Day 8 - Meal Planning

Today is the perfect day for a nap.  Cold and rainy with an afternoon at home breeds the perfect recipe for a sweatshirt, blanket, and couch combo.  But that was yesterday’s agenda, so this afternoon I am instead stretched out in my recliner with my brown mug of coffee and Pandora playing softly beside me.  Almost as good as a nap...  I was planning on touching on a different topic today, but I wasn’t ready yet.  So I skipped to my next topic… meal planning.

One of the most stressful parts of the day can be deciding what to what fix for supper.  My husband’s solution to this is to simply go out to eat.  In order to avoid our budget going out the roof, a monthly meal plan is essential!  I have done weekly meal planning for years.  I used to gather all my cookbooks, spend an hour or two pouring over them, and make a meal plan and grocery list for the upcoming week.  This worked well in the past, but then I discovered making two meal plans for the year and rotating the meals through a month at time.  This is a meal plan… meaning it doesn’t always happen, but without a plan it is sure to never happen.  

Here is a glimpse of our fall menu (vegetarian/pescatarian) :

Breakfast:

Monday- Cereal or muffins, fruit

Tuesday- Eggs, toast or grits, fruit 

Wednesday – Green smoothie,  muffin or bread

Thursday – Eggs, toast or grits, fruit

Friday – Green Smoothie, muffin or bread

Saturday - Pancakes or French toast, fruit

Sunday – Muffins or waffles (frozen)

Lunch:

- Sandwiches, fruit, veggies

- Yogurt with berries

- Quesadillas or crack wraps

- Mac N Cheese

- Fun Nuggets

Supper:

Mondays – Italian/Ethnic

1. Baked Spaghetti

2. Pesto Lasagna

3. Stir Fry w/rice & veggies or Fried Rice

4. Spinach Spaghetti

Tuesdays – Main Dish Salads/Legumes

1. Quinoa Salad, Tilapia, & Spinach Bake

2. Taco Salad

3. Savory Fall Stew

4. Tempeh Chili & Cornbread

Wednesdays – Sandwiches

1. Cheese & Bean Quesadillas 

2. BBQ Tuna Sandwiches

3. Tuna Cheesies

4. Eat at church

Thursdays – Soups

1. Wild Rice Soup

2. Broccoli & Cheese Soup

3. Mexican Corn Soup

4. Cream of Tomato Basil Soup

Fridays – Special Dinner Night

1. Homemade (or delivery) Pizza (twice a month)

2. Hamburgers, baked beans, cole slaw

3. Date Night

Saturdays & Sundays

- Leftovers 

- Nachos 

- Baked Potatoes 

- Breakfast or Waffles

- Cheesy Wild Rice Casserole

- Stuffed Peppers

Meals for others…

- Creamy Chicken and Noodles, green bean casserole

- Minestrone Soup

- Piggies in a blanket, oven fries, coleslaw

- Broccoli Casserole & Corn Bake

How this works for our family:

At the beginning of each month, I take out a blank calendar and literally fill in the month with these meals.  By having themes for each day, it helps me to be deliberate in making sure we get in enough protein each week.  This may seem boring, but as a home school mom of three, routine is essential in keeping my sanity, the budget down, and well-rounded meals on the table as much as possible.  Another goal is to produce a main monthly grocery list from these meals.  (This is still a goal in the works.)  In my homemaking binder, I have all the recipes that go along with my menu for the season, so I’m not having to waste time looking through cookbooks or Pinterest to find the right recipe.  I really hope that this will help spend more meals at home and less time wondering what to fix for supper.  

Here are a few more resources:

o Keeper of the Home (her seasonal plan)

o Resources & recipes for meal planning

o Passionate Homemaking (her winter meal plan)

Day 7 - Homemaking Binder

A few years ago, I read of the “Homemaking Binder.”  There are many renditions of them among homemakers, but over the past two years, I’ve SLOWLY started putting mine together.  Instead of having my box of recipes, our family calendar, & other important lists in separate places, this has allowed me to put them all together with the hopes of saving a little sanity.

My notebook is broken into these sections:

o Family (our calendar for the year divided into months) 

o Meals & Recipes (monthly menu planner forms, fall menu plan,               & recipes) 

o Homemaking (cleaning checklists & extra forms)

o Personal (books I’d like to read & goals for the year, etc)

Here are a few of my favorite resources that I have used:

o Moneysavingmom (my to-do list – customized for our typical                   day/laminated/reusuable)

o Organizedhome (printable monthly menu planner, lots of printable           lists)

o Donnayoung (free calendar printables)

o Passionatehomemaking (inspiration for me to do the homemaking           binder/video of her binder)

o Time-warp-wife (another resource for ideas for homemaking                     binders)

More details will follow in upcoming days concerning topics like menu plans & cleaning checklists.  But this is a basic glimpse of what my simple binder looks like and it is still a work in progress.  (Sorry for the dark pictures.)

Day 6 - Weekly Retreat

My weekly retreat started after the birth of my third little girl.  I struggled much more with motherhood after her birth than I thought I would.   Through the counseling of other godly women, I have found that getting away once a week has truly been a blessing and a sanity saver for me and my family.  Being a homeschool mom of three, there are not a lot of opportunities to really refocus and have time to breathe.  

A weekly glimpse of what my retreat looks like…

Usually on Wednesday mornings, I get up by 6 am and try to get to my favorite local bakery/coffee shop by 6:30 or 7.  I aim for earlier so I’m not spending as much time away from my family.  My girls are not allowed to get up before 7:30.  My husband and I have picked Wednesdays because he can go into work a little later due to being a youth/children’s pastor.  (This is his busiest day where sometimes he may not get home till after 9 pm.)  I’ll usually stay till 8:30 or 9 depending on the day.  I may choose to squeeze in an errand before coming home.

During my time at the bakery…

- Spend time having a “real” quiet time that is unrushed.  It is so refreshing to be able to enjoy time in God’s word along with my devotional.

- Spend time praying for my family.  I took time a couple of years ago and wrote down specific points to pray for each of my family members. (ex. Naomi – her future mate, learning to obey, to be humble about appearances, to be pure till marriage, to desire the right kind of friends, etc)

- Spend time looking over our family calendar, making notes of people I should contact, questions for Marty, etc.

- Look over our menu for the upcoming week and plan things to bake with the girls.

- Read inspirational blogs that encourage me in my walk with the Lord and to be a better wife & mother.

- Think though blogging ideas (if there is time).  

As I said, this is just a glimpse of what my weekly retreat looks like.  But I would highly recommend it, no matter how many children you have.  Find a time that works well with your husband or another family member and make it a priority in your week.  I was inspired to do this through the writings of Lindsay Edmonds of Passionate Homemaking.  You can find her article about it here.

Day 5 - Love & Marriage

One of the main reasons why I am not in an insane asylum right now is due to my amazing husband.  We have been married for 12 years now and it has not always been easy, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  He truly is my best friend and I wouldn’t want to spend any part of my life without him.  

We have had the privilege over the past few years of doing premarital counseling for several couples.  During those times of meeting with them, it is often refreshing, yet challenging to our own marriage.  Marriage is not a one time deal where you say “I do” and leave all your troubles at the altar.  It takes daily sacrifice on both parts to give without expecting anything in return.  

Expectations…  Isn’t that what often gets us women in trouble?  We expect certain requirements of our husbands that they may not even know are there.  Sometimes my husband just wants me to tell him what I am hoping for, whether it’s on a date or just to do the dishes while I’m running errands.  He may not be able to meet those expectations, but he certainly can’t if I don’t even voice them.  But to me what is even more important, for myself at least, is to have less expectations.  If I could focus on the millions of things he does do and be thankful for the man God has made him to be, what a marriage!  

This is a huge topic that really can’t be covered in one day, so I may write more another day.  But I want to wrap up today by thanking my husband, Marty, for putting up with me and loving me unconditionally for the past 16 years (since we started dating).  We were given the privilege of a night off last night to enjoy dinner and movie out, while my parents kept our little ones.  What a blessing!  I consider each day of our marriage a gift. 

Day 4 - Exercise

Get up offa that thing, 

and dance 'till you feel better, 

Get up offa that thing, 

and dance 'till you, sing it now! 

Get up offa that thing, 

and dance 'till you feel better, 

It’s true.  On days that I get up and get moving, I usually have a better attitude and more energy throughout the day.  This is an area that has always been important to me.  But with three pregnancies, several moves, and a husband that has worked up to three jobs at a time, finding time to exercise has not always been easy.  

Before my first was born, I had plenty of time to visit my YMCA.  But as soon as she was born, I knew that I couldn’t continue.  Since then, I’ve tried exercise videos/dvd’s, walking (lots of walking!!), running, INSANITY (which is insane!!), jump roping, and recently, using an elliptical.  All of these have been beneficial and have met a need for each season.  So, I just want to encourage all moms out there to find some kind of exercise that you would enjoy and make it a daily priority.  It’s tough.  After nights when babies are up several times during the night, it’s hard to get up and find time during the day to shower, much less exercise.  Even if it’s just putting the baby in the stroller with cheerios in hand and walking around the neighborhood or at a local park, it’s better than nothing.  I’ve heard another blogger say, “You just need to get moving.”  So, let’s all “Get up offa that thing, and dance ‘till we feel better!”

Day 3 - Organizing Priorities

- Wake up, check email on phone before even turning on lights.  

- Have water & banana while having quiet time, check Facebook before getting up to exercise. 

- Exercise either on elliptical or go for a run.  If on elliptical, listen to a podcast; if running, listen to music on Ipod.

Do you see the theme of just the first few hours of my day?  Technology can be beneficial, but it can also be distracting and time consuming.  I’m afraid that I’ve allowed the latter to become part of my daily routine too often than not.  I’ve allowed myself to believe that I don’t have enough time to get my necessary household duties accomplished, causing me at times to feel like I’m going insane.  But honestly if I would spend less time on Pinterest and more time doing the dishes, I would most likely be a calmer mother.  If I haven’t made this clear before now, I’m writing this to help me to become more sane.  If technology helps you in this area and you are able to discipline yourself to spend the proper amount of time on it, then I admire you, rather than pass judgment on you.  I know that this is an area that I have been convicted over more often than not.  Something needs to change…

Steps to take:

 - Spend time in the Word before any technology (email, Facebook, etc).  A friend did this for Lent.  Very intentional.

 - Check email/Facebook before breakfast to see if there are any urgent messages for the day (no browsing).

 - Set a timer when I’m on Pinterest/or favorite blogs so I don’t waste time, but still enjoy a little down time (during the girls nap time or in the evenings).

 - On walks or spending quality time outside with my girls, choose to leave my phone inside.  I can return phone calls when I come back inside.

 - Not answer the phone while homeschooling.

So often I feel as though I'm missing special moments because I'm too distracted.  To see little hands painting and observe the newest insect added to our family.  Today is the day that He has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it!  Psalm 118:24

Day 4 – It’s time to “Get up offa that thing!” in the words of James Brown.

Day 2 - Sleep!

                                                                                                      

Sleep!!  It’s what every mother desires more of.  At the beginning of our marriage, I remember going to bed around 10, 10:30 every night, except weekends.  With the birth of each of my girls, I feel that sleep has become less and less a priority.  When people told me to nap when my baby napped, I took them very seriously and have continued this habit even though my youngest is now 2 ½.  I’m not sure whether this is a good thing though.  Since baby #3, my bedtime ranges between 11 and 12 pm, yet I still desire to get up by 6 am, which leaves me sleep deprived, reliant upon my daily cup of joe, and crashing by 1 pm for my daily nap.  This endless cycle leaves something to be desired.  

I have yet to read an article or book that states sleep as unessential in the realm of daily life.  Sooooo, I am determined to make this a priority.  I believe that sleep is one of the major puzzle pieces to completing the picture as a whole.  Here are few things that I’m going to try to use to help me get a little more shut eye.

- Set a daily alarm to “wrap things up” at 9:45pm (still   

        working on this after trying for a week)

- Try not to nap in the afternoons, but allow myself to rest 

        by doing something that is enjoyable to me (read on the 

        back deck, catch up on other’s blogs, listen to a podcast 

        while folding laundry).

- Cut back on my coffee in the afternoons and evenings.

- Catch up on my to-do list before allowing myself to sit 

        back & relax in the evenings, after the girls are in bed.

- Read more, rather than play on Pinterest before going to 

        sleep.

If anyone else has an idea, please don't hesitate to share.  

Coming ahead:  Organizing priorities...