My biggest wish for 2010 is to simplify life, bringing to it's most elemental. Mothers, in particular, are so very good at piling on the guilt. We make these mental lists of everything that needs to get done in a day, and of those tasks we require them to be completed in an exacting way. The real kicker is that many of these chores are going to go unnoticed by our loved ones. My husband could care less if all the living room pillows are properly fluffed. Because of this I am working to give myself a break mentally; I want to cut back on the self-imposed guilt and stress. I want to either tackle the job head-on or just not sweat it if it doesn't get completed, because guilt doesn't accomplish anything.
One of the big ways I am easing up on myself is by taking a different view to our meals. Instead of the usual hot meal consisting of the protein, starch, veggie triad, I am going to embrace foods that are easier to prepare a few nights a week. Take the roast beef sandwich for example. Deli sliced roast beef, perfectly medium rare on a bolillo from the bakery, served with horseradish, muenster cheese, and baby arugula. Add to this some kettle chips and you have a pretty excellent meal. All I had to do was assemble the sandwiches.
Last week it was chicken noodle soup. Granted, it was homemade, but I just made the soup one night after having a baked chicken. We just pulled the jars out of the fridge, boiled the broth and added noodles at the last minute. delicious.
Not only does this lighten my load during the day, but also gives me more time to spend with the kids instead of needing to head into the kitchen each afternoon around 4pm to start supper.
