Busy Days

Yesterday was a terribly busy day for us--although upon reflection, I suppose it was normal for our lives. Besides the fact that we had just gotten back from travelling, which meant everyone was tired and a bit off, we had to be in three different places at once. Our daughter is taking a class which happens to be at the same time my regular exercise class and it was PTA night. It was also bath night for the kids. Not willing to give up my hour to myself at the gym, we have organized a somewhat elaborate system to get us all where we need to be. (Did I mention we only have one car?)

First, we eliminate things we can't or don't want to do. The PTA meeting was a child-parent activity, so since our child couldn't be there, we eliminated PTA. I fed our older son dinner now--at 430pm so that at least its a possibility he will be in a good mood. So, I put on my workout clothes, pack my gym bag, change the boys' diapers, and get everyone with shoes and coats to the car. We pick up my husband from work. Then we drive to the gym where I and our older son get out. I drop him off at the childcare and I go to kickbox. Meanwhile, my husband drops our daughter off at class. Then he goes home, takes care of a few things with the baby. After about half an hour at home, he packs the baby up and begins to retrieve us. He picks up me--freshly pumped and showered (the gym is the only place I can shower without anyone coming and asking me questions, using the toilet, or trying to get in with me) and our son. At this point, both kids are crying. Our older son had a miserable time at the gym since he was forced to leave a Bob the Builder toy there and then put on his coat. Our baby hates the car and was hungry since my husband didn't have time to feed him while home. But we have to keep going. We pick up our daughter and head for home. At this point, it is about 730pm. Kids' bedtime is at 8pm. We resort to survival mode. Skip baths for the boys--they can do it in the morning. Any homework not due tomorrow can be left undone for our daughter. The girls eat dinner and the boys get ready for bed. After dinner, the girls enjoy some ice cream and strawberries--shhhh! Our daughter can't skip showering even though its late but we keep it short. By 815pm all the kids are in bed and we are sitting down for the first time since 5pm. A quick putting away of dinner--the dishes can wait. And we collapse to watch the Olympics.

Now reading that, it is pretty typical. I guess it makes the time pass quickly.

So onto another mommy survival tip....
The Crock Pot
Every family must have one. On nights like this--when time is short and eating all together is unlikely, a crock pot meal is great. Plus, these meals take minutes to prepare and are healthy (since you aren't using any oil, etc. to cook with). You can throw the meal together the night before or when you have some down time in the morning. Even husbands can make great meals using it (hint, hint darling husband!). The extended cooking also acts as a nice air freshener--the house and even outside smell great (if you like the smell of pot roast or soup, that is).

Funny story--my cousin got married last year. She registered for a nice and big crock pot. Well, she ended up getting 6. We all told her to keep at least 2 for herself but she didn't believe us and only kept one. Oh well.

*I don't usually involved the kids while cooking with the crock pot because there's no time. It only takes a couple of minutes--usually of chopping, which I obviously don't do holding a baby or toddler.

Beef Stroganoff
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 lbs stew beef
1 tablespoon tapioca
1/4 cup water
1 small package mushrooms (about 6), sliced
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

Add onion, garlic, sauce, basil, beef and tapioca to crock pot. Add salt and pepper (1/2 tsp each to start). Mix together. Add water. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or high 4 hours (or according to manufactures instructions). Add mushrooms after 5 hours or so. Before serving, add sour cream. Taste for seasoning. Serve over egg noodles.
*can be left on 'warm' setting after 6 hours until reading to eat.

Barbeque Chicken
Chicken breasts--up to 12 fit in a standard pot
1/4-1 cup prepared barbeque sauce (about 1 heaping tablespoon per breast)

Put ingredients in pot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. With two forks, shred chicken. Serve with buns and extra sauce as sandwiches.
Leftovers are a great filling for tacos or burritos. You can also make BBQ chicken pizza (lightly toast a tortilla, top with chicken, BBQ sauce, and cheese. Heat until cheese is melted)!