Stay Grounded, Plan Smart

April 3, 2024

Blastoff! It’s that time of year where I feel like our family is hurtling through time and space at a speed I can barely manage. Each season has its scheduling challenges and Spring is particularly busy for our family. Every day, at least one member of the family has something going on, sometimes several events…or so it seems! Special events like our niece’s graduation and my high school reunion, plus meetings, sports, theater rehearsals and even more parties, fill our free time. On top of our busy social schedule, the warmer weather comes with chores like cleaning the outdoor furniture, planting our gardens, cutting the lawn etc. We have a lot going on!

Even with all these activities, we still have to remember to plan dinner. I want to make sure we don’t resort to fast food/takeout because it’s much more expensive and not as healthy as home cooked meals. This is not my first crazy busy Spring, so fortunately I’ve developed my own tried and true strategies to keep us all energized with nutritious meals while we enjoy the many activities and events on our schedules. But first I need to know what our daily schedule for the week looks like.

Our House Calendar

We Calendar EVERYTHING: It may not be pretty, but we find a big white board calendar incredibly helpful. It has so many benefits for our family by teaching us time management, the importance of division of labor, how to feel more in control and the value of a team effort. Everyone is important in our family and we feel it’s critical for our kids to learn to respect each other’s interests. The kids learn that even Mom and Dad have plans that can take precedence!

Color-code: A different pen color represents each person in the family. If Susan is red and she has piano lessons at 3pm, then that is written on the calendar in red.
Assign Tasks: If transportation is necessary, we circle the event with the corresponding “driver’s” color. I’m purple and my hubby is green. This way we can visually note a conflict and solve it before it becomes a panic situation. We also assign any extra chores by color. For example, if Joe has a sleep-over planned, then I would “assign” him to pack his bag the night before. We keep a list of “everyday” chores on a separate list with a check off grid, such as pack up backpack, feed the dog and load the dishwasher. Each child checks off when they have completed a task.
Everyone on Board: Read aloud the schedule with the whole family at least once a day. (We read it after dinner and in the morning to remind everyone of the plan). I even read what is planned for dinner. (Everyone wants to know who is providing their transportation and what we are feeding them!) This teaches adults and children to time manage better. Focusing on the schedule gives our kids the opportunity to “remember” they promised to bring in a dozen cupcakes on Friday! Add it to the calendar!
Stay Flexible: Calendars are super helpful tools as long as they are “dynamic” meaning changes happen and that’s ok. I think it’s important to teach our kids how to be as prepared as possible while remaining flexible. Life is rarely a straight line.

DinnerTime Calendar

Use Your Tools: DinnerTime is very powerful and adaptable to your needs. Find the meals that are right for your schedule. Once we get a semblance of what our week looks like, I plan our meals. It’s times like these that I am so thankful I have a tool like DinnerTime! There are so many evenings when I’m chauffeuring kids or sitting by the side of the ball field. While I am not a big proponent of eating in the car, sometimes that’s just the way it has to be for the kids. I would rather hand them a healthy turkey wrap than pull through a fast food drive-thru. It just takes planning.
Profile Power: Did you know there is a 20 Minute Meal Profile found at the top of each day’s dropdown on your Meal Planner? Click on that option and the recommendations for that day will be on the table in 20 minutes or less.
On-The-Go-Meals: These include hearty sandwiches, wraps and salads with protein like chicken or salmon. Sometimes we enjoy a family picnic on the side of the baseball field as our slugger plays. Other times, I leave a plate of sandwich wraps in the fridge ready for all to partake as they get home from their various activities. If I don’t, I’m pretty sure ice-cream or cereal would be substituted as “dinner”…even by the hubby.
Walk-In-The-Door-Meals: These are recipes that can be on the table in under 20 minutes. This gives everyone who just got home enough time to put their stuff away, wash their hands and set the table. Presto! Dinner is served. No one spent extra time picking up a bucket of fried food or carb-laden pizza. Excess fat, sugar and salt won’t help if we want to keep up with our schedule. We need to eat healthy foods to give us energy, keep our moods more stable and sleep well.
Have it…Make It: The Grocery List is probably my favorite feature of DinnerTime. We edit the Grocery List together as a family. Including your family in planning and making meals teaches them the importance of good nutrition as well as how to share the load of meal planning, preparation and cleaning up. Whoever does the shopping will zip right through the store without worrying if they are missing ingredients…everything is right on the list.
Prep Is Key: The calendar reminds me of the meals planned for any given night. In most cases, prepping ingredients ahead of time is key to a successful execution. If I have all the veggies cut up for a salad or stir fry ready in the fridge, then it’s a quick assembly when everyone is home and hungry for dinner. And you know what hungry children (and even the grownups) can be like!!!