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Putting
FUN and ENERGY into everyday tasks!
In This
Issue
August/September
2008
Back-to-School Chore Tips
About Me
SFC Contests
Spiderman, Gummy Bears, and Potty Training
Meal Planning
News About MyOnline Meals
The Wonderful World of Routines
Parents' Spending Has Increased 600%
Free Printable Charts at SFC
Resources
About Me
SFC Contests
Spiderman, Gummy Bears, and Potty Training
Meal Planning
News About MyOnline Meals
The Wonderful World of Routines
Parents' Spending Has Increased 600%
Free Printable Charts at SFC
Resources
Back
to School
From swimsuits and towels to lunches and backpacks, it's that time of year again! That's right, it's time to get ready for school. Whether you are ready for it mentally or not, it's time to prepare for a smooth transition from summer activities to the regular routine of school. It can be a transition time of chaos and frustration or it can be a time of organization and anticipation. It's your choice and it all begins with a little planning. Start by thinking through a few things and making a few lists.
About Me
Hi! My name is Andrea Simanson, the Ezine and Website Editor at Successful Family Chores.
I'm an energetic, mid-life motivated wife and mother of three. I love to balance life between home and work, spend time with my husband and children, and enjoy managing the Successful Family Chores website. I am a networker who enjoys linking people to great resources and information that will help them succeed in life.
SFC Contests
If you were a winner in our last round of contests, you were contacted and your prize was delivered. Winners are listed on our contest page (link below).
Some of our winners did not claim their prizes, so I am running the same contests a second time. Be sure to add Successful Family Chores to your "safe list" or you might miss your "Congratulations!" email. I notify by email first, then by phone if there is no response, so be sure to provide a phone number in your contact information as well.
This month, the prizes are...
Spiderman, Gummy Bears, and Potty Training
What do Spiderman underwear and gummy bears have to do with potty training?
Meal Planning
Quick and easy recipes with 5 ingredients or less (from Kraft Foods)
Monthly Menu Planner
Save yourself from the nightly dinner dilemna by using the Monthly Menu Planner to plan a month's worth of dinners. Visit our meal planning page to read more about the Monthly Menu Planner and how to use it.
Want to see a sample Monthly Menu Planner?
Blank Monthly Menu Planner
I've created a blank Monthly Menu Planner to get you started. This chart will help you create your own monthly dinner plan. Print it off, plug in your meals and get started today!
News
About MyOnline
Meals
My Online Meals has discontinued its weekly recipe service. Because of time constraints, Kathy was finding it very difficult to keep this service going. So she will be changing the format completely. She plans to re-launch in a different format in the next couple of months. For those of you who were signed up, you will receive a notice when things are up and running again.
The Wonderful World of Routines
From waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, routines are a part of our lives. At this time of year, when kids are starting the school routine, having clear expectancies and communicating them to family members is important. We all feel more secure when we know what to expect.
The first weeks of the school year are a time when schedules are still in flux. I like to use a central calendar to strategize ways to make life run more smoothly for everyone in our family. When writing everything onto one calendar, scheduling conflicts are easily identifiable and we can be realistic about the plans and routines we set. If we don't write things down, we are planning to miss something important or adding unneeded stress to our lives.
Regarding the basic routines of life, consider talking about and/or having a written plan including the following "routines" of the day:
In an effort to improve some of the routines in our household, this weekend, we rearranged our boys' bedroom to help with the flow of daily life activities. We moved much of the summer clothing to storage, and made room for fall clothes. We will be adding a larger desk for our older son so he has more surface space to do his homework. These are all simple changes we made to help daily life in our family work better for everyone. What can you do keep your family organized and to set up routines in your family?
Parents Spending Has Increased 600% in the Last 20 Years!
Free Printable Charts at SFC
Need a goal chart, but don't know where to start? Print out our Blank Chart and fill it in to get started!
Visit our Chore Charts page to get more free charts!
Resources
Ready to ditch the diapers? ~ PottyTrainingTips.com
Great site for teaching kids money management ~ Prosperity4Kids
Great tips and advice for working moms ~ Blue Suit Mom
Looking for smart ways to save money? 1 Frugal Friend 2 Another
Check out these kid-friendly snacks at Highlights Parents
From swimsuits and towels to lunches and backpacks, it's that time of year again! That's right, it's time to get ready for school. Whether you are ready for it mentally or not, it's time to prepare for a smooth transition from summer activities to the regular routine of school. It can be a transition time of chaos and frustration or it can be a time of organization and anticipation. It's your choice and it all begins with a little planning. Start by thinking through a few things and making a few lists.
About Me
Hi! My name is Andrea Simanson, the Ezine and Website Editor at Successful Family Chores.
I'm an energetic, mid-life motivated wife and mother of three. I love to balance life between home and work, spend time with my husband and children, and enjoy managing the Successful Family Chores website. I am a networker who enjoys linking people to great resources and information that will help them succeed in life.
SFC Contests
If you were a winner in our last round of contests, you were contacted and your prize was delivered. Winners are listed on our contest page (link below).
Some of our winners did not claim their prizes, so I am running the same contests a second time. Be sure to add Successful Family Chores to your "safe list" or you might miss your "Congratulations!" email. I notify by email first, then by phone if there is no response, so be sure to provide a phone number in your contact information as well.
This month, the prizes are...
- a COLORFUL, magnetic responsibility board (this
is a great chart)
- book (2 copies to give
away) entitled "Mothers
Need
Time-Outs Too"
Spiderman, Gummy Bears, and Potty Training
What do Spiderman underwear and gummy bears have to do with potty training?
Meal Planning
Quick and easy recipes with 5 ingredients or less (from Kraft Foods)
So
Easy BBQ Glazed Chicken
Carmelized Beef Skewers
BBQ Salmon
Sun Dried Tomato Grilled Chicken & Vegetables
Mozzarella Beef Burgers
Carmelized Beef Skewers
BBQ Salmon
Sun Dried Tomato Grilled Chicken & Vegetables
Mozzarella Beef Burgers
Monthly Menu Planner
Save yourself from the nightly dinner dilemna by using the Monthly Menu Planner to plan a month's worth of dinners. Visit our meal planning page to read more about the Monthly Menu Planner and how to use it.
Want to see a sample Monthly Menu Planner?
Blank Monthly Menu Planner
I've created a blank Monthly Menu Planner to get you started. This chart will help you create your own monthly dinner plan. Print it off, plug in your meals and get started today!
My Online Meals has discontinued its weekly recipe service. Because of time constraints, Kathy was finding it very difficult to keep this service going. So she will be changing the format completely. She plans to re-launch in a different format in the next couple of months. For those of you who were signed up, you will receive a notice when things are up and running again.
Thanks to Kathy's online service, I have
over a year's worth of wonderful
recipes and shopping lists. I look forward to the launch of her new
product!
Visit
MyOnline Meals to sign up for notification of the new product and
to get free sample recipes and shopping list.
The Wonderful World of Routines
From waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, routines are a part of our lives. At this time of year, when kids are starting the school routine, having clear expectancies and communicating them to family members is important. We all feel more secure when we know what to expect.
The first weeks of the school year are a time when schedules are still in flux. I like to use a central calendar to strategize ways to make life run more smoothly for everyone in our family. When writing everything onto one calendar, scheduling conflicts are easily identifiable and we can be realistic about the plans and routines we set. If we don't write things down, we are planning to miss something important or adding unneeded stress to our lives.
Regarding the basic routines of life, consider talking about and/or having a written plan including the following "routines" of the day:
- Waking up (alarm clocks, timing for showers, etc.)
- Getting ready for the day (cleanliness, clothes, breakfast, lunches)
- Routines at school
and/or work (organizational
strategies,
communication with teachers, etc.)
- After school
activities (sports, music
programs, planning for, getting to and from)
- Homework (a tidy place, a time, needed supplies
and/or
help available)
- Dinnertime (prepping, enjoying time together, cleaning up)
- Downtime (we all need some downtime, is there room
in the schedule?)
- Bedtime (what needs to happen before bed, how long
does it take)
In an effort to improve some of the routines in our household, this weekend, we rearranged our boys' bedroom to help with the flow of daily life activities. We moved much of the summer clothing to storage, and made room for fall clothes. We will be adding a larger desk for our older son so he has more surface space to do his homework. These are all simple changes we made to help daily life in our family work better for everyone. What can you do keep your family organized and to set up routines in your family?
Parents Spending Has Increased 600% in the Last 20 Years!
Lori Mackey, Prosperity4Kids,
came across this interesting marketing research which can shed some
light on the intensity of the messages our kids are receiving on a
daily basis. She has sometimes wondered why her children want so much
more than she did as a child, and now understands why.
Free Printable Charts at SFC
Need a goal chart, but don't know where to start? Print out our Blank Chart and fill it in to get started!
Visit our Chore Charts page to get more free charts!
Resources
Ready to ditch the diapers? ~ PottyTrainingTips.com
Great site for teaching kids money management ~ Prosperity4Kids
Great tips and advice for working moms ~ Blue Suit Mom
Looking for smart ways to save money? 1 Frugal Friend 2 Another
Check out these kid-friendly snacks at Highlights Parents
Until
Next Time...
Hope you have a great month full of FUN and ENERGY!
Andrea Simanson
Hope you have a great month full of FUN and ENERGY!
Andrea Simanson
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Get involved! Help your child with his/her chores for a day.
Remember that transitioning back to school is a change that takes mental and physical effort which is different from that energy spent doing summer activities. Give your children time and help to adjust through this transition.
Equip your children to do their work.
In order for children to successfully do their homework each day, be sure to stock their study area/desk with necessary supplies such as pencils, paper, erasers, a dictionary, good lighting, and a clean surface area in which to do their work.
With the kids back in school, the chore charts may need some updating.
Have you taken the summer list down and put up the fall list? If not, consider a quick update on the list of expectations, including such things as making lunches, getting school clothes ready, packing the backpack, and maybe a few other things.
Consider the timing of your children's chores.
If one of your children unloads the clean dishes from the dishwasher in the morning before going to school, another child can load and run it after school. You'll have a clean kitchen in which to start dinner and can empty the dishwasher while dinner is cooking so it's ready to fill up with after dinner dishes! And the cycle continues...
More at
Successful Family Chores!
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