Archive for August, 2007
August 19, 2007· Filed under Family, Organizing
A few years ago I created a go-to resource book for our house and it has saved me so much time, effort and frustration. This week we are going to create one together. It will cost you very little, you can customize it to fit your needs, and it will only take a few minutes a day to get it going. Your family will thank you for it!
What you will need:
Place the protector sheets and dividers in the binder. Use a label maker or permanent marker to put a title on the spine. Call it what you want - but make it something your family can relate to. We call ours the Ops book - meaning it is our operations manual.
Next, download and fill out, or print out the master phone list.
Put all the phone numbers you need on a regular basis in one of two columns - friends and family or important numbers. Don’t forget to add school office numbers, dentist, doctor, nail salon, hair dresser, etc.
Slide the phone list into the clear pocket on the cover of the binder and you are ready for tomorrow’s task!
August 19, 2007· Filed under Family, Organizing
It’s back to school time and that means time to say goodbye to lazy summer mornings and hello to routine, structure, and backpacks! With a little bit of preparation and organization now, you can cruise through the first few weeks of school with your sanity in place. Here are my five favorite back to school sanity savers for Moms and kids:
Post a routine
Kids always do better when they know what to expect! Help your kids (especially those Kindergarten and 1st Graders) develop a morning routine and practice it before school starts. I love charts that I can post on the refrigerator (remember my summer chore chart?) and I have created a very simple one that is picture-based so that my 5 year old can go through it on her own. Yes, you can have one of your very own!! Download the morning routine reminder to hang on your own fridge.
Take it a week at a time
Use Sunday afternoons or evenings to get your week planned out. Keep the family schedule in a location that everyone can see. I have a dry erase weekly planner hanging on the fridge - everyone can get a feel for the events of the week at a glance and its easy to change.
I also keep a planner on my desk. I just ordered the MomAgenda because it has room for my schedule and notes, but also has space designated for each child and dinner. You can get them in a variety of sizes and colors. I picked the dark brown MomAgenda that is 7″x9″.
Create a Backpack Zone
Find a location in your house that is convenient and create a backpack zone. In our house it is the mudroom. Backpacks, shoes and jackets all get parked there when not in use. It makes it much easier to find everything in the morning if you aren’t hunting high and low all over the house for it.
Create a Home Study Zone
Give your kids a regular spot for doing homework - somewhere with good lighting, minimal distractions, and access to the supplies they may need to get the tasks done. Our kitchen table is the homework zone. There is no TV near by, the kids have plenty of room to spread out and I can monitor their progress without having to sit right there with them.
Joe Bruzzesse of Our Thinking is a Middle School expert and author. He has created a list of supplies to keep on hand for homework and projects. We have a china cabinet in the kitchen that houses art and school supplies. This summer the area got a little out of control so I spent some time this weekend clearing it out and reorganizing. One bin contains paper, notebooks and journals. Another bin contains pencils, pens, crayons, markers, rulers, scissors, tape and such. The bottom cabinet holds art kits (translation - beads) and coloring books.
Create a Go-To Binder
The single most used item in our kitchen is the “Ops book” - short for Operations (a term we inherited from my husband’s military ways). What is the Ops book? This 3-ring binder is my go-to resource for everything - a phone number, what’s for dinner, sports schedules, you name it!
This week I am going to help you set up a Go-To Binder for your house. Trust me, you’ll love it! And it will really help you stay organized, while saving you time and money, too.
Stop in each day this week for a new lesson, new printouts, and new tips for getting your household ready to go back to school.
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August 17, 2007· Filed under Casual Friday
I slept in a bit this morning - I think the pace of my summer just caught me. Between teaching gymnastics three mornings a week, hosting 3 parties, multiple house guests, playdates, trips to to the movies, amusement parks, and a vacation, this summer has been BUSY. I’m not complaining - it’s been great.
Join us today for Casual Fridays. We talk about anything and everything, but let’s start the conversation off with - how has your summer been? When do you consider summer to be over? Did you do anything fun? Take any good vacations?
Thanks to HomeMom3 for covering for me last week! And thanks to Eliza, Gayla, Yvonne, Brown Baron, Brooke, DevDad, Lucy, Vicki, and Agent Sully for stopping in last time we got together.
PS - challenge question - what show airs today that has a song in it called “What Time Is It?”
August 16, 2007· Filed under Education, Family
Three sets of school supplies purchased. Two backpacks down, one to go. And the little white envelope that generates more anticipation than the Oscar’s in this house has now arrived. Yes, the envelope with the answer to the million dollar question for every child - who will be my teacher - has arrived. And there are smiles all around!!!
It started with a phone call from my daughter’s friend. She was the first to make the announcement that her assignment had arrived and she got the 4th grade teacher we have been hoping for. Then the waiting started. When would our mail arrive? Luckily for me, it was about 15 minutes later and the white envelope was there. My daughter was jumping for joy when she realized that not only did she get the teacher we wanted (the same FABULOUS teacher that my son had for 4th grade), at least one of her friends will be in her class, too. There are only 4 classrooms per grade, so she has a good chance of being with most of her friends anyhow.
My youngest will start Kindergarten and she got a great teacher, too - one that will really challenge her. She wasn’t as excited, but she’ll get there.
Tomorrow will make it T minus 10 days to go back to school. Ready to launch into a new year of excitement, friends, and growing.
Gayla’s kids started back to school today - when do your kids go back to school? And what will you do with all that extra time during the day? My list is long and growing by the day…
August 15, 2007· Filed under Travel, Wordless Wednesdays
Pittsburgh Skyline
Bag filled with goodies given to the girls at the DoubleTree Hotel
Tiger at the Pittsburgh Zoo
Boarded up damaged walls from the storm that we barely missed at the Carnegie Science Center
Sisters just having fun
For more Wordless Wednesday posts, visit the official WW hub. And if you are participating today, don’t forget to leave a link to your page with Mr. Linky!
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