One more pound bites the dust! I weighed in yesterday morning at 192, so that's two pounds gone (for keeps) in two weeks...
And though I wasn't aware of it, I must have been snacking every night after 8:00 - because that mission has kept me every.single.night from nibbling one thing or another. One night last week I was tossing and turning at 2:00 in the morning. I finally got out of bed and found something to do with my insomnia and, sure enough, no sooner was I out of bed then the cravings hit. All I could think about was the leftover pizza in the fridge. I went so far even as to open the fridge and hold the pizza --- and then I caught myself and put it back! I'm very proud that I haven't broken that 8:00 rule even once this week.
We're experiencing full-blown summer here in the Southwest, so I'm making the transition to the summer version of my vintage breakfast menus. The American Woman's Cook Book (1945) contains little footnotes just below each menu with seasonal options. I should start seeing some fresh fruits filling in for the dried fruits and cold cereals occasionally taking the place of the hot cereals. So instead of Stewed Apricots and Oatmeal this morning, it was Fresh Berries (whatever kind might be in season - strawberries, here) and Corn flakes. This should be a nice change of pace!
50s gal mentioned a series of photos on Flickr that I've been poring through during the last couple of weeks - and what a treat! It's a series called Mom's World and the pictures were taken by a Michigan woman, almost all of them during her first marriage (late 1940s and early '50s). She had a full-time job in a doctor's office and continued working even after the birth of their first child several years into the marriage. (It's the child, all grown up, whose been posting the photos. His mom narrates the introductions and actively responds to comments left by viewers.)
And though I wasn't aware of it, I must have been snacking every night after 8:00 - because that mission has kept me every.single.night from nibbling one thing or another. One night last week I was tossing and turning at 2:00 in the morning. I finally got out of bed and found something to do with my insomnia and, sure enough, no sooner was I out of bed then the cravings hit. All I could think about was the leftover pizza in the fridge. I went so far even as to open the fridge and hold the pizza --- and then I caught myself and put it back! I'm very proud that I haven't broken that 8:00 rule even once this week.
We're experiencing full-blown summer here in the Southwest, so I'm making the transition to the summer version of my vintage breakfast menus. The American Woman's Cook Book (1945) contains little footnotes just below each menu with seasonal options. I should start seeing some fresh fruits filling in for the dried fruits and cold cereals occasionally taking the place of the hot cereals. So instead of Stewed Apricots and Oatmeal this morning, it was Fresh Berries (whatever kind might be in season - strawberries, here) and Corn flakes. This should be a nice change of pace!
50s gal mentioned a series of photos on Flickr that I've been poring through during the last couple of weeks - and what a treat! It's a series called Mom's World and the pictures were taken by a Michigan woman, almost all of them during her first marriage (late 1940s and early '50s). She had a full-time job in a doctor's office and continued working even after the birth of their first child several years into the marriage. (It's the child, all grown up, whose been posting the photos. His mom narrates the introductions and actively responds to comments left by viewers.)
As you can probably guess, what intrigued me most was her description of housework. Every other Saturday afternoon (she worked on Saturday mornings), she'd give her kitchen a thorough cleaning. Anything done in between was just regular maintenance. This kept her kitchen quite clean and left her plenty of time to spend rambling through the woods, boating, visiting amusement parks, etc. Genius, I thought! Especially as I realized the other day that I could see my reflection in the inside wall of my refrigerator. Does my fridge really need to be quite that clean? And it would be awfully nice to have some time left over on the weekend for something other than housework. Ever since I added the kitchen to my routine, that's become a real problem.
I've been giving this some serious thought and what I'd like to do is try and break my kitchen routine up a bit. The chores described in the manual as daily chores must be done every week:
Every Saturday...
1. Open windows top and bottom for free circulation of air, or open kitchen ventilator.
2. Rinse and stack dishes, pots and pans.
3. Check and reorganize foods; put away.
4. Collect all refuse and put in garbage can.
5. Wipe off top of refrigerator and all work surfaces in need of cleaning.
6. Wash dishes. Dry and put away, if not room to rinse with hot water and leave to dry.
7. Wipe off surface of range. Clean spilled food from drip pan or oven.
8. Dry damp work surfaces.
9. Dust radiator or register.
10. Take out garbage; put clean lining in garbage can.
11. Clean sink. Rinse dishcloth or mop; hang outdoors if possible.
12. Collect soiled towels; wash. Hang fresh towels.
Every Saturday...
1. Open windows top and bottom for free circulation of air, or open kitchen ventilator.
2. Rinse and stack dishes, pots and pans.
3. Check and reorganize foods; put away.
4. Collect all refuse and put in garbage can.
5. Wipe off top of refrigerator and all work surfaces in need of cleaning.
6. Wash dishes. Dry and put away, if not room to rinse with hot water and leave to dry.
7. Wipe off surface of range. Clean spilled food from drip pan or oven.
8. Dry damp work surfaces.
9. Dust radiator or register.
10. Take out garbage; put clean lining in garbage can.
11. Clean sink. Rinse dishcloth or mop; hang outdoors if possible.
12. Collect soiled towels; wash. Hang fresh towels.
The heavier jobs, the ones described by the manual as weekly chores, are going to be done on alternate weeks:
Week A...
1. Put away all foods except those belonging in refrigerator. Remove all foods from refrigerator. Wash interior of refrigerator. Return food to refrigerator.
2. Wash exterior of refrigerator.
3. Clean range thoroughly.
4. Clean, scald and sun vegetable bins, bread and cake boxes.
Week B...
1. Clean out and wash 1 cupboard or several drawers in rotation weekly.
2. Dust lighting fixtures. Dust window shades or Venetian blinds. Wash wall behind sink, stove and work surfaces, if washable. Wash work surfaces. Wash exterior of cabinet work and shelving to remove fingermarks.
3. Clean garbage container thoroughly.
4. Clean metal fixtures, soap dish, sink strainer, and dish drainer. Wash, rinse and scald dishcloth or mop or send to laundry; hang outdoors if possible.
1. Put away all foods except those belonging in refrigerator. Remove all foods from refrigerator. Wash interior of refrigerator. Return food to refrigerator.
2. Wash exterior of refrigerator.
3. Clean range thoroughly.
4. Clean, scald and sun vegetable bins, bread and cake boxes.
Week B...
1. Clean out and wash 1 cupboard or several drawers in rotation weekly.
2. Dust lighting fixtures. Dust window shades or Venetian blinds. Wash wall behind sink, stove and work surfaces, if washable. Wash work surfaces. Wash exterior of cabinet work and shelving to remove fingermarks.
3. Clean garbage container thoroughly.
4. Clean metal fixtures, soap dish, sink strainer, and dish drainer. Wash, rinse and scald dishcloth or mop or send to laundry; hang outdoors if possible.
The kitchen routine is definitely a work in progress, but I must find a way to keep it clean and still have some time left over for, well, even the basics. I've been pushing so hard with this stuff, I haven't had time for things like getting the oil changed in my car, going to the library, etc. Maybe this change will make a difference... And speaking of kitchens, it's time to get started on mine. Off to work!
6 comments:
Please take some time off to do things for yourself. Since you are single, you aren't getting things as dirty as they'd get with children "running" through the house (We weren't allow to run in the house) or if you were cooking for a crowd.
I think I mentioned that my husband's grandmother would never go anywhere because of the chores she had to do. My grandmothers would drop everything to go on a picnic or a drive or whatever. One grandma also worked in a doctor's office 6 days a week. Her house was always clean and neat, but maybe not spotless. The point is - she wasn't a slave to her house.
You're better than I am! I'm ashamed to say my kitchen only gets a thourough cleaning when it's starting to annoy me! It's gets the daily wipe downs, but I'm sure I could be doing more.
Go you for losing 2 pounds! I too am a late night snakcer and I know how difficult this can be. I've started the resolve that we will eat earlier in the evenings, followed by a brisk walk (and dance) on my treadmill. I find after a good workout, I'm rarely ever hungry--just thirsty, and the water should keep me full for the night!
Keep up the good work!
Thank you, both, for your encouragement!
Packrat, it's weirdly tough not to be striving towards spotlessness --- that sparkling clean kitchen is the centerpiece of so many ads from the era. But I think I could definitely feel very proud of keeping things not quite spotless.
Emer, I know just what you mean about not having any interest in eating after a workout! People who've had success in weight loss seem to swear by this not eating late at night, so I'm giving it a try. It's actually surprised me how many times I've stopped myself from eating because of it.
I have to agree with both Packrat and Emer! A single person household doesn't get nearly as dirty and messy as a family home. And you do need time for a life outside of your 1940s routines.
And like Emer said, my kitchen too only gets a thorough cleaning when it can't take it anymore! But today I was thinking of you and I cleaned out my fridge!
Congrats on 2 lbs in 2 weeks! And also on conquering the late night snacking monster! When I lost weight on WW, I also didn't snack after 8pm. Funny how that worked, when I started snacking again, all the weight came back! Guess I should try that again (says she after eating a granola bar at 10:00pm!)))
You inspired me to clean my fridge, maybe I'll get inspiration from your latest mission too.
I got both of my books in the mail and have been reading them over every chance I get! They are so fun. The cookbook even came with some hand written recipes, notes and cut out recipes. How fun!
I think it's great you lost two pounds! Way to go.
I think it's a great idea to keep your house clean durning the week and then do a good cleaning on one day of the weekend. That way you can have the other day to do fun things.
Hugs,
Joanne
Mrs G, you make a great point about a single person household getting a lot less messy than a house with children. (I hope it won't always be a single person household!)
Joanne, I'm so glad you're enjoying the books! I love finding little hints in a book about the person who loved it before me... Bookplates, clippings, pressed flowers, even an inscription. They make me feel like I'm more a part of the long chain of women who've pursued a better home over the years.
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