30 May 2006

dinner time....

the worst thing about being a stay at home mom
is deciding what to make for dinner
let me rephrase that
the worst thing about being a mom
is deciding what to make for dinner
oops
one more time…
the worst thing about being the person who cooks dinner
is deciding what to cook for dinner

in my opinion
(which i guess is kind-of what this blog is about:)

beyond
laundry
(& believe me we have lots of it)
& diapers
(2 sets of those)
& vaccuming
(brian does that)
& general cleaning
(i try!)
& picking up a matchbox car every foot & a half
(more like inch & a half)

the dinner thing kills me

the funny thing is that it sneaks up on me almost every day
(as if we only eat dinner every once in a while)
usually while i’m making my own lunch
(which i have ever so cleverly designated
to be right after the kids go down for afternoon nap
so that i may dine in peace
while reading blogs:)

so I’m trying to figure out what i want for lunch
& what i want to eat in 5 hours for dinner
& what brian will like
& what Q will eat 2 bites of & then
‘scuze pees?’
& can i also put a prayer in there
that miss M either sleeps or just hangs out happily
in her bouncy seat
(on the table where we are eating)
instead of starting to cry the minute i sit down to eat

i know that all mothers know this
but i still find it very fascinating
that if it took me 5 minutes or 5 hours to make dinner
she would be happy bouncing until
the minute my butt hits the dining room chair
mystery of the universe…


anyway
before the 2nd love of our lives entered
i was making Rachel Ray stuff
it was so fun
now i can’t even think about dinner
until it is actually dinner time
‘hmmm
what can i make with
tortillas
spaghetti sauce
graham crackers
& canned fruit cocktail?’
(want to invite me to your next potluck don’t you?)
i’m not blaming merra, of course
i’m blaming whoever stopped bringing us meals when she was born
i think that should last at least the first year:)

i know i should plan meals out months in advance
& shop for everything at once
but when i’ve got a minute to myself
i would rather do something selfish
like brush my teeth
& going to costco…
forget it
i get way too distracted to stick to the list
(you can eat the 2nd season of ‘house’ on dvd for dinner right?)
any tips from my friends out there?

have a lovely day
i’m off to make
fruity spaghetti burritos with graham crackers for dessert….

:)

6 comments:

Mrs.Kate.W said...

Perhaps yet again this is genetic...I hate making dinner which is why living by Costco is so convenient...hot dog anyone?

Anonymous said...

Been there, done that. We ate a lot of packaged spaghetti dinners, macaroni and cheese and tuna noodle casserole. A big pot of stew will last for several meals.
Always keep a large can of baked beans to take to potlucks. A couple of left over weiners kind of dress them up.
Hang in there. You can do it.

Rachael said...

i am still in the getting meals made for me bliss. i really don't ever think during the day 'o good i don't have to make dinner' it's like it just appears just in time, and if it didn't then we would just starve because my brain would never have prompted me to feed anyone. hopefully by the time our meals end my brain will catch up with life so that my family can survive.

Left Coast Sister said...

I read about these three families that make meals for each other once a week (did you get the latest Real simple?)... Sounds delightful, because I hate dinner!!! Lucky for me, my firefighting husband has to try out new recipes so he has a few things to offer when it's his turn to cook, so lately I've just had to throw together the salad. My suggestion is have great cooking neighbors and a firefighting husband and you've got it made. ha! I'd vacuum ANYDAY over putting together a meal! Amen to you sister!

jmb_craftypickle said...

First of all, love your Gramma...very smart lady. Second, Matt seems to think that if we just subscribed to "women's day" or "family circle" then we would follow their menu and life would be grand. I think that Breakfast for dinner is always a treat!

Angie said...

Emily, you crack me up. This was really really funny and true and funny because it's true.
I am truly blessed to have a husband who will eat anything anytime and for any number of meals in a row, so I'm probably not much help in the ideas/planning department. But that thing about friends making dinners for each other? That's sheer brilliance :) Whoever came up with an idea for that should win the Nobel Prize. (Hey... wasn't that us?)
Anyway, if I come up with anything helpful I'll be sure to post it or call you or something.