I always knew the day would come when I would write about this (or make a video about it).
This is by far the hardest post and most personal topic I’ve ever blogged about.
You see, our home was a pretty miserable place to be for a few years. My chef/husband and I had many conversations about it, but never really knew the exact problem and because of that, didn’t know how to fix it.
Then one day I figured it out. It was of course during one of the hardest weeks I’ve ever had as a parent. But sometimes it takes a really difficult situation to get me to wake up and figure things out.
I wish there was a way to go back in time and tell my younger self what I learned. I would have been a different parent early on.
I’ll be honest. This is by far the hardest topic I’ve written about on this blog yet. I always knew there would be a time to talk about it, but honestly, when you’re in the middle of a struggle or trial, writing about it and sharing about it with the world is the last thing you want to do.
Yet, here I am. About to spill my guts about what it’s like to parent alongside a chef. It’s not easy.
Parenting is a trillion times harder than I EVER thought it would be.
It’s very rewarding and I love being a Mom. But WOW! It’s not easy!
As Mother’s Day approaches, I know for many of us, it will just be a normal day . . . husband at work (on arguably the busiest day of the year) and us home with the kids. But instead of dwelling on that, I thought it would be fun to hear what it’s like to be the mother of a chef and who better to chat about this with than my sweet mother-in-law, Susan!
My husband and I started dating when I was 15 and he was 16. From the very first time I was over at their house, (as a girlfriend, not as a 5 year old with my family who supposedly sang and danced in front of the fireplace) I was treated like family.
There are many things I admire about my mother-in-law but the main one that stands out to me is her love for and dedication to her family. There is nothing she (and my father-in-law) wouldn’t do for her children and their families. The time and effort she puts into being a Mom and Grandma amazes me every day. She is a wonderful example of a godly Mother and wife and I am so grateful God allowed me to marry into her family and to be able to call her Mom.
So as we get ready to celebrate her this weekend (from 19 hours away – BOO!!), I thought it would be fun to ask her some questions about what it is like to be the mother of a chef AND the mother of a general manager/restaurant owner.
Yes, you read that right. 2 out of her 3 adult children are in the restaurant industry!(more…)
And my friend Christy is still alive to tell about it!
AMAZING!!
I joked in this post about how we never get invited over to people’s homes for dinner because people are scared to cook for my chef/husband.
But last month, it actually happened! We went over to a friend’s house for dinner, AS A FAMILY!! The last time this happened was . . . well, let’s just say it’s been a while.
It was such a fun evening. The food was wonderful and our oldest daughter loved the soup so much, she asked me to get the recipe so we could have it again. 🙂
My friend seemed calm and relaxed the entire evening.
See? It’s really not a big deal.
If you don’t believe me, here’s what my friend Christy had to say about the evening: (more…)
If 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…)
