Mommy Has to Work

Why You Should Start Cooking As a Family

December 2, 2022 By Anne

Home cooked meals are one of those things that families want to start considering, but you might be wondering whether it’s worth the effort. After all, family life is incredibly busy and cooking can fall down the list of priorities, especially when there are easier options.

But here are some reasons to consider cooking as a family.

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Eat More Healthily

One thing that’s on everyone’s minds lately is a healthy lifestyle. It can be hard to eat and live more healthily, especially when you have a busy schedule to contend with on top of trying to keep your family happy and fed.

However, cooking meals at home makes it far easier to make sure that you’re all getting a good, balanced diet. True, it’s a little extra effort when compared to getting takeout, but you know exactly what’s in the food you’re eating.

Not only that, but you can save time and money by cooking at home. Takeout is convenient, but you can often cook a far healthier and cheaper meal at home. If you pick a quick recipe, you can be eating dinner in about fifteen minutes, potentially cutting down on your wait.

Another option is to get ready meals, but these meals are often filled with sugar, salt, and fat to make them more appetizing. Even then, you can enjoy cheaper and tastier meals if you make it yourself.

Dietary Restrictions

Speaking of eating more healthily and controlling what you eat, cooking at home is often the only option for anyone who has dietary restrictions. While restaurants and ready meals are better at catering for people with certain allergies or restrictions, you still have to deal with the risk of you or your children eating what you shouldn’t.

But if you cook at home, then you can make delicious food without having to worry about this risk. You can even make delicious treats like these chocolate chip sugar cookies for children and adults to enjoy, so nobody feels like they’re missing out.

Cooking at home means that you can be more imaginative about what your family eats as well. You can quickly develop a collection of tasty, high quality recipes that you can whip up. You can even prepare them in advance to save time and effort, not to mention money.

Bond As a Family

One benefit to cooking meals at home that often goes forgotten is that you can bond as a family. Rather than relegating the cooking to one parent, make cooking a team effort. When your children are young, you can use it as an opportunity to teach valuable life skills.

Everyone should know how to cook so that they can be more self-sufficient. Start with cooking things together that everyone enjoys, teaching your children how to work safely and to have fun with it. As they get older, you can ask your child to cook for one night in the week, so they can take on the responsibility of planning and preparing meals for a family.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Finding The Flexibility You Need In Life Is A Virtue

November 29, 2022 By Anne

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It’s very easy to assume that one life situation should fit all people if it’s healthy and productive enough, but of course, that’s not the case. Some people thrive in a structured environment with essential routines that change little, others less so. Flexibility is often the most reliable virtue when it comes to setting up our life schedule, because none of us, especially those of us who might have children, wider responsibilities and varied opportunities to chase may not be able to predict everything we need to take care of in a given month.

To use an example – while many people correctly assuming that home ownership can be cheaper and more beneficial than renting on a macro scale, the convenience of renting, having maintenance attended to as part of your expenses, and being part of a contract you could leave relatively quickly if needed is appropriate, and even ideal for some.

So, let’s consider how to find the flexibility you need in life, and why you should feel guilty about taking a different route:

Remote Work & Remote Learning Is A Fantastic Resource

Many of us became familiar with remote working over the pandemic, and this simple provisions allowed thousands, even millions of businesses to survive lockdowns the world over. However, this remote working effort can apply to many areas of life. No matter if you’re seeking a hybrid role for personal work or a high school distance learning program your children as you move to a new location without a secured place in a local school, you can benefit from life flexibility when your development, and the development of your children, is free from the usual and traditional shackles. This might not work for everyone, but if it works for you, you should go for it!

Consider Planning That Aids Your Flexible Schedule

Flexibility isn’t about doing what you wish to, when you wish to. Often, it means making provisions so that you can have more choice as to where to commit to certain tasks. For instance, those engaging in meal prep Sunday have more time during the weekday, and this means they can better choose when they eat, and how much in order to thrive in the best way. It doesn’t mean they won’t have to put thought, planning and effort into curating the right meals, it just means that delaying or bringing forward their lunch or evening meal is easier to care for. As you can see, flexibility is often a provision we work for, not an entitlement we have

Personal Flexibility & Accepting Change

It’s important to note that flexibility isn’t only about expecting everyone else to conform to us, but being able to change too. This might mean properly reviewing your efforts at work and looking at where you need to improve, so you can change for the role provided to you. It might mean becoming more flexible with the times you look after your children, and the times your partner is expected to take that responsibility in your schedules. It might mean accepting overtime during a busy work period. If we can be flexible, we find that others are more willing to be flexible with us, too.

With this advice, we’re sure you’ll find the flexibility you need in life, and benefit as a result.

Anne

The Best Things You Can Do For Your Kids as a Parent

November 29, 2022 By Anne

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Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs out there. You are responsible for another human being, and everything you do or don’t do can have an impact on them. It’s a lot of pressure! But don’t worry, we’re here to help. It doesn’t have to become something that you start to overthink or feel pressure to achieve. Instead, you just need to break things down and focus on some of the core basics. Let’s take a look at some of the best things you can do for your kids as a parent.

1. Be There For Them

One of the most important things you can do for your kids is to simply be there for them. Be available to listen to them when they need to talk, and be patient when they don’t know how to express themselves. Be there to help them with their homework, and be there to share in their successes and defeats. Just being present in their lives will make a world of difference.

2. Set Firm Boundaries

It’s important to set firm boundaries with your kids, especially as they get older. Let them know what is and is not acceptable behaviour, and follow through with consequences when they step out of line. This will help them learn how to behave properly and respect authority figures. It may not be easy at times, but it’s important to stay consistent.

3. Ensure They Stay Healthy

You’re also going to want to make sure that they are as healthy as possible. Keep a stock of fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats, and wholegrains in your kitchen and try to limit processed or sugary snacks. Also think about picking up classic recipes like chicken pot pie casserole, pot roast, and healthy pasta to alternate for dinner. It will help to give them a healthy start in life.

4. Encourage Them To Be Independent

As much as we want to protect our kids and keep them close, it’s important to encourage them to be independent too. Teach them how to do things for themselves, like tie their shoes or brush their teeth. Help them learn how to solve problems on their own. The more independent they are, the more capable they’ll be as adults.

5. Teach Them Good Values

One of the most important things you can do for your kids is teach them good values. Show them what it means to be honest, compassionate, hardworking, and responsible. Help them understand why these values are important, and how they can use them in their own lives. These values will stay with them long after they’ve left your home.

Parenting is a Tough Job – But You’re Not In It Alone!

Remember, you’re not in this alone! There are tons of resources out there to help you through every stage of parenting. Lean on your friends and family for support, and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it. At the end of the day, as long as you’re doing your best, that’s all that really matters.

Anne

Pet Canvas Portrait

November 28, 2022 By Anne

Are you a fur family? We are. We currently have 3 animals sharing our space! I’ve always wanted to do a fun pet canvas portrait for them. We have Zena, a female cat about 11 years old. Then Ginger, a female dog who just turned 8! And the newest addition is Rajah, a female kitten about 6 months old. Having a kitten after so long is quite the adventure.

So about that pet canvas portrait. I finally placed an order for one featuring Spice. Our beautiful, chatty cat that passed away in May. Spice looked like she was part of the Russian Blue family. She loved to talk to us and demanded that we pet her all the time. She enjoyed having company come over so she could get more attention. All of our friends knew Spice and enjoyed engaging in conversation with her.

Spice was adopted a little over 11 years from the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. I adopted my first kitty there 30 years ago. Pixel was 17 when she passed. She gave us Cali, a female calico. They both had long lives and were enjoyed by all 5 children over the years. My daughter Savannah only remembers Pixel and Cali by pictures as she was only 4 years old when the passed away.

I just placed my pet canvas portrait order! It was super easy to do.

Anne

Eco Friendly Gift Ideas for Christmas

November 28, 2022 By Anne

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Make this Christmas green and ethical by choosing gifts that align with your values and modern expectations. The days of unconscious gift buying could be coming to an end as more people see the benefits and necessities of supporting green supply chains and living a more ethical lifestyle. If you are stuck for green gifts to give this Christmas, read on for some starter ideas.

Glass Kitchen Set

Zero waste is a big deal these days as more household attempt to enter the circular economy; the trouble is that changing your lifestyle wholesale can be difficult and unrealistic. However, with the right mindset, you can slowly change the products and homeware you tend to use.

The perfect gift for a friend, couple, or family member, is a glass kitchen set that is stylish, practical, and completely refillable. How would you like to eliminate the plastic you use for your washing-up liquid and laundry detergent? Glass refillable kitchen sets are the best solution.

Organic Towel Set

Sticking with the ideas of practicality and eco-awareness, an organic towel set is an excellent choice for a family member, a friend, or a couple in your life. Towels tend to cut corners in the supply chain and use toxic chemicals in the dye and production methods. So, organic is better.

Organic towels are made from 100% organic and fairtrade cotton, so you can use your loved ones can use the towels with confidence, knowing that they have come from a sustainable source. The towel fabric is also kind to sensitive skin because it doesn’t use any chemicals.

Dark Chocolates

Dark chocolate is more sustainable than milk chocolate because it doesn’t contain animal products and therefore doesn’t support a carbon-heavy industry. Not only that, dark chocolates are cruelty-free and vegan. Dark chocolate can be used for easy reindeer chow this winter.

Fairtrade chocolates ensure that cocoa farmers and growers receive a fair price for their products and support suitable working conditions. Direct trade is even better; with direct trade, the chocolate sellers buy the raw materials directly from the farmers, growers, and workers.

Eco Clothing

Clothing always makes an excellent gift for friends and family members; people are always thrilled to receive a Christmas sweater, some hip t-shirts, or a pair of warm winter socks; the trouble is that clothing is one of the most polluting and harmful industries on the planet.

That doesn’t mean you can’t buy great clothing for your friends and family; it simply means you need to pay more attention to the materials used and the supply chains. A quick internet search online should give you plenty of ethical clothing brands to choose from, such as Patagonia.

Eco Subscription

Subscription services have become the norm in recent years, with everything from cars to television can be available on subscription. Subscriptions also make an excellent gift for Christmas; why not buy a loved one a subscription to a service, some monthly food, or support an animal with a wildlife subscription? These make excellent ethical gifts for Christmas.