Rants & Musings
This is a place that allows me to share my thoughts on a variety of topics, not necessarily related to my family, or the challenges we face. These are my thoughts, my feelings, my expressions.
The Easiest Meal Plan For Busy Families!
When you first hear the words “meal planning,” do you think about running the other way? Don’t worry—mine is, too. I don’t enjoy making a meal plan. Sometimes, it is just hard to sit down and make one. I have used several different meal plans over the years. The one I use now I have been using for a couple of years, and it is the easiest one I have used.
The only things I use are a large calendar and a notepad to write my grocery list. I like to use a school calendar. Instead of the regular calendar going from January to December, I use a school calendar from July to June. It is also larger than a traditional calendar, and the boxes for the days are large enough to add everything you need to add for the day—including your dinner idea!
You can call me old-fashioned, but I still like to write everything down. I write our lessons, practices, appointments, recitals, or whatever else we have on the calendar. I hang the calendar in the kitchen to look at it several times a day.
I like to make meal plans for two weeks at a time. It seems like a lot and may seem overwhelming, but it becomes easier once you get the hang of it. Doing the menu for two weeks at a time means you only have to make your major grocery shopping trips about twice a month. It works out so much better for someone like me who hates grocery shopping. I will make smaller trips to the grocery store if we need fresh produce or run out of milk. Those trips are easy and quick. This makes it so you are not always going to the grocery store.
I like to do my grocery shopping early in the week. If you would like to have a schedule, then pick the same day of the week to go. If I go earlier in the week, the grocery store isn’t as busy. I recommend that you go grocery shopping while the kids are at school. Then they aren’t sneaking things in the cart or begging you to buy them something. I don’t know about you, but this saves me money!
When it is time for me to do my meal planning, I grab my calendar and notepad. I will go through each night of the upcoming weeks and write what we will have for dinner that night on the calendar. If I write it on the calendar, I can see what activity we have for the evening. That way, I know exactly how much time I have to make dinner. If I need a quick meal, I know. If I have a free evening, I can try a new recipe or plan a dinner that takes longer. The nice thing about planning out your meals on the calendar is if you have a hard time coming up with a dinner idea, you can look back in your calendar and get ideas you have had in the past.
There are nights when we are so busy that we end up eating out. For the most part, though, I like to have dinner at home. Having a plan helps me not eat out as much; however, eating out is sometimes a necessary evil!
I also like to have what I call a pantry night. On pantry nights, we either have leftovers, or I let the kids grab whatever they want to make. Sometimes, we all eat the same thing, but most of the time, we each have our own quick dinners, even cold cereal. I usually do a pantry night once a week.
I get my notepad and make a grocery list once I have all my dinners planned for the next two weeks. Once again, I use a notepad because I am old-fashioned and like to write my list down on paper, but you do what is easiest for you. If making a list on your phone is easier, then do that. I go through each day and list what I need for that meal. It sounds like a lot but remember, I do a pantry night, and we end up eating out at least twice, sometimes more. I end up buying groceries for at least ten meals.
Meal planning this way helps me avoid having to think about what we are having for dinner all the time. The kids can also look at the calendar, and they know what we are having for dinner that night. If you have read some of my other posts, you know that I have some very picky eaters. Knowing what we are having for dinner lets them prepare themselves for what they will be trying that night!
Meal planning this way has helped me be more organized and prepared. It also takes some of the stress out of dinner time. Hopefully, this helps someone out there. I do find that this has been the easiest way to plan meals for my family and our busy schedule!
What are your meal-planning ideas? I would love to hear them! Happy Meal Planning!!!!
3 Summer Rules for Our Summer Vacation – Lessons Learned
Welcome back. As you can only guess, we had one crazy summer. I didn’t even have time to write a single article, either because we were busy or I was tired from being busy. I hope to pick up where I left off, but please be patient because I am still learning how to do this.
I wrote an article earlier this summer, 3 Summer Rules for Our Summer Vacation, about the rules we would have for the summer. That was in early June. Today, I thought I would update you on how we did with those rules and the lessons we learned over the summer.
We did excellent following our summer rules for the first week or so. After that, life got in the way, and xthings just went downhill. I would say that halfway through June, we started only doing about half of the summer rules. We would get up, get dressed, and have breakfast. We would do a chore or two about every other day.
July is when we usually take our family’s summer vacation. This year was no exception. In about three weeks, we went on our family vacation to Alaska, had a family reunion trip to Bear Lake, my daughter went on a camping trip with a young women’s group, and I went on my girls’ weekend with my sisters and mom. I previously wrote about my family’s girls’ weekends in Discover the Magic of a Girls’ Weekend.
With all that going on, we hardly had enough time to get up and dressed, let alone do any chores. Sure, we would do basic stuff. I would have time to clean the kitchen and do the dishes. I would do laundry when I could, but most of the time, we didn’t have time to fold it or put it away. I would vacuum every once in a while, but not every day like before.
By the time we got to August, we were trying to recover from our busy July and survive until school started again. The children hardly did a single chore. At this point, the kids were doing whatever they wanted so I could get stuff done myself. It sounds horrible, but they were running around being kids, hanging with friends, and enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I was okay with it.
Of course, our chaos and recovery made the house go downhill pretty quickly. We got very behind on our laundry from our trips, and cleaning was almost nonexistent.
Luckily, the weekend before school started, we had nothing. I mean nothing. There were no soccer, dance, band, or family gatherings. I bet you can guess what I made my family do that weekend. We spent the weekend putting our house back in order. Did the kids love that their last weekend was spent cleaning? Absolutely not! It needed to be done, so I had them help me anyway!!! I am a mean mom, I know!
What are my takeaways from our three summer rules? There are a few; here they are.
- It was a good idea, in theory!
- Did I have good intentions? Yes!
- We tried, but life got in the way. That is okay.
- Did we still have a good summer? Yes, we did!
- Did we fail in our summer rules? Yes, we failed horribly.
Yes, we failed horribly, but do you know what? I am okay with that. We tried something new, and it didn’t work. I have learned from this summer, and I will make adjustments for next summer. It was a good lesson for the children that it didn’t work out as planned, but it was still a great summer. Failure is not the end. All we can do is make adjustments and always try again.
Now that school is back in, it is an excellent time to get back on schedule. Keep following me for our back-to-school schedule and family rules!
How did you do this summer? Did you follow any summer rules that you could keep or not keep? I would love to hear how everyone’s summer went.
Don’t Allow Sleepovers? Have a Late Night Instead!
I remember having sleepovers when I was young. I would have them with friends or neighbors once or twice a month. I would be so nervous when asking my mom if I could have a sleepover. When she said yes, I would get so excited that I would jump up and down. It was always so much fun to have them. We would stay up late and be silly. Those were the days!
Times have changed since then. When my husband and I started having kids, we decided not to allow our kids to have sleepovers. They can have sleepovers at their cousins’ or grandparents’ houses, or their cousins can sleep at our house, but we don’t allow them to have a sleepover with friends. We have our reasons, but I will not get into that.
Instead of having sleepovers, we let our kids have a “late night.” I am guessing that you may be asking what a late night is. A late night is when our kids invite their friends to come to our house from about 6 pm to about 10-11 pm. They have dinner, watch a movie, play board or card games, and have a good time full of silliness and laughter.
Late-Night Activity Ideas
EAT FOOD, LOTS OF FOOD – We always have food at our late nights. We are foodies, so we always have food when people are over. We usually order pizza for the kids, but there have been a few occasions when the kids have made homemade pizzas. They enjoy making their own pizzas. We also have snacks for when they play board or card games or watch a movie.
PLAY BOARD OR CARD GAMES – The kids love to play board and card games during their late nights. If the weather is warm, they will go outside and play yard or night games. We will set up a volleyball net and let them play volleyball or whatever they want to do with that. If the weather is colder, they will play card games inside. There are so many different card games you can have them choose from. A few of the card games that our kids enjoy playing with their friends are:
- Moose Master
- Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
- Cover Your Assets
- Five Crowns
- Karma
WATCH A MOVIE – We always have good intentions in having them watch a movie, but we make sure it is kid-appropriate. It seems like they will always start watching a movie, but then they start talking and goofing off and never finish it! For some reason, they still insist on watching a movie every time!
OTHER FUN ACTIVITIES – You can also do other fun activities. The last time my oldest daughter had a late night, they dipped and decorated strawberries. When my son has a late night, he and his friends like to play video games the entire time. It is one of the times I let them play without a time limit. You can have them paint their nails, play laser tag, decorate cupcakes or cookies, or play night games. It doesn’t need to be elaborate; keep it simple.
A late night might seem more overwhelming than having a sleepover, but it isn’t. It is such a good opportunity for the kids to socialize with their friends and for you to get to know the friends your kids hang out with.
The kids always ask to have late nights because they enjoy them, and I don’t feel like they are missing out on anything by not having a sleepover.
What do you do in your family? If you don’t have sleepovers like us, what do you do to let your kids hang out with their friends? Do you have any ideas other than a late night? If you do, I would love to hear them. Please leave a comment; I would love to hear from you!
3 Summer Rules for Our Summer Vacation
I don’t know about other families, but in our family, my kids think that summer vacation equals laziness and that they don’t have to do anything. I am unsure where they picked up on that idea, but I want to break them of that habit this summer. To help me break this habit, I have created rules and chores they must follow before being on electronics or hanging out with friends. These include getting ready and doing personal and other chores around the house.
They need more structure to be more productive this summer than in past summers. They are way past old enough to help me keep the house clean. They should have started helping me with the house years ago. I know you are probably asking why I have never had them help me around the house more, and the simple answer is I don’t know.
After school ended, I sat my children down, and we discussed what I was expecting of them this summer break. I explained to them that I would love to do some fun activities, but I can only do that if we keep the house somewhat clean. I also explained that I didn’t want my summer to be spent picking up after them.
Here are the new rules.
GET READY FOR THE DAY IN THE MORNING
Usually, the kids like to be pretty slow in the mornings, which is fine with me to a degree. I don’t want it to be lunchtime before they get ready for the day. I am fine with them chilling for a little bit when they get up, but I would like them to get ready for the day shortly after that.
Getting ready for the day includes:
- Having Breakfast
- Getting Dressed (my kids usually shower at night, but if they don’t, this would include them showering in the morning).
- Brushing Teeth
- Doing Hair (my girls hate this one). I don’t care if they do their hair, just as long as it is brushed and looks like they fixed it.
COMPLETE EVERYDAY CHORES
I would like them to do their daily chores after they get ready. I have found out that if they don’t do their chores in the morning, they will never get the chores done. I have them do two different chores. There are the everyday chores that they are expected to get done every day. Then, there are the chores that can change daily or that I need help with.
- Picking up their room
- Making their bed
- Putting dirty clothes in the hamper
- Vacuuming their room if it needs it
- Picking up the bathroom
COMPLETE HOUSEHOLD CHORES
After they complete their daily chores, I will usually have one or two chores I need them to complete around the house to help me out. These can include things like:
- Loading/unloading dishwasher
- Vacuuming
- Dusting
- Laundry
- Picking up the living room/craft room
- Cleaning out the car
This list of chores changes daily, depending on what I need help with. I try not to have too many chores because no one wants to spend their whole day cleaning. I don’t even want to do that as an adult, so I can’t expect my kids to clean all day. I hope they can finish this all in the morning, and we can play by lunchtime!
I would like all of their chores done before lunch. After lunch, they can have free time. We will go to the pool or the park. Sometimes, we have planned activities. This is why I would like them to get their chores done early. I like to have fun with my kids, but keeping the house in order is important to me. I try to balance them both.
CHALLENGES WE FACE IN OUR HOUSE
I must confess I always start the summers well with all these rules and high expectations. I usually am very strict about it for about the first two weeks, and then I slowly get less and less strict as the summer goes on. I am hoping these rules are easy enough that we can last a little longer than a few weeks. Of course, it will last all summer in my perfect world, but I know that will never happen. I hope they pick up a few skills that will continue into the school year.
You must also keep in mind that every child is different. My son has ADHD and is very unorganized. He also gets distracted very easily. I can’t ask him to go clean his room. It will never get done. I have to ask him to do small tasks.
I can ask one of my daughters to go clean her room, and she will be able to get most of it cleaned on her own without my help. I usually help her with the last bit, like throwing the trash away or reminding her to vacuum.
My youngest does not like to clean at all. She will usually throw a tantrum for a while before she even starts cleaning. Once she realizes I won’t back down and she still has to clean, I usually have to be in the room to keep her on track.
I am sure your children have different personalities and need to be motivated differently, just as my children do. Keep that in mind when you are coming up with your own rules or chores.
Do you have rules like this for the summer? I hope some of these ideas help you stay a little sane this summer while your children are home. I would love to hear your ideas on what you have your children do in the summer to help around the house. Please leave me a comment. For now, Happy Summer!
Should You Give Your Children an Allowance?
Until the last couple of years, we never gave our children an allowance. I just never thought it was necessary. I couldn’t see the reasoning behind providing an 8-year-old with their own money, but I also thought about this for years. Should you give your children an allowance?
When my oldest was about 12, I read a lot of blog posts about giving your child an allowance. There were so many different opinions and options on how to give your child an allowance. After reading multiple articles about allowances, I found a couple that resonated with me. These articles were different from everything else I had read or thought about. What I liked most about what I read was that these articles had rules for giving the kids allowances, which I thought was important.
The Allowance Rules I Liked
- The allowance is not tied to anything; you give it to them without any expectations.
- I WILL not give an allowance for good grades.
- I do not give an allowance for doing chores.
- The best rule is that you stop buying things for them.
- I don’t love this last rule, but you should let them use their money however they want (within reason, obviously).
The allowance is not tied to anything, so they don’t have to earn it. Each month, we just put the money into their account. I will explain later how much we give them.
I will not give an allowance for good grades. School is vital to us as parents. Our children are expected to go to school and earn good grades. Are they expected to have straight A’s? No, they are not. They are expected to do the best that they can. We will not pay them to do well in school. This is just an expectation.
I do not give an allowance for doing chores. Everyone in the house is expected to help keep it clean. Everyone pitches in and helps. Is our house spotless? Nope, never. We do the best we can to keep it clean. They each have their own space that they need to stay clean, and they do the best they can.
The best rule is that I stopped buying everything for them. Please don’t take this the wrong way. I buy the necessary things for them, such as clothes, school supplies, specific activities, or vacations. The things I won’t buy for them are what they want, such as stuffed animals, toys, and clothes they want, not what they need or treats at the store. They have to buy all these things themselves.
This last rule is the hardest for me. You are supposed to let them spend their money however they want. You let them spend their money whether they want to buy a shirt with it or a treat. My kids usually want a treat, a toy, or a stuffed animal. I am not a massive fan of this rule because my kids have too many stuffed animals, and I don’t want them to buy more. I try to guide them, but ultimately, they are in charge of their money.
How Much Allowance Should You Give Your Kids?
How much allowance you give your kids is a personal choice. This is how we do it, though. It is all based on age. So, for how old they are, that is how much they get for the week, for example, with my children. My 16-year-old gets sixteen dollars a week, so they get sixty-four dollars a month. My 12-year-old gets twelve dollars a week, so they get forty-eight dollars a month.
Reasons to Give Your Kids an Allowance
I finally realized why an allowance was so good for my kids. It gives them a chance to learn money management. When they want to buy something, they always ask if they have enough money. Most of the time, they do, but sometimes, they don’t, and I feel like that is a good lesson for them. This teaches them that if they want something more expensive, they need to save money to buy that item.
The other nice thing is that they have stopped asking me for stuff every time we go to the store. They know that if they want something unnecessary, they have to buy it themselves.
When they do want to buy something, I usually make them pay for it themselves. This allows them to learn how to interact with the cashier and the actual process of buying something.
I am shocked to see how each child spends their money differently. One child has saved money for months and bought something significant. Another child saves their money and doesn’t buy very much with their money. Their account has grown quite a bit. Then I have one that spends and spends their money. They love to go to the store and shop. They are the child that is a shopaholic. I am unsure where she picked that up because I am not a shopper!
So far, these are the reasons I love that we have chosen to give our children an allowance. Every family is different, and you must do what is best for your family. As for our family, this is what works great for us.
Do you give your children an allowance? If you do, what techniques do you use? What do you do differently? Do your children have to earn their allowance? I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment!
