Second Week Of Mommy Lesson Plans

Very excited to have finished next week's "Lesson Plans". It seemed like they took forever to make because I kept getting interrupted. As moms, I'm sure you can relate. In fact, I just got interrupted again trying to write this post!
The Dinner recipes have been taken from the website Ready Set Eat. I like this site because it offers simple, inexpensive recipes that take little time to prepare. If you ever want to access past plans, just click on the tab above.
Mommy Lesson Plans Week 2

Organizing the Kids

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So one day last month we spent 15 minutes trying to find the 5 year olds' shoe. Yes, you read it correctly - one shoe! Seriously, how do you put a shoe in one place and lose the other? On top of that, we are constantly trying to hustle the kids out the door; looking for backpacks, trying to find permission slips, packing up homework, etc. It must be one of Dante's rings of hell. So, I have decided that some organization is absolutely necessary. I was very inspired by "Delightful Order", who made a Children's Homework Message Center. This is her's on the left.

So, I immediately went out to Michael's and bought some inexpensive bulletin boards. I then proceeded to go next door to Pier One to buy hooks. I didn't like the look of the plain cork board, so I bought some fabric and covered it. Fabric is perfect because it doesn't show the holes when you remove pins. (Teachers often use fabrics for bulletin boards.) I used their school photos, ad plan on changing them each year. I also added clips to the top of the board in order to hang things if necessary. We have been using them for several weeks now and it has really helped our morning routine! The pictures in this paragraph are mine.

Kids' Chores *

You are being redirected to the new blog Okay, looking around this house of 3 kids and 3 pets, is making me a little anxious. I am not doing this all by myself. No way! These kids are going to chip in this summer. And I know just the way to do it....bribery. Yes, you heard me. But, what is the best way to organize this? I think it is necessary to find an organizational system that works for you.
We use www.childzilla.com. It is completely customizable. You set your own point values and choose which tasks you would like to have on the list. You can also set your own prizes and prize values. It allows you to print up chore charts or do all the point earning online. I printed their charts and put them inside a plastic sleeve that we wipe clean when we are done.
Another valuable tool is this website put together by Space for Living. I absolutely lover her post about Family Fun Clean Up. I hate the tantrums that usually follow when I ask my kids to help me out. This woman has so many great ideas for getting the kids motivated. I am going to try the Mystery Pick Up idea today.