Homemade vs. the stressed out homemaker

I’ve mentioned our family making a concerted effort toward improving our health over the past two months– we’ve been on a bit of a nutrition kick,

scrutinizing labels for the fewest ingredients, seeking more whole foods, and trying to make more at home versus buying items ready-made at the store.  So far, so good.  I’ve talked about my love of Tra.der Joe’s.  It is such a fantastic store with whole foods at a much more affordable price.  Laziness (or “Blissful Naivete” was what I liked to call it) was

part of the reason why we didn’t switch sooner.  But in the end, it was really the sticker shock that scared me away from making such a change in the past.  TJ’s has helped remove most of my fears and keep our budget in order, all the while helping us eat much healthier and feel a little better about the food choices we are introducing to our children!

As I stood in the kitchen yesterday morning, though, amidst powdered sugar sprinkled all over the counter, dusting my face, pants, and shoes, and making a nice layer over pretty much anything in the vicinity, I had a moment where I doubted it all.  My hand mixer was fried, my arm hurt, and I was running late.  Was it really worth slaving away at the counter to make homemade icing for 20 cupcakes to be delivered to school a mere hour later?  My list of things to accomplish in that hour was almost insurmountable as it was.  My stress flared.

You see, I had conquered the first round of frosting the night before, but ran out with 5 cupcakes to go.  Back to the store (twice) it was in the morning and then back to making icing again.  I will admit, it turned out to be pretty tasty and I now have gobs of it sitting in my fridge awaiting its debut on the birthday cake that I will procure tonight for a party full of 10 boys (7 and under) on Saturday.  I can guarantee they could care less whether it was from Betty Crocker or B-mama.  But I know and that brings me satisfaction.

As my to-do list lengthens and the party day approaches, though, how much is too much? Is homemade worth the extra stress?

I do love to cook.  Making things from scratch brings me great joy.  Doing so at the eleventh hour, at 5pm with children running amuck, however, is not my idea of joy and peace.   I obviously need to set aside some time to enjoy the homemade process.  Then, I need to allow myself time to savor the end product.  As far as the icing goes, I’m just praying it doesn’t dry out before tomorrow night when it’s show time and on the cake it will go!  Perhaps its really about prioritizing the things we love and making those from scratch, but resorting to healthful substitutions in a pinch.  And not piling on the to-do’s when the list is already long enough.

I am only one mother.  A mother who loves her family enough to feed them the very best.  But when is homemade too much?