organization, anyone?

I used to scoff at the parents magazines that said the best way to manage a busy household with small children was to organize, set a routine, and then organize some more.  I scoff a lot in my head.  I smile nicely and then I think "My mom/husband/best friend/self and I are going to have a laugh about that one later."

I was one to fly by the seat of my pants, a lot.  I didn't make many long term plans, because if it happened to be a bad day in my house, we wouldn't end up going anywhere.  On the flip side, if it was a nice day, we would make last minute plans to go to the park, have a picnic, or go swimming.  Sometimes this meant that we ran out of milk, because it was never the right day to trudge through Walmart. 

Somehow, somewhere, my life started to follow a pattern.  As this pattern took hold, I realized (grudgingly) the benefits to having a routine.  Especially with small kids that thrive on predictability. 

Every Monday morning is now Walmart morning.  There are several very nice Walmart employees that recognize/anticipate/dread my small clan every Monday.  There is a sweet checker who never grumbles about my 20 reusable bags, 30 coupons, and small blond 4-year-old that handles all the candy.  And she is super fast at getting me through the line in time to pick up my kindergartner.  There is a quiet cart guy that follows me innocently to my car and waits patiently for my insanely huge shopping cart stroller combo so he can wheel it back to the cart corral.  He has even started greeting me at the door with a quiet "Must be Monday!" 

The E-Mealz has virtually eliminated my stress over dinner.  The meals are nothing fancy, but the less I have to think about a dinner recipe, the less I stress when no one eats it.  E-Mealz has in turn made my Walmart prep every Monday morning quick and painless.  I have started to look forward to the post-weekend coupon hunt and have organized my coupons in a cute little photo album.  I am by no means one of those crazy couponers, but I am trying really hard to not purchase anything with a brand name unless I have a coupon.  Have I saved alot (or any?) money yet?  No, not really, but I am determined that after a few months of this, I will be saving SOMETHING.  My sanity has to be worth a few bucks here or there, right?

Organizing my shopping trip has influenced me to next organize my pantry.  I found out I didn't really need to pick up another can of Campbell's soup, because I actually had three shoved in the back of the pantry that I couldn't see.  I realize that this is probably what most people's pantries look like already, but mine was far from it.  I thought I always knew where everything was because I was just good like that, but I didn't. 

So I've tackled my grocery shopping, my food storage space, and my evening meals.  What's next on the list?  More sleep.  I just received a well reviewed book from Amazon called "Good Night, Sleep Tight."  My sweet almost nine-month-old baby still loves to wake 1-2 times a night to nurse.  I'm not a fan of letting her "cry it out" but I know that she doesn't need these night feeds, and momma needs a full night sleep.  So we are tackling our sleep routine now.  The older kids have it down, but she's not quite there.  I'm hoping this book will help me feel comfortable with the next task on my organization list.

Triathlon training?  It's going.  I have been reinvigorated by a couple of outdoor runs here or there.  I forgot how much I love love love running outdoors.  It is so fresh and free feeling.  I'm still at the pool a couple of times a week, but the nice weather has really made me want to stay outside.  My new anxiety is the bike.  I have yet to ride my bike outside.  My sweet husband has made me nervous by insisting that I ride with him the first few times I venture out.  I thought riding a bike was riding a bike, but apparently I am more at risk on a real road bike.  Or maybe he's just worried about the $500 piece of metal that I might crash?  I don't know, but he did buy me a new fancy pink helmet for Easter, so maybe he is a tad concerned for my well-being...

Quick Check In

As we all scramble to prepare for our mini "staycation" at the Great Wolf Lodge this week, I just had to report a small success in feeding my family.

My good friend Ryanne introduced me to E-Mealz.  You pay $5 a month to have a weeks worth of dinner recipes and a shopping list emailed to you every week.  When she first told me about it and said that she had heard of it in conjunction with Dave Ramsey, I scoffed inside my head.  Dave Ramsey, the budget buster guy, was encouraging people to pay to have someone else make up a meal plan for them?  I thought it was pure craziness at the time.  I looked into the website, was intrigued, and decided to give it a month.  One week into it, I am already trying to hook up my friends.

Last night was the clincher.  I followed the recipes for Taco Calzones and it was a bona fide hit in my house.   My son, instead of "tasting" the new food with a couple of baby bites and then being done, actually ATE his entire serving.  Even my husband, who has never been one to gush about my cooking, told me this morning that he was upset he only got one helping. 

You can choose a plan based on where you shop, how many people you are cooking for, and/or any special diet needs you might have.  The print-outs are fabulous because your entire week of recipes are on ONE PAGE.  Have you ever tried to shop at wal-mart with three kids, 25 coupons, and five recipe cards in hand?  I have.  Something inevitably gets lost.  Usually not one of the kids.