Bedrest Blog

Don't Sit Down Yet

Got home from work today & immediately changed diapers/pull-ups and started cooking. If I had "rested for just a moment on the couch," I'd be snoring by now.

The first project is to get some quesadillas prepared & frozen. One or two make a great meal, especially when they're stuffed with green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese and taco-seasoned hamburger. The first bit of cooking was to get the hamburger browned.

While that was going on, I started on the second project - meatballs! Let's see if I can remember the recipe I read just a few minutes ago (with my on-the-fly modifications):

2 pounds of hamburger
1/2 of a small onion, chopped very small
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
24 twists of the pepper mill - maybe about 1/2 tsp (the mill is just about empty)

Goop it all together with your bare hands, then roll into largish balls & put then into a glass baking dish (ungreased). I used a hexagonal packing scheme to get them all in there. Recipe says to bake at 400 for 15 minutes; I'm doing them low and slow: 300 for maybe 20 minutes. When they're done I'll freeze them, too, then use a few for each spaghetti meal. They thaw out quickly in simmering spaghetti sauce.

The baby is napping & the older kids are playing well together, so I'll probably try to take a nap before finishing the quesadillas.

In Our Last Episode...

My wife was on complete bedrest from August 2001 to January 2002 while she was pregnant with baby #4. Here's a bit I wrote in the midst of it all for a friend's husband.

Here are some points I try to follow, especially since dw is on bedrest and I'm doing the whole house. I wouldn't dare be this gruff with him face to face; but I am this way with myself.

How to be a Tired but Canonized Husband and Father

0 - (that's how we engineers count ;^) Do it all for love of Christ in his little ones (your family).

1 - Empty yourself and become a slave. Christ emptied himself and took the form of a slave. We're supposed to be like Christ. Do it. How the heck else are you going to get to heaven besides a) praying and b) serving your wife and children on top of your other work?! There ain't no other way, so you'd better get used to doing God's work here so you can enjoy things there. You're tired or sore? So was Christ. That's what this life is for. We'll have plenty of time for relaxation after the resurrection (assuming you make it that far by being a slave to your family.)

Wear an apron while working around the house to remind yourself of your kingly (servant's) obligations. It doesn't have to be some frilly thing - there are plenty of "manly" aprons to choose from. They also keep your shirt clean ;^)

2 - Treat cleaning (especially dishes) as an engineering problem to be solved, and conduct time trials. It's amazing how much can be cleaned in half an hour when you're going as fast as you can. With a smile.

3 - Only this week I've finally gotten the kitchen under control. Now half of it remains spotless thanks to constant work. I will not let it degenerate again.

4 - Do it all with a smile and do not dare complain, either with thoughts, words or actions. None of that passive-aggressive crap like stomping, sighing, or slamming cabinet doors, either. That's a sin. If you do it, confess it and don't do it again.

4 - As Father John Hardon once said, "if you're not exhausted when you go to bed at night, confess laziness."

5 - After going to bed, do you dare to take all the nighttime baby stuff that doesn't require your wife? Go ahead - empty yourself completely. It'll make you a saint and they'll name churches after you, and some lucky Pope in the future will get to canonize you.

6 - Do it with a smile and a Hail Mary. Don't forget to smile.

Whee!