How Motherhood Is Like a Brownie

Oh, mama, I've got such a gift for you today. Actually, I've got a couple.

The first is the chance to meet my friend Christine--founder and heart behind 4Real Moms. Which, if you're not already a fan of, you should check out ASAP. Christine is a gorgeous blond former cheerleader while I'm a brunette choir-geek-turned-band-mom. But I love her because we share, among other things, a passion for chocolate and a loathing of crafts, house cleaning, and exercise.

The second gift is Christine's guest post, which is all about brownies. How much she loves them. How motherhood is like one. And how you can make some for yourself. Because if you don't already want a brownie just as a general life principle, you'll probably want one by the time you've finished reading Christine's post...

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It’s no secret that I love brownies.  

Yes, I even hide them from my kids. Yes, I even con friends and family into letting me take home extra brownies “for the kids” that strangely never make it home to the kids. I know. It’s a sickness. I love brownies that much.

 

And after turning 40 (almost 2 years ago), I’ve learned not to apologize for things like this, either. I love brownies. And now you know that if I ever give you a whole pan of brownies, that means I really, really love you. Because let’s be real here: when you give someone brownies and you cut them out of a pan and put them in little squares on a paper plate or even on a fancy platter, aren’t you really just saying that I kind of love you, but I love eating some of these brownies before I gave them to you even more?

Maybe that’s just me.

Brownies haven’t always consumed my mind. In fact, I gave them up for six years…that’s right! In fact, I gave up all chocolate for six years. I hear the gasps now! I went through infertility and in my desperation to get pregnant, chocolate was one of the many things I had to change in my diet. (Maybe that’s why I make no apologies now for eating brownies ALL THE TIME?) Now, I’m blessed to have three beautiful children in my life. And I’m also blessed to have brownies back in my life, too.

The other day, as I was making a pan of these delicious soothers of my soul for a friend who just had a baby (and yes, I gave her the whole pan because I love her that much!!), my kids were chasing each other around the house, giggling, and intermittently throwing in some fighting about some toy that no one wanted to play with until one kid picked it up and then all of the sudden, it became the “it” toy and everyone wanted it at the same time, and it dawned on me just how much motherhood is like a brownie…

1. It's a treat. Brownies are delicious. They are chewy. They are chocolatey. They are scrumptious. They are a treat. Motherhood is a treat too--one that you savor and enjoy. And even in the midst of the challenges and chaos that motherhood brings, I’m truly honored to be a mom…especially when I thought I would never be one. It brings me such joy to watch my kids learn and grow…to hear them using loving and compassionate words (most of the time)…to see them giving and sharing and being kind to one another (unless someone has the “it” toy). I treasure every sweet moment because they don’t always last long (and neither do any brownies within a 100 foot radius of me).

2. It requires self-control. Seriously, I have no self-control when it comes to brownies. And as a mom, I struggle with anger and losing my temper because, let’s face it, my kids are not the perfect treats all the time. They’re great kids, but they’re normal kids. They test boundaries. They disobey. They throw fits.  They test my patience. And just like I can’t gobble up a whole pan of brownies (although I’d like to), I also can’t gobble up my kids’ spirits with yelling (although I do that more than I’d like to admit). Even though I still have my moments where I lose it, I’ve learned the beautiful art of counting to 10…breathing…and praying...and only eating one brownie while I’m counting and breathing and praying.

3. It is diverse. Brownies are so diverse. They can come with nuts…without nuts…with peanut butter…with caramel…with chocolate chips…with Oreo cookies…with powdered sugar…with frosting. In fact, I have a cookbook called “101 Best Brownie Recipes." Did you hear that--101 BROWNIE RECIPES! Yes, that book is a treasure in my house. I’ve learned that there is even more diversity in motherhood. There are 1001 ways to breastfeed, sleep-train, potty-train, diaper, dress, teach, feed, and even carry a child these days. And every child is different. What works for one doesn’t always work for the other.  How one child feels loved isn’t how another child feels loved. Just when you get one problem worked out, ten more present themselves. Even though every brownie is different, every brownie is delicious. Even though every child is different, when mixed with love, every child can become delightful. 

4. It is imperfect. I know you might be thinking, “What? Brownies are imperfect?” Yes. They are actually quite temperamental. Sometimes a little over-done. Sometimes a little underdone. Not that any kind of baking doneness will stop me from eating a brownie, but they are in fact quite imperfect. And so am I as a mom.  Motherhood has taught me just how imperfect I actually am. Even though I thought I was completely normal and quite perfect before I had children, God assures me that I wasn’t. Hmmmm.  Embracing my imperfections, learning to apologize for my mistakes, seeking forgiveness on a regular basis has actually been quite freeing. What a great example to set for my children. And the realization that no mom is perfect has been even more freeing! No brownie is perfect and yet it’s still delicious. No mom is perfect and yet she is still beautiful and wonderful and courageous and loving and giving and amazing. We all love our children and we are all doing the best we know how to raise them to be kind and loving human beings in this world. Let’s pray for, encourage, and uplift one another, and by golly, let’s all share our imperfect brownies with each other too!

Dear mom, the next time you eat a brownie (and I hope it’s soon with these easy recipes below), remember to take a deep breath. Motherhood is hard, but it’s a treat. We are all doing the best we can. We are all imperfect. Savor each moment in motherhood, and savor each bite of every brownie…but try not to eat the whole pan.

Oh, and save one for me! 

Best Brownies {print}

Ingredients:

4 eggs (beaten until foamy)

2 cups of sugar

½ cup butter (softened)

1 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup cocoa

¾ cup chocolate chips (or however many you want—no one is watching)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, butter, and vanilla. Mix together.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa. Use fork or wire whisk to stir. Add to the wet ingredients and stir.

3. Add chocolate chips and/or nuts. Stir. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. 

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and sprinkle powdered sugar on top.  Enjoy!

Best Boxed Brownies {print}

Ingredients:

1 box of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate (or Double Dark) Brownie Mix

1/4 c water

1/2 c vegetable oil (or applesauce)

1 egg

1/4 c chocolate chips (or more—really, I put no limit on chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Follow directions on the box.

2. After you spread the brownie mixture in the prepared pan, my secret is to add extra chocolate chips on the top to make sure there is at least one or five chocolate chips in every bite! Yum!

CHRISTINE LEEB is known as the “Real Mom." She is a speaker, writer, Christian Life Coach, and the founder of 4Real Moms—an organization
encouraging moms to be real while helping them be the best moms God created them to be. She has three beautiful (and exhausting) children and has been married to her husband, Brad, for almost 16 wonderful (and challenging) years. She enjoys garage sale-ing, brownie eating, friendship keeping, book reading, family tickling, and husband dating. She is the author of the devotional In His Light: Facing Fear with Faith, and her newest ebook is Meal-Planning for the Mom Who Hates Meal-Planning. For more encouragement and resources, visit her website at www.4realmoms.com. 

This post may have been shared at some of these blog bashes.