First Quarter Report Card for 'Kitchen Table'

Well, three months of 2012 are about to have passed us by. What on earth. I do not understand how time works, but it seems very fast lately.

I wanted to give a quick quarterly update on how my meal planning, table setting, home making and general attitude about suppertime have improved (or not improved). So here is my report card for Quarter One.

Name: Rebecca Ann Groves

Class Subject: One Little Word for the Year: Kitchen Table

Meal Planning Letter Grade: C+

Rebecca began strong in January and showed serious promise. All in the family noticed and wondered what switch had flipped. Comments were made by her husband like, “I love this. For real, why did it take 6 years to figure out meal planning and prep. You are making it look easy.” Unfortunately the train was derailed by the end of the month. Pregnancy sickness would be the biggest excuse, lots of traveling and lack of routine from week to week also took a toll.

Table Setting: B+

Rebecca has done a very nice job of providing some edible substance at the table each night. It might not be fancy, but this family breaks bread together. Or should I say, cuts frozen pizza together. And really enjoys a good waffle.

Home Making: B

Rebecca owes a lot to her husband Rory for keeping the dishes and laundry in circulation. She seems to run out of steam easily. However, Ivar is always superbly cared for and there is a lot of love and laughter in this home. She also got her Birthday thank you notes out in just one weeks time and is pretty good about keeping the house tidy and organized.

General Attitude about Suppertime: D-

Rebecca seems to resent Supper Time again. It seems to sneak up on her as if she is surprised that she is supposed to have a game plan by 5:15.

Action Steps for Rebecca:

Well here comes the good news! Rebecca found a crock pot cookbook she was about to give away. She started thumbing through the pages and it dawned on her. All of her best hours lately are before lunch. By 4:00 she’s sort of spent and supper feels overwhelming. So what if she made her meals after breakfast? What if she called the first week of April: CROCK POT WEEK!

Well, that’s the plan. And Rebecca is excited to see how this new plan of attack works. The idea of getting supper-in-motion during her son's morning nap seems to absolutely delight her. I think this might work.

End of Report Card.

We have to wait for Crock Pot week to begin on Monday because our grocery budget is depleted this month and I need to get creative with the food already in the house before I go out and buy my chuck roast, chicken and turkey chili ingredients.

But this is the new plan, for now. I am beginning Quarter Two with wind back in my Kitchen Table sails!