Back to School: Part 2 on Chores

The other day I had 2 big points I wanted to make about kids doing chores 

and sure enough, forgot em both.

Often us moms tend to end up doing jobs ourselves rather than getting help from the kids.  This can happen for two reasons...either the kids don't do the chore to a standard we're happy with, or it just ends up easier to do it ourselves.

What to do?

1.  Lower your standards where you can.  Sometimes we hang on to the ways we did stuff pre kid and often that is just not realistic.  So let it go.  There are lots of hidden spots where you can let kids cut corners - like tossing jammies unfolded into the drawer.

2.  Make things easier.  Have you ever asked a kid to do a job but then you had to help so much that you realized it would have been faster to do it yourself?  This was happening to me with table setting.  The plates and cups were up high so I had to get them out for the kids and it felt as though I might as well have set the table myself.  So I changed up their location for easy access.  If a small shuffle can give a kid independence in a chore, do it!

Back to School: Chores

There are endless ways to organize chores in a family.  

Charts and lists and incentives based on allowance or other rewards. 

And so many ways to do it all pretty-like.

craftaholicsanonymous.net

Pinterest is full of smart and gorgeous ideas.

The truth in my home though, is that I don't do any of it.  

And it's not because I don't think my kids need to do chores or because I don't believe in allowance.  

The simple fact is, I just can't do it all.  I can stay on top of feeding them and keeping the house tidy and administrating their lives, but any time I've tried to have a formal system for chores or allowance, it has just been too much for me to maintain and ended in frustration.

So, rather than sweat it, this is my philosophy.  

We are a team.  

Different days different jobs need to be done for different team members.  So if I ask you to do a job, do it, and do it now, and don't complain about it.  Because that is what is most helpful and that is what is right to do.  If the dishwasher needs emptying and I'm making supper and you're done your homework, then you empty it.  No, it's not always fair cause maybe you did it yesterday too (gasp).  But life's not fair.  If it were I would not BE making supper that includes a vegetable every day thanks.  And when you need a ride to Superstore to buy a 1 litre milk jug for your class project, I'll drive you.

  

Some jobs we do together as a team, like folding laundry.  Everyone helps sort and fold their own.  If I have extra time I might do it for everyone.  If I'm super busy I might ask someone to do it for their sibling.  This is how life works and my goal is for my kids to understand that and to be willing to help so that no one gets left doing all the work and we can then enjoy family time together.

Back to School: Meal Plans

I know, I KNOW I am really not the best person to discuss this.  

Or, maybe the fact that I hate cooking makes me better at planning ahead.

I've done a variety of things to try to ease the monotony of making supper.

1.  Plan a week ahead.  On Sunday sit down and plan out what meal you'll make each day that week, taking into account the various activities you have and what groceries are available.  You can then add any needed items to your grocery list.

2.  Similarly, plan for a week in advance but keep the same plan week by week.  For example, every Monday is pasta, Tuesdays are a whole chicken, etc..  You can then vary the recipes but for the most part you will need the same main ingredients.

Find some free printables here.

3.  Make doubles.  Many meals you make are easy to double.  Lasagna for example is just as easy to make as a recipe of 2 pans as it is 1.  So on the days where you are already making a meal that's easy to double, do it and freeze the second meal for a day in the future when you don't have time to cook.

4.  Do a big cook.  There are all sorts of ways to cook ahead in bulk and freeze multiple meals.  I've done this with a group of women using a formal big cook recipe and I've also joined a couple friends and created our own recipes and plan.  Either way, it's fun to be together and nice to leave with a cooler full of meals!

5.  Join a freezer meal class.  Tomorrow I'll be heading to a fun, no stress Pampered Chef workshop where I'll leave with meals ready to freeze.  If you want to try one, click the link and ask to join!  Carla will also be offering Power Cooking in October.
Carla's Dinner's Done Freezer Meal Workshop Group

Happy Cooking!

Back to School: Teacher Gifts

Once upon a time I was a teacher.

So, you know, teacher gifts just seem very right to me.

Don't worry.  The goal here is not extravagance, it's acknowledgement of a difficult job involving a lot of small people.  It's thankfulness that someone besides you is willing to commit to your children.

Places like Target and Michael's are great for finding fun, appropriate teacher stuff and gift wrap.  The days of apple mugs and teacher poems are gone.  Stick to practical, useable items or gift cards.

Have fun wrapping it up and get the kids involved writing notes of encouragement.

Go with a theme.  

Give a seasonally appropriate hand soap for each holiday or start the year off with a napkin holder and then give seasonal napkins throughout the year (Darla's idea!).

Or if all this just sounds like too much, find out favourite drinks and bring a Starbucks or Tim's to teacher conferences.  

Yay teachers!!

Back to School: Lunches

Bleh.

It's a tedious job, but it has to be done.  

Here are a few of my tips as well as some ideas I found online.

My biggest advice, is do it the day ahead.  In our home, the kids come in the door, unload their backpacks, and make lunches right away.  Straight into the fridge without another thought.

Second tip from me...kids make their own.  I assign the duty to one kid, usually the one with the least homework which is likely unfair, but such is life.  That kid makes all four lunches and the job is done.

From my research on making the school lunch process easy, the consensus seems to be to keep everything in one spot, prepackage it, and let kids do it themselves.

 Whether in the cupboard,

godwilladd.com

or in the fridge

apartmenttherapy.com

store lunch items together so it's easy for kids to gather things up.

I read one tip about freezing peanut butter sandwiches.  Those kids must attend school on the moon cause I don't think any school in this country allows peanut butter anymore.
We freeze muffins in ziplocks of 2 each.

I also saw this fancy trick.

athomewithrealfood.blogspot.com

I love it.

So I was inspired to create my own bin of lunchables.

It was a great chance to clean out my cupboard at the same time.

I read a quote on BuzzFeed Life from Rachel Sanders that said, "At the end of the day, if they don't starve or get scurvy, you're doing fine."  

Yes.  

That I can manage.

Back to School: Handling Administrative Duties

The sudden onslaught of forms to read and fill out is probably my biggest school stress.  

Four kids, four times the paper.

Here are a few things I'm doing this year to help stay on top of things:

1.  I changed up our calendar.

Before

After

I used to use the family sized Costco calendar but I was sick of it and really wanted a spot to keep forms or notes that are pending (and I hate papers on the fridge).  So I stuck up some cork and downloaded a free calendar off the internet, tacked it up and left myself plenty of space for attaching items we need to remember...like youth group permission forms and money.  The calendar still has enough room to keep track of everyone's schedule.

2.  I created an administration drawer.

I emptied out a drawer that was not being well used and gathered up every possible supply we need when we are filling out forms.  

-cheque book

-cash

-highlighter

-envelopes

-cards

-zip locks

-sticky notes

-stapler

-tacks

The list will vary between families but there is nothing more annoying than having to run from room to room just to get a field trip permission form filled out.

3.  Now that everything is in one spot, I will be getting the kids to fill in their own forms.  Why on earth am I writing out their health numbers when they are fully capable and when it is great training for them?!  (Oooo!  I'm going to add a paper with their health numbers on it into that drawer!)

4.  We empty our school bags every day as soon as we enter the house.  Papers are gathered and dealt with immediately.  The longer we wait, the more likely it is we will forget or lose something.

What ever will I do with all my free time now?

Back to School

It's that time yet again!  The older I get the faster it goes.  

Yes, I know I sound old just saying that.

Time, once more, to send the troops back to school.

And, once again, I feel extraordinarily sad.

So to cheer myself up, I'm gonna focus all of September on 

BACK TO SCHOOL ORGANIZING TIPS.

(I'm also gonna add a lot of whipped cream to my coffee.)

See you back here Monday!