Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local
Every time I see it on the calendar, I simultaneously do two things: mentally recite “Spring forward, fall back”; and physically groan, for either action. Daylight Savings Time was mildly annoying before children, so now it’s really annoying.
I probably write about it twice a year as its beginning and end come around on the calendar — but obviously the day that takes away an hour feels more notable and more like a personal affront. I’m trying to put out some sort of hopeful vibes I suppose, because theoretically each time I write about it could be the last time; I always hear rumors of slated legislation with the potential of nixing the whole thing. Alas and alack, it has not yet come to pass.
To be fair, we are not a very regimented nor scheduled family, so I’m sure the effects of an hour’s capriciousness are far more dastardly on other households. But really, people. I’m an adult and I don’t sleep well if I don’t go to bed within the same half-hour window every night, so how are my kids’ tiny bodies supposed to just magically adapt? Obviously we stagger their bedtime in hopes of gentle transformation, but it’s always just off for a week or two…not to mention everyone else around us is trying the same thing, and attitudes themselves often are staggering around too.
It doesn’t help that, although I don’t fully appreciate the comparisons when I’m pregnant or breastfeeding, cows and humans do have some similarities. Especially tiny humans who thrive on the safety of routine. Cows want to do the same thing at the same time every day, and you just try and tell them they should suddenly eat their breakfast or go do the things an hour earlier or later, because the government said so.
The vitriol of my husband and the rest of the dairy-involved family towards Daylight Savings rubs off on me. Cows are heavy, and stubborn, and poop when they’re upset. Enough said.
Now, I know I also hold some of these views because I am privileged to be a stay-at-home mom, married to a guy who works right outside the door, so neither of us have a morning commute. My oldest is only on the cusp of being old enough for school, and we are homeschooling for now at least, so again no morning commute’s safety to worry about. In fact, while we do get out and about a lot, the only morning of the week that we consistently have somewhere to be is Sunday…the day the time changes, of course.
Typically, my children get up in puh-lenty of time to get ready for church. A day of rest or weekend sleeping in means nothing to children who see their allowed-to-get-up light has turned green; they have things to do. In fact, sometimes we get into more trouble on the Daylight Savings end that allots us an extra hour, because we get so distracted doing all the things and taking all the time that we actually run out of time.
And chances are, this will be the one Sunday they decide to sleep in. Brian will have the same amount of morning chores, but with sassy cows who know it’s not time yet, so he’ll be late. Just in case, I’ll have grab-and-go breakfast muffins handy; perhaps they also can help later in the week as disrupted-schedule attitudes suffer.
Really, I’m grumbling about a lot of nothing. But maybe, just maybe, it’s my last chance to complain about Daylight Savings Time, right? So I might as well.
Brown Sugar Carrot Breakfast Muffins
My first thought for muffins for me and the kids would be banana and/or chocolate, which unfortunately would be Brian’s last thoughts. I’m not sure carrot bran is any more up his alley…but adding a smidge of peanut butter will at least help. Muffins are so nice to whip up since they usually just take a quick stir, something the kids are more than willing to help out with, and putting them in fun cupcake liners never hurts (that is, unless your two-year-old forgets to unwrap them). Within an hour of baking, Benson had two and asked for a third.
Prep tips: it might look like a lot of ingredients, but it comes together so fast. Extras freeze well.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ, preferably toasted
⅔ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup ground flax
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
Mix dry ingredients. Separately, mix liquid ingredients. Mix together. Transfer to paper-lined muffin tins (we got about a dozen each of regular-size and mini), and bake at 350° for about 15 minutes (10 minutes for minis).
Lettuce Eat Local is a weekly local foods column by Amanda Miller, who lives in rural Reno County on the family dairy farm with her husband and two small children. She seeks to help build connections through food with her community, the earth, and the God who created it all. Send feedback and recipe ideas to [email protected].
