Thursday, November 5, 2009

Why Making Dinner Takes... So Long.

First I :

Get Ground beef started in the frying pan

Take vegetables out of the fridge

Thread a needle

Stir taco meat

Tie a knot

Thread another needle

Cut some tomatoes for salsa

Place onion on cutting board

Tie another knot

Thread another needle

Thread first needle a second time

Help cheese grating helper grate cheese

Stir taco meat again, add cumin, cut up jalapeno pepper

Undo mess of thread, provide assistance to button sewer-on-er

Notice that cheese grating helper "grates" cheese backwards

Add lime and cilantro to salsa

Take scissors away from two-year-old

Stir Salsa, Turn down heat under Taco meat

Check on crying baby

Take needle away from two-year-old

Take over grating cheese for helper who has given up

Send number four to comfort baby so I can cut onion

Get out secret stash of camo fabric for the boys

Get out can of black beans

Open can of black beans

Instruct eldest how to sew and turn his camo "pouch"

Add black beans to brown rice in another frying pan

Notice that baby sleeps, and sigh with gratefulness

Stir beans and rice over low heat

Inspect handiwork of daughter, beam and praise

Notice two-year-old with spool of thread

Thread a needle again

Take spool of thread away from two-year-old

Start sewers on clean-up process

Get out plates

Get out napkins

Ogle and exclaim over second sons finished masterpiece

Remind him to keep after clean-up project

Hear baby start to whimper

Remind sister to keep after clean up project

Turn off heat under rice and beans

Remind eldest to keep after clean-up project

Take glass bowl away from two-year-old

Get tortillas and sour cream out of fridge

Get two-year-old down from table (preservation of other breakables)

Have children pick sewing scraps up off floor

Take picture of glowing children and projects they made

















Take another picture

















Take more pictures











Inspect clean-up and table setting

Take inventory of dinner (did we get it all?)

Check that all burners are off

Collect hungry baby

Sit down to feed baby and wait for the men

Wonder why back feels tense

Wonder how dinner wasn't burned

Wonder how glass things weren't broken

Wonder when children got old enough to sew a seam

Wonder when children got old enough to set the table

Wonder why it took so long to make dinner

Review process of dinner making... in wonder

Appreciate mom even more

Enjoy the craziness of this fleeting season

Refuse to start thinking about tomorrow nights dinner.

6 comments:

Grace McHugh said...

Well since you put it like that I now understand why it takes me an hour to brown the meat. :) Thank you for the reminders that even interruptions are also blessings. :)

momofbugs said...

Sounds so much like how my dinners go to. It is funny to see it all written out. I have thought about doing it for my whole day just so that I could remind myself that I do get alot done even though sometimes it doesn't seem like I do.

Tammy (Mom to this crazy bunch) said...

Ohhh... I can't imagine logging my whole day that way... it would make realize how much actually gets done around here.

J said...

yes, yes yes. and lately i do it all one armed b/c little 21 month old just wants to be held. and also inserted on my list are the children asking for a piece of this and that while i am cooking...how boring it will be to make dinner in no time at all in a few years. :) cute post.

Momma Bug said...

In a few years someone ELSE will be making dinner and I will be doing more of the needle threading, baby holding, book reading, piece of this and that tasting...

That will be another wonderful season!

After that, (if the Lord tarries) I hope to have my hands full of Grandbabies while I make dinner for my tired daughters and daughters-in-law!

JENNIFER said...

I just said the exact same thing to my husband the other night! So funny, and true...