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calendar

“So, what’s for dinner?”: Weekly Menu Planning

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This is the last week of Mom of 6’s Organize Your Life Bootcamp. This week’s focus is getting ahead of the game with menu planning.

In the past, I would usually only plan for a week’s worth of dinners, but then as we had children and I started to make my own baby food, I realized that I might have to do more planning than that. So as time went on, I started to plan for every meal for the week. At first, I was writing my list of meals down in a notebook with a my grocery list, but I thought it would be nice to have something I could display on the side of the fridge.

A few months ago, I found this great FREE printable on Jenny Collier’s blog.

 

As I mentioned last week, Brian and I sit down on talk about what we have going on for the week and sync up our calendars. Once this is done, I turn on another sitcom and plan out our weekly menu. With the help of my cook books, Pinterest, and Brian letting me know what he has a taste for, I plan for every single meal including snacks.

As I make the grocery list, I check the cabinets and fridge and make sure to jot down anything that we don’t already have. I typically try to go shopping when the boys are at school, and it is just me and Coco. Which usually ends up being in the middle of the week. I like this schedule as I don’t have to set foot in store on the weekends, and it is much quicker to only shop with one kid as opposed to three.

 

Some things worth mentioning:

 

  • Planning out a week or two in advance helps save money as I only buy what we need.
  • On the weekly menu planner, I plan which nights would be good for leftovers. I try to plan leftover nights for when Brian works late so that he can take extras with him for dinner.
  • When making my grocery list, I make sure I paper clip any coupons I have and need to use for my shopping trip.
  • Planning snacks helps to cut down on binge eating or eating unhealthy food.
  • When planning for the week, I have one alternate plan for something unexpected. For example, I know having pasta and jarred sauce on hand is something that is quick, easy, and everyone likes. This helps me have some sort of plan for when we are running late or have a sudden change of plans.
  • I know this seems a little time consuming, but honestly in the time it takes to watch a sitcom or one drama, Brian and I can go over the plan for the week, and I can plan out a menu.

What’s the Plan? Calendar Tips

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This week marks Week 3 in Mom of 6’s Organize Your Life Boot Camp. This week, it is all about the calendar.

 

 

Call me old fashioned, but I have an old school calendar hanging on the side of the fridge. I used to teach technology, I am married to a tech director (who cannot wait for me to get back to iCal), and I am a blogger who uses a laptop and smart phone like it’s my job. So why the paper calendar?

Years ago, B.C. (before children), I used iCal. Just like Sharon at Mom of 6, I loved the functionality, the color coding, the ease of sharing with my husband. Then after my second child was born, and we made the decision for me to become a stay at home mom, I realized how little I was on the computer and was using my cell phone during the day. So, I started using a paper calendar and kept it in the kitchen.

When I was in high school, I remember a teacher saying “I don’t care where you write it down, as long as you write it down.” I myself was a notebook user, but I can remember kids using laptops, scrap paper, or their hands to take notes. This is kind of my mentality when it comes to planning or using a calendar. As long as you have a system that you will consistently use, that is all that matters.

 

I use the Sandra Boynton family calendar because it has spaces for each member of our family, it is large, and it comes with stickers which my kids like helping put on important dates. Below is a list of tips that help us stay organized when it comes to our calendar:
  • Ever since Brian and I have gotten married, Sunday has become a “plan out the week” day. We usually sit on the couch (while watching sitcoms), and plan out the week. Appointments, babysitters, school events, exercise schedules, work commitments, and activities are all planned out. Sometimes we even discuss cleaning responsibilities and house projects that need to get completed and try to plan time to do that. I mark the calendar, he makes notes in his iPhone, and then we are ready for the week.
  • While Brian and I are sorting out the week, we make our To Do lists and prioritize the To Do’s and try to decide when these chores can be done.
  • To cut down on excess paper, any time we receive an invitation, a note from school about an event, or any other piece of paper requesting our presence somewhere the date is marked on the calendar along with any other details surrounding the event and the paper is thrown away. This is also the time that I RSVP to the event.
  • I keep a magnetic clip next to the calendar with anything that we might need to bring to an event. For example, if Brian and I have tickets to a concert, the tickets are kept right by the calendar.
  • I also make a note on the calendar who is babysitting the kids for particular events.
  • Lastly, if you touch the pen I keep next to my calendar, you will feel my wrath.
There you have it! Now go check out all the other links at Mom of 6 for tips on calendaring and to do lists.