Domestic Psychology

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?

Saturday

// September 27th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // flickr, food, local

Greek food wins every time

// September 25th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // food, local, parenting

After a month away at school, Tommy is finally coming home for the weekend. Not to see us, but to visit Greekfest. He doesn’t care about the church service, the dancing, the music, the outfits or the people. He only wants to eat the delicious food. I like everything about Greekfest, but there’s no denying that the food is the best part of the weekend. They should just call it “Eat till you sleep fest.” The recipes are happily shared. I just can’t replicate them. It’s a shame to have to eat a year’s worth of Greek pastry in one day, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

Doug says:

// August 19th, 2008 // No Comments » // Doug, food, me

Doug: “These vegetables expired in 2005, but they were from the freezer, so I cooked them anyway.”
Me: “Please hand me my planner.”
Doug: “Umm, okay.”
Me: “Hmm, doesn’t look like I have time in my schedule for food poisoning, so the vegetables are all yours.”
Doug mumbled something unprintable.

morning e-mail

// August 8th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // food, mail, parenting

Cathy –
Is there any food that all of the children will eat other than chicken nuggets?
Mom

Mom –
Tommy eats almost anything. He won’t eat tomatoes or brussel sprouts.
Sarah eats white foods. Chicken, pasta and bread. No fruits or veges.
Noah eats meat and ketchup.
Amy eats most foods, but is leaning closer to Sarah’s white diet daily.
Evan nibbles almost anything, if it’s on someone else’s plate.
I can’t think of anything they all eat except chicken. It doesn’t have to be nuggets.
Cathy

PS – Pizza. They all eat pizza.

What’s for breakfast?

// July 6th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // flickr, food