I've started prepping my dinners at lunchtime/DS's naptime. I put it all together and put it in the fridge on a cookie sheet along with the veggies, potatoes, fruit, etc. At dinnertime, I preheat the oven, pull out the cookie sheet and heat things through. By making the biggest part (if not all) of the dinner early, my dishes have already been washed, and I have minimal mess - and no more temptation for DS to want to hang on my hip when I'm trying to make dinner.

I make a menu plan for the pay period according to the week's sales.

I quit my business (see my blog). -- THE FREEDOM!!!!!! :yay!: :rah rah: :happy dance:

I'm trying to take evening showers to eliminate the problem of trying to sneak a shower in during the morning. I'm getting sick of not being able to shower until DS goes down for his nap at 2:30pm.. Evening showers help me sleep better too - a bonus!

I lay out clothes at night for the next day for DS and myself.

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I love your dinner prep idea Flybygrace! I always find that time of day so hectic, because the little ones are hanging on me and I am trying to get things cut up and ready for dinner, I'm definetly going to try your cookie sheet idea
I have been setting my alarm 45 minutes earlier than when I get the kids up, so I can shower, get ready and make coffee (me time) before I start the morning school rush. I also feel like I get more accomplished if I'm dressed and ready to go first thing in the morning.

I'm not really doing the simple living yet, I've got other things to deal with right now, but I have done alot of things to simplify and I've always hated clutter so I am always organizing and decluttering.

I go to Target once a week, big accomplishment for me! I am right next door so I used to just pop in anytime I needed anything, now I make a mental list and say it can wait until Monday.

I take a shower at night after the kids are asleep, something I thought I would hate b/c I used to love taking one right when I woke up, but it is SO much easier in the mornings not having to rush.

I've been making menus also and it does make a huge difference! Since I've been organized with the menus we eat out less and are prepared.

I have always grocery shopped once a week, we eat too much fresh produce to go longer. Lately I've been going to the grocery store in the evening and that is much easier than taking the three kids (plus I have room in my cart).

I would like to say I spend less time on the computer, but I'd be lying. I do need to though, both my dh and I spend too much time in the evenings on the computer, we are working on that!

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A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

That is *exactly* what attracted me to homeschooling- the day I realized that to get ds to preschool by 8 AM, we'd have to leave home no later than 7:15 AM because of the traffic. Then get home at 8:30-8:45 and leave again by 10:30 to pick him up. I estimated I would be spending at least an hour and a half in the car a day commuting... and we could be doing so much more with that time.

So many moms I talk to say they spend their days in the car, or their youngest child is being raised in the car. One mom even said she knew she had to find a different way to live when she went through McDonalds to get happy meals and her two year old burst into tears. She asked why dd was crying, and she said, "Because I can't catch, Mommy."
This lady had been tossing back the food to the middle of the mini-van, and if her dd didn't catch it the first time, she had to wait until the mom pulled over or they got home to eat. I just don't want to live that way.

Some things I've done to simplify:

Homeschool- no commute, less illness, great quality time with the kids

No dining out- dd's food allergies did that one for us, but it is kind of stressful to eat out with kids, isn't it? (at least for the mom).

I stopped watching TV- just drifted into that. I have so much I want to do in the evenings that TV is way down there on the list. I'd rather read or take a long bath or get in some computer time. The last thing I watched was the interview with Terri Irwin after her husband died. Before that, I think I watched some of the winter olympics in '06... maybe...

Switched to an evening shower about a year ago. Downside: some interesting hair-dos in the morning. Upside- no need to rush

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I don't believe in miracles; I depend on them

ALSO--

To help simplify our families life we have done the following...

- I quit working. I was going crazy trying to rush my son out the door each moring to day care, which by the was is SO very expensive! I think I always felt the worst when I felt like I needed to rush my son through breakfast everyday. He would be sitting in his high chair playing with his food and all I could think was "my God I only have 2 more minutes before I need to get out the door for work and my son has oatmeal all over his face still."
Other benefits of no longer working include more family time! The weekends are no longer consumed with the weeks laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping. We had no time for fun!

-We sold our "old" fixer-upper of a house. We spend LOTS and LOTS of time working on that house before my son came along. We no longer had the time nor energy to do the DIY projects after we had my son! So, we are about to buy your typical cookie-cutter home which will require less maintance and have a much smaller yard.

-I don't buy the "extras" anymore. I don't buy the clothes I don 't need. I don't buy the magazines I can rent at the library. I also don't buy the cute baby clothes because I know my son will receive a new pile of different items at each new holiday from the grandparents.

I have started doing laundry every day. The small amounts makes it much more manageable than having the "clothes mountain" waiting to be folded.

Also, I love flybygrace's idea of starting dinner early. I did this too when i was working only PT or not at all. Even now I try to use the crock pot or get working on dinner when I first get home.

I try to get as much done during my workday as possible. I can not get up early enough to get anything done before going to work, I hate mornings and I'm lucky I'm at work on time so I just give in to that and only have mornings to eat breakfast and get ready to leave. I use my lunch hour to run any errands I might need to do, bank, post office, get gas, even the grocery store. We have a fridge at work and I will usually bring an ice chest for those things that need it. Then I use my commute home to make phone calls, of course I use a hands free most of the time so I'm still being safe. This gives me time to catch up with anyone and then when I get home I am free for dh. We just have dinner together and spend the evenings doing what we want. It makes for a busy day but I like having time to relax with dh when he's home instead of "oh I have to call so and so back" or coming home even later b/c I had to go to the store after work.

I am trying not to use the computer in the evenings now. I go on at nap time for my break. I figure if I stay off it at night, then I have tons more time with my family. I was using it as a excuse to wind down from my day of daycare/work. Now that I don't, I can't believe the time I wasted doing it, and what I could've been doing!

#1) Really cut down on impulse buying.
#2) Going out to dinner less (used to once a week). I have been buying *more* prepackagd meals of good quality from Costco - they taste like they come from a restaurant (they probably do) and has cut down on our entertainment expenses. Some times, yes, even as a SAHM on Friday I'm too exhausted to cook. But now once a week (the rest all our food is homemade) I pop in the oven something 'not made by me'. It costs more than making from scratch, but much cheaper than going out. And I figure once a week isn't bad at all. My criteria is that I don't want to have to 'do' anything to it except heat it up. For example I bought a lasagna that we're having tonight and all I have to do is take off the wrap and pop it in the oven. If I have to prepare it, I'm not having it on Mom's Day Off From Cooking Day.
#3) Leftover night once a week. Everything we haven't eaten that is still fresh gets put in a glass pan all together (each in it's own corner) and I microwave it for 8-10 mins. One pan. We don't waste, we save money, gee, I don't have to cook AGAIN! Works for me!
#4) Getting more help from the family for cleaning/straightening. I act like a CEO and just dole small tasks out. Realizing I can't do it all and have the tidy house that we all know and love. This leaves me more time for:
#5) Letting nature relax me. I love nature. I love the birds. I'm taking more time out to feed them, make treats for them, to read about feeding them, etc. It's simple, inexpensive and relaxing. It's part of who I am and I want to find that again. I'm not just a mom and a wife. I'm ME and I've been in hiding long enough.

Ditto on impulse buying.
Need to work on the making meals more often;so tempting to order out come Thursday when I have about had it for the week!
Ditto on doling out chores--both you and your kids benefit-they learn valuable skills and you are less frazzled.
Sometimes throw leftovers together, not very ofen though.
I like to feed those birds too!

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:love: Jane P.