Kitchen Confessions

I'll admit it, I hated cooking, baking, and all things related to the kitchen (other than eating). I found recipes, grocery shopping, and prepping extremely tedious and unrewarding. I must also confess that my children ate many meals of mac-n-cheese, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, or corn dogs. After teaching all day, I really had no energy to think about making a meal. Maybe if I had gotten the knack for creating meals before beginning my career or perhaps before having children, I wouldn't have found it to be such a chore. 

At any rate, over the past couple months I can proudly say that I have only made the aforementioned meals a couple times. Each month I spend in this new domestic lifestyle, the more I find enjoyment in tasks that I used to consider mundane and/or frustrating. Not every task, mind you, I still can't find joy in cleaning toilets!

So this new domestic infatuation has lead me to a new lifelong friendship... I'm in LOVE with my Kitchen Aid Mixer. I have honestly had this gorgeous contraption for nearly 14 years and only used it for large family gatherings and only a handful of times. I have neglected to utilize this fantastic device to its full potential. Well no more, I will be beating and mixing things up like Martha Stuart on one of her Christmas baking specials!

I have another confession, since I didn't do much cooking and baking, I never had much need to go to the cook and bake ware aisles at the store. The other day I meandered into the aisles in search for a bigger pan for baking cookies. I was in awe at all the contraptions, tools, pans, etc. that I found. In the past, I would have seen most of these items as useless in my efforts to make a nice spaghetti meal. Now, however, after making several homemade meals and treats, I was astonished at all these cool things that would be so much more efficient than my current, meager kitchen supplies.

There is a purpose to me writing about my kitchen antics, beyond being silly. The newly exposed fondness of cooking & baking has allowed me to discover joy in the small and ordinary. Since moving and changing my lifestyle, I have fiercely searched for joy and pride. I have always thought that they come from accomplishing big goals, being promoted, executing an amazing lesson  (in the classroom), or getting kudos from a boss/principal or parent of a student. I have now found that joy can grow from within as I push my limitations and decide that I CAN create meals/ food for my family out of a bunch of ingredients (opposed to my old method of reheating pre-made foods). I am filled with pride when my family asks for seconds, tell me how much they love what I have made, or ask me to make a certain meal again.

I need to stop waiting and searching for some magnificent opportunity to give my life meaning & purpose. Instead I will find joy in the little things and count my blessings!