Ok new moms, what helps?

[Samantha675]

So now that Bren is 4 months old, and life is settling down again. I am finding ways to make my life easier. My newest thing is meal planning. OMG, who knew how great this was? I didn't. I now take an hour or so ever Sunday and plan our dinners for the week. I also make sure to make enough for lunch the next day as the DH works from home and I stay at home. Then on Monday I go shop. It really has made things so much easier for me. I use this website www.recipezaar.com for the recipes and they have this awesome feature that you can create a shopping list at the click of a button and just print it out!

I bought a small laundry basket, and do half loads. Now I can just carry the small basket anywhere and fold clothes. I may be wrinkled, but least I'm clean.

 

[JennyLynn512]

So now that Bren is 4 months old, and life is settling down again. I am finding ways to make my life easier. My newest thing is meal planning. OMG, who knew how great this was? I didn't. I now take an hour or so ever Sunday and plan our dinners for the week. I also make sure to make enough for lunch the next day as the DH works from home and I stay at home. Then on Monday I go shop. It really has made things so much easier for me. I use this website www.recipezaar.com for the recipes and they have this awesome feature that you can create a shopping list at the click of a button and just print it out!

I bought a small laundry basket, and do half loads. Now I can just carry the small basket anywhere and fold clothes. I may be wrinkled, but least I'm clean.

I totally agree about planning dinners. My husband and I started this before I got pregnant and it is such a huge help. It really cuts out from buying just "junk" from the grocery and coming home to find that you didn't even buy anything to make any dinners with. Ha! Thanks for the website. I didn't know about it and liked it when I went there!

 

[isil]

I think I need to start planning dinners...OH doesn't eat at home (he's always at work) so I live on tea, orange coridal, toast and the occasional banana!

 

[CK Too]

I plan the meals in advance as well. I also tend to cook a meal enough for 4 people one night and then re-heat the rest for the following nights meal - then at least I´m not cooking something every single night.

 

[Margerle]

I plan the meals in advance as well. I also tend to cook a meal enough for 4 people one night and then re-heat the rest for the following nights meal - then at least I´m not cooking something every single night.

I do this too. cook about 3 times a week. But I also try to vary leftovers so they don't get boring.

For instance, I made some hearty potato soup/stew on Saturday. We ate that with sliced baguettes. When I have it again (tonite), I'll put soup in a boule that I dug the center out of.

On Sunday I had a pork butt in the crock pot. We ate that with carrots and mashed potatoes. Then it will be 'pulled pork' sandwiches utnil its gone.

For the rest-

I work full time outside the home (but only a block away) So I have that much more time to get to my housework.

I'm a budding flylady www.flylady.com and it has really helped me organize my mind into doing things. Each week is a different zone... with DH and my 12 yo AND the new baby (3 dogs and a partridge in a pear tree) things can get pretty wild in here in no time... flylady helps me keep things in perspective, helps me keep a little of the day to myself, and helps me enjoy my domesticity without burnout.

I'm in the process of decluttering. Though I'm not a pack rat by nature, it had been a couple years since I did that. And after DH moved in to my home after we were married, his bachelor pad stuff came too .

Anyway, you might not need flylady now but things can sneak up on a gal and looking into how they organize their day/life might be of benefit to your future sanity when you have more kids running around, and playdates, sports/music practices, school functions, homework, extra laundry, snacks, shopping, on and on and on...

 

[B4byAnge1]

I will be keeping a close eye on this thread, I used to be so organised, and I was still up until I went back to work a couple of weeks ago! Its only a couple of hours in the morning but its really messed with my schedule, so Im looking for good ways to save some time! That website looks great marge..going to have a close look..if I ever get a chance!

 

[Margerle]

Cuz that post above was at like 4:30am and I was typing one handing while NAK'ing, I didn't get to go into how much I love flylady.

It seems like a bunch of crap in the beginning. I briefly visited the site upon a recommendation from a friend. Here I am, up to my eyeballs in dog hair, teenage clutter (nailpolish, iPods, CLOTHES, hair brushes and hair thingies) my husbands stuff, baby stuff... mountains of laundry, mountains of dishes (did I mention that a teenager can go through every single dish in the house in less than 24 hours!?!?!?).

I love to cook, I like to keep a clean house, the dogs sometimes make me nuts as they're like 3 more little toddlers. I'm nursing and taking care of baby...

I knit and quilt and sew, but I don't have much time left for those things that I like to do...

So I found flylady. She says "put your shoes on."

I'm like "shoes on? I've got all this stuff to do! How am I gonna get through all of it!?" XXXX friend said you were a lifesaver, and you tell me to put my shoes on?

Then she says "shine your sink".

Now this isn't as hard for me. I loathe waking up to dishes in the sink, dirty water in the sink or dishes drying on the counter. This one made sense to me as it is nice walking into a fresh kitchen in the morning to make coffee.

Flylady starts one thing at a time. Most of the time in 15 minute intervals. Decluttering is a big point to the system. Almost all of us has too much clutter and it makes cleaning confusing and overwhelming. But they don't make you do everything in one weekend... You'd burnout and then you wouldn't keep up with your stuff -

I want to mention here, that their stuff... the main flylady system they talk about is FREE. Now they sell calendars and cool cleaning products etc to make their money - but the 'how to get your life in order' information is FREE.

- anyway, clutter makes confusion.

She has you first make a control journal. Write down daily tasks for morning noon and night. Simple things to take CONTROL of your stuff. Everyone's is different and unique and stylized to your individual schedule and family life.

I don't ahve a control journal yet - I have to get one.

For the deeper stuff, Flylady works in weekly zones. Kitchen, bedroom, dining area, etc. Each day in the zone is ONE deeper cleaning task. As you work thorugh the system and hit the zones, after a few weeks you'll have a house you can ALWAYS welcome company to. You're happy to have people over. You aren't embarrassed about your environment - kids have structure, and hubby is happy he has a happy wife

It's really hard not to jump in this thing with both feet - but they caution you against this to avoid burnout. So I'm reigning myself in and doing only what they suggest. I'm a lot happeir to be honest - I'm not stressed, I'm making little changes that others in my home are taking into consideration...

I wished I had gotten into this schedule PRIOR to having a largish family and all that entails. It would be easier to add a few tasks here and there.

I subscribe to the daily emails and their nice for a little reminder to do this or that... I have the kid one sent to my DD and I made her a jr. control journal for herself.

BTW, they have a whole section on menu planning and grocery shopping etc.

Anyway, I guess I could go on and on and on. This really is a great thing to get involved with.

Hope that helps!

 

[Holldoll]

I will second flylady! I used to do it and it really helped when I was going to school full-time, working full-time and being married and running a house. I should get back into it.

Something I've done that they offer here is Super Suppers. I've heard other places it's called Dream Dinners. I don't love to cook and for $130 a month I can get 12 meals and two sides. They put all the food together and you just stick it in the oven or on the stove and cook it. It's amazing! It's good food and a lot of stuff that I wouldn't normally cook.

The other thing I have started doing is clipping coupons. I have a blog about it now. I like it because first of all, I'm saving tons of money, but it's also helping me keep food and supplies in the house.