WEEKLY MENU 05.14.23
Honoring the constantly changing Mama role during the Weekly Menu 05.14.23~
Mother’s Day starts out the Weekly Menu 05.14.23, so we’ve got a shout-out to everyone that embodies that position in any way. Being a Mom is one of my most favorite jobs. I detail it in this little post:
Motherhood
And, No. The boys on the post picture aren’t ours. That random picture made me smile because it looked like something they would do. One of the most interesting things about Motherhood, at least to me, is how the role constantly changes. We are well out of the intense caring phase of newborns and toddlers, just as we are (finally – as of last weekend) out of the never-ending school phase. I am, after all, the “Well-Seasoned” Mom, so I’ve been doing this whole gig for a while.
You know what marks the transitions the best, at least to me? The constantly changing name the boysies call me.
I started out as Mama.
I adored “Mama” and it lasted for a good long time, thankfully. Slowly, as they grew, I became Mom. That was never as much of a favorite, and soon, Baby Boy transformed it into “Mum”. I like that. It seems like a warm hug to me. I was never a “Mother”, mostly because we’re a fair bit less formal than that. How much less formal can be seen in what they call me now.
A little backstory on me. My given name is Kathleen. I have always been called Kate. For some inexplicable reason, particularly from the medical field, people feel the need to shorten my given name to Kathy. Which is a perfectly nice name. It’s just not mine. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine – that someone would shorten my name, without even a “by-your-leave” and do it wrong in the process.
Names Matter.
Naturally, the boys thought my complaints (each and every time I was misnamed) were beyond hilarious. So, naturally, they started calling me Kath. I might, possibly, have been a little, oh, histrionic with my irritation. At first my new name bothered me, but, as will happen with our boysies, it became normal because they did NOT let up. And eventually, I honestly didn’t really mind it at all. (It does still aggravate me when someone outside of the family calls me that. So if you run into me, please, just don’t.)
We’re an acronym family. Always have been. Dad is “DOLD” (Dear Old Lovable Dad). My Aunt Mary Therese is know as “AMT”. Uncle Pat? You guessed it – UFP. (He’s a priest, so out of respect, he’s Uncle Father Pat.) My seester? “AF” (Aunt France.)
Which is why all of our boys now call me:
“K”
“AM” (another seester) was a bit aghast when she heard me called “K” the last time she was in town. She even asked the perpetrator if I was aware that they called me that. She was assured that I did in fact know. And I liked it.
I’m not alone in the acronym world. Bert started out as “Dada”. He never really was “Dad”: he pretty quickly became Pops to all the boys. What do you think they call him now? Yessir.
“P”
Don’t worry. He likes it too. I have told the boys that if they ever make me a grandma, I want to be called Kiki – a morph of my first and last initials. They’re resistant, but it’s MY name, so I’m sure I can make them call me that. HA! As if.
What’s for Eats during the Weekly Menu 05.14.23?
We’re starting out with a slightly modified Mother’s Day Menu. Check out this post if you want a fully detailed menu that anyone can make for Mom, starting with a grocery list and a full cheat sheet on how to pull it all together:
Mother’s Day Dinner
I’ve been totally jonesing for some fish, so Bert is going to add in some cedar plank salmon for me. Of course, the Dill Dip is an easy recipe, but if the boysies don’t want to make it, store bought could sub in. (Affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer Page for details.) One of the boysies will be in charge of the Crockpot Parmesan Garlic Potatoes. They are also super easy – obviously, I’m staying out of the kitchen and away from the grill for my big day.
On Monday, we’re having burgers zhuzhed up with barbecue sauce, onion rings and cheddar cheese. We have been singularly unhappy with the frozen onion ring offerings, so I’m going to make some from scratch, using a recipe I’ve had since high-school home-ec. I’ll take pictures!
The Pork Salsa Verde Tacos are well liked by the fam, even though it’s pork. They are super simple with only a few ingredients. And of course, we’ll use the crockpot again.
Here’s the whole week:
WEEKLY MENU 05.14.23
