We're in the middle of our third week in Houston, and it has become clear to me that I have become a housewife, at least a temporary one. I must say that most people in society believe that housewives don't do much, and I was one of those people. However, at least for me these past few weeks, I can tell you that I have been pretty busy.
It was our plan all along for me to hold of work until we are "settled". What that means, I am not sure. I am also not sure how long this will be for. Let's discuss all the house-wifey stuff I have been doing, shall we?
HOMEMADE APPLE PIE. Yes, I have been able to use my time to make my husband's favorite dessert, a homemade apple pie.
What really happened: I needed to go to the local grocery store to pick up some items for dinner. One of the local grocery stores here in Texas is called H-E-B. I have no idea what that stands for. Anyway, one of the perks of being a "housewife" is that you can go grocery shopping at 11:00 a.m. on a Monday morning. It was there that I overheard a woman's voice on the loud speaker telling me that in just two short minutes, H-E-B is giving away a FREE GIFT!!! All I needed to do was go over to the orange table located just outside of the pharmacy. Well by golly, I happened to be right next to the pharmacy, because I was picking up some Vicks' Vap-O-Rub for our son, as well as some Advil Cold and Flu, which you have to pick up from behind the counter. So, I go over to the orange table and wait for my "free gift".
In order to receive the free gift, you have to watch a presentation on an item that was being demonstrated - it turns out it was a mandolin slicer. You sit and watch as they slice and dice all these wonderful fresh foods and show you how EASY it is to make homemade hashed browns, French fries, curly fries, onion rings, this, that, and the other thing all for one low price of 39.99. But wait - there's more!!! If you purchase the mandolin slicer at H-E-B today, not only will you get the mandolin slicer, but you get a free potato peeler, kitchen shears, and a grater! I was assured that all of these nifty gadgets were well over a hundred dollars, if sold separately!!! So sitting there watching this presentation, I KNEW that they were targeting people like me who shop at the grocery store at 11 a.m. on a Monday morning - housewives, stay-at-home moms, and retired people. I KNEW this. Yet, you would not believe how much I wanted that stupid mandolin slicer. Had to have it. So, I got suckered. Yep, I got suckered and I purchased a mandolin slicer, and all the funky gadgets that came along with it, and the free gift (which was a Julianne slicer).
So I'm walking around the grocery store with this mandolin slicer in my cart and I feel guilty. I knew I did not need this slicer. I am never going to use the slicer for all the things that was demonstrated - let's face it. I don't make that many dishes from scratch. I just don't. One of the things that they showed you, was that the slicer can be used to slice apples thinly for the perfect apple pie. Ding ding ding ding ding! Now I can justify this purchase - I can bake my hubby an apple pie. How Suzie Homemaker of me!
I get the ingredients for the apple pie, and I go home. I get out my new slicer. I put the safety guard on the top of the apple, just like the demonstrator showed me. The safety shield immediately fell off. Well, that didn't go as smoothly as she did it. Hmmmm, well, I don't need that stupid safety shield anyway. Slice slice......ouch. I just sliced my thumb off. Well, not really - but it felt like it. Those mandolin slicers are SHARP! So really, here I am, trying to bake the apple pie of perfectly sliced apples when I sliced my thumb open. Now I am in the middle of my kitchen bleeding like a stuck pig.
I dig in the Band Aids and can only find the itty bitty ones. At this point there is no way I am going to call my husband and ask him to stop on his way home to buy me Band Aids because I purchased a mandolin slicer that I didn't need. So, it takes me eight Band Aids - yes, EIGHT Band Aids, but I am able to patch up the thumb that would make Florence Nightingale proud.
I barbequed on the grill that night and served the pie as dessert. My thumb probably could have used a couple of stitches. I do know now that if the grocery store ever announces that they are giving away something for "free", I need to run screaming in the other direction.
DRY CLEANING. I am a good little housewife and bring Chad's shirts to the drycleaner, and pick up his drycleaning when it is done.
What this really means: I could be a good little housewife and iron his shirts, like I did the first week we were here. However, I really dislike ironing. I mean, what crazy person on this planet actually enjoys ironing??!? I am also terrible at it. I know there is some ancient Chinese secret to getting the shirts perfectly ironed, but I have never been able to crack the code. My ironed shirts are just marginally passable. Better stick to paying someone else to do it.
MAKING SCRAMBLED EGGS FOR MY SON EVERY MORNING. Yes, I scramble eggs for my son every morning before he goes to school.
What really happens: He only eats a few bites and I end up tossing most of it in the trash. If he wasn't so sick right now, I might be tempted to eat his leftovers, but there's no way I want to ingest them after he's coughed all over them.
WALK THE DOG EVERY DAY. Cali and I go for a walk in the afternoons. She has caught on quickly to the routine and gets very excited when I walk to the drawer where her leash is stored.
What this really means: I'm just going to get our mail. The walk isn't very far - a block and half. Even though we live in a house, the mail is not delivered house to house like it was when we were living in Minnesota. There's mail stations every few blocks like you would see in a townhouse or apartment complex. I don't particularly care for this after being spoiled for so long having the mail delivered to your own personal mailbox. However, I cannot change this so Cali and I take a walk down to the mailbox every day to check out the mail.
WEIGHT LIFTING. No, I don't lift weights. Not real weights, anyway.
What this really means: Part of our relocation package included a "debris pickup" - basically, all of our unpacked boxes and miscellaneous trash that is created when a family moves across the country. We had moving boxes AND THEN SOME. I hauled all of the broken down boxes to the curb, by myself. Now, normally that doesn't sound like a big deal, but we had so much shit that it took me 37 trips to the curb to haul it all down there! So, while the guys are here, I casually ask them if they would take some additional items. They agree and I'm thinking - JACKPOT! I start mentally checking off a list - would they take a mattress? They agree! The only catch is that the mattress is upstairs inside our house. So, like Hercules I wrestle down a twin sized mattress down the stairs and out the front door, and to the curb...by myself. I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR! Then I run back upstairs, and grab a double/full sized box spring mattress and wrestle that down the stairs (by myself), through the front door, and out to the curb. I also managed to get them to take an old computer chair, and some bikes. Woo-hoo! Who needs a stair master?!?!?
These are just a few items from week three in Houston. I can bore you with many more things, like making the beds, doing laundry, dishes, and making meals, but I don't think you want to read about that.
I can report that Corbin is still sick, but is well enough to go back to school. He's been doing well and hasn't complained of any kids being mean to him. He still struggles with his locker, and is convinced that is locker is broken. I do not push the issue because I know he just needs to figure it out on his own. He'll get there.
Chad has been hitting the ground running every day. He works from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. almost every night. He is exhausted when he comes home and I know he's put in a hard day's work. I know he appreciates having me home to take care of the mundane things that he cannot focus on right now.
I miss our daughters so much. I can't wait to have them both here. I know I keep saying that, but there is this ache in my heart that just won't go away. I am literally counting down the days now to where I get to see them in Dallas, and bring one of them back home with us. :)
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