Tackle Tuesday-Schedules

Schedules are more important than you think!

If you have your time scheduled, not in an every minute of the day way, but everything written down that you have already committed to, you will have peace in knowing you aren’t missing anything important.

FAMILY CALENDAR

Above is our simple family calendar.  Not expensive.  I actually found this in our dollar section at Target.  One dollar for peace of mind that you know where everyone is supposed to be and when, now that is a bargain.

The best time to review your family’s upcoming week is usually on Sunday night, but find a time that works for your family.  Go over practices, lessons, games, doctor appointments, etc.  Make sure that anything that is really important to a member of your family is recorded.  It may just be scheduling one-on-one time with each child, or blocking out time for a date night with your spouse.  Write it down or something else, maybe less important, will fill that spot.

PERSONAL PLANNING

Once you have your family plan down, move on to that personal schedule we worked on earlier in the week.

Make sure that you have made time for all of the things that are important to YOU.

Don’t forget time to exercise, time for family and friends, and maybe even a little time slot each day to just have quiet time.  If your life gets too busy, you will miss out on those moments when those little promptings can come to you.

You can have your planning on daily sheets printed off from your printer, from a personal planner, or maybe an at-a-glance calendar.  Whatever works best for you, USE IT!  I promise you will be so much more productive and happy.

If you are one of those people who don’t make lists, because you “live in the moment,” that is great.  Just remember that even a little bit of planning will give you even more live in the moment minutes!  Believe me, I, too am a live in the moment kind of girl, but it sure is a bummer when I have spent time sharing with a neighbor and not have written down a change in a child’s ballgame and missed their moment!

MENU PLANNING

There are so many different ways to menu plan.  Just yesterday, I had an excited friend show me her new plan.  She had a 3-ring binder full of recipes, dividers and a grocery list.  She was beaming with excitement to have this part of her life so organized.

You can also get one of the cheap calendars above and record your menu plan on each day with a grocery listed below.  I have a sister & friend who write their weekly menu on a chalkboard in the kitchen so everyone knows what to expect for dinner.

I try to have the kids help in the planning and then they can help on their night in the kitchen.  This allows them to learn how to make different dinners, and it is great to have an extra set of hands in the kitchen around dinnertime.  Just the other night, our 14 year-old son, made spaghetti for all the kids while John and I went out.  They all lived and said it tasted great, and what a reprieve for me.

Your menu planning can be as complex or simple as you want.  It can even be a simple list of ideas for breakfast, lunch, or dinner where you have all needed items in the cupboards and you choose each morning what you feel like cooking.

Whatever you choose, just put a plan in motion.  It is an absolute fact that you are 100 percent more likely to make that meal that is on the calendar or one in the same time frame if you have prepared wisely.  It is also a fact that eating at home, around the dinner table, each night is better for you, your family and your budget!

There is our brief schedule tutorial.

Ok, this isn’t a craft blog, so it is not really a tutorial, but it is a plan.

A good plan.

If you put these schedules into motion, we will make the time available that we need to organize.

You may have a perfectly organized bathroom, but if there is no dinner on the table, or someone is stranded at school, you will not have peace in your home.

For tomorrow:

Wrap-up Wednesday you are going to finalize everything we have gone over so far.  Please email or comment me with questions to be answered tomorrow.  Also, if you have a brilliant family calendar, menu plan or personal plan please share with everyone.  You can send it to me at laura.cecil8@gmail.com and I will post it tomorrow for everyone.

Have a great day and I will see you tomorrow!

~Laura