Of TLC and Care Packages

I started this blog on my way home after the long Labor Day week-end. My husband and I had just dropped off our daughter, our youngest and last to leave home, at her new college and we were heading home to a really empty nest. It got me thinking about two uniquely American concepts that, funnily enough, aren't quite translatable into Greek (or maybe they are and I've missed something - let me know in the comments below!). The first is Care Package, that special little gift you send to someone who needs a little extra TLC...which is the second American phrase that I struggle to translate into Greek, tender loving care. Both seemed so fitting as I was on this drive home.

Last year, my middle child was the one to give me the idea to offer Care Packages on our site. He was getting sick of cafeteria food and he and his friends fell in love with Agrozimi's pasta and Elli and Manos' concentrated all-natural sauces. So I put together a few combinations, inspired by my sons, and began offering them on our site.  Pauline and I laugh that we were never the stereotypical Greek mothers to send containers of home-cooked meals to our kids, but we both loved the idea of sending them healthy comfort food that they could whip up into a quick meal, and soon our Care Packages were going to Texas and Massachusetts and California and so many other places.

But a Zelos Care Package isn't just for students - they make for a great gift for friends who are moving homes and are getting sick of take out until their kitchens are unpacked; for older people who might be tired of cooking but can certainly still enjoy a tasty and healthy meal at home...basically, for anyone who needs a little extra TLC! I just love that concept of TLC and I think all of us dealing with empty nest or any other big changes this month will need just a bit more of it.

For me, sending off my daughter, a very big part of my life has changed forever. The juggling between friends, family, work, and the endless activities of my three kids is now over, which also seems to be a good thing (no more 5:30am alarms?!) But all the hugs and kisses and little routines, talking while stuck in traffic, grabbing a bite together when family dinners are impossible, all that is past. But I'll still be sending Care Packages and spreading some love through food, as Greek mothers do, hoping to give a little extra TLC across the miles.