My unmarried, child-free little sister is binging The Offer today in her pristine downtown apartment with delivered breakfast food (my favorite) and I’m so jealous, I could cry!

Yes, those days are gone and I’m in much the same situation as you, OP. When my kids are in high school I’m getting those Sundays back!!

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.

In addition to all of the suggestions above, you might be able to save yourself time if your make-ahead meals are largely things you can make in bulk and freeze. I have a chicken pot pie recipe my family loves and that freezes well, and it doesn't take that much more effort to make four than it does to make one. Same with soups/chili, pulled pork, enchilada filling, etc. It takes a little time to build up a stock (and you need to have freezer space), but I have a rotation of about ten freezer meals I always keep in stock by making multiple nights' worth of 1-2 meals each weekend. Yes, we are eating the same meals a few nights a week every couple of weeks, but it's cut the amount of work dramatically.

1) It's a phase in your life, and it will not always be this hard.

2) I now only do the bedsheets once a month. The first Thursday of the month. I have my cleaners strip and re-make the beds with clean sheets and I wash the sheets over the following week.

Anything more is just insane. (said as a person who used to do them once a week, then went to twice a week, and it's just too much)

Anonymous wrote:You need to simplify your dinners. You also need to have your cleaner do your beds.

+1 and order groceries online and have them delivered Sunday morning. I love my Sunday meal prepping done right after groceries delivered. I’ve got soup going and ratatouille in the oven. Both will be a significant portion of two dinners each.

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 Weekends with little kids just aren’t relaxing. Accept it.

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.

You need to simplify your dinners. You also need to have your cleaner do your beds.

Can you make these tasks more enjoyable or lower your standards for them?
Switch the grocery shopping to Saturday or do curbside pickup. Skip the farmers market or join a CSA that delivers.
Watch Netflix while you are doing the meal prep. And make sure you are cooking really simple meals. Summer is a great season for sandwiches and watermelon, or caprese salad.

Just keep it simple. Spaghetti/meatballs and a salad, roasted chix with microwave veggies etc. Nourishing food doesn't need to be elaborate. As your kids grow, it will get easier. But you are beyond blessed..a nanny and a weekly housekeeper, wow!

You need a better meal plan. Make one or two big meals and have enough for the whole week. You’re essentially only cooking for you and your husband, how’s it take so long?

Four dinners to make for a family of four in one day is a lot. I don’t blame you. Maybe do two dinners for Monday and Tuesday and figure out the rest of the week later (ordering, frozen food, leftovers?).

Meal kits are the way to go here

1) Order groceries, it's so worth it.

2) Have your housecleaner do the linens.

3) Lower your standards and get the pizza.

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.