Third Culture Kid(s)

I saw this over at Arwen/Elizabeth, and I always love a good meme.

Aprons (Y/N): I love aprons - mostly the Japanese full-body kind, rather than those little 50s Happy Homemaker kind. I don’t often wear one, since the ones I like don’t often fit me very well, but I should - I’m forever wiping my hands on my jeans when I’m cooking.

Baking (Favorite thing to bake): I used to bake all the time, when I was living at home with my parents. I stopped when I started living on my own, and M. doesn’t even believe me when I say I can bake pretty well. I guess, now that we have us a family, I should start again. I’ve never tackled yeast-based bread…maybe that’s a place to start.

Clothesline (Y/N): Not here in the States. I did my clothesline time all the times I lived in Japan (except when I was living with M., since he’d gotten himself a highly ineffective dryer). It’s overrated.

Donuts: Used to make them when I was a kid, but you have to get the oil very, very hot if you want to avoid winding up with a very oily lump of dough, and I’m afraid of very, very hot oil. I can’t stand Krispy Kreme - too sweet - but I like Dunkin Donuts and Mr. Donut. My favorite are at Shoppers grocery store - they’re substantial and cooked to perfection. The weirdest homemade donuts I ever ate were at a fellow grad student’s house; they thawed frozen Pillsbury biscuits, punched a hole in the center, and fried them. They tasted a lot like you’d expect fried biscuits to taste.

Every Day (One homemaking thing you do every day): Sweep the floor and put away the toys.

Freezer (Do you have a separate deep freeze?): I desperately want a separate freezer, since our Designated Grocery Buyer (M.) invariably buys more frozen food than we can actually find space for in our little fridge freezer. But I’m pretty sure the circuit breaker couldn’t handle it.

Garbage Disposal (Y/N): We have one, but we also have a Special Smell coming from the kitchen sink, so I only use it sparingly.

Handbook (What is your favorite homemaking resource?): Ideally: the Martha Stewart housekeeping book I begged M. to get me for Christmas. Really: my mom.

Ironing (Love it or hate it?): Used to love it. Instant gratification, justifiable TV-watching time…but now I just don’t have the time for it, so it’s a real chore. I’ve started taking shirts to the cleaners.

Junk drawer (Y/N) (Where?): No junk drawer, but we definitely have a junk basket by the front door. MM can’t get her hand into it yet, so it’s safe where it is for now.

Kitchen (Design and decorating): Since we rent a house that was built in 1957, and the kitchen has not been remodeled since then, there’s just not much we can do. If it were MY house, I’d first gut it completely and replace the cabinets - they’re solid wood and not bad (especially compared to the plywood nightmares in my apartment kitchen in Indiana) - and I’d get a new range (ours is from Montgomery Ward and features one of them thar newfangled microwave thangs).

Love (What is your favorite part of homemaking?): Cleaning. I love vacuuming, cleaning windows, mopping the floor - anything that makes the house feel fresh and tidy.

Mop (Y/N): I never used to do it, but with a toddler using the floor as a surface for belly surfing, I’m better about it now. I usually use just warm water and vinegar, rather than a chemical cleaner.

Nylons: On the dryer? No.

Oven (Do you use the window or open the door to check?): You have to open the door, since the window is so encrusted in decades of oven crap that it’s essentially opaque.

Pizza (What do you put on yours?): In the States, I love this mozzarella, bacon, and onion pizza my parents make with dough from Trader Joe’s; in Japan, Pizza Hut’s Idaho Special (potatoes, corn, mayonnaise, and cheese…anything else?).

Quiet (What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?): Usually sit in front of the TV like a zombie. Or check email. Even though I should be working on the dissertation. Occasionally, I knit.

Recipe card box (Y/N): No, but my mom made a family cookbook for all of us and my cousins years ago, and that’s pretty much the same thing.

Style of house: One-level rambler; two official bedrooms, one micro bedroom that’s now my office, and one renovated garage that’s M.’s office. It’s old, it looks it, and if we owned it and had any money we’d really fix it up.

Tablecloths and napkins? Place mats and coasters, usually. I often forget napkins.

Under the kitchen sink (Organized or toxic wasteland?): Mostly just the trash. All the toxic stuff is up where MM can’t get into it.

Vacuum (How many times per week?): As often as possible. I love vacuuming - so simple, and so satisfying.

Wash (How many loads of laundry do you do in a week?): Between three and four - lights, darks, linens, and MM’s stuff.

X’s (Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?): I used to, but I’m just too tired anymore. That, plus I don’t really want to see a list of things I haven’t accomplished staring me down at the end of the day.

Yard (Who does what?): We take advantage of my Dad’s pathological need to ‘keep things in the family’ finance-wise and have/let him do a lot of our yardwork. It’s hard for me to find the time to get out there to mow, and I HATE gardening with a passion. It’s the bugs. M. is not especially handy, even though he claims to come from a long line of gardeners, and has yet to even pull a weed.

Zzz’s: I get to bed too late, but that’s usually my fault. I’m generally the one who’s up with MM in the morning (she doesn’t get up obscenely early, and she’s usually good about hanging out in her crib until I can drag myself out of bed, but it’s still earlier than I like. This is a recurring point of contention between M. and me.

Anyone else want to play???