I need a paradigm shift

Teah got a rare treat on Tuesday night. Usually, getting dinner ready goes something like this - put Teah on the floor with some toys, start to prep dinner. She starts to scream. Finish whatever I'm doing (putting rice in the pot.) Pick her up. Oh, are you hungry? I guess the rest of dinner can wait. At least we have rice. Nurse Teah. Put her back on the floor. Wash and chop vegetables. Uh-oh. Teah's mad at me again. I guess I can cook the veg when Dad gets home. Pick Teah up again. Play with her. Oh no! I forgot to defrost the main dish! Put Teah back on the floor. Screaming commences immediately. Pull meat out of freezer, throw it in a pot of water to defrost. Pick Teah up. Stare at the clock and will Daddy home.

I used to try to get dinner on the table when he got home - I felt it made me a more impressive wife. Now, I know the truth - Daddy would much rather have a happy wife and baby than dinner on the table the second he walks in the door. (Even McDonald's makes you wait 5 minutes!) Sometimes we have dinner after Teah goes to bed, but at least she never screams for more than 5 minutes at a time!

ANYHOW. Last night, Will had some friends over. One of them (a TOTAL sweetheart that used to work with him) came over an hour early to play with Teah while I got dinner ready. A month ago that wouldn't have worked. Now, Teah thinks strangers are just that - stranger than Mom, and therefore interesting, in limited doses. This sweet, unmarried, childless woman sat on the floor and played with Teah while I cooked chicken, baked rolls, steamed green beans and chopped a salad. LIFESAVER! (Marci, I hope you're reading this!) Maybe I should try less adventurous menus, at least while I have a small child. But...but...but.....anyone who's known me for any time at all knows I like to make difficult menus when I have guests.

I was telling Will last night - I want to live in Betty Crocker's Universe. Wherever that is - I don't think it was ever real. How many chocolate cakes do I have to make to get there? In Betty Crocker Land, guests come, share some drinks (a glass of juice would do!) and some hors d'oeuvre s . The children, of course, would have already eaten and gone to bed. We would all sit down to a lovely salad, then a delicious main course with soup, and finally, retire to the living room for dessert and herb tea. Oh, and there would be young women that I hired to help in the kitchen.

(Note - hiring young women to help is in no way demeaning or degrading! One of my heroes, Linda Snow, hired my sister and I to help at one of her parties - she needed the dishes to be washed halfway through the meal and the table to be cleared. Seeing as she was my hero and everything, I think we refused her money...but gladly accepted her chocolate cake.)


To Will and Marci's credit, last night went remarkably well. Marci sat on the floor while I ran around in the kitchen. Will kept her company and then fed Teah her dinner. When the rest of the guests arrived, Teah sat on Will's lap while I served dinner and ate a little bit. Then Teah and I went upstairs and she had a bath and went down for the night while Will entertained our guests at the table. After Teah was asleep, we pulled out my little sister's Dance Dance Revolution game (Thanks, Bert!) and played for an hour or so. When we were all too tired to dance anymore, we had a delicious Almond Float that Marci brought and said goodnight! So, not quite Betty Crocker, but...still wonderful. Maybe I just need a paradigm shift.