Friday, April 15, 2011

Loving our Home & Family . . .

One of the givens in married life is a lot of time spent in the kitchen. One of the main complaints of married life is having to spend so much time . . . in the kitchen! Cute, little meals for two were fun early on in the marriage. You had time to fuss and the budget wasn’t impaired too much when you splurged on something special or easy to cook.

Many probably feel that cooking for the family is a drudgery and meals are something to throw together as quickly as possible in order to get away from the kitchen. The newly-wed attitude of cooking to please and an enjoyable meal shared at the end of the day vanishes. When faced with the daily cooking requirements, attitude is very much in evidence . . . and it isn’t always a good attitude!

Psychology points out that we will act like we believe and believe like we act. How come so many mothers haven’t figured this out when it comes to the kitchen? Problems are more easily dealt with when they are approached with optimism. If you broach the portals of your ‘dreaded’ kitchen with visions of the final result - a happy family and thrilled husband, you might find yourself actually enjoying the meal preparation process!

Presentation is a huge part of a meal. Would you like your restaurant meal to arrive at the table like some of your dinners? Although breakfast and lunch tend to be on the run, the dinner meal can be ‘controllable’. A plate of simple macaroni and cheese takes on some elegance when brought to a nicely set table.“Soup and fish explain half of the emotions of life.” Sydney Smith

Food does bring out emotions. Coming home to the smell of a meal cooking and a table set in anticipation of enjoying said meal, reduces the stress of the commute home for your husband. It is a needed break from homework for your children. The time you made for this in the kitchen should fill you with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Yes, it takes a certain amount of work and planning but isn’t that our job? How often do we complain about sloppy service in the public sector, people who don’t care about their paying jobs? Aren’t we earning much more in grace and gratitude?

“The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of man than the discovery of a star.” Brillat-Savarin

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