In Which I Take One For the Team

Henry and I have this little routine every night.

He has this new thing where he wants to fall asleep in our bed every night.  In Daddy’s spot.  He is well aware that Daddy will move him when he comes to bed, but he just likes to “sleep in a big bed”.

Because I’m a grandma and go to bed early, and Andy is a bit of a nightowl, Henry and I have a new tradition.  We spend the last half hour of the day reading quietly beside each other.

I’m usually on my Kindle, and he has a stack of books on the nightstand that he flips through.  Last night, it was a selection of a National Geographic book on insects, the lifecycle of a frog, and rockets.  If that isn’t a perfect illustration of my boy’s interests and personality, I don’t know what is.  All he needed was a Haynes Owner’s Manual for a Land Cruiserand he’d be golden.  (I’m totally not kidding.)

I often peek over to see his little lips moving quietly…silently “reading” pages.

It’s a sweet moment, and fast becoming one of my favorite times of the day.  I love my boy.  He makes me happy.  Ohmygoodness.  So happy.

The other day, my new Pioneer Woman Cookbookcame in the mail.  I was ecstatic…but very careful to not leaf through the pages too much.  No, I wanted to save it.  Really enjoy it.  So, I put it on the shelf and waited somewhat patiently until bedtime when I could really sit undisturbed and in quiet to see what deliciousness its pages contained.

Do you do this too?  You know, wait for quiet time to allow yourself to look at a book when you can really savor it?

Am I the only one who does this with cookbooks?  Possibly.  Because I read my cookbooks.  As in, cover to cover…like they are novels.  In bed and everything.

Is that weird?  Don’t answer that.

Anyway, flipping through P Dub’s book, Henry looked over and with a grin:

“Tell me when I can push the screen…”

“Womp, womp, womp.  You’re a funny guy…I know, I’m not on my Kindle tonight.  It happens.”

“Mommy, what kind of a book is that?”

“It’s a cookbook.”

“What does it do?”

“It shows mommy how to make different foods.  All of the recipes are in here and tell me how much of stuff to use and how to do it.”

He peers over.

“So, girls can’t make this one?”

“Huh?  What?”

“Girls can’t make this recipe then.  It’s for boys…”

“What?  Why can’t girls make this recipe?”

I was SO confused.

“Because it has corn, Mommy.  And that goes on the BBQ and girls don’t know how to BBQ, so only boys can do that one..”

(source)

At first, I bristled.  I opened my mouth to launch into a full on girls-can-do-what-boys-can-do tirade of equality and opportunity…

and then I snapped my big mouth shut.

“Yes.  Yes, Henry.  BBQing is a boy job.  You remember that when you have a wife someday.  You do the BBQing in the summertime.  That’s absolutely right.”

“And I’ll make all the corn.”

“Yes, yes you will.”

You’re welcome Future Daughter In Law.  Don’t ever say I did nothing for you.

I don’t know about you guys, but I love me some summertime.  We eat many of our meals off the grill, and you know what that means?

Mama gets a four month break from cooking. 

And it is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

As far as the kids are concerned, Mommy doesn’t know how to BBQ.  Which is sort of true since I have never done it.  I would imagine I could figure it out, since I can cook inside the house…but let’s not muddy the waters here.

This is about those sweet evenings where I make a couple of quick side dishes and then sit at the kitchen bar (which is still yellow, bee tee dub) and chat and hang out and watch as my husband rushes around marinading, trimming, and seasoning.

Incidentally, he is now a master griller.  Husband can grill up a mean steak, get tri-tip to perfection, and sear an ear of corn like a pro.  It’s like I have my own personal Bobby Flay…only way cuter.

So.

Before you get your feathers all ruffled about the whole girl/boy job thing…I just want you to know that I’m totally okay with it.  Andy kills spiders, takes out the trash, fills our gas tanks, picks up dog poop, mows the lawn, and does all the grilling.

Basically, let’s be serious, this isn’t about boy vs. girl…it’s really about “This is a list of things Jeannett doesn’t want to do.”  If you want to take out leaking bags of trash and scoop up dog turds, then by all means.

But as for me and my house, this is good.  So so good.

• Bio
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Latest Posts

jeannett

I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.

@jeannettg

Follow @jeannettg

jeannett

Latest posts by jeannett (see all)

• Dirt in a Jar, Laundry Scientists, and Clean Water - October 20, 2015
• Because Cake. - October 11, 2015
• How to design a luxury bathroom for less - August 12, 2015