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WHAT'S FOR SUPPER?
When I was working, I found it extremely frustrating to get off of work and have to plan for supper. Most of the time, I ended up calling my husband for ideas. Typically, he'd say, "It doesn't matter, whatever you want." I am a very indecisive person. A characteristic that I love about my husband is he can usually make quick decisions. I tend to lean on him to help me. However, with this response, I was left to think it through myself. I would come up with idea after idea, and most of the time, I didn't have all the ingredients for the meal or didn't have enough time to cook it. Those of you who have been in this situation know what I'm talking about.
I decided to get organized! The next several posts I will share with you how I did it. I'm hoping you can adapt it to a way that works for you.
I had heard about women having meal rotations and menus, and I thought, "Wow, that isn't OCD at all..." (tad bit of sarcasm). I soon found out how wonderful and helpful they are! Today's post is to begin instructing you on how I planned my meals and menus.
The first thing that has to be done is making a list of meals. I sat down and made a list of all of our favorites meals. I decided I wanted to have a 10-15 week rotation of meals that I would rotate throughout the year. I also wanted to plan enough to have leftovers so I didn't have to cook every night. For me, coming up with two big meals during a Monday-Friday week was ideal. We eat leftovers every night after I cook a meal. Therefore, I needed 2 meals per week times 15 weeks = 30 different meals/recipes. You may decide on cooking more often. When I initially sat down to make my list I probably only wrote down about 8-10 meals off the top of my head. Keeping in mind that 'the way to a man's heart is through is stomach', I decided to ask my husband things he would like me to cook. With his suggestions, I was able to complete about two-thirds of my list. For the remaining meals, I looked online at various websites for yummy (looking) recipes.
Throughout this scavenger-hunt of recipes, I kept in mind some helpful tips. I hope these help fellow moms and busy women:
1. Think about prep time! If you are like me and have a house to maintain and kids to love on, spending more than an hour on supper is near impossible. I always look at the prep time on a recipe. I have found that the prep time on a recipe and the actual prep time at my house are completely different. So, you may need to plan for extra time to prepare the meal.
2. Look for Minimal Ingredients! When looking at recipes, I tend to choose ones that have minimal ingredients. This saves time, but more importantly, it saves money at the grocery store. I believe as wives, we should seek out every opportunity to save the income of our household. (This will be discussed in an upcoming post as well.)
3. Make Your Husband Smile! I enjoy when my husband comes home from work and says, "Ohhh, Momma! Something smells goooooood!" I enjoy it even more when he takes a peak and steals a bite and says, "Momma, that's good!" So, when deciding meals to put in the rotation, I will ask him for suggestions. Make him excited to get home and find out what's in the pot for supper!
4. Keep the Kiddos in Mind! There is a reason I listed this one last. Although I love my children dearly, I do not let them be the determining factor in making the meal rotation. If I did, it would read, 'macaroni and cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets', you know where I'm going with this. While I like to have their approval on the meal as well, I believe it is important for my children to try new foods. We have two rules at our house (Mommy ordained), #1 - You are not allowed to come to the table and say 'yuck!'. #2 - You have to try the food, if you don't like it you don't have to eat it. I tell them that when I was a kid there were new foods that I refused to try. Because I did, I missed out on delicious foods. As an adult, I have tasted them and realize they are wonderful! By telling them this, I have found they usually try it with an open mind. I do try to plan a side item that they will like in case they truly do not like the main dish.
I hope this has motivated you to begin planning a meal rotation. I cannot tell you how much of a help and relief it has been. This is nowhere near the end of the meal planning. But it's a start!
In my next post, I will explain how to take your list of meals and make the actual rotation/menu.
Let me start by saying this, I do not judge families for choosing public schools or for not homeschooling. I was in the public school system a long time. I sent my first child to public school. I understand there are families that cannot rely on one income. I also know there are mothers that enjoy working. There was a time I would never have thought of homeschooling. What made us change our minds?
Around two years ago, I was teaching third grade, and I was home on Christmas vacation. My break was drawing to an end and I dreaded going back. I dreaded being away from my children. I dreaded the long days of work. I dreaded only being able to spend 4-5 hours a day with my children. I dreaded knowing that my children were going back to practically being raised by someone else. I dreaded knowing that I would be coming home exhausted and still had to cook, clean, and muster any energy that was left to play with the children. But, inevitably, I knew those days were coming again.
One night after putting the girls to bed I told my husband through tears, and not for the first time, that I wanted to stay home. I didn't care what we had to do, I wanted to stay home. If we had to downsize our home, or sell a vehicle, or live on dried beans until the children were grown, I was willing to do it. I wanted to be the one to train my children.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
I desperately want my children to know the Lord. I want them to crave His word. I want them to seek His face and beg for mercy. I knew that I could not train my children up in the Lord and teach them His ways only spending 4-5 hours a day with them. And actually, this time was really just spent at home, not with them. I had clothes to fold, dishes to wash, food to cook, and baths to give. God laid it on my heart that I should be with them. I shouldn't be a stay-at-home wife who keeps the house clean while the kids are at school for the day. He let me know that I should be the one training them...every day...all day.
The more my husband and I discussed it, the more questions we had about homeschooling. The most obvious question we had is still the question that gets asked to us by most people: What about the social aspect of our children's lives? At the beginning, I was very concerned about this. Would my children really grow up without a prom? Or homecoming? Or school sports? I was still determined to stay home with my children, but I was actually very sad for them. Then one day while reading other homeschooling blogs, I came across a lady (sorry, I have no idea who to give credit to for this one because I have looked at so many!!) who really said something that spoke to me. She said people asked her a lot if she was worried about her kids socializing. She explained that the type of socializing her kids would receive in public school is exactly what she was trying to avoid. I don't want my children to be hermit crabs that are kept inside, but at the same time, I want their beliefs and faith to be based on truth, not what they learn or hear from others. I want them to understand the importance of family. I want them to appreciate the relationships that are developed within the family. I laugh to myself because there is not a day that goes by that I do not hear an argument (or two, or three) between my oldest two girls. One of them won't be the prince, or one of them has the other one's toy, or one of them is being a copy-cat. But I find that I have the advantage to stop and teach them how to handle these situations according to what the Bible says. We have joined a homeschooling group, but have yet to do anything with them. We are still so busy. Between soccer, holidays, family events, family outings, Bible studies in which the kids all get together as well, we are extremely busy! Our children receive plenty of socializing, but it's 'monitored socializing' (I wonder if I should coin that phrase??)
I hope I answered the question of why our family chooses to homeschool. First and foremost, we want our children to be trained in the ways of the Lord. I love teaching them. I absolutely love it. I am able to use what I have done for so many years to teach my children what I know is important. I am not stressed. I am not as tired. I did, however, have dreams of having this spectacular, spotless house to go along with the homeschooling thing, but I'm still working on that ; )
Welcome to Admonishing Others! First, let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Casondra. I am a wife to a wonderful husband of 7 years. We have three beautiful girls, ages 5, 3, and 7 months. I taught public school for 8 years, but, after having our youngest child in April of 2012, and after much prayer, we made the decision for me to stay home. We also decided to begin homeschooling. Life can be hectic, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Some days I start off knowing exactly what I need to get done in our home, then by the end of the day, the house is worse off than when I started. Just another day!
I got the idea for this blog while in the kitchen at the sink washing dishes. I have actually always wanted to begin a blog, but I was unsure how to start it, what to say, and never really had a purpose. But on this day, the idea came to my head again, but this time, attached with a verse.
Titus 2:3-5, "the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things - that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."
Now, my first thought was, "I am not an older woman!" Then God, ever so kindly, reminded me of a night only about a week ago. I was at a friend's house for our first "Girls Game Night". After a half-hour, or more, of debate on which game to play and a little conversation, we decided to play Pictionary. The hostess also decided that we would have two teams. Team One - "The Youngies", and Team Two - "The Oldies"...I fell in the latter. I immediately asked, "The Oldies??" To which she replied, "Well, you are the oldest one here." Now, honestly, that was the first time I had ever been the oldest one at a gathering. I was in shock! But, it didn't change the fact that I was the oldest lady there. So, standing there at the kitchen sink, I laughed to myself deciding that I was, in fact, slightly qualified as an 'older woman'.
Then the attacks came from the enemy. I began to question myself and ask if this was really what God wanted. I don't always have the best grammar, being raised in the south may have a little to do with that. I am also not a phenomenal writer. What if people do not care what I have to say? Doesn't that sound like the same thing Moses had to say to God in Exodus Chapter 4? God had instructed Moses to go to Pharoah and bring His people, the children of Isreal, out of the land of Egypt (Chapter 3). Beginning in 4:1, Moses responds with,
"...But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you.'"
Then again in 4:10,
"...O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."
The Lord answered Moses' questions (v.11),
"...Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."
Wow, yea, I know...so, I know what I have to do. I will be writing on exactly what Titus 2:3-5 instructs. I want to share not only what I have experienced along the way, but also what others have shared with me throughout my rather short time as a wife, mother, homeschooler, and homemaker. I am in no way an expert on these things. This is why I had doubts about writing this. If you saw my house at the moment you would probably quit reading this or type me a comment instructing me to go clean. However, I feel like God has shown me some valuable ways of keeping the sanity in my busy house of five and showing love to those in it.
My prayer is that God will use these words to encourage you as a mother, wife, homemaker, or homeschooler to serve Him continually. I also pray that through this, He will continue to mold me to be the woman He describes in Titus Chapter 2. I ask for your prayers as I begin this journey.
