UGH

Before Lily was born I used to plan the budget and meals etc. I am good at it. Correction, WAS good at it. I just found out that, after 4 years, that part of my brain has rebelled against me. I don't know, maybe it got tired of being neglected? Or maybe it withered away? I am hoping that stored somewhere deep in it's recesses are the memories of how to crunch numbers and whip up awesome, healthy, tasty meals without having to win the lottery first.

And holy cow have prices of things skyrocketed!!!!!! Grocery shopping has become an exercise in "cross your fingers and hope you have enough". But there are things I will not scrimp on. Namely MEAT. I won't buy the grocery store meats, and especially not the budget cuts because I can't eat them. They will just go to waste. And I refuse to feed Lily anything but natural, local meats if at ALL possible. If that means I have to do without shampoo, so be it :)

But I am having the most trouble planning a simple weekly menu. We have become so dependent on take out since the increased demands Lily has placed on my energy and time that I am a disgrace to SAHMs everywhere! I can cook. Just barely. I would love to cook like many of my mommy friends...3 course meals, all from scratch, including dessert, without breaking a sweat! But I am just not at that place. That place actually scares me.

So here I sit, blogging instead of doing what needs to be done. Like somehow i am going to have an epiphany and the menu will just magically create itself through me. Hopefully it will get easier with time. I hope! I do not want to spend the rest of my mommy years stressing over what to make, how to make it, and saying "oh crap, I'm missing an ingredient AGAIN!"....

Any tips from my pitifully few friends who feel sorry for me and stop in here every now and then?