I aspire to have a perfectly clean, organized house, but I've never been there. I know some people who do have one, and I'm aghast.
I read some really great quotes the other day:
"Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy."
"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing."
Where is the balance? When Drew is taking a nap, the last thing I want to do is housework. I need some me time. And when Drew's awake, I don't mind doing housework, but I want to spend time with him too.
And another thing...I really detest planning meals. Lately it seems that all my foolproof meals are...boring. I've made them way too many times, and I'm tired of them.
And then comes the menu hunting. It takes lots of time, and I hardly ever find a recipe that I want to make again. Between finding a recipe that's quick to make, and one that's healthy...arg. Honestly, I have thrown some of my unsuccessful meals away because thinking about eating those leftovers is disgusting.
Any ideas?
I'm still working on the house cleaning thing. I try and do what i can and not stress about the rest. My kids are a little older, so we're (all) doing chore charts, which has helped. You could try a chore chart for you. It's helping me be better. Every day, I have to do 1 complete load of laundry, cook dinner, pick up the living room (vacuum if needed) and the dining room (sweep if needed). Then, each day, I have a daily chore, like cleaning the master bathroom or filing paper work. Dishes and trash are on Brian's list.
ReplyDeleteAs for menu planning, I love to cook, so it's not hard for me. BUT, I have heard some great advice on this, if it's hard for you.
1. Pick 30 meals that you know you like and at the beginning of each month, fill in each day with those meals. Yes, sometimes you won't be eating at home, but that's ok. You always know what you need to have on hand for those meals and can look for sales. You only end up eating each meal 12 times a year (or less.)
2. Create themed days of the week, like mexican mondays and chicken thursdays or something. That way, every week, you know if it's monday, you'll be eating something mexican. Sometimes it can help just having that step out of the way.
I'll send you an email with some of our favorite easy cook recipes. I recently typed some of them up for another friend, so I'll forward it on. Whenever I finish the other half, I'll send it your way, too!
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ReplyDeleteSorry, I'm having some technical difficulties. Anyways...
ReplyDeleteHousework is very important to me too. After Abby was born and I had become an official stay-at-home mom, it took me awhile, but it eventually sunk in that caring for the family and the home was my JOB. I shouln't take those responsibilities lightly. Just like I would never take ANY job's responsibilities lightly.
That being said, a few things that have worked for me is having daily chores (similar to Steph). I straighten up the main floor (kitchen, family room and living room) once in the morning and again after dinner. Then I have one major chore everyday (ie clean bathrooms, vacuum, mop, budget) and do the laundry twice a week. Obviously, some days the major chore doesn't get done, so I just try to squeeze it in on another day.
I also feel like it's important to teach our children to clean. When they are really young (1-2 years old) and can't do much cleaning themselves, the best thing we can do is be an example. Clean up the toys they play with while they are around, that way they are aware that SOMEONE has to actually put the toys away and don't magically get put away while they sleep. Find little jobs they can do, let them find all the socks while you fold the laundry, hold the dust pan, help rewrap the cord around the vacuum. As they get older, increase the size of their job. Don't feel like you have to ignore the kids while you clean, find little ways to involve them. Obviously, when I'm using strong chemicals, such as in the bathroom, I try to keep them out of the room. I probably do about 75% of the cleaning while the girls are around. I don't know if this is the best way, but it's what I do.
Meals...I'm really poor at planning, and get stuck in a rut easily. One thing that works for me is keep the basics (for me thats spaghetti, baked white and sweet potatoes, chicken, and lots of veggies) on hand so I can throw something together really quick, with little thought. When I do try a new recipe, I try to only make enough for that one meal, that way I won't have leftovers because very few new recipes are actually good enough to repeat. Another tip, when looking for a new recipe, don't just blindly look for any recipe. Search the internet for a recipe that is similar to a favorite meal from a restaurant, or a new take of a recipe that is already a family favorite. I have much more success this way. Maybe we could include recipe sharing on the blog? Like "Foodie Friday" or something. Just a thought.
These are all great ideas. I was actually inspired by Steph's chore chart months ago when I was at her house and now have one of my own that is like Leisa's. I just have a schedule in my head of what gets done what day, and sometimes, when I need some more me time, I skip a chore, because, hey! I'm an adult and I can do things like that! :)
ReplyDeleteI would love it if we did recipe sharing on here. So, Leisa, how does Foodie Friday work?
I don't know. I just made it up. I guess if on friday's someone has a recipe, cooking tip or healthy eating tip to share, post it? There can be as many posts as there are people willing to share ideas. Does that sound good?
ReplyDelete