I love being a wife. I love being a mother. Really, really I do. Until I don’t.
If you’re a mother and you’ve never had a day, or a part of a day that you didn’t sit and daydream about the life you once lived I’m very sorry, but I can’t be your friend.
The problem with stay at home parenting for tweens and teens is that when you’re doing it well it appears that no one needs you. It’s nice to feel like your kids don’t need you, and it’s common to feel like your children don’t appreciate you. This is mostly a one way relationship, I give, they take. Yes, of course there are hugs, kisses, thank yous and sweet moments, but most often it’s more mom giving, dad working and kids taking.
I don’t resent my family.
I just sometimes wonder what I’d be like with a flat stomach and some time to myself. I look at parents who split and I wonder what gave them the nerve, the total self obsession, to look at their family and make the decision to follow their bliss. What is their bliss? Why does only one person get to follow their dreams at a time?
I understand feeling restless and unappreciated. I’m not restless every day, or even every year. I understand the pangs and when I look at my single childless friends I’m alternately jealous and piteous. I’m guessing they feel the same stuff, but more pity less envy.
When I wish I wasn’t a wife and a mother I wish that I have less things. When I’m entertaining the fantasy of a life all alone I dream of no mortgage, no pets, no phones and sometimes no friends. I have this vision of myself living in Los Angeles completely surrounded by people but not having to please any of them. I fantasize about my only interactions being with shopkeepers and servers. I recall fondly the days of workouts followed by massages and then naps. A completely selfish existence, one that I don’t know that I’d ever dare to lead, one that I’m not convinced isn’t lonely.
It’s not the mothering that gets me, it’s being The Mom.
The best ceviche in Los Angeles comes off of a roach coach that is routinely parked near the courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles. For twenty years Angelinos in the know have found the taco trucks with the best Mexican, Salvadoran and Guatemalan cuisine that our city can offer. Before RA I used to run to Mulholland Drive every Wednesday and eat burritos at a taco truck that made me feel like I was visiting another country. I loved it, and to a degree I still do.
Then came the fusion trucks and the hipsters. Mike Prasad took the Kogi BBQ truck and convinced LA that coleslaw on a taco is delicious (it isn’t but it does prove that Mike is a genius). Every digital event had food trucks roaming through. Then came grilled cheese trucks, cupcake trucks, dim sum trucks, sushi trucks and now even Canters has a truck. Everywhere you look there is a food truck and they are not parked in communities they support.
When Save Our Taco Trucks launched I was a supporter. I loved the quick food and the obscure locations. The trucks seemed to be near construction sites and industrial zones.
Now there is a truck at my corner every day. They sell salad. Across the street from the salad truck is a salad restaurant. Within three square blocks are another dozen restaurants. The restaurants in my neighborhood do things for my neighborhood. They provide pleasing exteriors, they provide local jobs, they tend to support the local schools, they are part of the tax base, they create a reason for us to get out of our cars and walk around so that we can bump into people.
I don’t know if I’m getting old or if it’s reasonable to not want transient businesses in my neighborhood.
Where are you at on the food trucks? And I swear to all that is holy, anyone who tells you that Korean food belongs in a taco is not to be trusted.
But I can tell you this. I was having a mild to moderate freak out at the grocery store today, because the whole “oops we mixed up old apple juice and tequila and served it to a toddler” thing had me triple checking expiration dates on yogurt and milk.
Madison Heights Police officers discovered a leftover mixed drink combination, mislabeled as apple juice, was accidentally mixed with other apple juice then served to the child, according to a statement issued by the department.
My son loves tamale pie (who doesn’t really) and Vons happens to have one that isn’t full of terrible shit (except I know it’s not organic beef) so I was holding it in my hands today, but then thinking, ooh the same guys who get jobs at Applebees probably mass produce this food too.
So I left the store without the tamale pies, and my son is going to be bugged so I’ll have to make tamale pie from scratch, which is very labor intensive, and I blame Applebees in Madison Heights. Because that’s the kind of blame girl I am.
Ugh, Monday. Monday is bugging me. Daphne got onto my shit list with this video, and Trish is halfway through a preganancy and is still thinnner than I’ll ever be.
Oh, and this video? I need you to know that every single time I shoot a video I check my hair and makeup, and then after I tape it I check it again. Every single one of the hundreds of videos I’ve shot. Except this one.
So my funky hair and I would like to talk to you a bit.
My tenth birthday was special. I went first to Saks to get a Givenchy dress, red with blue piping, along with a pair of Cherokee wedges, and then a quick walk to Tipperary for a hair cut and blow dry. I felt really pretty. It was the spring of 1980.
My Dad and I went to Ma Maison where Wolf had made me a special dinner. The appetizer was escargot, but in a box, like a jack in the box only it was made of delicious buttery puff pastry that sopped up the buttery garlic sauce without getting soggy. If I close my eyes I can taste it now. My father sipped champagne and I had Perrier with grenadine from a champagne flute. There were appetizers, salads, and finally a beautiful whole poached salmon exquisitely wrapped in pastry dough, served with a dill sauce.
The man at the next table asked our waiter if he could please have the same dish for his dinner. The waiter was apologetic and a bit embarrassed to tell Dudley Moore that it wasn’t on the menu and wasn’t available to him.
At ten I acknowledged that I was an elitist, and I came to clearly understand the value of scarcity.
I was going to title this post Kenmore Elite Dishwasher Review, but that wouldn’t be fair. Y’all know perfectly well that this isn’t a review. Everyone who knows me knows that I’ve been ogling the Kenmore Elite Appliances over the last year and that I’d asked (perhaps begged?) for an Ultra Wash dishwasher to share with y’all.
I wanted this dishwasher because it has a touchscreen, and that’s all I wanted. I knew it was a $2,000 dishwasher so I assumed it would actually get my dishes clean (unlike my previous two dishwashers… not Kenmore) but I didn’t know anything about the features. (Ahem I’m told it’s been reduced by $700+ this month)
I ordered my dishwasher at my local Sears store, which was a shockingly pleasant experience. My last appliances were bought online because I so dreaded the whole sales floor thing, and guess what? There’s nothing to dread. They were super nice and it didn’t take much time at all. That being said, it would have been equally easy to click and order the dishwasher online.
So, about this nerdtastic dishwasher… thank gawd I have a blog because my husband is sick and tired of sentences that begin with, “Did you know that our new dishwasher….” and then he corrects me and says, “your new dishwasher… ” But I know he’s totally into it too because I see him playing with the touchscreen and twirling the arms. Yes arms. If you look at the inside of your dishwasher the chances are that you see one, perhaps two spinning arms. If you look inside of my dishwasher you see this on the bottom.
The red arrows show you that the arms spin. The blue arrows point at these extra jets that they have at the back of the washer. The red jets at the back are attack jets, they attack the food on your plates or if you wash pots and pans just angle your disgusting ones to the back and press go (they’re called the turbo zone, but I like to make them sound like the Air Force). Those three arms are swinging around slinging soapy water at your dirty dishes like a whirlygig with OCD.
Starting this dishwasher up is pure joy. Simply touch the screen to activate it, and then you pick your cycle. There are a ton of cycles. I’ve tried the SmartWash, Normal, 1 Hour Wash, Eco and Pots and Pans. I have to say that the eco wash worked just fine on even my pots and pans so that’s the wash I’m sticking with for daily use.
The first time I used the dishwasher I thought it was a lemon. There were NO SOUNDS coming out of it. Apparently good dishwashers don’t announce every cycle with a wheeze and a snort. I hear only the faintest humming sounds when the washer is in operation which means that I no longer have to plan to wash the dishes when no one wants to be downstairs. The silence is exciting.
My dishes are clean. I can’t really give you degrees of clean, because unlike laundry they don’t get brighter or whiter. They’re either clean or they aren’t. This dishwasher cleans everything perfectly, silently and beautifully. The first time I shared a link to the page on twitter people thought it was a goof, the dishwasher face looks like nothing but a square of silver. Which is awesome. This dishwasher is too pretty for my kitchen. In fact when we put the house up for sale (maybe in a few days) I’m pretty sure I’m yanking out the new washer, putting in a crapola one and taking this one with me.
A few things about the Kenmore Elite Touchscreen Dishwasher:
The touchscreen is just as awesome as you imagine it to be.
This dishwasher (and all dishwashers) come with manuals. If you read it they will show you how to load the dishwasher. It will help you.
There is an actual level in the door that shows you if you need more rinse aid. I cannot believe that every dishwasher in the world doesn’t have this feature. Rock on!
The energy guide for my washer says that it will cost $23 a year to operate. Holy Effing Efficiency Batman.
The manual says that you have to heat up the water in the sink next to the dishwasher for it to heat up. Even though this might be true I forget a lot of the time and everything is really very clean. And I’m a clean freak of the highest order.
To keep your stainless appliances clean simply wipe them down with a hot soapy sponge and dry them with a towel. Next use a few drops of baby oil with a paper towel and wipe the front of the appliance in even strokes. Not only will it shine, but it will repel dirt. Make sure you get unscented baby oil or your kitchen will smell like a nursery.
There are slots on the basket that separate your silverware. Your spoons won’t nestle together anymore and you’ll be stunned at how little you need to scrape.
The only con I see for this dishwasher is that it could be out of range pricewise for many people. Even if you can afford it sometimes folks (myself included) feel like their kitchen isn’t pretty enough to warrant a big purchase. Ummm… guess whose kitchen is actually sort of pretty now? Ahhhhh. Right now there’s a $703 discount on the dishwasher, more than a 35% discount. Tax returns anyone?
In any event I love it. I love everything about it, and I love that Kenmore engages their community. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter.
I love being a wife. I love being a mother. Really, really I do. Until I don’t.
