Good-bye Microwave

One of the things that I've really been working on since the beginning of the year is simplifying. Since the birth of my son, over a year ago, I feel like my life has been non-stop running. I am a work-from-home mom, help my husband with his business, and also have volunteer commitments. With this being my first child, I kept thinking it would just work itself out in a couple of months. After not much of a change 10 months later, I really decided that I needed to be more proactive and simplify......for my sanity. And also to make the things that are really important more of a priority.

I've read lots of books about the subject and cleaned out lots of closets, but that's not enough. I've reorganized my schedule, streamlined my work tasks, and re-ordered my housekeeping. All of this as my husband silently stood by just thinking that that was another phase. A couple of days ago, while we were on a walk through the neighborhood, he finally asked me about it......after almost 3 months. I guess I was so convincing, now he's in the mode too!

Tonight, as I was cooking dinner, he casually suggested that we get rid of the microwave. I had to stop and look at him to see if he was serious. He has always had this little weird suspicion that the microwave "radiates" our food to an unsafe for consumption state, so I thought this was going to be another talk about that.

"Why?" I asked. "Because we don't use it that much" he said. But what about when............
and I listed a few scenarios, and for each he had an answer. Pretty much use another one of the several other appliances that we have in the kitchen, or do it the "old fashioned" way.

At first, I was really against the idea. Everyone has a microwave. I mean everyone.....don't they? I don't think I've ever been to someone's house that didn't have a microwave. Even my 90-something-year-old blind great-grandma had a microwave. With newer houses they come built-in. This idea didn't sound like it's going to "simplify" anything in my life.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we really don't use it that much anymore. When my son started eating solids, we would warm them with warm water, on the stove top, or in the toaster oven......mainly because my husband was so freaked out about the whole "radiating the babies' food" thing. (I know, I can't even write it without smiling.) But in my tired and bleary state of newish motherhood, it was just easier to comply. It just sort of happened that we got out of the habit of using it. Even now that I'm cooking more, I'm using it less. Mainly because I'm cooking mostly homemade-from-scratch meals and relying less on prepackaged and prepared foods.

So, here it goes. I'm still not in a 100% (maybe like 90%), but I really want to support my husband's effort to join me in simplifying our lives. We took it out and put it in the office, as a trial. If after 3 days, we find that we really don't "need" it and miss it too much, I will find a new home for it. Who knows, maybe it will simplify our lives even more.

Any bets? Will it stay or will it go?