tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post4158297520227968745..comments2024-03-28T04:48:07.628-05:00Comments on Somehow We Manage: StreamliningSarah Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16023901303151195275noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-11061316168296036312017-04-29T07:26:24.551-05:002017-04-29T07:26:24.551-05:00I love these posts! I do cook for others from time...I love these posts! I do cook for others from time to time-but it's something I really enjoy. And I always, always double the recipe and leave my family's portion in the oven warming whilst we deliver. Christian put me on the Earth Fare $5 chicken. They typically put asparagus on sale on Mondays, too, or kale. So I will purchase one or both of those veggies, chicken, and a $.99 baguette and that's our dinner Monday nights. We have made a habit of purchasing two of their $6 "take and bake" pizzas on Friday nights and I buy a family size Caesar salad kit at the store during the week and that's our Friday night meal. I will look at the calendar and count the evenings I know we will be home and hit up our little farmers market for that many different types of veggies. I buy meat at Costco about once a month, so for the rest of each week I pair and meat and veggies for dinner-no recipes, just whatever I am in the mood for...grilled, roasted, etc. I also purchased a rice cooker earlier this school year and it is bomb.com. I can program it up to 12 hours in advance, making dinner on evenings we spend playing sports so much easier! (I'll typically cook something in the crockpot on those nights, too.) Love reading all these ideas!!Wanting What I Havehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05711989381690050970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-17627585526557819002017-04-05T20:43:19.413-05:002017-04-05T20:43:19.413-05:00My kids are older (15, 12 and 9) so I'm past t...My kids are older (15, 12 and 9) so I'm past the throes of toddlerhood and baby stage. That said, our biggest thing is not doing organized sports. That is such a time and weekend suck! (Granted, my kids aren't interested in doing them, so it's not hard, but plenty of friends think sports are not optional, especially for little kids). We have dinner together every night, our kids have quiet evenings, go to bed at 8:30 (15-year old has to wake up at 5:30) and they can do chores on Saturday mornings. No driving everywhere, standing on the sidelines, and hours-long practices. My kids go to a weekly church group and piano lessons (=daily practice) and seasonal plays, but those practices are right after school (so they can walk home on their own), with a week or so of lots of practices. That's what works for us right now. Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16149939591954230609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-4114968916588164602017-04-04T14:39:58.045-05:002017-04-04T14:39:58.045-05:00I have been pondering and pondering this post! I ...I have been pondering and pondering this post! I am very efficient, it is true, but I think my efficiency can be to get everything done instead of saying NO and scaling back my expectations. So that's why I've been thinking so hard.<br />But let's see. . . <br />I teach my kids piano AT HOME. Ben will play soccer this spring, but that's it. No other outside activities besides playdates.<br />I teach my kids how to be real helps and contributors to the family via cleaning, some cooking, and folding their own laundry etc. Their cleaning means the house can be a bit grimy in places, but I did not have to clean it and I don't.<br />Aaaaaand now my kids are home from school! I need to go. Margohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16345165456341197559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-75590716625756780822017-04-03T17:48:15.510-05:002017-04-03T17:48:15.510-05:00Goodness yes! So many good ideas. We quit Wednesda...Goodness yes! So many good ideas. We quit Wednesday night church 2 years ago when Alice was born. I do still feed new moms, but it's usually something very simple. I had a pizza delivered to a new mom just last week. Haha. I've had to learn it's okay to say no, and that this is only a season. It's very freeing!Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15967381032698725491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-71566788933432926912017-04-02T21:36:28.963-05:002017-04-02T21:36:28.963-05:00This is my life right now. My oldest is 6 in kinde...This is my life right now. My oldest is 6 in kindergarten, I have a 3 yr old and active 19 month old and Sawyer is 8 weeks old. You nailed it and thanks for affirming some of things we are trying to work out! Enjoy your blog!Elizabeth and Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765873491485478000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-23344232333081735002017-04-01T10:11:19.619-05:002017-04-01T10:11:19.619-05:00On Monday afternoons on my way home from school I ...On Monday afternoons on my way home from school I pick-up a $4.99 rotisserie chicken from Earth Fare. When I get home I roast two big pans of veggies and potatoes (white and sweet) and that's dinner, plus veggies to eat with other meals throughout the week. We always have some leftover chicken which I can use in another meal later in the week... enchiladas, soup, or to go in school lunches. Joining a produce co-op has been a simplifier for me. For $20 a week someone else selects my produce for the week (less decisions for me!), I get fresh, local, organic eggs, and usually a baked good that works well for Saturday morning breakfast. I plan my meals around the produce and supplement additional fruit from the grocery store as needed for the kids' snacks. My kids are older (7-14) so I can provide meals for other families, but I have a standard menu -- grilled pork tenderloin, potato casserole, and a veggie or salad. I do not do anything outside of being a wife and mom on week nights and week day afternoons. I. just. can't.Christian - Modobject@Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09687272618188063178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-85190381632629690412017-03-31T22:10:53.337-05:002017-03-31T22:10:53.337-05:00Thank you, thank you for this post Sarah Barry!! J...Thank you, thank you for this post Sarah Barry!! Just tonight, after bringing friends a meal and coming home to a wreck of a house and kitchen and needing to feed my own family, I though that this is not the season of my life where I need to be doing this. I do not do a lot of extras or play dates or activities right now. We mainly stay at home and that is what I can manage. Sometime I feel like my kids are "missing out" but I know they just want to dig in the dirt and play in the yard and that suits my own personality so much more too. I have got to drag out our pack and play that Forrest naps in to the den more...dishes, laundry folding, It takes 20 times longer with his help as you know. Our boys eat on paper plates for all three meals right now and it's such a huge help! I have been running a load of laundry before bed and just moving it in the morning and folding it before lunch if possible. Trying to be done with the clothes earlier in the day has helped me too. Laura D. Sextonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12739549270443357531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-81276696386328287192017-03-30T16:00:20.371-05:002017-03-30T16:00:20.371-05:00Yep! I totally relate to this, too. With almost ...Yep! I totally relate to this, too. With almost 6 kids in the house, I can't make meals for other people, either, right now. We can't do Wednesday night church. Oh, my. It was so, so hard to do that every week. And the lady that helps me deep clean doesn't know that I cry every time she comes. I'm so happy to have help. Chick-fil-A is every Wednesday at lunch during orchestra. I just cannot make all of the meals and have everyone out of the house by 8:00. Just cannot. Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14605241533773710814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299886129893433497.post-60861443968993953082017-03-30T14:41:42.280-05:002017-03-30T14:41:42.280-05:00Oh how I love this post! We too re-hired cleaning ...Oh how I love this post! We too re-hired cleaning help to come every other week after a year-long hiatus for budgetary purposes that about killed me. I'm never more cheerful than every other Tuesday when my helpers come!!! Outfits are set out for myself and both girls after naptime each day for the next day. My 3-year old lays her outfit our herself, fireman style on the floor, and I've given up caring about matching. Coffee is programmed the night before. We quit our church's little spirit choir bc it involved waking two babies from their naps and driving 20 minutes each way during the witching hour during the time I should be cooking dinner. I also quit a monthly ladies' bunko group which I enjoyed but the once a year I had to host involved tons of prep work and woken screaming babies during the event (which involves a cowbell) and the socialization benefits were totally outweighed by the inconveniences.My newest help is ordering our groceries online and picking them up at our grocery store! They even load them into the car for me! It's a $10 shopping fee but I'm still finding I spend about what I do while shopping in-store because it forces me to stick to my list and eliminates impulse shopping. Pizza Fridays are also my saving grace, and the vegetable is the tomato sauce! No side dishes!! These are my favorite posts, thank you!Kirbyhttp://www.agladhome.comnoreply@blogger.com