Monday, June 4, 2012

It just doesn't work for me!

Between blog posts and Pinterest there are more great ideas out there concerning home and health, efficiency and effectiveness than I could ever dream of putting into practice. I admit that at the end of the day I could surf the web for hours, gathering ideas that should make our home schooling run like a top. I can collect kitchen tips that should make my time cooking and prepping operate like a well oiled machine and if I follow “these simple steps” I should have a house that practically cleans itself and pre-baby abs as a bonus!  (Sorry, I got a little sarcastic there, but you get the picture.)
It is all very exciting until there is the bittersweet reality of application within our home.  This is where the idea flies or dies.  I am a sucker for a great idea.  Unfortunately not every great one works for me or our family.  Sometimes I wonder if this idea is so great, why can’t I make it work for me?  Here is a smattering of ideas that I have tried and failed.
1.      Once a month cooking: I love freezer meals as much as the next gal.  When a friend and I each had one child we could pull off one big day of freezer cooking.  Maybe when the kids get older (or if my girls ever get to the point that they can sit through a DVD!) I can return to this idea, but with four little people 7 and under I just don’t have an entire day to devote to prepping and cooking.

2.      Meal Swaps:  As our families added more children my friend and I roped a couple more ladies into a meal exchange.  The wonderful plan is to make 4 freezer meals and trade with 3 others who do the same (keeping one.)  Four different freezer meals for the work of one-splendid!  But with more babies came more allergies and intolerances.  Add to that each family’s differing thoughts on textures and taste, and the appeal of this great idea was lost.
NOTE: I still use freezer meals constantly, but have found at this stage in life it works better for me to always double my own recipes and freeze half.  My current meal plans are probably 90 freezer-friendly or crock pot!

3.      Hot Glue Guns for Craft Purposes: To be honest I don’t do crafts.  I try for my kids, but even they can’t be fooled by the ability that I lack to “get my craft on.”  (My son gave me a Mother’s Day card this year that listed wonderful adjectives to describe a mom.  He put a question mark beside “crafty.”)  I like my hot glue gun, but much to my husband’s dismay I use it for household maintenance. 
4.      Dusting and Ironing: OK not exactly a Pinterest idea just 2 things that I don’t do often.  I dust if we are having a major gathering at our house, and I iron my husband’s shirts twice a year: on Christmas and our anniversary.  It’s my gift to him! J
5.      The Weekly Laundry Day:  I hate laundry.  Laundry is my nemesis.  My sister-in-law kept telling me that since I hold such distain for the chore I should do all my laundry in one day and be done for the week.  The theory is lovely, but after a month my husband begged me to stop!  Laundry day was Monday.  I was SO crabby on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (impending laundry day, laundry day and finished up all the laundry day) that no one could handle being around me.  We are all better off if I just divide it up into smaller hills I can climb instead of one huge mountain I dread.
NOTE #2: I want to make it clear that if these ideas work for you that is great.  I am really happy for you.  I think that they are great ideas; they just don’t work for me. 
Why point all of these out?  Because sometimes I see all these neat Pinterest crafts, and I think “What is wrong with me?  Why can’t I do that with a hot glue gun?”  Or I am tempted to envy those who can devote an entire day to cooking, and I shouldn’t.  That isn’t how God made me or where I am at with my life right now.  My blog like so many others is full of ideas.  Some of them may work for you; others may not.  My goal is to encourage others.  Bulk shopping maybe isn’t the best thing for your family right now.  I think that apple cider vinegar is the greatest surprise of 2012, but maybe you don’t see the same results.  I get it, and that works for me!


13 comments:

  1. What a great idea to post common timesavers that don't work out to be timesavers for your own situation. I know monthly cooking never really worked for me either. I'd like to invite you to share with us at Scratch Cookin' Tuesday.

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  2. Funny! I am kind of like you. I try sometimes to fancy things up a bit. My blog is called keeping it simple because I'm not a fancy gal. All I know is simple. lol! I look at some of the other blogs and the ideas are amazing. But I'll still be keeping it simple. Thanks for sharing your post this week at The Gathering Spot. http://mamaldiane.com/?p=6636

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  3. I can definitely relate to this post! It's all about what works for you. I'm just now learning to give myself some grace in this area. :) Thanks for sharing.

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  4. I love looking at all the amazing dishes everyone comes up with but in my heart I know I'm not going to make them. I've been accused of being very practical, too practical really ;-) Simple and straight forward is my thing too! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. LOVE IT!!!!

    Weekly laundry was great when I was single and newly married. I could take a week's worth to a laundromat and sit there with a book between cycles. With the births of children came diapers. Even if we owned a week's worth, (which we don't,) the thought of a fermenting wet bag of diapers sitting around for several days makes me gag.

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    1. Ahh, yes I remember public laundry! And I am in the same boat as you, I have a pair of jeans that I wear over and over. I can't make it a whole week either!

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  6. If you can keep up with your laundry- its much easier to do some everyday- I've just gotten in the habit of putting the coffee on, turning on the washing machine, then walk away. One of the biggest time savers for me was gettingin the habit of folding my laundry right out of the dryer and sorting it immediately into the kids baskets. They then in turn (when they are old enough) have to put it away. Before I started doing this, the clothes would end up on the couch where I could "sit" and fold them. problem with that is- they would sit there folded and never get put away and then I'd have to move then to sit down and then they would fall over and I would have to refold- you get the picture. Do what works for you!!

    I like the other gals comments about keeping it simple- simple to me is stress free!!

    I've never done once a month cooking- quite frankly, my family isn't all that into casseroles. They are more meat and pototes with a veggie on the side. its always helpful when I can plan ahead though, so i'm not defrosting at 4:30. LOL

    Have a great week and thanks for sharing.

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    1. I think that is why I love the clothesline so much, because I fold them right away and the job is done! You are right, I need to do that with the dryer too! Thanks for reading!

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  7. :-) This post gave me a big smile this morning. Thank you for writing it! Once a month cooking doesn't work for me either...I just don't like it. Everything doesn't work for everyone. Sorta like the saying - You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all the people all the time. :-)

    Visiting from Healthy2Day Wednesday.
    ~Stacy @ Stacy Makes Cents

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Stacy. Glad to see that I am in good company.

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  8. I could never wrap my brain around OAMC either. Glad I'm not alone :) And I do LOVE to do my laundry once a week (except diapers and kids' clothes, which multiply like rabbits when you're not watching), but I can totally get how it could seem like an insurmountable task to be dreaded. On laundry day, I always say, "I'm climbing Mt. Laundry" lol. Thanks for linking up to Healthy 2Day Wednesday and come back next week to see if you were featured!

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  9. You definitely have to do what works for you and your family at the time. There is no one 'right' way to do everything :-)

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    1. So funny how before I had kids I thought that there was one "right" way! Thank goodess for many options and grace along the way!

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