People change and forget to tell each other. ~Lillian Hellman
Jan 312010
Jan 282010
So, how bad is it that I just. don’t. want. to. prepare. dinner. anymore?
Moms around the world, I salute you. Cooking every night for a family must be a grind like none other. I am starting to feel your pain.
For first few years Husband and I were married, it was kinda cool. Finding fun new recipes, cooking for two, sitting down together. But, lately, I just haven’t felt like it. Call it cooking burnout. Or, food fatigue.
Most nights we’ve been munching before the TV on whatever I can throw together from the fridge and pantry.
Husband can cook, when he feels like it. But, I don’t see him stepping up to the stove in my absence. If I don’t make something, he’ll settle (happily) for a bowl of cereal.
If I had my druthers, I’d just do what I did when single – not eat at all or grab something on the way home. (See: Does marriage make you fatter? Why, yes, it does.)
My cooking doldrums have been going on for two months now. And, my motivation is getting weaker every day. Stopping at the grocery story on the way home to pick up prepared food isn’t giving me a thrill. In fact, grocery shopping on any level is too much.
We dine out more now. But, it gets expensive.
What I really want is for the food to just magically appear. I’ve looked into private chef service. Pricey.
So, I suggested Husband cook at least one night a week. His answer? That’s possible.
Possible or probable? I replied. He laughed.
I’d have to give it a try and see, was his answer.
Somehow I think this idea isn’t going to go anywhere.
Husbands around the world – who have wives who cook regularly – take note. Say something nice to your partner at the dinner table tonight. You never know when it’s going to end.
Jan 252010
We have been having some strange weather in Virginia. This basically puts us in the “normal” weather category as the rest of the country does battle with the elements, as well.
First, there was the Big Snow Storm the week before Christmas. It rarely snows where I live in Virginia, so we were paralyzed with 27 inches of the white stuff for days. (We still have a little patch of snow on our front lawn.)
Then, there was last night. It rained so hard I honestly was worried about the birds. I mean, where do they go when the heavens unleash a fire hose? I’m surprised our windows are still intact, and part of me wondered if my car’s windshield was going to be caved in this morning.
I, of course, posed some of these questions to Husband in the middle of the night. I was awake anyway. (Who can sleep through a gale force?) I asked: What’s going on? Should we be worried? Husband, who consulted the Weather Channel earlier in the evening, remained nonplussed. Apparently, knowing that the weather is coming is calming. I continued to worry about the birds.
Regularly I consult Husband on such nightly matters. What was that? is a common question when I hear something. As someone who cannot, under any circumstance, watch movies about home invasion or other such violence, I immediately think someone is breaking in. Husband replies the same each night. It’s just the house. Our townhouse is still “settling.”
But, it’s nice to have someone to ask when your thoughts are running amuck in the dark. I distinctly remember living in Northern Virginia during my single days. I lived very close to Washington, DC, and was constantly convinced that someone was breaking in when I heard a noise in the dark. Of course, 99 percent of the time this was my mind playing tricks on me. (The fact someone did try to kick in my door one afternoon while I was home did not add to my comfort level. I moved from NoVa about five months later.)
So, while I have complained about having to share my sleeping space with someone, I must add something to the “pro” category. Having someone to ask What was that? when the house settles is kinda nice. Even when they can’t do anything about windows blowing in from torrential storms, it is good to know I won’t be alone when it happens.
Jan 242010
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. ~Oprah Winfrey
Jan 222010
There are a number of thoughts I have now as a married person, that I am quite certain I did not think when I was single.
What should we have for dinner? That’s one.
Another is please, please, please let the dishes in the dishwasher be dirty. This is because I just want to throw in that spoon and not worry about it. (Admit it, you have this thought.) If they are clean, well, then someone has to unload them. I hate unloading the dishwasher. Guess who unloads the most? When single, I could go a whole month without having to do that deed. Or, just wash them again. What the heck.
Another consideration is how can I get Husband away from that computer to the dinner table? Yes, I have become that woman, the one who yells up the stairs, dinner is ready in 10 minutes. Then, I yell, 5 minutes. And, then I spend the next 15 minutes actually trying to tear him away from his office before the chicken parmesan I’ve prepared gets cold.
Others include:
Do I have time to go to the gym after work before Husband gets home?
Has that towel been used?
Hmm, I wonder if Husband will leave first tomorrow morning and I should pull into the driveway first. But, then I might want to go the gym. Naaa, I should just pull in so he can pull in behind me. But, then again he might take that conference call tomorrow from home and then…
Should I put a note on that cheese (do not eat)?
I was here first, so hands off the remote.
Should I put a note on that dark chocolate (don’t you dare eat)?
Will he remember about my dance class tonight so he has to fend for himself for dinner (even though I’ve been going to this same class for three years now)?
Do we need milk? (But, only when I’m standing in milk aisle of the grocery store. When I was single, I always knew what was in the refrigerator. Nothing.)
Like that.
And, then, of course there is when are you coming home? I miss you.