Ideas for making life a little easier....the co-op!

I am not sure about you, but there are certain household chores that I procrastinate about until conditions are REALLY bad.  For me, laundry seems to be the worst.  I often joke that Mt. St. Helens is about to erupt on my couch.  The couch being the storage house for all the clean clothes.  (It is a good thing we don't watch much T.V. around here...that could be a blog topic in itself..., or maybe not such a good thing.  If we did watch more T.V. perhaps I'd be forced to fold the clothes, or sit on them...surely not the best thing to model to my kids)  The pile sometimes often gets SUPER high, and then I can't take it anymore and I fold.  (Or, have my girls fold...yet another potential blog topic...kids and chores)  I often wish for a laundry fairy, and alas, none appears.

Over the past several years, though, I have found a few ways to simplify in certain areas.  I have been lucky enough to stumble upon some organized organization.  By this I mean THE CO-OP.  There are 3 co-ops that have served to make my life easier in different ways.  I'll briefly describe each.

1. The Veggie Co-Op ~ Saving time and money on my shopping is why I love this co-op! Every 2 weeks, a woman in the group orders veggies from Paradise Produce, located in Dallas' Farmer's Market. She then goes to pick everything up and creates 12 boxes of a variety of fruits and veggies for the members to come pick up from her home. Once a year, it is my turn to order the items and make sure they are distributed, as I share a spot. Members who don't share a spot take thier turn twice a year. $13 every other week for a box of fresh fruits and veggies. ($6.50 if you share a spot like do.) It is easy and I love it. It meets a simple need, in a very simple way....a true blessing!


2. The Cooking Co-Op ~ A marvelous idea introduced to me by my friend Karen about 3 years ago.  The gist of the cooking co-op is to lighten the cooking resposibility for me as a mom, while doing the same for several other families.  There are 4 families involved.  The way ours has been structured is that each week 2 women cook, for simplicity sake, let's say each Monday.  We make entrees only, enough to feed each of the 4 families.  So one week I am cooking and receiving and entree, and the next week is my off week so I do not cook and I get 2 entrees.  Typically, we trade the entrees in the parking lot where we pick up our kids after school.  This has provided so many great lessons for our family.  First and foremost, it is a reminder for us to thank God for our food and the hands that have prepared it.  Most often (as I am blessed with non-picky eaters) my kids enjoy the meals, but every once in a while someone, myself included, may make something that isn't their favorite.  This is where the lesson part comes in and I do not cave in to making an alternate dish for them that supper.  Second, it has forced me, in a positive way, to expand my recipe collection and try new things.  Third, it has helped to further develop friendships with my fellow Cooking Co-Op members that I otherwise would not have had.

3. The Baby-Sitting Co-Op ~  Now this idea was the brainchild of women in my neighborhood over 25 years ago.  I can't tell you what geniuses these ladies were.  For about 8 years I was involved in this group and loved, loved, loved it!  Here is how it works.  (There are by-laws and everything, but I will spare you all the details.)  There are 25 women in the co-op.  When a woman joins she is given 20 coupons which represent 20 hours worth of baby-sitting time.  Women trade coupons, versus money, to watch each others' children.  There is also a required monthly meeting to go over logistics and get to know each other better.  The money I saved over the years, plus the knowledge that it was another mom watching my kiddos made it great.  The friendships, comaraderie, shared interests and genuineness of the group was absolutely AMAZING!  The blessings that have come from knowing these women and their children and spouses have been truly awesome.

With a bit of creativity and some organization thrown into the mix there are all sorts of ways we can, as moms, come together to make our lives a little easier. 

I'd love to hear your ideas on making a mom's life a little easier!  Also, if you'd like more information on how to begin a new co-op, I am happy to share!

Now if I could just find a laundry co-op...


Blessings,
Beth