Halfway to a Housewife

I love cooking. I mean, it really relaxes me. Right now though, I don't have time to cook like I want to during the week. I like to play with new recipes, get creative, and cook from scratch. Those things take time. So on weekends, this Mommy cooks. More challenging now is that I buy ingredients when I grocery shop that don't always get used when we plan on it. Meal planning or not when you have a busy household sometimes plans have to change. You know what they say about the best laid plans. So when I looked in the fridge on Saturday morning to see what needed to be used, I found: 2.5 lbs of fresh mushrooms purchased on manager's special for $0.75, a nearly full bag of grated Parmesan from my favorite .99 Everything, a bag of frozen spinach I can't figure out how to get my family to eat by itself, and eggs. Lots of eggs...because our 8 laying hens are in overdrive now that the days are getting long. What to do with all those eggs? Frittata, for one. I made this ama...

Why do I think no-spend months are a bad idea, you ask? Two words: mom guilt. This isn’t the kind of mom guilt that affects either working moms or stay-at-home moms; it’s the kind that gets to all of us. The kind of irrational, pointless guilt we inflict upon ourselves because we think we are doing something good for our family but life happens and then: BOOM! Guilt. Think of it this way: you’re bumping along on day seven of No-spend April. Then your college roommate Sarah calls and says she’s in town for the weekend and wants to get together for breakfast. Now, you haven’t seen Sarah since your youngest was born three years ago, but...it’s No-spend April. Do you go, and feel guilty for spending the money during a no-spend month; or do you not go, and feel sad and maybe a little resentful for missing time with your old friend? Or, even worse, do you try to explain your No-spend April plan and invite her over, inciting a “Flight of the Bumblebee”cleaning frenzy after the kids go to b...