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with Nataly
Hi, I am Nataly and I am the co-founder of Work It, Mom!
I write the daily Work It, Mom! Blog where I talk about issues affecting working moms, goings on in our Work It, Mom! community, new site features, updates,and contests. I also share my own juggle between work and family and love to see members jump in with comments. Come and visit often!
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My husband sent me a link to this article from the New York Times, titled “Mom Puts Family On Her Meal Plan.”
Before I even opened it, I figured it was something about moms cooking dinner and didn’t know if I should read any further into the fact that my husband was sending it to me. I do cook - not every night and very rarely just before dinner. I cook several times a week, usually very late at night, and then we just heat up dinner when we eat. I know, microwaving everything is not ideal, but this is the best I can do. I actually feel great about that fact that I cook as much as I do and try not to stress about things like variety (yes, we basically eat the same 7 dishes over and over again) or having the food be right out of the oven.
But maybe my husband, who has always said that he doesn’t care if he has to eat omelets and salad or frozen rice bowls from Trader Joe’s for the rest of our lives, is trying to say something. Maybe he wishes I was one of those super moms who work, take care of the kids, and get fresh dinner on the table every thing? Nah, thankfully, I’m pretty sure the only reason he sent me the article was so that I could write about it here.
The article is the writer’s story about how she has managed to cook dinner every night for her family while working and being a mom of 2 kids. In it, she offers very concrete suggestions for how to have a home-cooked meal on the table every night of the week. (Yes, I rolled my eyes also.)
How often do you cook dinner? Does your husband or partner help out or is this mostly in your court? Do you think having a home-cooked meal every night is important for your family? What about sitting down to dinner together?
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First, I need to say, thank goodness for Trader Joe’s! I am so happy there is one nearby (headed there wih PunditGirl shortly!).
As for cooking, I was on a cooking binge, if you will, from a great cookbook called The Six O’Clock Scarmble — until I sliced into my thumb like it was ripe peach. While it makes no sense, I have been off my cooking game ever since. In all seriousness, I still can’t figure out a way to please Mr. PunditMom and my seven-year-old with one meal, both in terms of food offerings and timing. I will keep trying, but I’m losing the guilt about it!
PunditMom | July 13th, 2007 at 9:12 am
In my first marriage - oh yes, cooked dinner practically every night, unless it was “clean out the fridge” (leftover) night. First Husband was a bit of a traditionalist. After my divorce, relocation, and a much longer commute, I got into the habit of “binge-cooking” on the weekends so I’d have meals ready quickly at night, and I really like that approach. It doesn’t work so well since I got married again, though…if it’s not freshly made, my husband considers it leftovers, and he has a pretty strict policy against leftovers. (Fortunately, the kids don’t feel the same way - when we do end up having leftovers around, they’re often my stepdaughter’s breakfast the next morning.)
Other than the leftover thing though, my husband’s actually pretty laid-back about what he considers a decent dinner, and on the nights when my stepkids are at their mother’s, sometimes we’ll just have sandwiches. When the kids are with us, though, we both think it’s important to eat together, at the table, as a family, and have a home-cooked meal (not necessarily from scratch, so I don’t say “home-MADE”). Both of us cook, and we tend to rotate among a short list of things we know everyone likes. And since my husband won’t eat cooked vegetables (salads only), I can only hope the kids are getting those at their mom’s.
Also, I am totally on board with the Trader Joe’s love!
Florinda | July 13th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
My husband does most of our cooking. He enjoys it and I don’t. The kids and I have eaten out some this week, we brought home a rotisserie chicken one night, and tonight, I actually cooked a healthy meal for the kids. I even tricked them, by replacing fat free plain yogurt for whole cream in the pasta sauce and they have both had seconds. Yay!!! I will do that again!
But mostly I place the most emphasis on sitting down together as a family to eat, not on what we are actually eating. There are too many other things to feel guilty about.
Jen | July 13th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Having a home-cooked meal is important to me — I know it’s more nutritional than most take-out, and also easier on the budget. When my toddler gets a little older I think I will insist on eating dinner as a family as well. Often the culture of the software industry is at odds with this — even in my kid-free days I had to contend with managers putting pressure on me to stay late and eat take-out provided by the company. When I didn’t I was not considered to be a hard worker or a team player despite results to the contrary.
I don’t think anyone should feel guilty if something different is right for their family — decide what works best for YOU and lose the guilt!
For the mechanics of getting dinner on the table, I have to recommend http://www.savingdinner.com. I just posted an article about it, “Escaping What’s for Dinner?” http://www.workitmom.com/article-231 . I’m not affiliated with the site, just a wildly satisfied customer!
SoftwareMom | July 14th, 2007 at 3:46 am
I don’t cook and I don’t have a spouse. We have a neighbor that cooks for us several times a week. When we don’t utilize her fantastic cooking skills we either eat out or I make up some spaghetti or ravioli or pizza or something simple.
I have zero guilt about my interest in cooking. I’ve tried repeatedly to become the mom that cooks nice meals each night and it just isn’t me.
KathyHowe | July 15th, 2007 at 8:21 am
P.S. We ALWAYS sit down to dinner together. Always, always, always. I don’t care if we do it over slices of pizza. We always sit at the table for dinner.
KathyHowe | July 15th, 2007 at 8:23 am