Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

I am Chief Cook and Bottle Washer in my family. It has taken me a while to really embrace the fact that I love this role in my family and to appreciate myself for how darn good I am at it. It has also taken me a while to embrace the fact that only one person can be in charge of the big picture. Yes, a partnership is best with both parties playing to their strengths but, ultimately, one person has their finger on the pulse of the family and on the running of the household.

As much as I love my CC & BW role, sometimes I find it a bit wearying…and this particular moment is one of those times. I spent the whole afternoon running all over Hamilton getting Zachary ready for his outdoor hockey tournament in Peterborough, Ontario this weekend; getting hockey skates sharpened, looking in five different stores for new winter gloves and sourcing the necessary but elusive hand warmers to keep hands and feet warm during the outdoor games.

I was finished my errands at school pick-up time and have spent the past three hours making after school snacks, unloading lunch bags, ferrying my shinny players between local rinks to find one that is not being flooded by maintenance and picking Michael up from a friend’s house.

And in less than an hour I will collect my shinny players and head to the hockey arena for Zachary’s game.

All I want to do is sit down for the evening with a quiet cup of tea. I just want to be left alone. I want to hang a sign on my chest that says; ‘back in an hour’.

But that is not an option.

Here’s the bottom line…I love that I have a wildly active family. I love that my kids want to be out in the fresh air playing shinny. I love that Zachary is playing hockey and is so wildly fulfilled by it. I love knowing that Simon and Zach’s hands are going to be toasty warm this weekend. And, I love knowing that Zach’s skate blades are in perfect condition for his tournament.

And so, the ‘back in an hour’ sign will have to wait a couple of hours…and until then I will suck it up and get on with what needs to be done. And I will try very hard to remind myself that this is the role I love, the role I want, and the role that keeps my family running like a well-oiled machine.

How’s that for some interesting perspective on a grumpy Thursday afternoon?