1. Wow - thank you so much to everyone for your interesting thoughts on my post yesterday. I am so interested in how other people experience the internet and it was fascinating to hear from so many different people. I restarted this blog in part to think/write about how modern smartphone technology (and specifically the internet in our hand) might be experienced differently by men and women and I really appreciate the feedback on that post. Thank you!
2. This week did not go as planned. My littlest was off nursery and so I was off work over a pretty important few days of meetings. My husband and I do a lot of planning and logistics so this doesn't happen, and yet something was lost in the communication of the importance of this week for me. Because he was not physically present (he was 2 hours away) I ended up doing all the sick kid childcare and missing all the work. He's off today so I'm back in work, but having the usual catastrophic thoughts that it may well be impossible for two parents to have careers (in the Wales) while the kids are so little and without family or friends around for support.
3. Maybe the fact that I don't personally know any professional women with small children means it's actually impossible here. Maybe reading blogs and books about professional women with small children is akin to reading about professional sports players when one is an amateur athlete. Just because professional women exist somewhere else doesn't mean that's an option open to me. Again, I don't think I would be having these thoughts if I wasn't in Wales, and I also don't think I would have these thoughts if I wasn't originally not from Wales. Culture is tricky.
3. On the positive - I really enjoyed my time with the kids for the last two days. Two and Four year olds are fun. We did a lot of fun things, like playing “time to sleep” and baking and the littlest entertained herself while I did dishes and made dinner. If only I could find a rewarding, interesting, mentally challenging, and high paying job for 3 days a week…
4. We made Nadiya Hussain's Peanut butter and Jelly tray bake yesterday for breakfast. It was delicious! We need to improve 30 minute meal rotations for dinner, we seem to eat pasta and potatoes a lot.
What are your favorite quick dinner recipes?
It is so hard to juggle...life...with little kids. I've only ever worked part-time since having children and I honestly don't know how people manage two working parents and kids (especially if it doesn't involve a full-time nanny - but even with that, nannies get sick and need vacations, too!).
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry it threw your week off-kilter.
Favourite quick recipes: I love to freeze leftovers, so my favourite quick meal is pulling something out of the freezer. I usually make a big pot of soup/stew on Sunday and we have that Monday/Tuesday for supper. I can take my time to make it over the weekend, and then just have to reheat things Monday/Tuesday as we get settled into the routine of the week.
Eggs are a huge hit in our household - they're quick and filling and very versatile (we often put them into tortilla wraps with cheese, some lettuce, maybe a bit of ham and that's a supper!).
Since I dont have children myself I can only relate so much to all the childcare issues. But I see it with my friends and sisters that at times it is really tough. My best friend actually went back to a stay at home mom because since covid it was just no way to handle otherwise.
ReplyDeleteAs for quick dinner options: I actually just posted mine today.
Since I dont have children myself I can only relate so much to all the childcare issues. But I see it with my friends and sisters that at times it is really tough. My best friend actually went back to a stay at home mom because since covid it was just no way to handle otherwise.
ReplyDeleteAs for quick dinner options: I actually just posted mine today.
Because we don't have kids, I think we think of as "quick" doesn't align with most people. We do a lot of frittatas (10 eggs + vegetable + cheese) and that makes four servings, so that can be made in 30 minutes, 15 of which are bake time. Also, we do the make a vat of soup on the weekends and eat it every day, too. We're not particularly creative!
ReplyDeleteCulture is tricky. You're saying a mouthful. I can imagine that you feel that especially hard having moved from the US to Wales. I also relate to the notion that "just because people like me" exist somewhere in the world doesn't make it easier for me here and now.
ReplyDeleteQuick dinners? Roasted vegetables/chicken sausages from the oven, lentil curry (if your kids will eat that), homemade small veggie pizzas.
All I can say is: it gets easier as they get older (I know, does not help much now). When my son was little and started daycare he was sick so much I was ready to stay home (because that's where I was most of the time anyway living with the guilt not to be at work). You are not alone! and yes, it's hard. When it needs to be quick I mostly make pasta with tomato sauce and everyone is happy with it (one picky eater will do that). But I also make soup at least every two weeks and we eat it at least two days - pea soup, lentil soup, veggie soup with noodles,... It's a little more work one day but the next you just heat it up.
ReplyDeleteThat is good to hear! The first year for both were awful because they were home all the time (so I was home and paying for daycare!) The sickness is way less frequent now so I'm sure it does get better, I'm hoping by school age they'll be super people. The guilt of not being in work and of having sick kids.
DeleteIt's real. I remember all too well...
DeleteI feel bad that you're struggling with the kids/job issue. Even here in the US I don't know how people manage it. When my kids were little I didn't work, which was great in a lot of ways, but it also put us in a financial hole, so... I'm not sure it was really the best option. I don't know what the answer is, especially in another country.
ReplyDeleteQuick dinners- pasta with sauce from a jar and broccoli, or veggie burgers. We have those a LOT.
It must be so frustrating to have to be off work when you have important meetings.
ReplyDeleteMy family love mee goreng but that's noodles and maybe not little people friendly:
https://indaily.com.au/eat-drink-explore/recipes/2014/09/23/adam-liaws-mee-goreng/
I also really like an Australian food blogger Jules who does really simple, quick recipes with very few ingredients. She is also low white carbs because she's diabetic.
https://thestonesoup.com/blog/stone-soup-articles-and-recipes/
It must be so challenging to work and have kids... I am single, no kids, and can barely take care of myself. You, and others who juggle similarly crazy-busy lives, have my admiration and my thanks (for raising the next generation of good humans :>).
ReplyDeleteI am new to your blog but hope to read up on your story and how you landed in Wales, as it seems as though you're an ex-pat?