Meppie Homemaker

Oops -- I wrote this last night, but apparently forgot to actually publish it! I was wondering why no one left any comments. If the NaBloPoMo police are checking, I really did write it on Monday!

Do you remember a few months ago when I bragged about my new cutlery-sorting system and then just days later blew your mind with the butter wrapper trick for rice krispie treats? (I know I keep mentioning it, but I'm really proud). And how about earlier this month when I listed all those great, helpful tips that I should be following but am not?

I just feel that I have so much to give. (You know I'm joking, right?)

Anyway, I have a new household hint. I can't take full credit it for this tip, but I think it's worth sharing.

Does someone at your house eat grilled cheese sandwiches? I have two little someones who really enjoy grilled cheese. Because of my hubby's schedule, I prepare a separate dinner for my little guys at least five nights a week. After a long day of playing, singing, cleaning up messes as new ones are being created, reading books, and responding to Little Bit's pleas for "ju ju ju ju ju" (short for "juice" but really just a request for something to drink) . . . anyway, with all the stuff that fills a mom's day, sometimes just making a grilled cheese sandwich seems like a lot of work. Judge me harshly if you wish, but that's the truth for me.

You can also judge me harshly, if you wish, for revealing that I am not always vigilant about keeping track of what perishable food items I have on hand so as to use them before they spoil. Common things that I sometimes have to toss include containers of grape tomatoes, eggs, black bananas, and partial loaves of bread.

Today's tip from Meppie Homemaker promotes convenience and decreases waste.

Are you ready?

Years ago, when I had my dream job working the grill at the snack bar of my neighborhood pool, I regularly prepared grilled cheese sandwiches. To butter the bread and get out the cheese would have been very difficult in our tight quarters and during the busy lunch rush so the procedure was to butter one side each of two slices of bread and then put two slices of cheese in between. Then, all of these "sandwiches" went in a special freezer-tight Tupperware container and into the big old freezer. When someone order a grilled cheese, you opened the container, popped one of those frozen babies out, and threw it on the grill.

Tonight, I noticed that we had some bread that we certainly won't finish before leaving town for Thanksgiving and that definitely won't be good when we get home. So, I buttered eight slices, unwrapped my Kraft singles (my cheese of choice for grilled cheese sandwiches), and put them in a couple of freezer bags. I did put wax paper between each sandwich, but I doubt that step was necessary. I'll let you know how my system worked, the next time the boys ask for grilled cheese.

But it's so hard to make things easy.

At preschool pick-up today, one of the moms was congratulating me on the pregnancy. She already has three kids and so I asked her, as I have been asking many moms lately, if she had any advice for me on managing three. She said she had received one piece of advice that was invaluable: "Never let a day go by . . . " I'm going to stop there and note that I was nervous that she was going to end the statement with something like ". . . without telling your kids you love them"--a sentiment I totally agree with and all but not the kind of practical wisdom I was seeking.

Instead, she said, "Never let a day go by without doing at least one load of laundry." Now, that's pretty sweet advice, considering that I waste time each day finding clean/semi-matching socks for the boys, clean pants for myself (even harder when pregnant), clean washcloths for bath time, a onesie to go under Little Bit's footie pajamas, and a decent top and bottom combo for Bub to wear to school. And then there's hubby with his pesky news bulletins like "Honey, I only have two pair of underwear left." For some reason I tend to save the laundry until there's almost nothing to wear. Then, I attack the huge mound and start sorting and end up with about seven or eight loads worth. That's silly.

My life would be easier if I tried to do one load of laundry a day.

I've brainstormed a list of other things I could do that would make my life easier.

My life would be easier if I . . .

. . . put the little potty into storage.
Bub does all his bathroom business on his own these days, and I am no longer abreast of all his movements. Literally. He pees into the regular potty but prefers the little plastic one for number two. That's all fine except that he fills without emptying. And, since he does it all on his own,* I don't realize that there's been poop resting in potty until I open the bathroom door and almost pass out from the stench. I know he can use the real toilet for all his needs so I should just put the little potty into storage. But what would I use to sit on (lid down) during bath time?

. . . ran the dishwasher every night before bed.
I prefer to delay running it until I can fill every last nook, cranny, and crevice.

. . . emptied the dishwasher first thing every morning.
Then, I sometimes wait to unload it until there are so many dishes waiting in the sink that they practically fill the newly-emptied dishwasher.

. . . were stronger about removing toys that threaten my sanity.
After two or so days of picking up 300+ MegaBlocks multiple times a day, I get a little testy. I tell myself, "Tonight, when the boys are in bed, I will re-hide the MegaBlocks." Then I forget about it until the big box gets dumped all over first thing in the morning. The tunnel thing that takes up the entire living room when unfurled creates a similar state of irritation and chaos that I often fail to troubleshoot effectively. These toys are good for one or two days at a time. Then Mama needs a break.

. . . took some time over the weekend to plan my meals and grocery shopping for the following week.

. . . kept a typed piece of paper in my purse that lists ingredients for the dishes in our weeknight rotation of family favorites.

. . . developed a weeknight rotation of family favorite dishes.

. . . emptied the recycling every evening.
If I did that then Little Bit would not spend a good portion of each day scattering items from the bin--junk mail, wine bottles, pop cans, newspapers--all around the house. Had I emptied the recycling last night though, Little Bit would not have been able to entertain himself with an empty (but, unfortunately, unrinsed) gallon of milk for over thirty minutes.

. . . graded 5-10 papers each day instead of saving all 42 for the night before they absolutely need to be returned to my students (which, in my mind, is before their next assignment is due so they can "learn" from the feedback from the previous paper).
My failure/procrastination in this area is just as frustrating now as it was in the late nineties when I had 80-something papers to grade at a time.

How am I doing?
I have a load of laundry in now.
All the dishes are in the dishwasher, but it's not nearly full so I can't bear to run it.
The tunnel and MegaBlocks are both currently in hiding. The Diego puzzle may join them if I remember.
I graded two papers this afternoon.

You know where this is headed . . . what could you do to make your life easier? Or, even better, what do you do, NTB, that makes your life easier? Please share in the comments.






*You may be thinking, "But, MEP, shouldn't you be wiping him?" No lie, it's a clean break every time. Kind of amazing, NTB.