OAMC for the Workin’ Momma
used with permission, Flickr Creative Commons, picture by Tasslehoff Burrfoot
As a huge fan of Once A Month Mom (and of Tricia!) I have noticed that many of you are a little skittish about beginning your once a month cooking journey because you feel you are just too busy, especially if you work outside the home. Work schedules, and now school schedules can definitely make us feel as though our off-work schedules are nothing but “crunch-time” to get things done, whether it’s around the house, attending school activities, or just trying to get everyone to bed! I work full-time as well as work part-time online in the evenings. Our family schedule is extremely tight and I (like so many of you) was wondering how in the world participating in once a month cooking would help with this without using up my precious time??? Was it really worth it??
The answer is a definite YES! I finally got the guts to call up my sister one day and ask her if she would cook an entire menu with me just to “try it out” to see if we could really save time on work-night evenings and even save a little money in the process. She agreed, she LOVES to cook, much to my delight! You see, while my sister and I are very close, we really do not have all that much in common. Cooking has been the thing that has always brought us together – so I was thrilled that we would be in THIS together!
Anyway, so we went for it and survived our first big cooking day. My sister works the night-shift in a sleep lab and it was hard to get our schedules to mesh at first. So I decided to take vacation time in order to cook on a weekday. The day was not without frustration, tiredness and sore feet – but we honestly had a blast spending time cooking together! After lugging all of my meals home that evening; I really had my doubts as to whether or not our efforts would be worth it or not. But you know what? The time I saved each night was TOTALLY WORTH THAT ONE DAY OF SORENESS AND MORE! (And I mean it!) Instead of spending 30 minutes to an hour each night after work preparing dinner I could just pop something into the oven or the microwave and spend the extra time with my family; and when you only have three hours to spend with your children each day before bedtime, an hour each day is an excellent reward my friends! I have seen a dramatic difference in the temperament of my two-year-old son because of this extra time as well. He is not as clingy to me as he used to be and thus has actually started spending a lot more time with his father, something that he hesitated to do simply because he craved alone time with me so much.
Not only have I saved time in the evenings by not having to slave over the stove forever, my sister and I also found that we were saving roughly $250-300 per month by participating in once a month cooking! For a family that operates on a strict budget, this can make a huge difference.
Now, because I have two children that are slowly turning into finicky eaters, I have had a few issues with the kiddos wanting to even “touch” a few of the food items. But I think I have solved the issue by only picking recipes off of each of the monthly menus that I think will be “kid-friendly” for our family. I also keep past recipes that were a big hit with everyone’s tummies and plan to re-cook some of them when needed.
Believe me when I tell you that OAMC works for the working momma – it truly does!
**If you are looking to find out more about getting started with once a month cooking or want to meet other working moms that are already doing it, plan to join us on October 10th for the Once A Month Mom Tweet-Up.
Jamie is a wife to Alan, mom to kindergartner Marissa & 2 year old “monther” Jacob, and works full-time (well, maybe a little more than full-time) as a Family & Consumer Sciences/4-H Youth Development Program Assistant for The Ohio State University Extension in Miami County, Ohio. She dishes out information focusing on family finances, parenting, nutrition, healthy living, etc on her working blogs which are tied to the Ohio State University, www.parentsinaction.wordpress.com. She also blogs about trying to keep up with work, kids, home, and family life in general at her family blog: www.segermoments.blogspot.com.
I have planned my meals by the month for 18 years, I just went back to investment cooking recently. I love it and it was fun to do it with my older daughters! I am moving towards the idea of planning and purchasing all the meals for a month. I absolutely love your ideas. Thank you!
As a working mom who also treasures those two precious hours I have between getting home and getting her to bed, OAMC was a GREAT help to me! Even though I LOVE to cook, I was stressed about trying to get dinner on the table while not neglecting those sweet minutes with Libbie. With OAMC I could cook on the weekends if I felt like it and have those dishes already made in the freezer for during the week! I need to re-stock!
Jessie
I TOTALLY agree!! I recently started incorporating OAMC meals into our menu, and my freezer was a lifesaver the last six weeks since we welcomed a new baby to the family! I made a month’s worth of meals before my due date, and it was COMPLETELY worth the time and effort to not worry about cooking when I was operating on 2 hours of sleep!
This mommy of two agrees! I’ve only tried OAMC once, but the benefits were so worth it. My husband, 4 year old daughter, 2 year old son, and 2 year old nephew who lives with us all have enjoyed the bounty. I can’t wait to give it another go!
I also love OAMC! This is my second time around…and it is a hit in our family. I have found that I narrowed down the menu (my kids are kind of picky) and I also broke the cooking down into 2 days (works better for my weekend schedule than doing it all one day). I love having good food available that allows me time to spend time with my boys instead of stressing about what to cook or what take out to bring home.
OAMC could not be more working momma friendly. I did my first month of cooking on Labor Day weekend and boy am I happy with the results. It is so easy to just thaw a meal in the morning and stick it in the oven at night. I am married to an electrician that does not get home until 7pm and we have a 10, 8, and 2 year old. We are busy people with basketball and band and homework, let alone just some quality time together. OAMC has given me the time that I need to give to my children when I get home from work. It also has allowed me to make more than a hotdish. I now plan my week with not only a hotdish but a bread and vegetable. This has helped to make our lives so much easier and less stressful! Thank you Tricia! You are a lifesaver!
This is SO true! I have been using this website for about 4 months now and the time I save each night is priceless. It’s much nicer to pop something in the oven and then hang out with the family for an hour. This website is WONDERFUL! I’ve been telling everyone I can about the menus and lists that are offered.
It’s great!