With the arrival of the baby right around the corner I’m really starting to freak out over how I’m going to handle everything.  I know things are going to be just fine, but I also know I’m going to have to completely readjust my schedule 100%.  There will no longer be any of this do what I want when I want stuff, and I definitely will have to start making plans in advance.

I’m going to have to work out a new work schedule that will allow me to balance work and caring for a newborn, and right now is when I am so thankful that I work from home.  My daughter is going to come first, and over the next few months my work schedule will readjust according to my daughter’s schedule.  I know I can’t plan that in advance because I don’t know what kind of baby she’s going to be, her sleep schedule, feeding schedules, or anything of the sort.  I do plan to be a “feed on demand” type of Mom, so I’ll be working around her instead of her schedule working around mine, and I feel that’s the way it should be.  I also have to learn there may be times when I just can’t get something done when I thought I could because she comes first.  So what if I don’t get my corporate holiday cards mailed out at the first of December? Are my clients really going to care?

Things are going to change concerning the household as well.  Hubby knows he’s going to have to take on a lot more responsibility around here.  Until this point I’ve been perfectly fine with not really splitting the household chores anywhere near evenly because I’m home all day, I don’t work 1/3 as much as he does, and he busts his butt out there everyday to provide for our family.  Now he fully understands I’ll be devoting my time to raising our child first and foremost, and the housework will have to fall in line wherever we find the time and space to put it. 

I know I can’t come up with a perfectly organized schedule right now, but trying to organize things a little better before the baby gets here will help me manage better without ripping out every single hair on my head.  I’m going to start with the little things like setting up a new laundry schedule, making sure I have all my weekly meals planned in advance, and stuff like that.  I already try to plan meals before I go to the grocery store because it helps me budget, but it’s never a definite list.

Having a definite list will not only help me save money and stay more organized, but it’ll help me with my plans to put extra food in the freezer over the next few weeks. I had planned weeks ago to start making extra batches of soups and stuff that we can just pull out and reheat when we’re pressed for time (especially during the first month with the baby), but here it is 5 weeks until my due date, and I’ve only managed to put 2 meals in the freezer.

I’m going to participate in Meal Plan Monday this week, and if I’m a good little girl who sticks to her plan (we know how that tends to go) hopefully I’ll remember to do this every week, and it’ll help me with my quest to organize as much as I can now even if it is only a small step.

So here we go.  My first Meal Plan Monday menu will be pretty easy this week.  We have a family dinner today, so that helps, and I’m pulling out a lot of stuff from the freezer that I need to cook to make room to put away meals.  Luckily I can make big meals with that stuff so I can store leftovers. 

Saturdays are almost always takeout nights, and Fridays are almost always something quick and easy like a frozen pizza.  I will only be planning out a dinner menu because there’s no reason for me to plan a lunch menu for one person when I can quickly pull out leftovers.

Monday- Not cooking (family dinner)

Tuesday- Kielbasa Lasagna

Wednesday- Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

Thursday- Parmesan Chicken Bake

Friday- Frozen Pizza Night

Saturday- Take Out Night

Sunday- Tacos