Quick Start Back to School Healthy Meals

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quick start back to school healthy meals

Your kids just got out of school and it is already time for Back To School.  It’s hard to get started, so I have created this series Quick Start Back to School to get everyone going!   The next post is about Back To School healthy meals and snacks. 

Back to school is the time when healthy meals and snacks for our family are most important.  We want everyone to feel energized and focused as they get back into the school groove.  There are lots of glitches in getting healthy meals on the table, but streamlining and simplifying make dinner time easier.

 

 

Snack, dinner, and lunch ideas

Often we get stuck at the first step – that being what to make! We feel overwhelmed by choices, by complicated recipes, too many different tastes in our family and by a lack of prep time.

  • Poll your family first.  They know what they like.   No need to reinvent the wheel.  Simplifying with consistency.
  • Use lists.  It’s easier than pulling ideas from your head.  Post the list where you and your family can see it.  The list can be a weekly, Monday – Friday list of dinner ideas.  It can also be a list with days of the week assigned to a category, like Monday is breakfast for dinner, and Tuesday is Italian night.  It can also be a list of what’s already in your freezer, such as proteins and veggies.
  • Allow for options for picky eaters. If one child only eats hot dogs, keep a quantity on hand.
  • Gather ideas by looking online at pinterest.  It’s a fun way to try easy new recipes with lots of basic instructions.

 

 

Preparation

We never seem to have enough time.  Planning in prep time and grocery shopping make it easier.  Having a day of the week that is grocery day helps you save time and energy all week, rather than running out at the last minute for milk or eating out.  Even if you shop twice a week, you are planning better!

  • Include kids in prepping food.  It’s more fun with everyone in the kitchen together.  If your kids are younger, ask them to set the table or empty the silverware in the dishwasher.  All kids love to help when food is around.
  • Prep lunches the night before to avoid the morning scramble.  It’s easy with lunch boxes ready to go.  Have your kids help with this too.
  • Work in bulk.  When prepping for lunch, double up your recipe and bag it up. Set aside one shelf in your refrigerator for lunches.

 

Reap the rewards

Over and over I see the value of family dinner. If your schedule does not permit it nightly, plan on one night a week.  Your family fun quotient will go sky high!

 

 

Not sure what to make for dinner?  Ideas for dinner on my Dinner’s Ready pinterest board.

 

 

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Quick Start Back to School: Back to School Supplies

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organizing school supplies

 

Your kids just got out of school and it is already time for Back To School.  It’s hard to get started, so I have created this series Quick Start Back to School to get everyone going!   The first post is about Back To School Supplies.

 

Back to school and it’s all about back to school supplies! Every year your kids bring home unused school supplies at the end of the school year. The sales for supplies start in mid July.   Maybe your supplies are in many different spots in your home.  Quick Start Back to School by first organizing your school supplies.

 

Choose a central location for office and back to school supplies.

  • It should be easy to access for everyone.
  • It should have shelves or drawers to help store different categories of supplies.
  • It’s one stop shopping at your home this way.

 

Gather  and sort your supplies.

  • Keep paper together, writing supplies together, notebooks and dividers together.
  • Use plastic bins (shoe box and sweater box size) to corral each group.
  • Overloaded with supplies?  Donate to local charities having school supply drives.
  • Label bins and place on shelves or in drawers.  Label the outside of the storage area.

 

Organizing school supplies

Itemize your back to school supply needs.

  • Find online resources for school supply lists on your district website.
  • Compare your list with your existing supplies.
  • Use a smart phone app to compare prices at stores.
  • Go shopping.

 

Set up your supplies.

  • Stock backpacks with supplies.
  • Set up your homework station.
  • Consolidate remaining supplies in your new station.

 

Check the ads and be prepared with your list! Quick Start School Supplies gets you up and running for this school year.

 

What’s your best tip for school supply organizing?

 

Check out my pinterest Student Success board.

 

Organizing saves you time, money and energy! Join my monthly newsletter and get a boost!

 

 

Best Family Apps for Home, Work, School and Life

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best family apps

 

Our smart phones  and tablets can help us stay organized and be productive.  Some of the best family apps help us do things from deposit a check to find out when a flight arrives.  Many are free or cost a dollar or two.  Taking advantage of an app to expedite a task, get a task done more easily or even make a task more fun is a reason to find your family’s best family apps.

We all have our favorites for different reasons.  Here are a few of mine by category.

Family life

  • Your bank app – easy access to your accounts
  • Kindle or Nook app – reading while you wait
  • Evernote – task lists, client lists, family lists
  • Local TV station app –  weather, traffic and local news

 

Work life

  • Dropbox – access documents to review
  • Evernote – to read or review clipped articles
  • GeniusScan – scans a document and creates pdf files
  • Your bank app – make deposits and verify account amounts

 

 

Kids

  • Please add your favorites below!

For kids, I am a big believer in low level technology use. However, there are lots of awesome apps for learning too!

 

Seniors

 

Join me on High Tech and Technically Organized for more tech organizing ideas.

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Home Organizing: Organizing A to Z

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home organizing a to z

“In every job there must be done, there is an element of fun.

You find the fun and  ~ snap ~ the job’s a game!”

~ Mary Poppins

 

 

Have a little organizing fun this summer with your family.  Our A- Z organizing days are little projects everyone can work on together to have a more organized home.  Set aside 30 minutes at a time to declutter and organize these spaces.  Just a little time spent makes a big difference!

 

A – automobile
B – books
C – cleaning supplies
D – desk area
E – extra school supplies
F – freezer
G – garage
H – home office
I – inventory of the medicine cabinet
J – junk drawer in the kitchen
K – kitchen essentials (trash bags, ziploc bags, foil)
L – linen closet
M – magazines and catalogs
N – napkins and paper goods
O – office supplies
P – pet supplies
Q – quick catch up on a day you missed!
R – refrigerator, recipes
S – sports equipment
T –  tools
U – utility room
V – videos, movies, games
W – wrapping paper & gift bags
X – exercise clothes
Y – yard
Z – zip into your purse too!

 

More ideas on organizing your home on my pinterest board Home Sweet Organized Home

How do you make a job more fun?

 

Summer Organizing: On the go with or without kids (Part 2)

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family organizing

Summer is around the corner! The fun of summer is our let it go attitude and our free spirit spontaneity. A little organization goes a long way to help summer fun.

1. Each child needs a specific bag for each activity they are involved in. The bag needs to be the right size to hold what is needed for that activity, but not so big they start putting a lot of extra stuff in it. There needs to be a specific place in the house where these are kept. (destination station)
2. Often-used items need duplicates. (like keep a small pair of scissors in the van)
3. Prepare a ziplock bag for each child with an emergency outfit in it. (Even older children get muddy socks or spill juice or something.) Keep in the vehicle.
4. Stock your vehicle with ziplock bag kits such as: stuff for fixing hair; sunscreen and lip balms; first aid; snacks; teeth-brushing stuff.
5. Prepare a little tub for the trunk with picnic-type supplies such as paper towels, napkins, spoons, small paper plates. So many times, we could then hit a grocery store for some healthier snacks, and saved by not doing fast food.
6. Sunglasses: For our family, it only worked to get inexpensive ones and keep duplicates. The best thing I did for myself (since I wear glasses) was to get the transition lenses so I don’t need sunglasses.

Linda B, mom of 4

As a schoolteacher, I enjoy having summers off! Even with increased flexibility in my schedule, it helps to plan for these summer months. Here’s how I do it:

I sit down with family members and compare summer calendars. Everyone has with flight/travel information, birthday plans and more!

I try to keep summer items in the back of the car so I’m ready for any swimming pool or beach days (sunscreen, towels, bathing suit, extra flip flops)!

I use summer as a time to reorganize at home. I always tackle my desk and shred old papers. I also go through all the clothes and shoes in my closet and donate to Goodwill.

I don’t over plan the summer. I like to leave some open days to fill in as the summer goes on!

Laura S.

 

Technology helps me keep it together “on the go”. We always hear that we are tethered to our devices, but actually devices help me NOT be tethered to my desk! Apps like “evernote” and “drop box” help me keep what I need at my fingertips. I use the calendar, alerts and alarms to let me tune into work as needed rather than 9-5. It even helps me get moving by tracking my steps and fitness. Adapting my phone to support a lifestyle that is always on the go has helped RELAX and UNTETHER from work more. I can go have fun knowing I can check in if needed remotely.

Leslie M.

Summer Organizing: Summer on the go with kids (Part 1)

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summer organizing

One of the most powerful parts of social networking is connecting to bloggers through Blog Elevated. Here are some amazing ideas about summer on the go!

 

One of the most powerful parts of social media are the connections we make!  I asked my social media peeps what helps them get started on their spring organizing and cleaning. – See more at: https://professional-organizer.com/WordPress/2014/03/#sthash.e0BVspGw.dpuf

When you’re on the go with kids, don’t forget about all the opportunities they’re taking to learn. They’ll learn with or without you, so see what you can do to guide that learning.  Pick a shape in the world – ask your children, “How many sides does it have? How many angles?” If you have older kids, ask, “How big are each of the angles? Can you approximate in degrees? If you drew lines connecting one corner to all the others, how many triangles would you make?” And then see what kinds of questions they come up with!

Bon Crowder, M.S.

Math Mom & Education Advocate 

Twitter @mathfour

Pinterest Mathfour

Facebook.com/MathFour

 

 

If there is one thing I’ve learned with three kids, it’s to be flexible and ready for best-laid-plans to change. More than once we have taken a special trip only to have the boys say their favorite part was the cheap hotel or the breakfast at McDonalds. I’m not saying don’t make plans, but hold them loosely. Realize that all your planning efforts might be trumped by a cool playground or something you would not have expected. And if you are really planning with kids in mind, then let your kids play with the hose outside for an hour even if it was only meant to rinse their hands after a special outdoor activity you set up. I am continually surprised by the things that amuse and impress my kids and long ago abandoned that personal attachment of feeling disappointed when my ideas or plans don’t hold the same allure as something else. Be ready to sit back and watch what brings your children joy, even if it’s NOT your carefully made plans. 

Kirsten Oliphant

I have a blog and I’m not afraid to use it.

www.kirstenoliphant.com

 

Have FOOD TO GO! Summers are a great time in the Woo household, but also extremely busy. We pack in as many outdoor activities in the short 3 months as possible. My “go to” is a bag of healthy snacks (re-stocked as needed) that I keep in the car. I fill it with Granola bars, dried and fresh fruit, water, nuts, turkey jerkey and healthy things to keep our energy up on the go. It allows us to be more spontaneous. . .quick trips to the beach to swim or fish. . .without skipping a beat!

Nicole T. Woodard, Author & Home/Food Blogger

http://www.facebook.com/NickiWoo

http://www.twitter.com/nickiwooguru

http://www.instagram.com/nickiwooguru

 

 

 

With two teenage-ish boys in the house, I am constantly on the go running them to a friends house or maybe even the mall for a day filled of fun and game. It’s fun for me as a mom, but it can be crazy sometimes. Even though many of these trips are last minute, I try my hardest to plan ahead. By planning ahead, I can make sure that everyone is where they need to be, when they need to be there without overscheduling anything in the process. 

 Kristi Reddell, Blog Owner at MomsConfession.com

Twitter: @momsconfession

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/momsconfession

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristiReddell/posts

 

Love these ladies thoughts! Thanks so much for sharing!

Last Minute Mother’s Day Gifts

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Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is next weekend!  It can sneak up on us with the end of the school year, summer vacation coming up and just in general.  Are you ready? Here are some last minute suggestions for “all the moms” in  your life.   Last minute Mother’s Day gifts can be simple, thoughtful ways to tell mom, grandma, or other special moms thanks for all they have done to support you.

  • Host a family lunch with recipes from Allrecipes.com.  Have family members help with the preparation.  Pick up paper goods for easy clean up.
  • Send an e-card to moms nearby or not.  I especially love Hallmark.com and Paperless Post
  • Have mom create a wish list on Amazon.com.  You can select and send easily gifts.
  • Create a Mom Mix of her favorite music and add it to her tech gadget for her.
  • Make a donation online in honor of your mom to her favorite charity.
  • Create a book of small gift cards for organizing or cleaning Mom’s home for her.
  • A phone call early in the day saying “I love you and appreciate you Mom.”

It’s the simple gifts that are the most meaningful!

Wishing all moms a special day with their families!

 

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Organizing Family Events to Make Memories

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organizing family events

Each season  I love watching family events unfold as memories are made.  In the spring, it’s family pictures in bluebonnets, photos in strawberry patches, and kids holding eggs and baskets. In summer, it’s family reunion photos and  July 4th patriotic family celebrations. In fall, kids in pumpkin patches, family Thanksgivings and lots of pictures with Santa make me smile.  Making memories requires organization and time management.  It takes planning and research, having your camera charged and ready, choosing kids’ outfits, and a lot of energy to be sure your family traditions happen. (Sometimes it requires having candy ready to “inspire” toddlers to sit still!)  Family memories are generated by organizing family events.

So how do family memories and photos happen?  Here’s how!

  • Confer with your partner on upcoming events at a family meeting. What’s the next holiday, birthday or memory maker?  Get this on all the calendars. You can add this to your online calendar as a recurring event so you can revisit your plans annually. 
  • What will be needed?  Food? Clothing? Location? Travel plans? Jot these down and decide who is responsible for what.  Writing out these plans makes it easier to look back and check on your responsibility.  Great apps for this are Notes and Evernote.
  • It’s the little details that are important.  Create a checklist including dates.  The checklist can be a list by date or day (such as Monday or May 5.)  Include any detail that will derail the activity, such as charge camera, bring extra battery, purchase blue boy’s shirt size 6, or load bag into car. 
  • Set a deadline for getting the above tasks accomplished and check back in a week before to be sure everything is done. 
  • On the day of the event, double check your checklist and be sure everything is all set. Leave extra time for the oops that happen!

You may be shaking your head, wondering if this is really this simple. The hard part is staying on course with your family, keeping other intrusions off your calendar and working at the baby steps ahead of time.  As families, we don’t want to miss out on anything. But it’s important to prioritize!  We can’t do it all each year, but we can do what’s we love the most. 

In years to come, when your kids and you are looking at family photos, you will all remember the fun!  Looking back at your family photos from your childhood, what’s your favorite memory?

Check out my pinterest board Making Family Memories

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Keep It Simple Sweetie Keep It Organized

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organized

 

Keeping your life organized can be summed up with the adage, Keep It Simple Sweetie.  Here’s how!

Keep it simple sweetie

  • Simple, easy, routine steps make your home and your life organized.
  • Keeping clear about what items, activities and connections are your priorities make life simpler.

Keep it sorted sweetie

  • Grouping like items together and sorted makes for easy organizing.
  • Choose categories that work for you, label the groups and do a small amount of sorting.
  • After sorting, distribute the items to where they belong.

Keep it short sweetie

  • Work in short bursts to get organized.
  • Work in small spaces to get motivated for more organizing.
  • Maintain your organization with a quick daily pick up time for yourself and your family.

Keep it silly sweetie

  • Add fun to your organizing.
  • Simple silliness makes it easier to organize.
  • Silly includes hosting a laundry party in the living room with music, cleaning the kitchen together while singing, or listening to Mary Poppins music “A Spoonful of Sugar helps the medicine go down” while picking up the toys.

Keep it successful sweetie

  • Keep it positive and think of your successes.
  • Each success leads you on to creating an organized lifestyle.

 

Share a Little (Organizing) Love

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organizing

 

The month of February is all about hearts, flowers, candy and love.  There’s a lot to love about organizing and productivity! Organizing is a gift you give yourself and a gift to others. In the book, The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman refers to as gifts of service and gifts of quality time. An “act of service” is doing something for another person as an expression of love.  A “gift of quality time” is spending time together.  A gift of organizing is a small act that makes a big emotional impact to us, to our colleagues and to our family.   Share a little (organizing) love this month. Here’s a small sampling of these ways to get organized and share some organizing love.

  • Family dinner time together is often a shared act of love. It’s a gift of service for those who prepare the meal and clean up and a gift of quality time together.  Start with an easy meal plan and use a list or grocery app.  Organize and label your pantry so everyone knows what’s available and it’s easy to make dinner. Partner with a family member to make dinner and clean up together.  I love the FamilyDinnerProject.org to find easy meals and table topics.
  • There are many acts of service as part of organizing. Here’s some gifts of love to do. Put away another family member’s laundry for them. Do one of your family chores for someone.  We all love it when we have one less thing to do and that someone has helped us do something hard to do. What small gift, like unloading the dishwasher or vacuuming the car, can you do that will make your family or friend feel loved?
  • Our blessing others with our goods is an act of love. In the book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo encourages us to keep only what “sparks joy.”  Marie is sharing to keep only what we love. Take donations to a local charity with your family and see together the impact it can make.  Our community is blessed to have so many ways to help others.
  • Organizing can be quality time together and lead to better productivity. Work together with a family member or friend to declutter a space. Listen to their ideas and help them make decisions and know what to let go.  Or you can work alongside your friend or family member as a “body double.” My clients share stories that when they are organizing, just having another person in the space tethers them to the task, helps them think through ideas and helps them get organized. Set aside time each day during homework time with your kids. While they are doing their work, you can work on your paper work and administrative tasks.
  • Share your gift of service by working on a family project together. Work together on a service project for a local philanthropy. When you model acts of service, you are sharing important values and giving back to our community.

 

The true gift of organizing is the connection you create with your family and friends. Just as important as words of love, these acts of love make an impact every day, not just on Valentine’s Day. Your little (organizing) love lasts all year!

 

 

What kind of (organizing) love do you share?