Little Petals of Whimsies: It's more than cooking

One thing I should always remember, is that when you have kids, cooking can be challenging in some ways. Especially when you have a picky eater in hand, you have to accommodate to a certain degree with the menu planning. Apparently, I had forgotten this vital truth as I was following the menu planner from the magazine. How silly of me. Needless to say, we did not have the chicken and onion sandwich on Monday night. The family voted on the Shrimp & Corn Quesadillas instead (which was planned for Wednesday I think), so we switched things around.

Let me tell you. I'm a perfectionist and I get an indescribable thrill from feeding my OCD tendencies. When I carefully strategize but things don't go according to the plan, I have a very hard time dealing with it. If you're a mother like me, you must understand that things do not work out exactly the way you've intended to especially when you're juggling with little ones. I know it sounds silly but I was so disappointed when I had to change the menu. Talk about a set back.

Today was our Mom to Mom meeting and we had our beloved Mentor Panel. This is where all the experienced mothers (w/ children much older) come and do a Q & A session with the younger moms who have questions about parenting, marriage, motherhood, etc. I love mentor panels because I learn so much from these women who went through what I am going through right now in my stage of life. One truth I had learned today and I kept on hearing over and over throughout the meeting was- quit trying to be a super mom and give yourself a break from trying to do things all perfectly. Because, there's a fat chance where things will NOT go exactly you had planned and you'll beat yourself over it. So, I realize, I really need to let go and relax! This is probably THE step #1 to better parenting. It's really hard to let go though and to truly accept it. But I gotta try. Or else, I'll be writing an endless novel called Confessions of a Guilty Mom.

Anyhow, the quesadillas turned out so well. The whole family loved them! I paired it with an Avocado Salad which really was simple but tasty with the meal. Here are some pictures.

One thing I really want to emphasize is, cooking with the kids can be such a special thing. It's a great way to spend quality time together and it's so meaningful for the whole family. I told them about this blog project, and they were even more excited than I was. We cooked and took pictures together. My oldest really loved it especially because she wants to be a chef and open her own fancy restaurant. I thought that was really cute.

First, you cook the shrimp and red onion.