This Used to Be Just Another Day

It is so hard for me to believe that I have been The Mommy for as long as I was an Analytical Chemist. Today is the anniversary of the day I became a mommy, the day Oldest Boy was born.

I went to school for 4 years to earn my BS in Chemistry. I had on-the-job training in my field as well as various seminars and different courses to learn each specific set of instrument software. I rarely hesitated to rip apart quarter of a million dollars worth of equipment - sometimes daily. Yet that equipment - which came with instruction manuals that were 2 to 3 inches thick and written in 4 languages - was nowhere near as valuable as the teeny, tiny baby that changed my life.

I watched an interview with Wil Smith (one of my favorite actors because I feel he stayed true to himself despite fame) on Oprah once. In it he said his very first VCR came with an instruction manual that was 1200 pages long but the day they left the hospital with his first child they just handed him the baby and said, "OK! Here ya go!" I know exactly how he felt.

And now, 8 years later, I still feel like I need an instruction manual...

I like to do up birthdays big around here. Unless their actual birthday falls on the day of their party, there is another cake and a special (by request) dinner. Tonight, we're having tacos and Strawberry Heart Cake. Recipe follows (original recipe from FamilyFun magazine):

Strawberry Heart Cake

1 pkg white cake mix (18 ¼ oz)

1 pkg (3 oz) strawberry jello
3 TBSP flour

1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed

½ cup cold water

½ cup butter or margarine

5 to 5 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, jello and flour. Beat in oil and eggs. Drain strawberries, reserving ½ cup syrup for frosting. Add berries and water to batter; mix well. Divide batter between two waxed paper-lined 8-in pans, one square; one round. Bake @ 350°F for 30-35 min (square) and 35-40 min (round) or until cake tests done. Cool 10 min; remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely.
In small bowl, combine butter and reserved syrup. Gradually add sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Place square cake diagonally on a covered board (20” x 15”). Cut round cake in half and ice the cut sides; place frosted sides against the top two sides of square cake. Ice sides and top of cake. Decorate.

Happy Birthday, Oldest Boy!