What do you own/use to make life easier....

in terms of cooking or cleaning.....

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

I cook after DS goes to sleep which is 7 pm. I also try to make either something I can just put in the oven and forget about it like roasted chicken, meatloaf, lasagna..etc. Or I grill chicken and that is superfast. If I make sause I make it durning the day. I don't use a crockpot because DH doesnt like soups so it is really pointless for me to have one.

As far as cleaning I always do it on the weekends that way DH is with DS and he has time to bond with him and I get my cleaning done. Although this week I split the cleaning up in two days and he DS was really good. He played with his toys or watched Noggin and then I tried to speed it up durning his naps.

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

..use a cleaning lady - once every other week - lol!! makes life a whole lot easier! :)

I cook fast meals these days - I am not as adventurous of a cookl as I use to. hard to be with a 2 year old who is always under foot and wants to take over the cooking for me...

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

do you mean cleaning/cooking products or routines we have?

I refuse to do everything when they are asleep or on weekends only. Between early mornings, while they play, are in school, etc. I get little bits done here and there, and just keep up with it. it becomes routine.

weekends are split between famiy time and ME time.(which includes errands for the house, etc)
i try to be all caught up on laundry and cleaning by the weekend.

and I hope to get a cleaning lady very soon too !

Message edited 3/3/2007 2:50:55 PM.

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

We keep flash fozen chicken breasts in our freezer that don't require any defrosting to cook. Makes my post-baby life much much easier! Haven't come up with any clever cleaning ideas though. mainly I just don't .

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

I use a crock pot a lot.

If I make a big tray of something like ziti or lasagene, I make two trays and freeze on for use at another time.

I have every kitchen gadget you can think of to chop, dice, mince, etc...

We have an extra freezer in the basement for things like skinless chicken breasts, meals from Costco that you just bake, etc.

For cleaning, there is never a short cut in my house. It takes forever and I feel as though I am never caught up. I'd be too embarrased to have a cleaning lady come. I'd be cleaning for her to come every week.

Message edited 3/3/2007 4:38:07 PM.

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

I own/use DH.... he does most of the cleaning.

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

crockpot
swiffer
dustbuster
remote car starter
microwave

oh, and dh

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

DH for the cooking. There are a few things we always have in the house.

I make a triple batch of meatballs (it's one of the only things I know how to cook well). We keep them frozen in ziploc bags.

Chopped up red, yellow, orange, green peppers - frozen in ziploc bags

Breaded chicken cutlets are in the fridge each week. They can be cooked plain, chopped up in a salad, made into chicken parm or cut up into strips for lunch.

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Laundry usually throughout the week (usually by the time Desperate Housewives or Grey's is on that's my folding time).

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

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Laundry usually throughout the week (usually by the time Desperate Housewives or Grey's is on that's my folding time).


So Funny, my folding time is Desperate Housewives too.
As far as gadgets,
Swifer
Dustbuster
Lysol Wipes
Oh, and shutting the door to the bedrooms that aren't exactly clean. That's a great trick.
Saturdays I clean and do laundry. Sunday I fold.
Another trick I have is my DD has enough PJs and socks to last two weeks. So, if I can't get to laundry right away, she never runs out of the essentials. She has plenty of clothes, so that is never a concern either.

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

Crock pot is a life saver.

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

Posted by mommy2bellabean

Posted by rose825

I own/use DH.... he does most of the cleaning.

I was just gonna say this. He doesn't charge much at all

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

BLINDFOLDS!!!

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

Dh does laundry and bathrooms...but he has been slipping big time, so I am getting a cleaning person this week. I refuse to do it all!

When the mood strikes I cook on Saturday for the week. Last Sat I took out some chicken and ground beef and made:

Chili
Lasagna
Enchilala casserole
Chicken salad ( for lunches)
Grilled Chiken breasts (then I just cook some pasta and veggies and toss it together one night)

Then I just pull something from the fridge that I made over the weekend and pop it in oven. Otherwise, my day gets too crazy and we wind up eating cereal.

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

Cleaning: I usually clean while DD is awake and playing. I have a bin of toys in just about every room in the house and I just clean around her.

Cooking: I prep (chop veg. etc.) for dinner while she is napping. When its time to make dinner, all I have to do is throw everything together. She sits outside the kitchen and plays while I cook. DD is almost 9 months old and not so mobile. I'm sure my methods will change as she gets around more.

Re: What do you own/use to make life easier....

Crock pot

Pre-cutting veggies, fruit, dividing thins into portions as soon as I come home from food shopping. DH watches DD while I go food shop, so I ask for more time to "prep" things when I get home. This works wonders.

Swiffer Vac

Running laundry and folding it when DD is playing

Dishwasher