I know Christmas time is your favorite time of year. I love to see your excitement as we drive down the street and see Christmas lights. I love how you take the time to write a list of things you’d like to get your sisters and friends for Christmas. I love talking with you each morning at the breakfast table during our morning devotions as we talk about the birth of Jesus. You are all growing up so fast and Daddy and I are so proud of you.
In the midst of all the excitement, I know there are also times of sadness. You see me tear up when something reminds me of my Mom and rush to give me hugs. We also miss Daddy a lot this time of year as work is so busy. (Don’t forget he misses us too.) I know we talk about it a lot, but I don’t want you to ever forget that he is working hard to provide for us. (more…)
By 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…)
I wrote the post below back in July, but never published it. Tonight I’m sitting on the bed, wishing my husband was home with us. It’s Cinco de Mayo – the busiest night of the year for his restaurants. We haven’t seen him all week and we miss him. I’m tired. The kids have been arguing while making Mother’s Day cards. (Really?????? I don’t want have to discipline for that!! Ugh!! I really wish he were here to deal with the Mother’s Day card arguing…)
Have you ever referred to yourself as a single parent because of your husband’s career as a chef?
They work a ton of hours. They are gone the majority if not all of the hours the kids are awake. Because of this, the parenting on the days they work (and sometimes even on their days off) falls on us.
It’s hard.
I get it.
I’m living it.
There are many days our girls do not see my husband because he leaves before or just as they are getting up and gets home just after they are in bed. Having a 1 hour + commute on top of the long hours of a chef is tough. My husband would have to leave work at 5 pm (and then sit in the car for 2 hours because of traffic) to be home to see them for an hour before they go to bed (which is not their best time of day). The mornings, it’s the same. If he doesn’t leave before 6 am, the commute can be almost 2 hours long. There’s really no option for a change of hours, so we find way to work with the schedule the best we can.
As the family of a chef, have you ever thought about homeschooling your children?
As the family of a chef with 3 school aged children, there are days that go by where our kids do not see Daddy at all. The traditional school schedule and the schedule of a chef don’t seem to mesh together very well, if at all.
So have you ever thought about homeschooling so your kids can be off of school when your chef if off of work?
My husband and I have talked about it briefly, but at this time, don’t feel it’s what’s best for our family. But I know many chef families have chosen this route (or plan to in the future) and it’s been a great option for them.
Now before you stop reading because this post is about homeschooling, let me tell you I’m not trying to tell you what to do with your kids. How you choose to school your children is your decision as parents.
I know there are homeschooling families out there that really push other families to school the way they do. Unfortunately, I think this gives the idea of homeschooling a bad rap (along with all the other myths out there about it). Believe it or not, I have more friends that homeschool than send their kids to school. They respect our decision to send our kids to public school and I respect theirs. We share the joys and trials of education with each other as friends and that’s that.
Today, I’d like to introduce you to a chef’s family who has chosen to homeschool their kids. I always love hearing what like is like for other chef families and hope you will enjoy it as well.
In case you haven’t noticed, the traditional school schedule TOTALLY CLASHES with the schedule of a chef. Many chefs have only week days off, leaving no day open for family time, since the kids are in school.
The transition from having preschoolers at home to having elementary aged kids who go to school from 9-3 every day was a tough one for our family (as I’m sure it has been for many of your families as well).
I know Christmas time is your favorite time of year. I love to see your excitement as we drive down the street and see Christmas lights. I love how you take the time to write a list of things you’d like to get your sisters and friends for Christmas. I love talking with you each morning at the breakfast table during our morning devotions as we talk about the birth of Jesus. You are all growing up so fast and Daddy and I are so proud of you.
