There are two things Iโve picked up from following blogger Sarah Hart on instagram (@homeiswherethehartis) and elsewhere: #1 Exposed shelves are definitely the way to go in a family kitchen (Iโm obsessed.) And #2ย The woman knows how to capture a moment. I mean that visually speaking, of course (her photography is gorgeous), but mostly I mean it philosophically. You realize pretty quickly that Hart, the mother of four boys ages 2 to 7, seems to have turned the idea of โbeing presentโ into an art form, whether itโs expressing the zen satisfaction of a clean bedroom or embracing the daily humor intrinsic in raising young kids.ย Itโs why I knew sheโd have a good tradition to write about for my Family Ritual Series. Here she isย guest-posting aboutโฆ.weekend pancakes. Take it away Sarah!
โโ-
My husband and I started making pancakes on the weekends long before children entered our lives. With busy work schedules, I guess the weekend was the perfect time for us to slow down and spend a little extra time in the kitchen, because who has time to make pancakes on a Tuesday morning? We would sit around the table sipping coffee and reading the New York Times while we ate our pancakes, enjoying the silence and each otherโs company. You know, those moments when you can just be with another person without feeling the need to fill space with chatter and be totally comfortable with it.
The tradition happened organically. There was never any talk of having to make pancakes on the weekends or forcing our eventual children to take part in making them. It wasnโt planned. Instead, it just became a thing we knew would happen, something we looked forward to, and is something that still happens today, although the tradition has certainly evolved.ย We started out following a recipe and not being able to eat all of the pancakes to now tripling the recipe without any leftovers. We also have a lot of extra hands helping with measuring, pouring, mixing and making a mess in the kitchen. (One thing has not changed: Iโm still in charge of all the clean-up.)
Weโre pretty flexible with our weekend tradition โ sometimes pancakes happen on Saturday, sometimes they happen on Sunday, sometimes there are blueberries in the pancakes, sometimes we use a mix if weโre short on time, sometimes everyone wants to help, sometimes itโs just me in the kitchen, and sometimes thereโs even bacon.ย Iโve never once heard a complaint about changing things up, though, because Iโm pretty sure my kids would eat pancakes with escargot or chicken liver mixed into them. I probably would too.
When I think back on my own childhood, it makes me a little sad that thereโs not a particular tradition in my family that still resonates with me today. I think because of that,ย I knew early on in motherhood that I wanted to create special moments for my boys to remember, moments they can revisit with their own children someday. But, like I said, we didnโt set out to find the Weekend Pancake ritual; itโs more like the ritual foundย us. And Iย love that.
For more Sarah, follow her on instagram. P.S. Her familyโs go-to recipe: Old-Fashioned Pancakes.
I love this! Growing upโmy grandmother always had over the family for waffles on Saturday morning. It was a time to hang out with my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousinsโtalk about the paper or anything going on, and just be chill. It is literally my favorite memory from childhood. Whenever we visit grandma, she still makes us waffles. Iโve tried to do the same with my kids. Sunday mornings are lazy. We might do pancakes. We might do waffles. We might do British Scones or biscuits, but there is always something involving refined flour, butter, and sweet toppings. I hope when my kids have kids, they will all come over for Sunday morning breakfasts.
So lovely. We do something similar. For us itโs Sunday โbig breakfastโ. Usually itโs bacon and eggs. Sometimes with biscuits. Sometimes with English muffins. Sometimes tacos. Sometimes pancakes or French toast. Sometimes thereโs sausages. About half the time thereโs fruit. We didnโt start until after we had kids and got in the habit of eating meals at the table. Before kids it was brunch out but the places that opened at breakfast hours.
I love her too!!!!!
There was always a bowl of cut up fruit or strips of veggies with a dip on the table when my sisters and I got home from school. I think it was our Momโs sneaky way of adding extra fruit and veggies to our diet but it workedโฆ..inevitably the bowl would be empty by dinner. I find this with my own kids today-if fruit or veggies are there on the table they eat it. This was a small thing for my Mom to do but obviously one that stuck with me to this day.
I love this story. Traditions can bring together families and make new places feel like home. My family has split and lives in all different parts of the world, my brothers in Canada, mother in Switzerland and I am in Miami. But I know that there are certain days when we are all doing the same thing. And interesting these traditions often are brought about through the kitchen. On Christmas morning no matter where in the world we are we will have muffins and tea before opening presents. Great story I canโt wait to read more.