Me Versus Turkey Versus Family

Today I will embark on the battle royale that is my family’s Christmas dinner. We’re hosting it, and I’m cooking most of the meal. I started cooking yesterday, making the cranberry sauce, and fighting a pile of dough until I figured out how to make pierogis.

Did you know how elastic and stubborn dough can be? I do now. The handles on a rolling pin aren’t on there for esthetic reasons: You have to lean into the dough and teach it who’s boss. My first batch of pierogis were ultra-doughy, thick slabs of dough with a hint of filling inside. I was suspicious at the small amount of pierogis I was going to get out of a batch of dough that was supposed to make 50, so I tried an experiment.  I took one of my little circles of dough, and rolled it out further, and by doing so I found out that my first batch were about twice as thick as they needed to be. Oh well. They are still edible.

So, two and a half hours later, I had a pile of pierogis, a sore back, and achy knees.  Keep in mind that I could have bought the same amount of machine-made pierogis for about 5 bucks. Of course, we did spend a little of that time cooking together as a family, and that was nice.  If anyone out there is going to a festive meal soon, show some love for cooks. A round of applause for all of the grandmas, grandpas,babcias, babuskas, nonas, gam-gams, gammys, dziadeks, and bubbes who roll up their sleeves and cook up a storm.

Gone Fishin’

Instead of a full fledged post, here’s what I’m doing with my evening:
1. Sent off interview questions for an article
2. Cleaning the bathroom
3. Drinking decaf coffee
4. Not writing
5. Vacuuming kitchen
6. Celebrating another successful school day for Max.
7. Eating his timbits while he sleeps
8. Playing Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (At least I really hope so)

Ho Ho Ho!

Well that’s a vicious circle, Wally

I am in the unfortunate position of being tired/fatigued/burned out and in need of a restful break, but when I start to rest I get bored and antsy at being idle. That leads me back to doing something, which is the opposite of nothing. I think I need relaxing nothing, but I keep coming up with taxing somethings.

My tiredness today is fallout from the build up to and the battle with the boy going to pre-school. After last time’s hysterics, I was dreading today’s attempt. That kept me from sleeping well last night, so I was already behind the 8-ball. Also throw on a sprinkle of writing fatigue from last night’s chapter, and I was mentally spent by lunchtime today.

The good news is that school went well. There was some mostly unrelated pant-wetting, but who doesn’t pee their pants when they’re sad? Of course, after a successful day at school, all of my promises came home to roost. The boy was over-energized by the thrill of making it through the school day and he was hell-bent to do every thing I had offered as a school incentive. So off I went with a hyperactive/mildly crazy boy to MacDonald’s, then the mall. The mall took the little bit of gumption I had left and threw it into the garbage. Top it off with some whiteout driving on the way home, and a little dude who was too energetic to even approach napping.

I got dinner on the table and slipped away afterwards to finally have a break, got bored with the game I’m playing right now, and went back to cleaning the basement in anticipation of the big family dinner I am cooking on Saturday. More work, less relaxation, creating more need for relaxing. At least I had a shower today.