July | 2012 | I Am Moms

This story starts out with this:

Waffle fail.

Well, actually, the story starts back in my childhood, when my mother was fond of saying, “We don’t need to buy _____, we can make it at home with what we already have.”

Ah, the frugal Desi mom (perhaps you have one?). Though she bought my brother and me all of the necessities (and even splurged on us frequently), she always wanted us to be resourceful.

So figuring out how to accomplish what I want with what I already have has become second nature. *Subtly shoves aside pile of impulse purchases with foot*

I recently purchased the Cuisinart Griddler to add some variety into our dinners. I love grilling veggies, tofu, paneer, fruit, and basically anything I can get onto the grill (see above). Indian American Dad loves waffles so asked me to get the waffle plates. At $40, the waffle plates, sold separately, were 1/2 the cost of the Griddler itself.

Sooooo, I decided to use what I had and make waffles right on the grill portion. Sure the waffles would be shaped funny, but they’d taste the same. Right?

When I poured the waffle batter onto the grill, it spread out alarmingly fast. It ran toward the back of the grill onto a hole in the back and here’s what came of that:

Waffle batter spilling out of the back, onto the counter and on the electrical cord. In case you are wondering, the green blob is the previous night’s palak paneer.

As a blogger, I love to check out other bloggers’ work, ooh and aah at their amazing photos and clever recipes, and generally experience blog envy. At times, it feels like like everyone else has it together.

Facebook friends are off climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro or getting their dream jobs or posting photos of their gorgeous homes/apartments or looking enamoured with their well-behaved ~~husband~~ kids. Meanwhile, you’re trying to get your act together to make a road trip 2 hours away, your dream career is years away, you live in a tiny apartment, or can’t stop bickering with your spouse.

On blogs and Pinterest, superwomen serve gourmet breakfasts on designer plates, color code their kids’ toys, and have organized closets. Oh, and in their free time they take breathtaking photos of exotic locales.

Even the most self-assured women have to admit, social media can make you feel like crap. Forbes Woman thinks so too.

So while Pinterest is fun to peruse, and even the best of us has stalked/envied friends’ lives on Facebook, I think it’s important to give ourselves a reality check at times. Fails are all around us (albeit rarely pinned on Pinterest or featured in a Facebook feed). Remember, “Yes” lives in the land of “no.” So fails are a part of life, and I Am Moms will celebrate them!

What are your recent fails? Do you have pictures? I’d love to see some reader epic kitchen fails. I’ll put them up on the Facebook page. You can e-mail them to me at iammomsblog@gmail.com.

Like what you see? Want to read more? Follow me on Twitter @Iammomsblog, follow me on Pinterest at Iammomsblog, or subscribe to I Am Moms to receive posts by e-mail. Follow @Iammomsblog Follow Me on Pinterest

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You want to apply for that dream job, but you’d rather live with the possibility of it in your head than actually apply and face rejection.

You want to contact a star in your field to pitch a collaboration, but you’re afraid your dreams are ridiculous.

You want to propose a new way of doing things to your supervisor, but you’re afraid she will dismiss you.

You want to submit your written work for publication, but you just can’t take another rejection.

You want to try a new sport, but you are afraid you won’t be good enough.

You want to make a new mom friend, but you don’t give her your number because you’re afraid she’s not interested.

You want to tell your parents how you honestly feel. But you’re afraid they won’t understand.

All of us face rejection throughout our lives. The easiest way to save ourselves heartache is to avoid risking failure at all, and just play it safe.

Stick to what we’re good at, and hope that the dreams tugging away at our souls will just leave us alone. That we can continue with the status quo–it’s good enough, isn’t it?

My friend, success coach and award-winning speaker, Alec Borenstein says NO WAY.

Find out why from his talk, “Yes Lives in the Land of No”:

In case you can’t watch the video, here’s what you need to know:

Love “no” because without it, there is no “yes.”
By seeking out the “no,” you are closer to finding “yes.” Every time you are rejected, you’re that much closer to an opportunity where someone will say yes.
Don’t take a “no” personally. It doesn’t reflect on you as a person — it’s just information.

When I was a teenager, and was into very cool gear like the No Fear brand (remember those?). I had a No Fear shirt that said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” And that’s exactly it.

If we live in constant fear of “no,” we’ll never seek out the opportunities where we would have found a “yes.”

Thanks to Alec for this inspiring clip. You can check out his website here for future speaking events.

What opportunities would you pursue if you weren’t afraid of no? Share in the comments.

I Am Moms

The Blog for South Asian American Moms Who Want It All

Monthly Archives: July 2012

Celebrating Life’s Fails: The Waffle Edition

“Yes Lives in the Land of No”