Meal Planning

Living out in the country makes meal planning a must.  Fridays are my typical “town day” so I would plan meals for a week to 2 weeks at a time.  Then this winter I decided to make plans for the entire month of December since it would be so chilly outside & I had an infant.  I saved sooo much money!  Not to mention I still had meals that I planned but never cooked (because we ate out or had left-overs or something).  My meal planning was getting so mundane & boring.  I seriously dreaded it.  Then Pinterest.  (enough said).  Ahhh.  Sweet Pinterest.  I suddenly was flooded with recipes I wanted to try. 

So with all that said, I made a chart of all the meals I cook or want to cook by category.

Then I made a theme for each week to help me balance the variety.

Next, I created a new “MEAL” calendar in my Google calendars & inserted them into my calendar. 

*I added the meal possibilities up for each & set them to repeat according to the number of meals to rotate through.

Ex.  Tuesday “Comfort Food” has 4 possibilities so I set each one to repeat every 4 weeks.

The only exception to this was Friday “Crockpot” day because there were 13 meals.  I just inserted them in without a repeat & I’ll just update it when necessary.

I also tried to take into consideration meal difficulty, type of food (chicken, beef, pork) for other meals that week or the week before.  It didn’t always work out how my OCD brain would like it but it’s done & I always have the option to cut & paste as we go.

I left the weekends open for grilling, trying new recipes, eating out, left-overs, etc.  (Sundays are typically a “special” or requested meal.  I will plan those as they come.  It just feels so good to have the majority of our meals planned indefinitely. 

Now, I just need to find time to get corresponding monthly grocery lists made & WOW!!  I’ll be rockin’!  Maybe then I will be ready to get serious about couponing. 

Hospitality Calendar

I have great respect & admiration for the older women of my church that seem so “hospitable”.  Our house is usually the gathering place for our circle of friends, but rarely do I extend the hospitality outside that circle.  Not for lack of desire, more so I just get busy & it slips my mind.  After reading Large Family Logistics I decided to attempt to use her Hospitality Calendar.  I took her suggestions & added one to each month in my monthly calendar.  Here are my Hospitality Goals:

• Oct – invite a visitor from church
• Nov – have Tim invite a friend over at the spur-of-the-moment
• Dec – have the house always ready for visitors, prepare a craft day for gifts, & a Christmas party for the kids
• Jan – invite another homeschool family over
• Feb – special dinner for our best friends
• March – tea party for my girlfriends (& their daughters)
• April – invite a family we want to get to know better
• May – invite an older couple over
• June – invite old friends or family
• July – outside party
• Aug – back to school party
• Sept – invite a youth from church

HOME Management: Meals & Groceries

 

Meals.

Meal planning & grocery shopping for my crew is WORK & expen$ive!  Our family has been fortunate to have a pretty good food budget.  And in all honesty, it’s not even really a budget.  For the most part I get what we like & want.  During a typical month we spend at least $600 a month on groceries.  Until recently.  The cost of EVERYTHING is increasing & as our boys get bigger & we add once again to our family size we are definitely feeling the impact of our economy.  So, for the first time in a long time, I am becoming (*or trying at least) frugal.  I have a long way to go & it is not an easy process, but it is necessary.  I definitely need some pointers from Nicki!!  Last week I tried to only buy name brand items, but I’m not really sure it made a difference.  It seems like if I pinch a penny here, I have to put a dime there.

Considering we live at least 45 minutes from a grocery store meal planning is a must!  There is no running to the store for that one ingredient I forgot or grabbing a bite to eat at the last minute because I don’t feel like cooking.  I usually grocery shop twice a month & pick up produce in-between.  I rarely make a trip to town more than once a week so it is important that I plan our meals out.  I know a lot of “home managers” create monthly menus, but it works better for us to do bi-weekly menus.  I use the personalized family shopping list from i heart organizing to create our menu & shopping list.

 

There are a few things I take into consideration when planning meals. 

1. Is my husband working or off?  (*If he is off – he will grill!!)
2. What is my day like?
   • I try to follow Kim’s advice in Large Family Logistics & use the crockpot or easy meals on my busy days like Laundry & Town Day.
3. What is the weather?  Right now, this is a no brainer, but during other seasons I try to prepare temp appropriate meals (*I’ll often check the weather in advance & make a note of them temp for the day)
4. Fun themes
   • Taco Tuesday, Wednesday is always Pizza night, Sunday I try to prepare a “special” meal
5. What does everyone else want? 
   • I don’t accommodate everyone every week, but I try to cook at least one favorite or requested meal a week.
6. Snacks
   • Our snacks are typically a fruit during the early afternoon.  Again, I love Kim’s suggestion of 1 fruit a day.  We eat a lot of fruit!  I seldom, very seldom buy junk food snacks like brownies or little Debbie's.  Snack food around here is either a fruit or veggie (1st) then you may choose from:  whole wheat gold fish, peanut butter crackers, cheese, yogurt, or a fruit snack.  I also try to make snack time special or school related so often we will have a not so healthy snack if it pertains to school or I just feel like being a cool mom.

Groceries.

I created a Summer “Meals at a glance chart to” help plan a variety of meals.  Meals during the excruciating Texas summer are very limited around here!

I also made a core summer grocery list that I take with me to buy groceries.  It has typical household items, but the grocery list itself is more specific to ingredients we will need to prepare summer meals:

You will also find a recipe reference from i heart organizing & a food journal from The Project Girl (*I used this when I was having to track Truman’s calories while trying to get him to gain weight).  I really need to add a freezer & frig inventory too, but I’m not quite that organized (yet!)

You can download a blank Meals at a Glance HERE or HERE (*they are slightly different) & blank Grocery List HERE.

HOME Management: Cleaning

 

I recently posted My Cleaning Schedule, so this post might be a little redundant, but here is what is behind the cleaning section of my Home Management binder.  And a little more detail . . .

 

My weekly schedule for household tasks is as follows:

Monday – Cleaning Day:  Sometimes I get a jumpstart on this on Sunday evening, but for the most part Monday is my weekend recovery day.  The boys & I go through the house room-by-room or split up & race each other with a treat at the end of each clean room.  I usually play music & it is a fun time for us – yes, cleaning is fun. 

Tuesday – Kitchen Day:  This is the day I look at the weeks menu & do all the food prep I possibly can for the remainder of the week.  I also try to give the kitchen a little tlc (especially if it is not my focus zone for the week).  I can’t tell you how this has bailed me out from crazy busy weeks or from cheating & popping a pizza in or opening a can of Spaghetti O’s.

Wednesday – Laundry Day:  “I will not leave you nor forsake you,” this is what I say each time I greet my washer.  As soon as I hit the floor on Wednesday’s I start a load of laundry & set a timer so I am totally on top of it.  The kids help me somewhat on laundry day.  They do quite a bit of outside chores & have a good amount of self-responsibility, I don’t have them help with the laundry other than folding towels or easy loads & putting away their own clothes.  However, I recently bought this bad-boy & they are all begging to fold their own shirts!!  I love Kim’s idea of “4x4” or “2x2” – racing the clock – 2 loads by 2pm.  Typically, I try to do a load a day (1x1) so that laundry day isn’t absolutely cRaZy, but I have managed to school, wash, fold, & put away up to 7 full capacity loads!  This included hanging sheets & towels!!  (*It helps to have an easy meal or crockpot meal prepared.  Wednesdays are usually our pizza night)  It is a lot of work, but the accomplishment at the end of the day is amazing.  Come to think of it, the first 3 days of my week are a lot of work, but then it is all down hill from there . . .

Thursday – Office Day:  My office day is pretty simple.  I pay bills, do online shopping, blog, catch up & clean out my e-mail inbox, work on lesson plans & meal plans.  My Type A heart yearns for Thursdays!!

Friday – Town Day:  Friday’s are typically our fun day or errand day.  Because we live so far from town most often no matter what is on the schedule grocery shopping is done this day.  I also try to save doc appointments for Fridays.  During the fall & spring it is also our co-op day.

Saturdays – Rest:  I was raised 7th Day Adventist & although I don’t follow their teachings strictly or attend a SDA church, I still prefer to make Saturday’s our family day of rest & enjoying the country life.  Living on a farm there is always work that needs to be done, so it is not always a true day of rest. 

Sundays – Project Day:  After church on Sundays we usually hang out or work on household projects as a family.

  

On the other side is a schedule I printed from donnayoung.org

My focus areas are:

• Week 1:  Kitchen
• Week 2:  Living Room
• Week 3:  Master Bedroom & Office
• Week 4:  Other Bedrooms & Bathroom
• Week 5:  Schoolroom

My binder contains these cleaning schedules/checklists & a list for each room (from iHeartOrganizing) .  I plan to print the room lists out for the kids & have a list available in each room (soon). 

cleaning lists VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Next up – My Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping

HOME Management: Family & Household

LARGE FAMILY  Logistics + i Heart ORGANIZING = A Plan for ORGANIZING our LARGE FAMILY

The first section of my HOME management binder is for Family & Household information. 

The first page records each family members information: 

• e-mail
• cell phone
• birthday
• ssn
• notes

I also had Jennifer make me a custom set of important family information (similar to the one on her website).

The first page is:

• Important Phone Numbers (emergency, local police/fire, poison control, hospital #’s, emergency contacts, neighbors, school, church, salon, veterinarian, banks, & 3 extra spaces for “other”)

The second page is for passwords (website, username, & password):

Then there is important medical information for:

• Medical Info:(insurance carrier info, primary clinic/hospital, primary physicians, pediatricians, specialists, & OBGYN.)
• Dental (insurance carrier info & primary dentist)
• Vision (insurance carrier info & primary optometrist)

The following page is important home information:

• utilities (electricity, propane, phone/internet, trash, & home owners info)
• auto info (insurance, towing, & mechanic)
• financial info (banks & accounts)

The last 2 pages are important dates & family library system for lending/borrowing

   

Then I made sub-tabs for:

^(Projects)

I LOVE these dividers (came with the binder), they not only have a pocket, but also a mini pocket for holding index cards (I use it to store pictures)

  

The front of the divider holds current projects & pictures of inspiration (you can see I have quite a bit of projects in the works).  Behind it is a pocket folder to hold our home project pages:

The next sub-tab is for:

I have a full size copy of our important emergency contacts for the kids “phone center” & behind it is our homeschool group directory & church directory.  I also plan to add a frequently called numbers page.

**UPDATE**

This last picture was originally posted with our information on it – opps!!  I had intended on posting this blank version – grrr!  Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing it out!

 

The last sub-tab is Family Rules & other discipline/rewards.

Check out Jen’s i Heart Organizing Etsy Shop for more of her fantastic printables! 

gettin' it ALL together

I have been working really hard at “gettin' it ALL together".  I have a crazy amount of information & ideas I gathered from LARGE FAMILY  Logistics & I needed somewhere to “see” it all. Kim even suggests a Home Management Binder in her book.  It has been at least 2 years since I updated my “control journal” & almost just as long since I abandoned implementing most of it.  I needed to put all my notes from LARGE FAMILY Logistic’s into action & form a better plan (& actually use it, not just plan it).  I actually have several “binders, notebooks, folders, etc.” that I use to manage all the craziness that stems from a large homeschooling mama. 

Here is the method behind my madness:

• Binder #1:  HOME management
• (zipper) Binder #2:  Well Planned Day planner
• Folder #1:  Weekly/Daily folder
• Folder #2:  “In-Progress” folder
• Binder #3:  homeSCHOOL management
• Binder #4:  homeSCHOOL info by Subjects
• Binder #5:  homeSCHOOL Units

I’m not completely done with all of them, but I am so excited to shared the gems inside these bad boys!! I started this post with the intentions of sharing it ALL with you, but whew, it was beyond L-O-N-G after the first section.  LOL  So, here are the basics & I will go into detail in future posts.

My HOME Management binder . . .

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these mead binders.  They are super flexible & actually hold quite a bit.

Inside the front is our family daily schedule:

Inside are the following sections:

1. Family & Household Information
2. Cleaning
3. Meals
4. Personal
5. Business

Tomorrow, I will share the awesomeness I found at i Heart ORGANIZING!

Slide Show of My Control Journal

Slide Show of My Control Journal

Another Control Journal You Should See

This is an awesome control journal -- that I will be using some forms from -- You should check it out!!



http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PeakmoreAcademy/457720/

Tab 4-8: Kids Names

So we should have 5 tabs left if you used the 8 dividers pack. For the next 4 tabs I use for each child (Taylor, Tyler, Tucker, & Trevor). You may only want to use one for the group or use these for other needs for your folder. Behind each child's folder is a chart of their core subjects. For example

I have several different charts, this is just an example of one. I use these charts a couple of ways -- this past year it has been mainly for me & scheduling for the week. These charts give me an overview of what we have done, where we want to be & how much we have left. I look at all the charts I made in my folder & use them for my white board chart that is in my office (see our rooms blog to glance at this board). This year I am going to also have these charts in my kids folders (coming soon!!). I am trying to get them scheduling their own time & working independently more. For more example of these charts just e-mail me -- I have them for most of our core subjects. One suggestion I have is to make a master copy & then fill it in as you go with pencil. I made charts last year by week/date & I tended to feel behind & like I constantly need to "catch up."

Tab 3: Books

The third tab in the Teacher's Manual portion of my Control Journal is "BOOKS." You will now discover another small obsession I have -- collecting books! I have several book lists & I try once a year to do an inventory of what I have. I get my book lists from numerous sources . . . I use "Drawn Into the Heart of Reading" by Heart of Dakota & they offer a sample book ideas listed by genre & by level. http://www.heartofdakota.com/drawn-into-packages.php Heart of Dakota also offers book packages by boy/girl/classics categories. This has been very helpful to me in selecting books for independent reading. This is at the front of my books section. Next, I have a list of books I am currently searching for (I always search high & low for used books before I buy them used).



Here are the book lists I have:

Five in a Row --- http://www.fiveinarow.com/FIAR/FIARBL.html

Several of the Beautiful Feet Books --- www.bfbooks.com

Book list in the back of "Educating the Wholehearted Child" -- Contemporary Children's Fiction, Classic Literature For Children, Picture Books & Illustrated Story Books

Timeless Classics: Books for Young Readers --- http://bms.westport.k12.ct.us/lmc/classics.htm

The Ultimate Reading List Classics that Endure --- http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1997/june97/list.html

Reading Your Way Through History --- http://www.readingyourwaythroughhistory.com/

Baldwin Online ---- http://www.mainlesson.com/displaybooksbygenre.php

Classic Christian Homeschooling --- http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/v2/index.php?page=1218

Simply Charlotte Mason (browse by subject) --- http://apps.simplycharlottemason.com/

A Charlotte Mason Education (Literature by Grade) --- http://sites.silaspartners.com/CC_Content_Page/0,,PTID61309%7CCHID605214%7CCIID,00.html





There are also several other books that are available such as, Honey for A Childs Heart, Let's Hear it for the Girls, Let the Authors Speak, Books Children Love, The Boy's Guide to the Historical Adventures of G.A. Henty, Books that Build Character, How to Grow a Young Reader & Truthquest History offers a wonderful list of books, as well as beautiful chronological commentary. A lot of the typical homeschooling books will offer small book lists. For example, Educating the Whole Hearted Child, & many of the Charlotte Mason books. In addition to these I have found wonderful book lists throughout my favorite curriculum. I know a lot of homeschoolers use Sonlight Curriculum suggested reading.



Well, there are my book list secrets. Now if you are trying to build your own family library, I would encourage you to spend the week creating/organizing your personal "Book Tab."

Tab 2: Curriculum

Because I have a serious "issue" with LOVING curriculum I have dedicated my second tab to topic!! This divider also has a pocket so I store some of my pamphlets for my curriculum her or reading charts, etc. Behind this tab is proof of this sickness I have. I know God blessed me with organization & planning skills -- I truly enjoy these things! However, I do know there is a thin line & I am border lining OC on this one! Before I reveal my sick endeavors, let me explain: Okay, I have a hard time deciding which curriculum I am going to use, for which kids to use it, which age groups to keep together, when to separate my oldest from the others, & the questions just roll over & over in my head . . . well, if I do this for her will it work for him? SO, to make sense of all these wonderful possibilities I have made a chart based on ages/grades of all my favorite curriculum (so far). I know this sounds "sick," but I have struggled with my history philosophy & the whole 4 year rotation -- when to teach different era's of history. This chart has helped me plan this out. I looks something like this


I also have 2 other charts that are my history & science plans. -- Crazy, I know! But it works for me. (& no, I don't have too much time on my hands -- just very little sleep) I will have to blog about my history philosophy soon & this may help you understand my future planning.

Next, I have a pocket divider (without the tab) to hold printout that I use for curriculum fairly often & don't want to have to open and close the binder each time.

Then there is a list of history curriculum for creation, ancients, middle ages/renaissance, US, & world history.

Last behind this tab is information upon information on my favorite curriculum. I have used adhesive-sticker tabs (I have no idea where I got them -- maybe the dollar store) to label the different curriculum for a quick find. The information on this curriculum varies, but includes: units/yearly guides, future order wish lists, outline of the curriculum, corresponding books, book packages, & overview of the curriculum.

Behind all of this I do have another pocket divider to hold info for art & music appreciation. This is separated mainly because this is something new I will be introducing and I am still studying & researching how & what I want to use.

WHY? As I have admitted, picking curriculum is something that takes a lot of prayer & time for me. There is so much great stuff out there I just want to do it all. Knowing that this isn't a possibility I do spend a lot of time researching & review my favorites. Some consideration I take into account while choosing is:

1. Which one will allow me to teach the majority of my children together?

2. Which one covers everything/most of the topics I want to teach my children?

3. Which one is teacher friendly and laid out in a user friendly format?

4. Which one will my children enjoy?

5. What books are used with this curriculum? Which books aren't used?

These are just a few of the deciding factors for me, but I have found curriculum I think I will just love, but am disappointed by how much is skipped or the poor choice of books used.

Another reason I devote time and effort to this is because I found that the different vendors are a great source for book lists (next weeks tab). Also I have been some where or talking with other homeschools are discovered a new book or curriculum that might work later for us -- this is a great place to make a note of that.

This may or may not be an issue or need for you personal control journal; however, I have included this for those of you that do need a way to keep up with all this information.

Tab 1: Teacher's Manual

Hello! You should have your tabs ready to go & have them labeled! I am going to describe what I have done with each tab I chose; however, you may have had different needs with your tabs so take what you need & forget the rest!


My first tab is labeled "Teacher's Manual"

Behind this tab (in order) in a sheet protector is our schedule & a list of curriculum we are using for that year.


Next is a School Calendar. I use June - May. I do this for a couple reasons but mainly b/c I like to plan according to seasons. It seems that everything changes (new schedule, gardening, chores, etc) with the season. For me it is easier to plan ahead with my calendar this way. I use the "ruled calendar" in the school calendar section at donnayoung.org. I like the ruled calendar so that I can make notes on the side. Basically, I use this calendar to see an overview of our "calendar school year" & plan when we will take breaks. The only thing I write in the ruled section next to the calendars is a number for the week we are on & vacations or breaks. I circle the date on the calendar for holidays (you may want to circle birthdays too!) * I have this in a page protector too & on the back is the next years calendar.

Here is a quick link to see all the available school calendars: http://www.donnayoung.org/calendars/school/index.htm



Next is my History reading schedule & behind that my monthly tab's begin. I think I got the monthly tabs at Mardels, but I am sure any office supply store will carry them. I haven't seen them at Walmart or Target though. I have started these tabs by putting September first.

Behind each monthly tab is a monthly calendar for that month. I just printed one from a computer program that my computer came with. I have Windows Vista & find them in the Microsoft Works Calendar. I just print blank ones for the month. I use these calendars for an overview. Mainly the history theme or topic we will be using. Sometimes I use the back to make notes & jot down books Taylor could read independently & how long it would take her. Here is what it looks like:


I also print out a weekly calendar from the same program on my computer. On this calendar I write the scripture at the top & in each day I write our "units" or humanities lesson plan. In the days/boxes I write the kids name & use it to keep track of "points" I give them for answering review questions (see school store post in the future for more info). Here is an example:


This is what I made for this year:






The last thing I have behind each month is a Field Trip Report Sheet.


At the end of the monthly dividers I have the pocket divider (without tabs) for my Enrichment Classes (at this point is isn't a lot so this works -- I may have to give it it's own tab someday . . . you will know what works for you.) The last thing in this section is a chart with my kids & the age/grade for each year. I try to teach as much as possible as a group & then evaluate what I need for them as individuals. This helps me see what ages/grades I may link together. It is nice to see where one will be when another is at a certain point.



That's "ALL" Have a great week!

FABulous Homeschool TABS

Okay, so here is where your second set of TABS comes in . . .

For my homeschool section I purchased a set of 8 tabs; however, you may choose to use more than 1 set or a set with more tabs.



A few thoughts on this: I used tabs/dividers with pockets for these. Also, Walmart, Mardels, &/or Target may have JUST THE Pocket dividers (without tabs) I have found these EXCELLENT additions to this folder. They are A MUST HAVE!!



Here is how I labeled my tabs as well as a couple ideas for labeling your tabs:



Tab 1: Teachers Manual

School schedule
Curriculum list
School Calendar x2
Yearly Lesson Plans
MONTHLY DIVIDERS
Monthly Calendar
Weekly Lesson Plans
Pocket Folder for EC
Childrens grade/age layout


Tab 2: Curriculum

Pocket Folder (loose flyers, ect.)
Layout of favorite curriculum corresponding to grade levels
Annual Curriculum Guide based on History topics for each year
History Topics & corresponding curriculum chart
Favorite Curriculum ideas, printouts, info, ect. (To easily identify these I placed mini-adhesive tabs at the beginning of each new curriculum
Pocket Folder (for Art & Music Appreciation ideas/lists)


Tab 3: Books

Books WANTED List (divided by topic)
Art, Music, Nature, History, Individual reading, Read alounds, classics, ect.
MY MANY BOOK LISTS
(outdated) Inventory


Tabs 4-7: One for each Child

Yearly layout for each individual subject done independantly (or with mom)/NOT AS A GROUP
Reading Layout
Spelling
Grammar
Language Lessons
Math
*Behind my little ones tabs are Preschool/Toddler activities


Tab 8: Goals & Inspiration:

Quotes, scriptures, poems, encouragement
Goals for my children/family
Ideas/goals I wish to implement into our schooling
Blank paper


Okay, I have once again overwhelmed you . . . There is the "layout." I will begin to list ideas & post links & pictures of what I have done with this.

This week just make a list of all the tabs you would like to have & decide how many you want. Please think of what you need. I don't have a tab for extra curricular tabs, but have added pocket dividers behind each child for their own activities. You may wish to have individual tabs for these activities. Ex. dance, 4-H, baseball, gymnastics, drama, ect. If there is a lot of paper work for these activities it would be a good idea to give it it's own tab (or make a general "Extra Curricular" tab & add adhesive tabs to seperate each subject.) Instead of having a tab for each child you may want to have a tab for each subject (adhesive tabs could be used here to divide by child as well). You could also add a section for a rewards system or a co-op section.



Have A Blessed Week!!



Tiff

Tabs Take 3

Here are my final 2 tabs for the personal use section of this binder.


1. Faith

This is a personal section so what you put here is very much what works for you. Some ideas I have are journaling, Bible study notes, list of favorite scriptures, prayer lists, ect.

Personally, this is my prayer list section. I am also considering adding business card or index card slot covers to put scripture cards on. I haven't decided if I want to add this to my binder or if I want to hole punch the index cards & put them on a ring -- this is a GREAT idea to keep up with memorization &/or copy work for the kids. I will post pictures on this soon.


2. Contacts/Moms Essentials . . . Includes:

Addresses & phone numbers (you can do this soley alphabetically, just by
importance/frequently used, ect)

Important Phone #'s: non-emergency/police, poison control, hospital,
pharmacies

Important phone numbers: Extended family, friends, frequent play dates,
neighbors, babysitters, church, pastor, church directory,
contractors/repairs/handyman, cleaning services, garbage pickup, lawyer,
accountant, bank, auto service, insurance, vetinarian, groomer, ect.

GREAT place for Co-op or EC phone directory

Family members' information:

Spouse info: work add., phone #'s, e-mail, birthdate, social & any important
notes)

Child info: bithdate, social, special notes

Web sites & passwords (ex. Web site name, username, password)

Adult's medical information: Insurance provider, Id #, primary care, Ob/gyn or
midwife, dentist, specialist, phone #, address, allergies, blood type,
important health info

Kids' medical information: Insurance Id #, blood type, pediatrician, dentist,
specialist, allergies, precriptions

* Also a great place to keep medical records. Ex. Dates & notes on yearly
well check-ups/physical exams, sick visits (date, doctor, Rx, reason), eye
exam & dental

Birthdays & anniversaries

Christmas Card list

Gift Ideas/records


Okay this week should be fun! I will post anything creative I come up with this week.

Tabs Take 2

The next tabs are rather personal use - feel free to omit any that aren't of use &/or change them to work best for you. Underneath each I will include my personal ideas & any websites that might be helpful to you.

2. Budget

This is my least favorite! However, it is necessary. I print out a "table format" of my bills listing the Bills, Amount Due, Date Comment in columns.


At the top of each printout I write the month & year & the dates Tim get's payed. I usually try to list my bills in order of time needing to be payed -- so that the top bills are for his first pay check and the bottom are for the second. In the comment area I usually use this to make any special notes, balances on any accounts, special items purchased, ect..)

I am sure there is a much "better" way to do this -- this is NOT my specialty, but it is easy & works for me!

3. Food

Here is where you may want to keep frequently used recipes, co-op lists, grocery lists & weekly menus. Nicki T. had a great idea & has created a daily rotating menu for each day of the week for every meal -- Mine is in progress. Check back on the blog this week to see what I come up with.

This is what I use:

http://donnayoung.org/household/fullsize/ffiles08/kifiles/menu.pdf



Here are some others:

http://donnayoung.org/household/fullsize/kitchen/index.htm

http://www.healthbolt.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/hb_menu_planner.pdf

http://www.menus4moms.com/pdf/MenuPln.pdf

http://homemanagementbinder.com/printable-menu-planner-0

http://homemanagementbinder.com/printable-shopping-list-1


Faith & Contacts Next Week!

Fab Tab's

HELLO! How are those Chore Charts/Service Opportunities coming along? If you haven't used them yet try them out this week! Have a sit down with the kids & review with them how to use them & when you expect them to be done & how long you think it should take (the first couple of weeks will be a trial). GOOD LUCK!!

-- Oh yes, there is more this week than just starting to use the charts But lets check off what we have already done. You should have:

A title for your binder
A Daily To Do (wish) List w/ time blocks
A Weekly To Do (wish) List
CHORE list for YOU & Your Children
ZONES
Completed Charts

This week I want you to go back to your TO DO WISH LISTS & add times you want chores done (example if you have one chore time write "chores" or for more write "AM Chores, Lunch Chores, PM Chores") If you want to add when do that too (example noon, after school work, ect or write a time block 30 min).

THEN I want you to get ready to add dividers to your binder now that we have somethings to put in it!! I purchased 2 sets of dividers w/ pockets!! My first set is a set of 5:

1. Chores & More

Copy of kids chores
List of your chores
Zones
List of Areas & cleaning list
(See Flylady for a detailed cleaning list)
Kids Zones & cleaning list for group or individualize for each child -- this will depend on how you organized your zones. E-mail me privately for more ideas on this.

To Do Daily List (see example of mine below)
Monday: Free Day
Tuesday: Errands/Clean Car
Wednesday: Paper Work (Bills)
Thursday: Desk (Thank You's, lesson plans, ect)
Friday: Gas/Grocery
Saturday: Rest (this is my Sabbath)
Sunday: Family

Check List
Morning (Devotional, E-mail, Make Beds, Dress, Babies)
Afternoon (Lunch, Start Dinner, Desk Rescue, Make Copies)
Evening (Phone Calls, E-mail, Calendar, Lessons)
Before Bed (Kitchen Check, Layout Clothes)

2. Budget
3. Food
4. Faith
5. Contacts

* This week just work on adding to Chores & More Tab. Nex week we will add to tabs 2-5 so just label them for this week.

My next tabs are for homeschooling, I don't want to overwhelm you with these yet, so just focus on the list above this week. I have added some ideas for the chores & more so use this week to adapt some of this for your binder if you wish.

Have Fun!

Time to CHART

Okay get your Chore list & Zones . . . We are going to make CHARTS . . .

You do have a couple options with charts. I have used & LOVE doorpost charts. They are a great start & only cost $5 http://www.doorposts.net/serviceop.asp This is a poster board size chart that is divided into 20 sections. Write in your family’s most frequent chores in these spaces. They provide a list of 60 ideas, and 56 cartoon illustrations that you can color, cut and glue next to each chore listing. This makes an attractive chart and will help your non-readers use the chart, too. On one side of the chart is a moveable sticky (doorpost instructions are to write the childs name on these so you can assign different chores each day to each child). Here is my tweak on their charting: I write each childs name in a divided section & under it I list their chores & a picture for the little ones. Next to this I place a sticky (color coded for each child, but not necessary), on the sticky I write when it is to be done (example, "daily" or "Mon" or "Tue & Thur"). When the chore is done it is placed over the picture or description. If you choose to pay your children, you could write the reward next to the chore & the sticky could be over the reward & moved to the description when completed. This is a great motivation & has saved me from having to ask repeatedly, "are your chores done?" I keep this chat in my kitchen at a height that all can reach. (I will post a picture when I am done working on our new Spring Chart).



Other ideas for charts are computer made ones (google chore charts for freebies & ideas) or scrapbook a chart. All you need to make your own is a posterboard, ruler, markers & small sticky notes (optional). You don't have to have a BIG chart, individual charts are an option too (walmart does sell small posterboards in a package that are perfect for individual charts). I have both! See previous posts on charts to look at mine. Your charts don't have to be "Pretty" -- I just tied a hobby into making mine -- it was fun for me. If you think your children would enjoy making their own include them! Or have them draw small pictures for the chart.



I do recommend color cordinating for multiple children. Also have a hard copy or list in your "control journal" -- page protector is also helpful if you just make a copy of it. LAMINATING individual charts will help with durability. On the back of your hard copy write your childrens name, age, season & year. Example: Taylor, 9 yr. Spring 2008. This will be a head start on Charts to come!!



If you want other ideas or don't think this will work for you Managers of Their Homes now has a Managers of Their Chores. You may want to look into their system. -- None the less, MAKE A CHART!!



OH . . . I must include the idea that Doorpost uses . . . These are NOT "CHORE CHARTS" they are "SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES."



Good Luck! Have Fun! Be Creative! Send Pictures! E-mail for questions . . .

God Bless!

INTRO to "ZONES"

Once your chore lists are done your are ready to ZONE!! I have WEEKLY "Zones" & my children have DAILY "Zones". "Zoning" is a Flylady concept & I have tweaked it a little. Zones are areas of your house that you create to do MAJOR cleaning in for 10-15 minutes each day (this is when the microwave is cleaned, the pantry is organized, ect). Here is my idea on "Zoning" for my family:


You don't have to have seperate zones for you and the kids -- You can create a zone for the group that all of you spend time in each day together. I decided to create seperate zones b/c there are so many of us & I am fearful that when I am focusing on one area, the rest will fall apart. So, while I am working one week on a room, my children are keeping up the pace around the rest of the house by rotating rooms each day. Another option for seperate zones is to give each child their own zone to be responsible for. Just have each child spend 10 minutes a day in their zone.


Decide if you want to work on zones together or if you want seperate zones (*kid zones can rotate weekly instead of daily too)
Pick your Zones (here are a few examples, but this will depend on your house size & design)

Fly Lady Zones are:
Zone 1: The Entrance, Front Porch and Dining Room
Zone 2: The Kitchen
Zone 3: The Bathroom and One Extra Room
Zone 4: The Master Bedroom
Zone 5: The Living Room

My Zones are:
Kitchen
Living Room
Bedroom
School Room
Kids Room
*Bathroom (I did not put this on my chart mainly b/c I live with 4 boys so my bathroom needs attention on an AS NEEDED basis.)

My Chilrens Zones are:
Bedroom
School Room
Living Room
Kitchen
Yard

My zones, as I described, are WEEKLY. So, for the first week of the month I work on zone 1 every day for 10-15 minutes. Example March 3-7 I work on my kitchen, the next week I will work on the living room & so on. The kids are DAILY, so on Monday (AS A GROUP) they work on the bedrooms (*exception is my daughter works on hers & the boys theirs together). On Tuesday they will ALL work on the school room, ect. . . Another thought, depending on how many children you have, is giving each child a different zone weekly or daily. Example Taylor, Mon - bedroom, Tue - school room, Wed - Kitchen Tyler, Mon - yard, Tue - Living Room, Wed - bedroom OR Week 1: Taylor - Kitchen, Tyler - Yard, Tucker - School Room



After you have created your zones

Decide how you are going to work in them (individual/group/mom/kids & weekly/daily)

Pick your weeks or days (REMEMBER ACTIVITIES)
Create a cleaning/to do list for each zone (if you are doing zones seperate from the kids you may want to make a different list of things you want them to do -- you can assign tasks for each child or just let them while they are cleaning.)

Set a time limit for zone work (at first you may want to spend longer to get into the routine, but try not to spend longer than 15 minutes)

Chores Chores Chores & More . . . REVIEW

So your chore list should be almost completed . . . Let's REVIEW

1. Make a Cleaning List
Daily Cleaning
Now is the time to get the highlighters or a colored pen/marker for each
child (Pick a color for each child)
Go through your list & highlight by color what each child is capable of
doing. Some chores may be double or triple highlighted -- no
worries . . . Once you are done highlighting, make a column for each
child. Write the chores they are capable of doing under their name.
For the chores that more than one child is able to do:
Ask your children which chores they would like to do.
If you can't agree flip a coin or draw sticks -- winner gets
first pick.

Weekly Cleaning
HIGHLIGHTERS Please! Do the same process as Daily Chores to decide Who &
What.
Decide do you want:
1 MAJOR Cleaning Day to do ALL the weekly chores
WHEN? -- Pick a day to do all the extra chore
Extra Chores each day
Add the decided chores to the bottom of each childs list &
decide which day you would like this done.


* Just a few thoughts: When deciding WHO, WHAT & WHEN keep in mind trash days, extra curricular activites, busy days, ect. DO NOT under estimate your children -- they CAN do household work. Keep in mind -- TRAINING PERIODS may be needed. Once you are ready to present a CHORE CHART to your children you will spend time going over "how to" & expectations. -- YES, you WILL need to go over this a few times (don't we still have to with our GROWN husbands every now & then? lol) Also, remember that having responsiblities are good for your children & we all have our own ways of doing things. I have had to bite my tongue several times & remind myself that the towels don't HAVE to be folded perfectly & it is okay if they don't load the dishwaher the way I do -- the fact that they are HELPING at all -- HELPS!! When you do want to "perfect" a certain chore, pick ONE at a time for each child & encourage them & just smile at the wrinkled clothes.



** Toddlers: Even they can WORK & surprisingly they will be EXCITED to have "Chores" Don't leave them out. Here are a few things my toddlers do: Wipe kitchen table, pick up toys, pick up yard (Tucker is even picking up dog poop), feed the dogs, sweep up little piles, ect. *** Tucker LOVES his little hand broom & mini dust pan -- good investment! -- These chores can, but don't HAVE to be time or day specific.

Mommy Charts

Shappy Princess