So
I’ve decided. Rather than wait until I have the perfect picture to go with
these posts I’m going to take a photo from stuff that I already have and insert
that instead. This last page sat open on my desk for a whole week because I
didn’t know what picture to put in it. Forget that. I’m going with “life as
we know it.” The pics from here on out might come from the good camera, might
come from Instagram or even just a quick and blurry snapshot off the old
iPhone. Telling the story is more important.
Story 10: Evening
Our
evenings have made a big turnaround. Since I made the switch in my hours I am
actually enjoying our evenings quite a bit more. They’re less rushed and less
hectic. I can actually enjoy the time with my family and not feel like I wasted
an entire day at the office to come home and hurry my kids through dinner, bath
and story time.
With
my new job, I’m typically home around 5pm. I’ll admit that the only negative
thing about the daycare for our kids is how far away it is. When we lived in
our old house, her house was perfect! Now that we’ve moved out to Lincoln,
driving all the way to Citrus Heights from Rocklin is essentially going the
opposite direction, turning around and coming back to where I started. If I
leave the office at four, I’m not home until 5 with them. Rough – but my kids
are taken care of like family and that’s hard to put a convenience factor on.
When
we get home at five I immediately go into dish duty. I like to have all the
dishes done before I start making dinner. It may seem like cleaning up a mess
before you make a mess makes no sense, but I like to cook in a reasonably clean
kitchen and this method works for me. It also helps that the time right after
we get home is a good time for the kids. They’re usually fresh off a snack from
school or daycare and are happy to run around the backyard or play with their
toys while I hang out in the kitchen cleaning up and starting dinner.
On
some weeks I am incredibly organized and know what is in the fridge to make for
dinner. Or even better – if I have something that has been cooking in the
CrockPot all day. Lately, I have not been so good and dinner consists of
whatever concoction I can pull out of the fridge. We, at
the very least, steer clear of the fast food jungle. We may not be eating the
best of entrees but it is very rarely out of a drive-thru.
Steve
will usually get home somewhere in the middle of the dishes and making dinner
process. He’ll head to the bedroom to unwind and change his clothes – and
usually has one or both kiddos in tow.
We
try to sit down as a family and eat dinner. On nights that Steve doesn’t have
softball or Ally soccer, we sit down and eat as a family. The TV is usually on
but it could be cartoons, one of the family friendly sitcoms that Steve and try
to keep up with or a game show. If at all possible, when 6:30 rolls around,
we’ve got Jeopardy on.
*Side
story – When Allyson came home from school with an “All About My Mom” paper, on
it was a question about what shows her Mom likes to watch. She said “Jeopardy!”
I’ll admit I was proud. That girl can sing the theme song with the best of
them. I tooted my own horn and patted myself on the back because this Momma
doesn’t watch anything Kardashian or Real Housewives. I’ll gladly share
Jeopardy (or even Wheel of Fortune with my kids) because it’s just what my
parents did.*
After
dinner, I try (try, try, try) to get the dishes done. Invariably, the hand
washing gets leftover (see above) but the dishwasher is usually running by 7.
Then it’s relax time. I’ll park it on the couch and snuggle one or both of the
kids. I try to refrain (okay – honestly it doesn’t even cross my mind) from
doing laundry on a weeknight. Bath is usually around 7:45 then its jammies and
bed for the munchkins. I like to get Andrew in bed before 8:30 and then Ally
sometime before 9. Sometimes it works,
sometimes I just need some extra cuddles and Ally is pleading (and making her
case) for dessert.
After
the kids go to bed, Steve’s usually in the chair watching a show. I typically
head to the bedroom to get my own jammies on and maybe read a little before
lights out. 5:45 alarm for me means I need to get to bed before 10. This girl
needs her 8 hours (ya right) of beauty sleep!
Story 11: Nourish
I
don’t know that I think about food all that often. I don’t dream about food or
wish for food. If I want it, I’ll make it (or buy it.) I do, however, like to
cook. I get great pleasure out of following a recipe or perusing through my
food magazines. I find myself clipping recipes out of them, or printing them
off from a website. Sometimes I find the time to put the ingredients together
and make something, but other times the clipped recipe goes up in the cabinet
and gets lost. When I think about the word nourish, here’s what comes to mind.
- I’d like to get more organized about our food. There have been a few weeks where I shopped for and planned every dinner for a week. I wrote out a list and posted it on the fridge saying “in here we have stuff for this, this and that.” It totally worked. Why have I not done more of this?
- My husband is an incredibly picky eater. He doesn’t eat any fruit or vegetables. This makes cooking hard at times. I know that I could cook a veggie or fruit filled dinner, but then he’d end up eating a sandwich. Doesn’t make me feel so great. He’s good about it. He doesn’t expect me to cater to him at all, I just feel that as his wife and as the chief meal preparer I need to make sure he’s getting something good too. I’m pretty sure I would only want to change this one thing about him. I’ll take everything else just as he is (I love that man!) I just wish that he’d be more flexible with his food choices.
- (This is more 2.5.) I hope my kids don’t turn out like their Dad in the pickiness factor. I try very hard to introduce them to lots of different food. I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job and the kids like lots of different things. I just worry that one day Allyson or Andrew will say “why isn’t Daddy eating this?” “If Daddy doesn’t have to eat this, then I won’t either.” I’ve warned Steve about this day and have told him that it is an issue that he will have to deal with. He doesn’t want them to turn out like him either. Hmm…that will be an interesting time in the Carroll house.
- I would like to pack more lunches for myself. Every night Steve or I (or as a team) pack lunches for the kiddos. They get a sandwich – usually – but also fruit, yogurt and a couple snacks. Why aren’t we packing our own lunches? Yes – I know I don’t want a sandwich every day, but we consistently have leftovers in the fridge. They should go in my own lunch bag just like they do for the kids. I will get better about this. Next month. This month, the focus is on exercise (but more on that another time.)
- My favorite food is probably Japanese. I love me some teppan-yaki. It could be that I find it difficult to duplicate at home and therefore it’s a treat when I do get it. I love the Benihana style dinners. Shrimp, steak, fried rice, zucchini and onions – all seared to perfection on a super hot grill. Yum-mo!
That’s
five food related things about me. Throw in a nice crisp chardonnay and a
gorgeous early summer evening. You’ll find us outside, cooking on the grill and
throwing the ball for the dogs. Nourished perfection. Bon appétit!
~Becky
