A Tip

I'm not big on giving tips but I've been doing something different with my afternoons and thought I should pass it on...

You know that time of day around 4ish when you start to think about dinner...maybe it's "what am I making?" or "when should I start prepping?" or "I wonder if we have money in the budget for TAKE OUT! :)"...etc.  I will admittedly and unashamedly tell you that this time of day is not my shining time :).  I'm tired, the kids are awake from naps or rest time and everyone's hanging on me saying "I'm hungry" and "when will dinner be ready".  In an effort to relieve the stress, I wanted to take heed to what a wise woman once said.  She told me that she would start dinner at nap time. You might say like I did at the time "why would I start dinner at nap time?  It will be cold when we sit down to eat!".  True...if dinner is done cooking.  What if you are making spaghetti sauce or chili or soup...we all know these things taste better the longer they cook.  You could be making a tray of enchiladas.  Well, put everything together and have it in the pan in the refrigerator ready to pop in the oven.  Even if you are grilling meat and want it to be hot off the grill, as we do here, how about prepping the rest of dinner?  If I'm going to grill steak, I prepare everything else.  Maybe making a salad and preparing your bread ahead of time would help.

There's a chance you are saying "you're just now figuring this out?" and my answer would be yes, and thank God!  As I anticipate my family growing, I need all the help I can get to work more efficiently during the day so I'm not so tired at night...after all, what husband wants your leftovers?....pun intended.