Roaring Routines

So I had to laugh at the irony of today's post. Well yesterday's post technically. So yesterday was a chaotic day to say the least. I have a friend that does competition skating... So it's like ice skating but on roller skates. Kind of retro and cool. SO, when Mrs S asked if I would make her costume I was more than happy to help. I didn't have a pattern (just a live model and prior comp outfit) so I started. I was doing ok but it is getting to the pointy end of the the pattern... Embellishments and glitter and sleeves. So to avoid having to keep calling Mrs S over to try it on I put a call out to my coast peeps to see if anyone had a dressmaking form (have you seen the prices on those things!!!!) so yesterday I was collecting the form, doing a fitting with Mrs S, sewing the back embellishment, cleaning, cooking having someone from an aid agency and Mormons doorknock and having a lovely new friend and her family over for dinner. To say it was chaos was an understatement... 

So to my point... Do you know why it was chaos? I had no structure to my day AT ALL. I flew by the seat of my pants as such. Now don't get me wrong I do have rough guide times BUT some days some things take longer but Its more about having a basic structure to my day.

I find that I need to get my jobs out of the way early so that I can spend the rest of these day with my little ones and doing my blog (and this costume). For example, I am BUSTING to fix my garage and so today (around the costume) I am going to clean and organise our garage but to do that the remainder of my "jobs" need to be done.

So (this is only a guide) I hope it helps you

6am.  - Shower

          - Breakfast

          - Housework

8am   - Hang out washing

          - Bath L

          - Play, craft, read with children

10am - Morning Tea

          - Prepare dinner

          - Vacuum

12pm - Lunch

          - Day Naps

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I use this time to do my blogs, Ruffled Lace things, paperwork, budgeting, scheduling, sewing, phonecalls (although I hide in the garage for these).

If I can do things ahead, at this point I do it in this time :-)

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2.30p - Play, craft, read, walk, park with children

3.30p - Afternoon snack

4pm   - Bath I and S 

          - Washing off line

          - Final dinner prep

5pm   - Dinner on

6pm   - Quiet time

7pm   - Girls bedtime

It is at this time B and I have dinner. Then I wash dishes or load dishwasher, tidy up "hot spots" (those places in your house that seem to ALWAYS be messy) and if the floor needs to be mopped B does this JUST before bed.

There is some flexibility in times etc but I try and keep things as regular as possible cos. just like their mummy the girls like and thrive on structure (probably why I am teacher - and LOVE organising).

When you create your own "routines" think about what things you do in the day. Think about roughly what time you do them. You might find that unconsciously you have out yourself and your little ones (or not if you don't have the little ones yet) into a routine. It is always the way that things will change (ie nap times etc but the best thing about routines is that they are not set in concrete, they really are just a guide.

When you are in your early stages of setting up a routine or structure set your phone alarm to help you stay somewhat on track OR to help you readjust some of your timing.

I hope that this helps you all.

Have a lovely day 

Keep smiling

Lauren

xxx

Food Preparation

Hello lovely people! I hope that you have had a wonderful weekend. The weather here was lovely and balmy (it might be heating up now) and if you ask B the surf was pumping. B, the little ones and I usually start out weekend with a Friday night BBQ by the river. We have created a little tradition with some friends to meet on a Friday night and slowly but surely, the group has been growing in size. As you are aware now I have been getting my groceries delivered (I'm terrified of the prospect of 3 under 3 at the supermarket). I LOVE that I can select my delivery times and the ease of the purchase. However this Thursday when I did my grocery shop I had clearly removed my brain. When it cam to selecting the time for delivery there were only two times available (and closing soon) and I thought "sweet, they have 6-9 available" so sure enough I clicked on it and didn't give it another thought.... Stupid Lauren! In the morning when I went to "track" my delivery it said 6-9 PM I nearly had a heart attack. Especially when I realised that it was Friday night and I had to be there for the delivery. So sure enough the BBQ got moved to our place (whoo hoo). Sadly not everyone could make it but that took the pressure off a little. My two gf's were perched on my breakfast stools watching me unpack my groceries... Then came their entertainment...

I admit that my organisation and cleaning is a little OTT but I truly find that without it I am in chaos and I don't feel like I ever get back on track and I am constantly chasing my tail. My food preparation is the same.

I have mentioned in my meal plans post that by 5pm my little ones are tired, hungry and wanting all of my attention, doing food preparation is something that induces stress and anxiety. I really love cooking too so I had to find a way to bring happiness back into my cooking. This involves being organised.

When I get my groceries I put everything away except the groceries that go in my fridge. Usually the first thing that you would do is put away the cold stuff but I keep my veggies, fruit and cheese out. Why? Because I go all OCD on this stuff. :-)

I have to credit The Organised Housewife for the cheese cutting idea. I have followed Kat's blog for years and although my cutting veggies has been something I have always done, Kat has certainly assisted me in refining these skills (incredible lady!!!!!) So as you can see I usually buy a big block and then cut it in half and chop half the block and grate the other half. The reason that I both grate and chop is that I usually use grated cheese for recipes (and those bags of grated cheese add up) and the other reason is that the girls LOVE cheese. I like to be able to go to the fridge and grab out a few containers and know that the girls have a quick healthy snack (plus I am far better of grabbing a cube of cheese that a packet chips or chocolate.

 

Grapes. Mmm. I have always loved green grapes but found walking around with them on a stem inconvenient but it always took time to pull them off. As the girls have gotten older they have shared my love for grapes but I have been finding the stems everywhere (and I think in shoes counts as EVERYWHERE!) so I made the call that well, they are in the fridge so they can go in a container. So I just pick them off the stems and into the container they go. This has been great and I know the girls are loving it (sneaking into the fridge and taking off with the container).

 

My carrots are another obsessive thing. I have done this for years now and whether you are a peel or not to peel lover doesn't matter... I want to add here that when I store these I do place a piece of paper towel in the bottom to absorb some of the condensation that seems to accumulate in the container. I do these for all my veggies (pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) as no one likes soggy or slimy veggies.

 

 

I just want to add here that B and I found THE best veggie peeler ever at Ikea. It is heavy for a peeler but has stayed sharp through all it's usage. I love this so much it have invested in some "spares". I have been known to accidentally throw out my peelers (and teaspoons- go figure).

 

As you can see here I usually cut watermelon, mushrooms (or I cheat and buy them precut- whatever is most cost effective that week), broccoli, caluiflower, pumpkin, carrots and cheese. 

I use the Sistema range of containers for my fridge and as mentioned above I do place some paper towel in the bottom of the vegetable ones to absorb some of the moisture. My veggies are usually good for at least a week and in some cases up to two. If you do pop over to Kat at The Organised Housewife you will see that she has trialled a few different containers and at the moment is working with some of the Howard's Storage World containers. It really is a case of budgets. As long as the container you use is air tight and unusable in the fridge you are onto a winner.

Not only do I find that prepping my food frees up some of my fruit and veg crisper but it makes it so much easier to go for a healthy snack (that is already pre cut or pre prepared) but it saves time and takes some of the the stress out of cooking.

Have fun and go wild!

Keep smiling

Lauren

xxx

Meal Plans

Having three little ones under four is hard work (I am not going to lie), however I find that when I am disorganised it seems so much harder, my patience is much thinner and I find that I subsequently feel out of control (and I am POSITIVE that the girls feed off that stress). I have noticed that on days when I get all of the essentials out of the way, I am much calmer and the days seem to be more "doable" and B doesn't get the "I'm having an ass of a day" phone call. I was having a laugh today with the girls at PG (Playgroup) about how much of a perfectionist I am and my meal plans etc and I thought that it was the perfect kick off to me "honing" my blog.

For me, as I am sure it is for all of you, feeding the little ones and yourself is really important. I have to be honest I am not the most inventive lunch maker (we are going to work on that)... But one thing that I do have sorted nearly everyday is the dinner. I don't know about you, but to organise dinner any later than 3pm is a nightmare... Miss 3.5 wants snacks all afternoon and bosses her sister around when she is hungry (she's a crank like her mother), Miss 1.75 gets around my feet and becomes needy, she wants cuddles and she grizzles (she does try to play with cranky but that always ends in tears). Master 10wks really is a good baby overall but certainly after 4.30pm is his whinging time.

I have found that I can be as organised as I want of a day but if I haven't planned the meal, got all the  ingredients and written it down somewhere, it still turns into chaos. So, to avoid this I meal plan. Now I have seen some pretty impressive meal plans (ie for the month) but I like to stick to my one (and if I am good) two weeks meal plans. This means two things... 1. I can organise my grocery list early and 2. When I am doing my shopping I can buy "specials" because I know that it will get used. 

B gets paid on a Thursday but I run my meal plans generally from a Sunday to a Sunday. The reason that I do this is because on a Sunday, I plan a big cook up for the week based on my meal plan (because B is around to help with little people). I can cook food in advance (sometimes in double batches) and freeze the meals.

Once I have decided on the meals I write my list (and decide what I CAN do in double batches to freeze) and I write my grocery list. I want to add here that I LOVE pottering around a supermarket and shopping for food BUT I HATE it with three little ones. Even just with Miss 3.5 and Miss 1.75, I found it really stressful when they threw tantrums for food or the iPad (yes, the used to sit in the trolley with the iPad, watching Peppa Pig). People weren't very understanding about children and were very quick to judge and I found that I was taking it personally. Ok sidetracking!!!! At the moment because of child logistics I have been having my groceries delivered. IT IS FABULOUS! All I do is find the groceries I want, click quantity, check list at end, click which products I am happy for them to substitute (if they need to), select what time I would like the groceries delivered and pay. I can see the merit of such a service for mummies like me and I can also see that for some people (ie working households) having a personal shopper would take the stress out of meals. I have to say though that once my little ones are old enough for me to brave the supermarkets again I will be there armed with my shopping list, (the iPad) and the trolley. :-)

So after all that, how do you effectively meal plan?

CREATE:

Create a meal plan that works for you. Print one of the internet, create one of your own. Make lots of copies of one or laminate and use whiteboard marker on one. Use your diary. For me, I have a calendar on my pantry door and write my list on that. Make sure that whichever way you choose to write your meal plan that you have it in a prominent place (or somewhere you can easily be reminded).

PLAN:

When writing your meal plan think about what you and your family are doing through the week. Do you have a party or BBQ? Will you be out all day? I find that because Sunday is my cook up day! to minimise chaos for me I am best to have a Slow Cooker meal that day which frees up my oven and stove for all my cooking :-)

CHECK:

Quickly check your pantry, fridge and freezer and see if you have anything in it that needs to be used up. That is a great way to reduce any food wastage.

Also check your supermarket of choice or butcher of choice for specials. This can help reduce your bill and sometimes buying whilst on special means that you can cook in bulk (planning ahead).

LIST: 

List your meals on your planner and from that write a grocery list. I find that if you go in with a grocery list you are less likely to impulse buy. This means not only are you creating healthy meals but you are reducing your expenditure and food wastage.

Some of you might feel that meal planning is a waste of time but I can honestly say that it is actually the complete opposite. Obviously I am time poor and being able to spend an hour planning and shopping reduces the hours I used to spend thinking about meals, getting everyone into and out of the car, wandering around the shop and coming home to prepare. Plus best of all... It saves my temper and sanity.

There are some fabulous meal planners out there and some brilliant blogs about it. My next goal is to plan lunches and snacks as well (wish me luck).

Take a look at some of the lovely ideas below that help to get Meal Planning down to a fine art :-)

 PHOTO CREDIT: Re-made Just Right

PHOTO CREDIT: Everyday Enchanting

PHOTO CREDIT: Etsy

Keep smiling

Lauren

xxx