Time Management of a Full-Time Working Momma: Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping

I have decided to break up the time management portion of my “Full-Time Working Momma” series into a few different posts.  As you all know by now, I can get a little wordy, and if I didn’t break this up, I’d lose you about halfway through… probably sooner.  Wait, are you even here to begin with?! 

In my last blog post I discussed our typical weekday schedule, ya know, what we actually do on a daily basis.  Throughout this next series about time management, I will incorporate all of the extras – grocery shopping, meal planning, laundry, cleaning, etc. – when do I have time for all of this?! 

The answer is that I barely do, so I try to do certain things as seldom as possible.  For instance, grocery shopping.  I only grocery shop every two weeks because, grocery shopping every week?  #Ain’tNobodyGotTimeFoDat. 

Every other Monday is grocery shopping day, and I do it on my lunch hour at work.  I'm fortunate enough to work close to home and have a Publix just four minutes from our house (four minutes exactly, trust me, I’ve timed it) so I’m able to get to Publix, get home to put everything up, and get back to work in just one hour.  It’s glorious!  And not having to grocery shop on the weekend = more time with the babies!   

I have an app on my phone called List Master and it is, by far, the greatest thing since sliced bread.  I love it so much that one day I might even dedicate an entire blog post just to show you how I utilize its zillions of functions.  Anyhoo, I created a list in my List Master app of every single thing that I buy from Publix, and they are listed in the order in which the items are displayed at Publix, aisle by aisle.  
 

The beginning of my grocery list.  You can also color-
code each line to have a different color for each aisle.
I will probably do that one day when I have the time!


Each item has a little check box to the left of it, and I leave all of the items checked off until I make my list.  Then the Sunday afternoon before shopping day, I go through our fridge and pantry and uncheck the items on the list that we need.  I also take five minutes to plan dinner for the next two weeks (usually 6-8 meals), and uncheck the items that I will need to make the meals.  Anything that we don’t need remains checked off so I know not to buy it.

 

As far as meal planning goes, I have recipe cards for each meal that I make (around 20 different ones that are in the regular rotation) and they each have the ingredients listed right on them.  That way, I have everything right at my fingertips to make my grocery list.   

Meal planning and making my grocery list for two whole weeks takes all of ten minutes, if that!  Plus I don’t have to worry about forgetting anything since everything I buy is always right there on the list!  (This also comes in handy in the event that I have to make my grocery list away from home.) 

Monday on my lunch break I drive to Publix and zoom through the aisles.  Having the grocery list in aisle by aisle order enables me to be in and out of there in about 15-20 minutes depending on how long I have to wait to check out.  It also means that no unnecessary items get thrown into the cart (can’t say the same for when hubs goes to the grocery store) and I never have to waste time hunting for anything.   

And why Mondays, you ask?  I have found that Mondays during my lunch break (I go from 11-12 to avoid the 12-1 traffic) is when my Publix is the slowest.  There aren’t many people in there at that time, so I don’t have to fight to get down the aisles, and I barely ever have to wait to check out.   

AND since I loathe grocery shopping so much (not sure why, but I hate it), I always reward myself with a Publix sub to eat at my desk when I get back to work (#TreatYoself).  Their website allows you to preorder online, so it’s just waiting in the refrigerator for you when you get there!  If you’ve never had a Publix sub, RUN - don't walk - and get one right this very instant.  Once you have one, you will never eat a Subway again!  And for those of you who don't have a Publix near you, my condolences.

Time Saving Takeaways  

• Try to keep your number of trips to the grocery store to a minimum.
• Try to shop during a time when the store is not as busy.
• Find a list-making app that works for you.
• Organize your grocery list by the order in which you walk the aisles of your store.
• *Reward yourself for digging through there faster than a Nascar driver!*

I do have to make the occasional trip to the grocery store on my “off” week for milk or fruit or other perishable items, but that doesn’t happen too often, and when it does, I’m in and out in five minutes.

I hope you all enjoyed my tips for quick meal planning and grocery shopping.  Every minute saved is an extra minute with your munchkins!  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

Weekday Schedule of a Full-Time Working Momma

I’ve had several requests to do a blog post on being a full-time working mommy.  How do I balance my time between work and home?  When do I clean my house?  Grocery shop?  Do laundry?  And how the heck do I have time for DIY projects and relaxing when there’s always something else that needs to be done?  I do always have a ton on my plate, as do stay at home mommas – all mommas for that matter – you have no idea how many times I’ve wished I could just twitch my nose to have the heaping mound of dirty dishes loaded into the dishwasher or the eight loads of dirty laundry washed, folded, and put away.  In reality, it’s hard being a full-time working momma, a stay at home momma, a momma.  Period.  There is no magical way to stay afloat in the deep, churning sea of work meetings, dirty diapers, and housework, but there are several keys to not drowning – staying on a schedule (as best you can), good time management, and being organized. 

The most important thing in my opinion, and what I’ll be focusing on in this post, is to stay on a schedule.  I used to laugh at parents who kept their kids on a ridiculously strict schedule and think, “Surely they could loosen up a little,” but once you have kids of your own, you understand exactly why it’s so important.  Their little bodies crave schedules.  They like to know what to expect.  And they act like little heathens if you don’t oblige.  Bottom line is, keeping your kids on a schedule = waaaay fewer meltdowns, and that’s reason enough for me.   

Vacation = off schedule = DISASTER
 

 

Here's what a typical weekday schedule looks like for us:

5:36 AM – my alarm goes off… I hit the snooze button five times (ridiculous, I know, but I can’t function without it) and then finally get out of bed at 6:21.  Not toooo terribly early compared to some people I know, but certainly a far cry from rolling out of bed at 8:15 to make it to class by 9 like I did back in college.  And why the alarms at 5:36 and 6:21?  No idea how those weird times got started, but I’ve been doing it for years and it works, so don’t ask questions.

6:21 AM – stumble into the bathroom, pry my sleepy eyes open, (refrain from turning around, diving back in the bed, and pulling the covers over my head), shower, brush teeth, makeup, dress, hair.  Hubs gets up sometime during the “hair phase” of my getting ready and then he’s ready to go by 7 like me… makes me sick. 

7:00 AM – I wake Olivia while Brian wakes Jacob.  We do a quick snuggle, get her dressed, shoes on, and do her hair.  Takes all of ten minutes.  For now, anyway.  I know eventually she’ll start lollygagging like her big brother does, but until that day comes, I’ll enjoy the few minutes of extra sleep. 

7:10 AM – interrupt Jacob’s getting ready so I can snuggle him for a couple of minutes before I go, followed by hugs and kisses for all three of them, and then let Maui out to potty on my way out the door (by 7:15 at the latest).  I work on the opposite end of town from the kids’ school, but Brian is only five minutes from them, so he is the primary munchie taxi.

She follows me over to the stairs and shouts bye over and over every
morning when I leave.  So, so sweet!

7:30 AM – barely make it to work on time… I usually walk in around 7:29, sometimes 7:30 on the dot.  (I’m very fortunate to have a fairly quick commute.  I don’t know how people deal with 30+ minute commutes.  I would go insane. And I’d have to wake up much earlier.)  I work 8 hours with an hour lunch (to which I use for running errands, cleaning the house, and getting other things done to avoid doing later when I could be spending time with the kids – more on that in my next post!) and then I get off at 4:30, and not a minute later… just ask my co-workers! ;o) 

4:30 PM – go straight home, pass out on the couch, tidy up the house or tackle a short chore like ironing, or putting away laundry. 

5:15 PM – start cooking dinner (on the nights that I do cook) and Brian and the kids usually get home around the same time I start.  B has tennis one weeknight per week, and we usually go out to eat on Fridays and Saturdays, then we eat at my parents’ house on Sundays, so I usually cook three times a week, or four if B doesn’t have tennis.  On the nights when he does, I usually feed the kids sandwiches or easy microwaveable veggies, and then Brian picks something up on the way home for the two of us, which we eat (in peace) after the kids go to bed.  When he doesn’t have tennis, he spends time with the kids while I cook.

6:00 PM – all gather around the table for dinner.  We are firm believers in family mealtime (except on nights when Brian plays tennis… it’s just not practical for the kids to eat dinner at 8:30 since they’re snoozing by then) and I know that one day we will have crazy schedules once the kids start after-school activities, so we try to get in as much family meal-time as possible while we can. 

6:30 PM – Brian usually cleans up after dinner since I cook, which gives me some time to spend with the kiddos.  Some evenings when the weather is nice, we ditch the dirty dishes altogether and all go on a family walk around our neighborhood or play with the kids in the back yard. 

7:15 PM – everybody heads upstairs to get the kids ready for bed.  We bathe Jacob and Olivia together, let them play in the tub for a bit, and then I take Olivia to her room to get in PJs while B takes Jacob in his room to get in PJs.  I give Olivia some milk, we read a couple of books, and then she’s usually down for the night by 7:45 or so.  After that, I head into Jacob’s room to finish reading books, brush teeth, and prepare for bed.  He likes to be patted to sleep, so most nights I do that to get some one-on-one time with him, but some nights he requests for Daddy to pat him.  The goal is to have him down by 8, but most nights it’s around 8:15 and then he sometimes doesn’t fall asleep until much later than that. 

8:00 PM – Brian and I head back downstairs, finish any cleaning that wasn’t done before, and prepare for the next day – check backpacks, make sure purses, wallets, keys, and anything else we need for the next day is ready to go so we’re not scrambling in the morning.   

8:05 PM – run back upstairs to give Jacob water, take his stuffed bear out of his bed because the bear “hit him,” kiss his eye that has randomly started “hurting” out of nowhere, and cater to whatever other crazy requests this kid comes up with while he’s stalling so he doesn’t have to go to sleep. 

8:30 PM – I work out and stretch while we catch up on the TiVo.  I stick to simple strengthening exercises – squats, lunges, bridges, crunches, etc. – anything that can be done without too much bulky equipment. 

9:00 PM – pass out on the couch pull out the ol’ laptop and catch up on blogging and social media or work on any projects I feel like doing while still watching TV.   

9:30 PM – unfreeze a chunk of cookie cake that we keep on hand to satisfy my sweet tooth.  You know, to add back all of the calories that I just burned off during my workout (plus five hundred more).   

10:00 PM – Hubs and I both usually go up to bed at the same time unless he has work to do from home, which isn’t too often (right now).  We get ready for bed (which, of course, takes me three times longer than him… why?!), read a little, and we’re usually lights out and headed off to dreamy land before 10:30.   

I do not, I repeat, I do NOT function well without sleep, so it is always something that I make time for.  As long as I get 7.5 – 8 hours, I’m good.  Anything less than 7 or 7.5 and I struggle.  Majorly.  And I don't do caffeine.  So for the sake of everyone I have to come in contact with the next day, I try to get to sleep by 10:30 every night.   

Most nights this is the way things go in our house.  Times, of course, will vary depending on the situations that arise.  Last night, for example, Jacob went to bed on time and then awoke at 9:30 because he wasn’t feeling well, which led to me being up until close to midnight AKA waaaay past my bedtime.  Needless to say, I’ve been keeping to myself all day today. ;o) 

Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll discuss the time management portion of being a full-time working momma.  I’ll be getting down to the nitty gritty – when I clean, grocery shop, etc. – and posting a few helpful tips that I’ve learned along the way. 

 

I hope all of your little ones are behaving this evening!  XO

 



Weekend Recap

Happy Monday, friends!  Well, another wonderful weekend is in the books.  How is it that the work week can drag out forever, and then the weekend flies by in the blink of an eye? 

Friday after work Brian and I went together to pick up the kids from school.  He is usually the one who drops off and picks up since I work on the other side of town, but Friday he was off, so we thought it would be nice to go together to get them.  The look on Jacob’s face was priceless when he saw both of us there… he always loves it when we come together to get him, but apparently it's even better when he’s not expecting it!   

After picking up the kids, we went to eat at one of our local restaurants that we love in our lively downtown area.  They brew their own beer, so hubs is always in heaven.  He even has his own mug there... to this day, it's the best gift I've ever given him!  Wine is my jam (except during football season – I love a good ice cold beer and some college football!) so I stuck with my usual – a glass of Merlot, a big ol’ juicy cheeseburger (yay for meat on Fridays again!), and beer-battered fries.  It was divine. 

Our city has free outdoor concerts during the spring and fall, and Friday was supposed to be the first one, but due to rain on and off all day, they cancelled it.  Bummer.  Luckily the rain held off, though, so we spent the evening walking around downtown and we took Jacob and Olivia to get some frozen yogurt, so it turned out to be a great evening despite the concert cancellation.   

She seriously will not stop doing this face!

Hubs is still spoiling me since, “Easter stole my birthday’s thunder,” (only kidding) so Friday after we put the kids to bed, he surprised me with Gigi’s cupcakes to eat while we caught up on our shows from the week.  It was a very fattening (and satisfying) night.  I don't even feel guilty.

Saturday we hung around the house most of the day.  The kids nap at the same time, and I usually take that time to clean, wash clothes, and work on projects, but the weather was so gorgeous that I decided to shirk my motherly duties and have some me time.  It would have been a crime not to take full advantage of the 75 degree, cloudless, clear blue skied weather.  A lawn chair, my sunglasses, and a new book (oh, and Maui and some sunscreen) were my only company, and it was sheer no-children-screaming-in-my-ear perfection.   

Saturday evening we went to church as we always do, and then we took the kids to our favorite BBQ place for dinner.  The weather was picture perfect so we ate outside.  Everyone was laid back, nobody was whining, and it was a great evening.  Because no whining = winning! ;o) 

See?!

Sunday we had lunch at Brian’s Mom and Stepdad’s house as per the usual, and they had a birthday celebration for me (ya know, since Easter stole my birthday’s thunder) and the kids got loads of outdoor playtime before the rain settled in again.  Jacob played baseball with his cousin and Olivia walked all over the yard (holding onto my hands) and climbed up and down the stairs on the deck over and over and OVER.  I think I was more exhausted than she was by the time we left!   

After that it was home + naps for the kiddos, and some down time for Mommy and Daddy.  By then, the rain had rolled in so it was nice and dark outside, and I got to spend two delicious hours in my office listening to Michael Buble and working on some projects while the rain pitter-pattered on the roof.  Bliss. 

The kids awoke around 5 and we all loaded up and went over to my parents’ house for our usual Sunday dinner.  Momma cooked spaghetti per my request for yet another birthday celebration, and Daddy opened a bottle of wine, and we all chatted the evening away.   

Aside from Olivia pushing her little rocking chair over to the couch, standing up on it, and proceeding to try and climb up on the couch, this weekend was fantastic!  I swear that girl is going to give me a heart attack one day!

 
I hope you all enjoyed your weekends!  XO

DIY Timeline Gallery Wall

I’ve been making over my office for what feels like forever.  Partly because I’m having trouble deciding exactly what I want to do with the space, but mostly because I have zero spare time these days.  Working full time and having two littles will do that to you!

I’m now on the home stretch of my office makeover, and I can’t wait to finish up the last few things so I can do the big reveal.  I’ve already shared my DIY Painted Striped Curtains with you, and now I’m especially excited to share with you my timeline gallery wall.

On this wall, I knew that I wanted to incorporate some of my most favorite pictures along with some stylish knickknacks, and I thought it would be really neat to present them as a timeline… a summary of my life right there on the wall.  However, summarizing 33 years (yikes!) on three Ikea picture ledges is just not feasible, so I decided to start from the time I met Brian and go from there since that’s pretty much when my current life truly began.  Awwww…

The first thing I did was to decide which events I wanted to represent on the wall.  I chose the most obvious ones – wedding, pets, kids:

·         Our Wedding

·         Adopting Maui

·         My miscarriage

·         Jacob’s Birth

·         Olivia’s Birth

·         Something to represent where I am in life right now

I ended up dedicating the whole top row to Brian, so it’s all about loooove.  The LOVE mirror is from Hobby Lobby, the gold glitter heart print was made by me and framed in an Ikea Ribba 8x10 Frame, and the XO letters were plain wooden letters from Michaels and decorated by me.  I framed one of my favorite pictures from our wedding day (still my very favorite day in the history of me) to top it off.  And believe me, there were so many good wedding pictures, it was really hard to narrow it down from hundreds to just one!

The “Follow That Dream” print is also from Hobby Lobby, and it was the perfect representation to show me chasing after everything I’ve ever wanted in life.  And really, all I ever wanted since I was a little girl, was to find a husband who loves me, to have babies, and to create a happy life with them.  I know it might not sound fulfilling enough for some, and maybe not very ambitious to some, but all I’ve ever truly wanted was to be a wife and mommy.  And apparently to be a blogger.  ;o)

In January, 2010 we adopted our sweet little Maui, our first baby, and she is framed in a black frame that I already had (probably from Target, no doubt). 

The mirror represents something very personal for me, and I’m not usually too public about it, but I guess that’s all out the window when you start a blog for the whole world to see.  In April 2010 we found out we were going to have a baby and we were absolutely over the moon.  However, on June 17, 2010, at our 12 week check-up, we found out that we had had a missed miscarriage – meaning that the baby was no longer viable, but I had never shown any traditional symptoms of a miscarriage.  It was a total shock.  For the next few months I was an absolute wreck.  It was, by far, the darkest time in my life, and I really spent a lot of time in self-reflection, asking the usual whys and hows – why had it had happened to me? 

I did a lot of praying during that time.  More than I had ever done in my whole life, and that’s what brings me to the next piece on my timeline – a gold and white frame with a bible verse that I had stumbled upon in all of my anguish.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5.  That verse spoke to me more than anything else ever had in my whole life, and it got me through a really tough time.  It is now a little reminder of my sweet little angel that I will get to meet again someday when we leave this world.

In July 2011, Jacob graced us with his presence, and I was forever changed.  He was the baby I had been longing for, the tiny hands I had longed to hold, the tiny nose I had longed to kiss.  He was our perfect blessing from above.

The & sign is to indicate, well, just that.  Jacob AND Olivia.  The final member of our sweet little family.  It was made by me using this fabric from Hobby Lobby (I told y’all they all know me there) and gold glitter scrapbook paper, also from (guess where?!) Hobby Lobby.

In February 2014, we were gifted with yet another blessing from God, our sweet Olivia, the girl I had dreamed of having my entire life.  She completed our family and filled every inch of the last little hole in my heart.  This is my very favorite picture of the two of us.  It was taken when she was barely two weeks old. 

The next piece is somewhat of an inside joke now between Brian and myself – “Never Give Up Never Surrender.”  It’s actually a quote from that movie Galaxy Quest from the 90’s and I’ve never even seen the movie, but a few years ago, Brian and I kept hearing this one contestant on that show Wipeout say it over and over again and it was hilarious!  For some crazy reason it stuck with me, and I feel that it really pertains to many different aspects of my life.  Crazy movie quotes!

For the final piece, I love it because it’s girly, it makes me happy, and I feel like I’m in such a good place in life right now that I should be leaving some sparkles behind me everywhere I go. :o)  I made this piece yet again from scrapbook paper (I love that stuff, so multifunctional!) and spray painted an old frame to display it. 

This little timeline, displayed in my office just for me, is the last eight years of my life in a nutshell.  It’s been happy and it’s been sad, but thankfully the happy times have outweighed the sad. 

I hope you enjoyed this second little sneak peek of my office.  Tell me, what were the most significant events in your life that you would include in your timeline gallery wall?

Easter Festivities Part II

Easter Sunday we got the kids up early so they could check out their Easter baskets before we headed off to church.  When the hubs was little, the Easter Bunny used to hide his basket and he would have to find it, so we have taken on that same tradition for our kids.  We let Jacob find both baskets since Olivia isn’t quite comprehending hide and seek yet, and he was thrilled when he found his basket first. 

Here are a few of my favorite goodies that the Easter Bunny brought for each child.

Bubbles, Color Your Own Puzzle, Superman PJs, & Happy Easter Curious George Book

Ollie's Easter Eggs Book, Flower Sandals, Monogrammed Seersucker Dress, Lamb Stuffed Animal

Mass was at 10:30 AM, and it also happens to be the most popular mass, so we had to get there about forty minutes early to make sure we got seats.  Of course that meant that the kids had to sit there for an hour and forty minutes instead of just the usual hour, so that was worrisome.  They are usually jumping around like wild animals at about the 30 minute mark during a regular mass, so I figured this could be a recipe for disaster.  Olivia was a little squirmy at the beginning, but she fell fast asleep for the last 30 or 40 minutes and Jacob was an absolute angel.  It was an Easter miracle!  Thank goodness the full moon had passed or I'm positive it would have been a three ring circus.

 
After mass we quickly snapped some family pictures in our Sunday best, and we actually got some really great ones!  Picture overload commencing in three, two, one…

Lunch at Brian’s Mom and Stepdad’s house was next (gimme all the ham!!), followed by an egg hunt for all of the kiddos.  I think we went a little overboard this year considering Jacob, alone, found at least 50 eggs. 

As always on Easter, the weather was absolute perfection.  Brian and I were having a conversation the other day about how neither of us can remember an Easter where the weather wasn’t gorgeous.  It is always, always warm and sunny with clear, blue skies. 

We went to my aunt and uncle’s house next to see my entire extended family, and they surprised me with a birthday cake.  Did I mention it was my birthday?  Probably not... I kept forgetting since we were so busy with other things all day.  Besides, once you enter your thirties, it's all downhill from there anyway...  I kid, I kid!  But no really, time can slow down now, please and thank you.

Sharing a cake with my sweet cousin, Shelby - her birthday is March 31st!

Jacob and Olivia played and played (happily!) even though at this point it was 4 PM and they were both No Nap Ninjas, aside from Olivia’s catnap during church. 

After hanging out there for a couple of hours, we stopped by my parents’ house to grab Easter baskets from them, and then we (finally) headed home where Brian’s Dad brought the kids their Easter baskets from him. 

We finished the day blowing bubbles outside, and Brian and I had some wine and cheese for dinner since we were still so stuffed from lunch. 

I have to say, this was my favorite Easter yet.  It was one of those really, really good days where everything just seemed a little sweeter.  I got to celebrate my birthday with the resurrection of Jesus, I got to see (almost) everyone that I love, and I got to rock both of my babies to sleep.  At bedtime Jacob said, "Mommy, roooock me."  A rarity these days so, of course, I obliged. 

Life is good.  I hope you enjoyed your Easter as much as I enjoyed mine.