Going Out - Don't Forget It List

I have found forgetfullness in motherhood and a hard time asking for help when it would simply take longer to explain than it would for me to just do myself. In order to combat these motherly features, I have decided to post a list of items needed for our standard outings on the inside of a cabinet door closest to our main entrance/exit.

This has been very helpful to a loving Daddy when Mama may be running around chasing kids with toothbrushes, hair brushes, pants and shoes.

Another bonus to this list is when Grandma comes to town and wants to offer her love and support by jumping in when needed. The list is a great reference to direct her to.

Family Events List

Event: Grocery Shopping

• Recycled Bags
• Coupons
• List
• Phone
• Wallet

Event: Play date or event w/ Lunch

• Milk in "to go" cups for car ride
• Diaper Bag *
• Water & Lunch Bag *
• Snacks
• Stroller

Event: Play date or event w/out Lunch

• Milk in to go cups for car ride
• Diaper Bag *
• Water Snacks

Event: Sunday Mass

• Milk in "to go" cups for car ride
• Diaper Bag *
• Mass Bag (books)
• Water
• Raisins
• Fruit snacks
• Pretzel type food
• After mass food or coupons
• Bible w/ mass readings

Event: Daily Mass

• Milk in "to go" cups for car ride
• Diaper Bag *
• Mass Bag (books)
• Water
• Snack

Diaper Bag

• Underwear & Pants
• Wipes
• Wallet
• Phone
• Chapstick

Lunch Bag

• Sandwiches or main course
• Fruit
• Water or Juice Boxes
• Granola Bar, Pretzels, Crackers OR Cereal
• Treat if around

The events are presented first, and the items that may entail a separate list of items to include (Diaper Bag or Lunch Bag) are listed below. There is an asterisks next to each of these items within an event list to note they are special additions.

Feel free to use mine or make one that is well suited to your own family.

Weekly Menu Plan

A calendar on my refrigerator with meals assigned for each day of the week. (Updated one week at a time) Wow. How did I let that one get by me? After seeing this technique in place, I was intrigued!

After three months of making a weekly menu plan in advance the following benefits have been found:

• Saving money by not overspending at the grocery store.
• Food wasting is decreased.
• Not stressing out on figuring out what to make for dinner each night.
• You should have all dinner ingredients on hand if the week was planned properly.
• Your spouse will be enticed by the dinner treat he can expect when he arrives home and by the new less stressed you!

How to get started...

1. List all of the meals you currently make for dinner.
2. Get the grocery circulars that come in the mail and see what items are on sale.
3. Compare what is on sale to your meal ideas list and try to make the best buys.
4. Try your best to by coordinating items. (lettuce and tomatoes for tacos one night and a salad the next)
5. Each week you can add one new menu item to your list and in no time your variety will be huge and you will find ways to use all of the shredded cheddar cheese or cilantro you bought for that one recipe you just had to try.

Here are a few sites that inspire with great shopping techniques and new meal ideas.

http://niftythriftythriving.blogspot.com/
http://themealplanner.blogspot.com/

http://cookingclaire.blogspot.com/
http://notesfromthetable.blogspot.com/

Happy Meal Planning!

Displaced Directions

Ever go to clean out a junk drawer and find pieces of paper with directions you may just need to use again? What do you do with them? A paper clip? An envelope?

For this dilemma, we have a small notebook kept in the glove compartment of the vehicle we use the most. The first few pages display a list or table of contents of sorts. (This way I don't have to thumb through the entire book, or try to remember if someone has been added. I can simply look down the list) Each time I add a new page into the book, I add the name of the location "Sunny Sommers Home" to the list at the beginning of the book. This has come in handy on more than one occasion.

The outline for the rest of the pages are as follows...

Sunny Sommers
555-4102
8008 Sunshine Ln
Sunland, AZ 01134

From Home (Phoenix)
L on 25th Street
R on Coombiya Ln
R on Cardinal Terrace
L on Morning Ln

This same concept works well using the Notes feature of a BlackBerry or Smartphone. Another route is using the text note features on most mobile device address books - add directions to each person's home or business in this section and you have no hard copy to mess with, or lose, plus it's easy to save backups.

Remembering Important Days

It's nice to receive a card or even a call from someone remembering your special day. The giving can be just as fun as the receiving, especially when you're organized. Here's a way to be sure you don't forget other people's important days.

The beginning of the year is a perfect time to mark your calendar with important birthdays, anniversaries and events.

With my trusty refrigerator calendar and red pen, I carry over dates from the previous year and make new additions. My goal is to prepare cards just before the beginning of each month. I use a sticky note to mark each with the date it needs to be sent, and keep the stack on the counter by the garage door. This helps me time each card for its recipient's big day.

Benefits of this technique include considerable time savings, and avoiding the embarrassment of having to ask people for their birthdays again and again.

Chore List

Crazy clean Saturdays, make for a crazy me.

When my chores are split up with a little to do each day, (even 15 minutes worth) Saturdays don't hit as hard. Here is the current(ever-changing) chore list posted on my refridgerator and a step by step approach to making it your own.

Daily
 Make bed
 Clean bedroom/bathroom
 Clean countertops (kitchen)
 Sweep kitchen floor
 Start coffee
 Wash and put away dishes
Monday
 extra option
Tuesday
 Toilets sinks counters in bathrooms
 Laundry 1light/1dark
 Vacuum Downstairs
Wednesday
 extra option
Thursday
 Laundry sheets/towels/robes
 Vacuum Upstairs
Friday
 Dust/Disinfect
 Laundry 1light/1dark
Saturday
 Clean kitchen/bathroom floors
 Meal plan for week
 Grocery store
 Clean patio
 Laundry
Extra options
 Clean refrigerator
 Organize a closet
 Pantry
 Clear kitchen basket
Wipe Floor Boards Up
Wipe Floor Boards Down


Write or type out an inventory of what is cleaned in your home weekly.
***Tip-Mentally walk through each room in your home.

Separate the items on the list that you want to do daily(ie. after each meal, upon waking, or prior to bed). Put these items into your daily section at the top of your Chore List.

Assign each chore in the list to a different day of the week. Not everyday must have chores listed. You may find you will have one or two days off.

Think about the different events you have that may interfere with your match (If you have an exceptionally busy day every Tuesday, don't match Tuesday with a chore that may run over such as cleaning the bathrooms)

Try to separate the chore assignments that you are not overwhelmed on any particular day.

Use Extra Options for light cleaning or to keep up a variety in your routine.

Mondays for me tend to be the 'Go Get Em day' of my week. Hearing machines run like the washer makes me feel productive.

For you, feeling productive may just be adding a completion check mark to your newly created list.

Happy Cleaning!