Tentative Parenting : What's for dinner Mommy?

"Housework is something you do that nobody notices till you don't do it"

I walk into the house all pumped up on adrenalin - networking at work after work and  being a part of a cool panel definitely added to the excitement

I walk into the house at 7.45 PM and get a hug and a question - the question is one that fills a lot of moms with dread especially on those days when they are bone-tired and all they are looking for is some liquid sustenance (preferably white and fizzy for me - thank you very much!), a horizontal resting place and a TV remote - What's for dinner Mommy? 

And guess what this planner Mom hadn't planned dinner for tonight. So I take 5 for cleaning up and then get to work in the kitchen. Dinner is on the table by 8.15 PM. What's for dinner you ask? Quinoa Pasta - we usually try and keep Monday Dinners (and most other days actually!) meatless. Here's the recipe I used for my Quinoa Pasta  ( I swapped out the Canellini Beans for Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans, I didn't use Zucchini, Carrots and Celery (didn't have it) -  used Spinach, Bell Peppers and Green Peas instead!). The drink of choice for the family was Sambazon's Acai Juice.

A sobering piece of statistic that I read over the weekend ( and I am playing my part in enabling it) was this -

• In 2003, the Bureau of  Labor Statistics reported that :  63 percent of men reported doing some household activity, while 84 percent of women did most. In 2014, the numbers were almost the same, according to the BLS: 65 percent for men and 83 percent for women. 
• The numbers are more stark in India where I think the percentage is more like 20% men participating in housework to 98% women (these numbers have no basis in any studies but I will wager a bet that my percentages are not far off)

The reality is that the needle hasn't moved much in eleven years - I take my comfort in the knowledge that I am training my son to be an equal partner when it comes to house work. And to the women in the same boat as me I will give you the same advise that I give myself - Prioritize, Plan and (when all else fails) Pray & Improvise ;-)

So what did you cook for dinner Mom?