“Just a second,” “I’ll be there in a minute,” “Hold on, I’m coming.” Motherhood is doing everything for everyone all at once. In today’s world of social media and curated #momlife moments, you rarely get to see the B-Side of motherhood – the toddler meltdowns over serving the wrong type of pasta to the snarky teenagers who act like you don’t exist. From the day your child pukes in his car seat to the day he gets his driver’s license, you are there to experience it all.
We research all things baby in preparation for their arrival. We pick out bottles, cribs, and names. We read all the books and blog posts and relay everything we learned to our husbands, who were just planning on winging it. The one thing I didn’t research was motherhood before I had my sons. Like many women, I had mainly seen the glamorous side of motherhood—the one filled with love and purpose, the one that is “all worth it.”
“Just you wait.” It’s the one phrase all first-time mothers dread. Everyone wants to warn you about what comes next from the day you announce your pregnancy until your child reaches adulthood.
Aren’t you experiencing morning sickness? Well, you’ll be a bloated, engorged, uncomfortable mess in six months. Just you wait.
The baby is kicking you, and feeling him move is the best thing ever? Well, soon, he’ll keep you up all night when that foot starts karate-kicking your vital organs. Just you wait.
Wait until they start crawling, running, and driving. Wait until they walk out the door forever. Motherhood is remarkable, frustrating, exciting, laborious, rewarding, disappointing, good and bad, all at the same time.
From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, you will never be the same. You will know tiredness like you have never known it before, and days will run into days that are exactly the same.
But don’t forget that somewhere during all the monotony, there will be a last time for everything: the last time you ever hold your sleeping baby, the last time you carry your child on your hip, the last time you bathe them, the last time you hold their little hand to cross the road, the last time they sneak into your bed to cuddle, the last final bedtime story.
You won’t even know it’s the last time until it's long gone.
Life doesn’t get smaller the taller your children become. There are still handprints on the walls to clean; they are just a little higher to reach.
So, for the mothers still living in these moments, remember there are only so many of them. When they are gone, you will give anything for one last time.
Just you wait.
Crock-Pot Carnitas (Slow-Cooker Mexican Pork)
INGREDIENTS
For the Rub
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cumin, divided
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
For the Carnitas
- 4-5 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 large oranges, juiced (about ¾ cup)
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles, divided
- Flour tortillas, fresh cilantro, diced white onions, sliced avocado, and lime wedges for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Trim off excess fat. Combine 3 tablespoons cumin with remaining spices in a small bowl. Rub all over the pork.
- Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with garlic, hot sauce, orange juice, lime juice, and one can of the diced green chilis.
- Slow-cook on low 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of cumin and canned diced green chiles an hour before time ends.
- The pork should be tender enough to shred. Shred the meat with two forks directly in the slow cooker (or remove it, shred it, and replace it in the sauce). It should fall apart easily.
- Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the shredded meat on a cooking sheet and pour a few tablespoons of sauce over the top. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until you get browned edges on the pork.
- Serve on warm tortillas with fresh cilantro, white onions, avocado, and lime juice.
