the important part is at the end, so skip to there if you don't want the rambly bit

i really love the internet. and i really love blogging. there are so many people - nonbloggers, obvs - who don't "get it," don't "get" why i write about my boring daily life to a bunch of people i've never met and who are probably dirty old men jacking off to my pictures, DON'T I REALIZE THAT? also the punks are probably stealing my social security number while we speak. TEH INTERNETZ ARE DANJERUS.

but i love this community. i love having somewhere to go when i have a question, when i need support, when i want to be a part of someone else's joy when she gets engaged, or to learn that i'm not alone in feeling like a cat jumping into my shower is kind of awesome.

but mostly, i love how much i've LEARNED since i started reading blogs. if it weren't for dooce, i would still probably secretly think that depressed people should just sort of try harder, and "shake it off" already. i would have SUCKED as a friend to anyone depressed without reading the honest, painful writing of everyone who's ever blogged about mental illness. i'm really, really grateful that while i still don't really know what to do or what to say, i at least am no longer stupid enough to think this is a choice some people make.

and without bloggers like sundry or swistle and everyone else who's ever written honestly about motherhood, i never would have realized how HARD it is to have a baby. i mean, we all know the physical having a baby part is no picnic, but i honestly had no idea it was so hard during those first few months, when you've got a wailing, angry, squishy ball of human who only has needs needs needs and that only you can fulfill. i didn't know how draining it was, how much despair could be involved, how some days you can't even pee without everything going to hell. my friends are jusssst now starting to have babies, so without all the bloggers, i would never have known this until it was my turn.

one of my best friends from college recently had her first baby, just over a month ago. i called and left a voicemail for her about a week ago, checking in to see how it was going, how the baby is, how she is. i got a voicemail back a few days later, where she said everything was fine... tiring, and hard.. but you know, good. two years ago, i probably would have called her back and chatted about my love life. this time, i sent her an email letting her know that unless she told me no, i was showing up at her door on saturday morning to hold the baby the entire dang weekend if that's what would be helpful, and i'd do her laundry, make her food, give her time to shower and pee and sleep and whatever else she wanted to do. and i am SO GRATEFUL to the internet that i knew that ANY of those things would be helpful to an overwhelmed mom.

i also know (now!) how food - for the mom, anyway - is often the very last thing that gets taken care of, and how the hell are you supposed to make dinner with a cranky baby who needs to be held 14 hours a day, anyway? so i'd like to bring her some frozen / freezable food she can pop out and nuke for dinner when she needs to.

so this is where you come in, internets! i'm sort of a newbie on the whole cooking scene, and as of yet have never made the foray into freezable food. so! tell me! what should i make for her, that's easy to prepare (remember i'm new at this, ok?) AND also freezes well?