No More Dinner Stress

I really hate dinner. I hate trying to think of something to cook, trying to muster up the energy to cook, trying to convince the kids to let me cook, and I really, really don't like grocery shopping. We might as well sit around and eat dollar bills! You hand over hard earned money for stuff that you are just going to eat and then poop. I don't mean to be graphic but really...when put in that context, doesn't eating dinner with all the shopping, prep, creativity, etc. just seem like a waste of time? Well, today I found the website that just might change my life. It sends you a meal plan every single week...healthy, nutritious, fresh ingredient meals...easy to prepare (prep time around 20 minutes) and gives you the whole grocery list (organized in to the different sections of the grocery store) and prints out all the easy recipes for you to follow. If you don't like one of the recipes for the week then you remove it and add another one. In 10 minutes I'd planned all the dinners for the next week, printed my little grocery list, add a couple additional things I needed, shopped, and voila...we had a fairly decent dinner tonight! So...just thought I'd share. I still had to go to the store, buy the stuff with money, fix it and will have to poop it later but having someone else do some of the work sure made it seem a lot more pleasant.

The Six O'Clock Scramble

Daily Grind

I think about blogging all the time. When funny or sad or weird or profound things happen I compose it all in my mind in to a splendid blog but alas, the daily grind triumphs and in the end I always choose sleeping over composing. My days are filled with wonderful things though. I am so grateful for a life filled with so much that brings me joy. I love my work at my children's school. I help in the library but my favorite time is working with the kids in the classroom. On Fridays, I go in and H. and I read to J.'s class. We take "special lunch" with us and H. gets to sit in a "big kid" desk to eat while I read out loud. I choose the books to read so they get a wide variety...poetry, non-fiction, picture books, etc. After each book I let the kids vote and we record their scores on the board. I don't know why the voting is so meaningful but I do think they like having their opinion asked!

I love writing my book column. It takes to me to all sorts of fascinating literature and pushes my mind in a direction that isn't always comfortable but feels good as I learn to stretch and grow in a new craft. I've been asked to write 2 additional articles for the magazine...one on charter schools and the other on the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. This will present whole new opportunities and challenges and I love having that to look forward to.

I love working out with my friend Tonya. We have been walking and lifting 3 days a week since November and it has not only done my body good, but done my soul even better. With every lap of the track, I laugh and talk and get free therapy...and I forget I'm exercising. Doesn't get any better than that!

I love my 2 book groups. Each book group is comprised of a different set of people, friends from such important phases of my life. And I love that my life moves forward with these amazing women taking such significant part. We call it a book group but my husband sometimes chuckles at how much "book" discussion actually happens. We always read the books and we always devote time to what we have read but it is the real life drama and shared experiences that uplift and motivate and fill my inner teacup the most!

I love belonging to the CLAU organization. I love promoting children's literature all over the state and standing for values that I feel so passionate about. I love working with so many different types of people that have truly educated me and blessed my life. I love being exposed to so many different types of literature and learning to give a voice to the things I think. I still stutter and stumble but it has opened avenues I didn't know were a possibility.

I love my family. I am constantly overwhelmed by the daily challenges of raising 3 little children and trying to find balance in the world but again, I love the physical, emotional, spiritual opportunities for growth that it brings. I have stopped hoping for the day that I will wake up and not be overwhelmed by being a mother...it isn't going to happen. Instead, I wake up praying for the wisdom and strength to be what they need and to set an example for them that will lead them to embrace what I hope will be happiness in their lives. A big charge...one I don't take lightly although I'm not always very good at it. I want my children to love learning and reading and talking and playing and imagining and listening and adventures and quiet time and scripture reading and prayer...I want them to love people in all their varieties. I want them to be loved and appreciated for who they are and what they bring to this world. Sigh.

And a significant part of that family is my husband...I love my husband. The longer I am married, the more convinced I am that I have been given a rare and wonderful gift in finding this man who wipes bums, watches kids, sweeps floors, cleans bathrooms, grows gardens, plays endless games with his kids and uses his amazing talents to bless the lives of others both in his professional career and personal life. He is thoughtful, funny, kind, compassionate, loyal and dedicated in all aspects of his life. I love holding his hand and kissing him and being with him. He is such a joy and strength and constant in my life.

So there you have it...my daily grind. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes all these great experiences collide and I feel stressed but most of the time it provides a rhythm and balance that soothe and feed my spirit in wonderful ways. Moderation in all things...I'm learning that. And I'm trying to learn to say "no"...I'm good at that mentally but struggling to say it out loud. Life is grand. Opportunities are around every corner. Share what you love with your kids. Don't think of your interests and hobbies as being exclusively yours. Find ways to invite your children in to what you love and cherish. Not only do you give them grand experiences to enjoy and explore, but you have more time to do those things yourself. Get out, explore your neighborhood, volunteer to do something you didn't know how to do, don't be afraid to take your kids with you and remember that however hard one phase of life seems, it will end and joy can be found in the strangest places.

Ah, ain't life grand?!