Sunday, February 10, 2008
Simplifying Sunday
As I am sure you can imagine, getting 5 children (and Art and myself) up, fed, dressed, combed, washed, and out the door on time on Sundays is always a challenge. I feel like I am rushing constantly from the time I get up until after lunch. I have 3 great ideas to help make Sundays go a little smoother. First, have the children lay out their clothes the night before. Those who can't I will do for them. Second, make breakfast ahead the night before. I did this last night for the first time. I made homemade cinnamon rolls, baked them, and wrapped them in plastic wrap so they could be eaten first thing in the morning. You have no idea how much time this saved me! Third is to make ahead lunch the night before. By the time we get out of church and home on Sunday everyone is starving especially me! Eating out every week is not a good option. Not only is it expensive, the children are tired and cranky which doesn't make for a pleasant dining experience. So, I am going to start making Sunday Lunch a big meal cooking it in the crockpot so it will be ready as soon as we get home. Then we can have leftovers or sandwiches Sunday evening.
I have not been reading your blog that long, but I cannot believe how many things I read that I say, "Us, too!" I heartily agree with much of what you do on Sunday.
ReplyDeletePremade cinnamon rolls are our Sunday breakfast as well. I will often make them (not yet baked) in advance and pull them out of the freezer Saturday before bed. They rise on the counter overnight and then just need 20 minutes in the oven for fresh baked cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning. Sometimes, when we are going to a later service, I use my breadmaker to make the dough overnight and make the rolls in the morning. I let them rise quickly in a warm oven and then bake.
I fill my crock pot on Saturday night as well on most weeks. I have to put it far away from my bedroom though, otherwise I wake up to the aroma all night! :-) I don't know if this just extends my busyness to Saturday night, but it definitely helps the morning go better.
Invariably there is always someone still without shoes on when it is time to walk out there door, no matter how many times I reminded and checked on them (I'm not alone on this, I hope.) But, with everything else prepped in advance it usually doesn't hold us up too much.
In general I know that I need to shoot for 15 minutes before we actually want to leave in order to make it out on time. Five kids is such a treat, but such a logistical challenge at times. It definitely gets easier as the older ones can really help out now.
Thanks for sharing, I'm enjoying your blog!
~Erin
http://delightinginhisrichness.blogspot.com/