Category: Inspiration

Hello and happy Thursday! I hope the week is treating you well.

Where did February go? Did you catch my post yesterday? I didn’t get it finished until after school, so it was published later in the day. I shared the four books I read in February.

Now, it’s time to link up with Patty on this last Thursday of the month for Monthly Musings.

This month’s topic is…ways we make our weeks easier.

I love this idea for a post, and I can’t wait to see what others share!

1. Paper planner, digital calendar or other option?

Oh…I use all the things! I will say that I rely heavily on the my calendar on my phone. That’s where I always put in appointments or even reminders to do things on certain days.

I still use a desk calendar and paper planner for school lesson planning.

At home, I have a meal planner pad on on the fridge that I use to write down dinners, evening activities and my grocery list. I’ve ordered one of these once a year for the past five years!

2. Meal planning, meal prep or wing it?

As much as I don’t enjoy it, I do meal plan. At this busy stage of life, I feel like it’s the only way to ensure we’ll eat a decent dinner! I don’t do the best job at meal prep, and for whatever reason, I choose to prep a couple lunches on Monday evening rather than the weekend if I’m doing that for the week. I do “wing” lunches sometimes, but I don’t “wing” dinners. That being said, the past couple of years, I’ve started planning dinner Sunday-Wednesday, and then hope we have leftovers for Thursday. If we don’t have leftovers, we’ll have breakfast for dinner, grilled cheese and tomato soup, or I will have some groceries delivered to make Thursday night dinner.

3. Do you choose your outfit the night before?

I do try to have an idea of what I’m going to wear before going to bed. Often times, on Monday, I wear whatever I wore to church on Sunday. I typically wear jeans on Friday. I usually have “favorite” seasonal things I want to wear, so I prioritize those week to week. It just makes it easier to have some kind of a plan.

4. Tips for managing laundry and ironing?

Honestly, laundry hasn’t ever really been a daunting task for me. When the kids were little, I’m sure I did more laundry than I do now, but I guess their clothes were smaller, so it didn’t seem like a lot. For years now, we’ve pretty much done laundry on the weekends. Hayden tends to have the most laundry which results in at least two loads. I usually toss my dirty clothes in with Hadley’s laundry. Trav tends to do his own laundry. Sometimes, the kids will start their own laundry which is nice.

For quite a few years now, the kids have put their clean clothes away. So, at least that’s a chore that’s not too much for all of us to handle.

The kids have had the same Ikea pop up laundry hampers for years. When we rearranged Hadley’s closet, she needed one that was a rectangle rather than circular, so I got her this one from Target, and it’s perfect. It fits in her closet like we need it to, and it has handles to carry it to the washer.

As far as ironing is concerned, I don’t iron. haha! We don’t tend to have too much that needs ironed, and if so, Trav does it.

5. Grocery shop…in-store or online?

As I’ve shared for years, I typically place online Kroger orders, and it’s so helpful. For almost two years now, I’ve used the delivery option as well. I probably have groceries delivered twice a month, and it’s typically a few things we need on Sunday if I’m running behind on a bigger order or a few things at the end of the week to get us to the weekend. Just this past weekend, I had to go into Kroger to pick up a prescription, and I actually did shop around for a few items which was nice.

6. Best tips for getting out the door in the morning without chaos?

Uhh…we started the year strong, and now it’s pretty chaotic! haha!

As always, getting up before the rest of the house is really helpful for me. I like to start my morning calmly.

Also, I will set an alarm for myself to start getting ready to keep me on track with time. Now, if only the kids would do the same!

7. Share your easiest dinners for crazy weeks.

The slow cooker is still the MVP for us on busy weeknights. My “go to” at least once a month is my Fiesta Chicken. It makes a ton, and it’s easy to do.

8. Best tips to keep your house organized during the week.

We always tidy up before bed. The house is at least tidy by the end of the day in order to start the day right the following morning. Also, on Sundays, I make the kids “reset” their rooms. I kind of ignore any mess until Sunday, and then clothes need to be put away, random Gatorade bottles need to be recycled and things like that.

9. Share your easiest breakfast.

I’m not a big breakfast person, but recently I’ve been using the method that Amy shared with microwaving eggs. I spray cooking spray into a glass dish, crack two eggs, and I whisk them and then add a splash of milk and some salt and pepper. After about 90 seconds in the microwave, they are ready to eat. If I can, I sprinkle some cheese on top and add some avocado. Just this week, I’ve taken the whisked eggs to school and microwaved them when I need my breakfast.

10. Share your best overall tip not covered yet.

For us, right now, communication is key. As a family, we used to talk about our week e very Sunday with upcoming events or appointments, so everyone knew what was going on. We still do that, but recently, we’ve been discussing day to day about what’s going on after school…and for some reason three cars among four drivers has seemed more complicated than two cars for four drivers. Anyway, Hadley left school one day, and I had to call her to remind her that she was my ride home! She had to turn around and come back for me. Anyway, communication has been key!

What are some of your best tips for making your week easier?