Parenting Under the Stars

I should have a nap more often. My husband peeled potatoes and mashed them himself and the kids had the table set. When I awoke, all I had to do was eat. That doesn’t happen every day. Tons of laundry has been washed and dried as well. It is somewhat reassuring that they would all be fine without me if I was hit by a truck or something. I haven’t been feeling the spunkiest and was getting tired of everyone asking me if I had any ideas for supper.

Is cooking no longer the “in” thing to do?

• I normally love cooking but guess just needed a break from it. I have noticed the strangest trend lately with cooking. I watched this craft show over a week ago and she was reminiscing about the old days when people made apple crisp from scratch and commented about how she was surprised they still sold vegetable shortening at the grocery store. Then my daughter was reading the package off of the back of a bag of macaroons urging us to taste the old homemade flavors or something implying that such things are no longer in existence.

• I find it a very strange thing to be proud of the fact that you don’t cook but maybe I’m old fashioned that way. It is a handy skill although not as necessary as what my father in law thinks it is. That is the first question he asked my husband before we married. “Can she cook?” I was a tomboy so did rebel against most domestic things when younger but always loved cooking. My parents were very tolerant and supportive of it as well and politely tasted most of my crazy creations.

I don’t know what’s up with the naps but it seems to be working for me. I haven’t been sleeping very well at night because I threw my back out slightly from shoveling after the last major snow storm. It doesn’t take much now to throw it out. A few years ago, I worked at a factory and did a lot of repetitive lifting and my one shoulder has never been the same since.

Now that supper is finished and the dishes and laundry are done perhaps I will go and bake some cookies or something. I never was big on following trends anyway. My 11 year old daughter can bake cookies on her own already and it’s something we enjoy doing together as a family whether it’s in or not. According to Jackie on Kids Dish it is Bake Cookies Day so some people must still be doing it.