DeputyDelirium

So we have a great arrangement in my home that has been in affect since our 3rd year of marriage. Greg does the cooking and cleaning up while I clean the bathrooms and dust. Pretty perfect huh? I *can* cook, I just don't enjoy it. Greg really likes to cook so he can get creative and our tummies are constantly happy.

The hardest thing about meals is knowing what to cook and having the ingredients on hand. Greg can throw things together, but he prefers to have an idea ahead of time. So we tackle the menu as a family a month ahead of time so we can go to the various stores using the coupons Colleen has so carefully taken a million years to organize. We plan the whole month at once. How do we decide? Well, we thought about having the same thing for every day of the week. ie. Taco Tuesdays, Pizza Fridays, Pot Roast Sundays . . . you get the idea. After about 3 weeks of doing this, it got old and boring. Now we take each child and ask them what their favorite dinners are. They get to choose 3, along with side dishes. Add Greg and I to the mix and thats 21 meals all planned out. We schedule a couple of nights for take out and a few for leftovers (which we aren't good about eating) TA-DA! The month is done! Now we just have to go get all the ingredients and we are set. Want to know how much we spend at Costco every 4-6 months? Hmm, I bet you do. I'm not going to kiss and tell though.

There is something very gratifying about having this menu all put together and written in the calendar. Greg & I *can* provide for our children. We *can* do this, despite the fact we still feel like we're 21 and are waiting for our kids' 'real' parents to come pick them up.

Yes, a table set for 7. Very rewarding indeed.