Hour by Hour in the Hank Household

Just thought I would share a typical day in the Hank Household.....

7:00am Breakfast 

8:00am On our way to school 

9:00am Volunteer in Hunter's Class 

10:00am Driving to Casa Grande for shoot

10:30am Still driving

11:00 Arrived at my sister's office for photoshoot (Headshots)

12:00 Eating lunch with my sister (Mexican , yummy)

1:00 Driving back home

2:00 Fast Speedy Cleaning hour because this is the only time I have today

3:00 Pick up kids from school

3:00 Start editing for the day again because this is the only time I have

4:00 Homework time

5:00 Dinner Time :) Yummy Pulled Pork Sandwiches

6:00 Kids hanging out before soccer for Reagan

7:00 Soccer Practice for Reagan

8:00 Shower Time

8:00 Hunter's shower

8:00 Reagan's shower

8:30 Time for bed

8:30 Time for bed

9:00 Words with Friends Time, my time to undwind for the day

10:00 Snuggle Time w/ Mike on the couch

Chore Clipboards for Kids

My kids are at the age where chores are part of the every day life.  It stinks but hey guess what, mom needs help around here :)
So I made up a chart for our fridge a few months ago that was working ok but I wanted something a little more individual for them and because I'm such a crafty gal, I wanted to make it a little more crafty.
So I thought about decorating some clipboards for them to mark off on their chores.... in my mind this will make them want to do their chores.  Hmmmm, not sure if that is a reality or not... we'll see.

Here is what you'll need:
Clipboards (any size you'd like)
Paint
Scrapbook paper. I used 2 coordinating prints
Ribbon
Mod Podge
Paint brushes or paint sponges
Sand Paper
Fabric Glue

First you need to sand paper the clipboards, just a little bit so it roughs them up.  Next you paint the clip boards any color you'd like.  I even let Reagan help on this part.  Just be careful when you get up near the clip part.

My grocery list clipboard I made was painted green and I painted Hunter's baseball clipboard white.

 

Next you'll cut the first piece of paper that you want to go on the bottom.  I soaked the back of it with Mod Podge.

Next up is the upper piece of paper.  Don't worry if the Mod Podge sneaks out, it will dry clear.  Just make sure you put in on straight.  Also make sure your top paper goes all the way up under the clip to hide any imperfections with the paint.

 

Next I took a piece of ribbon and glued it to the two pieces of paper.  Make sure the glue you use underneath is free of lumps.

 

I cut up some ribbon and tied them on the clip.  The more different the ribbons are I think makes the clipboard that much more adorable.

   

Here's Hunter's baseball clipboard.  I love this one!

 

Last thing you want to do it paint Mod Podge on the entire clipboard when you are done.  It will add a nice hard layer over the paper so the ends won't bend up.  Basically kid proof it.  I was worried at first because the Mod Podge created some lumps in the paper from being wet but they all went down on their own after they dried and it looked great!

Finished products!

Here are the clipboards with their chore charts on them!  So cute! :)

Busy Mom Tips- Meal Planning!

If you are a mom, you are busy.  And I mean really busy.  Moms are on a totally different wave these days.  We juggle everything and then go above and beyond that.  We go all out in decorations for our kids birthday parties, some even make a home made birthday cake grand enough to make a reality show.  We volunteer for everything that comes up at church, school, fundraisers, and sports.  We run around all day like it's a marathon, running one errand after the other, trying to fit it all in, in 24 hours.
We are
the class mom
the team mom
the pick up the kids after school mom
the crafty mom
the taxi mom
the laundry mom
the house keeper mom
the personal chef mom
the "I can organize my entire life" mom
the meet with other moms for lunch mom
the savvy grocery shopper mom
the fashionista mom
the "I wish my legs looked like Heidi Klum's legs" mom
the scrapbooking mom
the I don't know how to sew but let me try and fix this button mom
the I never see my husband anymore mom
the I wish I could lock myself in the bathroom all day mom
the help with homework mom


Whew it gets exhausting.  Every night I climb into bed and let out a sigh.  Because I know the minute I shut my eyes I am done for that day.  Crossing off items on my todo list just makes me that much happier in hopes the next day will be a little easier for me.

Most know I am a little nutty when it comes to organizing.  I really am the "I want to organize my entire life" mom.  I live and dream and breathe organizing.  I am always making lists, schedules, you name it!  One of the biggest tips that has helped me with organizing my life and cutting down the schedule is my meal planning.  I think it used to stress me out that I would come home and not have any idea what to make for dinner.  So I would get frustrated and probably convince my hubby to take us out to eat.  Nights when the kids had practice which is quite often in the fall and spring would usually mean we would pull in a drive-thru and bring something home.  I know none of that is healthy but when you are on the go it's what you do. 
The other thing that was stressing me out is the amount of food we would toss for not using.  I would just buy things at the store with really no purpose and we would never use it.
So being the great organizer I am, I came up with a great shopping list I made on Excel that suits our family as well as a menu plan for the week that outlines everything we will have for breakfast, and dinner and what to pack in the school lunches.  Once the menu is complete for the week I mark the items on my list that I will need for those items and take that to store.  That way on Tuesday if I know we are having Tacos, then all the ingredients will be bought and nothing will be wasted. 
I also can pre-make items before that day such as cooking extra chicken, baking muffins, etc.

Here's a picture of my weekly menu:

     
Here's a picture of my shopping list on my adorable clipboard I made :)  I'll have a post coming up at how I made this adorable clipboard soon.

   
This might help a bit with your busy schedule.  Sometimes things come up and you may miss a day or two but you are on the right track to plan and not waste food.
My next goal is too tackle some good couponing and freezer meals... stay tuned!