being domesticated..

i know lots of people who knew me since i was single would be (pleasantly or otherwise) surprised to see how domesticated i can be these days. i suppose it comes with age and also for the fact that kamar and the kids prefer home cooked food to eating out. 'meals out of the box' are normally limited to pizza, chips and breaded/battered fish.

Nigella macaroni cheese

chocolate based bread & butter pudding...

eating out is not cheap here, at our usual place Le Petit 4 would cost around £5 per person - thats for set lunch of soup, cheese & mushroom croissant/cheese tomato pizza baguette with salad/chips excluding soft drinks/coffee. nasib baik sedap...

kalau sesekali tu ok la but not too often. seems like i'm so 'berkira' with spending on food but definitely not on our weekly groceries. ye lah, rasa ralat jugak especially bila tiap2 hari nak spend at least £2.50 on sandwiches/baguette, kalau hot meal would cost £3 minimum, tu belum masuk drinks lagi. so i dont really mind preparing packed lunches for kamar & i . at least ada jugak variety - dinner left over, pasta, nasi goreng etc. aisyah has school dinners 3 days a week, that costs only £1.55 per day but she gets main meal & vege salad and dessert/fruit salad and drinks. the other 2 days she brings packed lunch.

i find it quite daunting sometimes, juggling mom/housekeeper duties and work but it didnt turn out that bad. the house is not in tip tp condition especially when you have a little girl who spreads her toys on the floor and refuses to let us put things away. kadang2 rasa nak jugak jadi ma'am macam orang lain ada maid to do the housework but i dont really see the need for a maid and we've never had any. i've heard lots of gory stories from friends about their problem with maids and i dont think i want to be in their shoes. biar la penat sikit janji hati tak sakit.

for kamar & i, we've kind of divided our household chores - he cooks 3 nites a week on the days that i teach cos i finish at 6 and only get home at 7 pm whereas he gets home at 5.30pm. and he cooks weekends too (upon request) and prepares breakfast on sundays. my chores - the dishes (with aisyah's help as well), laundry, hoovering, cleaning the bathroom and cooking 2 days a week and sometimes on weekends too.

Somehow, we find that sharing the domestic duties bring us closer and strengthen our relationship. Amin...