I was talking to a friend the other day who works the night-shift for her job. Some nights, she’s at work from midnight until 8am. (Is that even legal?)

She told me when she got home, before she would rest but after her burpees, she would start cooking meals for that night’s supper and the next night so her family would have a home cooked meal to warm up and eat together at the end of the day.

This seemed like another strike against old Lizzy who thought heating up a frozen pizza for no other reason than she was jonesin’ pepperoni with just a hint of cardboard was totally acceptable.

Moms, are we being too hard on ourselves, trying to juggle, work, meals, carting kids from one activity to the next?

This friend doesn’t just boil noodles or make fancy things like omelets or grilled cheese sandwiches either. (Like some of us who even add a ketchup smiley face bonus!) She makes everything from scratch. Meals are healthy, balanced and there’s always enough left over for school lunches.

I’ve decided to let myself off the hook (and I’m a stay-at-home Mom). There are some excellent pre-made dinners; black bean burritos (from a favourite, local spot), fresh pizza dough from a bakery, even some of the frozen dinners I’ve sourced at my grocery store appear to have trimmed the fat and decreased the sodium making dinner quick, easy and affordable on those days we simply don’t have the time to slave over a hot oven or we have to race from one lesson to another.

Am I alone?