It isn’t too often that I open up my heart in this space instead of my cookbook, but today I am going to do just that. So if you are looking for a recipe, you will likely be disappointed. If you like a good story, settle in and let’s talk. I started this blog over 3.5 years ago with no idea what it would become. The truth is, I really never call it a blog anymore, it has become a full-fledged resource website for all things freezer cooking. I LOVE that! I started it as a hobby never EVER thinking of adding menu genres or writers or dealing with Google spreadsheet formulas. I just wanted to help others do once a month cooking like I did. I wanted to help families to make it to the dinner table without a fight, or at least less of one. And it is all that and more.
Over the years I have watched (and listened) as other blogging friends have identified causes or non-profits to stand behind. To support. To invest in. I loved that idea, loved their passion, admired them; but then wondered what my “cause” was. See, I didn’t (and don’t) just want to adopt a cause to adopt a cause, I really wanted whatever I decided to be passionate about to be just that, something that ignited passion within me. And I never really found it. I began praying. That was 3 years ago.
As the site has grown and grown so has my desire to be invested in turning the blessings of this site into something that will benefit others. A “tithing” if you will. Still nothing came to me. Over the last year my husband has begun to travel a lot more and has left me at home with my children on many more occasions than in the first few years of our marriage. I have had several friends going through the same thing here too. And more and more I find myself saying, “Man, I have NO IDEA how single parents do this!”
Then I remembered back to my youth, and how my mom was that single parent for many, many years. So many years I spent being upset with her about my upbringing, or perhaps my lack of attention, only to discover in my adult years that she was doing the best she could do being a one woman show. The sudden outbursts? The lack of extra-curricular activities? The behavior I viewed as selfish at times? Yes, those were in many ways justified. She was trying to keep everything afloat on her own. (Yes, extended family helped quite a bit but it just isn’t the same when there isn’t someone there day-in and day-out helping you meet the emotional and physical needs of your children). And then I have been talking with my writers more and more and finding out that one of them has a husband in the military who is often gone serving disaster relief victims around the country while she has her two at home. A single parent. And another whose husband travels nearly every weekend. A single parent. Another who raised 3 boys on her own for a time before remarrying. A single parent. And the more I looked around the more I kept seeing single parents, whether permanently or temporarily by circumstances. And my eyes began to open to the fact that Once A Month Mom is the PERFECT fit for offering relief to SINGLE PARENTS! My heart leapt with joy. See, there are so many ideas of how I (and well, all of us) could use our once-a-month cooking skills/resources to help single parents we know. I know so many of you are already in ministry in some way with your meals or meal groups and I think that is fantastic, keep it up! And if this cause doesn’t speak to your heart, I understand, it is not for everyone. But if you read any of this and felt a tug on your heart I would ask you to at least join me in the conversation of where we take this passion. Here are a few ways I would love for us to start this journey.
- If you are a single parent (temporarily, occasionally, etc) would you please leave us a comment and tell us how once-a-month cooking has helped you and/or how we can help/encourage/support you on an ongoing basis?
- If you know of a non-profit that serves single parents would you share with us who they are?
- If you have ideas on how we might think about serving single parents in the future would you share your ideas?
I promise to prayerfully read over every comment (I might not be able to respond to each and every one) and come back to you soon on how we will work to make single parents a ministry outreach of Once A Month Mom from this day forward. Together we can make a difference!
114 Comments
Join the discussionI have never been a seingle parent, but I spent alot of time with my best friend who was. Her husband is in the military, and he was deployed while she was pregnant with their second child. I helped out with cooking meals, taking care of the first child, etc…becuase she just didn’t have the energy to, and it wasn’t just the baby. It was the constant FEAR that she had that any moment those dreaded men in uniform would be walking to HER door, that black car would be parked in front of HER house when got home from the store.So maybe, make it a point to find a military base, and offer sercives through Army Community Service or contact the Spouses Club on the post/base/etc… and find a way to help a spouse in need. Just knowing that she didn’t have to cook was one thing that she always to this day thanked me for. Becuase that was the least thing on her mind. Plus, spouses tend to not eat well during that time becuase it becomes emotional eating. They are either eating alot of junk, or almost nothing at all. Even if you were to cook and take it to them, plus a few meals to put in the freezer, trust me. You would be a hero in their eyes, becuase there are some days they just cant do it anymore
Lena, thank you for taking the time to share this. There are some great ideas here.
I’m a single mom of four kids whose father left the country, so pays no child support. I had always made home cooked meals when we were married, but after working an 8 hour day and having two kids with special needs, I found it extremely difficult adding cooking in with all the homework. This site has helped me use my weekends for cooking so they can still have healthy meals even when I lack the time, energy and motivation.
SO glad to hear that we are able to help you even if it is in a small way.
As a single mom of 4 teenagers living “paycheck to paycheck” and no help from the father, I want to thank you for noticing there are Mommas like us out there. It is hard, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world at this time! Our lives are more peaceful than they were for years. I’ll take all the added hardships for that peace. My children actually have more and are involved in more things now than they were when we were with their father. I am blessed that they choose to involved in clubs and sports at school that don’t charge tons of fees, but they still have taken the initiative to get involved! Their favorite store to shop in for school clothes is Goodwill!!!! Woo Hoo!!! I do not follow the whole once a month cooking process, yet there are times that if I make a large pot of soup/chili – we eat half in one sitting and freeze the rest of another sitting. If I make a casserole, I usually try to put another one together at the same time, freeze it and pull it out later. My kids loved stuffed shells – one box of medium shells will make 2 meals for us. One to eat when cooked and the other for later. Thanks for your encouragement!!!
Lisa C.
Thanks for sharing Lisa, and you are right, in many cases the good does out-weigh the bad; yet, it is a difficult task to manage.
Oh my goodness girlie,God bless because I have one teenage daughter(and a pre-teen son) and definitely couldn’t deal with having 4!
My mom runs a very active single moms group at their large church in Lafayette, Indiana. Contact me and I’ll get you in touch with her.
Will do Diana.
Also my husband is often gone with the military. Meal prep is very hard for me when he is gone. I can’t ask people for help with meals because of food allergies. I really like your dairy free recipe section.
I have been a single mom for 10 years now. My girls were 7 1/2 years and 18 months old when we divorced. I do the biggest part of my grocery shopping twice a month and I use weekends to do as much of my meal prep as I can. I have used several of the recipes and tips to help streamline this process.
What a joy to hear more of your heart! You are so correct that it is more and more common that mom’s are left on their own to handle the home, for many different reasons. I was a ‘true’ single mom for over 8 years and it was difficult, but we made it! Now remarried, I still am a single parent 3-4 days per week while my husband travels for work. I often think that is more difficult to deal with as I am having to adjust each week to different schedules, dynamics and routines. Crazy! But, meals are one thing that can keep things running smoother and your recipes are great for helping that. Food helps the soul, and when we can all sit down together – whoever is there and share a meal – it is good!
I have been a “single while married” parent for about the last year. Now, I am about to become a full fledged single mom of two children. I am terrified. I haven’t made it to once a month cooking yet, but am building my skills at once a week cooking. It has taken so much of the daily dinner time stress away. Instead of walking in the door and performing the frantic search for what is in the cabinet, trying to cook while fending off children I can come in an get dinner going in a few minutes and have time to spend with the kids – which they need almost as much as they need dinner. Mornings are a little more simple when I know i have several quick options or even grab and go items. When you are single handing a household, every reduction in stress, every difficulty made easier, every extra moment I can give to my kids makes a HUGE difference in our day to day. Thanks OAMM for showing me a better way to feed my family, both literally and figuratively.
Amy, we will all be right there with you! You will do a great job. There will be “days” but they have you. As for meals, maybe try the mini menus, they might be easier to handle with your schedule. Either way, so glad you are here with us.
One thing I have done the last few months that has helped is I made a basic monthly menu and have repeated it every month with just a few variations each month. It saves me a lot of time.
I’m a Military wife with 4 kiddos. Often single-parenting with no extended family near, at times just trying to stay afloat!
My oldest, college-bound daughter helped me with Augusts mini menu this week. My first time freezer cooking and now it’s not so overwhelming to think about freezer cooking the next batch of recipes. Thank you!
Wow. What an awesome post! Thank you so much! It’s so funny that you posted this and I came across it today. I am a working, single mom in Maryland. My son is 18 months. The short story is that his father wanted me to have an abortion and I chose to keep him and raise him myself. Things haven’t been easy but every day I thank God for my little blessing (and pray for his father)! I came across your blog a few months ago on Pinterest as I was doing some studying on time management, in an effort to create more margin in my life, and more time to spend with my son and in my single parent ministry… One of the main areas of my life where I knew I could save time was in meal planning and cooking. I like to cook healthy, whole foods for me and my son and let me tell you, it takes A LOT of time! A lot of time planning, shopping, chopping, cooking, etc. I felt like I really wanted that extra hour or two every night to spend with my son and to spend creating relationships with other single parents in my community but I don’t want to turn to packaged/processed foods. I was so excited when I came across your blog and started out with the Whole Foods menus right away! It has been such a HUGE help in my life! I have all of our meals cooked for this month between the Whole Foods menu, the Toddler menus and the random recipes I come across on here… So that means every morning and night I have extra time to spend with my son and I’ve been able to spend more time reaching out to other single parents.I lead a single parent ministry here in Annapolis. It is a small relational ministry where we build real, lasting relationships with single parents and their family. We help them with very practical things like parenting, gardening, schooling, job applications, finding child care, etc. but mainly we spend time loving them! I have recently been wondering myself how I can use Once A Month Mom to help other single moms – especially the ones I spend time with who are fairly disadvantaged, don’t receive child support, have several children, don’t have or use computers etc. And I thought about having a one day house party where we all cook for the day, and having the church or someone provide the ingredients. Then I could show them how easy it is, how cheap it is, the proper ways to freeze food, etc. And I could then work with them each month on meal planning, budgeting, cooking, etc. I’m really just beginning to think about this, and am really excited to hear more ideas!Let me know if I can be of any help!
I will keep this in mind and hopefully some of our other readers might chime in to build on your idea too. What a great ministry to be involved in.
I do think it is important to recognize the difference between one person single parent households versus 2 parent househould with one parent being the primary cargiver for a majority of the time. I have been the lader at different times; being the parent who works less hours or primarily around our children’s schedule. The difference being that although I was responsible for the day to day goings on and most of the housework etc I have been fortunate enough that I do have a hard working husband who has less time to contribute but does have the more of the financial burden and is also able to support in other ways when time allows. Single parent household are responsible for it all often without the emotional or financial support of those of 2 parent household have;there is not someone who may comes home on the weekends,pick up milk on the way home; a considerably different life altogether. I seem to feel that I have read more and more about single Dads then ever before. Which ever the case it is such a great idea to help out in anyway you can I and I look forward to hearing about what developes. Best wishes in your endeavor, I know great things will come from it.
Yes, you are correct there is a BIG difference. For our purposes too we want to recognize that each bring their own levels of stress, burdens and hardships.
I think this is a wonderful cause to get behind. Maybe you could link up single parents with people in their own community who would be willing to contribute to their freezer with once a month cooking. I know I would gladly give freezer meals to single parents near me if I knew any that needed the help.
I love the idea mentioned above about linking people up geographically. I’d love to have help and company while cooking my OAMM and would be happy to cover ingredients for another family to do so. It would be a win win!
I have been a single mom of 4 girls for the past year. My girls are aged 13, 11, 7 & 5. I have been , also, been disabled for 6 1/2 years.
I started making freezer meals (on a very small scale) & enjoyed it. My MS has kept a tight reign on my ambition. And, I haven’t been able to do much, lately. However, (with some of the freezer meals I have made) I have had the opportunity to prepare homemade food (even on my not-so-good days), bless a long-haul trucking single father & his 2 kids with some food and a meal to a small family of 4 (from my church) after the father had a sudden heart attack & was hospitalized.
I am also grateful for the different types of recipes, as my 2nd daughter has food allergies… she is allergic to ALL dairy, soy, peanuts, kidney beans & corn syrup. Thank you for helping to simplify my life in some way & the lives of others.
God bless you
Tricia, I love that you’ve so carefully sought God’s will for the “cause” side of OAMM. And, I love that you’ve landed on this one. With Mark’s work schedule, I often end up functioning as a single parent – and over the past few years I’ve realized how those of us in that boat (temporary single parents) are often overlooked by society in general. NOT that I’m crying “woe is me,” but just saying that I love your purposeful decision to care for people in this particular situation.So – how could OAMC help me? Well, when it’s just me and a 4yo at the table for dinner, I am SO tempted to slap together a sandwich for her and then just graze all night long for myself. Obviously this isn’t healthy for either one of us, and having a few meals in the freezer (or even just some prepped meat or veggies that make cooking go so much faster) would make a HUGE difference! I can’t wait to see where this initiative of yours goes. Thank you. 🙂
Thank you Mary and those are some great points. I am with you on the dinner problem when their isn’t anyone but the kids to share the table with and enjoy the meal.
I am a former single parent that has just recently found your website, and I love it. How I wish that I had this resource when I was a single mother, trying to go to school full time! I could have eaten so much healthier, had I only known. Thank you so much for your service! Keep on getting the word out there, and teaching single moms about freezer meals!
I think this is a super thing and I can see growth and strength in it.I have never been a single parent,I have a husband that worked away from home when my children were growing up.The single women with children is to be praised I dont know how they do it there road is never easy.I dont know how many support groups there are out there for them.i feel that they could use it to the outmost,maybe it will start here.I am willing to volinteer for this army. My prayers my love and I commend you for this effort.
We will keep you in the loop as we move forward and glad you want to join with us.
Also from Lafayette, IN – but don’t know about the group Diana mentioned above.My brother & I were raised by a single mom – we LIVED off OAMC!!! My mom dedicated one-weekend a month to stocking our freezer. When we got home from school, we got to pick what we wanted for dinner and even start prepping it for when she got home fom work. It worked wonderfully for us.Years later, I became a single mother of one. My mom gave me her OAMC book – complete with stained pages. My favorite is the page of the recipe we all hated – she wrote “NO!” on top of the recipe! 🙂 I was a single mom for 6 years – have since added a husband and 2 more kids, and still use OAMC.Because single parents are busy, they are often tired – emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually. I would have loved an OAMC group – preparing the meals together. Sharing the cost, sharing the food, learning from others, and building relationships. In someone’s house, in the church kitchen, childcare provided, maybe as part of a Bible study group. Just some thoughts. Great post!
I’ve never been a mom, much less a single mom, but I do have a family to feed. One of the things I find helpful are cook once eat twice meals. For example, I made a large pot of spaghetti sauce on Tuesday, tonight I’m turning that meat sauce into mini pizzas on english muffins. All I have to do is reheat the sauce, chop up some peppers, toast the muffins and chop up a quick salad. Then everyone can build their own pizzas and pop them in the toaster oven (TX= no big oven in the summer)and dinner is ready. It’s not really “left overs because it will not taste like spaghetti at all.
A pot roast morphs into everything from tacos to bbq sandwiches with very little work. If you don’t want them in one week, freeze it’s one of the ways I work at freezer cooking.
Good luck and God bless to all you single parents, as hard as I know it must be, you’ve also been blessed by getting to be a parent.
I just want to say that helping out military wives (and husbands!) is a wonderful idea! Having a hubby who worked out of the country for the first 1.5 years of our son’s life was very stressful. But, at least he got to come home every 3rd weekend for 3 days, our military men and women do not get that luxury. I never even thought about the added stress on spouses living with the fear of their husband or wife not returning home alive. Someone also mentioned food allergies. Single parents dealing with kids, or themselves, having food allergies also makes it hard since you can’t just have neighbors/friends dropping food of for you. I have celiac disease and trust only 3 people to cook for me, and I never eat out. My mom’s group wanted to do a week of meals for me but I had to politely decline since I have so many issues. It was very hard with a 4 month old trying to cook healthy meals for myself when I’d only had 2 hours of sleep! Recipes/advice for single parents cooking for food allergies would be a good way to go to.
Hi! One way I was able to let others help when it wasn’t safe for others to cook for us (because of food allergies) might be an option for others: Instead of dropping off meals, my friends took care of my kiddos (either their home or at mine in another area than the kitchen) then another friend helped me with chopping, assembling etc. so everything was safe for my family and myself to eat, we got a lot done quickly together for several meals and I had a nice visit. Not only did I have several meals to eat, but I felt so comforted and cared for during a really hard time. Hope that idea helps others. 🙂
LOVE that idea Angela!
I have been a single mother to my 15 yo daughter since she was 10 months old. I can write about all the terribly hard times I have had both financially and emotionally. My duaghter and I have an amazing friendship- we work as a team, but she is not a mini-adult! I have consulted her on our prioriites, she feels that she can handle the ‘stares’ of the other kids for not wearing the ‘in clothes’ if that means we spend more time together.
Part of being able to spend more time together leads to your fantastic resource! We not only shop together, we cook all the recipes together then we have more time together at the end of our day because our meals are already done! More time for us – more bonding time – more life lessons she is learning. How to shop, where to look for local organic options etc.
Oh that is great that you cook together! Great way to spend time, teach cooking and have meals!
I was widowed over a year ago. Severe illness took my husband at 38 years old. Our son was 19 months at the time.I came to freezer cooking as a resource to help keep my life in order.It’s a stuggle and I’m only surviving because my Mom-N-Law helps out everyday. I would be lost without her. Yay for Grammas!
Yay for grandmas indeed! And so devastated to hear of your loss. Thank you for sharing your story.
Tricia… love that you are listening and following. I don’t have ideas for you (other than the single moms in Burkina Faso 🙂 but I have no doubt your step of faith here is going to start something else that you can’t imagine! Looking forward to seeing how God works through you and your readers to love the single parents all around us! Thank you for sharing your heart!
🙂 You saved me from emailing you the link. 😉
I have been the ‘temporary’ single parent. My hubby used to work long hours and, combined with his commute, he was gone before the sun rose and home after our infant and toddler were in bed. Once I returned to work it got even worse, but my saving grace was the OAMC. I relied on freezer meals 4-5 nights a week and used weekends and holidays for cookingg days. It was still brutal, though!The ideas for helping others suggested by the other respondents are awesome. What about flyers for places like health units/community resoure boards where people could learn about your site and forum?
single parent here…but have done freezer cooking since I became a mom when I started a food ministry for moms of newborns.
I use your recipes all the time. As a single parent, it would be nice if the directions for the freezer menus were more accessable…What I mean is an email that puts all the recipes on one sheet. Maybe a shopping on a second sheet. and specific make ahead instructions on another. I know I can get all this from the site, but it is time consuming to organize.
Another thing I would like is more of the smaller menus. I don’t have as much time to cook ahead, but I am learning I can cook ahead 1 meal at a time. Also the smaller menus are easier on the budget. Maybe be 2 or 3 meal plans…and to help stretch the budget, maybe around a common ingredient? Also, I’d love more make ahead healthy breakfast and snacks and lunches. Again, in smaller batches. I have teenage girls and they play sports. I like having some choices they can pack and I can use for breakfast that don’t have me running around at every meal. thanks for asking…and for noticing. The biggest way I use your program is that I cook ahead when the girls are with their dad. It is something productive as well as nurturing and it sure makes weeknights during the school year go better!
Oh…and one more wish. More Crockpot make aheads! That really makes me feel good. It is almost like someone else cooked the meal and I got ahead and the house smells like a home:)
Thanks for this feedback. I will definitely take a look. And just a reminder we have tons of mini menus now – http://onceamonthmom.com/menus…
Our church in Columbus, Ohio has a single moms ministry that includes a meal once a month with childcare after and a planned event or class for the moms. I know they’ve had people talk about couponing before and once a month cooking would be a great topic to cover with any single parent group.
I am a single parent of a 5 year old girl and have been since the day she was born. I own my own house, car, and have paid for her daycare without assistance from anyone, including her father. Your website has helped me save money, time, and a LOT of hassle. Every few months since she was born I will take a day off of work, send her to daycare, and do a freezer cooking day. As she gets older she helps me out more so I no longer have to take a day off and it has now become a bonding experience for us. Every Saturday after our trip to the Farmer’s Market we sit and plan our weekly meals, filling in with our already made freezer meals. We eat healthier and have so much more time to do mother/daughter things. Thank you!!
This is such a GREAT story and testimony. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I’m a single working mom to three boys. We eat dinner together every night. I haven’t done a full OAMC, but I do try to keep a half dozen meals in the freezer. The recipes I’ve tried from your website have all been fantastic. Thanks so much.
I am a military mom of two currently surviving our second deployment in 18 months. Finding your website was a Godsend, as up until I was inspired by you, we were eating a lot of cereal. A LOT of cereal! I am blessed by the fact that I am temporarily a single mom, but my empathy level for those who do this parenting thing AT ALL by themselves has risen exponentially in the past several years.Having said all that, one of the best and most helpful ideas I’ve heard of for getting meals into other’s freezers is to do a meal “co-op”. I can see your role as helping to organize such a thing by putting people who are geographically close together with one another (and perhaps assisting with logistics). The way it works is that groups of people (the number of members in the group would vary) get together to create the meals for the freezer on a weekly or monthly basis. Meal planning is done by one individual (this job rotates) and recipes are agreed upon ahead of time. Then each member shops for, prepares, freezes and distributes ONE meal to each of the members in the group. That way, each member gets X number of prepared meals per time period, but only has to shop for and prepare one recipe. The meals are frozen, so can be thawed and used as each family sees fit.I hope that this makes sense. I have never actually participated in such a group, but have seen it work, and work well. Thanks so much for thinking of this ever-growing demographic to support AND thanks for all the inspiration as well!
It does make sense and I am so glad you shared your idea. And congrats on getting through another deployment. I have said many times I don’t think I could have been a military wife. I have so much respect for those of you that are.
First of all. Thank you. For seeing me. For seeing us. We are so common now that sometimes I feel invisible…not at all being cared for as the bible asks. (Not that I walk around looking for that…just that I notice its lack).I’m a single parent by choice…lol. I was single, career-minded, etc. and at 39 found God revealed His plan for me to be a foster parent. I’ve never been married. Never had children. Never shared my space. 🙂 Eye opener!!! lol But the mission field is GREAT…and local.Within six months I went from single gal to mother of two non-sibling foster boys. My first was D, I got him when he was 5 days old. My second, six months later, was L and he was 17 months old. They are 1 year and 12 days apart. I thought I was going to lose my ever loving mind. L had behavioural issues…D was going to be returned to unhealthy, unsafe, homeless parents and I had to fight tooth and nail. Every day my mantra was “one foot in front of the other”.Almost 3 years later here we are. Surviving. And I’m working towards getting my third foster baby.What I need…well, I need prayer…support, love, a friend..a nanny…a cook….a housekeeper. LOL. My finances have shifted DRASTICALLY downwards but I believe God will keep me afloat. I have no family who support me and my friends are busy with their own lives. Getting a babysitter for foster kids is tough as so many rules apply.What I would like to feel from others? Support. Understanding. Cut me some slack. I would like them to understand the hard work, never get a break moment my life is. My house is clean, my kids are fed good, homemade food, I still work – although my hours have change, I take them on outings…and I need someone to come up to me, give me a hug and say “I see all that you do. I see”.Your website has helped me with recipes and a good read. Which is what I miss…reading. LOL.You have inspired me. To do better.I would really like advocates in the church to create a space where there is help for single moms. Need a small job done in/on your house…here’s the guy. Need someone to help plant a garden or landscape?…here’s your guy. I am currenly looking for a van (for my soon to be expanding family) and really miss having somone knowledgable on vehicles to help me hunt and do some negotiating. :)So…if you could…wake up the church. We don’t need pity or sympathy, sometimes all we require is a strong back that’s free and can do some heavy lifting. We need people to say, however they can, “we see you”.Thank you. I believe God is calling this out right now…as there are so many single parents now. Thanks for being a leader who sees.MJ
Through tear filled eyes, “I SEE YOU, I really do.” I wish I lived closer so I could give you a hug. And I totally agree and am absolutely guilty at the same time. What an amazing story – to choose to be a single parent in the way that you are. I can honestly say I have never heard a story like this one, although I am sure that there are many more of you out there. Amazing. Simply amazing. We will figure this out together. We will.
Thank you Tricia. It means more than you know. More than you know.I will work too, from this end, to wake up the church. I’m from Calgary, AB by the way!!Thanks for seeing.:)
A northern neighbor! We have lots of Canadian readers so we will do some asking on FB and let you know when we do. 🙂
Thank you for your thoughtfulness in extending a bird’s eye view into the lives of single parents. I have raised my boys over the past 11 years as a single mom and it has been work but it also has been a great joy. I came to your website recently and love it! I planned my first month of menus for all of us to go back to school last week (hard at first, but worth it). We have a local women and children’s complex, The Drake House, in Roswell, GA that works to provide a home for these families and teach moms life skills such as cooking, budgeting and financial planning. They do amazing work and would benefit from a lot of the principals you share on your blog. Keep up the good work!
I am a single mom to a point. I am going through a divorce but I also live with my parents due to suffering from chronic pain. I organize two different freezer cooking groups that each meet once a month. We cook three meals based around a protein and double it so there is six meals. Not only do we cook for our own families but we cook in a church so we leave an equal amount of meals in the church freezer. The church can then hand them out to people who have been in the hospital, had new babies or come in looking for a meal. I use your site as a resource when planning meals but I would love to see a small menu based around a single food. This allows my groups to buy in bulk and split the savings. I would be willing to share more of what we do if you are interested.
Thanks for the feedback Rebecca and I LOVE your cooking group idea, thank you for sharing. That is a unique way to approach it and I love that you are giving to others as well.
Reading all these stories, including yours, tugged at my heart strings so hard. I had my daughter on my own at 20. Then married and had a second child, then divorced. Down the road I married my second husband and had my last child. At any given time, I was a single parent. And now, with the economy and the cost of day care, I work midnight shift, my husband works evenings, and I spend most of my time alone with my youngest, who is 8. My oldest, now 23 and married, lives not too far. And my middle child, my 15 year old son, lives across town with my parents. My husband doesn’t drive. So, in order to juggle seeing my middle son, take care of my youngest son, and work, and cook, and never really spend time with my husband, I feel like a single parent all over again. But we have to do what we have to do – with very little energy left over. My daughter actually found your site and passed it on to me. I love it. I haven’t gone totally to once a month cooking – but definitely found great ideas and recipes here to help. I am guilty of some nights doing what another mom mentioned – it’s just me and my youngest so I slap together something pre-made for him and I graze all night. Sigh, not good, not healthy. Or I skip eating all together. With my working midnight shift – my sleep schedule changes 3 or 4 times a week. I never know what meal it is I’m suppose to be eating! Is it breakfast time? When was dinner? Anyway – I just wanted to say that this is a fantastic cause. It speaks to my heart and would love to help out in any way. This is a great site, and love it.
First of all, let me say, if all you are able to do is slap something in the microwave, then that is GREAT! Really, something is better than nothing. And sometimes it is what it is. So let yourself off the hook. 🙂 And maybe someday you will find a way to make a meal or two this way so that you don’t have to do a premade meal. But until then, you are doing well.
I’m a single mom and have been since my 6-year old son was born. I suffered postpartum depression in addition to the depression I already have and was grateful that when it came time for him to begin eating solid foods, that there was already prepared foods to offer. I went into a near panic when I realized he was ready for other foods and was fortunate to have a friend, also a single mom, who has 4 kids of her own, who enjoys cooking. Even before our children were born, we had a deal that if I bought the ingredients, she’d cook it. I guess I should admit to myself that I was doing the meal planning all along, but not the actual cooking. Standing over a stove is something that I don’t have the patience for and I’ve burnt more foods than I care to confess! Additionally, by the end of a long work day, I’ve got zero interest in cooking, and even less interest in feeding a picky eater (this phase is cheeseburgers; the last phase was no meat, which I liked very much!). I found out about your website from a co-worker who just raved about the menus and how her house smelled like onions for days after cooking a month’s worth of meals with her husband (it’s just the two of them) and another couple. While that doesn’t discourage me, I am overwhelmed by the idea of figuring out how to cram a month’s worth of meals into the tiny freezer section of the refrigerator offered in my apartment. I enjoy smelling what my co-worker brings to work and warms up, but between limited space and a desire to avoid cooking at all costs, I’m simply not certain how/when to make my first attempt.
Thanks for sharing. You could definitely tackle a mini menu with a small freezer and little patience, I promise. And maybe just a meal or two at a time. http://onceamonthmom.com/menus…. But this isn’t a post about trying to get you to be a OAMM, it is about finding out the needs of single parents – you helped us answer that question.
Thank you for your website. It helps tremendously with meal planning and recipe ideas, as well as really important information on how to freeze meals for later.
My husband and I have always been a wonderful team, but almost 2 years ago he started a new job where he is working swing shifts, and anywhere from 60 to 80 hours a week. This has left me the primary cook, chauffer, diaper changer, housekeeper… parent. I discovered your site last December while looking for more information on how to preserve meals for future dinners. I really appreciate all the whole food recipes. I was pulling my hair out trying to feed my kids whole food and healthy meals while keeping up with the rest of my responsibilities.
Amber that is so good to hear. And I am so glad we can be there to help. I pray that you and your husband are able to make it things during this rough time and praise you for being a “single while married” parent(s). It is a tough gig too. Thank you for sharing.
I am a single mom to a 3.5 year old boy whose father is not involved in any way. I do have some family support, but it is limited. I make a conscious effort to prepare healthy meals for my son every night and eat them together, even if it is in the 5 minutes before we have to get him in the bathtub! I can’t do once a month cooking just yet because I don’t have enough time in any given day to cook for more than 1 hours, but I do use a lot of your meals in my weekly meal plans. Anything make ahead and freezer friendly is a definite must make for me! In order to save money I buy meat when it is on sale and freeze it in portions until I need it for a recipe, and I always but seasonal veggies at farmer’s markets or produce markets to reduce costs there as well. Thank you so much for all your recipes and the categories of recipes. Your recipes help me keep healthy, tasty meals on the table for my son every night!
Thank YOU!
I taught OAMC as a Community Education class in the school district where I lived. I have also written articles about it for a home companion-type periodical. It is very interesting to a lot of people but they seem to think it is more trouble than it is worth. I am not going to lie and say it is not work, but it does get easier as you learn tips and tricks. It can even be kind of fun. I would have to say that doing MINIs or making double and freezing one is a great way to start. I also think “planned-overs” are a great idea. (This seems like a good spot to blurb about zero-food-waste methods.)A lot of people have not been taught, for whatever reason, how to manage the food budget, pantry and freezer. That is where I think this could be a ministry–teaching those who don’t know how or who have never even heard of this kind of thing. I taught at a High School, but the YMCA/YWCA, community centers, churches, or even at county-extension events would work. (anywhere, really) Even people with limited budgets, can do it. It just takes planning, saving and the willingness to work at it until it becomes a OneceAMonthHabit. I was not taught even the basics, but I wanted to be to my kids what I did not have, in every area, really. Love was the motivation.I have been a solo-parent for almost 18 years-since my kids were 1 1/2 and 6 mo. Solo-parents are just trying to keep the socks clean and keep beans on the table. In a lot of ways, we may feel like a one-handled wheelbarrow and our kids may see us as very flawed, but like the author, one day they will realize that the deficits they detected were really just places where the s. p. is trying to do the job of 2 people–and they are being spread too thin. My hat is off to anyone who must go it alone. OAMC helps relieve a little of the pressure we feel to get dinner on the table after a long day filled with the determination to perform to impossible standards because we’re trying to be all things to all people. We must remember that there is no right/wrong way to “do” our lives, we are all unique and that we don’t have to “do” it all. OAMC helps diminish the guilt-laden drive-thru run and the bazillion trips to the grocery during the week. (both are time, money and most often nutrition wasters) Learning/starting OAMC is not for the weak-willed or the faint of heart. Then again, neither is solo-parenting.We can do this!
I married a single dad and I think I said about 50 times the first month we were married, “I don’t know how you did this all by yourself.” I don’t think I caught up their laundry for a month and cleaning took even longer. Thanks for recognizing the single parents out there. I do have a close friend who is a military wife and I tell her all the time, I don’t know how she does it. During her last deployment I tried to help her and just be company for her. I would often stay late or spend the night at her house as my husband works third shift. Our kids would play and we would just have adult conversation. My husband says that he appreciates that a lot, just having another adult to talk to instead of a 10 year old home and the only conversation.Press on sister!
I’m not a single parent, but my husband does have to travel for work more frequently than he used to. I always complain, because it’s hard for me to wrangle the kids and the pets without him. But then I think of my friend, who suddenly lost her husband one night in his sleep. He left her with his 9 year old and their 2 month old baby. Whenever I feel sorry for myself, I think of her and how awful it has to be for her…suddenly a single parent with 2 kids to raise while grieving. I wish I could fill her freezer with meals, but she is in CA and I’m in IA…
Well perhaps through this little corner of the world we can help fill her freezer. We will most certainly try.
🙁 What part of California?
Yes please, what part of CA?
At 53 years old, I am about to be a single mom with three teen-aged boys. After leaving the nursing profession 15 years ago to stay home with my children, I find myself having to return to work. I have been very stressed wondering how I will juggle work, returning to school, and my children’s schedule without a partner. I have always tried to make quality meals a priority in our home (though not always successfully). Someone told me about OAMM, and the concept felt right for me. It’s actually how our grandparents cooked, ate and preserved the food of the season. Back then, it was called “puttin’ up.” When someone would ask what my grandmother had been up to, she would say, “Oh, I’ve been puttin’ up”; and everyone KNEW what she was talking about because they were doing the same thing! Anyway, I appreciate the support and the time-saving of not having to plan everything myself. I haven’t gone back to work yet, but freezer cooking has helped me begin to practice the plan that will be so helpful in the future. Thanks very much. This is indeed a ministry. Bless you all.
What a thoughtful post! My husband died 3 1/2 yrs. ago from Metastatic Bladder Cancer. I am now a single mom to a 12 yr. old girl and 8yr. old boy. (I also have 2 children in college) We moved to a different state for cancer treatments, and I remained here after he passed. I am back in school full-time, and your meal ideas have really helped. I wish I had a better support system here, the closest family is 4 hrs. away.
Oh that is so hard for me to hear. If you don’t mind sharing your city/state of residence (or nearest city) either here or privately (info at onceamonthmom.com) we might be able to locate some other OAMM’ers that would be near to you.
Hey there, I have been a single mom since the moment I found out I was pregnant. My daughter is now 5 I do get monetary support from her father but he is married with another child on the way. We currently reside with my parents so I have not been able to do the once a month, but would love too. I struggle every month with what I can pay and if there are a couple of fun things my daughter and I can do. There are times when I feel like a horrible mother and get down and depressed about that. God blessed me with my daughter 12 weeks early and I am so thankful. I appreciate more people realizing we are no different. Most of us did not plan nor choose to be single parents however that is what we are. There is a ministry that you might want to speak with about maybe helping out. The website is Formysisters.com. Kari Price is the founder, as she was once a single mom too. Also my church has started a single mom’s ministry also that you could check into. The church is Hebron Baptist Church. Hopefully soon by God’s grace I will be able to get my daughter and I our own home and car. Thank you again for your continued prayers!
These are great resources for me to look into, thank you for sharing them and for sharing your story.
I am a single parent and an Active Duty Soldier…..It is extremly had to get up and begone from my daughter from 6am until 5pm then have to come home still cook, clean, do homework, laundry and attempt to relax. I am new to this page but hopefully this weekend I wil have time to look at it more in depth. I also hve alot of good friends who are single parents due to their spouses being deployed right now, without my network of friends I dont know where I would be right now
Parenting is hard regardless of single or married. I have been married and have been a single mom for 5 years now. I have three children with three different interests and schedules, not to mention working full time. I have yet to do the full menu but am so thankful for all of the menus and recipes. We have expanded our tastes a bit each month. I always try to have something in the freezer, usually precooked. I find that is the only way to have dinner as we run from activity to school events to whatever else it brings. I plan to do a full freezer session when my children go for their one week a year visit with their father. I am excited to have something to keep my mind busy and engaged while they are away. Thank you so much for your amazing site.
I’m a temporarily single parent. My husband is in Afghanistan and I’m here with our three girls, 7, 4 and a 3 mo old baby my husband hasn’t met in person yet. I realized after receiving New Mom meals from our generous friends and neighbors how wonderful it was NOT eating peanut butter straight out of the jar (not that there’s anything wrong with that every now and then!!!). So now I just take one night and stay up REALLY late doing all the cooking and we’re set. I have time to actually read to my kids at night instead of doing tons of dishes all the time and we can sit down together and eat. It has been awesome for us, and is saving TONS of money in last-minute restaurant and fast food meals. Thank you!!!
Oh my, I can’t even imagine. Hugs. Kudos to you! I am so glad you have found a rhythm.
I consider myself a single mom most of the time. My husband is in the Air Force and even when *home* is often on weird flying schedules which leaves me to the housework, the homeschooling, the college courses I take, the childrearing, the cooking, and even the yard work sometimes, all alone. It sucks, it is a hardship, but it is our life, I chose it with him when I married him 12 years ago, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Meal planning, even if only doing 2 weeks worth of cooking at once (which is what I have been doing since finding this website/blog) is a HUGE help for me!Thank you for this, because even those of you out there who have husbands/wives at the dinner table with you every evening, must benefit from such an amazing thing as Once a Month Mom!
I didn’t have time to read through all the comments but a way to combine the OAMM with helping single parents would be to host a cooking party for the parent and fun event for the kids (AKA childcare). Parent prepared several freezer meals to take home, something like Let’s Dish or other meal prep place. Kids get to play games, do crafts, make an easy dessert, etc, under the direction of an adult volunteer.I would think this would have to be sponsored by some sort of community center or church that had access to a large industrial kitchen and room for the kid event. I went to a catholic school where the cafeteria and gym were combined. the kitchen was right off the gym and then the tables were unfolded and rolled out for eating. but there was a large part of the gym still usable. I’m envisioning that type of space.
What a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing that one, I love it.
This came up at an interesting time- I was just telling my lovely guy who is out of town on business for the next two weeks how greatful I am for his daily support because I don’t know how I used to do it all the time. I have 3 sons and was a single mom for several years. It’s so hard and I just want to say to other single mom’s some days Mac & cheese and an early bedtime (for everyone…) is okay. My sons are a bit older- 11, 14, & almost 17 and they are starting to understand and were usually pretty good about my crazy schedule. I decided after my divorce to go back to school (I had always wanted to but hadn’t been allowed- whole other story…). Anyway to make the story shorter- part-time work, full-time school (as many hours as I could take-21 hours last semester….crazy I know!) and lots of homework meant lots of PB&Js or easy food was what was happening. I have a feeling this is probably really common among many of my classmates who are also single parents. Now that I have found you guys I am a lot better prepared for the coming semester (starting Monday!). I had to transfer schools to finish my degrees and my new school is about an hour away. I have one late afternoon class that won’t get me home until 7:30 so that night dinner needs to be in my crockpot or in a dish and easy enough that one of the guys can throw it in the oven when they get home. On other days I will leave at about 6:30am and get home at 5:30pm and I know cooking will be low on my wish list of things I want to do- especially if one of my sons has a sports game. So all summer I’ve been experimenting with freezer cooking and have a well stocked freezer ready to go. I am SO excited about that. Also their is an organization here where I live (and I believe similar ones in other states- I could find out if you are interested) called Single Parent Scholarship Fund. They give small scholarships to single parents who are in school but they also do other things like training classes, help out with Christmas, the one here has a non food pantry on hand (I don’t think they keep actual perishable foods on hand though), also they give away donations people bring in- so like if someone brought in meals they would call/email their people and give them away that way- or if they knew in advance they could match a family to someone who wanted to prepare a meal for them so you could know any dietary problems and family make up before you made it. I know those parents in school and working in particular have a hard time carving out time for cooking and this would make an awesome gift for them. (I may even call my local group and see what I can do…)
Wow! You ARE super woman. Thank you so much for sharing your story and the organization. We are making a list of organizations to look over and will definitely look into this one as well.
I’m a 43 year old single mom of one wonderful 16 year old, who is about to make her 1st overseas trip to Paris and Barcelona next year. I’ve made huge sacrifices to make this trip a reality for her and I’m so pleased that it’s almost paid off. I’m in school full time and working full time too. There are days that I just don’t think I have much more left in me to keep my head up. But oh the joy of the Lord is my strength, and he used my daugther to remind me that “we” got this. Stay encouraged, your post and desire for single mothers is a wonderful gift! Here in columbus, ohio I interned with a group that is working with single young moms and wanted to share there website with you http://www.chloeinc.org/. I’m excited to begin September with you meal plan and can’t wait to post and tell you how we are doing with it, and to tell you thank you again for your blessing us, here in OHIO “Go Bucks” smiles.
You have officially made my day. I am a single mom of a 2 year old. Like your mom, I have a ton of help from both my extended family, my son’s father and their family. But, like you said, when he won’t sleep or I haven’t had a shower in two days or hes screaming because he’s hungry, it’s all me.This has been a crazy week. I’m a teacher and this was back to school week. I’m tired, my son is grumpy and tired, and I am trying hard to keep the momentum for our journey towards more organic and whole foods. I have never made a whole OAMM menu. Since there are just two of us that’s simply too much food. But, I have used a lot of the vegetarian recipes by themselves. Some nights I don’t even get to sit down to dinner until the baby is in bed, so if I don’t have something fast in the freezer I usually just end up eating cereal. I am a vegetarian for health reasons and my son is a picky eater, so if my choices are cook something he will eat or cook something I can eat, he comes first.The freezer meals have made it possible for not only me to not only get to eat more than cereal, but also for me to get to try new foods and for us both to get to eat more real food. Yes, we could do macaroni and cheese and pizza every night, but that’s not healthy or financially responsible.To be totally honest, the menus you provide in the format you publish them (freezer directions, editable quantities) works wonderfully for me. A lot of the fact I like these menus is that I LOVE cooking, so it really is great for me. I know you are looking for additional things to do for single parents, but honestly, for me, just keep up the good work.
Glad we could make your day!
I am a single mother of four and I actually began my mothering duties as a teenager. My own mother walked out when I was 14 and was never very interested in taking care of the family or serving healthy meals. It has been a struggle for me to learn how to mother and manage a home and work a full time job without the help of my children’s father. I have always been interested in the idea of once a month cooking but I worked so many hours and had so little time. It was t until I was layed off in March that I really started to try freezer meals and it has truly been a budget and sanity saver. I have two older growing boys and two younger daughters so ensuring a healthful meal is vital to their moods and behavior thus vital to my sanity. I’m going back to school on Monday for the first time in 13 years and both my boys are returning as well so my time is going to be limited on top of football practice, tennis, soccer, gymnastics and homework. Knowing I have dinner ready to put into the oven with little prep work just puts a huge smile on my face. It isn’t easy for me to accept help from people because I need to know I’m doing the best I can but your website and menus have been such a huge help and has given me more time to be mommy in other areas than just the kitchen. So as a very busy single mother I have to say that if it wasn’t for your help with once a month cooking I would either be an emotional wreck worrying about dinner and kicking myself for feeding my kids Mac and cheese for supper four days a week or rely on the drive thru. So thank you! It is a great cause and although I have little time to meet friends, I will share every chance I get.
Thank YOU and congrats on going back to school. That is great!
Wow. God bless you! You are an inspiration. You sound more together than so many frazzled moms i know who have lots of help!
I stumbled across your blog while looking for a burrito recipe for freezer cooking ;).
So, I searched your search box for more recipes and saw this post.I am not a single mother now, but I was for 7 years because my husband was incarcerated.My sister was a wonderful encouragement to me and she helped me write a post about how to help single moms and then we followed it up with another one.I homeschooled my son as well and it was really long and really taxing–how wonderful that you want to find a way to encourage and help single moms. It’s bone numbing difficult.
My heart is still to look for single moms to bless and love on and it’s good to know I’m not the only one!http://adustyframe.com/2006/12… Part 1
http://adustyframe.com/2006/12… Part 2
Thank you so much for sharing these!
What a wonderful post! I often tell my good friend, who is a single mom, that freezer cooking would really help simplify her life. She hasn’t been able to manage it on her own yet so whenever I make freezer meals for myself, I make her some too.I co-direct a non-profit group that you may find in your area too, called Birthright. I am located in the Bay Area in California but it is an international organization with a focus on helping pregnant and parenting mothers in every capacity we are able. We help a lot of single mothers in our local community. If you have one in your area, you might try reaching out to them to see if you can help some of the mothers they serve in some capacity through your blog. I’d be more than happy to assist you and build on your ideas if you’d like, just shoot me an email.However you decide to move forward, I thank you for thinking of single mothers. I’m not a single mom myself but am one of those moms you described where hubby is gone away at work during all the times when you really need the help. I, too, feel dearly for the mothers who have no help. Blessings to you and this new mission of yours… I really hope it sparks into something amazing.
Thank you and how great that you think to take her meals too, I am sure she is immensely grateful. I will look into that non-profit both in California and “in my area”. Although I laugh because with this site it seems “my area” is the entire globe. 😉
Thanks for this little pick me up. I really needed it today. I am a widowed mother to a 3 year old and a 1 year old. My husband passed away due to a job related injury while driving truck. Your site has helped me when I actually had the opportunity to cook with another pair of helping hands. Lately, that has become harder to do. I live in a small community and am still trying to meet people that I can trust with my kids. Having to come up with 3 meals a day that are balanced and not too much work to clean up is my biggest battle. I used to love cooking but it is often difficult to cook for 1 adult, a preschooler, and a toddler…thankfully they aren’t picky eaters :o). My biggest battle is sometimes only having an adult conversation over the phone once a day. Oh and like others have said getting a shower, and caught up on laundry and everyday housework. Anyways, Thanks for your website it has helped introduce us to new foods and make our lives run more smoothly.
You are most welcome. I am so sorry to hear of your loss, that is so tough. We are here if you need to chat – most often on Facebook. 😉
I love your website. I’ve gotten lots of meal prep ideas for my daughter and me. I like being able to spend time prepping everything for a week or two. That allows me to spend more time with my kiddo. Thank you!
I’ve been a single mom, with a supportive extended family, for 10 yrs. I hope when my children grow up and look back, they see things as you do now.
They will. It will take time and growth, but they will. And the experiences they are having now will prepare them for the people they need to be in the future.
I am not a single parent as I am still happily married but a set of extremely unfortunate circumstances has led me into a journey of ‘parenting alone’. When my journey began my third child was only 6 weeks old. One of the best things about that time was that my freezer was full of meals I had prepared while nesting before his birth. Those meals have served me well over the past 6 months. As those meals have run out I now do a few power cooking sessions a month where I take a few hours to get some basics prepped & in the freezer. I also double any meals that I make which freeze well. This way I can cook when I can & use the freezer stuff when short on time. Your site was inspirational to me when I started freezer cooking & I love it for inspiration every month. I frequently use it to gift meals to others who are struggling. Thanks for your focus on single parents. We are often an overlooked population.
You are most welcome Carla and I am so glad to know that this site has helped you through this time.
I first was a “single mom” due to military deployments. Now I am a “single mom” as a demographic (8 years). I would like to weigh in on both of these topics as I have seen them both mentioned above. I would like to preface my opinions with I am incredibly blessed in my life. I know many are not as lucky as I am.As a “Military Wife” it came with certain “perks” insurance, BAH and COMRATS that were added into my spouse’s pay check. So I didn’t have to worry about exorbitant co-pays. I also worked before during and after my pregnancy until, it didn’t add up for me to work and afford a baby sitter. Our marriage was rocky at the time anyways. He had a sketchy view of what infidelity was and is. We separated and later
divorced. He is on his second divorce followed by another fiance. He is involved in our daughter’s life. I moved back home after staying in NC as fathers are rated as so important in little girls lives. But you can’t make someone parent, or even show up every other weekend when not deployed. I am a para for my daughter’s school. I save on before and after school care this way, along with transportation and covering snow days etc. I left my job with the state to be a better mom, but took a huge pay cut. However, I am blessed. I live rent free in a house my family owns and my daughter is still covered under her father’s insurance.What has always amazed me was during a deployment people were oh so sympathetic to my husband being deployed and offering to help. However as a “single mom” I am now a welfare whore? I could go into the more indelicate triads but you get the jist.I appreciate you opening the board to this topic. I love the idea of double cooking. A Sunday in the kitchen can make a budget and time stretch. I plan, shop, and chop (all the needed veggies). I find menu planning and freezing saves time and money. I also feel my daughter eats healthier because I pack her a homemade lunch. Leftovers go into a thermos for her the next day etc. It also feels more “worth it” to cook. Sometimes, it’s hard to cook for just two. One of whom is happy with PBJ and the other is content with a chunk of cheese and a glass of wine.I really could write more but I have chicken to shred for back to school gyros. The perfect meal for a great “year-o”.
Christina, thank you for sharing your unique perspective of being on several sides of being a “single mom”. I am sure that your current state of being a single mom IS much harder than a deployment, socially. I hope that we can help shed some light on that topic in general but also just reach a helping hand to another mother, period. Stay tuned as we move forward with this cause.
Love this. Love you. That is all. 🙂
🙂
I’m a pseudo-single mom and have been for two years now; since my husband and I live in neighboring states but haven’t taken the steps to divorce yet due to a few different reasons. My son lives with me during the school year and travels back and forth during the summer.Managing everything as the one man show during the school year is definitely a balancing act – commuting, working, keeping on top of an old house and big property, keeping myself presentable and sane, and making cheap but healthy meals for us while still trying to have some time left over to spend with my son. I often notice that single parent scenarios are left out on blogs addressing kid care, t time management and family cooking – all too often the suggestions for improving quality of life at home revolve around managing chores with the other spouse, or with extended family, which I don’t have.So far I’ve been modifying the OAMC plan for our small two person household as I go, and it’s made a huge difference to me for time spent cooking/cleaning and putting something healthy and tasty on the table in front of my son – and have time left over to play legos or do a craft – ESPECIALLY do a craft because after I’ve spent a whole bunch of time cleaning up all the prep from making a meal, god forgive me but I don’t want go and to clean up paints and glitter after that!!!I second the suggestion another commentor made about house parties or cooking events where all cook and swap, or host demonstrations of proper freezing, labeling, etc. It brings together people who are already isolated in some way, and if kids come, it provides playtime as well.For those of us who live and die by smartphones – a hack to convert OAMC menus and shopping lists to commonly used shopping list apps and menu planners.Single parents often start out in a stressful mind set and are not thinking strategically – they are just figuring out how to survive day to day. Anything that takes the burden off the “right now” is great – but long haul strategies would be a good component, too.Also, just a thought that those in apartment situations can’t cook to fill a freezer chest, and suggestions on menu modification for that. Or maybe sponsoring purchase of a freezer for a family that could use it. Or purchasing a CSA share for someone in need.Some of us are starting over with a nearly bare household – pots and pans that are not peeling teflon, roasting pans, crockpots, good cutting blocks and knives – there have been many times I have skipped cooking better because I didn’t have the tools for the job and my money had to go to daycare or school clothes. I’m not whining – I am much better off now, but it took me two years of a purchase here and there to get my kitchen to a place that could save time while cooking healthy. It’s the kind of rock/hard place thing that makes a big difference to a parent just starting out. For ways to give back, that might be a good one.
Oh also – more kid friendly menus!!! LOVE those!
I am a single mom of a special needs child. I just started once a month cooking when my good friend recommended it. I cooked over the period of three nights (after his bedtime) and it has been awesome. He has had more attention from me this month then he has received in a long time. Not only that, but he has tried a few new things (which is a big deal for him). This has been awesome and I would recommend it for everyone.I was in the Marine Corps for years and I agree with an earlier posts. Moms (and dads) of deployed military members are often going through a lot and would be a great place to help. Most bases have some sort of programs/support groups and this would be a great way to be involved.
Thanks for sharing Kathy and I am so glad that doing oamc cooking is helping you to spend more time with your little guy. That makes us SO HAPPY!
Hello, I stumbled upon your site this evening and I can relate to this post. My husband travels every.single.week. Mondays to Thursdays, and I have 2 teenagers, one of which is still at home, and a 4yr old, and an 11 month old..As the little ones get older, especially my 4 yr old son, it has become increasingly difficult on me to emotionally “keep it together”. I miss him when he is gone, but then when he is here, I am resentful of the things he is missing out on. I am a stay at home mother, and my load is FULL! I am starting to look for ways to make my life a little easier (looks like your blog is just what I need) I just recently started a little blog of my own, because I like to write, and it is something for myself that doesn’t take me away from my children. When I get the hang of it I hope that it can be helpful, just as yours. 🙂
Felicita, I hear ya. I have been through that alot lately, but not as much as you. Keep it up. You can do it and YES at least try a mini menu!
I have been a single mom at several times during my life. I was widowed about 13 1/2 years ago, and left with a son, age 10, and a daughter, age 7. That was a very difficult time for me, but somehow we made it through. I remarried after that, to a man with 4 kids of his own. We divorced after almost 5 years and I was a single mom again. Currently, I am married again, but my husband works for the U. S. Postal Service and works long hours and quite a long way away from our home. Therefore, he stays at his parents’ house at least Monday through Thursday, and sometimes on Friday if he has to work on Saturday. So here I am basically a single mom again. At least now my children are grown…my son is 24 and is no longer living at home, and my daughter is 21. She lives with us and works part-time with me, while attending college. I try to do a good bit of cooking on the weekends so that we have something for lunch to take to work and for our dinners when we get home in the evenings. We also have an hour commute each way, so by the time we get home, neither of us wants to cook a full meal on most evenings. I have used several of the recipes from OAMM, with great results. I certainly can relate to those single moms with small children. It is not easy!
I’m a mother of 3 kids. This last June, my husband took a temporary 5 month job on the other side of the world. It was either that or another lay-off. Having been through a couple of lay-offs, we decided to take the job. So, during the summer (and the next few months) I’ve been experiencing single parenthood. The adjustment has been hard and though preparing meals for a month would be extremely beneficial to me, I’m unsure of how to do it without my husband around. He helped prep the food the evening before, take the kids all day on cooking-day, help me out in the evening on cooking day, etc. So, I just winged the whole dinner thing every night. (The mini-meal menu was not an option as we are a gfdf family.) Now that school is back in session, I’m looking forward to once a month cooking again and having a freezer full of meals. It will be an adjustment and a lot harder without my husband home. But I will just work around the school schedule. I’m fortunate that even though I’m single momming it right now, there is an end in sight. And I don’t have to work or worry about money. There’s enough money in the budget right now. But, since I’ve been on the other side and not had enough money…I can’t even imagine what it must be like for a working single mom who is struggling to make ends meet.
It brought tears to my eyes. I think it’s because as single moms we don’t always look at all we do…we just do it – there is no choice.(plus it’s still summer vacation and I may be near the edge! lol) I hope that years down the road my kids will be able to have the perspective and understanding that I did try to give them everything I could. OAMM has really help me quite a bit. I have done freezer cooking before – that helps. But when I did it this time I actually wrote the meals out for the week and posed them. That has helped me quite a bit. I had a plan and the kids knew what it was. I think by posting the meals it reinforced the take it or leave it I try to stick to. Meal time has always been a struggle for me being outnumbered by children 4 to 1. So Thank you for helping to save a bit of my sanity
i am a single mom to two wonderful boy…i was just wondering…how do i get help?