• Parade – Take a look at the events going on in your community and you might just find a parade.  Parades mean license to gawk, people watch, and blend into your community.
• Camping – Make a reservation at a favorite campground nearby or take a short drive to explore a new location. Camping is cheap and a great way to connect as a family without all of the gadgets that steal our attention (unless your campground has wi-fi).
• Swimming – Even though we live in Maine where it cools down quickly, we’ve had such hot end-of-summer weather.  It will be a good weekend to head to the beach. If you don’t have a beach nearby, then try the swimming pool.
• Picnic – I remember watching Mickey Mouse when I was a kid and the picnic basket that Minnie Mouse packed still makes my mouth water just thinking about it! Food never tastes so good as it does when you are outdoors. Try crusty bread, deviled eggs, crackers & cheese, a variety of fruit, and some ice cold lemonade.
• Hiking or Letterboxing – I love getting exercise outdoors with my family and a new trail or park always excites me. There is no better way to discover new places in your area than to try letterboxing. You’ll follow clues that will take you to places you didn’t know existed – even in your hometown!
• Barbeque – While many would argue that Americans do not have much of a food culture of their own, I say that one of our best examples would be a summer holiday barbeque. What child does not have a memory of hamburgers or hot dogs on the grill, chips, and watermelon during festive summer holidays? Make some potato salad. Add a new seasoning to the burgers. Celebrate with just your family or invite the neighborhood for a potluck.

How will you celebrate this Labor Day weekend?

• Do a Health Check-In. Am I eating a healthy number of calories?  Am I exercising frequently?  Have I had my annual physical?
• Put away summer toys (e.g. beach items, etc)
• Exchange summer clothing for cooler-weather clothing.
• Organize summer photos.
• Target areas of my house that have become a catch-all during the busy summer.
• Begin to think ahead to fall/holiday events and planning.
• Adjust to extra-curricular activity schedules (e.g soccer practice/games, Brownie/Cub Scout meetings, etc)
• Revisit budget and financial planning pages to make sure we are on target for holidays.

What is on your Fall To Do List?

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• Monday (8/9/2010) Gather Daily, Weekly, Monthly Calendars – Whether you print them from ListPlanIt.com or have your own, collect your calendars and store them in a convenient and accessible spot.  Get into a routine of writing things down as soon as you are able and referring to your calendars often.
• Tuesday (8/10/2010) Create Carpool Schedule – Create a carpool schedule to get the children of your neighborhood to and from school.  This will save both time and gas (money).
• Wednesday (8/11/2010) Homework Schedule – Decide on the best time of day to complete homework and required reading.
• Thursday (8/12/2010) Extracurricular Activities Schedule – Write down all practices, events, lessons, etc on your calendars.
• Friday (8/13/2010) Planning Schedule – Schedule a block of time each week to take a “Planning Retreat” (as named by my friend Lindsey at PassionateHomemaking.com).  This will help you establish a time to plan meals, trips, special events, etc.
• Saturday (8/14/2010) Work – Finish up a project.  Distribute a chore list to each family member.  Accomplish much.
• Sunday (8/15/2010) Play – Enjoy what is left of summer.

If you are a subscriber to ListPlanIt‘s weekly e-newsletter, The L.I.S.T., then you have discovered what has become a popular feature called The Week Ahead. We look at the week ahead and remind you of important dates, suggest good ways to catch up or get ahead, and give you a chance to get a jumpstart on the upcoming week.

photo by Ivy Dawned

• Make a List of Kids – If you have several kids that want to carpool, then you will either need drivers with mini-vans or you will need to organize 2 different carpools.
• Make a List of Drivers - Include names, email addresses, telephone numbers (home and cell), and as a precaution, have each driver make a copy of their auto insurance card.  
• Create a Map of Pickups and Dropoffs - This will make things quick and easy as the school year gets started.  Don’t leave your fellow drivers guessing where each kid lives.  Include the quickest route to school from your neighborhood.
• Assign Morning and Afternoon Drives – Get a schedule from each of your drivers to decide which days are best for carpooling and then assign them a slot.  To be on the safe side, have a backup driver for each slot as well.

What are your carpool tips and tricks?

ListPlanIt.com has many tools and resources available for families preparing to go back to school, including a brand new Carpool Schedule and Carpool Signup page (see in Student Planning). Get everything you need with a membership to all that ListPlanIt has to offer or instantly download the pages you need in our updated Student ePlanner.

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• Monday (8/9/2010) Map Out a Current Routine – You can’t see where you want to go without taking a look at where you are currently heading.
• Tuesday (8/10/2010) Identify Schooltime Routine Needs – Make a list of what might fill your days once school get going:  showers, breakfast, lunch preparation, homework, afterschool activities, practice, reading time, chores, bedtime, etc.
• Wednesday (8/11/2010) Create Morning Routine – Allowing for some flexibility, create an optimal routine for getting your family up in the morning and out the door in plenty of time.
• Thursday (8/12/2010) Create Afternoon/Evening Routines – Include what’s necessary to accomplish chores, homework, practice, dinner, and all the other things that need to happen in a busy family’s evening.
• Friday (8/13/2010) Create Weekend Routine – To make the most of your weekends, be sure to include time for work and fun.
• Saturday (8/14/2010) Put Summer Away – Beach and pool stuff, lawn and garden items, tank tops and shorts might all be cleaned up and put away til next spring.
• Sunday (8/15/2010) Get to Bed Early – Time to get your family on to a more sensible bedtime routine.  Early to bed, early to rise. . .

If you are a subscriber to ListPlanIt‘s weekly e-newsletter, The L.I.S.T., then you have discovered what has become a popular feature called The Week Ahead. We look at the week ahead and remind you of important dates, suggest good ways to catch up or get ahead, and give you a chance to get a jumpstart on the upcoming week.

photo by Wendy Copley

• Wraps – You can put almost anything in a tortilla or a wrap.  Roll it up and slice it and you have instant fun!
• Bagel - Add a small container of some cream cheese or a wedge of Laughing Cow’s spreadable cheese and a little spreader.  Include some sliced strawberries to layer on the bagel and cream cheese.
• Breakfast for Lunch - Have some leftover pancakes?  Send a couple with a small container of syrup and a couple of slices of bacon and a hard-boiled egg.
• Dinner Leftovers – Turn dinner into lunch the next day when you purposely make extra portions.
• Mini-Quiche - Eggs and veggies baked into individual-sized portions are a perfect lunch for kids.  Bake the egg mixture in a muffin tin, then freeze the leftovers for a later day.
• Pita Wedges – Toasted pitas cut into wedges make a fun way to eat just about anything:  cheese slices, meat slices, tuna or chicken salad, hummus, salsa.

What are your favorite healthy lunches for kids?  What are your tricks for making lunch quick and convenient?

ListPlanIt.com has many tools and resources available for families preparing to go back to school, including a printable Lunch Planner page. Get everything you need with a membership to all that ListPlanIt has to offer or instantly download the pages you need in our updated Student ePlanner.

click image to download

Lunch is often a meal of whatever is convenient rather than a meal of whatever might truly nourish a body.  School lunches, while convenient, are not always nourishing and can be pretty costly, especially if you have more than 1 child eating it.   This week is your chance to analyze your lunch options and what is right for your family.

• Monday (8/9/2010) Print a Lunch Planner – Lunch tends to be a meal of convenience foods, so make it more “convenient” by having a good plan and ingredients on hand.  Arm yourself with the right planning tools.  *Members to ListPlanIt.com can access school lunch planners in Student Planning.
• Tuesday (8/10/2010) Inventory Lunches – Sit down and make a list of the lunches that you have available in your lunch arsenal.  This will not only give you a good idea of what your current options are, but it will also be a handy reference during the schoolyear.
• Wednesday (8/11/2010) Research Lunch Ideas – Mix it up a little bit.  Find some new lunch ideas.  They don’t have to be complicated.  Look for health value, cost of ingredients, and convenience factor.
• Thursday (8/12/2010) Inventory Lunch Containers – You can’t just throw a sandwich into your child’s backpack.  Will you need the lunch to stay hot or cold?  Will you need utensils?  What are your earth-friendly options?
• Friday (8/13/2010) Make a Lunch Station – Use a portable box or small tote and fill it with the things you’ll need to make lunches.  Include snack foods, utensils, napkins, bread, peanut butter, honey, and anything else that would be beneficial to having close at hand in the morning.  Find a convenient spot for the box in your pantry or cupboard.
• Saturday (8/14/2010) Make & Freeze – It doesn’t have to be today, but wouldn’t it feel great to start the new school year with a freezer full of ready to go lunch food?
• Sunday (8/15/2010) Visit Family – If you have family nearby, take the time today to visit them.  It won’t be long before the hustle of school days will keep everyone busy.

If you are a subscriber to ListPlanIt‘s weekly e-newsletter, The L.I.S.T., then you have discovered what has become a popular feature called The Week Ahead. We look at the week ahead and remind you of important dates, suggest good ways to catch up or get ahead, and give you a chance to get a jumpstart on the upcoming week.

image by pillowhead

• Rent/Mortgage – Let’s just start with the biggie, especially if you have a family.  This is usually the most substantial item on the budget.  It is also the item that has the least flexibility, unless you are willing or able to move.  As a homeowner, you will also either pay to escrow for property taxes or will need to include taxes in your budget to pay periodically.
  
• Insurance – Whether you rent or own, insurance on your home and belongings is a necessary evil.  We don’t like to think of bad things happening, but at the cost of replacing our possessions, it is important to pay for some piece of mind.  As a homeowner, this can be rolled into your mortgage or paid separately.
  
• Utilities – There are the usual: trash, water, phone, cable/internet, electricity, gas, etc.  And depending on where you live, there are likely some utilities that need some extra budgetary considerations for heating or cooling your home.  If you live in the north, you will need to consider budgeting for extra tanks of oil or cords of wood.  If you live in the south, you will likely see extreme electricity bills during the summer.
  
• Maintenance/Repairs – It is inevitable, something is going to break.  The important thing is being ready for it.  Whether you use a cash system or have separate funds for your expenses,  expect the unexpected and budget for it.
  
• Improvements/Decor – While this category is a matter of personal priority, it is likely that many homeowners will purchase a bucket of paint or a new lamp or replace their sink at some point.
  

What are your suggestions for a home budget?  How do you make the most of it?

ListPlanIt.com has a new page for members!  Home Fund Worksheet, as well as Auto Fund Worksheet and Utilities Fund Worksheet all found in Financial Planning.  Check it out!

Click image for .pdf

With August comes thoughts of school, routines, and new schedules.  This week is all about supplies.  They are a necessary part of a new schoolyear and the trick is to get them before the stores get too crowded and you start to wonder why all of the supplies have disappeared.

• Monday (8/2/2010) Gather School Supply Lists – Your child(ren) may have come home from the last day of school with this year’s school supply list or you may have to search for it online or in the newspaper.
• Tuesday (8/3/2010) Create a Master Supply List – If you have more than 1 child, then put all of their school supplies on 1 page and total them up.  This will prevent you from leafing through multiple pages in the store.
  * See ListPlanIt‘s School Supply Shopping List in Student Planning.
• Wednesday (8/4/2010) Shop Circulars & Online for Best Prices – Shop from home to get the best deals before you hit the pavement in search of low-priced school supplies.
• Thursday (8/5/2010) Shop ’til you Drop – With list in hand, head out to find the supplies, backpacks, clothing, etc that your child will need to get started in the new schoolyear.
• Friday (8/6/2010) Organize Supplies / Put Away – Organize supplies into piles for each child and store in the child’s school backpack so it is ready to go.
• Saturday (8/7/2010) Exterior Project – If you started the summer with a project list for your yard or home, evaluate it now.  Get done what you can in the nice weather.
• Sunday (8/8/2010) Head to the Beach! – Or the pool or whatever else says summer to you because your chances to enjoy summer are nearly over.

If you are a subscriber to ListPlanIt‘s weekly e-newsletter, The L.I.S.T., then you have discovered what has become a popular feature called The Week Ahead. We look at the week ahead and remind you of important dates, suggest good ways to catch up or get ahead, and give you a chance to get a jumpstart on the upcoming week.

However, while I’ve always viewed that pile as a hopeless, but necessary, lump of randomness, it seems that there might be a new way to at least keep that inevitable pile organized.

Pendaflex has just created a system that is taylor-made for busy families called PileSmart®.  This is the first product I’ve ever seen that is real about real families and the amount of paper and information that we receive on a daily basis.  Here are some of the components of this system and why I am sure that come fall, I will be ready for the influx.

• Sturdy, Angled Tray – This clear, acrylic tray is angled to keep papers from sliding out of the tray and to help keep them neat.
• Rubber Feet – One of my favorite features of the tray is the 4 rubber knobs on the bottom of the tray.  These prevent scratching on wood and keep the tray from sliding off the countertop.  
• 6 Dividers – Tabs on both the top and the sides with large write & erase labels make it easy to organize your pile into categories or subjects.  Some possible categories are by names of the members of your family, meal planning, shopping/circulars, school information, medical, bills to pay, etc.
• View Folders - Sold separately in this system are also these handy View Folders.  A tab at the top keep your paper secure.  There are also write-on tabs that allow you to clearly mark the categories/subjects of each file.

• Binder Clips – These are not just your ordinary binder clips.  These come with the same write-on labels as the rest of the system.  These are perfect for bundles of brochures or cards and papers that need to be transported easily.

Pendaflex has really hit the nail on the head with this system.  I am eager for the school year to start and feel even better prepared to handle what comes.

Regarding this Review: I received this product for free for the purpose of reviewing.  I have stated my honest opinion on these products.