How to Use Time Blocking for a Simple Weekly Schedule

How to Use Time Blocking for a Simple Weekly Schedule

Time Blocking for a Simple Weekly Schedule

 

As a mom, it’s important that I have a simple weekly schedule to guide my day. By using time blocking, I find that I can spend more time getting things done and less time complaining about not having any time.

 

Because let’s be real, as moms we’re SUPER busy. We have a million things on our plants, our brains are constantly running in circles, and we often feel overwhelmed and at the mercy of the to do list.

 

But there is a better way.

 

There is a way that you can set up a schedule, not to ‘get everything done’ (because that’s just ridiculous to put on our shoulders) but to get MORE of what MATTERS done. To create a schedule that aligns with our priorities, help us maximize the time that we have in a given day, and actually go to bed feeling good about everything we’ve done.

 

 

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

Since I began being a work at home mom, I knew that I needed to be more in control of my time. There are a different set of challenges when you work from home, and you have to really be the master of your time. I needed something that would let me have the structure of a schedule but the flexibility to deal with the day to day craziness of having small kids at home.

 

Related Post: How to Schedule Your Day as a Work from Home Mom

 

 

When I found time blocking things really changed for me. Instead of having a rigid schedule where at 9:00 am everyday we did our daily cleaning and at 1:30 pm every day was reading time,  I use time blocking to organize out sections of our day so that the have some semblance of order but the flexibility to do things on our own time.

How to Organize Your Schedule as a Busy Mom

 

The principle of time blocking is that you chunk your day into sections (early morning, morning early afternoon, nap time etc….) and assign 3-5 tasks to get done during that schedule.  By doing this, you’re making sure that when that time comes, you’re not overwhelmed and wondering what you should be doing but focused on the tasks at hand.

 

Time blocking also leaves room for the typical day to day life with kids where toddlers need you, it’s always snack time, and some days things just don’t get done because extra snuggles are necessary.

 

As a work at home mom, who has kids who still are napping, I block my time into small chunks that make the most sense for me.

 

Early Morning 5:00-6:30 (pre-kids waking up)

Morning 6:30-9:00

School Time 9:00-12:00 (my 3 year old is at school on MWF)

Afternoon 12:00-2:00

Nap Time 2:00-4:30 (on the day all of the stars align and my 1 year old makes it until 2 and my 3 year old actually naps. This time happens maybe 3-4 times a week)

Evening 4:30-8:00

Post Bedtime 8:00-11:00

 

By chunking my day this way, I have small parts of my day already split up where I can decide what I am hoping to accomplish, what my kids will be doing, and which tasks make the most sense.

 

 

Related Post: Create an Action Plan that Works in 4 Easy Steps

 

 

 

 

 

Take time and chunk out your day so that it makes sense to you. Try to have 2-4 hour time blocks that you are working with that just naturally fall in your day to day.

 

 

Once you’ve determined your time blocks, the next step to productivity is to pre-determine what happens during those chunks of time.

 

 

Now again, this isn’t where you make something super rigid that you must still to right to the minute, but a general idea of what is happening. And by predetermining what happens, you can make sure during that chunk of your day you’re more intentional with all that has to happen.

 

 

This is a sample of my ideal day in a time block:

 

 

Early Morning 5:00-6:30

 

  • Workout
  • Bible and Devotional
  • Shower
  • Small work task

 

 

Morning 6:30-9:00

 

  • Breakfast
  • Clean Up Breakfast
  • Start Laundry
  • Get Dressed

 

 

School Time 9:00-12:00

 

  • Run Errands or Playdate
  • Daily Household Cleaning
  • Make Important Phone Calls

 

 

Afternoon 12:00-2:00

  • Lunch
  • Clean Up Lunch
  • Floors
  • Put Away Laundry

 

 

Nap Time 2:00-4:30

 

  • Work time (which I'll spare you the details of but I put 3-5 work tasks to get done each day)

 

 

Evening 4:30-8:00

 

  • Dinner
  • Clean up Dinner
  • Pack Lunches
  • Load Dishwasher
  • Family Time

 

 

Post Bedtime 8:00-11:00

 

  • Bible Study
  • Finish daily work tasks
  • Evening Routine

 

Related Post: Organize Your Prayer Time to Be a Prayer Warrior

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I’m not super specific about at what time during that chunk things happen but, it gives me a guide of what I should be working on during that period. Before I had this system, I would continuously put off things like phone calls or cleaning, feel like I was never accomplishing anything, and felt frazzled and overwhelmed by housework.

 

I suggest after you go through and assign your tasks, look again and make sure it’s a realistic set of things to accomplish. Then you can create smaller goal charts and checklists for what they mean. For example, I write down that in my “school time” block that I do my daily household cleaning but have a separate Trello board where I put down what that actually looks like each day.

 

Time Blocking Template - A Trello Weekly Planner

 

You may be a paper planner person, and so was I, until I found Trello.

 

I know use Trello to keep all of my time blocking charts, as well as my weekly schedule. It took me a bit to figure out how to create a board that fit my needs with time blocking but, by using labels, I can separate out each day into sections and drag and drop the tasks from day to day.

 

Trello allows me to make a checklist on each card so that when it is ‘daily household cleaning’ time, I can look at see which day i focus on today and what tasks should get done during that block.

 

You can also use Trello on your phone as an app so it makes it very easy to see when you’re out or share your schedule board with your family so that you’re all on the same page.

 

If you want to see more about this board and how you can use Trello to simplify your life, go and grab this free mini course! In it, you’ll learn the Trello basics AND get to snag my ‘my week’ (along with 2 other) boards absolutely free!

 

 

This week, I encourage you to take time to start to implement time blocking into your schedule and see how it changes things. My hope is that it helps you be more productive, more accomplished and less like you’re stuck on a rigid schedule trying to squeeze everything in!

 

And if you need any more help figuring out how to make a schedule that works, go and grab my e-course Design Your Day: Time Management for the Busy Woman. 

 

In the course, I break down exactly how to map out a schedule AND get done what you need PLUS work on your goals! It's a self paced course and we go step by step together to helping you design a life you love!

 

 

Want to Read More in this Routines Series?

The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

Simple Steps to Make Your Morning Easier

How to Set up Your Week to Be More Productive

How to Schedule Your Day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Fit Self Care Into Your Day

How to Find Time to Workout as a Busy Mom 

Digitally Organize Your Prayer Time to Become a Prayer Warrior

Create a Morning Routine in 3 Easy Steps

 

 

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

by | Feb 19, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

  St Patrick's Day Printables for Toddlers and Kids   St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday to complete printables with your toddlers and kids! Often, when I try to find fun activities for my kids to do around the holidays, I can get overwhelmed with completing things,...

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Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

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Simple and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes   An air fryer is a great way to make easy and healthy snacks and food for your family! I am always looking for newer recipes that I can add in because honestly, I can't really cook. Dinner often stumps me, I have no idea what to...

The Ultimate Weekend Checklist for a Productive Week

The Ultimate Weekend Checklist for a Productive Week

Weekend Printable Checklist for a Productive Week

 

Relaxing during the weekend is great but, since I’ve started using this weekend checklist, I’ve had the most productive weeks ever!

 

If you’re like me (and most moms), you look forward to going off your routine a bit on the weekends. You don’t have to pack school lunches, alarms may be set but for a later time, and while you probably are doing the ‘mom taxi’ thing for sports and activities, there is a sense of peace knowing that the weekend breaks up the week day grind.

 

Weekend-Checklist

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

 

I intentionally take Saturdays off.


Yup, you heard me right. I take off. If I don’t want to do something or attend an event, I don’t. I don’t worry about doing any work unless I feel like it. I even take a NAP when my kids do for an hour and recharge.

 

This practice has been the best thing that has happened to my week.

 

Because now I know, that if I can keep pushing throughout the week, I can have that moment to myself each Saturday. And yes, things have to get done, events pop up and I don’t always get the nap, but just knowing that it’s my ‘off’ day, changed my mindset about the rest of the week and the tasks that have to get done.

 

 

 

 

Related Post: How to Fit Self Care Into Your Day

The Most Productive Day of the Week

 

Sundays are typically my most productive day of the week.

 

I start my week on Sunday (just like the calendar), instead of Mondays. I look at Sunday as another day to keep my routines together and another day that I can use to set my week up for success.

 

I found that, if I stick to this weekend prep checklist, I can actually be productive over the weekend, without feeling stressed out about it, get a ton done, and make my life less stressful during the week.

 

By taking time intentionally over the weekend to do some simple tasks, I save myself HOURS during the week and so much stress trying to figure everything out.

The Best Weekend Routine For Productivity

 

You can leave a lot of this checklist to just Sunday or space it out over the weekend so that you’re not trying to cram it all in. Even though Saturdays are my ‘off’ day, I still use it to work on projects or get my grocery shopping done so that on Sunday, I can be ‘game on’ in preparation.

 

I split up what needs to be done into 4 categories;

 

Meals & Food

Schedule & Goals

Errands & To Dos

Cleaning & Home

 

 

This allows me to break down the things that have to get done and find the best time get them done. Here is a sample of how I split up my weekend and which tasks I focus on to have the most productive week

 

 

 

Weekend-Checklist  

 

 

 

Friday:

 

 

 

Clean Out Fridge:

 

  • Fridays are leftover night so I go through and line up what we have left so that we can piece together today's, and the rest of the weekend’s meals. This also helps set me up for a great meal planning session because I am familiar with what things we have.

 

 

 

Related Post: Creating a Meal Planning System

 

 

 

Review Week’s Tasks:

 

  • I think it’s important to take time to reflect on your week, pay yourself on the back for all that got done and assess what still needs to get finished. We put WAY too much on our daily task lists anyway so, it’s interesting to see what gets shuffled from week to week, decide if we really even need to do it or why we keep putting it off, and pick 1-2 tasks to put on our ‘looming household tasks’ list.

 

 

Create Next Week’s Schedule:

 

  • Friday nights during my TV session (can you tell this is my fav time to multitask?) I also start to plan out next week. This helps because I know what our week looks like, which days we need to pack dinner to go, or not to make lunch. I like to make sure to do this before I meal plan so I am not wasting time finding a meal for a day we don’t need it. I look on my Trello dates board for what is coming up, put in all of the events and appointments that we can’t change and pen them into the calendar. This then allows me to see what time we have this week for other projects, fun stuff, or to work on goals!

 

 

trello-schedule 

 

 

Create a Meal Plan:

 

  • I also complete my meal plan on Friday nights after the kids go to bed and me and my husband sit down to our weekly Netflix date (which really means he falls asleep on the couch and I make our meal plan). Since the ingredients that we have on hand are fresh in my head, this is super simple! I create my meal plan using theme nights (go grab this great guide on how theme nights save SO much time) and my use meal planning template to map out the week.

 

 

Related Post: Healthy Freezer Meals for a Month

 

 

Organize Shopping List:

 

  • Since the meal plan is fresh in my brain, I take another 10 minutes and create my shopping list (again while I’m watching tv and relaxing from the week). I go through my coupons, organize which stores I’ll be going to, and making sure I have everything written down that I need.

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday:

 

Plan Out Next Week’s Tasks:

 

  • When I have my morning coffee, I like to plan out what next week will look like. We typically have a slow, no alarm, Saturday morning, and since everyone else is home, I can get some time without toddlers crawling on me and my brain works again. And since I went through last night and already thought about what didn’t get done this week and wrote down what has to get done this week, I have a better idea of the time I have to work on tasks that matter. I reassess my priorities and pick just 3 tasks each day I want to accomplish. I don’t try to overdo it and set myself up for failure with adding everything down. Instead, I use the Eisenhower method and pick what matters most and what must get done to fill my time with.

 

 

 

Related Post: Clear Your Mind and Decrease Stress in 3 Easy Steps

 

 

 

Goal Assessment:

 

  • During this time, I also look back to my Trello boards and quarterly goals to determine which task I want to focus on. I make small goals for myself (workout 5x a week, don’t bring any sugary snacks into the house, plan 2 intentional crafts with the kids etc…) and put them in my planner. This helps me have more of a focus during the week and actually make moves on my goals, instead of them just being ANOTHER thing that doesn't get done. Each night before bed, I look at my lists and make sure that I have one task each day that moves me towards my goals so having this planned in advance saved me time and allows me to be intentional.

 

 

 

Related Post: The Best Way to Organize Your Goals

 

 

 

Grocery Shopping:

 

  • While I go to the store at least one more time during the week, I do shop on Saturdays. Most people think I’m nuts because I could go when it’s not as busy during the week but, the reason I don’t is because on Saturdays MY HUSBAND STAYS HOME WITH THE KIDS (Can I get an AMEN!). I love to coupon, I love grocery shopping and it’s honestly a hobby for me. So I take an hour or so on the weekends and enjoy being by myself and not distracted at the store.

 

 

 

Looming Household Task:

 

  • I am not handy or crafty and I hate doing projects around the house. Now don’t get me wrong, I love to organize things, but I have to be really motivated to get things done. By assigning Saturdays as my ‘just do the dang project’ day, it forces me to do things. Since this is my ‘off’ day, I typically only work on the things i feel like, which means many things keep getting put off (seriously… someone just come to my house and frame these pictures!) but eh, at least something get done. This is a great time to declutter, clean up something in the yard, or patch that hole my toddler so graciously left in the wall.

 

 

 

Weekend Laundry:

 

  • Since everyone is typically home, we make sure to get a lot of laundry done (so I'm not the only one putting it away). I have a system where I do a load a day so the weekends leave us with sheets or leftover laundry.

 

 

Related Post: The Best Digital Cleaning Routine for Moms

 

 

 

Household Pick Up:

 

  • A new routine we’ve started is a Saturday morning household pick up. We put on a 20 minute timer and everyone goes to a zone and we straighten up. This lets us pick up the clutter that has gotten out of place all week (and let’s be real, will be back in a few days) and just give some sense of calm to the house. This is another initiative I am trying in my efforts to not be the only one to do everything around the house and it’s going well! I don’t like to make Saturdays a huge ‘let’s clean everything’ deep clean day but a nice pick up makes it not as bad to do while still straightening up.

 

 

 

 

Sunday:

 

 

Meal Prep:

 

  • I do a hefty meal prep each Sunday which takes about 2 hours. I prep all of my husband’s lunches, muffins and snacks for the kids, and some crockpot meals to make dinner easy. Since I already did my meal plan, my assembly line style prep doesn’t take me too long and it saves me HOURS during the week.

 

 

Related Post: 5 Tips to Meal Prep in 2 Hours or Less

 

 

Sweep and Mop:

 

  • After my meal prep, my kitchen tends to be a bit messy and like a grenade has gone off. There are apple peels on the floors, crumbs and flour everywhere and just stuff that needs to be scrubbed. I do a good clean up of the kitchen and sweep and mop all of the floors downstairs. Again, I sweep every other day as part of my cleaning routines already but I like to mop on Sunday because my husband can entertain the small people while I can do it unbothered.

 

 

Review with Family:

 

  • Over dinner on Sundays we have a family meeting where we go over what our week looks like, what tasks have to get done and make sure everyone is on the same page with what needs to get finished tonight to set up the week for success. This includes a secondary clean up, packing of bookbags and whatever is needed for sports, and some intentional family time (we’re a big Monopoly house) so that we can make sure to connect with each other before the crazy week starts!

 


Related Post: The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

 

 

 

 

 

Weekend Goals Templates and Checklist

 

I know that I can get checklist crazy in my house but it’s for a good reason! Having lists make it so easy to reference and know exactly what needs to be done!

 

So, what does this weekend checklist help with?


Everything!

 

By using a weekend checklist, you are focused on the little tasks that move the needle forward. I suggest printing it out each week or putting it in a sheet protector on the fridge so that you can just check things off with a dry erase marker.

 

Having the weekend checklist on the fridge or your family’s command center, allows you to delegate out tasks (because mama, we don’t need to be doing everything by ourselves) and see at a glance where your time should be spent next.

 

I’ve put together a free download for you with all that you need to create your own weekend prep checklist! There is one already filled out for you with the things from my weekend routine that you might need to do too! I’ve also put together a blank one so that you can add in things that your family needs to make sure it specifically get done!

 

 

 

Go and grab your copy now!

Want to Read More in this Routines Series?

The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

Simple Steps to Make Your Morning Easier

How to Set up Your Week to Be More Productive

How to Schedule Your Day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Fit Self Care Into Your Day

How to Find Time to Workout as a Busy Mom 

Digitally Organize Your Prayer Time to Become a Prayer Warrior

Create a Morning Routine in 3 Easy Steps

 

 

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

by | Feb 19, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

  St Patrick's Day Printables for Toddlers and Kids   St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday to complete printables with your toddlers and kids! Often, when I try to find fun activities for my kids to do around the holidays, I can get overwhelmed with completing things,...

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

by | Feb 17, 2019 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Simple and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes   An air fryer is a great way to make easy and healthy snacks and food for your family! I am always looking for newer recipes that I can add in because honestly, I can't really cook. Dinner often stumps me, I have no idea what to...

Organize the Holidays with the Ultimate Christmas Party Planner

Organize the Holidays with the Ultimate Christmas Party Planner

Organize the Holidays with the Ultimate Christmas Party Planner

 

Attempting to organize Christmas and the holiday season can be tough! There are parties to host, events to attend, and a million gifts to get. You need a Christmas checklist so you can stay organized and I’m super pumped to share the ultimate Christmas checklist and party planner with you!

 

I’ve gone through stages where I tried to remember things on my own, I thought my paper lists would get me through and I just wound up more stressed out than I needed to be. I ended up with paper all over my house, more clutter and just kept forgetting all of the things I needed to get done.

 

Maybe you’ve been here too.

 

But this year will be different. This year, I have my secret ‘mom organizer’ and the one that keeps me focused on almost everything I have to do.

 

This year, I’ll be using Trello.

 

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

 

 

What is Trello?

Trello is my mom BFF. It’s an digital organizational tool that allows me to make lists, take notes, save attachments, and keep myself super organized. It’s actually completely replaced my paper planner (I know, crazy right?!?) and lets me share my tasks with others so I’m not the only one in charge of things … Yes mamas.. We don’t have to do it all ourselves!

Creating a Trello board as your one stop holiday organizational spot is going to make this season incredible for you! You’ll be able to not only keep your Christmas budget  in one place but can also organize gifts you want to go (and ones you get so you aren’t over buying), but all of your basic checklists for Christmas parties you have to host, and all of the things you need to remember but probably won’t.

I’ve created an entire Christmas planning Trello board for you so that you don’t have to start from scratch! You can watch the overview below and if you want to download the board, just watch the video on how to copy the board and create a free Trello account!

 

 

 

Christmas Party Planner

 

The top thing that I love to use Trello for is as a party planner. We don’t host a lot over the holidays but we do host Christmas with my husband’s family (and some years Christmas Eve with my family), so I want to make sure I’m on top of things.

 

I make lists of all of the tasks that I need to get done and keep a lot of checklists on each card to keep organized. This includes things from what rooms need to get cleaned, food I need to buy, and invitations that need to get sent out.

 

You can use Trello to keep your general RSVP list as well. By creating labels, you can make it super simple to see who is coming and how many you need to prepare for.

 

As a couponer, I also know that I can shop early for a lot of our general food items since they start going on sale in early October. Many non perishables and baking products can be found for super cheap if you start to shop early enough. You can use a Trello board to track what sales you’ve found, how much of something you may need and what you’ve actually gotten.

 

Christmas Gift Planner

 

Trello is also the ultimate Christmas Gift Planner! Since I love to do all things on a budget, I start shopping super early for Christmas gifts. I create separate cards on my Christmas gift list for every person that I have to purchase something for.

 

When I have ideas of great gifts, I can save links from Amazon or Pinterest so that I don’t forget them. If I buy a gift in advance, I can write down that I’ve done it and what it is AND where I’m storing it so I don’t forget.

 

I’ve also used this specific Christmas Gift list on Trello to track what Christmas stuff I bought at the end of the season (because you should never pay full price for wrapping paper!) when it was at 75%+ off.  

 

This board can also work for you to grab some birthday gift ideas during the year and just put general ideas that you see or things you hear them talking about.

 

 

Christmas Meal Planner

 

 

Trello also works as a great meal planner for your baking or Christmas cooking needs.

 

You can create one big list with all of the events you have going on and what you might need to bake for. You also can start to save ideas from Pinterest or link to your favorite recipes meals you want to make.

 

If you’re not hosting, this is a great place to keep a list of what you bring to other peoples’ homes and which dishes are winners!

 

I actually have a general recipes Trello Board that I keep all of the ideas I see on Pinterest (you know the ones you actually will make, not just the ones you pin) that makes meal planning super easy!

 

 

Hope Trello makes your party planning less stressful and keeps you organized for Christmas and beyond! If you want to learn more about Trello, head over here and get a FREE video series with some of my favorite boards AND a Trello 101 course!

 

Want to Read More in The Holiday Planning Series? 

9 Easy DIY Gift Ideas

3 Ways to Save Money on Gifts

The Complete Guide to a Christmas Budget

12 Week Holiday Savings Plan

Elf on the Shelf Planner

Minimize Gift Giving with the 4 Gift Plan

Top Subscription Boxes for the Family

10 Awesome Gifts for Coffee Loving Moms

5 Ways to Make An Extra $500 for Christmas

10+ Homemade Christmas Cards to Save Money

Ultimate Christmas Planner

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

by | Feb 19, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

  St Patrick's Day Printables for Toddlers and Kids   St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday to complete printables with your toddlers and kids! Often, when I try to find fun activities for my kids to do around the holidays, I can get overwhelmed with completing things,...

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

by | Feb 17, 2019 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Simple and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes   An air fryer is a great way to make easy and healthy snacks and food for your family! I am always looking for newer recipes that I can add in because honestly, I can't really cook. Dinner often stumps me, I have no idea what to...

Activities to Prepare Your Kids for Preschool

Activities to Prepare Your Kids for Preschool

Get Your FREE Tot School Weekly Planner!

How to Prepare Your Child for Preschool

My 2.5 year old daughter will be starting part-time preschool in the fall and I’m excited and nervous and wondering how this will be.

Adding preschool into our lives was a decision we made for a few reasons. Our main reason was that she’s always stayed home with me and, before her brother was born a year ago our main interactions were playdates or a music class we attended weekly.

Since adding a new baby into the mix (and her getting older), I’ve noticed how much more of my attention she is seeking and her struggling when it comes to playing with others. We’ve had a lot less playdates because it’s just tougher with 2 babies and all the nap schedules to contend with.

I can tell that she is craving more interaction with kids her age and know that it will be good for her to be around others, learn from others, and pick up some of the social skills that I cannot teach her at home.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

Why Tot School is a Good Idea for Toddlers.

For the past year and a half we’ve also added some intentional learning into our typical routines. Part of this is the teacher in me and the other part is knowing that, no matter what she learns at school, she needs reinforcement from home and any added ‘learning’ never hurt anyone.

We don’t do anything too structured as far as home school but we have implemented some Tot School  practices into our weeks. In full transparency, it’s been much tougher and less frequent since the baby was born but, I know that any learning activities we do helps!

We follow the curriculum from ABC JESUS LOVES ME  which allows us to have a structure of what is developmentally appropriate while fitting it into our day naturally. We don’t have a time where I announce “it’s school time” but times during the day where we do activities to promote learning.

Tips for Naturally Integrating Learning

Having a more casual approach when your child is younger is the easiest way to decrease the stress for both you as the parents and them as the child. You never want to force them to do activities or make it so that it’s not fun because, let’s be real, if it’s not fun, your kids won’t’ do it!

We try to pick a theme for each week and come up with 2-3 activities we can do for that theme. The curriculum is great at giving ideas for what themes might work best and activities to go along with it. I print them out on Sundays for the week and keep them in a divided storage shelf so that I can easily grab something if we have 20 extra minutes in our day and want an activity.

 

All day, we also are working on learning in our environment however it naturally comes up. We point out letters, find numbers, count things, try to make patterns and categories with toys, and READ, READ, READ!!!

I Can Change the World

Teaching Your Child During the Day

 

If you’re looking for other ways to incorporate learning and prepare your child for preschool, try to find pockets of your day that allow them to be creative, problem solve, and explore.

 

This can include outdoor play, games like “I spy” or nature walks, cooking, puzzles, seek and finds and more! There are so many ways to make learning and exploring fun, and those are all skills your child needs going into pre-school!

 

The more you can talk to your child, explain things you are doing, and share new words with them, the more that they will pick up! My daughter has learned so many new words simply from me saying what they are (“Ari, this is a spatula! We’ll use this to stir”), having her repeat it (“Watch my mouth when I saw that word. Good, now you say it”) and using it whenever it comes up in context (“Can you pass me the spatula? Oh we need to stir… hmmm what could we use?”)

 

 

Teaching your preschooler social skills.

 

One of the things we are working on now is all of the social skills she will need when going into preschool. We know that sharing is hard for any toddler and that she’ll learn how to do it when those moments happen but, that doesn’t mean we won’t work to help her learn those.

 

When preparing your child for school you can help them by reinforcing manners during the day. Toddlers are completely capable of saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and by reinforcing that AND modeling it when we speak to them and everyone else in the household, it helps them make manners a habit.

 

You can also help them learn about sharing (we use the phrase ‘it’s time to take turns” all day in this house) as much as possible. We are struggling A LOT with this right now, particularly as her favorite thing to do seems to be to take whatever toy her little brother is playing with at the moment. BUT, that doesn’t mean I won’t try to take as many teachable moments as possible.

 

Round up of Activities You Can Do At Home

 

If you’re looking for some activities you can start with your toddler now to get them ready for preschool, look no further! I’ve rounded up some super fun activities that you can incorporate into your week and that your toddler will love!

 

#1 Cereal Color Sort Mat from A Purpose Driven Mom 

 

 

 

#2 Matching Games from Becoming Shultz

 

 

 

#3 Fine Motor Skills from A Purpose Driven Mom 

 

 

#4 Tracing Activities from Meraki Mother

 

 

#5 Magnetic Counting from From Engineer to SAHM

 

 

#6 IXL Activities from Theresa’s Reviews

 

 

#7 Sticker Matching from A Purpose Driven Mom 

 

#8 Lace and Trace Activities for Fine Motor Skills

These are great because they keep little hands busy and help with their fine motor skills! These are the ones that we love!

#9 Basics skills such as using glue and scissors

We do a lot of play and practice with regular glue and glue sticks and just ordered a great book to get her practicing with safety scissors.

 

 

#10 Educational Shows that Promote Learning and Language Development

 

Our favorites are ones you can get on Amazon Prime like; 

Super Why

Daniel Tiger

Creative Galaxy

Dora the Explorer

 

 

Did these tips help you??? Make sure you share them with another mama on your Facebook and PIN them to come back to later!

 

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

by | Feb 19, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

  St Patrick's Day Printables for Toddlers and Kids   St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday to complete printables with your toddlers and kids! Often, when I try to find fun activities for my kids to do around the holidays, I can get overwhelmed with completing things,...

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

by | Feb 17, 2019 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Simple and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes   An air fryer is a great way to make easy and healthy snacks and food for your family! I am always looking for newer recipes that I can add in because honestly, I can't really cook. Dinner often stumps me, I have no idea what to...

The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

Getting Organized for Back to School

 

Every summer the same thing happens; I let go of our routines slightly, get a bit unorganized, allow the house to be more “lived in” and messy and just enjoy.

 

But there is something magical about the start of the school year.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.


back to school organization

 

It feels just like the start of a New Year to me. Everything seems brand new, I want to work harder on my goals and finishing the year strong and we start to get used to our new routines and schedules. And this year, on top of my stepson going into middle school and that adjustment, my 2.5 year old is starting PRESCHOOL!

 

I know, I know… cue the tears!

 

She’ll be going 3x a week from 9 am-12 pm which means adjusting our normal schedule where we’d normally go on playdates or run errands, praying my 11 month old keeps his current 2 nap schedule for a bit (which means he’ll nap 9:30-11:30!! Imagine the possibilities with 6 extra ‘kid-free’ hours a week!)

 

Speaking of my 11 month old, we’ll also be starting Tot School at home in September which means figuring that routine out and when we’ll not only do activities but having to plan them out. (We use ABC Jesus Loves Me for our ‘curriculum’ and love the flexibility it gives while providing structure to make it easy for moms)

 

With my stepson staying at the same school, not much changes for his schedule but now  it’s time to add in more sports, clubs and activities and it’s a recipe for disaster when it comes to remembering everything and just feeling on top of life.

Using Trello to Get Organized

Enter Trello!

If you’ve been hanging on my page at all lately, you know I am OBSESSED with Trello, heck I even teamed up with my girl Elisa from Meal Planning Blueprints to make an entire COURSE  around how it can help moms!

organize your life with trello

Trello is going to be a mom’s best friend for back to school and I’m so pumped to be able to use it for the first time this entire school year. Trello eliminates having to have papers everywhere, forgetting dates and to-dos and losing things you know you need.

Trello will also allow you to share your Back to School lists and to-dos with other family members so if you have older kids, it’s a great way to communicate and if you need your spouse to pick them up from practice or your mother in law to attend a school event, you can keep it all streamlined!

Trello allows you to make BOARDS that you can organize with various lists and tasks. And because I know you don’t have a ton of time to do things, I’ve set up a Trello board just for you to copy for FREE!

 

Just click the link below and you can snag my Back to School board (you’re welcome!) Just COPY it to your account and it’s yours to edit. If you don’t have Trello, just go here and get a free account! Between the website and the app, you’ll be in your Mom Organization Glory! 

 

trello for prayer requests

 

If you’re not sure about Trello or want to see how I organize my board, I did a video for you to give you all the tips on making this board work for you and your family! You can watch that or check out the step by step ideas below!

 

How to Copy Boards On Trello

 

If you want to copy the board, you’ll need a Trello account to do so but it’s free so that rocks. Once you log in go on over to the right where it says SHOW MENU. Next, hit the MORE button and hit COPY BOARD. When you copy the board, you can decide if you want to rename it and where you want it to go. Feel free to use it as a template, to get ideas, and customize however you want!

 

 How to Create a Back to School Board on Trello

 

Step #1 Create Lists on Trello

 

You’ll want to start with making lists for all the things you want to remember, Look at these as your categories. My board has lists that include;

 

IMPORTANT

SUPPLY LIST

SCHOOL LUNCHES

THINGS TO BUY
IMPORTANT DATES
IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ROUTINES

HOMEWORK STATION

 

You can add as many as you want and even organize this board by kid or month.

 

 

Step #2 Customize Cards on Trello

 

Now that you’ve created your lists, go though and customize each card.

 

Some of my favorite ways to do this is to add links of ideas I see on Pinterest  (because we all know we’ll pin a ton of things and forget to do them all) , link to my meal planning boards, and create master shopping lists.

 

You can do this with multiple checklists on each card, adding in important dates, sales you see, organization ideas or adding attachments with specific links!

 

 

Step #3 Add members to Trello

 

I think one of the best features of a back to school Trello board is adding members so that you can all be on the same page. You can add your spouse, babysitter or whoever and if you want them to be responsible for a task or just let the, know of a date, use the @ sign and add their name. This way they’ll get a notification!

 

 

There are limitless possibilities when it comes to Trello for back to school and know that you can be a less stressed mom ASAP! Now go grab this FREE back to school board, copy it and start to customize it for your family!

 

 

Did this help you out??? Make sure you share it to your facebook or PIN it to go back to later!

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

by | Feb 19, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

  St Patrick's Day Printables for Toddlers and Kids   St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday to complete printables with your toddlers and kids! Often, when I try to find fun activities for my kids to do around the holidays, I can get overwhelmed with completing things,...

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

by | Feb 17, 2019 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Simple and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes   An air fryer is a great way to make easy and healthy snacks and food for your family! I am always looking for newer recipes that I can add in because honestly, I can't really cook. Dinner often stumps me, I have no idea what to...

Simple steps to make your mornings a little easier

Simple steps to make your mornings a little easier

Getting out the door will be a breeze with these tips

 

Guest Post by Kimberly Poteat of Happy Mommy, Tired Mommy.

 

It is back to school season. Early mornings and late nights for parents and maybe some kids. Depending on their homework load. I have gathered some quick tips for parents and children to make getting ready the next day and getting out the door on time a little easier.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 morning routine

Kids organization

 

A week worth of Clothes

 

Lay your clothes out for the whole week. This saves a bunch of time with getting ready. Sometimes it takes time to find the perfect outfit. If you get it ready ahead of time though you won’t spend half the morning just on your outfit, or the kids won’t either.

 

The Night Before

 

Have their backpacks ready so they don’t forget their homework.

 

Put Shoes and backpacks by the door. If they are by the door, you pass them on your way out so there is no forgetting backpacks or shoes.

 

Bathroom

 

Bathrooms can get chaotic in the mornings. Why not set everything out like their toothbrush, hairbrush, anything else they might need.

Parents 

 

Of course, the parents have a longer list of ideas than kids. We have a lot more responsibilities. Do not forget the milk!

 

Make a weekly list and reminders

 

If you cannot remind your kids to get their clothes out for the whole week on Sunday, write yourself a note or put it in your phone as an alarm reminder. There are a ton of list apps out there where you can set a time a date to alert you.

 

Prepare breakfast and lunches the night before

 

If you are having cereal, set the box out on the table and bowls then in the morning all you have to do is grab the milk. If you want a little more substance to your meals, you could make a breakfast casserole and stick it in the fridge and bake it right when you get up. When everyone is getting ready it will be done in time so everyone can have a nice breakfast together.

Kids Sticky Notes

 

 

Write out a calendar and set reminders of special events or kids activities to stay up to date with them.

 

You can have some fun with your calendar make it color coded or get stickers to match your events like footballs for little league or ballet shoes.

 

 

Get coffee ready for in the morning

 

Set a timer on your coffee machine so you can have it ready by the time you get up. Or make it at night if you like iced coffee. Stick it in the fridge for later.

 

Get up a little earlier so everyone does not feel rushed

 

Set an alarm 10 minutes before you want to get up give you time to wake up before heading off to do your daily tasks. I know most people dread getting up early even earlier than they are used to.  It can change how your morning goes tremendously. It is amazing how much you can get done with an extra hour or thirty minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kim is a mommy blogger at Happy Mommy, Tired Mommy where she blogs about Self Care and Children Activities. 

 

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

10+ St Patrick’s Day Printables for Kids

by | Feb 19, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

  St Patrick's Day Printables for Toddlers and Kids   St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday to complete printables with your toddlers and kids! Often, when I try to find fun activities for my kids to do around the holidays, I can get overwhelmed with completing things,...

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

Easy and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

by | Feb 17, 2019 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Simple and Healthy Air Fryer Recipes   An air fryer is a great way to make easy and healthy snacks and food for your family! I am always looking for newer recipes that I can add in because honestly, I can't really cook. Dinner often stumps me, I have no idea what to...