Sundays aren’t fun or relaxing anymore

[Anonymous]

Buy a deep freezer, keep it stocked with ready made meals. Use a crock pot or slow cook on the stove.

[Anonymous]

This whole thread feels like a SNL skit. I’m a single mother and do all of that by myself. And I also find time to just unwind with a glass of wine and a movie.

[Anonymous]

I could have written your post, OP. I am in the middle of preparing dinners for this coming week too. It sucks. I used to love cooking, too.

While the suggestions given are good, I have two issues: first, we’re vegetarian and vegetarian food isn’t that easy. Second, we have limited freezer space and no room to put a deep freezer in our city condo! I could add a third which is that my young kids are still picky eaters.

I do dread Sundays now but am so happy when I come home from work and just pop a dish in the oven while my toddler and I make a salad while I’m wearing my baby. We sit down to eat while everyone is still in a good mood and DH does clean up so I can nurse and read to my kids in peace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread feels like a SNL skit. I’m a single mother and do all of that by myself. And I also find time to just unwind with a glass of wine and a movie.

It’s easier being a single mother, PP. Honestly. Your idea of cleaning standards and nutritional standards are your own. You have no other equal adult to compromise with. I could eat and serve scrambled eggs for dinner but DH needs a full balanced, vegetarian meal. I could live with crumbs on the floor but DH has to vacuum daily. There are a million things that I would let slide without DH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with others that you could probably simplify your meal planning and cut down on the amount of work significantly. But that aside, Sundays aren't as fun and relaxing because you are trading calm/relaxing Sunday for calm/relaxing evenings during the week. While you may be able to scale back the total amount of work, the work has to get done sometime. If you choose to do it on the weekend rather than during the week, then obviously the weekends will be less relaxing.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread feels like a SNL skit. I’m a single mother and do all of that by myself. And I also find time to just unwind with a glass of wine and a movie.

It’s easier being a single mother, PP. Honestly. Your idea of cleaning standards and nutritional standards are your own. You have no other equal adult to compromise with. I could eat and serve scrambled eggs for dinner but DH needs a full balanced, vegetarian meal. I could live with crumbs on the floor but DH has to vacuum daily. There are a million things that I would let slide without DH.

+1. This really is true. Without the commitment of marriage and another relationship to tend to, I would have a lot more time!

[Anonymous]

Get yourself an instant pot, serve soup with crackers and cheese. Done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread feels like a SNL skit. I’m a single mother and do all of that by myself. And I also find time to just unwind with a glass of wine and a movie.

It’s easier being a single mother, PP. Honestly. Your idea of cleaning standards and nutritional standards are your own. You have no other equal adult to compromise with. I could eat and serve scrambled eggs for dinner but DH needs a full balanced, vegetarian meal. I could live with crumbs on the floor but DH has to vacuum daily. There are a million things that I would let slide without DH.

+1. This really is true. Without the commitment of marriage and another relationship to tend to, I would have a lot more time!

Except it sounds like Op has a hands-on husband who is making substantive contributions to home and childcare. Unless she has unusually long work weeks, she has it easy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I have two kids under 4 and WOH. But DH is very involved and we have a great nanny with a weekly Housecleaner.

Nanny handles groceries and food prep for the kids lunches and snacks and does all the kids laundry. All I have to do is my own laundry (DH does his) and making dinners for the week. Which doesn’t seem like it should take all day but it does!! Grocery store and Farmers Market with the kids and then I start the weekday dinners while DH takes the kids out. Right now I am staring at all my ingredients on my counter and recipes and just wishing I could order a huge pizza and turn on Netflix. It’s my turn to strip our bed and do linens too.

What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just do it? Having four dinners made during the week is essential to having calm happy weeknights for us and dinners as a family so I have to do it.

Housekeeper strips the bed weekly immediately after walking in the door, remakes the bed with a fresh set of sheets, throws the dirty sheets in the washer inside of 5 minutes. That means that she has time to throw them in the dryer when she throws mop heads/rags in the washer. You and DH switch off weekly who is responsible for folding them and putting them away, or take 5 minutes together after kids are in bed.

Throw your laundry in the machine just before bed. Throw it in the dryer in the morning. Fold after kids are in bed. Check with the nanny first, so the machines are free for her, or leave a basket she can dump your things in.

Batch cook two meals times 4 next weekend (freeze 4, eat 1), prep veg for 2 salad nights, and have Friday be leftovers. Do the same thing for the next several weeks. Eventually you'll get so that you can just batch cook one meal times 4 and prep veg for one salad, all without repeating the exact meals from the previous week.

Ask the nanny to start picking up your grocery order on her way in to work (pay for the time). It's literally just pull up and wait ten minutes for them to load, nbd. It's not like you're asking her to go do 1-3 hours of shopping. You put everything away while nanny starts with the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get yourself an instant pot, serve soup with crackers and cheese. Done.

For every meal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread feels like a SNL skit. I’m a single mother and do all of that by myself. And I also find time to just unwind with a glass of wine and a movie.

It’s easier being a single mother, PP. Honestly. Your idea of cleaning standards and nutritional standards are your own. You have no other equal adult to compromise with. I could eat and serve scrambled eggs for dinner but DH needs a full balanced, vegetarian meal. I could live with crumbs on the floor but DH has to vacuum daily. There are a million things that I would let slide without DH.

+1. This really is true. Without the commitment of marriage and another relationship to tend to, I would have a lot more time!

Except it sounds like Op has a hands-on husband who is making substantive contributions to home and childcare. Unless she has unusually long work weeks, she has it easy!

Not really. DH was deployed for six months and I thought it was going to be so hard because he’s such an equal partner. But it was actually easier. Lonelier and not the life I wanted but definitely easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get yourself an instant pot, serve soup with crackers and cheese. Done.

For every meal?

'

You can make over 50% of meals with an instant pot...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing you get all of this done in 1 day. Why?? I would just cook dinner each weekday instead. Perhaps you need easier recipes. Here are some:

1) Steak on grill or in grilling pan.

2) Lamb chops on grill

3) Chicken tenderloins pan sautéed (these cook super fast) or grilled.

4) Pasta with jarred sauce

For side dishes, I love canned corn or frozen broccoli or peas. Just toss in a frying pan with a little olive oil. You can also buy several French bread loaves, pre-slice them, and then freeze. It re heats crispy in the oven in a few minutes. TJ's also sells frozen pre cooked rice. I like their chicken tenderloins too.

X100

This poster has proof that Sunday meal prep for the week is a 100% useless-complete-utter waste of time. A couple of extra pointers: spatter guard for frying pans and delicious Bell&Evans frozen chicken tenders/cutlets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get yourself an instant pot, serve soup with crackers and cheese. Done.

For every meal?

'

You can make over 50% of meals with an instant pot...

Yep. It's astonishing what that little pot can do.

It sounds like maybe your chore time is not being spent efficiently, or your meals are too complicated. You can download efficient weekly meal plans. Or maybe your meals are just too complicated.

Here's a meal my family likes. Thaw some shrimp. Put some cut-up broccoli (buy it cut-up) on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, then mix in the shrimp and salt and pepper. Bake this in the oven 10 minutes. You can serve it with bread, pasta, or rice. Ta da you're done. Afterwards, just wash the baking sheet and the spatula.

A lot of the canned soup from Trader Joe's is good enough for a weeknight meal. Serve it with cheese and crackers, or bread and cheese and some deli ham or salami if you want meat.

Do you know what children love? A can of baked beans with cut-up hot dogs in it. Make them beany-weenies and bask in their love and admiration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread feels like a SNL skit. I’m a single mother and do all of that by myself. And I also find time to just unwind with a glass of wine and a movie.

It’s easier being a single mother, PP. Honestly. Your idea of cleaning standards and nutritional standards are your own. You have no other equal adult to compromise with. I could eat and serve scrambled eggs for dinner but DH needs a full balanced, vegetarian meal. I could live with crumbs on the floor but DH has to vacuum daily. There are a million things that I would let slide without DH.

+1. This really is true. Without the commitment of marriage and another relationship to tend to, I would have a lot more time!

+2. Thank you! I am so sick of the single mother whine. Being married and in a healthy relationship takes work, planning, and commitment. I could eat cold cereal for dinner and be happy with the quiet after the kids are in bed.