Maxwell 26: The Toothbrush Thing Is Real

[Dandruff]

15 hours ago, Granwych said:

Maybe Terified is setting aside time to write "How to apply the correct amount and type of toothpaste to your husband's toothbrush."

Hope that's the only bathroom business she does for him.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

47 minutes ago, Dandruff said:

Hope that's the only bathroom business she does for him.

Ew.  Anyone flash on Harvey Korman and Mel Brooks?

 

[freejugar]

If my inlaws ever decided to rename me, I'd never introduce myself like that tbh.

Hey, it's me, freejugar Marie!

[nelliebelle1197]

6 hours ago, AllisonWndrland said:

It's going to be terrible, no doubt. I'm going to have delicious wine and cheese dip, possibly cookies and other f** foods, too, while reading. What some might call an anti-fast. 

I just realized we have not done an anti-fast in a long time!

[HerNameIsBuffy]

29 minutes ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

I just realized we have not done an anti-fast in a long time!

I’ve never been around for one.  

[nelliebelle1197]

@HerNameIsBuffy eh it’s just when everyone plans her incredibly fab meal for the day that Steve is fasting! I am usually on a diet.

[SPHASH]

32 minutes ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

I just realized we have not done an anti-fast in a long time!

Let's schedule one!

2 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I’ve never been around for one.  

It's fun!  Instead of actual fasting we indulge in something Coward Steve would consider an idol, like good food, alcohol, watching the Beast or sports.

[catlady]

For my anti-fast, I’ll have bacon cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries, Pepsi, wine, chocolate cake, and I’ll eat it while wearing a push-up bra and a camisole.

[church_of_dog]

6 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Ew.  Anyone flash on Harvey Korman and Mel Brooks?

 

Dammit, this needed to be a clip, or at least a gif.  You don't want to know what search terms I had to google to find it...

[fundiefan]

10 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

I just realized we have not done an anti-fast in a long time!

Tomorrow! Not only an anti-fast, but an actual Thanksgiving meal with more than one vegetable & Teri's incorrectly done layered salad.

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

3 hours ago, fundiefan said:

Tomorrow! Not only an anti-fast, but an actual Thanksgiving meal with more than one vegetable & Teri's incorrectly done layered salad.

 

I'm in.  I'm making a ridiculous variety of food for an embarrassingly small number of people.

As soon as I finish charting out my schedule the baking begins.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Any of us can do an anti-fast on any day just by using spices in our cooking. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

https://blog.titus2.com/2017/11/08/how-to-plan-your-thanksgiving-meal-efficiently/

 

Quote

We don’t normally have sweet potatoes or cranberry sauce, but those have been additions brought by guests.

I knew it.  They are monsters.

 

[fundiefan]

2 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

https://blog.titus2.com/2017/11/08/how-to-plan-your-thanksgiving-meal-efficiently/

 

I knew it.  They are monsters.

 

We rarely have either of those because pretty much no one likes them. My nephew & his wife usually go by her family out of town for Thanksgiving, but if they are around for some reason, they'll make those two items because they're the only ones who eat either. But, whether my nephew's family is there or not, we have many veggie options and fresh fruit options as well as much more food in general. Tomorrow, we have four veggie choices on the menu. For 7 people. 

[danvillebelle]

18 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I'm making a ridiculous variety of food for an embarrassingly small number of people.

This is my SIL and BIL's Thanksgiving tradition and I love it.  We're actually having a fairly big number this year, around 20 - but they will make enough food for close to twice that.  Everyone takes stacks of tupperware-filled goodness home and we eat on it for days. 

Why does it take "several hours" to prep ONE TURKEY, ONE SALAD AND ONE VEGETABLE?  I could do that in 15 minutes, as could any functioning human with exposure to a kitchen and food.

Life in general seems like such an insurmountable obstacle for Teri to climb.  

[Alisamer]

26 minutes ago, danvillebelle said:

Why does it take "several hours" to prep ONE TURKEY, ONE SALAD AND ONE VEGETABLE?  I could do that in 15 minutes, as could any functioning human with exposure to a kitchen and food.

Life in general seems like such an insurmountable obstacle for Teri to climb.  

Why? Because she has untreated depression, most likely. Some days it feels like it take hours to get psyched up enough just to get off the couch and get ready for bed, when I intellectually know that it takes maybe 10 minutes total at max to brush teeth, wash face, change into pajamas, etc, it seems like a monumental task sometimes. I'm on meds, and its improved drastically for me, though I don't know that I'll ever be "normal". Some molehills still look like Mount Everest.

Teri, however... she has to just pray about it, and follow Steve's leadership, and ignore her own issues. Instead of taking a pill or two once a day, she copes by scheduling life down to 10-15 minute intervals, likely with the "I can do anything for 15 minutes" mantra in her head, looking desperately toward her private prayer and bible-reading times where she can decompress. She probably does feel like much of life is an insurmountable obstacle. I do too, sometimes.

I'd feel sorry for her, except that she is a college-educated adult who CHOSE to hand over all autonomy to Steve and follow him off the deep end, knowing she was already in over her head. 

[danvillebelle]

Alisamer, I hope you know I meant no disrespect towards depression - I myself have had it for decades and take meds.

Ditto to your last statement.

[Alisamer]

8 minutes ago, danvillebelle said:

Alisamer, I hope you know I meant no disrespect towards depression - I myself have had it for decades and take meds.

Ditto to your last statement.

Oh, I understand. I just felt the need to point it out because I know there are people reading who don't struggle with depression, and might not get it. Sometimes I even look at myself and am like "OMG, really. This'll take 2 minutes, just DO IT." so I can see how many people would find Teri's difficulties absurd. It is absurd. It can look a lot like laziness from the outside, or helplessness. But that's what happens when your brain chemicals are screwed up. I was thrilled when I finally got treatment and had some improvement (which took a long time, my doctor first literally said "yes, you have every symptom of depression, but I don't think we need to treat you. Just exercise more.")

I'm really glad that you and I (and many others here) are able to get appropriate treatment. I'm sad that Teri obviously does not. I'm angry that Steve prevents her from getting appropriate treatment, when that has obviously negatively affected her - and probably her children's - life.

[LurkerOverThePond]

22 hours ago, fundiewatch said:

I don’t know why they aren’t looking at featuring NR Anna more on the blog.

Because she's extended family...

[HerNameIsBuffy]

I understand how Teri’s depression would come into play if she were doing this alone but GIgi is already there and she’s got 3 grown daughters helping.

Even if, as implied, Gigi’s practical contribution is minimal I can’t imagine how slow they have to work for 4 people to take hours for one salad, one vegetable dish, and to prep a turkey.

if I were there the pace would drive me insane.  For me turkey prep included 2 kinds of stuffing and even if you added that I cannot imagine how that plus salad, 1 veg would take even 2 people more than an hour tops.

Idk I think they have such sparse meals because they halfass it* and pad (lie) the timeline to make themselves look more industrious.  When in reality they just look either completely incompetent or they are cooking in some weird dimension where time doesn’t work how it does on earth.

i think it’s the second one. 

*no judgement in that if I had to make such mediocre food I’d halfass it.  End result is the same.  

Oh and my ceiling fans and baseboards are aglow with cleanliness, Steve.  Even heathers can figure out how to use a swifter and magic eraser.

[anjulibai]

Per the Thanksgiving menu post and comments, they have one vegetable (which is mashed potatoes), one salad, turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, rolls and two desserts. 

So, let's break that up between the group of "boys", Steve, Teri, Gigi and the three "girls".

"Boys" cook the ham.
Steve apparently does the turkey.
So 5 people left over for the rest. Let's say Anna does the mashed potatoes and a desert, Mary does a dessert and rolls, Teri does the salad, and Sarah does the stuffing and gravy, with Gigi helping as needed.

Why oh why does that take so many hours?! Beyond the bake time, none of that is a ton of work for each individual. 

[fundiefan]

I agree that depression can make you completely incapable of functioning. I am pretty trapped in just that world right now. It is debilitating. 

But, as others have said, Teri doesn't effing do it in the first place. Aren't the rolls Mary's "specialty"? Don't the "guys" usually do the meat? The salad, in her post about it, is apparently labor intensive and not for mom's of many to make (Huh?) - but Teri could break it up over a day or two. Boil eggs & put 'em in the fridge one day. Chop the onions another. Use Bacon bits. Or zap the bacon & crumble on a day all its own. Cut the lettuce, defrost the peas & assemble it for 5 minutes the morning of Thanksgiving. 

The three other adult women in the house could make the desserts a day or two before. 

For someone who can't function without a schedule, she doesn't really know how to make one that is useful.

It is a lot of work to cook Thanksgiving dinner for others, whether it's for a few people or many. But, most people delegate & share duties; people bring stuff. They plan in advance and don't do everything all at once on the day of. If she's so determined that the "mommies" get a break on the holiday and don't have to bring anything, she has to compensate for her decision and confront the consequences of that - which means doing more work, not less. 

Gak. I just can't with these people. Life is hard enough as it is and they just make everything so. damn. hard. 

[daisyjane1234]

6 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Oh and my ceiling fans and baseboards are aglow with cleanliness, Steve.  Even heathers can figure out how to use a swifter and magic eraser.

By heathers, did you mean this??.....warning- there is some strong language.
 

 

[Hane]

Oddly enough, I have had no need to create exhaustive computer files regarding my contributions to the Thanksgiving meal.

What I do:

1) Open up Notes on my phone and type a list of what I’m making.

2) Open up recipes I’m using.

3) Type in list of whatever ingredients I don’t have in the house. Hit “Save.”

4) Go to grocery store and buy them.

And I live alone, without four adult children to delegate to. And also Prozac is my friend.

[theologygeek]

6 hours ago, anjulibai said:

Per the Thanksgiving menu post and comments, they have one vegetable (which is mashed potatoes), one salad, turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, rolls and two desserts. 

So, let's break that up between the group of "boys", Steve, Teri, Gigi and the three "girls".

"Boys" cook the ham.
Steve apparently does the turkey.
So 5 people left over for the rest. Let's say Anna does the mashed potatoes and a desert, Mary does a dessert and rolls, Teri does the salad, and Sarah does the stuffing and gravy, with Gigi helping as needed.

Why oh why does that take so many hours?! Beyond the bake time, none of that is a ton of work for each individual. 

They don't know what they're doing.  I make a lot more than they do, and I do it by myself.  I don't want anyone in the kitchen or even near me when I'm making food on a holiday.   I really think Teri hates domesticated work and secretly wishes she had a career in a field she always wanted to be in.