I have recently moved to Canada with my husband and 16 months old baby girl, Kay, joining my in-laws that have been here for 2o over years. It would have just been over 10 weeks we landed as I am writing this; and while waiting for our home to be readied, we are putting up at my in laws’ – which is the beginning of my “speed” cooking days for Kay.
Why speeding cooking? You see, my mother in law loves her kitchen as much as she loves her family. Well, maybe a little more for her kitchen. She gets really stressed up if there are unexpected activities in the kitchen, like boiling water or opening the fridge. Also, Kay doesn’t allow me to do anything when she is awakes, so I have to cook when she is taking her “cat nap”, ideally when my mother in law is not at home too. Therefore, to keep everyone happy, I usually minimize my time in the kitchen cooking and only using the “assigned” stoves, with as few utensils as possible, and trying not to cause any disruption to the already very congested kitchen.
I am using this blog to keep notes of my life in Canada, the journey and food I cooked up every now and then for Kay, from my mother in law’s kitchen of course, as well as Kay’s liking of my “speed” cooking food.
*************************************
Jan 03, 2011, Updates – I have gone back to work since September 2010. That was more than 3 months ago. Kay has been in dayhome for 5 hours a day since. She is 22 months young now. With her in the dayhome, that means I am not cooking, nor speed cooking as much as I used to. For Kay’s dinner, or the Canadian called it “supper”, I improvised from mother in law’s dishes sometimes. On our lucky days, Kay will actually get fresh, healthy and not spicy dishes.
With that being said, I am still writing from my monster in law’s kitchen until our home is ready in Spring. So watch this space for more of my teeth grinding experience. Laugh and cry with me for my journey and experience in Canada if you so kindly wish, which I truly appreciate. 🙂
Over the Rainbow Under My Clear Blue Sky 
I thought the headers and the layout is great! Can’t wait to see more posts on this! 😉
Thanks Jo! Hope the posts won’t let you down. See you soon!
I still wish you would enjoy your cooking in the ‘assigned territory’. It sounds like the limitations are already under your management : ). Good luck!
Hi there, good to see you here. Thank you for your well wishes and thank god that I managed. 😀
I lived something similar many years ago, and I know how it feels to cook (and to live) like 007 : never leave anything that proves you were here, in this kitchen, or this bathroom, or this house! And after the time I had to spend at my mother in laws’ we were still in good terms! So now we both are much older, I can tell you : if your relation survives to this (two women for one kitchen) you will be friends for ever! 🙂
Thanks for the sharing Claudia. It is good to hear from someone that share the same experience and life after in law’s. I think we will survive this, fingers crossed. Let’s see which comes sooner i.e. our home or further heartbreaking acts. 🙂
I bet, as Kay exists, that the heartbreaking acts will never be as strong as to really break souls (even if sometimes a tear can try to flow, anger is less powerful than family love). People sometimes have strange ways to show love, and we, women, can (over)react to the presence of the young daughter in law : if she is a mother, thet means we are grandmothers, and that’s something hard to integrate!
Anyhow, I wish you the best, and the best will certainly start today… but even more the day you will have your own place 🙂
Thank you once again Claudia, for your kind words and your time in consoling this lost soul. I hope I don’t fail you, just like the way I don’t want to fail my family back home and my friends that have tried to make me feel better. Unfortunately, today is not the best day because home sick has finally cripped in on me.
Hold on to the future, don’t let your heart look behind. I have been away from my homeland for 21 years and I still know what home sick means, deeply… but I also have learned that your home is where your children are. And nothing else is truer.
Come on! Go to the window and take a look! I bet the light is beautiful… and the air is fresh if you take the time for a little walk. Be zen!
That’s a really good idea. We did attend a friend’s birthday party this afternoon. I dread the idea because of the road conditions (we have snow storm since Friday night and the roads are just piled with snow. Many vehicles are stucked and it is taking a long time for authority to clear the snow because the snowfall hasn’t stop) and my mood but I know I need to get out of the house for some fresh air and I am glad I did. The party was great. Kay enjoyed herself very much. We met new friends and we might have found someone that will help with some renovation works for our new home. I truly appreciate your encouragement Claudia. Will remain Zen as much as I could. Hope you will have a good day too. 🙂
I am currently cooking in my MILs kitchen, but I have more freedom. She actually said I should rearrange things as I like!
You are lucky. The Chinese said you can’t have two tigers in the same mountain. That’s basically a territory thingy but you and MIL did well in putting the differences aside and must be getting along very well, deep in your heart, so I am happy for you. 🙂