Taking a "Peep" into Spring

Spring is less than a month away!!!

Soon, the weather will finally get a little warmer; well, at least here in Florida.

I am so excited about what is in the works for Spring! Although there is still much more to come, here's a peep at what I've been working on lately:

Party Princess

Church Chic

'Not So Mellow' Yellow

*TuTuLu*

Closet Organizer Tags

Speaking of Organization, check out these adorable clothes tags I found from Living Locurto.

Use these to give your kids a head start in planning their week. The best part is you can print these for free right from your home computer.

Planning Schedule

A few weeks ago, I wrote about planning and organizing schedules. A few of you asked for more information, but I have not been able to upload my excel sheets to Blogger.

So, here is a snapshot of what I do each month:

Begining-of-the-month Planning

• Meals Assign yourself meals for the month according to your family's schedule. In my house, we eat left overs on my busiest nights: Tuesdays and Fridays. Mondays I use the crock pot, Thursdays I cook from scratch. Wednesday is breakfast for dinner night! Sometimes we bake an frozen pizza or eat chicken nugget salad. The weekends are always different. Try your best to eat dinner together.
• Social Calendar It is so important to be proactive about keeping up with your loved ones. Each month, set time aside to spend with your friends. From going out for coffee to hosting dinner, time spend with your friends and family is time well spent. Pencil in time for hobbies and parties, but leave yourself room for spontaneous invitations.
• Education Choose a few experiences to share with your children each month. Whether you work or stay home, it is your responsibility to educate your children. Set goals for your family's academic and spiritual education each month and plan activities that help you reach those goals.

Beggining-of-the-week Planning

• Chores Pick a day for each chore and stick to it. Don't wait until your laundry is overflowing to do it, schedule yourself to do it on Wednesday.
• Shopping trips Avoid going to the grocery store every day. You will end up saving money if you plan out your trips. Since you've already planned your meals, you just need to purchase the perishable items to accompany the meals of the week. Clip and gather all coupons for items you need.
• Look over monthly planner to see what is coming up during the week. Prepare yourself mentally for what is coming up. Do you have a birthday or a dinner scheduled this week? Plan your week accordingly.

Night-before Planning

• Outfits Choose what everyone is going to wear. Set the outfits aside, including accessories. Plan a few days in advance for special events to be sure you have all you need clean and ready. If you take a bag or backpack with you, prepare as much of it as possible the night before.
• Make a list of errands and chores you want to complete the next day. I keep a list pad on my bedside table. In the morning, I just rip the list off the pad and take it with me, adding things I've forgotten and crossing things out as they get done.
• Do a run through of your day in your head. Sort of like a dress rehearsal. What am I doing first thing in the morning? and then?....

Keep a running shopping list where you add items as they run out. My Running List is posted by the garage door so I can see it every time I leave the house. Also, keep thinking ahead. During my down time (mainly while driving) I plan for future events such as birthday parties, vacations, anniversaries, etc.. It's amazing how you can plan an entire party in one simple trip to Grandma's.

I hope these lists help you get a little more organized. Forgive yourself if you have slip ups here and there. The goal is to live better tomorrow than you did today. So take it one step at a time - but keep walking!

*TuTuLu*

Stop and smell the...bubbles!

Every morning, before brushing our teeth, my son and I practice hand-washing. Since we ran out of our regular soap, I pulled out a bottle of my Bath and Body Works Eucalyptus Peppermint Gel. Not only does this soap smell divine, it also lathers up and makes the best bubbles!

This morning, I squirted a dab of the gel on his hands and instructed him to start scrubbing. I started singing the ABC song, like I always do, when suddenly he stopped. Admittedly, I was a little irritated. I thought to myself, "we've done this dozens of times before, why is he giving me a hard time today?" I just wanted to get our hands washed and our teeth brushed so we could go eat breakfast and get on with our day.

In my funnest 'morning mom' voice, I tried to gently encourage him, "Sweetie, c'mon, Scrub, scrub, scrub!" But he was paralyzed. I followed his eyes and noticed that my son was staring in amazement at the growing cloud of bubbles on the sink. When I stopped rushing and joined him, I was pretty impressed myself.

I'm always teaching my son to stay on task and focus, but today, this lesson was for me. How often do I miss the little things in life because I am so focused on making progress and moving on the the next thing?

Today, make it a point to allow yourself to become distracted by the simple things: a bird, a cloud, the moon - there is so much beauty all around us! Indulge in it!

*TuTuLu*

10 Things...

My fun list this week takes me far away from reality to the world of fiction. Oh if it were only true!!!!

10 things I could use a free and unlimited supply of...

1. Milk
2. Batteries
3. Light bulbs
4. Gas
5. Eggs
6. Pancakes
7. Muffins
8. Diapers & Wipes
9. Paper & crayons
10. Did I mention, batteries?

Happy Monday, Everyone!!!!

*TuTuLu*