Morning Routine and Crazy Cake

I wake up most mornings to a beautiful sight.  My children are all snuggled up with blankets, curled up on the couches, with their dad reading them a book.  My husband gets to stay home in the mornings a few times a week, and because he is a superhero of a husband and dad he uses those mornings to read to our children.  He wants to be involved with their education and spend as much time with them as possible.  So, instead of sleeping in he wakes up at 6:00 and quietly goes through the house waking our children for reading time.  I use these mornings to go to the gym (well, I did once upon a time), have my scripture study, or (most of the time) sleep!  My beautiful, sleepy-eyed children LOVE this time.  They have had many many adventures with Aslan, Ralph Moody, Harry Potter, and many others.  It's the best time of the day.

Then sadly, the time comes where the book is closed and my darling husband has to go to work.  And like a flip of a switch everything changes.  My once quiet, loving, attentive children, turn to me and the chaos begins!  "What's for breakfast?", "I hate oatmeal."  "Can't we have cereal ever?" "He breathed on me wrong.", "I can't find my shoes, but I left them right here under the dogs bed yesterday."  "Mom, she wont let me turn her dollhouse into my spaceship!"  And so it goes.  Me, trying to fix breakfast and get the kids moving for the day.  The kids running, yelling, fighting, throwing clothes around because the shirt that they HAVE to wear is not in their drawer (because they've worn it for three weeks straight so it was taken to the wash while they were sleeping).

 

What happened to those children who were, just minutes ago, snuggling up to their dad? My theory is that while I'm at the gym (or let just be honest, sleeping) husband is training them on how to push every stress button that mom has. I think he finds great joy in seeing me run around like a maniac. I have learned on these mornings that sometimes the only thing that will make it better is....chocolate! And you know stressed spelled backwards is desserts, so in honor of my crazy mornings I am going to share with you my all time favorite recipe for chocolate cake. It is aptly named Crazy Cake. And I will admit that I have had this delicious, moist cake for breakfast. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, and though she will never admit it, I think it's called crazy cake because she raised 7 children and ate this cake for breakfast sometimes too!

Crazy Cake

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup oil
2 cups water
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP vinegar

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, mix together wet ingredients except for vinegar in seperate bowl. Pour wet into dry and mix until combined. Add in vinegar and stir. Pour into prepared 9x13 baking dish. Bake in 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or frost with your favorite frosting.