Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Confessions of a Lazy Mom

I'm trying to become a reformed lazy Mom, but I'm taking baby steps. There are a few lazy elements I'll probably never really be able to move past. One of them is my dislike of and lack of ability in cleaning my house. There are just so many other things I'd rather do. Maybe they are just avoidance tools? It gets the best of me, and my house is often just on the other side of the line from acceptable.

I've found a few little helpers along the way, and they have definitely improved the, uh, cleanliness level around here. One of them is my friend Mr. Scooba. I got him about 6 months or so ago. He drives around and mops my floor. He doesn't do a perfect job, but it's certainly better than not mopping at all. I used to gripe and moan about the condition of my kitchen floor and how it needed to be replaced. Turns out I just wasn't cleaning it often enough. Gross, I know, but there it is. If I run him a couple times a week, my floor is just fine, if a little dated.

I'm also trying to get better about making a complete dinner nightly. The last menu challenge helped with that, but we had a few snags there. I need to make a plan and grocery shop for the week, after taking a little inventory since I have some things lurking in the freezer I suspect. Last night I made Black Bean soup, which is almost a cheater meal. To make it I sautee some carrots, onions and garlic (I food process them for no chunk boy), then add diced tomatoes, black beans, some water and a handful of brown rice. I served it with corn bread (mix from TJs) and fresh steamed green beans. Two out of three kids gave it a thumbs up, so this is a regular dinner around here. Owen has been asking for chili, so I guess that will be on our menu this week.

I was really surprised to find a selection of organic goods at a super Walmart the last time I was there. I know, I know, Walmart. I'm sure they aren't free-range, local organics ;) but they are affordable, so I'll stock up next time I'm out that way.