My husband hates leftovers. I’m not a big fan either but as a working mother of four, I can appreciate their value in both time and cost savings relative to weekly meal prep-time and food allowance. It’s not that he’s a food snob—this man will eat anything I put in front of him, thankfully. I think it has more to do with the fact that—the original meal was ok the first time around but after reheating in a low-wattage microwave, it is just passable. Almost tolerable. Maybe digestible. Of course, 95 percent of what I prepare comes to the table in casserole format—they are designed to be doled out over several days but that is beside the point.
Tom certainly did not marry me for my prowess in the kitchen. I’d like to think there are other attributes that made me a great catch. My mother-in-law was also a working mother when Tom was growing up. Widowed at a young age, Cindy started her own fitness business and saw to the upbringing of Tom, then five, and Laura, not yet two, when Tom’s father met his untimely death. I adore Cindy—she instilled in my husband an independent spirit and work ethic that I hope to pass along to our children. I think one of her greatest traditions to be carried down is “Fend for Yourself Night.” That takes the pressure off those, like me, who look at every meal that I must plan, shop for, and prepare, as the ultimate drudgery of my domestic suburban existence. And I have four children (and a husband) to consider, three meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. You do the math.
I am, according to Marcus Buckingham’s assessment in “Now Discover Your Strengths,” an Achiever. That is, I start each day with a “to do” list and I do not feel like I am done until that list has had every item crossed out. Even weekends and holidays. Discovering this truth about me made the purchase price of the book worth every penny. It is true—I am perpetually making lists in my head or in my organizer of things that I have to do. I rationalize this as my strategy for being the most effective and efficient wife, mother, employee, friend, sister, and daughter than I can be. It sounds better that way.
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