Mom Diaries: I Think My Appliances Are Mocking Me

There are so many appliances in my house. Some are ones I use every day, like the typical: refrigerator, stove, and washing machine (yes with a potty training toddler, there’s lots of laundry to be done! I don’t think our sheets have ever been cleaner…).

But what about those other appliances, you know, the “fun” ones we buy for our homes? The ones where we sit and dream of the smell of bread baking and eating homemade ice cream with our family?

I think those appliances are mocking me.

Ok, let’s be clear to start – I know that these appliances aren’t TRULY mocking me, but what if, just what if, every time I pass the bread machine, I hear a little voice saying,

I feel neglected

Before having children (“before” is the key here, isn’t it?) I used my bread machine every week. I delighted in adding the ingredients, peering in through the small window to watch the dough rise, and listening for the BEEP that signaled when to remove the adorable little paddle at the bottom of the receptacle. The smell of fresh-baked bread would waft through our house and make me think that I was something akin to Laura Ingalls Wilder, except with electricity, an indoor bathroom, and a life expectancy of over 30.  

My bread machine has been sitting, for six years, unused and sad. How old is my oldest son? Six. Now it serves a new purpose: to actually HOLD the bread. Bread I buy from the store. Oh, and it makes a nice place to display my kiddo’s artwork as well, being metal and magnetic.  

There are others. Other small appliances that take up space on my counter and collect dust.

Another one of these treasures is the Swirlio. If I look up this product on Amazon, it reminds me that I purchased this item on July 22nd, 2014, months before my second son was born. I was very excited about the Swirlio – a beautiful purple colored machine with silver accents. It was my answer to a summer of not being able to eat creemees. Being pregnant and all, the fear of listeria was deep inside my bones.  

So, I bought the Swirlio, with images of freshly made sorbet dancing in my head. I used it once that summer and that was three years ago. This year, my oldest son convinced me to get it out of the closet and put it on the counter, excited that we could make our own sorbet. There it sits, not far from the bread maker, taking up space and reminding me that like learning how to tap dance, it was great in theory. We still haven’t used it and it’s August.   

There’s more – the ice cream attachment for my beloved Kitchen Aide Mixer that I registered for when we got married. It is fun to use but takes way too much pre-planning (freeze for 24 hours ahead of time! Who has that much room in their freezer?!) My blender, which just broke and I purchased a new one, because although I used to use this appliance much more than I do now, I still need it.  

Isn’t it funny that all of the fun appliances I’ve mentioned are in my kitchen?  

The point is, I have to learn to stop beating myself up and feeling guilty about not having the time to use these items to make delicious foods. It’s okay to buy bread, it’s okay to buy ice cream, it’s okay to go out for creemees, and it’s okay to eat yogurt on the fly instead of making smoothies for breakfast. Luckily, we can get all of these items freshly made and locally, which I will continue to do until I either have the time to use my bread maker and ice cream attachment again, or I will finally come to terms with my hectic life and sell them.

So, is anyone looking for a Swirlio?