What's for dinner?

I know, there are books, websites, blogs, etc devoted entirely to ways to feed your family. Here is a tip that someone told me last spring, and it has really helped me: Decide by 10 AM what you are going to do for dinner that night. It sounds so simple, and it is, but I didn't realize that I really did it before. It's so easy to get caught up in rushing through the day that you don't stop to think about dinner until you have 3 hungry children ready to eat. Then it's too late to plan!

At least 2 or 3 days a week, my decision is that we are going out. I am not someone who cooks every night by any means. At least this way I can manage expectations with everyone for the evening plans. I just went to the grocery store, and tonight we are having an Ohio favorite for Rob, Brats on the grill. Tomorrow is taco night. I feel so organized right now! Last night we went out with friends, and that was great, too.

Everything can be a source of stress, but I have found a way to make dinner time a little easier for this family at least on some nights. Of course, I'm sure that someone will end up eating a pop tart and banana for dinner instead!

Slow Down

My tip today is simple and one that I should try a little harder to follow, slow down! If you are running late, you're not going to make up any time by trying to rush preschoolers out the door - trust me, I've tried. I'm sure that they played a part in the reason that you might be late, but it really isn't their fault so just let it go. If there is something for which you absolutely cannot be late, the kids need to be in the car, stroller, or with the sitter at least 10 minutes early. Murphy's law is so true with kids, I should just call it Mary Jane's law. This morning was a good example, I thought we were all ready to get in the stroller to go to preschool, but then Mary Jane (who was wearing a cute outfit of pink jeans and a shirt) saw Charlotte's outfit. Charlotte had on tights and a skirt, apparently a much better choice. Getting a 2 year old into tights and a skirt is not a quick process. I also had to convince Charlotte that her choice of shirt was too small and needed to be changed. Needless to say, we left about 10 minutes later than I planned. You know what? It wasn't a big deal.

Being on time to 1st grade with Mason is a whole different story, but the rules still apply, slow down and don't make your child anxious or feel responsible for the fact that things don't always run according to schedule!

Sunday Lessons

When I was little, everytime we had dinner with my grandparents my Grandfather would ask "What did you learn today?" It's not always an easy question to answer, but in the few days since I have been working on this blog, I've realized that I learn alot each day! Here are some of my lattes of the day...

1. Church is a great place to get some "me" time - the girls both love Sunday School during which I go to Java Monkey and read the Sunday Times Magazine. Rob and Mason spend some daddy son time together. During church, I sit with my grandparents who are now in their late 80s. It is very comforting to sit through the routine of the service and to see my grandparents help one another after 65+ years together.

2. Being a mother makes you overly emotional about most things and that is ok. Mary Jane stopped sleeping in a crib 4 days ago, and we were going to take the crib down this afternoon. I stood in the girls' room and cried and cried about it. It's a big milestone for her, and I'm excited that we're moving on, but I've has one of my babies in that crib for 6 1/2 years. Now I don't have any more babies in the house.

Useful (sometimes) Tips

Here is a random assortment of tips that might be useful. I find it easy to collect tips, but not always easy to follow them:

1. Do it the night before - I often leave the house 10 minutes late in the mornings thinking I should have started the wash, packed the snacks, picked out clothes last night instead of watching Nip/Tuck episodes from Netflix.

2. Do it all at once - I have found this very useful for laundry and cleaning, it is easier to devote a few hours to each rather than spend a little bit of every day and feel like it is never done.

3. Stop the junk - if you look at the bottom of one of the free credit card offers you get in the mail, there is a number you can call to stop all offers. I did this a year ago for me and Rob and it has made a huge difference in the amount of junk we have to sort through.

More to follow, hence the term daily latte...

Lip Gloss

If you have a toddler, a tube of clear lip gloss is a great tool for entertainment or distraction when you're on the go and the mess is relatively minimal.