Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?

Hubster is in the process of making blonde brownies as I type this.

I'm still not sure what parallel universe I'm in at the moment.

When we moved to Iowa, it meant that Hubster had to quit his research and development job. We talked about him getting another job while I did residency, but decided, at least for the time being, it would be best for our family if he stayed home with the boys.

So my double-math-and-physics-major-7-years-construction-working-dental-researching-hard-working husband became a stay at home dad.

It was a tough transition.

The first two months were fine. It felt like a vacation to Hubster. But then the reality that the house needs taking care of and meals need to be cooked and children need to be tucked in bed began setting in. The reality that these things need to happen every day is still setting in.

Hubster is the oldest of a family consisting primarily of boys. A lot of boys. He left home at the age of 18 without knowing how to cook, sort laundry, or clean a toilet. Okay, maybe he did know all that stuff at one time and just forgot along the way. I'm not sure. By the time I met him, he had been a bachelor for 6 years.

And he wasn't one of those bachelors with a sexy bachelor pad, who discussed imported versus domestic beers and had a few recipes hiding up his sleeve which he pulled out to impress girls. No, Hubster was a bachelor who ate Mountain Dew and Skittles for breakfast and kept Taco Bell in business for the other meals. The only furniture he had were things people had given to him when they came over and felt sorry that the guy had no place to sit and was sleeping on the floor.

Yes, and I fell for him hard.

During our marriage, I've been the one who does the majority of meal preparations. I would say all, but Hubster did occasionally put frozen pizza in the oven and he made very delicious fluffy mashed potatoes. Which he did about twice a year.

This was the extent of Hubster's domestic skills when he made the transition from sole source of income to stay at home dad.

In July, I woke up from a post call nap to Hubster grinning ear-to-ear, telling me dinner was ready. I groggily wondered downstairs to find the table beautifully set, and Hubster serving homemade gnocchi. Gnocchi is probably my favorite food of all times. Right behind seasonal Peeps. And Hubster, as a suprise, had made gnocchi from scratch. It was divine.

We went right back to our routine of frozen pizza and burritos. It's been that way for months.

But the last several weeks, things have been strange here.

I came home to Hubster making snickerdoodles last week. He made a vegetable chicken casserole the week before that. Two nights ago, we had hot apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. And tonight, blonde brownies.

We're sitting down to lunch of taco salads (that he also made) when he comments he found a great recipe for Navajo fry bread and can't wait to make Navajo tacos.

He doesn't complain when I watch Food Network. In fact, he says, "Well, that's not what I would do. I'd try a soup instead," when we watch Chopped.

His inner domestic goddess...god?...hero?...has been discovered.

The smell right now is almost overpowering. My mouth is watering. But I'm still wary. I may wake up at any moment or realize it's 1955 and the space-time-continuum has been disrupted.

Who is this guy, and what has he done with Hubster?

8 comments:

  1. Could he call my husband?? From time to time, Jeff does some cooking. Mostly simple stuff but he does seem to want to know how to make the dishes that our family really likes.

    It's funny and eery how similiar our bachelor husband stories are... Jeff had been single 6 years when he met me... he had decorated his kitchen with a pile of pizza boxes. But I, too, fell hard.

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  2. My married roommates are the opposite. He's actually in culinary school, so everything he makes is fancy and wonderful and exotic. When it's her turn to cook, it's as simple as possible and usually from a box or a can. He doesn't let her cook very often.

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  3. Way to go Hubster! Not like we even guessed he could do MORE to impress us, but OK We are now on notice that there IS more. Incredible. I've heard writers suggest that men who cook is ultimately attractive. Impressed again at the kindness and caring to continue to find new ways to attract you.
    P.S. You are half way through! February is a short month. Valentine's Day, even if not taken as a holiday, is a marker that the end of this rotation is way closer than Spring. Look for a mommy hug around a door again today. Notice the beautiful in little things, focus on successes. You have put so many obstacles behind you already. You can do it! You WILL do it.

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  4. My hubby used to cook in a few different restaurants and is GOOD at it. I, on the other hand, am awful in the kitchen. When B cooks, it's a treat. It happens from time to time but not as often as I'd like.

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  5. Great post....sounds like your husband is on his way to becoming a great cook. I've always said if you can read, you can cook.

    I go back and forth wishing for a man who cooks and being glad my husband doesn't! I don't really like to share the kitchen and when I leave him on his own to cook something for the guys on pool night, I tend to hover and struggle not to criticize.

    However, he will be retiring before I do and I have warned him that he is not going to do that and expect me to come home nightly and prepare dinner. He's just going to have to pick up the slack. It ought to be interesting!

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  6. Whoever he is, does he give lessons?

    I say I'd like my husband to cook but it takes 2 hours to clean up after him and it only would have taken 45 minutes to cook in the first place!

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  7. That's great that he is cooking! Lucky you! My hubby makes yummy hashbrowns and eggs, but the rest is from a box or can...nothing fancy. But I do get him to help when I'm cooking.

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  8. My husband makes exactly 3 things: tater tot casserole, hot dogs, and breakfast.

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