Stuart the chef, Susan the fish
Stuart the chef
When Stuart read my last entry, he chuckled. Feigning a hurt expression, he said, "'frankly, I'm better at it?,'" quoting my assertion that I'm a better cook than he is. He actually doesn't dispute that point, and neither do I, but I want to clarify that my husband is more than competent in the kitchen. I did have to teach him how to separate eggs the first time he made dough for noodles, but that's a minor thing. He is confident doing a few things without a recipe, but when he's given proper instructions, he can handle anything. The big differences between us when it comes to the culinary arts are:
1) Since I do most of the cooking, I'm more efficient and I generally take charge of meal planning. I often ask his opinion, though. "I can't decide between making couscous with curry or fried rice. What would you rather eat tonight?"; "Are you more in the mood for cucumber-yogurt salad or some other vegetable?" Our growing consciousness about the food we eat and where it comes from, decisions that we most definitely make together, means that he takes a real interest in the meals we eat together every day, even if I'm the one fixing them.
2) I'm simply more interested in the creative aspect of cooking than he is, generally speaking. It's not fair to say that he's completely uninterested, of course. It takes some initiative to make noodles from scratch, and he's done hours of research and practice to perfect his techniques using the espresso machine, and I barely know how to turn the thing on.
All right, enough of that.
Susan the fish
I finally got signed up to go swimming. I owe thanks to my friend Rachel for goading me on. She told me about the program at a clinic/health center very near my house where you can sign up just to swim however many times a week you want to, hence reasonable fees (it's far less than joining a gym, for example), and she goes regularly. Anyway, I went for the first time last night and it felt amazing. As soon as I got in the water, I couldn't feel the extra 22+ pounds I've gained since May; I felt buoyant, weightless, full of energy--things I don't usually feel being nearly 6 months pregnant. I didn't want to overdo it, but I swam for twenty solid minutes before getting out. I just wish I had signed up for this two months ago when I was just getting to the second trimester.
Swimming was the only sport I did regularly as a kid. Every summer my mom signed my brother and me up for lessons with a friend of hers who had been a lifeguard. We learned good techniques, like kicking from your knees instead of thrashing your whole leg, don't twist your torso when you reach forward during the crawl, turn your head instead of lifting when you take a breath...after many summers of this, I even joined a swim team, though I only lasted a few weeks because I didn't have the speed or endurance for it. Still, I'm a good swimmer (if not a good competitive swimmer), and I have found that if you can find the time for it, swimming is the best kind of exercise there is. Especially if you're pregnant. I can't wait to go again.
When Stuart read my last entry, he chuckled. Feigning a hurt expression, he said, "'frankly, I'm better at it?,'" quoting my assertion that I'm a better cook than he is. He actually doesn't dispute that point, and neither do I, but I want to clarify that my husband is more than competent in the kitchen. I did have to teach him how to separate eggs the first time he made dough for noodles, but that's a minor thing. He is confident doing a few things without a recipe, but when he's given proper instructions, he can handle anything. The big differences between us when it comes to the culinary arts are:
1) Since I do most of the cooking, I'm more efficient and I generally take charge of meal planning. I often ask his opinion, though. "I can't decide between making couscous with curry or fried rice. What would you rather eat tonight?"; "Are you more in the mood for cucumber-yogurt salad or some other vegetable?" Our growing consciousness about the food we eat and where it comes from, decisions that we most definitely make together, means that he takes a real interest in the meals we eat together every day, even if I'm the one fixing them.
2) I'm simply more interested in the creative aspect of cooking than he is, generally speaking. It's not fair to say that he's completely uninterested, of course. It takes some initiative to make noodles from scratch, and he's done hours of research and practice to perfect his techniques using the espresso machine, and I barely know how to turn the thing on.
All right, enough of that.
Susan the fish
I finally got signed up to go swimming. I owe thanks to my friend Rachel for goading me on. She told me about the program at a clinic/health center very near my house where you can sign up just to swim however many times a week you want to, hence reasonable fees (it's far less than joining a gym, for example), and she goes regularly. Anyway, I went for the first time last night and it felt amazing. As soon as I got in the water, I couldn't feel the extra 22+ pounds I've gained since May; I felt buoyant, weightless, full of energy--things I don't usually feel being nearly 6 months pregnant. I didn't want to overdo it, but I swam for twenty solid minutes before getting out. I just wish I had signed up for this two months ago when I was just getting to the second trimester.
Swimming was the only sport I did regularly as a kid. Every summer my mom signed my brother and me up for lessons with a friend of hers who had been a lifeguard. We learned good techniques, like kicking from your knees instead of thrashing your whole leg, don't twist your torso when you reach forward during the crawl, turn your head instead of lifting when you take a breath...after many summers of this, I even joined a swim team, though I only lasted a few weeks because I didn't have the speed or endurance for it. Still, I'm a good swimmer (if not a good competitive swimmer), and I have found that if you can find the time for it, swimming is the best kind of exercise there is. Especially if you're pregnant. I can't wait to go again.
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