Potato

 Fighting food waste sometimes feels like swimming against the tide in a house with two young children, but I do my best, and my best will be better now that I have a bit more time on my hands. 

A job I must to today is at least go through the fridges, if not also the pantry cupboard, and take stock of what we have and plan how to use it up. On our remaining budget I would rather not do another food shop before the end of the month, and I am pretty sure that between what's left in the fridge, pantry and rammed freezers, there will be more than enough to last a week and a half. 

I won't be the first person to point out how rubbish the quality of fruit and veg is at the minute, and how quickly veg is going off. Annoyingly, I bought a huge bag of potatoes last week as it works out so much cheaper that way, and have just found that they are already sprouting in quite a lively and alarming way and really want using up, like, yesterday. So I've put a huge pot on to boil and have had a look at the potato section in my trusty eating for victory book, and am planning our 3 square meals shall revolve around potatoes for at least the next few days. 

I don't know if this is the generally picture, but I am feeling a bit upset and mixed up today after having read a couple of articles, and the comments section (note to self - never read anything on the internet) and am seeing a lot of anger and resentment towards homemakers. I can understand these articles being published because the narrative must continue that it is a good thing for both halves of a household to work full time jobs. What upsets me is that almost all of the comments on these articles seem to also be repeating that, and saying how selfish and unrealistic it is for one half to stay at home, and how that's so outdated. It's something I thought the tide was turning a bit on, and perhaps it is, who knows. It's all very well if you want to work full time, maybe I will want to one day. But you don't, and shouldn't have to. Will does not have the biggest salary in the world and it's not the easiest thing to make ends meet on that alone. But it is not selfish of us to choose that path, instead of  us both working and being crazy stressed and having no time for the kids, each other, the house, or ourselves. 

This week with the time I am going to spend NOT at work, I shall: 

Clean out the fridge
Make many many meals from potatoes
Finish knitting Autumn cardigans for both girls
Make fancy dress costumes for Will and his friend
Play board games with the kids
Go for walks
Clean the house
Stroke the cats
Take baths
etc etc. 

This will be a good thing. And actually what all of those things have in common is that they are all free, or near enough. 

Anyway now this is starting to sound either preachy or smug, it is not intended to be either. Really my point is live and let live, and it makes me sad that we live in a time where it is acceptable, and normal, to condemn people for wanting to stay at home and care for their house and its occupants.