Bad Mommy

Sometimes, I feel like a bad Mom.

Say, when people started asking me what Mary was going to be for Halloween and I didn't have a response let alone a costume. I felt worse when the costume that I finally got around to ordering was way too big.

I feel like a bad Mom when I compare my pumpkin-less, cobweb clean, mum and mummy-free entryway, to the lawns of Mayberry on which Halloween threw up earlier this month. Don't worry though, buying and carving pumpkins along with shrinking Mary's costume is on my list of things to do tonight.

I felt terrible when Mary got a rash around her mouth last week and the doctor told me the culprit was a binky that hadn't been properly sterilized. Or Mom.

I feel like a bad Mom when I can't get Mary back to sleep at night, when I spill the milk I pumped all over the Mother's Room at work, when I see Julian's ultra organic baby mush lunch next to Mary's Gerber peaches, and when Mary is one of the last babies to get picked up from Day Care. Seriously, how do all the other Moms or Dads have jobs that allow them to pick up their kids before 5:00 PM?

But for all the stuff that I'm likely doing wrong, I swear I'm doing something right. Mary's developmental milestones tell me so: the way she is eating, crawling, waving, and babbling.

More than that though, her smile keeps giving me the nod of approval. She is just so happy. All the time.

I'd like to say it's the song and dance routine I choreograph to every activity that we do together, but I think the rationale is more simple. Everything is new and exciting to her: seeing her friends at day care, getting a hug from Mommy and Daddy, crawling from one side of the room to the other, dripping dry after I pull her out of the tub, touching her toes, grabbing Mommy's nose, and of course eating, and eating and eating.

After sleepless nights and stressful work weeks, it's a wonderful reminder about what really matters. It's the little things in life that are most important.

And judging by how happy a stack of Oma's potato pancakes made Peter on Saturday night, I can't wait to watch Mary experience the simple joy of  her own heaping portion of Oma's famous kartoffelpuffers. Forget about the pumpkins or gory lawn ornaments; the sure way to go from bad Mom to good Mom on any give night, invite Oma over.

Lo.

Oma's Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:
6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 of a vidalia onion, peeled and quartered
2 eggs
4 tablespoons flour
Salt, pepper
Canola oil
Applesauce (unsweetened)

Directions:
Using a food mill, grind potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Potatoes should look like shreds.

Beat two eggs, then add into potato and onion mixture. Add flour, salt and pepper and stir until well incorporated.

In the 'bacon pan' or a large cast iron skillet, pour a 1/4 inch of oil and heat until sizzling. Using a slotted spoon, add three dollops of potato to the pan, similar to how you would add pancake batter to a skillet. Using the spoon or a spatula, spread the potatoes out. Cook for about three minutes per side, until golden brown. Flip using a very thin, flexible spatula and brown on the other side.

Drain the grease on a plate covered with paper towels. Serve hot with a side of applesauce.