Well, today I have a second grader. And today, I am torn between being sad and being proud, wanting time to slow down and the eagerness to watch my baby girl grow up. Last night we took her supplies up to the school and met her teacher, and I let her show me around "her" school, introduce me to the librarian, show me her music classroom, her computer lab, the nurse's office - I waited patiently as she stopped to visit with friends in the hallway, and took her to visit her first grade teacher.
When we got home, we picked out her outfit for the big day (ok, SHE picked it out - I tried really hard to be supportive and kept telling myself that surely she won't be the only girl wearing neon orange AND neon pink on the first day of school...) and we painted her fingernails. Once everything was ready to go, I asked her if she was ready for her big day. Do you know what she said to me?
"It's no big deal Mom. I've been ready for this day my whole life."
I just kind of stared at her for a minute. She was totally serious. I was totally flabbergasted. I mean, topically, that blasé attitude is pretty typical of my sassy-pants, but in that moment, I was in awe of her courage, her confidence, her acumen. She's seven. But she's got it all under control. First day of school? No big deal.
I was all kinds of proud.
And then, I'm not kidding you, the very next words out of her mouth were, "How many muffins can I have for breakfast?"
Aaaannnnndddd...moment over. Well, kind of. I still think she's wise beyond her years. 
I guess I can understand her lack of focus, though. These muffins are pretty fantastic. I whipped them up earlier in the day and let the girls both taste one, and they seriously begged for them for the rest of the day. They have a nice, tender crumb, just like a pancake, with undertones of maple syrup. You'll really think you're eating a chocolate chip pancake.
Serve them warm (just nuke them for about 8 seconds) with a little bit of butter, or dunk them in maple syrup. SO, so good, and a perfect first day of school breakfast.
Actually, they're a great anytime-breakfast because they take just minutes to whip up and a few minutes in the oven. I had 48 muffins made in under 30 minutes. You MUST try these.
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