People are made to depend on other people. Yes, you *can* do it all on your own, but that’s not really feasible or preferable in most cases. Isolation is not the goal. A community of people all doing things the old fashioned way broadens our ability to live simply.

So for today’s post, I’d like to share with you my two favorite ‘communities’ that make my simple life richer.

1. My Babysitting Co-op:

Five families that I know all got together and started this a year or two ago. AWESOME. We’ve grown to eight families. This not only allows me to schedule doctor’s appointments anytime,(the return of regular dentist appointments, yeah!) but as a stay-at-home mom in a working-family neighborhood, this co-op provides me with people to talk to and hang with and depend on. No agencies, daycares, or paid sitters. Rock on!

We all started with 60 ‘points’. Babysitting costs number of children plus one point per hour. So my three kids sat for two hours would be eight points. We each take a turn at being ‘monthly secretary’ and scheduling the sits. We have a few other rules that I could email to anyone who is interested, but that’s the basic gist.

The most important thing in forming a co-op like this, or of any sort, is to find people who are similar to your style. All us moms are healthy eating at home, yet have-what-you-like-at-a-friends-house, TV tolerating, potty accident tolerating, is-it-five-yet-so-I-can-have-some-wine, type moms.

2. My Dinner Swap:

This sounds like a bigger deal than it is. And if you want to get to know someone intimately, try feeding them every week. HA!

Here’s the quick description…we each put the ingredients together for the other ladies’ crockpots, ovens, or microwaves–one main dish and a side–and deliver it in time to be cooked/reheated by dinner time on our day. My day is Wednesday.

That means that I deliver and cook once (tripling the recipe) and get dinner delivered to me two other weeknights. We eat at MIL’s all day Sunday, so the other nights are leftovers or sandwiches or whatever. I *might* throw something together one other night, like an impromptu stir fry from all the random veggies in the house. It’s home-cooked heaven.

Most people’s resistance to the idea is that nobody in the world eats just like your family. I know. But when four fun ladies sit around a table and haul out the recipes, it gets really easy:

“My husband would never eat that. Put that on my week off.”
“Ooo, do this one, but leave the red peppers out on mine.”
“Oh gosh, I loved that one. You could cook it every month!”

I love both these communities and the ladies I share them with. I don’t think I could ever go back.

Ivory

P.S.If anyone wants the details of these, feel free to email us!