Day 3 – Don’t Sit at Home (12 Days of Encouragement for the Chef’s Family)

Today I’d like to encourage you to not sit at home, wishing the Christmas season was just over so you could see your chef/husband or chef/boyfriend again. Last year, half way through the month, my chef/husband and I actually had a conversation about that.  We just wanted December to be over.  🙁

I don’t know about where you live, but here in Seattle, there are so many fun things to do at Christmas time.

I used to try and save all those things for when my chef/husband was off.  But when I did that, we ended up missing out on a lot of things. (more…)

Day 2 – Social Media (12 Days of Encouragement for the Chef’s Family)

If you are new to my site, start here.

It’s the most wonderful . . . and hardest time of the year for our Emulsified Family, as I’m sure it is for many of you.

12 days of encouragement for the chefs familyIf you struggle with loneliness this time of year, today, I’d like to challenge you to think about the time you spend on Social Media this holiday season.

WHAT!!!!

ARE YOU CRAZY????

HOW COULD I LIVE WITHOUT FACEBOOK?

I know that sounds funny coming from a blogger.  I get a lot of website traffic from Facebook.  But honestly, one of the hardest things for me during the Christmas season is seeing what everyone else is doing on Facebook.  (more…)

Day 1: Twelve Days of Encouragement for the Chef’s Family

New to my site? Start here.
The holidays are a tough time for our Emulsified Family.

12 days of encouragement for the chefs familyBy the end of December, my chef/husband and I are usually just ready for Christmas and New Year’s Eve to be over.  I know that sounds horrible but December is a really hard month when you are married to a chef.

It’s 4-5 INSANE weeks of working way too many hours for my chef/husband.  We really don’t see him much at all during this time.  Because of this I struggle with loneliness, even with 3 kids.  I also feel bad that we are out doing fun Christmas things and my husband is slaving away at work to provide for us.  I could say more, but it would really just sound like complaining, so I’ll stop.

I thought maybe this year would be different, with him being the COO of a restaurant group and out of the kitchen, but the hours have still been crazy…including a restaurant opening.  I am thankful for his days off this month and don’t want to take them for granted, as I remember many years, he rarely had a day off in the month of December.

Since so many of you can relate to our family, I would guess that we are not alone in feeling this way each holiday season.

While in the past, I’ve dreaded the month of December as a chef’s wife, I’ve decided this Christmas season is going to be different.  No more moping around and wishing it was over for this chef’s wife and kids. (more…)

HELP!! I Don’t Know What to Buy My Chef for Christmas!!

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!  I have no idea what to get my chef for Christmas!!!!

gift ideas for a chefDon’t worry.  I have no idea either!  Very few of us do.

(My chef husband is asking for a peaceful and calm home and just wants to have fun as a family, no matter what we are doing.  I’m not sure how I’m going to wrap that up or pull it off, but I guess I’ll get working on it.)

I’ve compiled a list of ideas from many of you in this post over here that you can take a peek at.

(more…)

We Made it ‘Til January 2nd!

we made it til january 2ndIf you are married to or dating a chef, you know what I mean.  It’s not that we don’t like the holidays, it’s just that we don’t see our chefs much or at all during the month of December.  So once January 2nd comes around, we are pretty excited!!  Things “should” slow down a bit in the restaurant, our chefs will be home trying to catch up on sleep and family time and we can all breathe a sigh of relief!

(Although January 2nd falling on a weekend might mess that up for us this year.)

Whatever the case, I’m ready for the new year.

Now looking ahead to Valentine’s Day . . . just kidding.

We survived the Christmas season as the family of a chef, although it was a very different month for us.  Things have really changed in my chef/husband’s career and while the hours were still really long, he was off 3 weekends and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  That has NEVER happened.  The days he was working, his to do list was very long, but it actually didn’t have anything to do with the Christmas season.  So it was a different season for us.  Good, but different (and not what I had expected at all!!)

With that being said, I have absolutely no idea what the new year will bring.  What I’ve come to know as the wife of chef is changing by the day.  While I’m excited about these changes, there’s a small part of me that is anxious as well.  I’m not a big fan of the “unknown,” but we’ll just take one day at a time and trust in God’s plan for our family. (more…)