In my quest to “make a clearing” this year as I try to balance mothering an infant and a three year-old, starting a school and a national charter management organization, making time for health and wellness, and continuing to nurture my marriage/friendships/relationships with family/neighborly connections, I started experimenting with batch cooking. I start cooking early on Sunday afternoon. I try to cook our most difficult meal first. Otherwise, I’ll avoid it all week long and make excuses. None of our meals are particularly difficult, but some are harder than others (like Lebanese soup, which has multiple steps).