Working Mom Survival: Time-Saving Tips

As a follow up to an earlier post I did about my weekly meal-planning, I thought I'd also share some time-saving tips that we use in our house to keep us organized and on schedule every day.  Warning: these tips may be seen as

A) OCD
B) Neurotic
C) Overkill
D) All of the above

BUT, I will say that these tips are tried and true. If you're sleep-deprived like me, and try to get as many winks as you possibly can every morning, then these should be useful to you. And for anyone who has run around like a headless chicken in the morning looking for your favorite pair of pants that you just HAVE to wear that day, and they are nowhere to be found, these tips are for you too!

Ok, so just like my weekly meal-planning, it's all about planning and doing things ahead of time. I wish I could tell you that I have a sophisticated process in place, but alas, a trained monkey could do this. The whole premise is that in the morning, when you are trying to get yourself and kids out the door on time, every minute counts. For me, lost minutes could mean the difference between commuting in a nice, big plushy charter bus, driven by someone else, or driving myself in, doubling my commute time and tripling my road rage. That is no bueno for nobody. Oh, and I also am not interested in waking up at o'dark thirty just to get all these things done.

So this is what Randy and I do every evening. We don't have a set time that we do these things, we just kinda work them into our other evening activities. We also don't have designated people for each task, sometimes we both do it, sometimes only one of us does. All that matters is that someone does it.

1. Put the kids' backpack and diaper bag, jackets and shoes all by the front door (or wherever you will be exiting in the morning). This is good especially if your kids are at an age where they can put their jacket and shoes on themselves, because you can bellow at them in the morning "go put your shoes and jacket on!" while you are getting your coffee/wrangling younger siblings/checking the stock market/painting on your face/fill in the blank.

2.  If possible, get breakfast prepped. We take everything out that we can. For example, if the kids are having cereal in the morning, we take out everything but the milk - bowl, spoon, cup for water, and the cereal. This will help in the event your child decides he wants something that you don't even have, and you find yourself asking him what he wants instead and he goes "ummm....uhhhh.....I don't know..." as the clock just ticks by and you become more and more late. Cruz loves smoothies for breakfast so I will even wash, peel and slice fruit and have it in a bowl ready to toss into the blender the next morning.

Breakfast at the ready

Fruit washed and peeled for smoothies

3. Prep packed lunches. My kindergartener brings lunch from home a majority of the time so that's one more thing to do each night. I know a lot of parents do this in the morning, but I just can't. I really don't like having to think about all the little details of his lunch first thing in the morning, and more importantly, I don't trust myself that I won't forget something important. Like to pack food. So the night before, I will do as much as I possibly can.

I slice fruit that won't oxidize in the fridge, and wash whatever fruit will be sliced in the morning.

If the main entree is a sandwich, I make that the night before. If it's hot food, I will warm that up in the morning. Cruz likes to take plain pasta with butter and grated Parmesan a lot, so the night before, I pour out the pasta into his Thermos so it's already portioned out and ready to be boiled the next day.

Any snacks or dry items can be portioned out and put directly into his lunch bag already.

Snacks

I put the sliced fruit and his water bottle into the fridge so we can just grab it in the morning.

Ready for the lunch bag

4. Pre-load and set the coffee maker and 5. Prepare our own lunches

Randy will grind up the coffee beans, load the water into the coffee maker and program the brew time every night. One less thing to think about in the morning, and boy do I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee as I come down the stairs. I feel like I'm in a freaking Folgers commercial. But without the nasty Folgers. 

If we are bringing our lunches the next day, we'll pack that up too.

6. Take out the kids' clothes

I check the weather (yes, I do this daily) and pull out the kids' outfits for the next day and set it on their dresser. In the morning, Cruz can get himself dressed and we don't have to think about what Lucas will wear, let alone hunt down a clean pair of pants or shirt.

7. Take out our clothes for the next day. Yes, seriously. Whenever I tell people this, they are always surprised for some reason. Look people, I do not allot myself a lot of time in the morning. I do not have time to languish about, deciding what I feel like wearing that day. If I didn't choose my clothes the night before, I'd probably spend an obscene amount of time rifling through my closet and would either be a) terribly late or b) throw something inappropriate on, like my Tupac sweatshirt (inappropriate for work that is). And I don't know about you ladies, but if I am not happy with my outfit, it puts me in a bad mood for the rest of the day! I know, so shallow.

So those are my 7 main time-saving tips that help get us through hectic work weeks, Randy's ever-changing schedule and the hustle and bustle of every day life. Maybe some of these will work for you or at least give you some inspiration for what might work for your family. If you have any other pearls of wisdom, please share!

Art & Nature

While most of the US is still grappling with tough winter conditions, we in California are basking in the sunshine and warm Spring weather. This weekend was no exception, with clear blue skies and near 80 degree temperatures. Randy was scheduled for work all weekend so the boys and I were left to entertain ourselves. I decided to take advantage of the incredible weather, so I packed a bag of snacks, sunscreen and water bottles, and headed for the San Francisco Zoo, with the boys and my niece in tow. Out of the two Bay Area zoos, the SF zoo is smaller, less hilly and more manageable for little legs to run around. 

The zoo recently renovated an awesome playground on the grounds, and I knew the kids would have a blast exploring it.

Taking a break

Sliding down an iceberg

My favorite part of the playground is the section that resembles a huge sprawling tree. It's like the treehouse you dreamed about as a kid, but better.

The "Arctic"

My baby polar bear

After exploring the playground to their heart's content, the kids were ready to visit the animals.

Checking out flamingos

Learning about So. American animals

No trip to the SF Zoo is complete without a train ride!

Cousins

Lucas woke up from a nap just in time for the train ride

The last pitstop was the gift shop where I let the kids each choose a souvenir. In true Cruz and Lucas fashion, they both snatched up swords! I guess the elephant head above the sword's handle makes it appropriate for a zoo gift shop...go figure. And in true Jessica fashion, she selected a tiny stuffed panda bear inside a fuzzy pink purse!

Showing off their souvenirs

I'm so glad I decided to take them to the zoo. I get so much satisfaction seeing them run around outside, getting fresh air and learning about animals and nature to boot. And after a hectic week at work, confined to my cubicle and conference rooms, I think I needed the fresh air and sunshine just as much. 

On Sunday, we stayed close to home and spent some time at a local art gallery, Arts Benicia. They had been advertising drop-in hours for a family art day, so the boys and I went to check it out, along with some good friends and cousin Jessie.

Getting some instruction

The kids were given a few questions to think about, and then were free to use all of the available materials to make whatever they wanted.

Questions for inspiration

Supplies

I was impressed that with just general instructions, the kids immediately sat down and began working on their own projects, no questions asked. I was reminded that children are so much more creative because they have no inhibitions, fewer boundaries and they happily allow their minds to think freely and create.

Two sets of best buddies!

The creative process 

Lucas' paper collage

After creating their pieces of art, we all headed next door to the actual art gallery. The current exhibit, Next Generation, is art created by Benicia students, from kindergarten to 12th grade. The kids were impressed that everything in the gallery was made by students just like themselves. 

It was another busy weekend, but so much fun! I could see the kids being stimulated in new ways and as a parent that makes me feel pretty good. Another school and work week begins tomorrow but already looking forward to our next weekend adventure!

Tilapia & Veggies

Here's another quick seafood weeknight dinner to share with you all. I bought the fish and veggies during my weekly grocery shopping but wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them, but I was inspired by a dish my friend made recently with similar ingredients. I made this one up as I went along so there are lots of opportunities to tweak things to make it to your liking.

I started off by seasoning the tilapia fillets with salt and pepper on both sides. You can use any white fish you like, but you need something that will hold up to a little bit of pan frying.

Tilapia is a blank canvas

The night before I sliced up three bell peppers and one onion. I love all the different pepper colors, so pretty! Next time I will only use half an onion, it had a little too much this time around.

Next I heated up 1 Tb of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet, over medium high heat. I threw the veggies in the pan, sprinkled on some kosher salt and pepper and sauteed them until they began to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Don't cook them all the way because they will go in the oven later and can finish cooking there. Remove the veggies and set them aside on a plate.

I added another 2 Tb of olive oil to the pan and let it heat up. Then I added the tilapia to the pan and seared them briefly, about 3 minutes per side. I didn't want to cook them through either, just wanted them to get some nice color. 

I didn't take any pictures of these steps in the pan because hot oil splashed on to my arm when I carelessly threw the veggies in, and so I figured I better put the camera down and pay attention. Job hazard I tell ya.

Once the fish was done on the second side, I put them on the bed of veggies I 'd set aside (in an ovenproof baking dish). 

A complete meal

At this point I decided it needed a sauce because it was looking a little dry. I rummaged through my pantry and found a can of coconut milk so I popped it open and poured into the pan. In a minute or so it started boiling so I lowered the heat to medium-low just to keep it simmering. Using a wooden spoon I scraped up  all the yummy bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (i.e. deglazed the pan), because those are basically nuggets of flavor! I seasoned the coconut milk with a few splashes of fish sauce, and squeezed in some lemon juice (a generous wedge) to help balance out the richness. Next time I think I will add green curry paste and kaffir leaf, for a Thai-style dish. You could also deglaze the pan with chicken broth, white wine and a few Tb of butter for a nice smooth sauce. The possibilities are endless!

Once I was satisfied with the seasoning of the sauce, I poured it over the fish and veggies, then into the oven the whole dish went. I cooked it for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees, just to finish cooking the fish. And for some final color and freshness, I added chopped parsley. Done and done!

We ate the fish with quinoa (Cruz preferred rice), and it was a tasty meal without any heaviness. 

The whole meal took me under an hour to cook, perfect for a weeknight!

Farm Dinner & Meadery Tour

Last weekend I had a fantastic girl's night out - we drove out to West Marin and enjoyed a mead tasting, tour of a meadery, followed by a delightful farm-to-table dinner. It was a fun thing to do off the beaten path and a learning experience to boot. I had never heard of, let alone tasted, mead until that evening. What is mead you ask? It's wine made from fermented honey! So instead of grapes, honey is used. I don't know about you, but that blew my hair back!

The evening festivities took place at Heidrun Meadery in picturesque Point Reyes. Upon arriving, I entered a greenhouse and was delighted by the beautiful tablescape, the twinkling lights and a sweet crystal chandelier overhead. I immediately forgot I was in a greenhouse.

Tablescape

Welcome to Heidrun

I was told that all of the floral arrangements were made by a woman who lived in town, and boy, were they a feast for the eyes. The colors, the variation, arrangement and scents were perfection. She even incorporated fresh herbs and a cabbage variety to make it even more interesting.

Floral beauties

I couldn't stop admiring the flowers all night, and as such, kept snapping photos of them.

The setting was perfectly designed and planned for, allowing guests to mingle and enjoy the space.

Beverages and take home treats

Shortly after arrival we began the mead tasting. 4 varietals were offered, each one quite different. Because honey can be collected from a wide array of flowers, which are grown in many different regions and climates, the possibilities seem almost endless in terms of potential flavors. For example, honey collected from a wildflower in Southern California will taste different from a wildflower in Vermont, resulting in potentially two different tasting wines.

The 4 we tasted were made from the following: Lehua Blossom from the Big Island of Hawaii, Oregon Meadowfoam Blossom, California Orange Blossom and Madras Carrot Blossom. Each one was unique, flavorful and tasty! 

Mead lineup

And what's wine without some cheese? I honestly could have eaten just this cheese platter and drank mead and been completely happy - I mean, what else do you need in life?

Well, I suppose fresh oysters are a good addition too. Not pictured were the other amazing appetizers - beet salad and smoked steelhead on crackers. YUM!

Sluuurrrpp!

Here is the landscape behind the meadery, isn't it pretty? It rained for two days prior, so everything looked verdant and refreshed. 

Bonfire ring and lots of natural seating

Picture perfect

Last shot of the gorgeous blooms - I love the special touch of honeycomb to the table decor.

Rustic beauty

Here are the roughly 700 lb metal drums full of raw honey from all over the country. Heidrun hopes to one day produce their own bulk supply of honey, but in the meantime, they source it from many places.

Unfortunately I couldn't take any more photographs, but our hosts proceeded to walk us through the complete mead-making process. It was both fascinating and educational, and certainly gave me a true appreciation of the time, effort and care that goes into making a bottle of the sparkling stuff.

After the tour, we sat down at the long communal table for a farm dinner. All of the meat and produce came from a local farm in the West Marin area, and the chef incorporated mead into the main and dessert courses. I am a huge proponent of supporting local farms and growers as much as possible, and eating food that is seasonal and grown sustainably. There is nothing that compares to food that is made using fresh ingredients that is harvested just before cooking, and did not travel over 1,000 miles to get on your plate. 

The menu included a mixed greens salad (made decadent by the addition of clotted jersey cream), slow-cooked, mead brined pork shoulder on a bed of polenta, and finally, a chevre panna cotta with mead soaked sultanas and a pecan crumble topping. Each course was paired with local wines. 

Cast of characters of a superb meal

Love the rustic charm 

But by far, the best part of the evening was the company. Although I came with two girlfriends, it was a wonderful experience to sit down and share a meal with people who we may never have met otherwise. I am a believer in the power of food to bring people together, and this was another example of that. I had almost nothing in common with the people who I sat with, and yet the conversation and laughter never stopped. 

But as the cliche goes, all good things must come to an end. Luckily, I had several bottle of mead and these fresh baked cookies to take home!

Apricot & Coconut cookies

The dinner was organized by Elizabeth at West Marin Food and Farm Tours and I highly recommend them. They offer a number of different types of tours and there is something for everyone. I cannot wait to plan a date for Randy and I, or maybe another girl's night out. Cheers!