Day 25: compulsive busy-ness hangovers

Yesterday I cleaned out the spice cabinet. I threw away six bottles by combining (yes, there were duplicates)--and actually one of the bottles was simply sitting on the shelf, empty. I threw away the Lowry's seasoned salt because there was so little of it, and it's loaded with MSG.

And I moved a few things to more logical locations, like putting my husband's morning oatmeal with the cereal instead of the canning jars. Sometimes, things take root in weird places.

When my kids were small, I functioned better if I left the house every day. If I could just load them in the car and see adult faces for a short while, I was more sane. However, I wasn't motivated to leave unless I was "accomplishing something," and the appropriate number of errands for a trip out of the house was THREE.

Every day, I had a cluster of three things to do. I collected errands like tokens, spending them wisely and carefully, but definitely collecting. As the kids got older, and we began homeschooling, I needed more time at home. Yet I always seemed to have these errands to run.

These days, with teenagers, I seem to have very few errands. Or they come in spurts--but nothing like three a day, every day. I applaud my younger self for the sanity system, but here's the trick: those habits carried over even when the need for them was extinct. As I began homeschooling, I made it a goal to stay home two days a week, my way of adjusting my system for new needs.

Last year I began teaching outside of the home, to help pay for my eldest child's college education. My class schedule will be a little heavier than last year, although I have the benefit of my first year behind me. Now I'm thinking there is a dinosaur in my time planning again.

I have noticed many things as we have eaten what we have. One: the food budget is not sacred and untouchable just because it is a necessary part of our spending. Two: I really like to cook, and I often do so for my own comfort or escape, rather than purposefully.

When my husband's grandmother lived with us, between her schedule, my husband going off to work, one daughter in public school, two homeschooled--the kitchen was always busy. There would be maybe an hour in the afternoon when someone wasn't doing something (cooking, cleaning) in that central room of the house.

It is hands down my favorite room. I remember wanting to make a new recipe for lemon turkey meatballs when my mom came to stay with me after my first child was born. She looked at me like I was crazy: you are trying a new recipe with a two-day old baby? Can't we just cook something simple?

The bottom line: there are other things that need my attention, outside of the kitchen. If I work all day on Produce Acquisition, and just evenings during the week, I might be able to tame the kitchen monster. I will likely still end up with Zaycon sausages sometimes (See "meat my impulses") and make too many zucchini muffins or jam (See "oh, honey"), but I can see now that I need to budget my time in the kitchen.

Next July, I'll probably have a blog on organizing my housework. As if there were other rooms in the house--who knew!