I have a confession to make. I don't like snacktime. Oh, I like to eat snacks as much as the next person. I just don't like thinking about them. There's something about the energy it takes to get 3 square meals put together every day that leaves me annoyed when my children say, "What's for snack, Mommy?" Didn't we just eat breakfast? Do I already have to think about what to eat next? I'm still thinking about what needs to be done for dinner tonight!
Then there's the infamous question of the day for every mother: "What's for dinner, Mom?" I may have said it 5 minutes ago but it's inevitable that I'll get asked a minimum of four more times before we get to dinner.
Now I like to think of myself as an organized person--more organized than many, but not as organized as some. I used to be really good at planning the menu for a whole MONTH at a time! I loved how it directed my grocery shopping for the month and took away that need to expend extra energy in a day of thinking about what's for dinner! But somehow it has been hard to keep up. I don't seem to have the weekly slot in my schedule to sit down and plan this all out. If I find it, I end up wanting to do something else!
Contrary to how this may sound, I really LOVE to cook and bake for my family! I find great satisfaction in providing lovely and nourishing meals and I can even be known to get lost in some good cookbooks at the library (or in my bookshelf). I really enjoy this aspect of giving life to my family and those who enter our home.
I've blamed it on pregnancy and now I'll blame it on the heat, but I've just really been lacking motivation this summer to get meals thought-through and planned. So I considered it a gift from the Lord to find small motivation to get organized. First I found this idea--I thought the colors were adorable, but a menu written in chalk is not quite for me (I'm not a great fan of chalk--it reminds me of that inevitable fingernails-on-chalkboard-sound). And then I stumbled upon what seemed to be my perfect solution--the dry erase board menu! Now this isn't like your ordinary dry erase board. It is a dry erase board made out of a picture frame with some scrapbook paper underneath!
I found the frame at Goodwill and then raided my stash of Creative Memories scrapbook supplies for the paper and stickers to embellish. Mount the page under the glass and then write on top with dry erase markers! They wipe right off with a paper towel. I didn't know you could use dry erase markers on glass, but it works beautifully!
Now not only do I have some extra motivation to meal plan each week, but I think it's lovely to look at on the wall. So much nicer than filling up my house with white dry-erase boards (they have their place, but I don't like too many of them!)And when my children ask me what's to eat, I can just send them to the board to read it (except for those who aren't reading age yet).
Then there's the infamous question of the day for every mother: "What's for dinner, Mom?" I may have said it 5 minutes ago but it's inevitable that I'll get asked a minimum of four more times before we get to dinner.
Now I like to think of myself as an organized person--more organized than many, but not as organized as some. I used to be really good at planning the menu for a whole MONTH at a time! I loved how it directed my grocery shopping for the month and took away that need to expend extra energy in a day of thinking about what's for dinner! But somehow it has been hard to keep up. I don't seem to have the weekly slot in my schedule to sit down and plan this all out. If I find it, I end up wanting to do something else!
Contrary to how this may sound, I really LOVE to cook and bake for my family! I find great satisfaction in providing lovely and nourishing meals and I can even be known to get lost in some good cookbooks at the library (or in my bookshelf). I really enjoy this aspect of giving life to my family and those who enter our home.
I've blamed it on pregnancy and now I'll blame it on the heat, but I've just really been lacking motivation this summer to get meals thought-through and planned. So I considered it a gift from the Lord to find small motivation to get organized. First I found this idea--I thought the colors were adorable, but a menu written in chalk is not quite for me (I'm not a great fan of chalk--it reminds me of that inevitable fingernails-on-chalkboard-sound). And then I stumbled upon what seemed to be my perfect solution--the dry erase board menu! Now this isn't like your ordinary dry erase board. It is a dry erase board made out of a picture frame with some scrapbook paper underneath!
I found the frame at Goodwill and then raided my stash of Creative Memories scrapbook supplies for the paper and stickers to embellish. Mount the page under the glass and then write on top with dry erase markers! They wipe right off with a paper towel. I didn't know you could use dry erase markers on glass, but it works beautifully!
Now not only do I have some extra motivation to meal plan each week, but I think it's lovely to look at on the wall. So much nicer than filling up my house with white dry-erase boards (they have their place, but I don't like too many of them!)And when my children ask me what's to eat, I can just send them to the board to read it (except for those who aren't reading age yet).
A rather simple solution that has helped me restore some peace and even add a little beauty to the grand task of keeping everyone well-fed and satisfied each day.
I usually make a "menu plan" up on the fly and just go with whatever I feel like putting together in the moment. However, now that I'm homemaking more of our stuff, it requires more thought and effort. And a menu plan might be just the ticket to staying more organized and peaceful. Hmm. Gonna have to think about this.
ReplyDeleteBut SNACKS!? I'm glad I'm not the only one who blinks in surprise at the suggestion of a snack. THankfully my kids are very good eaters and I think they fill themselves up at meal times. Because I can't fathom trying to think of a snack to boot!