- How I Do It: Exercise
- How I Do It: Personal Scripture Study
- How I Do It: Get Myself Ready
- How I Do It: Get Children Ready
- How I Do It: Chores
- How I Do It: Meals
- How I Do It: Hobbies
- How I Do It: Errands
- How I Do It: Organize Myself
- How I Do It: Relax
- How I Do It: Learning Time
- How I Do It Series: What I Learned From You!
- Hobby Overview
Showing posts with label how I do it. Show all posts
Index: How I Do It Series
How I Do It Series: What I Learned From You!
Through this series, many of you have offered your own advice in various topics, and I wanted to share some things I have tried and have loved!
Exercise:
So many of you recommended Jillian Michaels DVDs, so I got one. I LOVE it! I can't believe how much stronger I am already after doing it for about 6 weeks. She is definitely killer. Good killer--effective killer. Thank you for your suggestions (even though I often curse Jillian's name--just like she wants me to).
Scriptures:
Reader Charity shared her mantra: "No Bible, no breakfast." Catchy right? That can help us all remember to read our scriptures before we start our day!
Getting Ready:
Several of you wondered how to wash less often with fine hair, and reader Jess suggested Dry Shampoo. Reader MotherofPearl told us that there are two kinds, spray or sprinkle. For those who use the shampoo, is one better than the other?
I tried the Dry Shampoo
and I actually don't love it. My hair is not fine. It also doesn't get really greasy. It was effective in that it removed any grease that was there, but it weighed my hair down a lot--that is why I didn't like it. I don't really like stuff in my hair--I even don't like thermal protectants because they weigh my hair down so much. Anyway, my mother-in-law loves dry shampoo and has more fine hair, so I wonder if it is more of a hair-type thing? I got the spray kind--I wonder if the powder would be less heavy?
and I actually don't love it. My hair is not fine. It also doesn't get really greasy. It was effective in that it removed any grease that was there, but it weighed my hair down a lot--that is why I didn't like it. I don't really like stuff in my hair--I even don't like thermal protectants because they weigh my hair down so much. Anyway, my mother-in-law loves dry shampoo and has more fine hair, so I wonder if it is more of a hair-type thing? I got the spray kind--I wonder if the powder would be less heavy?Getting Kids Ready:
Reader Cozy shared a post she had written for getting kids ready quickly in the morning. One thing she share was to have children with long hair sleep with a braid. This has been fabulous for us! Kaitlyn has long hair and it was often a mess in the morning, but when we braid it, she has no snarls. So thanks Cozy!
Errands:
Reader Summer said I did my errands quickly and she wondered how.
I thoroughly plan out my errand trip before I go. I makes lists of everything I need. I mentally visualize the best order to go to stores to be the fastest--the most efficient. I am loyal to stores that I like, so I know where everything is and I also know trends of when it is busier and when it is slower. I keep McKenna in a cart if the store has it--it might seem like a trivial tip, but I can move much faster if I am moving at my pace instead of hers.
I put my list into Cozi, and you can reorder your list after you have made it, so for grocery shopping, I put the food in the order of the store so I don't get to the end and realize I forgot something on aisle two.
You also need to get good at picking the right line, right? You pay attention to which checkers and baggers are good. You also look at what kind of load is in front of you. I definitely don't always call it right, but calling it right can be the difference in 10-15 minutes.
If you have any tips for getting in and out of stores quickly, please share!
Relax:
This post was just a question to you all and you gave me some great tips! I want to get a pedicure soon. Everyone raves about them. I think I have a problem with feet; I wouldn't want to touch some stranger's foot, so I don't want to make some stranger touch mine. I need to get over it :)
Learning Time:
Reader Kristy had a great tip for another reader on how to occupy baby during toddler's learning time. Keep a toy (or toys) that are only brought out during learning time. Novelty is always effective, so I wanted to share that with you all in case you have a similar question!
Something I do is make a learning activity that is age-appropriate for the baby. OR I do learning time while baby is sleeping :) If you check out The Siblings' Busy Book, they have a baby, toddler, and older child version of each activity. It really helps you figure out how to tailor activities so baby can participate.
This concludes our "How I Do It" series. Thank you for all of your suggestions and please keep them coming! I love to try out new ideas!
How I Do It: My Schedule
Right now, my daily schedule can vary quite from day to day due to school, preschool, dance, and piano lessons. Here is a common day.
First, I will direct you to these two posts that give an over-arching insight to how I get stuff done:
- How I Get Stuff Done : http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-i-get-stuff-done.html
- How I Get Stuff Done With Three: http://www.babywisemom.com/2010/08/how-i-get-stuff-done-with-three.html
Basic Routine
These times are approximate.
6:00 AM: Wake up and exercise
6:40-7:00 AM: Scripture Study
7:30 AM: Shower/get ready
8:00 AM: Get kids ready for the day. Clean up breakfast. We then do our learning poster part of learning time and sometimes the learning activity also.
10:00 AM: Daily chore. This is usually sprinkled in with the two hours before this in getting kids ready for the day, also.
10:30 AM: Chores/blogging/crafts/etc.
12:00 PM: Lunch. Then clean up lunch.
1:00 PM: Learning activity if it hasn't been done yet. If so, random chores or play with girls.
1:30 PM: Put girls in nap and rest time. Then time for hobbies or cleaning. Or theoretically relaxing :) I also do SSR with Kaitlyn in this block and homework with Brayden.
4-4:30 PM: Start dinner (unless we are doing something that had to be started earlier).
5:30 PM: Dinner time. Clean up dinner and chores, then family time.
7-7:30 PM: Start getting kids ready for bed.
8-8:30 PM: Kids in bed. Then "chillax" with my husband.
For further details, see:
- How I Do It: Exercise
- How I Do It: Personal Scripture Study
- How I Do It: Get Myself Ready
- How I Do It: Get Children Ready
- How I Do It: Chores
- How I Do It: Meals
- How I Do It: Hobbies
- How I Do It: Errands
- How I Do It: Organize Myself
- How I Do It: Relax
- How I Do It: Learning Time
Let me know if you have any questions! And share your own basic schedules of how you do it.
Related Blog Label:
How I Do It: Learning Time
Learning time at our house is something that has definitely grown over the years. I remember talking to one of my very best friends when Brayden was two. She was a school teacher before becoming a mom (a very good one), and we have been friends since elementary, so she knows me well. We were talking about what Brayden knew and didn't and I expressed that he couldn't do something all the way yet, and she laughed and said it was a 3 year old skill and not to worry about it. She commented that he would of course be fine because of all that I did with him. I told her I didn't do anything beyond normal stuff you do with children. She then listed off all of these things I did with him daily that helped him learn--things I had never thought of as teaching him, just things you did with kids. One example is reading with him each day.
Two days ago, my sister-in-law was asking me how I structure learning time and she commented that she should have started long ago with her oldest (who is two). I assured her she was fine. I didn't start formal learning time with Brayden until I was pregnant with McKenna, so he was 3.
I share that with you to impress upon you that learning time does not need to be formal and I also don't want this post to cause you stress about not having done something with your child yet. This is how I do learning time right now, but not how I did it 5 years ago. Don't underestimate the power of playing with, reading to, and working beside your child. If you want to add more formal setting for your child, this can be a great structured playtime slot in your day. Here is how I do it.
An important step to having successful learning time with your child is to organize your actual stuff. You'll have paints, crayons, paper, sequins, string, saved paper towel rolls...lots of stuff. You need somewehre to put it. There are tons and tons of different ways to do this. Some people can have an actual room that is used for learning activities in their home. In it, they can have drawers, closets, shelves, etc. full of their items.
Other people (like me) do not have a room dedicated to a toy room and/or learning room. We do our crafty stuff in the kitchen for the most part. I have our items organized into totes. I then have these totes primarily in the office closet, which is close to the kitchen. I used to keep the items all downstairs in a nice big closet. Space-wise, it worked great. But proximity wise, it was annoying to me. I didn't like going all the way downstairs each day for our learning stuff (I know, my life is so hard--sense sarcastic tone). But it was annoying enough that I would put off doing learning activities. So I recommend you keep your items as close to where you will do your activities as possible. Here is the section of my closet in my office for the learning items:
I also recently dedicated a drawer in my kitchen to learning items. We have all of our crayons, pencils, pens, markers, etc. in it. My children all love to color, so I can grab a paper and hand them crayons to keep them occupied at the bar while I make dinner.
I keep all of my laminated items for my learning poster I describe below (letters, numbers, shapes, calendar items, etc.) in envelopes:
And I keep those envelopes in an accordion file organizer:
I also keep anything that can fit in there that has to do with learning stuff :)
Here are some more organization ideas:
- Learning Boxes
- Storage Magnetic Letters
- Face-out Book Shelves Tutorial
- Storing Kids' Crafts
- Work Boxes
Think of Learning Ideas
Another important step to doing learning activities is to think of ideas to do :) This is such an easy step in our modern world. There are fun books out that give you ideas (The Toddler's Busy Book, Preschooler's Busy Book, and The Siblings' Busy Book). There is also an untold number of blogs in the Internet that give you ideas (I will of course plug the one I write with a few other moms: Children's Learning Activities). As you do these regularly, you will find that you start to come up with your own fun ideas of things to do!
Edited to add: I have co-written an eBook with a full year of Preschool Curriculum for children ages 1-5. Buy it here (click the photo):
Edited to add: I have co-written an eBook with a full year of Preschool Curriculum for children ages 1-5. Buy it here (click the photo):
Plan Your Week
I think you will get the most from your time spent if you plan out your week ahead of time. I really like to do a theme each week. I got into this habit in following the curriculum on this blog: http://www.ourpreschoolhomeschool.blogspot.com/.
I loved the set-up and we have continued this way while creating our own themes and ideas. Each week, I pick a theme, vocabulary word, nursery rhyme, letter, shape, color, number, and scripture to focus on. Then I plan my activities around those ideas. In addition to activities that teach those items, I try to do sensory, gross motor, fine motor, sorting and matching, and science. We also read books that are related to our theme. This might sound super over-whelming, but a lot of these can be combined with each other. If it all seems like too much, just start small and work your way up.
I use one of two different documents I have made for planning. This one is detailed and has one week per page. This one is my quick planning sheet. I use this one most of the time. It has two weeks per page on it.
Once I have the week's activities planned, I make a list of things to do to prep for our activities. For example, we recently did a week on Thanksgiving. One project we did was a Mayflower shape picture. To prepare for this, I created the shapes to use in the picture.
I then make a list of things I need to buy to do any of our activities.
Prepare for Activities
Now that you have everything planned, you need to prepare. I find this is easiest to do all ahead of time. I take a couple of hours (ideally the Friday or Saturday before the next week starts, but sometimes I am doing it on Monday of the week we are doing the theme) to prep everything. I print my learning poster items, make sure the calendar is ready, and prep activities.
I also need to go shopping sometimes to get some things to do activities.
I also prepare my Face-out Book Shelves. I put the books that go with our theme on the shelves. If I have extra space on my shelves, I put other books I want to encourage the children to read at the time.
Do the Activities
Now is the execution. We used to always do this in the morning hours, but right now I do not have a consistent or ideal time to do it. My problem is I want Kaitlyn involved in it all, but that is rather silly becaus she is at preschool three days a week. So yesterday I decided I need to have a set time and on certain days, she just wont be around. But there are some activities I know the older kids (Brayden and Kaitlyn) will just love so we do it after Brayden gets home from school.
Here is our process.
- We start with our Learning Poster. See this post for more on it. We discuss our theme and the vocabulary word. We then recite the nursery rhyme. We then talk about the letter, the sound it makes, and words that start with that letter. We then do the color and shape. We finish up the poster with our number of the week. We count to that number. I have printed (and laminated) a picture of each. On Monday, we put each item in place as we go along.
- We then do our Calendar. See this post for more information about our calendar. We say the day (Friday), the month (December), and the date (second), with the year (2011). We put the number for the day on the calendar. We then talk about the weather outside and put up the appropriate picture. We then read and recite our scripture.
- We read a story. We pick a story that coincides with our theme for the week and read it.
- We do our activity(s). Sometimes, we move right into this. Other times, we wait until after lunch or after Brayden is home from school.
Aftermath
One thing I recommend is that you take a picture of the creation right away. That way, you can either save the best and you have a photo before it is smashed OR you can throw it away after you have displayed it for a while. You can't save everything.
I always hang my children's latest up on our refrigerator. They love to see it up there. So find somewhere in your home you can display your children's artwork. I have more ideas in my head for this...hopefully it will come to pass so I can share.
Conclusion
If you want to do a learning time each day but this all seems overwhelming, it is okay to start small. We we first started, we just did the learning poster side of things without an extra activity. Make this work for your family.
I would love to hear how you do it! How do you organize? How do you plan and prepare? How do you execute?
How I Do It: Relax
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Um....I really don't do a good job at this. I do find my hobbies relaxing to an extent, but I don't think I would categorize "sewing" as relaxing. It isn't refreshing physically--though it can be nice mentally.
I kind of view relaxing as reading. Doing nothing (do you love the picture above? I might have to do that tactic to get relaxing in). I don't mean "relax" as it is often used in context of telling someone to stop stressing. I am not the stress type. I am the "doesn't know when to stop" type.
In theory, I should relax on Sunday because it is a day of rest. Well, I don't watch Television. We don't shop at all on Sundays. We do our best to keep the Sabbath Day holy. Any mom of small children will tell you, however, that Sunday is not really a "day of rest." Getting your children ready for church, keeping them good at church, and then making sure the day is spent being "holy" doesn't really translate to the most restful day of the week. I often find it the most exhausting, in fact.
I study my scriptures daily and that is rejuvenating and I think that could be justified into some "relaxation" time.
So anyway...my husband often orders me to relax and I don't listen well. My mom also tries that on me when I am pregnant. I think it took her until my fourth pregnancy before I really listened. A little.
So I am turning to you readers. How do you relax? What do you do to relax? How often do you fit it in? How do you fit it in? I need your ideas! I am talking about you time. I take time for family activities. I take time for dates with my husband--I am just talking me relaxing. I think I need to improve in this area to be a more balanced person. So bring on your ideas! Thank you!
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How I Do It: Organize Myself
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Lists, Lists, Lists!
A very important thing for me and my organization is to create lists. I have so much to keep track of that I need to put it down somewhere so I don't have a head explosion trying to keep it all straight.
I used to do this, of course, on paper. I just had a little notebook that I wrote a list of things I needed to do. It worked well. I also had a calendar that I wrote every appointment on to remember.
Today I am high-tech and loving it. I use my iPhone. I have lists in my phone under subcategories...plus my phone is always with me, so as soon as I think of something, I add to it. I really like this and find it so much easier. However, I did manage to survive just fine before I had this phone--I have only had it for six months. So organization definitely can happen without the help of technology.
Break Down
When I have a project I need to do, I like to break it down in my head (or on paper) and create a list of smaller steps. Right now we are remodeling our kitchen, so I will use that as an example. There are lots of steps to remodeling. I think through and list everything that needs to happen--each step. I then order it. Certain things need to happen before other things can happen. Do that with your own organizing of your day. What needs to happen? What order does it need to happen in? Write it out.
Reminders
I have a white board in my office that I write down our set-in-stone weekly appointments. Dance class, piano lessons, time school starts, time school gets out...I don't always need it, but I literally leave it there all school year long.
I used to consult the hard-copy calendar for our appointments, but now I also put them all in my phone. And the best part is that I set my phone to give me reminders for things so I don't forget about them. I love my reminders.
Books
I have created several books to keep myself organized in various areas. I have told you about my Emergency Preparedness Binder and Menu Planner. I have also made a Cleaning Book and a Project Planner. I love using these resources to help keep myself organized.
Shopping Lists
I used to keep my shopping lists for groceries and non-food items in my kitchen hanging on my refrigerator with those list pads you can buy for a dollar at lots of stores (one is Target). Worked great most of the time (except for when I would leave the list hanging on my fridge).
Now I, of course, have my lists on my phone. I know, my phone is getting annoying, right? It is solving too many of my problems.
This Blog
Organizing this blog is really a huge feat in my head. There is a lot to keep straight for me with the blog, questions, Google group, Facebook, and Twitter (I know, I am sorely lacking in my tweeting. Once I get perfect control of everything else, I hope to be a better bird).
I currently use a small calendar. At the end of one month, I write out every post I am going to write for the next month on its respective days. I keep a running list of post ideas on that calendar, also (I also have a Word document with lots of ideas saved). I do write things in pencil so I can move things around if needed.
Think Ahead
I have a running list of everything I can think of that I need to get done. I also have a list of things "To Do Today." These are things that MUST happen that day, then things I would like to get done and think I can accomplish given what I must do.
Each night, I evaluate my list for the next day. I decide what needs to get done and what I need to try to get done. I kind of visualize myself throughout the day. I know what I will do and how long it will take me to do it, then fill in the gaps where possible. I know visualizing is cliche, but it works.
App
I have to share my current favorite app for organizing. I think I have, but I will again. It is Cozi and it is free. You can set it up to sync among family members. My husband and I can both add events, things to shopping lists, and things to do. We are both on the same page and I LOVE it.
Conclusion
That is the basics for how I organize myself. This is just organizing myself to be able to accomplish the things I need to accomplish.
Please share how you organize. What are your tips? Any favorite resources?
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How I Do It: Errands
I will be writing this post a bit differently from the others because I think how I specifically do it alone isn't going to of much use to anyone unless their lifestyle is similar to mine. I will share various ways I did it throughout my children's lives. This has been a dynamic thing for me, meaning it changes pretty frequently.
I think if you have more than one child, you will find best results (meaning productive trip with happy children) if you cater to the schedule of the youngest.
One Baby
When Brayden was my only and a baby, we just had a time of day he and I would go run errands together. I typically chose to run errands more toward the evening. My husband was working part time and going to school full time, so he didn't get home until after 8 PM most nights.
I prefer to disrupt a nap later in the day if possible. I would let him take his first two naps at home, then I would get him up, feed him, and go to town to run errands. We would be out for his waketime and his next nap and I would be home in time for the next feeding.
Our frequency really just depended on the need.
One Pre-Toddler
At this point, errands got easier to work in. With a longer waketime, we could go out and run errands in the waketime he was up for.
One Toddler (and pregnant)
The pregnant part is important because toddlers+pregnant=tired mom. I am so sick when I am pregnant that we usually spent the first trimester at least running errands as a family in the evenings. We also cut back on how often we "needed" to run errands. Sometimes Brayden and I would just go in the morning. For most people, this is the easiest at this age because the child is down to one nap by this point and up all morning long.
As the pregnancy progressed and I was going to the doctor more often, I would sometimes run errands after doctor appointments. My mom would watch Brayden while I went to the doctor. So I would go to the doctor and then run some errands. Running errands while pregnant is easier when you don't have to carry a toddler around also :)
Another time of day that I would do this was just going out by myself in the evening after my husband got home from work.
One Toddler and One Baby
Initially, I did not run errands by myself with my two children. The main reason for this was my desire to cater to the younger child. I knew it was best for her to get her naps disrupted later in the day than earlier (just like I did with Brayden). So we ran errands as a family after dinner. We continued to cut back on how often we really needed to run errands.
The cycle continued similarly as it had with Brayden. I got pregnant with McKenna about the same time-frame as I had with Kaitlyn, so things were very similar.
One Preschooler, One Toddler, and One Baby
This is the same it was when Kaitlyn was a baby. However, with having older children, we added some fun to it. So we would go run errands, then go to a park to play for the evening.
By the time McKenna was 5 months old, Brayden was starting preschool. He went three days a week. I carpooled with two other moms, so I drove one day a week. The driving time, however, interfered with nap for McKenna. My parents offered to come watch our girls while I drove, then I could run errands between drop off and pick-up (yes, I know my parents are awesome). So once a week, I had 2.5 hours to get my errands done. Anyone with children knows that when you are used to running errands with child, running errands alone increases your speed by a ton. 2.5 hours was way more than I needed for my errands.
That lasted for the school year so right to...
One Child, One Preschooler, and one Pre-toddler
This was summer, so no more preschool drop-offs. McKenna was awake for longer periods, so I would just take the children shopping. Sometimes we would run errands as a family in the evening and then go do something fun afterward. I like to consolidate my driving time, so if I know I am driving to town for XYZ that day, I will plan to stop at certain places along the way to get it all done at once. For some reason, I greatly dislike driving to town more than once a day. So I multi-task.
One Child, One Preschooler, and One Toddler
When McKenna went to one nap, we were in a new school year and Kaitlyn had dance once a week. Her dance class was only 45 minutes long, and I learned to squeeze my errands into that time frame once a week. Oh yes, I did it. I will tell you that you leave a grocery store having not spent much money when you have 30 minutes to shop and you are with a toddler. I only bought what was on my list. It was very efficient and cost effective. We didn't have as many snacks in the house, but that is okay.
Today, that is still the category we are in. I do errands in the morning--with or without all three children (though always with at least one). They are all easy to have around on errands so it is not a big deal.
Tips For Making Errands Easiest
These are the things I have found to make things easier in relation to errands.
- Keep a list throughout the week. We keep a list of things we need daily. As soon as someone sees we need something, we add it to the list. We used to use a pad of paper that was on a magnet that hung on the refridgerator (I got them for a dollar at Target). Now we use our Cozi app. Love the Cozi app. This way, you are able to get all you need when you go to the store and not have to make an emergency run to the store for one thing.
- Make a list before you leave--have a plan. Make a list of not only what you need, but where you need to go. You can either write it down or keep a mental list. Think about the most efficient order to go to these places. Having a meal plan for the week before you go grocery shopping will help so you only need to go one time. No last-minute emergency trips.
- Go when children are well rested and not hungry. If your child is hungry or tired, your child will not be good, and you will be frustrated and stressed.
- Bring snacks and drinks if you will be pushing it. If you will be close to a meal or nap time, having a bottle of water (or sippy) along with some crackers (or whatever snack you want) can help kids make it that extra thirty minutes (or whatever).
- Have food storage. A big reason we didn't need to go shopping so much when we had babies was that we have a food storage. By the time the newborn stage was over, we started to run a little thin on things. But during the first few months of the baby's life, we could easily go grocery shopping only twice a month.
- Buy enough to last. If you want to go to that store once a week or twice a month (or less), buy enough of what you get there so you don't need to go any sooner than you want to.
- Order ahead. Some grocery stores will let you call ahead and place your order and they will have your food when you get there. I don't live by any that do that, but I have heard tale. There are also things like a pharmacy where you call ahead and make your wait time at the pharmacy shorter.
- Get things delivered. You can go to the grocery store a lot less often if you get perishables delivered to your home. You can get various groceries delivered. Local dairies will deliver milk, eggs, cheese, and even some non-perishables. There are also groups like Bountiful Baskets where you can get your produce http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/. They don't deliver, but are often very close to your home.
We live in a great day and age when you can get lots of things delivered to your doorstep. You can buy things like diapers from Amazon.com - Utilize Drive-throughs. I know drive throughs are not popular with environmentalists, but they can make your trip easier if you have a young child with you. That is one less stop where you have to get the child out of the carseat, in the store, then back in the carseat.
- Consolidate trips. Get as many of your errands done on one trip as you can. Wait for the things you can wait for until you have enough you need to make a trip out of it.
- Get babysitters. Trade childcare with a friend, go when your spouse is home, as your parents to watch the kids...going without children can make things easier. However, I know one of my favorite things to do as a child was run errands with my mom, so I do think there is something special about having your children with you while you run errands--and it is only for a brief time in your life! Though sometimes it is magical and special about going alone, too :)
Those are my tips! Please share your tips for making your errands easier! What do you do to make this task more efficient and enjoyable?
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How I Do It: Hobbies
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What: Hobbies
When: During nap time and independent playtime
Where: At my house (typically)
Where: At my house (typically)
Why: To be me
How: Make it a priority
What: Hobbies
We are talking hobbies today. I am talking about things you like to do--things that are you. You can think of things you liked to do before you had children (did you sing? Dance? Draw? Sew? Read? Run?....). But your hobbies don't need to be limited to what you did before you had children. I have a lot more hobbies now than I did before having kids. You can always add new hobbies.
When: During Nap Time and Independent Playtime
Where: At My House
I mostly do my hobbies during naps and independent play time. There are some hobbies that sometimes require me to leave my house (like playing in a basketball league), and that is usually done after the kids are in bed (during basketball season). There have also been times I have been in the city choir and have had practice in the evenings.
I do my best to make sure my hobbies to not infringe on family time. That doesn't mean, however, that I never leave my husband and children at home for things. Going back to the city choir, practices started at 7 PM--bedtime is between 8-8:30. I never planned on joining the choir, but my husband basically told me I had to. He knows how much I love to sing and wanted me to have that chance. It was a 6 week practice schedule of once a week, so not a huge impact. I do like for my kids to see me doing things that show I am a person beyond a mom. I love being a mom and having that identity, but I am more than a mom. I have other things about me than just "mom."
Why: To Be Me
I have a goal. When my children move out, I want to handle it with grace. I want to know who I am and not be dependent on my children for my own identity. I think being an indpendent mom makes for a healthier relationship with adult children. I don't want my children to feel guilty for living their lives and leaving me behind.
A lot of my hobbies are things I do for my children and husband. I sew for them. I make jewelry and bows for my girls. I garden for their food. I scrapbook to preserve our memories. I took a photography class so I could take better photographs of my children.
There are hobbies I have like reading that benefit my children because they see me read and love books and it helps influence them to want to read and love books.
I have very few hobbies that are purely for myself. One is singing. I love to sing. I know my children love for me to sing them songs, but when I join a choir or sing a song in church, it is because I love it. I don't doubt they will benefit from my love of music, but my motivation is just that I love it.
This post is one of my very favorites to women:
http://www.babywisemom.com/2008/07/motherhood-some-uplifting-words-again.htmlThis is the key paragraph for this topic:
Third, even as you try to cut out the extra commitments, sisters, find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children.
For more on my thoughts on why to develop hobbies, see Developing Talents.
How: Make it a Priority
This is where the whole hobby thing gets tricky. You don't want to neglect your family in pursuit of a hobby. But I do fully believe it is so worthwhile to develop hobbies. I think this post helps with the balancing act: A Good Woman see also Motherhood: Some Uplifting WordsSo first, you decide you are going to work it in.
Next, you decide what. Like the paragraph above stated, pick one or two things you like to do. Do you like to read? Crochet? Craft? Dance? Write? Play an instrument? Cook? What is it you like? If you really think this sounds impossible, I suggest you start with just one thing.
When Brayden was a baby, I didn't have many hobbies I actively pursued. I sewed sometimes. I scrapbooked sometimes. I mostly read because it was something I could do that was quiet and that could easily be interrupted. As you get used to being a mom and balancing your time, you will get better at fitting in other things.
Now you are determined to do a hobby and know what you want to do. You next need to decide when to do it and where. This will depend on what it is.
Next you just do it! You might need to set goals to motivate yourself. So if you want to sew, you might say, "My goal is to sew some pajama pants for my child(ren) for Christmas." But always remember, your purpose in your hobby is to enjoy yourself and enrich your life.
A key to fitting hobbies in is time management. A lot of the ideas I have shared in this series are keys to helping your day be smooth enough to work a hobby in. Don't let your hobbies become a stress in your life (consistently--sometimes they will...like when I was just sewing Halloween costumes and finished 15 minutes before my first party of the season).
I should also add, there will be times when you have more time for hobbies than others. When I have a baby under 6 months, I don't have much time for hobbies. I do some here and there, but not much. Having one core, easy to work in hobby is great. That is one reason I love the hobby of reading. It seems like you can always work in reading.
Conclusion
How do you do your hobbies? When do you do them and where? What do you love to do? Please share how you have made it work for you! We all benefit from each other's ideas.
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How I Do It: Meals
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Mmmm....food. I love to eat food. I don't necessarily love to make food. I don't hate it but I don't have a passion for it. I do, however, love to eat, so I am willing to put the time into cooking in order to eat.
What: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
When: Morning, noon, and evening
Where: At my house
Where: At my house
Why: To feed my family. I love to eat, and I like to eat quality food
How: Simplify, leftovers, plan, and cook what you love
What: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
I want to break each meal up separately because each meal is different at our house.
We keep breakfast and lunch quite simple and routine. We keep dinner more complicated and try lots of of different things.
When: Morning, Noon, and Evening
We eat our meals at relatively regular times. We eat breakfast typically in the late 7 AM hour or early 8 AM hour.
We eat lunch in the noon hour.
We eat dinner typically in the late 5 PM hour, sometimes early 6 PM hour.
Where: At Home
We do eat out on ocassion. We sometimes pack a lunch and take it to the park. We sometimes eat dinner at a restaurant. I think it is fun to do. I am getting more and more picky about food quality as I get older. As I write this, we haven't eaten out of home for over three weeks...but we are planning on it tonight. Anyway, this isn't really the point :)
We eat at home with the family around the table for each meal. Breakfast is kind of hit and miss. Typically, my hsuband eats either with Brayden and Kaitlyn or by himself (or at work). Brayden and Kaitlyn always eat together. McKenna and I always eat together. Sometimes McKenna and I are eating the same time as Brayden and Kaitlyn.
Lunch is all together minus Brayden on weekdays because of school.
Dinner is all together. At home. Around the dinner table.
Why: To Feed My Family
The first basic reason for meals is for survival. I try to have meals together as a family because I think it helps unite the family. I think family mealtime is important. We aren't just feeding their physical bodies; we are feeding their souls.
How: Simplify, Leftovers, Plan, Cook What You Love
This is the real meat of the post. How do you do it?
Breakfast: Breafast is not my favorite meal of the day. I love breakfast foods, but I don't love eating breakfast. I was one of those people who never ate breakfast. When I was in college, Biology 1010 talked me into it. But I don't like it. If I am going to eat a heavy breakfast, I need it to be more of a brunch. It can't be before 9 AM. So we keep breakfast simple. Yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, and cereal (healthier cereals) are what we typically eat.
Lunch: Lunch is our leftovers meal. We eat our leftovers from dinner at lunch time. This is also the meal we allow children to indulge in that favorite food they have latched on to forever. Brayden had a thing for peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches for over a year. He had one every day for lunch. Kaitlyn likes toast with butter on it. Each child chooses a fruit to have with lunch, which varies depending on what we have. Each child also chooses a vegetable (again, varies). They can have some cheese if they want it.
Sometimes for lunch, we do breakfast foods. I might make pancakes for lunch or we cook up some eggs. If lunch is cooked, you eat what was prepared rather than the typical lunch. We also sometimes do common kid favorites like Macaroni and Cheese.
Dinner: This is where I turn to more complicated things. This is where planning comes into play.
We tend to like a lot of variety for dinner. I think that makes dinner more complicated. It is easier to make a recipe you have made several times than a recipe you have never made before.
Here is my process to choosing and making dinner:
- Write down meals
- Create shopping list
- Buy ingredients
- Choose what is for dinner by lunch that day
- Cook dinner
If you want a free copy of this, see this post. I printed the pages, then I had them laminated (this was before I bought a laminator) and bound. I use a wet erase marker with it. See this post for more.
I do have a method to choosing meals. I try to vary it by having certain categories that I choose one recipe from.
- Breakfast--we love having breakfast for dinner. Sometimes we have the breakfast meal for a brunch on Saturday.
- Slowcooker--I love slowcooker meals. I find it is easier to make dinner at lunch time than at dinner time.
- Quick and Easy--I like to have at least one meal planned that is super easy to make for those busy nights. Ideas here are spaghetti and tacos.
- Mexican--a favorite type of food here
- Italian--probably THE favorite type of food here
- A brand new recipe--Something we have never made before
- Other. I usually have at least two recipes we have never had before.
I also make sure I have a vegetable planned to go with each meal and any sides if desired. Oh! And I also have one-two desserts planned so I am sure I have the ingredients for those on hand. We don't have dessert every day, but I typically have cookies made so we can each have a cookie after dinner and chores are done.
So I write down my 7 meals along with any ingredients I need to make the items. I transfer my list in my book pictured above to my shopping list. I used to use a piece of paper, but now that I have my iPhone, I use an app. I used to use Grocery Gadget--which was free when I got it; I don't know if it is now or not. I recently switched over to Cozi. It was also free, and is a family calendar as well. It can also be udated by anyone in the family, so my husband can add things to the list from his phone. I love it. The Grocery Gadget was more organized that Cozi, but Cozi is more interactive so I use that.
One day a week, I go shopping. I buy any ingredients I need for the week as well as any super deals at the grocery store that week. When I have a newborn, I only go grocery shopping every other week. I make a two week meal plan and shop every other week. We get our milk delivered and I make our bread, so we can easily shop less often if needed.
Each day, I pull out my menu book at least by lunch time to decide what we want for dinner that night. This gives me enough time to thaw meat and raise bread. For a slowcooker meal, you often need to decide the night before so you can prep it in the morning.
Another perk of choosing at lunch time what we will have for dinner is it gives me an idea of what time I need to start dinner. I know about how long it will take me to make it.
Favorite Cookbooks
Oh yes, I have my favorite cookbooks. Here they are.
Our Best Bites is hands down, no contest, my favorite cookbook that I own. If I was forced to own only one cookbook, this would be the one--no hesitation. I can't say enough good about it. The recipes use very fresh ingredients and are easy to follow. There is also a picture for every recipe, which I think is fabulous. My brother-in-law said something to the effect that this cookbook has made many men very happy.
101 Things to Do with a Slow Cooker and 101 More Things to Do with a Slow Cooker are super fabulous for slow cooker recipes. I have made almost every recipe in each book. Soups, main dishes, and desserts...yum.
These are my three favorites. I use a lot of family recipes, too.
I don't use the internet much for cooking (I do think that is strange...). But I do have a couple of favorites.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/--Yes, Our Best Bites was a blog before it was a book!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/--Pioneer Woman. I also have her cookbook. I like her cookbook, but it isn't all things I would make. Some of my ultimate recipes, though, are on her website, so I love the website. I love her sense of humor :)
Conclusion
That is how we do our meals. We keep it simple where we can and interesting where we want it. Please share how you do meals! How do you plan? What are your favorite recipes?
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