that are more beautiful...  another perk - i caught shemar moore on ellen, and all i can say is YUM!!  

today's snow day gave me an opportunity to practice more positive parenting, too.  as i revealed yesterday, i struggle with parenting two under 4.  but it has become my resolve, not just because a new year has come but because it is high time, to be a better, more patient, kinder parent.  i want to encourage my children to make good choices because of my guidance, not because i yelled loud enough to get their attention.  

anyway, when the dreaded tears and back-talking started as i attempted to serve lunch, which might i add was pretty tasty, albeit incredibly simple, i actually followed through with my threat to remove the children from the table if their refusal to eat continued.  minishe exclaimed, "i'll eat! i'll eat!" when i began to pull her chair out from the table, and shoved some sausage in her mouth faster than i could blink.  when i transitioned my attention to minihe, he asked through his tears, "how many bites do i need to take?".  i sat down in satisfaction knowing that i had just won myself a small battle in the war against my children's most annoying habits - the mealtime breakdown.

as for our unexpected breakfast at home today, the kids literally screamed "pancakes" and trampled each other in a fast scramble to help me assemble them in the kitchen.  as i've mentioned in a previous post, pancakes are literally my children's favorite food.  not only do they gobble them up, but they love to help with the prep work.  minihe loves to crack the egg, scoop out flour, stir everything around... minishe is just content to have her own [empty] bowl and spoon and pretend to get in on the action.  

the inspiration for this morning's cinnamon raisin pancakes comes from the absolutely delectable cinnamon raisin biscuit/muffin my daycare provider made last week.  i have been craving one since.  j is an expert at, well, everything!  i am truly blessed to have such a wonderful childcare provider, and i would also call her my friend.  those of you reading this with children in daycare centers or in-home providers know just how valuable it is to find someone you can trust to have your children's best interest as their number one priority day in and day out.  after all, their work is to fundamentally raise our children while we work.

at any rate, here's this morning's pancake recipe.  why i didn't think of adding these ingredients together sooner is beyond me!!

cinnamon raisin pancakes:

look at how fluffy they are fluffing up!

ingredients: enough to make 12 pancakes

• 1/2 C raisins
• 1 C bisquick mix
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t baking powder (can be omitted but this simple ingredient makes the pancakes really fluff)
• dash nutmeg

preparation:

• before you start your batter, soak the raisins in warm water to plump them up a little
• add remaining ingredients to a bowl and stir to mix
• drain off water from raisins and fold into batter
• heat a titch of oil on a griddle 
• spoon batter onto griddle and flip when bubbles pop and don't fill in
• i served with syrup but i bet a cream cheese drizzle would be excellent (see below)

yes.  i use paper plates and plastic utensils. i abhor washing dishes.

cream cheese drizzle:

• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1-2 T butter
• milk to thin
• warm cream cheese, butter, and milk in microwave
• mix, adding more sugar, milk, or cream cheese to desired taste and consistency