I’ve been really blessed to have sweet friends who have thrown me showers for every single one of my babies except Simon (who was born only 18 months after Ezra and was another boy, so a shower wouldn’t have made much sense).
That’s more than any mama of six has any right to expect. Mandy, particularly, has gone the extra mile by hosting three showers for three (four, counting the twins!) consecutive babies. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I received the best gift ever at Theo’s shower back in December.
So, what was it–Diapers? Cute outfits? A Sophie?
Nope.
It was this:
{That, right there, is happiness on a plate}
Last week, I was thinking we could all do with a batch of warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies. It was on my to-do list that day, for crying out loud. If only circumstances would cooperate! But just when I had resigned myself to skipping the baking in favor of oh, you know, finishing school and getting out the door to teach BODYCOMBAT on time, I remembered a bag of homemade freezer cookies that my sweet sister-in-law, Hannah, had made me.
I popped those suckers in the oven, and 11 minutes later, my kids and I had a chocolatey moment of smiles and togetherness in the midst of a very hectic Wednesday.
Thing is, cookies weren’t the only deliciousness that Hannah whipped up. In fact, at my shower (which she helped host), she rolled out an entire cooler packed with freezer goodies–everything from breakfast burritos to calzone ingredients to French toast fingers to beef and veggie soup…and more!
Y’all.
You should have heard the gasps of delight and exclamations of approval from the women in that room–all of whom are mamas and all of whom are fully aware that freezer meals are worth their weight in gold to a mama who’s just had a baby.
{These fantastic women were my shower hostesses. Hannah’s the one holding my cutie-pie niece, Halleli, there on my left}
The truth is that, between all of the extra batch cooking that I did before Theo’s birth, Hannah’s contributions, my mom’s help, and the generosity of our church, I haven’t had to cook since Theo was born. I have cooked. Several times. But only because something particular sounded good or–gasp!–I wanted to.
I still have a few freezer meals left, and I can’t even begin to express what an incredible relief it’s been to be able to pull something out to thaw on a particularly full day of homeschooling and piano practice and errands and gym classes, etc. Not to mention feeding a newborn every couple of hours.
Which got me to thinking: what woman wouldn’t love to be thrown a freezer meal baby shower?
Obviously, Hannah went above and beyond with her offerings, but if each guest were to bring one casserole or breakfast item or batch of cookie dough balls, then the mama-to-be could be set up for quite a while with a pretty incredible gift–free dinner without having to prepare it.
So, there’s my Mama Life Hack for you this week: if you’re up for hostess duty, consider hosting a freezer meal baby shower.
I guarantee you your guest of honor will be thrilled!
Have you ever brought a freezer meal as a gift to a baby shower? Ever gotten one as a gift? I’m guessing if you were the bringer, then you were the hit of the party, and if you were the receiver, you were one happy camper!
Any Mama Life Hacks to share today? They don’t have to be baby-related. Just any simple tip that could make a mama’s life easier, better, or more manageable.
Don’t forget to use the hashtag #mamalifehacks if you post a tip to social media. Who knows? I just might feature YOU!
I am throwing a freezer meal shower for a couple of my cute mama-to-be friends. I am having trouble with the wording for the invite. Would you consider sharing how you worded it for your guest to get the info across without sounding tacky? Thanks!!
Same problem here! Can you send or tell me the wording you used??
franchesca.rose@gmail.com
Hi ladies, I didn’t throw the shower but had one thrown for me…although not officially (meaning it was a regular shower, and my sis-in-law went the extra mile and brought meals). So, no specific wording.
Honestly, if you just called it a freezer meal baby shower and ask nicely for each woman to bring her favorite freezer meals in a disposable container for the mama-to-be, I can’t imagine how anyone would consider it tacky. 🙂
Maybe the most direct approach is the best in this case
My sisters (all 4 of them) and mom did this for me with my first because I had two regular showers and they mostly live far away and I was due in February so they planned and got stuff and made a bunch of freezer meals when they were home for New Years. It was GREAT!! Things I never would have thought about like french bread pizzas even for more fun stuff than just soup. Also got a few meals from church friends. It was perfect but #2 was a rude awakening! Haha! I LOVE the idea of doing this for every child. At church they frequently do diaper blessings or something if there has been a space between babies or the baby is a different gender from its siblings, but this is a great way to celebrate AND bless the family for EVERY baby.
I absolutely LOVE this idea!! I am pregnant with baby #6 and would love if someone did this for me. It would be such a blessing!!
You are a genius, my dear!! I would have loved this with any one of my children but especially my 4th!! What a sweet gesture 🙂
I’m planning to co-host a shower for my BFF expecting #4 soon so I’m definitely incorporating this idea….maybe a diaper/freezer meal shower. I think that would be such a blessing!
LOVE,LOVE,LOVE your idea!!
Sounds great – but certainly make sure your recipient has room to store all the meals! With only an average size freezer that contains a normal mishmash of stuff already I’d be out of room 1-2 meals in I’m afraid. Just a thought to consider as I’m sure many don’t have a second/chest freezer – so maybe organize a meal train for them for the days after they come home so there is a guarantee of dinner appearing on the door for a week (or one day a week for a month or more) while everyone gets settled.
My sister hosted a freezer meal shower for my sister-in-law when she had her third little one. It’s a great idea even if it’s not a shower specifically for freezer meals!
Great tip! I’m loving this series! One of my hacks is that I perm my hair. I know, craaaazzzyyyy! Hello 1980! But, my hair is getting longer and is thick and pin straight. Having the wavy curls allows me to not have to shampoo every day, and that in addition to showering at night seem to make my morning go a little smoother as a working mama.
Thanks for the great idea! You have one good siser-in-law and some awesome friends!
Do you think you could prevail on your wonderful sister-in-law to share some of these recipes with us???
I can ask her, but I know that she found most if not all of them on Pinterest.
I love this idea! There is nothing better than being able to have fresh, warm cookies whenever you need a little pick me up!
I learned this little tip from a mama of 7 a while back (and maybe this is a no-brainer for most) but I clean the bathroom while my kids are taking a bath. I have to be in there watching them anyway and it takes just a few minutes to wipe down surfaces, clean the toilet and mirror, replenish TP and change the trash. Of course my other little tip is to have all of your supplies: rags, cleaners, TP, trash bags, etc. in each bathroom so you don’t have to go hunting for anything…because there’s nothing more unmotivating than having to look for your one and only glass cleaner…amIright?
Thanks for the series, Abbie! I love getting tips from other mamas!
-Erica
Yes! I do the same thing. Wednesday is our clean the bath/take a bath day!
Yes! And then, the fact that my girls always flood the bathroom won’t seem like such a big deal, since I’ll be using all of that extra water for cleaning…right? :/
They’re just helping their mama mop, right? 😉
That’s an amazing idea!!! I’ll remember that for my sister in law who will be having a baby this summer! I had my third in Oct. and the fabulous women in my neighborhood…some I hadn’t even met, made a sign up sheet and brought us a delicious hot meal and dessert every other evening for 2 weeks! Best thing EVER!!:-)
That is absolutely genius!! I’m expecting baby no. 2 in the next few weeks, and this would be my FAVORITE gift…of all time!!