Episode 125: Delegate Your Dinners…In Just Four Steps
What You’ll Learn
Foundations (01:11)
The Big Goal (02:15)
Mini Goals (03:15)
Action Steps (03:53)
Pivoting & Adapting (10:07)
Anticipating Challenges (13:45)
Invitation (27:50)
We’re talking about goals, about motherhood, and about how the two CAN work together! THIS podcast, in particular, is something we wanted to share, because it’s all well and good to see someone do something big on Instagram and for them to tell you, “We worked hard towards this goal,” but it’s a whole different thing for someone to walk you through how to break down a goal and how to make it a reality in the context of motherhood.
Motherhood is a different season than a lot of people are in, and our time, our capacity, our EVERYTHING is just different.
The Deliberate Start is a Life and Goal Planner for mothers. It’s exactly what we need to make peace with where we are and make meaningful movement toward where we want to be…but within in the margins of our motherhood so the change doesn't defeat us!
If you've been barely surviving…
If you feel like there's never enough energy to build a thriving life for you and your family…
If you're scared to make plans or grow hopes because you barely have time to breathe…or even shower…
If you keep mind-melting and buffering, but wish you were taking action…
If you don't remember the last “win” you had…or you don't even know what a “win” is…
YOU AREN'T ALONE
⭐️Details ⭐️
This guide is 43 pages that walk you through deliberate reflecting, beginning, and achieving.
The reflection pages designed to orient you for change by taking an honest look at who & how you've been showing up. With pages for personal, spiritual, family, home, & finances. Plus bonus pages for business & homeschool.
The deliberate beginnings pages that walk you through what you really want, need, and desire in the various roles of your motherhood with good questions and examples.
You’ll also find a step-by-step process that guides you through ordering your priorities and planning and breaking down your goals into mom-sized bites.
And finally a 30-Day Assessments for your goals and your motherhood to help you pivot when life happens (because this whole momming-job isn't a cake walk, and LIFE HAPPENS!)
Foundations (01:11)
Today, Brittany and I talked about different goals we could break down for you on the podcast, but they were ALL really big goals. So, we began talking about the foundations on which the bigger goals were built. Perhaps these building blocks exist in your homeschool, your budget, your kitchen, or your day-to-day chores.
The Big Goal: Getting Your Kids to Cook One Dinner Each Week (02:15)
If we had the big goal of getting our kids to cook one dinner each week, first…write it down! Put it everywhere! This goal will take 3-6 months (usually) to happen.
Mini Goals (03:15)
Mini-goals will lead directly to achieving the big goal…the walls of your big goal. For this particular goal, they are…
Learn to work within a budget
Choose & read recipes
Create grocery lists & shop for them
Test dinners + learn basic skills + how to pivot + practice following directions
Action Steps (03:53)
The action steps are the foundation for your mini-goals. In this example, they’re actually the four steps to mastery…
You cook while the kids watch (Do something while they watch you do it.)
You cook WITH the kids (Do something with them.)
The kids cook and YOU watch (You watch them do it.)
The kids make the meal on their own (They do it without you but you’re within reach if something goes wrong.)
These steps improve proficiency, responsibility, and pride in their work (the kids). With these steps, learning happens on the back of success and clarity, and these steps can be used with any task…and YOU can use them (as an adult)!
This four-step method can work with any household task you want to delegate to your children. To take it a step further, this can work for YOU as well!
The big goal of having your children cook one meal a night (Big Goal) breaks down into the Mini Goals (listed above), and these Action Steps…
Give them a budget help them choose a meal within that cost
Read through the recipe with them and make a grocery list (checking pantry & freezer staples…before you add to the list)
Take them shopping with you
Teach how to read a full recipe & prep ingredients (basic skills - reading recipes, following directions, etc) *Sidenote-reading through the recipe from start to finish cannot be underestimated or overlooked!
Work with them to cook through the dinner
Clean-up with the kids explaining processes & actions
PRAISE efforts not just results, because when we’re proud of something we did, we naturally want to do more of it.
Pivoting and Adapting (10:07)
Action steps and mini-goals will change each month. Especially when you’re working on a 3-6 month goal, you should expect to do these action steps each week. If you don’t have the capacity for once a week, just know that your goal is going to take longer (and that’s ok). But know, that putting in this time and effort will waterfall into the rest of your day-to-day life, and on those days when your child is in charge of dinner, it’s truly amazing! Having meals taken care of is a HUGE win (especially when it’s your child who makes it).
This big goal will lead to even bigger goals…like you going to Italy and not worrying about your family suffering without food!
Anticipating Challenges (13:45)
Considering the pushback…the challenges…will help you when it inevitably happens. When you’re working with children especially, little humans with their own goals and dreams, you must prepare for the day after perfect.
A few situations that could offer unique challenges are…
Kids who get excited, and then lose enthusiasm. Expect that loss of enthusiasm. You can counter this with buy-in. Let them choose the meal, add a dessert.
Kids will get discouraged. Even Brittany who’s been cooking a long time—occasionally has to toss out a recipe. In this case, just encourage. Keep the mood light, and remind them that the efforts aren’t valued based on the outcome being perfect. Consider what DID go well! Learn the lesson and move forward!
YOU will get discouraged. This one is tough, and it WILL happen. But, remember what you’re valuing in this situation. Motherhood is made up of lots of little growth. It’s good for kids to see us get discouraged, and see us work ourselves out of it too.
Life is going to get busy and consistency is hard. Expect the mess…expect the hard. Know that there will be a day after perfect, and make the commitment to start again, after a meal, mid-meal, any time.
Expect meals and recipes to flop. This is OK! So many skills are being learned with each recipe…techniques, prepping ingredients, measurements…these are ALL foundations that will follow kids throughout their whole lives. Also, remember—this is an experiment—learning what your family DOESN’T like is just as important as discovering what they DO like.
Pushback and jealousy between siblings! Anticipating some of these issues is the solve…invite littler kids in to do simple tasks. Accept the inevitable mess, and value the relationships that are built.
Invitation (27:50)
The whole point here is that you can take ANY goal, and the act of breaking it down is the secret sauce to being successful! The same framework WE used to break down THIS goal can be found in our Deliberate Start Planner!
And don’t ever forget…
You are doing beautiful work momma!
