It is 4:30 pm. The homework is done. Things are ready for the next day. Then it hits. All of the sudden several short people run to you begging for food, crying out of hunger pains, asking "mom, what is for dinner?!!!!" Your heart starts beating double time, you begin to accumulate little beads of sweat on your forehead, and you realize that you have no idea. No idea what to feed these children. The choices are evident, scrambled eggs or spaghetti red....again.
If this sounds like something out of your life, a true story, have no fear you are not alone and this situation is completely rectifiable.
The above illustration used to be me, and admittedly, some days it still is. However, I have found the days of dinner time panic reducing thanks to a nifty tool, a menu! I menu plan for dinners only, but eventually would like to plan for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner menus. Baby steps, right?
Having a menu makes grocery shopping easier and staying in budget is no longer a hassle. Grocery shopping takes much less time because I have an exact list of exactly what we will need for the week. Also, you can do a pantry inventory to see what meals you can make out of the items already in your pantry or freezer. I never had anyone take me by the hand and tell me how to make a menu, it became trial and error, and creativity, lots of creativity.
Menu Template
I have found that there are a lot of great websites to help with your menu planning. I got my template for my menu from Modern Mommy Canada (I found the website on Pinterest as a free printable), it is exactly what I was looking for. I printed it out, laminated it, decorated it a little bit, and use dry erase markers to update the calendar weekly. I have also made a separate column on the menu for what we have going on that evening, keeping in mind schedules makes it much easier to plan meals that will be in the time frame we have to eat.
Meal Planning
I use a simple google search to look for meal ideas. A lot of times I choose "simple inexpensive healthy family meals", or if I have a surplus of a certain type of meat in the freezer I may search "easy ground venison recipes" or "inexpensive chicken recipes". I just tailor the search to my menu needs of the week. I use my iCloud calendar that my husband and I share and put the recipe name in it at the dinner slot. I also copy and paste the recipe into a word document and print out the document so I have all the recipes for the week in one location. This is the most time consuming part of menu planning. It usually takes me half an hour to an hour depending on interruptions and what the week holds. However, this is the part that makes my life so much easier. It is worth the time to sit down and plan.
Display Menu
I have the menu located on a kitchen cabinet that is easy to see and refer to. Our oldest child can read so if he asks what is for dinner, or if one of the littles ask for dinner he can refer to that to answer the question. The menu is not set in stone, even when it is displayed, I have had to make little tweaks or change the meal for the night all together. It is a guide to allow you to have a bit less hectic day.
Taking a little time once a week to organize a menu is worth it. You will find that dinner time is much less stressful and that your evening may even go more smoothly. You can do it!
In Menu Making,
Rebecca
My husband and I were trying to figure out how I could get some "me time" outside of the house. Our schedules at this moment don't allow for me to do something for just me, especially since the time we are all home together, I want to spend as family time. I have considered re-entering the workforce just to have some time for myself and adult interaction, but after much thought I nixed that idea because I thoroughly love being at home, making my own schedule, and truly it is rare that I NEED time for just me. After tossing around ideas of what I could do to get me time, what I would want to do with my me time, and the reality of the little time until all three children are in school full time. After he said I could open a gym with child care in my town, and I quickly shot that idea down, we tried to figure out more things. I don't have parents who can help out with my kids during the day. Most of my friends work outside the home or are as busy as we are. And, I am not willing to pay a day care tuition just for a couple hours a week of me time. My amazing husband said "you should write a blog about it and include some advice on this situation". I spent a couple days brainstorming how I could get time for me, or how could another stay at home mom in my situation, without people to help her go about getting some me time without cutting into family time on the coveted Saturdays.
1. A Co-Op
I have been thinking that I could start a babysitting co-op with other stay at home moms who have young children. Switching out for a couple hours once a month. I haven't approached any of my stay at home mom friends about it yet....but they will be getting a little "hey want to come over for coffee" invite and maybe the co-op will happen out of that little get-together.
2. Hire A Babysitter
The summer is about to begin which means teenagers will be out of school. Hire a babysitter for a few hours a week during the summer. Where I live, homeschooling is popular, I do have one teenager I ask to babysit from time to time when I have a doctor's appointment or something I cannot take the little kids to. This would take money, where as a co-op wouldn't, but really it is minor compared to the cost of a day care.
3. Be Open
This isn't a solution for the alone time situation, but it is something I have realized in the past few months. I have to be open with my husband when I start feeling run down, overwhelmed, depressed, or just down right lonely. I have learned to catch it early and just be open with him, he usually helps me get some alone time within a week. That alone time is something like taking a long bath, going to bed early, or sleeping in. I will take it!
Do you have any fresh ideas for getting alone time as a stay at home mom? Please share them!
In Motherhood,
Rebecca
