I am by nature a planner. I am the kind of person who has Easter dresses ordered before the Christmas decorations come down.  However, as a mom of two little ones I don’t feel like I ever have my act together. As much as I try, I forget to mail the gas bill or miss the deadline for playgroup.

I have multiple calendars/planners that help me stay sane and keep our life on track. Motherhood is crazy, sometimes we need a little help.

 

Meal Planning

I have a calendar that is strictly used for meal planning. I sit down every Sunday and write out what we are having for that week. I ask the hubs for his requests, and make a plan from there. I always plan for one meal to be breakfast food, and for a homemade pizza night once a week. We eat left overs for lunches through out the week.

Once the meals are written out, I can go forward with my Walmart order online for pick up. (click here for $10 off your first order).  All I have to do then is drive up and they load my groceries into my car!

Planning our meals is a way to save me from the 4pm dinner panic, while keeping us on a budget.  It also saves me from multiple trips to the store. I can order my groceries once, and pull right up to Walmart and they load it right up in the back.

It takes me about fifteen minutes a week, and saves me from multiple headaches.

 

All About Them Kids

Its amazing how two little kids can have such a social calendar. Playdates, doctor appointment, dance classes, painting classes, swim parties, and so much more.

I have one big calendar in the kitchen so my hubs can keep up with us and I have a small planner in my purse at all times.

Yes, some people would have all these things on the “cloud”, however I am more of pen and paper kind of person.

 

Our Thankful Calendar  

Every night we ask the kids after our night time prayers what they are thankful for that day. It all started when I heard a speaker at my MOPS group. She talked about how everyday you have highs and lows. Some days the baby spits up on you and you stepped in dog pee before your morning cup of coffee. However, there are also those moments where your child leans over and gently kisses the baby.

Some days it feels like you have more lows than highs but when you lay your head on the pillow at night its important to focus on those highs.

So, every night we ask the kids… what are you thankful for today? What was the best part of the day?

Some days it’s a simple, the toddler is thankful for her favorite puppy. Other nights she is thankful for playing with glitter with grandma.

I decided the first of the year I would start to written them down. Maybe some day they will want to read it. Maybe someday I will need a pick me up and will look at it. Either way, it will be nice to have their little thoughts written down.

 

Work

I have a calendar for all of my future blog post, contest, and topics I want to cover.  Nothing super exciting but just a way to keep me organized and motivated. I set goals I want to achieve and it keeps me motivated.

 

One thing I have learned about motherhood is that you can’t plan on anything going right but you can sure try to plan a few things to help your day go easier.