Making Life Simple

Isn’t it strange how we suddenly stop doing things that work for ourselves.  Like getting up five minutes early to make sure we can have breakfast. Or organizing the kids play dates weeks in advance to avoid disappointment at the weekends. In short just plain old fashioned planning.

My light bulb revelation moment came, when Hubby produced a three day food plan (out of thin air – yay him).  Something, which used to occur weekly in this house, until a few years ago.  However, time and life got in the way and it slipped by the way side, it shouldn’t have done but it did. 

Just a simple act of writing down dinners for the next couple of days has alleviated the constant thought process of what are we going to have for dinner tonight followed by the shopping and time wasting that went with the responding decision.  Most of which happened last minute in a rush during the evening routine, which isn’t the best time as most parents can appreciate and understand.

We used to shop differently, fill up the freezer to capacity and then eat out of it topping up with fresh items when needed.  This worked for us – so why stop doing it? Children.  I am going to put the blame on them : well, indirectly anyway.  I don’t think that we really got as far as thinking ahead, what after school activities would entail and the impact on the evening non-routine.  Not that I am disputing this is exactly how it should be, I encourage our children to do anything they feel they might like, but it’s the follow-through that my brain seems to press pause on. 

Learning from our experiment to day, we have come to the conclusion that we need to downsize our minds, in to a more concise manageable process that will have knock-on benefits for all areas of our lives.

Simple, that’s how we need life to be these days. 

As simple, as can be possible. 

We used to take for granted our teamwork capabilities, Nij could do a certain job whilst I did another, then I became poorly and it all went to pot.  So in this case the children have been mildly let off and we’ll aim the blame firmly at M.E.’s doorway – well it sucks anyway so might as well blame it for something else!

Nij reconnected with our menu planning because my mental food head has been all over the place.  First on Slimming World then Body by Vi then nothing, then all of it, then back and forth, until my weight ballooned, my head was hurting and confused and I didn’t know which way to go.  So now it’s all sorted.  I have a shake for breakfast and lunch and a weight watchers tea.  Simple.  The other three members of the family can pretty much eat the same thing, but Nij has frozen some meals for himself for back-up! 

At last we are getting our mojo back one small step at a time.  Perhaps this is the start of the long fight back to normality.  On second thought, normality is highly over-rated so we’ll just settle for being healthy and happy!  That’s one heck of a goal to have and live for.