Home » Archives » "What's for Dinner?"

What's for Dinner?

Sep- 3-2004 » Filed Under: Homefront

[Link to Full Article]
By Heidi Home Alone

(This vignette describes the trials and triumphs of spouses of deployed service members. It is one of several we will present, authored by a group of 1st Cavalry Division spouses who write under the pen name “Heidi Home Alone.”)

At the beginning of the deployment, I really missed the fact that my husband wasn't around to go to the commissary with me. OK, fine, so he never went to the commissary with me when he was here - but hey the opportunity was always there. I don't think that I fully appreciated being able to go to the commissary by myself until school got out for the summer and my group of constant chaperones made sure that I was never lonely again! There really is nothing more frustrating than having to fight with my children over which kind of cereal we were getting or what candy at the checkout line. So, now that school is back in session, the commissary and I have once again found a happy medium!

I have noticed, as I mentioned in earlier “notes,” that the route I take through the commissary is much different since my husband's eating habits do not figure into the shopping list. Can any of you relate to the fact that I have the entire frozen food section memorized or that even I get excited about the “snack food” aisle? How about the fact that I never buy pork skins or beef jerky anymore! Now it's more like cupcakes, bubble gum and animal crackers. Plus the snack foods…

The children very quickly figured out that dinner was not going to be the same after the first day of deployment. They both know now not to anticipate a hot meal on the table at a certain time but that it is preferable for them to “suggest” items to me. Then my job is to say whether we have any chicken nuggets and French fries left in the freezer. I now understand why people have deep freezers - more space for corn dogs and ice cream! That has been a great deployment purchase for me!

No- really- we are eating fine. It just seems to be an interesting combination some nights. I have finally come to the conclusion that in this Army household there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a waffle for dinner followed by a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

She continues...


Advertisements