Change is good!

Today starts the many changes that are going on in our household.  My husband is starting a new job today!  He was both excited and nervous this morning as he prepared for his first day.  The last five years he has been working from home with a family business.  It has been a very hard decision and a lot of sleepless nights in our house, but we came to the decision to sell our share of the business to my brother (the other partner currently) and go back to the corporate world.  This is a very exciting opportunity for him and we're looking forward to some added benefits that this will offer our family.

This also means some big changes for our daily routine.  We were spoiled before with him being home most of the time or at least accessible.  He was available to take the kids to different sports camps, swim lessons, etc.  Now I will have to pick up the slack and do the best I can to get them where they need to be.  I already know that my son will have to miss out on one basketball camp for sure.  I hate for my kids to have to miss out of these activities because we are just too busy.  If only I didn't work full time....  I have this thought several times a week.  :(

I have always strived to be more organized and efficient in our home lives and now's the time to put myself to the test! 

Things I need to do for a smooth running household:

*  Weekly and monthly calendar of all activities - include all work schedules, practices, games, birthdays, events, etc.

*  Weekly meal plan - We do this already, but now it's even more important for me to make sure that we stick to this plan when buying groceries and prepping for the week.  I already have Wednesday's meal ready to go.  We'll see how long I can keep this up.  I plan to have a weekly post with our meal plans and some of our favorite recipes - stay tuned!

*  Weekly cleaning chart - My kids will be home for the summer starting on Friday.  Aside from their daily chores I'll have to add in a few extra items for them to do.  It'll be good for them to have some extra responsibilities and they can earn some allowance too.

*  Activity list - This again goes back to the kids starting summer vacation.  They often get bored or don't know what to do.  We put a limit on the TV/computer and this will give them some suggestions.

I will be searching for fun, cute, functional and most importantly free printouts to use.  I'm sure there are hundreds to choose from.  I will share with you some of my favorites soon.

Do you have nice, neat calendars for your crazy busy life?  I really think this will be helpful for the whole family to stay on track. 

Happy Monday!