Making my life easier...that's always my plan!
I like to think of myself as aspiring to total efficiency, but I might just be lazy. I could spin my housekeeping and shopping routines as organized and efficient, but really, the whole idea is to make my life easier. And it does. I realize, having had a rough few months with a teething pre-toddler (if you haven't been around a baby in a while, you may not realize that teething makes babies fussy and clingy and learning a new skill, like walking, does, too, so my life the past couple of months, adding in the frenzy of the holidays, has been haggard. Now the baby's walking and the holidays are over...but two more teeth are coming in...) how much I NEED my routine. I'm getting back in that groove now with planned outings with Elizabeth each day, scheduled housework each day, pre-planned activities with Caroline each day. And I'm adding a new dimension to make my life easier -- DINNER SWAP!
Today was our second swap, and I am just pleased as punch! Four other moms and I get together once a week. To that gathering, we bring three of the same meal to share with our friends, leaving one of that meal at our own home. We swap our meals, leaving with three dinners for the week. I cook on Sundays so I have help from John occupying the girls. Then on Monday, I swap meals with my friends leaving my fridge filled with a different meal for each weeknight. My new motto is "I only cook on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!
There are so many reasons why this food swap is so great.
1. No witching-hour scramble to get dinner together when I'm tired and both kids are extra-needy and we're all counting the minutes until the daddy gets home.
2. No meal planning. Isn't that the hardest part of dinner? Figuring out WHAT to cook?
3. Easier grocery shopping since I'm only planning four recipes a week and can buy in bulk.
4. Trying new things. Don't you always wonder what other people eat? Now I get to try some of the neat things other families eat!
The dinner swap idea was inspired by several friends who are doing more of a dinner coop from ideas in the book DINNER AT YOUR DOOR. I wasn't able to find enough interest within the two mile/five minute radius recommended, so we did this instead. I actually like getting the meals at once because I have a little more control over what we have each night. And it's an extra play date for the mommas and kiddos!
I do plan to blog more this year, though I'm not making that a resolution or anything. I'm just planning on being more organized and less pulled-in-a-dozen-directions...thanks to things like dinner swap!
Today was our second swap, and I am just pleased as punch! Four other moms and I get together once a week. To that gathering, we bring three of the same meal to share with our friends, leaving one of that meal at our own home. We swap our meals, leaving with three dinners for the week. I cook on Sundays so I have help from John occupying the girls. Then on Monday, I swap meals with my friends leaving my fridge filled with a different meal for each weeknight. My new motto is "I only cook on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!
There are so many reasons why this food swap is so great.
1. No witching-hour scramble to get dinner together when I'm tired and both kids are extra-needy and we're all counting the minutes until the daddy gets home.
2. No meal planning. Isn't that the hardest part of dinner? Figuring out WHAT to cook?
3. Easier grocery shopping since I'm only planning four recipes a week and can buy in bulk.
4. Trying new things. Don't you always wonder what other people eat? Now I get to try some of the neat things other families eat!
The dinner swap idea was inspired by several friends who are doing more of a dinner coop from ideas in the book DINNER AT YOUR DOOR. I wasn't able to find enough interest within the two mile/five minute radius recommended, so we did this instead. I actually like getting the meals at once because I have a little more control over what we have each night. And it's an extra play date for the mommas and kiddos!
I do plan to blog more this year, though I'm not making that a resolution or anything. I'm just planning on being more organized and less pulled-in-a-dozen-directions...thanks to things like dinner swap!
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3 Comments:
What a very cool idea! I can't imagine actually doing it, lol, really--I sit here and try to think up who in my life would be willing and able to participate in such a thing and I come up blank--but it is a very cool idea, and even cooler that you ARE able to find people to participate!
mac mineralize
Being a mother is a top job more than anything else. That was a great idea and never know about it until I've read your blog. You make your life easier and at the same time you are bonding with the other mommies as well that makes your living more exciting and worthwhile.
We love love love our dinner co-op. I wish everyone lived a tiny bit closer, it ends up taking 30 or 40 minutes round trip to make the deliveries, but oh how nice to only cook once or twice a week!!! If you want to start a blog, you can just invite all the other moms to be authors and ya'll can each be in charge of entering your own meals for the week! On our blog there is a link to our dinner share and to the south Austin veggie one too!
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