Cooking
I hate to cook. But I want my family to eat healthy meals together at home as often as possible. And we are not wealthy enough to hire a cook. And my hubby does a lot with the kids and at home, but he Just. Won't. Cook. That means I cook. And plan the meals. And do the grocery shopping. Two things save me: my crock pot and Ziplist.
I actually have two crock pots. Darrell convinced me to purchase another when my large one wouldn't fit in the dishwasher. I thought that was crazy when we had a perfectly good, albeit really larger than we needed, one. But, he's a genius (don't tell him I said that). The smaller one is perfect for family meals for us, with a little leftover, while the larger one is great when we have company. One of my favorite things to make in either crockpot is homemade soups. This from a woman who never made a single homemade soup before her late 30s. I love being able to toss healthy ingredients in, walk away, and presto, dinner's on later that day.
There are plenty of recipe and shopping apps out there. I use Ziplist, but I know there are others. Get one. I love being able to store my recipes or search for new ones, and then just click to create my shopping list. I hate actually making lists, but with an app to help me it is organized much better than I'd do on my own, and I don't forget to write down a key ingredient as I often did when handwriting a grocery shopping list.
Raising Kids
It will be some years before I can even think of safely saying my kids turned out great. They are on a good path right now, and for that I am grateful. But there are a few things that really have gotten me through this parenting journey. I'm not sure whether they'll work for you, but even if they don't, maybe they will inspire your own parenting hacks.
Find where your baby will sleep, and go with it. I was blessed with one really good sleeper and one really bad one as babies. We still say this is part of why there are over 5 years between our two kids (yes, the bad sleeper came first). She napped in her swing (because it worked) and often spent half the night in our bed (because it worked). I know "the experts" don't recommend co-sleeping. But I can assure you that my child, my husband, and I were all much better off getting some sleep with our baby there than no sleep with her wailing in her crib all night and then climbing out of it before she was a year old. Yes, we tried letting her cry it out. Yes, I read every sleep book I could get my hands on. If you are a good parent, as I'm convinced most of us try to be, you will learn to do what works for you in this and other areas. Sure, be careful, but do not, and I repeat, do not say "I'd never do that!" not just before you are a parent at all but also before you have a certain type kid. Just trust me.
Teach your child to work hard, at something. I get it that everything comes easily for little Suzy. Find something that doesn't. It helps even more if it's something they like but need to work at to succeed, but I'll argue that it helps to learn to put in hard work even if they don't come to like the subject or activity. Have you seen your child's eyes light up after an accomplishment that they really had to work for? It is one of the greatest feelings I've known. Plus, you are teaching your child a very important life skill - hard work. It seems to me that we are too afraid of hard work these days. Don't get me wrong - teach them all the life hacks you know, but I think hard work is one of the greatest life hacks in disguise. Oh, and what if after all that hard work, your child fails (or you fail)? That can sometimes be an even better lesson than success. For real.
Exercise/Friendship
You need to get regular exercise. You need time with friends. Combine the two, at least sometimes. I exercise two mornings a week with a lady who started out as a work acquaintance but who has quickly become one of my closest friends in our new hometown. I'm convinced that wouldn't have happened if we hadn't made the commitment to work out together. Plus, it's much tougher to skip out on the gym when someone else is expecting you there (as evidenced by our absence from the gym whenever the other one cancels). Another close friend and I run together sometimes, and we've planned a weekend getaway trip to Disneyland based on races there. I'm usually a solo runner, but I enjoy her company and our encouragement for each other as well.
Married Life
I could probably go on longest here. But let me just give you two examples: think of yourselves as a team where you are always on the same side, and get a bathroom with two sinks.
Our first home didn't have two sinks in the only bathroom. Our second house had more than one bathroom but still just one sink in the master bathroom. I would typically start getting ready for bed sooner, but as a woman, this is a process that invariable takes more time than a man's quick routine. I'm not even one of those women who minds sharing a bathroom with my husband (although I'll admit that a sealed off toilet is pretty awesome as well), but somehow he would end up in front of me brushing his teeth while I was still finishing washing my face. Ugh. Life has been so much nicer since houses 3-7 have had double sinks in the master bath.
Sometimes we have to remind each other, but Darrell and I are on the same team. We are united on parenting. That doesn't mean we always agree, but if mom said no, dad says no, too. If dad promises something, mom tries her best to follow through. If we disagree on something kid-related, we try to talk privately to work it through, and then present a united front to the kids. When we argue about other things, we sometimes even stop one another to remind ourselves that, overall, we are on the same team in this shared life. We will be together even after the kids are grown. We love them unconditionally, and they are key players on the same team, but we are the two coaches and we have to at least mostly get along. And kids sense your weaknesses, believe me, so it helps to have another adult on your side!
How about you? What are some of your best life hacks?
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