It’s back to school time and my bio-rhythms are doing the
jitterbug just waiting for the semblance of organization that will
bring to our home. Summer has been great, but … everyone has been
going in six different directions at once, going to bed at all
hours of the day and night, and eating wherever and whenever the
feeling moves them.
Someone throw me a little bone that makes me think I’m in charge
here.
For me, that bone is a schedule, a routine, something I can
depend on.
I thought I would start that routine on Monday before the kids
began school on Tuesday. The alarm was set for 6 a.m. so I could
get up, exercise, walk a couple miles, make breakfast, pack lunches
and leave for the office at a calm pace. It was not to be. I
pressed the sleep button four times and jumped out of bed at 7 a.m.
instead. My husband made breakfast while I got ready in anything
but a calm and tranquil manner.
Once I get the sleep and rise routine working, it will be time
to tackle the menu problem. There are too many people at my dinner
table each night, but never at the same time. The only thing I can
depend on, just like the sun rising in the morning, is that someone
will not like what I have prepared for dinner. It does not matter
whether the fare is lobster, which it never is, or tacos, which is
far more likely, someone will not be happy with my culinary
efforts.
To be sure, I have at times earned myself the reputation of
being, in kind terms, a creative cook. If I forget to thaw
something out, you can be sure leftovers disguised as food will be
forthcoming. I have never done what my mother-in-law once did and
cleaned out the entire refrigerator – nuts, roast beef, raisins,
salad, vegetables, apples, and who knows what else – and made it
into a huge pot of soup, but my concoctions have received the same
reception: Can I just have a peanut butter sandwich?
This year I came up with an outstanding plan. Family members
have given me four of their favorite meals. I will make a two-week
menu out of those suggestions and no one can complain ever again
about my cooking.
I know I have set myself up for high blood pressure, increased
cholesterol, low blood sugar and obesity, but we all have to make
compromises. Now if I can find a way to get the laundry folded and
sock mates back together in the drawer I can die a happy woman. And
of course, it will probably be soon due to my increased consumption
of macaroni and cheese with potato chips crushed on top.
Karen Kendig is the managing editor of the Elbert County
News.