Big Fat Lie

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-03-2003
Big Fat Lie
870
Sat, 09-11-2004 - 1:41pm
I'm the mother of 2. I have 2 boys, one is 2 1/2, the other is 4 months old. Before I had my second baby, I was a full time nurse and was making more money than my husband. That being said, he never really had a problem with it. The extra money helped us pay for extras. Well, I decided after the second child, that I would stay at home most of the week. I work only 2 days a week, 6 hours a day. Now all of the sudden, I do EVERYTHING. He does not get up at night with this baby, he does not keep the house clean with me, NOTHING I do is important enough. (He plays softball once a week, goes out with the guys after etc.) I do not do anything. (Actually I get to go to Weight Watchers on Fridays while my mom watches the kids.) I have no life anymore, and his life is fantastic! I tried to take a class, but he wouldn't help with the kids enough so I couldn't stick with it.

When we got married we were going to share all responsibilities, take care of the kids TOGETHER, do the housework TOGETHER. It was all just a BIG FAT LIE!!!!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-04-1997
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 3:59pm
Once a month, and it isn't particularly fun, I admit. I do all the beef/pork dishes one day, and it takes about six hours. The next day I do the chicken dishes, and it takes another six hours. I usually do it on a Friday and a Saturday. My kids are school age, so Friday they are asleep or in school on Friday (I usually start right after DH leaves for work at 5:30 am and my kids don't get up for another hour) and Saturday, they are helping me. Desserts and side dishes I do on an "as needed" basis, but if I make something, I usually make four times what I need and freeze three helpings -- it doesn't take much more time to make four pies than it does one, and I can take advantage of sales and farmers markets and stuff. The tradeoff is that I rarely have more than an hour of prep work to put on a healthy, nutritious meal, I have something all ready to share if a neighbor gets sick or a friend has a baby, and we seldom waste any food, since I buy in bulk exactly what I need for each session.

As for not liking frozen food, most people bring home meat from the grocery store and freeze it. I cut it up and freeze it in the marinade and then it all defrosts together and I can broil it/cook it/stir fry it right then. And I find that a lot of dishes, especially ethnic dishes which my family loves, actually taste better after the flavours have had a chance to blend and mellow a bit.

I get about thirty main dishes out of a marathon cooking session -- that usually lasts me around a month.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2002
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 5:06pm
Why do you think a SAH Parent should provide less care for their children than a nanny?

Okmrsmommy-36, CPmom to DD-16 and DS-14

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2003
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 5:18pm
>>BTW-I think it is a fire hazard to leave food cooking unattended.<<

You're probably right. And like I said, I probably shouldn't leave the house if something's in the oven. I don't leave if the dryer's on - for some reason I view that as more of a fire hazard. Maybe I've just heard more horror stories about fires being caused from this.

So I take it you don't have (or use) a crock pot?

Avatar for 1969jets
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 5:35pm
I don't have a crock pot. If I had one I might be willing to leave it unattended though. I worry more about meat or poultry roasting in an oven. I think it is more likely that a bit of fat could spatter, starting a fire in an oven than in a crockpot. I just never started crockpot cooking.

Jenna

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 5:38pm
I don't have or use a crock pot for that very reason. It gives me chills when a co-worker will mention they are having ---for dinner and that it's cooking in the crock pot even as we sit at our desks.

I'm probably traumatized by my mom's pressure cooker. It blew its top quite horribly a couple times when she was elsewhere in the house with us kids. My childhood memories of the Violent Pressure Cooker are probably what keep me chained to the kitchen during cooking.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2003
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 6:09pm
Crock pots are awesome. I've got mine going at home now . . . big ol' roast, sliced potatoes, carrots, celery and onions, covered with a mixture of V8, worstershire (sp?) sauce, garlic and basil. YUM.

I don't use it all that often, but it's SO nice to come home from work and have dinner all ready to go. :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2004
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 6:21pm

Hey, could you please tell me how you get the fat out when you use the crockpot?

Mondo

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 6:21pm
I find for the most part meals are either/or.

Either they take awhile to cook but take very little hands on time to prepare, a roast, raost chicken, ribs, brisket etc would fall in that catagory.

Or they are very hands on, but don't take much total time, stir fry, fajitas, grilling would fall in that catagory.

There are some exceptions (lasagna being one, it takes a while to prepare and a while to cook) but for the most part most of the meals I make fall into one of the either or catagories.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 6:45pm
Someone on here gave me a crock pot lasagna recipe that was fabulous.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2003
In reply to: debcote
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 6:52pm
Isn't a pressure cooker very different from a crock pot though?

Pressure cookers cook extremely fast and use a lot of heat so they're probably much more of a fire hazard then a crock pot/slow cooker.

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