Domestic Psychology

food – past

// July 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Family, food

Decoration Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Christmas memories from my childhood are connected to the extended family gatherings that happened with each holiday.It didn’t matter if it was at my great-grandparents’ house in Natchez Trace, the nearby State Park or my Great-Uncle’s in Martin, the event was about people and food.

Relatives who were round and relatives who were built like Jack Skellington ate the buffet of food. None of the children had food allergies. Even though the women were always on a “diet,” they still ate the same food that everyone else there ate.

The food didn’t magically arrive on our plates. It grew on family farms. It came from local livestock and game. It was cooked in home kitchens. Many of the dishes would make today’s nutritionists frown and shake their heads. We didn’t count calories or judge ingredients. Food was love and our stomachs were full.

We can’t reproduce those days. Or the food.

next time, I’m wearing a clown nose

// April 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // food, me, parenting

I spent almost an hour casually strolling the aisles of the grocery store. I marveled at the varieties of something as simple as milk. I looked at new products that may or may not have been food. I studied the changes in packaging and the subtle reduction of quantity in each and every prepackaged food item. I scowled at the shelves packed with artificial sweeteners. I drooled at the increasing number of fruits in season. I made certain that there was something in my cart that each of my children like to eat. I mentally calculated the food prep time in relation to each day’s schedule of activities.

Small children waved at me as we walked past each other. Adults smiled or laughed out loud and I imagined that they were kindred spirits enjoying the splendor of treasures that is a grocery store. The visit was surreal in its normalcy. Even the cashier and bagger were all smiles. “Did you make your necklace yourself?” I looked down and realized I was wearing the necklace that Evan made for me. (“You look prettier now Mommy.”) I smiled and explained that it was a gift from my 4-y-o, thinking that they already knew that. I was mistaken. “Well, everyone likes to make their own jewelry these days.”

leaving them to starve

// March 18th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // food, teenagers

As a rule, I try to always be at *home on school nights and be a part of the evening routines. As frantic as the evenings are, I can’t imagine not getting to tuck my children in bed at night. It’s probably much more important to me than it is to them. Don’t tell the children I still peek at them while they are sleeping every night. Tonight, I am making a rare exception and attending a meeting. Instead of preparing a healthy meal before I leave, since I really hate cooking, I’m leaving two boxes of organic mac ‘n cheese for the babysitter (aka the 16-y-o) to prepare. The question is, will she-who-shuns-organic prepare the mac ‘n cheese or will the children forage the fridge for crusty leftovers? Place your bets now.

*Why, oh, why can’t the social media folks have their gatherings on the weekends?

food talk

// November 4th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // food, kid quotes

Me: “Evan, do you want some chicken?”
Evan: “With ketchup.”
Me: “What sound does a chicken make?”
Evan: “Bawk-bawk-bawk.”
Me: “Right! Would you like some green beans.”
Evan: “Put them beside the chicken.”
Me: “What sound do green beans make?”
Evan: drops to the floor and curls up in a ball “Bu-bu-bu-bu.”
Amy: rolling eyes “He’s so weird.”
Me: “Amy, what sound does bread make?”
Amy: crosses arms and glares at me silently
Evan: “Amy doesn’t know. Want me to tell her?”

she never eats (when I’m looking)

// July 8th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // food, teenagers

The first time Sarah ate a meal BEFORE her date, I shrugged it off as teenage weirdness. Since then, I’ve noticed it is routine behavior for her to eat food before or after, but never while actually out on a date. I imagine her telling the waiter, “I’m not really hungry. I’ll just have a Dr.Pepper.” Her motivation might be a noble attempt not to spend money. It’s more likely that this is about food issues. Maybe she thinks it is gluttonous to eat a plate full of food. Perhaps she is self conscious about how she looks when chewing food. Could it be that she wants her date to think she never eats? Whatever the reason, this is one of those “choose your battles” scenarios. Risk making things worse by saying something or wait to see if this is a harmless phase? As long as she is eating, she isn’t doing physical harm, so I’m going to let this one slide. For now. I seriously have to ask if anyone has ever been fooled into thinking that their date never eats?

toe-may-toe, tah-mah-toe

// March 14th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Doug, food, parenting, preschoolers

Evan: “I want eat dis.”
Dad: “Cherry tomatoes? Why don’t I make you a sandwich first?”
Evan: “No sammich. Mayters.”
Dad: “I was saving those for dinner. Wouldn’t you like some peanut butter & jelly?”
Evan: “I want eat mayters!”
Dad: “Alright. I’ll make you a salad with tomatoes.”
Evan: “Noooo. Just mayters.”
Dad: “I’ll let you pick the salad dressing.”
Evan: “I WANNA EAT MAYTERS!”
Dad: “Fine. Let me wash them.”
Evan: “Done yet? Done yet? Done yet?”
Dad: “Here! Eat them.”
Evan: “Ewww. Yucky. I throw all mayters away.”

how to buy a library book

// February 6th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // books, food, parenting

1. Insist that you want applesauce in your school lunch.
2. In the school cafeteria, take one nibble of applesauce.
3. Return open applesauce to backpack.
4. Throw backpack around several times.
5. Let mom open backpack to discover applesauce in every nook and cranny of backpack, school work, folders AND a school library book.
6. Explain to confused mom that you didn’t like the applesauce and were bringing it back home for dad to eat.
7. Skip away cheerfully as mother stands like a deer in headlights, staring at the applesauce disaster inside your once nice backpack.

hungry?

// December 9th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // flickr, food

Thanksgiving weekend pics

// December 1st, 2008 // No Comments » // flickr, holidays

but … food is expensive

// November 12th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // food, scouts

The Boy Scouts plan their own meals for camping trips. They also take turns buying the food. Well, technically the boys make the list and fill the shopping cart. The adults only job is to pay for the food. Guess whose turn it is to buy the food? In theory, this teaches the boys important skills. In reality, it makes me incredibly nervous. I have come to accept that I will pack Noah and Doug (and whoever else is going) a dozen outfits for a weekend trip. “This one in case it’s cold and this one if it gets hot and this one for rain and…” The boys will still return home in the same outfit they were wearing when they left and every unworn outfit will be inexplicably filthy. Wasted laundry, but that doesn’t bother me. The idea of wasted food makes my left eye twitch. I know I’m not supposed to question the boys’ meal planning, but when it looks like they are planning a leisurely brunch of pancakes with fresh fruit and whipped cream for a NOVEMBER camping trip, I imagine tons of ruined, uneaten food. Sure, I would like to know which middle school child spells “oarnges” or “katsup” but, I would prefer that one of the leaders intervene before food is used to teach a lesson. If the uneaten food was good for the animals, I guess it wouldn’t bother me so much. I just don’t think that wild animals need to be eating unused batter or burnt pancakes. Why can’t the boys just eat eggs in orange halves like other scouts?