I've been working FT for about 9 mths now. I've just kept hoping that somehow along the way I would find the ability to balance my life between work, family, and housekeeping. Yet, I am failing miserably at it. Today I have just about had a mental breakdown trying to figure out which one of the hundred things on my to-do list I should accomplish, or rather just hang out and enjoy the time with my kids only to have the housework stack up even further. I just need some suggestions as to how to find time for the things I used to do such as meal plan, cook from scratch, read many books to my kids, keep the house decent, etc. Anyone know the secret
As a solo mom (the ONLY parent, ONLY cook, ONLY housecleaner, ONLY earner in my family) I like to think I have special talent for balance.
Tips:
Multitask whenever possible. I bike-commute: exercise + getting to work.
Live locally. I walk dd to school, grocery shop together on the walk home. She goes to soccer & swimming right after afterschool daycare; the daycare brings her there - it's next door - and i pick her up from there at end of day. = my evenings back for family time.
Cook once a month to fill the freezer, for both work lunches and family dinners.
Do all the housework during the week - I do laundry first thing in am before dd wakes - and then play all weekend. I refuse to deprive myself, or dd, of fun!
Originally Posted by bhawkins
I've heard of this before but have never explored any techniques/recipes for it. Any great sites for this?
I'll bet there are zillions of sites. I don't personally use sites, or recipes. I just cook up three ENORMOUS pots of bean soups (lentil, red beans & rice, minestrone, whatever), a coupla dozen chicken breasts, maybe a lasagne or three.
While they are cooking I do a few dozen burritos (lay on foil: flour tortilla, hunk of cheese, spoonful of canned refried beans, spoonful of sauteed onions & garlic, spoonful of red sauce - can be canned, etc; roll up; nuke later).
Soups: when done and fully cool, spoon serving into ziploc, lay flat in freezer (much more space-efficient than tupperware); defrost overnight before using and pour into bowl to nuke; I even make my soups concentrated and add water when reheating.
Chicken: when cool, put 1/2 or full breast in ziploc, spoon in marinade (I use bottled). Alternatively, bag-freeze chunks of whole roasted turkey, or fish with a spoonful of marinade/sauce.
Label everything with a sharpie marker.
This can all be done during a three-hour playdate at your house. (So, kids are entertained while you are productive!) I have also done it as a friend-visit, our kids playing together, do a big cook (each making megaportion of 3 dishes), then swap half - advantage being some different dishes. This plus pasta & rice, & veggies, get me through a month.
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