Hectic Schedule? Some tips to stay organized #GetFresh

This is a sponsored post about tips to stay organized with a hectic schedule.  I will receive promotional items to thank me for sharing. So we’re back to school.  We’re almost fully started with all activities.  Almost.  Boy Scouts sign up is next week, my Brownies won’t start meeting until October, and preschool soccer is not yet decided on a start date.  Soccer is 1 night and 1 weekend day/week for my 3rd grader…Gymnastics after school one day, dance following that for another kid.  I’m a Sunday School teacher (shared position thankfully) at church, and fall soccer will start soon for my 1st grader (maybe 1 night plus a weekend game, maybe just a weekend game).  This, and we’re remodeling our breezeway, which is kind of like a mudroom.  I know that for many this may not seem like a lot but for us it’s a LOT and it’s hectic.

Here are some tips to stay organized with a hectic schedule- it might help you to keep from feeling overwhelmed like it’s helping me.

1. Have a calendar and use it.  I have a nice big desk calendar I’ve started- each kid has their own COLOR and activities and specials for school and activities are written for them in that color.  Appointments, parties, playdates also.

2. Delegate.  My kids are 8, 6 and 4.  Not so big, but not so little.  They are fully able to chip in and help me to keep this house running smoothly.  One kid opens the curtains each morning, and closes them each night.  The other 2 either feed the dog or the kittens before breakfast and before dinner.  Maybe not a huge thing, but that’s 3 tasks I don’t have to worry about.

3. Shared tasks.  Laundry takes time. It’s something we all have to do.  My littlest one is a really great napkin (we use all cloth)  and kitchen towel folder.  My 6 and 8 year olds are really great at sorting folded laundry into piles for each family member. (They are also able to earn money if they help to put everyone’s laundry away where it belongs).  Often, the kids are upstairs sorting laundry while I’m making dinner.  They are helping, contributing to the family, but they are also helping to keep the sanity level where it needs to be in the house.

4. Plan your meals in advance.  Even better? Cook once, eat twice (or thrice!)

Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t mind cooking, nor do I mind shopping for the food to DO the cooking.  But the planning of the meals to cook and shop for? HATE it.

I do.  Confessions of a meal plan hater.

Except I don’t hate meal planning. Or planners. I just hate having to DO the planning.

I’ve also seen all kinds of meal planning sites and programs but none really ever jumped out at me.  Then I discovered the Fresh20.

Something felt different, and I wanted to know more.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that I love every single recipe. I don’t.  I’m quite frankly too picky to like any full meal plan.  But what I am finding is that even if I don’t like PART of a recipe, almost everything is something I can modify to my family taste or we can simply figure out our own meal for a night or two.

I’m in love.

This is a meal plan that works for my family.  Or rather, with my family. It’s pretty straightforward for preparation and cooking- no fancy skills needed, and I don’t need to hit eleven stores to get all ingredients.

Classic, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Kosher, For One, Lunch and Dairy Free menu plans are all available on the Fresh20.  This is something else that makes this so appealing- we have friends who are Gluten free (and some quite recent, so it’s a big adjustment in their family for meals and shopping.  Having this resource can help them with shopping lists and meal ideas). We also have friends who are dairy free- some due to allergies in their home, but some friends are nursing moms who can’t have dairy right now.  The membership includes all of the menu options, so if you are temporarily dairy free, or have guests coming to visit who are dairy free, meal planning is still easy-peasy.