Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Spoiled Wifey HATES Housework! (And Other Rants, but I Did Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving)




All the machines are running—dishwasher, washer & dryer. Radio is on. Gigantic pile of laundry waiting for me downstairs. Pots & pans waiting for me in the sink. Bed is unmade. Recycling boxes need to be broken down. *sigh*

After a wonderful Thanksgiving, my Mother-in-Law (MiL) has left and in 2 days time, household clutter & chaos has returned. It has become very apparent that I am a terrible housekeeper. My MiL is in constant motion. The entire holiday weekend my kitchen was spotless. The living room was always picked up. The trash and recycling never piled up. She has an amazing energy reserve. So besides being free from cooking this holiday weekend, I also had a very clean, clutter-free house. And she let me sleep in every day. I was spoiled, but now in retrospect I am feeling slightly guilty for being so incredibly lazy.

Futile housework makes me very bitchy and hateful. As I have already spent an hour of cleaning up dishes from last night (Spoiled Wifey Confession: Yes, I routinely let them sit in the sink overnight.) and picking up the living room, I am starting to seethe toward the Hubby. Come on, Ladies, you know the routine: Polite requests to pick up or put away things are ignored for days on end. I am feeling like his personal maid, which is never good as it builds resentment and I lose that loving feeling. I have decided that I am not going to touch his office. I know he will wait until he is buried in dishes and trash before he cleans. Primarily when it affects his ability to play his video games will he motivate.

Now I am no clean freak myself. I am just as guilty for leaving things be for days on end, too. I do get annoyed with myself but I can tolerate picking up my own mess and the kiddo much better. Man oh man, I can sympathize with professional housecleaners. What a thankless, underpaid job!

I can’t be all negativity and ranting, so let’s talk about Thanksgiving, shall we? I always hope that I am providing for a happy childhood for the kiddo. Celebrating the holiday traditions with our small family, hopefully with minimal stress, is a sure-fire way that I’m doing one aspect of my “job”. Ha! So the MiL was able to come for the long weekend and the Hubby was able to take the Wed and Fri off as well. Five glorious days together, one happy family! The highlights include cooking together, giving thanks at our sumptuous meal, kiddo making a turkey project, watching “Tangled” in 3D at the theatre (Holy Moly, $49 for 4 tickets and another $25 for popcorn & drinks! It saddens me to think that people are not able to afford an escape to the movies.), walking the dogs around the neighborhood daily (usually it’s such a chore that the Hubby and I pitch to each other), decorating the Christmas tree and putting up the decorations.

Reflecting on how awesome my holiday was has definitely put me in a better mood. Now in my remaining 30 minutes of my alone time, I just need to do my hair and apply make-up before I pick up the Boy. Looking like I have it together will make me think I have it together! Right now, I look haggard and feel bitchy. Not an image I want to project to the world. 

Some pics of our Thanksgiving weekend:

Brining the turkey


Cooked Turkey


Yummy Thanksgiving Meal

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Spoiled Wifey Thanksgiving Meal 2010

Our Menu:

Cider Bourbon-Glazed Roast Turkey with Shallot Gravy, Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Farmhouse Herbed Stuffing, Epicurious November 2007

Green Beans with Bacon and Shallots, Bon Appetit December 2000

Stuffed Mushrooms with Sun-Dried Tomato, Gourmet April 1992

Cranberry Sauce, Gourmet November 1999

Mashed Potatoes

Brandied Wild Mushroom Soup, Whole Foods

Dessert:


Pumpkin & Cherry Pies from Heidelberg Bakery, Arlington

Apple Pie from Whole Foods

Why am I a spoiled wifey for Thanksgiving? Because Hubby & Mother-in-law have given me the day off from cooking and they will prepare the feast. I am so excited that I have no kitchen responsibilities.

Whatever shall I do with my free time? Well, I don’t really have free time as I will be playing with my sweet child. And we do have a few projects to do….make a thankful turkey poster and a turkey popcorn holder. However, I am hoping that I will have some time to begin the annual holiday newsletter. Cheesy but I absolutely LOVE holiday newsletters!

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving and another year of blessings….

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Changes, Chaos & Sadness This Past Week

The changes to my schedule that I posted 2 weeks ago never came to fruition as sickness visited our household and caused an abrupt stop to all activities while the boy was on the mend. He had a rather nasty cold to include fever and a cough that took the full week to kick. No moral support adventures, no exploring of DC, no routine activities.

A Turn for the Worst….

And then Chaos was added to my week. My grandmother had been diagnosed with a terminal cancer (lymphoma) and was admitted into the hospital because she was experiencing extreme pain in her hip last week. Initially the doctors’ prognosis was weeks, possibly a month or two. So with that timeframe to work with, Hubby and I were trying to coordinate a visit. While I was waiting for my parents’ input, my Dad calls to inform me that my Grandmother’s condition had deteriorated rapidly overnight and that I needed to come ASAP.

I took that call around noon. I booked my tickets at 2:00. I was at the airport at 5:00, and in Nevada at midnight, straight to her hospital room. She was moved to hospice the next morning and passed away in the afternoon. Everything happened so suddenly. I am very sad. But I take comfort that she is no longer in pain and that she was surrounded by her family during her final days.

My grandmother was a loving woman and lived a beautiful life. She leaves behind 9 children, 25 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren + counting. I will miss her dearly. I love you, Nanay!!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

THANKFUL for a Return to a “Normal” Schedule

I am working on writing regularly. But I’m so easily distracted. Since my last post, I have had two friends and MiL visit (which means sightseeing & shopping!), Boo at the Zoo and other Halloween festivities, and hosting a baby shower on top of the daily grind.

I welcome the return to a “normal” schedule.

What is my normal schedule? I presume that like other SAHMs , I have places to be and things to do almost always, although not exclusively, with and/or for the kiddo during the week. But what I appreciate the most of my normal schedule is that I have the flexibility to change course mid-day or mid-week, add or delete activities, be available to friends & family in need, without putting myself in a tail-spin tizzy. (Not that I’m immune to tail-spin tizzies, quite prone to them actually. However, remembering my overscheduled past life and how unexpected changes produced stress, road rage, and frankly bitchy behavior, I like a schedule that accommodates changes.)

For my upcoming week, I have

Change 1: MONDAY – Kiddo & I are going on a Moral Support Adventure. We are driving a friend to get her immunizations before she travels overseas. My friend avoids the annual flu shot and remembers vividly that she passed out the last time she received shots in high school (She is a thirtysomething-year-old woman. Do the math.). She is a tad bit anxious! I’m not sure how calming kiddo and I can be (We are bringing stress balls & stuffed animals!), but at least we can get her to and from her appointment (which her hubby is grateful).

Change 2: THURSDAY – Veteran’s Day. Thank you to all VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES who have selflessly served our great Country. (Just a quick plug for an article about Army wives in the Washington Post that literally brought me to tears.

“Facebook brings the Afghan war to Fort Campbell”

I cannot relate. I can only sympathize. But the journalist portrayed all too well their anxiety and anguish. It was palpable to me through the pages. All I can say is bless you, courageous spouses!)

Now that I have thought about their suffering, it seems frivolous to say that Hubby, Kiddo & I are “just” going to explore DC – enjoy a day together, with the agenda being not much more than to spend time together. But that is what we are hopefully doing, which will be a treat. We will be looking for used bookstores and trying a new restaurant and hitting the District metro & streets to see what there is to see.

What is a normal schedule for you?