Maybe I’m the only woman on the planet to say this, but I don’t cook and I don’t care.
I have no interest in it. I don’t want to take an interest in it. I don’t find it enjoyable – especially the preparation part. It just seems completely boring and a waste of time. Why slave over something for an hour just to have it disappear within seconds? Call me lazy, selfish, a horrible Mother and wife, whatever you’d like – I’m pretty sure nothing is going to change my mind. You’d think from being somewhat of a perfectionist I would like the precision element of it – the careful measuring and organizing of ingredients, the exactness of it all. No cigar, folks.
Every year since having children, at least 40 people remind me that eventually I will need to learn to cook. My children deserve a home-cooked meal every night. I nod and grunt, but I’m really just pleased as pie going to Whole Foods, buying fish or chicken that I can just shove in the oven and a prepared vegetable side. For me, less time in the kitchen means more time with the kids, in the gym, at the computer, doing laundry, anything else. Anything.
I have friends who love cooking shows, want nothing more than food-related items for their Birthdays and can have lively discussions about what they’re making for dinner, which frankly makes me want to doze off. My friends have tried with me – I have dozens of recipe cards bestowed upon me from my bridal shower. I have a slow cooker that I vow to use by the end of 2011. I have every cooking tool and accessory a person could need, but I have no idea how to use most of them.
Would I like for the kids to have nutritious meals at night? Sure. But while my picky preschooler is thrilled with the current rotation of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pasta with butter, mac and cheese, ravioli (notice a pasta theme) and whole wheat pizza for dinner, why do I need to start now?
Then there’s Cory. Yes, my husband works hard and deserves to have a nice meal when he comes home. But how is Whole Foods’ rotisserie chicken paired with steamed broccoli from a bag worse than me taking chicken cutlets, seasoning them and baking them while steaming broccoli over the stove? It’s not. One takes 5 minutes, the other takes a half hour.
Does cooking prove that you care?
Please, enlighten me.
P.S. I do kind of like baking, though. For our Hanukkah party, I made a kick-ass kugel (noodle pudding) with a recipe from fellow blogger Jill Smokler of Scary Mommy. It was nothing short of amazing. I was just crowned “Kugel Queen” for every Jewish holiday moving forward. If you’re interested, you can find the recipe here.
How to be a successful Mommy Blogger – Part 3 of 3
Yo yo yo.
Part 3 is going to be straightforward. Here goes:
1. Comment on other people’s posts. But don’t just write, “Great post” or “I just wrote about that on my blog, too! Check it out at www.playingmom.com.” Take the time to visit other people’s posts, Tweets and statuses and they will take the time to visit yours.
2. If you get the opportunity to Guest Post on someone’s blog who is already established, DO IT. It should be a post that is written solely for that person’s blog. I am still spinning my wheels trying to come up with a post for Scary Mommy (the first Mommy blogger I ever read and my friend’s BFF from high school). I am nervous because I barely have enough ideas for my own blog at the moment! At this point, she’ll probably reject me for taking my sweet ass time.
3. If you’re serious about getting a mass following, networking, marketing yourself and improving upon your craft, go to blogging and social media conferences. At least that’s what I’ve heard. Some of the popular ones are Bloggy Bootcamp, BlogHer, Blissdom and SheCon. If I asked Cory if I could hop on a plane with the intent to drink wine and shoot the breeze with women bloggers in an attempt to broaden my blog’s exposure while leaving him alone with the kids, I think he would laugh heartily in my face. After all, we all know this is like a written family keepsake for me and nothing more. Sometimes I get stars in my eyes, but I wipe them away and remember I have hundreds of dollars of merchandise for a business that I need to launch by summer. Monetizing my blog? Maybe someday. Probably not.
4. Giveaways. Not some baby blanket you got as a gift but can’t return because you’re past the 90-day return period. If a big company isn’t knocking down your door, think outside the box and give away a product that you believe in and think people will like. Then post your giveaway on Twitter, Facebook and your blog. Entries can range from commenting on or “Liking” a post to spreading the word through retweets. I haven’t done one yet. I never said I’m a successful Mommy blogger – just that I know what they do
5. Update your content regularly. Notice how I just went 5 days in-between posts? Yeah, don’t do that.
(This post is dedicated to ELW – welcome to the world, baby girl!)