Transition time
Monday, October 29, 2012A week from today, I go back to work full-time. Eli will start going to his sitter's all day, and I will be an emotional wreck. That's my prediction: the next couple of weeks are going to be a full-on shitshow of feelings.
I'm trying to make the transition as easy as possible for our family, and in true "fail to plan, plan to fail", Type A fashion, my little brain is working overtime to try to foresee problems and issues and come up with solutions before all hell breaks loose.
Here are some of the things I've come up with to hopefully, fingers crossed, make things easier for us and help us all to be more efficient:
- lay out our outfits the night before. This way, we can wake up in the morning and not have to hem and haw in our closets (because that's EXACTLY what Eli does every day) and debate what to wear.
- plan meals for the week and shop for groceries on Sundays, so there's no last-minute scrambling or "what are we going to have for dinner?" "I don't know, what do you feel like?" dilemmas mid-week.
- set the timer on the coffee maker before I go to bed. Having caffeine at the ready when I wake up will get me off to a better start.
- make my lunch and Eli's snacks when cleaning up from dinner. Not preparing lunches in the morning frees up valuable time and it'll be easier to throw some leftovers and a couple pieces of fruit into a container in the evening.
- pack our bags in the evenings: my work stuff, Eli's daycare stuff, my gym bag. Again, just cuts down on last-minute scrambling before we have to get out the door.
- go to the gym at lunch when time permits. I'll be getting up at 6:00 as it is. Getting up at 4:30 to go to the gym in the morning is not happening, and I'll want to spend my after-office hours with Eli and Peter, not surrounded by gorilla juiceheads and Zumba bunnies slogging away on the treadmill.
- spend 15-20 minutes at night (MAX) cleaning up around the house, just doing the day-to-day tidying up, Swiffering, etc. to keep things presentable.
That's all I got. These are no-brainers, for the most part, but I'm hoping they help us make the best use of our time and maximize our time together as a family.
Any busy mamas (or dads!) have any hints or suggestions for us?
8 comments
I'm not a busy mom but I have found that this helps me. Every weekend I sit and plan out what we're going to have for dinner every single night. I really only cook on Sunday, Monday & Wednesday. I leave Tuesdays and Thursdays for what I call "Fend for yourself" night. Originally it started out with hey make what you want because I'm not cooking, however, now it's more of a 'make it quick' meal. So that could be a grilled cheese and soup to frozen salmon steaks with a salad. The nights I do cook, I make enough to get at least two meals for each of us out of it if not more. Bringing your lunch to work is cheaper not to mention you eat a heck of a lot better. So once we eat, I usually pull the Tupperware out and pack lunches while Ian does the dishes.
ReplyDeleteSo I sit there, pick what we're eating, pull my shopping list together and then we grocery shop on Sunday. I try to do a more complicated meal on Sunday since I have the time then do the faster meals during the week...like the crock pot! Oh and while I love my smartphone, I keep a small note pad in my purse so when I remember something I need I can quickly write it down on my shopping list.
Oh and try to pull together a book of some sort that has all your favorite recipes and any notes you may have on them. It helps in those moments where you really just can't think of a single thing to make.
This sounds exactly like what I hope to start doing! We just started doing a meal on Sundays and will probably continue doing that because it's kind of a lazy day anyway, a good chance to do a roast beef or a soup from scratch or whatever. This week we made chilli and brown bread. I feel like taking 10-15 minutes to plan once a week is going to end up being worth the effort.
DeleteI made a Grocery List on Excel, each section of the Superstore is listed by food item. Fruit/Veg - Breads/Bakery - Sandwhich Meat/Cheese - Fish/Meat - Dairy - Frozen Foods - Canned/Bottled/Boxed - Dry Foods - Pet Food - Cleaning - Joe Fresh - Outdoor.
ReplyDeleteSomeday I will be adding "Baby" to that list... Having this list keeps me from running around the store if I forgot something, and it cuts my shopping time in half!
Nice post! :)
I love how "Joe Fresh" is a section on your grocery list, haha. Mine too!!
DeleteI so know how you feel, fitting in exercise time is so hard with a full time job and two children. I have found that really the only exercise that really works for me is running in the evening with the dog when the girls are in bed, and I can only really do this if my hubby is home and not working the night shift. Those evenings are where I am relegated to exercise to a pop video with the girls and having an all over jump around.... This is prob why I find it SO hard to tone up/shift weight.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to juggle, but its do-able and you seem to have your shit together
This time of year I find it so hard to run in the evenings, it gets dark so early and soon it'll be slippery and just plain gross! We got the pricier Goodlife membership so we could visit different gym locations - hopefully I find one close-ish to the office and can use it regularly. I know some evenings I'll go after Eli goes to bed but a lot of nights I'll just want to relax with some wine. Really hoping to be able to keep up some kind of routine, I aim to work out 4-5 times a week and hope I can continue.
DeleteAwesome, this was a absolutely superior post. In approach I'd like to address like this too - demography time and absolute accomplishment to accomplish a acceptable article... but what can I say... I adjourn alot and never assume to get something doneRinoplasti
Deleteit all sounds like great ideas! I'm sure you're going to be fine :)
ReplyDelete